A guide to fast, yet precise, MMP tree planting

[TheMurderousCricket 5,107]

TMC's guide to fast (yet naturally random) MMP tree planting

 

Let's say that you have some really nice MMP trees in your plugins folder and would like to use them to prepare a stunning terrain. However, there is one serious flaw - they cannot be used in the "god mode".

This tutorial is, to a great extent, inspired by @Terring's featured article "Mayor Mode Ploppables in God Mode Landscapes" (link in "Step 6"). My tutorial is kind of an expansion to the idea that might be put to use in a certain specific setting, when you have a certain specific goal in your mind which is - a massive, yet precise placement of MMP items in the game world.

If you are anything like me, you just don't have enough time in your busy life to make your own tree controller or surf the iLives to convert MMPs into GMPs. So, the next thing you do is to enter mayor mode and try to put some trees in a predetermined region where you would like to see a diversified forest.

You start off and find out that your MMP set can only plant one tree at a time. "Brushing" the trees like the Maxis defaults is impossible. You try to brush them on anyhow (comparable to painting "The Birth of Venus" with a toothbrush) and encounter even more problems:

- If your hand is not fast enough, you get some ugly, unnatural lines of trees rather than a forest.
- If your hand is fast enough, you completely loose precision.

Luckily, there is a certain workaround that may help you plant a convincing, diversified forest, keep it precisely where you want and let you go crazy on the mouse. (The latter of which is, unfortunately, necessary to keep your MMP trees randomly scattered).

Here is the workflow:

Step 1

Run SC4 Terraformer and load your region.

Step 2

Go to the desired position. Pick the "LowerZone" brush and set min/max height to about 190 (water).

Step 3

Paint the borders of your forested areas.

Simply said, you now create "barricade ditches". The ditch will simply block the trees from being planted beyond the ditch (Or in front of it, depending how you look at things). 

Step 4

Save your region and open SimCity 4

Step 5

Go to the desired city tile(s). Start "aggressively" planting your trees, trying to avoid the "paint lines". Just relax your wrist! But before you do, make sure to do this. You're welcome. 

Unfortunately, there is no better way other than a "tree-hug, eco-seizure mode" to realistically paint MMP trees. So just go nuts with the cursor.

But! The ditch you have just created, allows for those wacky cursor movements - the water barrier "sinks" any seedlings that could appear where they don't belong. You will hear a distinct "burp" each time a seed hits the water. It's almost like a Geiger counter!

Step 6

When done, obliterate the city just like @Terring's tutorial instructs to. Not to worry - the trees will remain. Save the tile and exit SimCity.

Step 7

Go back to SC4 Terraformer and load your region. We have to remove the ditch now.

Step 8

Note that the city you have planted the trees at has been crossed out from edition. Since we actually do wish to modify it, uncheck the box next to the affected city.

Step 9

Now, use the "Flatten" tool and fill the ditches with the appropriate height brush. In fact, just reconstruct the affected area any way you wish.

Step 10

Now comes the tricky part. Save the area but be careful - when prompted...

...select big, fat NO. This will save the trees and the reconstructed terrain.

Step 11

Now, run the game again and enjoy the "water-defined" wooded area.

[Propfam 2,305]

I don't like Maxis way of how MMPs are planted. It's time consuming and worst, no layouting tools are provided. Wish we have Skylines flora: plant the MMP like God Mode Tree (that thing does exist in form of tree controller) or provided by a mod, drag trees as you wish and even copy them.

[SIM-ple Jack 17,450]

1 hour ago, chfzdn said:

I don't like Maxis way of how MMPs are planted. It's time consuming and worst, no layouting tools are provided.

Maxis didn't make MMP's. Users did, and it's still better than not having them at all.

[Propfam 2,305]

9 minutes ago, SIM-ple Jack said:

Maxis didn't make MMP's. Users did, and it's still better than not having them at all.

Maxis did make some MMP's, like palm and oak tree. But, they didn't promote to replace the God Mode one like us. They were originally intended to use for detail purpose, not for general purpose.