Is there a 4GB Patch for Mac?

[PVK 5]

Hi,

I have SC4 from Steam on my Mac computer and it is running fine on OS BigSur.  I would like to addon the NAM.   The ReadMe first file says “The NAM is also now using a Java-based installer designed by daeley which is cross-platformed” so it sounded like I could add the NAM 39 to my mac.  I downloaded the “Network Addon Mod version39” with no problem. I am watching the NAM Video regarding instillation  and it is explaining about the need for the 4GB patch.  The problem is the 4GB Patch is a windows program and will not open on a mac.  Is there a mac 4GB patch?  If not does this mean I can’t add on any mods until there is a mac 4GB patch?

Thanks PVK

[youngwii 74]

There is no 4 GB patch for Mac, nor is it needed for Big Sur. Because SimCity 4 on the Mac is a 64-bit program (otherwise it would not run on Big Sur), it is possible to install the NAM and use it with no trouble on the 64-bit macOS SimCity 4.

[PVK 5]

Great thanks!

[Propfam 2,288]

Nope, Mac doesn't have such flag so you don't have to, even in 32-bit variant. Now with 64-bit, the flag isn't really needed anymore since the allocation limit is astronomically high, especially for SC4. Wish we have 64-bit Windows SC4 to get rid such requirement.

[rsc204 21,808]

Do bear in mind that one of the more annoying aspects of the Mac version of SC4, is that there is a very strict limit to the number of files/folders that can exist in Plugins, before your game becomes unstable. For this reason, we recommend all Mac users DAT-Pack the NAM, which will reduce the entire thing to about 2/3 files. To do this you'll need a copy of JDATPacker, which is another Java-based tool.

You will probably find whilst you can run this tool, it won't be able to Access any folder beyond Documents. You'll probably need to move the relevant files/folders to somewhere the App can see them before it will work as intended, this is due to MacOS security restrictions.

1 minute ago, chfzdn said:

Wish we have 64-bit Windows SC4 to get rid such requirement.

You are making the assumption that SC4 needs even more RAM and frankly it doesn't. I've never heard of anyone who's gotten close to 3GB RAM usage for SC4, and that's with a really extreme set of Plugins installed. In other words, I don't believe having access to even more RAM would have any benefit, since to use that much RAM is currently at least, unthinkable.

[Propfam 2,288]

12 hours ago, rsc204 said:

Do bear in mind that one of the more annoying aspects of the Mac version of SC4, is that there is a very strict limit to the number of files/folders that can exist in Plugins, before your game becomes unstable. For this reason, we recommend all Mac users DAT-Pack the NAM, which will reduce the entire thing to about 2/3 files. To do this you'll need a copy of JDATPacker, which is another Java-based tool.

You will probably find whilst you can run this tool, it won't be able to Access any folder beyond Documents. You'll probably need to move the relevant files/folders to somewhere the App can see them before it will work as intended, this is due to MacOS security restrictions.

You are making the assumption that SC4 needs even more RAM and frankly it doesn't. I've never heard of anyone who's gotten close to 3GB RAM usage for SC4, and that's with a really extreme set of Plugins installed. In other words, I don't believe having access to even more RAM would have any benefit, since to use that much RAM is currently at least, unthinkable.

I mean, for futureproofing purposes. While I don't think the NAM will be consuming more than 3 gigs, the resource consumption still goes up. Not to mention, gigamods (mods that have the scale of NAM, at least the current NAM or whatever previous version) in the future. One gigamod might not consume much, but five or more surely the consumption increased. The only thing is such mod never exist at least for now other than the NAM, especially amassed in hundreds or more. A megapack, not to underrate, aren't in the same scale as a gigamod. The conversion rate maybe 1 gigamod (assumed to be 1 gig in size) is about 100 megapacks (assumed to be 10 megs individually). To have the same effect as 100 gigamods, you need to have 10,000 megapacks. I don't know who has that amount of megapacks, especially with the fact that SC4Devotion only has 15,000 contents and using the size of the BAT section of SC4 in STEX (around 8,000), I think the complete size of SC4 content including other exchanges hosted here is only around 20,000-22,000. And that's mixed with ordinary content. Imagine there are 15,000 gigamods, I think the size of 2 exchanges isn't 32,000, but double or even triple of the size of exchanges today.

Still, allocating 64 gigs for instance just for SC4 is overkill even with those gigamods. I think it's only 6-8 gigs and it's with gigamods that we assumed exist now. But, we never know until we get hands on gigamods. This is just a rough calculation. Sorry for my mistakes.