Where to move all game files?

[spiritualfire 138]

Good day all.

I need advice regarding where the game files should actually go. 

I have the gog.com patched digital version, and all files were installed to a defualt GOG Games folder in C: drive, and Plugins I moved to My Docs from my old disc version. In the past when I used the disc version I had all files installed in Program Files or x86 based on earlier recommendations, and just to be sure, I wanted to ask where can the game files be placed to ensure the least issues and smoothest loading?

I think I've become a little confused between the disc and the digital versions' locations. I know several topics here have touched on it that I've been able to find, and I understand everyone has their preferences and structures so really I'm looking for what is considered the standard for where certain files/folders need to be when it comes to the digital version.

If it helps, I have the game target as "C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps\Simcity4.exe" and running custom built desktop with Win7 Home Premium, 64-bit, 8 GB with Intel Celeron G540 @2.5 processor.

[rsc204 21,808]

1 hour ago, spiritualfire said:

In the past when I used the disc version I had all files installed in Program Files or x86 based on earlier recommendations, and just to be sure, I wanted to ask where can the game files be placed to ensure the least issues and smoothest loading?

Not sure who recommended it, but as a rule it's generally not advisable to keep your Plugins in the Install DIR. Program Files (x86) is a system folder where applications are installed, the x86 part is for 32-bit apps running under a 64-bit OS.

All your mods (Plugins) and save files (Regions), along with some other folders are in Documents\SimCity 4, this is the safest place to keep your User data. In other words how you've set things up this time around is probably ideal and you'd be better off sticking with this setup.

One small exception to this rule, any .DLL based mods you have may fail to initialise (get loaded), unless they load before everything else. Therefore these are best kept in the aforementioned Install DIR, C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Plugins in your case. But this is only necessary for .DLL files.

Despite best practise, in theory all mods placed in either Plugins folder will be loaded, i.e. work. But there are some very good reasons for not returning to the setup you used before, especially if you don't really understand the difference between the Install DIR and User DIR as a construct within Windows. For example, mods left in the Install DIR may be deleted when uninstalling SC4, but mods left in the User DIR will not unless you tell the uninstaller to do so. Otherwise there is absolutely no difference between Disc and Digital versions, except how they are packaged, the code they run is identical and they work identically.

[spiritualfire 138]

1 hour ago, rsc204 said:

All your mods (Plugins) and save files (Regions), along with some other folders are in Documents\SimCity 4, this is the safest place to keep your User data. In other words how you've set things up this time around is probably ideal and you'd be better off sticking with this setup.

One small exception to this rule, any .DLL based mods you have may fail to initialise (get loaded), unless they load before everything else. Therefore these are best kept in the aforementioned Install DIR, C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Plugins in your case. But this is only necessary for .DLL files.

Thanks @rsc204. To clarify, before posting the question I had moved all Plugins into C:\GOG Games\ because upon launch I noticed it was creating a new Plugin folder in 2 locations that it saw a SimCity4 folder and I was trying to keep it in 1 location for organizational purposes, but wasn't sure if that was correct.

So as you stated above am I to understand that this means I should in fact have 2 Plugins folders? One for regular files (".dat, .SC4Lot, .SC4Model") and kept in User>My Docs>SimCity4.... and another Plugins folder in C:\GOG Games\ for the .DLL files?

[rsc204 21,808]

Indeed you have everything right.

12 hours ago, spiritualfire said:

I noticed it was creating a new Plugin folder in 2 locations that it saw a SimCity4 folder and I was trying to keep it in 1 location for organizational purposes, but wasn't sure if that was correct.

Indeed the one in the INSTALL DIR must be present, the one in the USER DIR will be automatically recreated if it doesn't exist when the game is started. There are ways to alter this behaviour, but honestly it's best just to go with it. I don't really like how most games just add an extra folder in the root of Documents myself, I'm much prefer gamedata was handled in another folder in my User area, but this is how MS set things up.

But with SC4, there are explicit reasons for this duplication too, hence why you are better off using the USER DIR unless you fully understand how everything works.