NAM 41 Now Available

[Tarkus 6,932]

Just in time to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the very first release of the Network Addon Mod, the NAM Team is pleased to announce the release of the 41st edition of the mod, NAM 41.

Download Link

Network Addon Mod (NAM) - Cross-Platform

 

RELEASE NOTES

Before you run off in excitement to install the new NAM version, please make sure to read this (short) document first, to ensure the best Network Addon Mod experience.

Note that without the 4GB Patch being properly applied to the game by Windows (and Linux/WINE) users (or the use of the "Low RAM/No RHW" Controller option for users on lower-spec systems/32-bit operating systems), the game will crash to desktop. The installation for the NAM on Windows has changed, as there is now a batch file (NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.bat) that users should run to begin installation, which will automate the 4GB Patch process. macOS users should continue to use the .jar file, and since the macOS version is a 64-bit application, the 4GB Patch is not required on macOS.


REQUIREMENTS

• Java Runtime Environment (available from AdoptOpenJDK--a 64-bit Windows copy of JRE 11 is enclosed in the download)
• [For Windows Users running the 4GB Full NAM Controller and RealHighway (RHW) System]: NTCore 4GB Patch (included in download (4gb_patch.exe) with new automated installation (NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.bat), or available from NTCore)
• A copy of SimCity 4 Deluxe/Rush Hour updated to at least Version 1.1.638. (GOG and Steam digital copies are already at Version 1.1.641 and ready to use with the NAM.)

INSTALLATION AND GENERAL NOTES
Before beginning the installation process, if you have used a previous version of the NAM, make sure you remove it before proceeding further.

To install the mod, if you are on Windows, open NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.bat to begin the installation process. This will begin with the process to install the 4GB Patch on the game, and then move onto the actual NAM installation process.

On macOS, open NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.jar to begin installation.

Note that the NAM is packaged in an installer, and simply dumping the contents of the download into the Plugins folder will not install the mod. Doing so will only slow the game down, and none of the NAM's menu additions will appear.

Note that the NTCore 4GB Patch is REQUIRED if you are running the Full NAM Controller ("4GB Full" options in the installer), which is required to use the RealHighway (RHW) system. If the installation procedure is begun via NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.bat, as is the new recommended procedure, the 4GB Patch should be automatically applied to the game. Otherwise, the patch can be found inside the download, or downloaded directly from NTCore here, where further instructions on use of the patch can be found. Also due to this installer change, the NAM Controller Compiler is no longer run as part of the installation process.

Users will have an option to install one of two pre-built NAM Controller options, the Full "4GB" option, which has a substantial size and requires the 4GB Patch and a 64-bit operating system, or a "Low RAM/No RHW" version that does not require the 4GB Patch, and does not include the code for the RealHighway (RHW) system, the most expansive feature in the mod. The "Low RAM/No RHW" version should be used by those with 32-bit operating systems (i.e. Windows XP), less than 4GB RAM, and/or by those not using the RHW. Users wishing for further customization of NAM Controller size can still run the Controller Compiler manually, as it is available in the download.

Users wishing to simply use the NAM's Traffic Simulator improvements should skip the main NAM Installation and instead load up the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool (TSCT), which is in the folder of the same name. The tool itself is "TSCT.jar", though may be easier to open using the batch file ("TSCT.bat"). Note that the TSCT also requires the Java Runtime Environment.

COMPATIBILITY

The Network Addon Mod, in its current form with the full slate of installation options, is designed to run on systems with a 64-bit operating system and more than 4GB RAM. Most modern PCs should be able to comfortably run the mod. It is possible to run the NAM on 32-bit operating systems, and/or systems with 4GB or less RAM, by selecting a smaller feature set (minus the RHW) and the "Low RAM/No RHW" NAM Controller option, or manually compiling a smaller NAM Controller using the Controller Compiler.

At least 1.2GB of hard drive space is required, in order to fully unpack the installer, but actual installation size may run from as little as 1.7MB to as much as 850MB, depending on the options chosen and if one selects to manually run the Controller Compiler after installation.

The Network Addon Mod is compatible with the following versions of the game:
 

• A) Retail Windows disc copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe OR SimCity 4 with the Rush Hour Expansion Pack, updated to at least Version 1.1.638.
• B) Retail Windows digital copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe OR SimCity 4 with the Rush Hour Expansion Pack (Version 1.1.641), from all digital retailers except Origin (i.e. GOG.com, Steam, Amazon).
• C) Digital Windows copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe obtained redeeming an existing CD key (not purchasing) through Origin Customer Support.
• D) Retail Mac digital copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe, purchased through Steam or the App Store. (NOTE: Platform-specific technical support for the NAM on macOS is extremely limited).
• E) Retail Mac disc copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe, running on macOS/OS X Version 10.6 (Snow Leopard) or earlier. (NOTE: Platform-specific technical support for the NAM on macOS is extremely limited.)

The Network Addon Mod is NOT compatible with the following versions of the game:

 

• F) Retail disc copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe OR SimCity 4 with the Rush Hour Expansion Pack that have not been patched (Version 1.1.610 or 1.1.613).
• G) Retail Windows digital copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe purchased from Origin
• H) Copies utilized as part of EA Play (formerly Origin Access)/Xbox Game Pass.
• I) Retail disc copies of non-Deluxe SimCity 4 (sometimes marketed later as "SimCity 4 Classic"), without the Rush Hour Expansion Pack (Version 1.0.272 or earlier)
• J) Pirated or cracked copies of SimCity 4 Deluxe OR SimCity 4 with the Rush Hour Expansion Pack.

What should I do if the NAM installer rejects my copy of the game?

The new NAM installer (introduced with the NAM 37 Release Candidate) no longer runs a version check. However, it is strongly recommended that users check the version they are running, as unpatched copies can be unstable. In Case F, the solution is simply to install the EP1 Update 1 patch (SKU 1-5), which can be downloaded from Simtropolis here or SimCity 4 Devotion here.

For Cases G and H, see the section about Origin here.

For Cases I, and J, it is recommended that you purchase a digital copy of SimCity 4 Deluxe (NOT from Origin).


New Features for NAM 41

• Note: in order to ensure proper installation of NAM releases using the current installer, please remove the "Network Addon Mod" folder (and if still present, "z___NAM" folder) from the Plugins directory (usually My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins on Windows) before installing a new NAM version.  The Cleanup/Cleanitol functionality is not presently designed to remove full NAM installations.
• The RealExpressway (REW) system for the One-Way Road network has been reimplemented and expanded.  In addition to the previous Draggable Ramp Interfaces (DRIs), new FLEXRamps and Multi-Radius Curves (MRCs) have been added, and options for new, more consistent Avenue-style striping for all the One-Way Road networks have been added. The new FLEXRamps available include the Orthogonal and Diagonal OWR-2 Type A1 (Orthogonal overrideable with OWR-1), Orthogonal, Diagonal, and Curved OWR-2 Type B1 (Orthogonal overrideable with OWR-1), Orthogonal and Diagonal OWR-2 Type D1, Orthogonal OWR-3 Type D1, Orthogonal OWR-2 Type E1, and Orthogonal OWR-3 Type E1.  MRCs supported include R1-R5 radii for OWR-2, R1-R3 for OWR-1, and R2-R5 for OWR-3. Note that in order to combat hardcoded "Tidal Flow" issues, the FLEX-based REW items are bidirectionally pathed, and use special network flags that do not allow them to be overplopped on existing stretches of One-Way Road.
• The SAM-to-SAM and SAM-to-Street Transitions for the Street Addon Mod (SAM) have been revamped, stabilized, and expanded, adding wealth texture support, new support for SAM Set 1, and improved support for SAM Set 11.
• The new Subway-based FLUPs system has been revamped to be easier to use.  New underground starter pieces for the URoad-2, URoad-3, URamp, and URoad-4 (underground equivalents of the RHW-2, RHW-3, MIS, and RHW-4, respectively) have been added, and can be placed directly over top of Subway, allowing the network to be converted with a simple click of the Subway tool afterward. The starters at the ends of the FLUPs Portals have been removed, making construction--particularly involving side-by-side RHW-4 portals--far less temperamental.  More details can be found in the Flexible Underpasses (FLUPs) Feature Guide.
• A conflict between the new FLUPs and the old, legacy RHW FLUPs Crossing Puzzle Pieces (particularly the RHW-2 and RHW-4 crossings) has been resolved.  Note that any old RHW-2 and RHW-4 FLUPs Crossing Puzzle Pieces will need to be rebuilt.
• The Rails and Misc Transit menus have been revamped, to bring the base networks back up to the top of the menu.
• A pathing issue preventing traffic from utilizing the center tile on RHW-6C and RHW-8C crossings involving the Road and One-Way Road Draggable Viaducts has been resolved.
• The RHW Diagonal FLEXHeight Transitions (FLEX-HT) should now properly support L3-L4 MIS and L3-L4 RHW-4.
• A new FLEX Piece has been added to the Avenue intersections button, allowing two Streets to intersect an Avenue without crossing. Being FLEX-based, it also supports SAM Streets.
• The RHW Orthgonal Type E1 FLEXRamps and DRIs should no longer automatically produce RHW-3 out the top of the ramp's mainline, improving overall stability with other networks.
• A glitch involving intersections following Dual Slip Lanes off the Type 110 FLEX Turn Lanes (FTLs) has been resolved.
• Fractional Angle Road intersections with the Street network now feature improved textures by Jiwoahn.

DOCUMENTATION

For more information about NAM installation and this release, please see the "Read First" document, enclosed in the download (0-read-first.html) and available online.

The remainder of the documentation can also be consulted online at: sc4devotion.com/namdoc


Please note that NAM 40 and earlier have been discontinued, and are no longer eligible for any form of technical support.

Thank you all for your continued support--hope you enjoy!

-The NAM Team

[JessiLaurn 183]

You can do some fairly fun things with slip lanes...

[AsimPika3172 1,136]

Time for enjoying NAM 41 right now!!!  

[deanva 70]

Is this different NAM than was available the first part of April 2021?

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

5 minutes ago, deanva said:

Is this different NAM than was available the first part of April 2021?

And it's been over 16 years since there were two NAM releases in the same month. (I'll leave the details for @Tarkus to post since it was in a PM where he mentioned when that occurred.)

[Tarkus 6,932]

3 hours ago, deanva said:

Is this different NAM than was available the first part of April 2021?

Yes, it is.  The one released at the start of April was NAM 40, and this is NAM 41.  As @CorinaMarie mentioned, this is the first time there's been two NAM releases in a single month since the release of NAM 13 and NAM 14 both occurred in November 2004.  The upgrades from NAM 40 to NAM 41, however, are quite a bit more substantial than those that occurred between NAM 13 and 14.

BTW, in case anyone's wondering if there's ever been more than two NAM releases in a single month . . . the answer is yes.  June 2004 saw three NAM releases (NAM 3 on the 4th, NAM 4 on the 12th, and NAM 5 on the 19th), while the following month, July 2004, set the record of four NAM versions in a single month.  NAM 6 was released on July 2nd, 2004, NAM 7 a mere four days later on the 6th, NAM 8 a week later on the 13th, and NAM 9 on the 19th.

If anyone's curious about NAM history, and release intervals, there's a whole section on it in the NAM Documentation:

https://www.sc4devotion.com/namdoc/7-history.html

The longest NAM development cycles are, of course:

• NAM 37 (1023 days, ~2 years, 10 months)
• NAM 33 (681 days, ~1 year, 10 months)
• NAM 31 (534 days, ~1 year, 5 months)
• NAM 20 (452 days, ~1 year, 2 months)
• NAM 30 (397 days, ~1 year, 1 month).  

Those five are, coincidentally, the only cycles that have exceed the one-year mark. 

-Tarkus

[Propfam 2,288]

2 hours ago, Tarkus said:

Yes, it is.  The one released at the start of April was NAM 40, and this is NAM 41.  As @CorinaMarie mentioned, this is the first time there's been two NAM releases in a single month since the release of NAM 13 and NAM 14 both occurred in November 2004.  The upgrades from NAM 40 to NAM 41, however, are quite a bit more substantial than those that occurred between NAM 13 and 14.

BTW, in case anyone's wondering if there's ever been more than two NAM releases in a single month . . . the answer is yes.  June 2004 saw three NAM releases (NAM 3 on the 4th, NAM 4 on the 12th, and NAM 5 on the 19th), while the following month, July 2004, set the record of four NAM versions in a single month.  NAM 6 was released on July 2nd, 2004, NAM 7 a mere four days later on the 6th, NAM 8 a week later on the 13th, and NAM 9 on the 19th.

If anyone's curious about NAM history, and release intervals, there's a whole section on it in the NAM Documentation:

https://www.sc4devotion.com/namdoc/7-history.html

The longest NAM development cycles are, of course:

• NAM 37 (1023 days, ~2 years, 10 months)
• NAM 33 (681 days, ~1 year, 10 months)
• NAM 31 (534 days, ~1 year, 5 months)
• NAM 20 (452 days, ~1 year, 2 months)
• NAM 30 (397 days, ~1 year, 1 month).  

Those five are, coincidentally, the only cycles that have exceed the one-year mark. 

-Tarkus

Can we expect monthly releases? If NAM Team was a profit corporation, they'll release the update faster and faster because well, it's their profit. 

I hope that the team maintains or even improves the quality of the mod each release.

[Propfam 2,288]

On 26/4/2021 at 7:17 AM, JessiLaurn said:

You can do some fairly fun things with slip lanes...

A way to add small curved street around three roads. Oh wait, it reminds me of geometry class!

[blunder 1,079]

On 4/28/2021 at 6:07 PM, Tarkus said:

The longest NAM development cycles are, of course:

• NAM 37 (1023 days, ~2 years, 10 months)
• NAM 33 (681 days, ~1 year, 10 months)
• NAM 31 (534 days, ~1 year, 5 months)
• NAM 20 (452 days, ~1 year, 2 months)
• NAM 30 (397 days, ~1 year, 1 month).  

Those five are, coincidentally, the only cycles that have exceed the one-year mark. 

-Tarkus

I think i'm still using NAM 33 

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

I do believe I have a copy of NAM 10 tucked away somewhere. I dont wanna look at how small it is.

Damn I feel old now.

[City_Slider 2,716]

6 hours ago, blunder said:

I think i'm still using NAM 33 

On this PC is NAM32 still running. On the others 41 ;-)

p.s.: im saving the Versions since NAM28.

[Tarkus 6,932]

On 4/28/2021 at 8:30 PM, chfzdn said:

Can we expect monthly releases? If NAM Team was a profit corporation, they'll release the update faster and faster because well, it's their profit. 

I hope that the team maintains or even improves the quality of the mod each release.

I wouldn't expect monthly releases all that often (especially before we refine the upgrade process more), but we do now have an internal cap on how long a development cycle can be, which we instituted after NAM 37's absurd 3-year-long cycle finally ended.  While we don't announce release dates, and spilling the beans on just what that cap is kind of starts to verge on that, I'll note that NAM 40's cycle nearly hit the cap.  We're basically on some form of Agile development now--though rather than getting sucked into bureaucratic cruft, as some software developers/companies do, we're just going for it and making the releases.

Having the cap has been a huge boost to team morale, it's resulted in a better product, and the energy from that is bringing in new developers.  Frankly, it's something we've needed to have for a long time. 

19 hours ago, Whte_rbt said:

I do believe I have a copy of NAM 10 tucked away somewhere. I dont wanna look at how small it is.

Damn I feel old now.

NAM 19 was actually my first one--first version with an installer, actually.  It was about a 20MB download, IIRC . . . and a little over a year after NAM 10.  It's worth noting . . . NAM 10 would have actually been pre-GLR, which was added in NAM 12 about 2 1/2 months later.

-Tarkus

[CaptCity 4,752]

23 hours ago, Whte_rbt said:

I do believe I have a copy of NAM 10 tucked away somewhere. I dont wanna look at how small it is.

...

Just reminiscing... Believe that's NAM 10 or close to it (don't even remember them having numbers back then). A whopping 4.26MB... 

NAM has definitely come a long way.

[Ricochet 0]

I installed the default NAM 41 on my Mac.

I noticed, that the Subway maintenance is now 1.3 $ per tile, but in standard SC4 it is 0.3 $.

Is this intended?

 

[Tarkus 6,932]

5 hours ago, Ricochet said:

I installed the default NAM 41 on my Mac.

I noticed, that the Subway maintenance is now 1.3 $ per tile, but in standard SC4 it is 0.3 $.

Is this intended?

 

Yes, it is intended.  From the Traffic Simulator Feature Guide in the NAM Documentation:

• More realistic subway costs. Subways in SimCity are tremendously underpriced compared to the real world. The improvements to the pathfinder have made huge networks of subways less necessary, so the monthly cost for subway tiles has been multiplied by six to add a little more realism.

If you aren't satisfied with that value, then it is possible to change it with relative ease by using the included Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool (TSCT).  There's options in there to adjust the monthly costs of every network.

If the TSCT asks you to locate your Traffic Simulator folder, it's generally going to be the "Network Addon Mod\8 Traffic Simulator" folder, wherever your Plugins are located (the Steam and App Store versions have different locations).

-Tarkus

[Claudio Pirrone 1]

I'm back to SC4 after many years. I've downloaded and installed the NAM 41 but the game keep crashing.

 

I have a laptop with 8GB Ram, Windows 10Pro 64 Bit. I Installed NAM from the Windows Batch File. Tried the Low RAM version as well. Same issue. What Am I doing wrong? :'(

P.S. Playing in WINDOWED MODE (GOG) runs the game smoothly.

  Edited May 29, 2021 by Claudio Pirrone  
Adding Information

[Durfsurn 539]

Have you correctly installed the 4gb Patch?

Quote

• [For Windows Users running the 4GB Full NAM Controller and RealHighway (RHW) System]: NTCore 4GB Patch (included in download (4gb_patch.exe) with new automated installation (NetworkAddonMod_Setup_Version41.bat), or available from NTCore)

Run this file on your SimCity4.exe and see if that fixes your issues :). https://ntcore.com/files/4gb_patch.zip

- Billy

[Claudio Pirrone 1]

33 minutes ago, Durfsurn said:

Have you correctly installed the 4gb Patch?

Run this file on your SimCity4.exe and see if that fixes your issues :). https://ntcore.com/files/4gb_patch.zip

- Billy

Thanks Mate...I might have found the reason why it's not working. It is because my laptop is connected to a monitor through HDMI. My monitor is my primary display. If I make my laptop my primary display, the game doesn't run altogether. The only way to play the game, is to disconnect the HDMI and just play full screen on the laptop

[rsc204 21,808]

On 29/05/2021 at 4:52 PM, Claudio Pirrone said:

The only way to play the game, is to disconnect the HDMI and just play full screen on the laptop

You may need to "mirror" the laptops display to the monitor, rather than use it as an "extended" display. Even a desktop PC with more than one display, can only play older games like SC4 on the main or 1st display. A laptop's built in screen is always set as the 1st or primary display, which is why the game can't start on the external display because SC4 can only use the primary display. On my laptop (2010 Thinkpad), if I mirror the display to the external monitor, I can close the lid of the laptop and play happily using only an external display. Of course you'll need an external Keyboard/Mouse for this setup to work and you have to disable closing the lid putting the machine to sleep. Having dual GPUs (common on modern systems), may complicate matters further though, but if it's an issue using a wrapper like dgVoodoo2 can help work-around these problems. In essence you can force which GPU/Display the game uses, having more than one of either just wasn't a thing in computing when games like SC4 were made.

[JojiTX 765]

So I just installed NAM 41 and all seemed to go well... however I have a concern about street roundabouts:

 

It seems that when you zone/build around these, there's just a bunch of sidewalk. I have to say, it's not very good for the suburban look at all, I think it looked better than before. Any way to fix that?

 

Edit:

 

Yeah I'm sorry, this just looks wrong.