Advanced Water Management

[Ulisse Wolf 4,414]

After a long discussion and some research I had done on SC4Devotion I found out that SimCity 4 can handle fresh water and salt water. So I changed some parameters in the Utility Controller and maxis buildings like Hydiric Towers and Water Pumps to run a test if we can update the water utilities gameplay. I can say that the Test was successful although with interesting implications. 

First, SC4 manages to handle the difference between aquifer (Default setting), Freshwater and Saltwater. But there is a problem. Since we cannot access the source code of the game and we cannot physically change the difference between fresh water and salt water and as a result we have a game that sees a sea, a lake, a river of both fresh water and salt water.  But among the settings of the Utility Controller we can set the distance parameter where if we are outside a certain distance from the water source, the building will not work. So you can change this setting for freshwater and saltwater to implement a virtual seperation between the water sources

Water pumps that supply fresh water from a lake

If we put fresh water pumps and desalinators in the mainland away from the water these buildings do not supply water but the UI can deceive people as it shows that the pumps have a maximum efficiency but do not produce anything.

Fresh water pumps and desalination plants do not work if they are on land but the efficiency of the buildings is at its maximum despite the fact that they do not produce any water

Currently the mod is in an alpha phase because there are problems such as the UI and probably we should modify a little Utility Controller to incorporate other patches concerning waste and electricity

But since we are talking about an important mod I decided to make this alpha available to the public to know your feedback.  

ZZ__AWM.zip

Warning: To make the desalinator work you must first install this mod. Also for a modding error the main building does not work correctly and then you have to use the tank to build the desalinator working

 

[Terring 6,473]

Like in SimCity 3000? That's cool!

If I'm not wrong, Maxis had plans for a second expansion pack focused on nature that would include, among other things, fresh and salt water.

[asasnat 216]

I once found this peculiarity when puruising through "SimCity_x.dat" files. I tried enabling it but with no results. Glad to see you managed to get it working (for the most part)!

[hugues aroux 3,803]

oh yes, great to have found and revealed this detail. I didn't know the game was planned for Salt or fresh water. I'll install your files and see .. tomorrow. SM2's desalinator is finally going to work!? Never got to see it produce water!

[Ulisse Wolf 4,414]

16 hours ago, hugues aroux said:

SM2's desalinator is finally going to work!? Never got to see it produce water!

Currently it is not resolved. In fact I wrote a disclamer to use the tank instead of the actual plant. The change will be made in the final stages of the mod. Now we are still in an alpha test

[hugues aroux 3,803]

6 hours ago, Ulisse Wolf said:

Currently it is not risotto

Hi Ulisse .. Well .. the risotto .. (i'm hungry now) ... But first :

I opened all the files to dissect everything. Indeed, I see the idea, well done!! you reduce the proximity distance of the 2 other types of water "source" (salt and fresh) and affect the nature of the water at the Pump! That's great!
And the window displaying the origin of the water ... um yeah, good!
Of course, if on top of that, Lot's pose said "You can't plant that here, you're too far from the water" ... what, am I overdoing it? ;-)
Can't wait to see the rest of your project.

So the risotto ... recooking with seawater ... the SM2 (Desalination Plant) file is in RKT 0? I don't know what the implications are, but I've converted it to RKT1 in PIMX, and it produces water, so I don't know if it's right to make this brutal correction!
Or, more simply, in RKT0, by deleting the "Demand Created" property, it also produces water.

... I'm going to eat!