Help Needed: Creating a Regional Power Grid

[Paulis 11]

Hi everyone,

I’m working on an idea to create a more realistic regional power grid in SimCity 4, something akin to a "power pool" where cities can share electricity over long distances, provided their grids are interconnected. The built-in neighbor deal system is great, but it requires power to be traded city by city, which isn’t ideal for my concept.

Here’s what I’m hoping to achieve:

• Centralized Power Source: A city with a massive power plant (e.g., multiple nuclear plants) that can directly supply power to distant cities across the region.
• Long-Distance Power Transmission: Cities far away from the main power source should be able to draw power directly without needing intermediary cities.
• Realistic Visual Representation: I'd like to create or use assets for high-voltage transmission lines that visually link the cities.
• Efficient Power Sharing: Ensure that only the required amount of power is traded, and excess isn’t wasted.

I’ve been exploring tools like iLive’s Reader, Lot Editor, and BAT, but I’m not sure how to modify neighbor deals or create the necessary mechanics to support this system. Has anyone here attempted something similar, or can you point me in the right direction?

Any advice, tutorials, or resources you can share would be greatly appreciated. I’m also open to suggestions on mods or tools that might help achieve this.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[philforhockey51 4,211]

 

[Ulisse Wolf 4,412]

At the city level there is AMPS which you can download here

At the regional level, it cannot be done with conventional methods but only with DLL Mods. Same with neighboring city deals.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

3 hours ago, Paulis said:

Here’s what I’m hoping to achieve:

As the others have said, what you really want isn't in the cards.

However, you can simulate it with the neighborhood deals and the mod I made for @TheMurderousCricket in this post might be useful to you. At least it makes the deals much less of a headache.

[Paulis 11]

Thank you all for your input thus far. Amps looks intresting - giving it a go..

[Paulis 11]

Playing around with Amps, I like what I'm seeing, but the only issue is the items are not what they appear, for example the substation is a box:

[TheMurderousCricket 5,055]

2 hours ago, Paulis said:

Playing around with Amps, I like what I'm seeing, but the only issue is the items are not what they appear, for example the substation is a box:

Missing dependency.  Browse through the mod requirements and try again.

[Paulis 11]

Thanks - sorted dependencies out, now functions properly. One thing I am unsure of How do I bring this window up?