CoriBoom Cori's No Kickout Lower Wealth Mod - Now CAMpatible

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

 

Cori's No Kickout Lower Wealth Mod - Now CAMpatible

• The CAMpatible part means that it will work equally well with or without CAM installed. If using CAM, just be sure this mod loads after CAM's controller file.
• The File: Cori's_No_Kickout_Lower_Wealth_CAMpatible.dat  <-- Click here to download.

Y'all might be wondering what this mod does. Quite simply, it allows you to control your city growth in a much more stable manner than the Maxis default setting. By not allowing higher wealth levels to kick out and overrun the lower wealth, you need not be constantly dealing with major fluctuations of each grown category of R, C, and I, the associated demand instability, nor overloading the jobs path finding algorithm. Also, in well established cities which you are still expanding (either horizontally or vertically or both), it puts you in charge rather than at the whim of the game's propensity to upgrade multiple buildings in quick succession as you cross new stage thresholds.

@Cyclone Boom and I have completed a couple of specific demo tests to show the advantages of using NKO.

 

The Skyscraper Example:

Presenting the closest thing to a big city that I have. This has been grown from the start with NKO installed. For this part of the demo, I've removed NKO.

Big City Start without NKO installed:

 

Big City 6 years later without NKO installed:

^ You'll notice all my carefully planned low wealth, low density R$ got kicked out and replaced with R$$ and R$$$. Several commercial buildings changed too.

 

Running again from the start, here's Big City 6 years later with NKO installed:

^ What you see is how it is rock solid stable which allows the Mayor to decide which locations to upgrade.

 

This is where the power of NKO really puts you, the Mayor, in charge. Starting from the same year 676 beginning date as above and keeping the NKO mod in plugins, I then bulldozed those two short commercial service buildings cause I have lots of demand for CO$$$.

Big City Start with NKO installed and two commercial bulldozed:

 

Letting time run a bit, and both zones begin growing:

 

However, because of NKO there isn't a bunch of random upgrading throughout the city tile and that means all pent up demand is being used where I decided:

 

Big City Demo Run Finished with NKO installed:

^ Ofc, if I had some Custom Content installed (or allowed all 4 original tilesets to grow), I could have variety for that stage of commercial.

The key part is that with NKO the rest of my city does not upgrade all haphazardly to higher wealth buildings.

 

The Agricultural (with Small Towns) Example:

Not everyone wants complex metalostastrophe cities. NKO is equally important for the agrarian / small towns developer.

Here we see a typically Coriesque rural area with small towns:

^ Using no imagination whatsoever, I'm calling them the River Town, the Town on the Hill, and the Main Town.  

The second town name logic is only apparent when we turn on the grid and peek under the trees. Here's the dirt road running up the hill which then leads to it:

 

This city tile was all grown without using NKO just like every new Mayor would do. (The game comes from Maxis with this disabled oddly enough.) The date is 27 December in Year 54. No amenities have been plopped at this point. That means no education, no medical, no fire stations, none of the earned rewards, and no parks. The idea was to keep the growth as similar as possible to how it would be with NKO. (I am using my Fire Suppression mod so there's no fires to contend with.) There are a couple or three R$$ homes that grew and then dilapidated. That's nothing compared to how the game will screw things up once we start caring for our Sims.

The following pics will show the comparisons. CB has used the EPIC Technique for Centered City Screenshots so the pics will align pixel perfect. That means you can click an image and then use your right and left arrow keys to flip back and forth between them.

Note: The variations you'll see in the trees are from the random growth cycle differences.
What you'll be looking at is the great quantity of dilapidated R$$ homes when not using NKO.

 

Overview of the Main Town at zoom 3:

Start - No amenities plopped:

 

No time run yet - Amenities plopped:

 

100 years later with NKO installed:

 

Same run 100 years later without NKO installed:

 

Main Town near schools at zoom 4:

100 years later with NKO installed:

 

Same run 100 years later without NKO installed:

 

Main Town north side at zoom 4:

100 years later with NKO installed:

 

Same run 100 years later without NKO installed:

 

Town on the Hill at zoom 4:

100 years later with NKO installed:

 

Same run 100 years later without NKO installed:

^ This particular town fared very well. We see no dilapidation and that's because there are some jobs in this tile for a few R$$ Sims. They like it here because higher elevation is preferred so these are a handful which did not dilapidate.
 

River Town at zoom 4:

100 years later with NKO installed:

 

Same run 100 years later without NKO installed:

^ We see one No Job Zot above.
(Throughout the run they come and go as some R$$ Sims leave, the demand for them goes up, they come back, can't find a job, and the cycle repeats.)
 

So, IMNSHO, installing the No Kickout Lower Wealth mod is the way the game should be played. Not only does it ease the fluctuations from rural to megacity, but it allows more control over what will be grown and where it will appear. This NKO mod works very well with @Bones1's Less Abandonment mod. That one is always recommended for non CAM users.

One caveat you should be aware of: NKO does not prevent buildings from upgrading within their own wealth class. This means if you have some lower capacity building you want to keep for aesthetic reasons, you'll need to click the historical option for it.

 

Important Note: If you plan to peek inside the mod, you must use Reader 1.5.4 which can be found attached to this post on Devotion. (Reader 0.9.3 will bork the file.) Also, the property Tract Developer Kick Out Lower Wealth is set to 0x01 (True) in the release version of the game. This is why I said above that No Kickout is disabled by default.

[Cyclone Boom 17,031]

I've had the privilege to work with Cori on this presentation, and I must say NKO really is an incredible enhancement to SC4 gameplay, it really is.

The great thing also is how it works in both new and existing cities too, and so there is the backwards compatibility in how it's applied. Also if ever you prefer the Maxis Chaotic Method (MCM), it can be removed at anytime of your choosing and lower wealth will be kicked out again once more.

The key thing to remember is all about it giving us more freedom of choice as mayors to develop RCI how we wish to. It isn't a restrictive mod, but a powerful selective one which puts the design decisions in our own hands. The bulldozer is our friend for this very reason. It means how if wanting to redevelop areas to higher capacity, then using the tool makes way to allow R$$ or even R$$$ buildings too, because then the demand and desire decides. This applies to residential, commercial and industrial too.

If wanting R$ to stay, then they will do. However once bulldozing to bare zoning and it's a free for all again.

Note that marking as historical can still be useful to prevent certain lots from upgrading to other higher capacity lower wealth types. For example, there might be a small house which could become a duplex that takes over another lot parcel. With NKO and it prevents R$ from ever becoming R$$ or R$$$ unless redeveloping. Another example would be two R$$ low density homes that grew in medium density could later become an R$$ condo if not marked historical.

While the actual modding side is straightforward as being a toggle, it is an option which really opens up new possibilities in our mayoral strategies. Quite likely some of you may have heard NKO being mentioned in previous topics, and finally here we've got around to showcasing the true benefits it brings.

In due course we plan for a STEX release as well.

 

----------

As some complementary info, here's more details about NKO which I've previously posted in another thread, but it's worth repeating here also...

In terms of how the No Kickout toggle adjusts the growth simulation, I've been testing it with @CorinaMarie and feel it's an extremely useful mod for improved realism and finer control. Since contrast between wealth levels is something common in real world cities, it prevents lower wealth from being taken over. This means wealth levels can coexist, such as by R$ remaining inside an area suitable for and containing R$$ and even R$$$ homes. Tax rates can be adjusted accordingly, and should one later wish to upgrade an area, it's possible to selectively bulldoze. This then provides higher wealths an opportunity to reconsider and grow in place, providing the conditions are suitable.

It therefore makes the balance of jobs and Sims easier to maintain, all with the convenience of not needing to mark hundreds of buildings as historical. As a bonus, we've noticed how some lower wealth buildings can survive which would surely have been automatically upgraded. For instance I recall there being a few terrace houses and also small sized prefab blocks which were still there in among an area of wealthier condos and apartments. An exception to the rule is should a building abandon, it's then able to automatically redevelop. In a way this seems realistic too, given it represents how a property developer has invested in a restoration or a full reconstruction.

While it may need consideration to plan ahead when developing and take a little getting used to, I feel No Kickout is really a highly beneficial gameplay adjustment. It may well be that Maxis toggled it off prior to release, so then to allow more widespread RCI development with less control over what can grow where.

[Raymond7cn 6,776]

After 2 hours reading, I have finally understood what the function of this Mod, This is… Awesome!! Frankly, as an experienced Mayor (show off), i could develop the city not too bad but with tedious operating on historic, we all know the defect of "Kick out", it will caused some chain reaction, but it's a tempting mistake if you're not being careful, Not to mention CAM, so when i have known it and imagined CoriBoom™'s efforts behind, i'm Speechless, Thank you Cori and CB. This will be my indispensible Mod.

And Thanks to CB, You don't usually have the chance to enjoy CJ of CoriBoom™, and so convenient, I could look at them for a whole day, (maybe several) All i wish is you could bring more of your beautiful CJs for me so that there would be more newbie thoughts.

18 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

nor overloading the jobs path finding algorithm

I just have a little question about this word, Maybe the first time heard of it, May i know more about this overloading. 

Thanks again! Yours Sincerely,

-- Raymond

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

3 minutes ago, Raymond7cn said:

May i know more about this overloading.

Yep.

Overloading means giving it more that it can comfortably handle. I could also say over burdened. It could be overloading should be two words as over loading.

[Raymond7cn 6,776]

26 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

Yep.

Overloading means giving it more that it can comfortably handle. I could also say over burdened. It could be overloading should be two words as over loading. 

Thank you Cori, however i thought you maybe confuzzled by my awful English, I wanted to know why it will overload the jobs path finding algorithm.

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

9 minutes ago, Raymond7cn said:

I wanted to know why it will overload the jobs path finding algorithm. 

Ah. Oopsie.

Without NKO installed, the game goes upgrading buildings as fast as it can as each stage becomes available (assuming enough demand) and this means the Sims in homes are new when it's Residential that upgraded. All of them need to know where the jobs are and how to get to them. When the employment buildings (Commercial and/or Industrial) have upgraded, that cancels the prior jobs so all the Sims who did work there need their paths recalculated. With all that happening in quick succession, it means the path finding routine often has more work to do than the amount of time allocated for said calculations. It does as much as it can, but then puts the remainder on hold until the next calculation cycle.

This is why many peeps see the No Road Access zots for a long while. That zot doubles as No Road Access and No Path to a Job. When the building upgrades are done in a more controlled manner with NKO installed, this reduces the workload for the path finding algorithm because there aren't as many requests all at once.

[Flann 1,709]

I use this mod and it is great.  It really stabilizes things.  Gotta remember that its installed though, rather than get confused as to why things arent redeveloping!

[BartonThinks 3,416]

That's one bold stance against gentrification, Cori!

One thing that I've really appreciated about CAM is that it raises the desirability threshold on $$ and $$$, which helps prevent abandonment and reduces this problem to a degree. But it's far from a perfect solution.

However, I'd love to see a mod that reduces the impact that certain (or all) amenities have on desirability. I don't love using the NKO in my own cities because I think it's more realistic for $$ and $$$ sims to acquire desirable $ land and redevelop it. I like to grow my cities as organically as possible, and NKO gives me too much control for that to happen.

My problem is that, without NKO, even basic amenities like an elementary school have the habit of turning a $ area into a hotspot for $$ and $$$ sims. So I'm stuck between the vanilla game, which has a realistic process that leads to unrealistic results, and NKO, in which the process feels unrealistic but can be used produce more realistic neighborhoods.

Might be something to look into on my time...

[Edvarz 1,985]

I love this mod and have been using it since Cori brought it up in an attachment!

I really hated when R$$$ sims took over entire neighborhoods only to then leave because they had overdeveloped and couldn't find enough jobs, they also lowered my overall population when they replaced some six R$$ houses to build a huge McMansion. And it was the same with commercial areas, I always ended up with infinite rows of CS$$$ and CO$$$ with the same building repeating over and over again. But that's all in the past!! Also, my dense urban centres with wall to wall apartment buildings are so much more easy to develop since I installed the NKO!

Personally, I see the NKO as the city passing comprehensive anti-gentrification legislation, where any redevelopment of occupied areas that entails displacement of residents or destruction of a historic building always has to be subject to mayoral approval, while densification can be seen as the previous occupants getting a new apartment in the new buildings. Not entirely unrealistic, even if there's probably no city in the world with those kinds of laws. You can still be all Robert Moses and bulldoze entire neighborhoods if you want, but the choice is up to you.

Anyhoo, it's a must have, IMHO

[dmn 134]

Like this!

[Terring 6,476]

I've been using NKO since January of 2019 and I'm very happy with it. Before that, keeping my cities in control was an unfair challenge, because even a single bus stop could upgrade my trailers and humble homes into fancy mansions way too early for my cities to support them. The Less Abandonment mod by @Bones1 helps a lot, but you still need low wealth Sims in your regions, because it's necessary to have low income residents working in shops, farms and low-tech factories somewhere. I remember a couple of times when some of my old cities eventually had a drop in demand for medium and high wealth residential zones and a very high demand for low wealth homes. The result was a mess. My problem is that I have the bad habit of providing all of the necessary civic services right at the very beginning of the game, making the construction of poor but happy neighborhoods an impossible task. Even if you spam the "make historical" button (which is a chore by itself, especially if you have so many buildings in your city), you'll eventually have to uncheck some of them, so you'll still get medium and high wealth homes eventually.

But thanks to NKO, I have finally more control over my cities. Now I can have happy "ghettos" populated by poor but healthy, safe and educated Sims. Who said that only the rich people deserve the best? Even better, it is I who will decide where I want to have humble homes and where I want to build mansions, so it gives me more control and more stability to my cities. Of course I still have the Less Abandonment mod with NKO, so now it's less likely to get rich Sims but more likely to have them stay. A fair challenge this time.

So my salute goes to CoriBoom for once again

[MichaelJBull769 55]

How would you load this mod after the main controller file of CAM?

[twalsh102 1,601]

By default, all CAM files are installed in a folder titled a__CAM. As long as you put Cori's mod in a folder that comes alphabetically after the CAM folder, it will load after CAM.

So I would just create a folder with the same name as Cori's mod, and place the .dat file in that folder. If you just took that dat file and placed it as is at the root of your Plugins folder (not inside any other folder), it would install before CAM.

Just a quick lesson on File Load Order:

1. The game first installs all game files from the program install directory.
2. Next the game parses the Documents\Plugins folder and first loads all non-dat game files (i.e. .SC4Desc, .SC4Lot, .SC4Model) at the root of the Plugins folder. Then it parses all folders alphabetically by folder name\file name and loads all non-dat game files
3. Finally the game, following the same order as in #2 above, parses you Plugins folder and loads all .dat files.

A quick caution:  In Windows File Explorer,an underscore (_) is often used as the first character in a folder name to cause that folder to be listed first. However, the game will cause folders with an underscore as the first character to be loaded last.

[Gn_leugim 858]

so, let me see if I understand... you basicaly limit that new, higher wealth residents, kick out lower ones, so instead, I have to buldoze ereas to allow new wealthier incomers have room to move in?

 

I think I like it. how do you do that? I ask because I use a modded version of CAM, so I cant use your version :\

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

10 hours ago, Gn_leugim said:

I think I like it. how do you do that? I ask because I use a modded version of CAM, so I cant use your version :\

There's a very good chance you can use this as-is since my mod only tweaks one single exemplar. And even CAM only changes one other variable (compared to vanilla) in the same exemplar (and mine does too to match CAM).

Here's the one to look for:

 

So, for your your modded CAM, find that 6534284A-E7E2C2DB-E8DA7677 exemplar, edit the Tract Developer Kick Out Lower Wealth to be 0x00 (false), and you'll be good to go. Make certain you use Reader 1.5.4 as linked in my first post. (The 0.9.3 version cannot see all of the properties in that particular exemplar and will bork the file if saved via 0.9.3.)

Or, if you didn't make the changes yourself, where did you get the modded controller file? I could take a peek inside.

[armpit43 172]

Apologies if I missed it, so am I right to assume that in order to upgrade an area from $-$$ I just have to demolish the buildings and rezone? Just like real life essentially?

If I have understood this mod correctly, this game is crying out for it. The level of dedication the fanbase has to this game after almost 20 years is amazing.

[Edvarz 1,985]

8 minutes ago, armpit43 said:

Apologies if I missed it, so am I right to assume that in order to upgrade an area from $-$$ I just have to demolish the buildings and rezone?

Actually, you don't even need to rezone, just demolish, unless you wanna change the lot's footprint ofc.

[armpit43 172]

Could someone explain the difference between this and the CAM? They sound quite similar.

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

15 minutes ago, armpit43 said:

Could someone explain the difference between this and the CAM? They sound quite similar.

CAM is a comprehensive game overhaul as explained here.

NKO gives significantly greater control over development (more specifically, what will redevelop) and stabilizes the growth progression. CAM does not come with NKO enabled. This mod allows it to have the same benefits.

[Gn_leugim 858]

15 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

There's a very good chance you can use this as-is since my mod only tweaks one single exemplar. And even CAM only changes one other variable (compared to vanilla) in the same exemplar (and mine does too to match CAM).

Here's the one to look for:

 

So, for your your modded CAM, find that 6534284A-E7E2C2DB-E8DA7677 exemplar, edit the Tract Developer Kick Out Lower Wealth to be 0x00 (false), and you'll be good to go. Make certain you use Reader 1.5.4 as linked in my first post. (The 0.9.3 version cannot see all of the properties in that particular exemplar and will bork the file if saved via 0.9.3.)

Or, if you didn't make the changes yourself, where did you get the modded controller file? I could take a peek inside.

Thank you Cori, that should actually easy to do. thanks for the tip!

[armpit43 172]

Just to add with this...

I think this mod has a lot of potential. One thing I have found when playing with this mod is that buildings are still required to be demolished in order to upgrade your city's wealth, when in effect, the low wealth building can realistically support a middle-wealth or even high-wealth family. I play with a lot of British themed lots which mostly used terraced housing, however many of the developers of the lots have put some lovely houses as $ which means I have to demolish them to increase the wealth of the city. Most Victorian terraces in London made for working class families 100+ years ago can easily fetch up to a million pounds nowadays. Cities don't normally tear down buildings made for poorer familes once upon a time to build homes for middle-class familes. Often it is left for the occupant to decorate/expand their home as they wish.

It seems therefore, that one way this mod can go further is if it is at all possible, is to replace a $ lot on one tile with the same lot but upgraded to a $$ family. I have no idea if this is possible, but it would certainly give a more realistic simulation of the life of a city-as rundown areas become gentrified etc. SC4's simulation was built on the assumption that middle class people only live in middle class houses in suburbs. I don't think this was strictly the case even in 2001/02/03 when SC4 was developed, as poorer, inner suburbs have been attracting new, young wealth since the 80s or before.

I think unless you are playing vanilla, where $ lots are made to delibrately look unappealing to the player, having a mod where a lot can act as a shell to wealth, so the overall look of an area doesn't change, would be a great for SC4.

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

14 hours ago, armpit43 said:

I have no idea if this is possible, but it would certainly give a more realistic simulation of the life of a city-as rundown areas become gentrified etc.

I do have a couple ideas how this might, maybe, perhaps be modded. Remind me in a few months and if my backlog of projects is caught up, I'll explore some of those ideas.

[Mytzenka 106]

I'd like to ask if I understand correctly how this mod works.

When I have the mod installed, whatever wealth level gets developed in a certain neighborhood forever stays at that wealth level unless I go in and bulldoze the buildings there.

Once I bulldoze existing buildings a new wealth level might develop but only if that particular wealth level is in demand at that time.

I think the idea of this mod is awesome, but if it works the way I think it does it seems a bit of a hassle to micromanage to be honest. Because I have to predict if a certain neighborhood may develop to a higher wealth level and I have to do that again all the time for all neighborhoods in my city if I want things to change.

I'd rather it be the other way around that by default I want things to develop to a higher wealth level unless I say: "don't develop this neighborhood".

[CorinaMarie 29,890]

1 hour ago, Mytzenka said:

When I have the mod installed, whatever wealth level gets developed in a certain neighborhood forever stays at that wealth level unless I go in and bulldoze the buildings there.

Yes. With the caveat that whatever grew could upgrade within the same wealth level. For instance, I might zone medium density and initially some small houses grow. Later I run a water pipe under them and they can upgrade to apartments of the same wealth level.

 

1 hour ago, Mytzenka said:

Once I bulldoze existing buildings a new wealth level might develop but only if that particular wealth level is in demand at that time.

Correct.

 

1 hour ago, Mytzenka said:

Because I have to predict if a certain neighborhood may develop to a higher wealth level and I have to do that again all the time for all neighborhoods in my city if I want things to change.

Depending on your familiarity with the game, this isn't really an onerous task.

Say you have high demand for all wealth levels then you could use the technique of Selective Residential Revamping to grow what you want. In that guide I was going for R$, but the same principle applies to adjusting the tax rate for any wealth levels.

You might also find our Parks Aura mod useful to see which areas are more likely for higher wealths to grow:

 

2 hours ago, Mytzenka said:

I want things to develop to a higher wealth level unless I say: "don't develop this neighborhood".

That's how the game already works. It'll be as easy as not installing the NKO.

[Indiana Joe 1,752]

2 hours ago, Mytzenka said:

I'd rather it be the other way around that by default I want things to develop to a higher wealth level unless I say: "don't develop this neighborhood".

The game's built-in "Make Historical" tool will already accomplish this perfectly.  But if you play SC4 long enough you will find it extremely frustrating when everything tries to grow into mansions, and then abandons because you can never have enough §§§ jobs for them.

[Mytzenka 106]

Thank you for your replies @CorinaMarie and @Indiana Joe

I am aware of the make historical option, but it's a pain to do that for each individual building in an entire neighborhood. Maybe using this mod isn't such a hassle after all.... I will consider trying it out.

[agntstorm1 56]

On 8/21/2020 at 9:09 AM, CorinaMarie said:

So, IMNSHO, installing the No Kickout Lower Wealth mod is the way the game should be played. Not only does it ease the fluctuations from rural to megacity, but it allows more control over what will be grown and where it will appear. This NKO mod works very well with @Bones1's Less Abandonment mod. That one is always recommended for non CAM users.

I have been a player of SimCity 4 since the day it was born, but was always reluctant to try mods and custom content until a couple of years ago and I have not looked back - thank you to all the custom content creators and modders. I do not use CAM (simply haven't tried it yet) but I do have Less Abandonment mod and just added No Kickout Lower Wealth mod yesterday and did some testing on an existing city - it works as advertised if not better. I can't wait to see it's magic on a new city.  If you're still doubting this mod or if you're just getting into mods, Cori's quote above summarizes it best - you MUST have the No Kickout Lower Health mod alongside Less Abandonment mod.

Thank you all for all of your hard work and keeping the game and the community alive for close to 20 years. Keep it coming.

[MissVanleider 1,851]

I've been away from here for a long time due to a sad PC death.

I've made it back on a new computer and its so nice to see many familiar names still here. This mod looks really fantastic, something i've missed all these years is now here, wonderful!

Thanks very much and take care everyone x

[pschulka 52]

dear cori,

thanks so much for making the SC4 experience a COMPLETELY NEW GAME. this is a damn milestone in terms of how the game plays out. what...a....change.

i made a simple testbed city from one of the maxis-scenarios (only NAM, minimal plugins). normally a snooze-fest. BUT since i now use your "mod" (+less abandonment mod, also a godsent) the game is fun even at that basic level. i plan, it grows, i plan some more, it grows some more, i bulldoze, i plan, it stays, it goes. DYNAMIC GAMEPLAY.

amazing.

[pschulka 52]

okay....so i tried the above again. this time though, i used my plugin folder (which is brimming) and wouldn`t you know it..insta-growth of a miriad of midsize-skyscrapers...well.

it seems that with a lot of plugins installed this mod is still working..albeit a little less restrictive. upgrading old districts via razing DOES still work, so that`s good.

cheers.