SimCity 4 Lore

[Ulisse Wolf 4,412]

6 hours ago, simmering said:

I noticed that a number of BAT listings on the old LEX where labelled as "...PIM-X'd". I wonder if there is a story behind that worth recording.

PIM-X'd is a relotting/remodding or updating process, that a lot (any lot), where the building exemplar was created by MAXIS PIM gets an update with PIM-X and its stats now will be based on calculating with the filling degree

A bit of history:

PIM-X is the tool developed by BSC Team to generate lots. This tool was designed specifically for CAMeLot content and not for Maxis. Therefore, the term CAMpatible was used both for lots that grow with CAM stages and for lots with CAM statistics but that grow within Maxis stages.

The terms CAMeLot and CAMpatible are often used to mean the same thing, but they actually have different meanings.

With the LEX restoration, @Tyberius06 and I introduced the term PIM-X'd, which refers to lots generated with Maxis PIM that have been updated or relotted/remodded to bring them up to PIM-X specifications, allowing properties to be modified without issues such as ILS (Immortal Lot Syndrome).

In conclusion

• CAMeLot -> Lots that grow only on CAM
• CAMpatible -> Lots with CAM statistics that also grow within Maxis Stage
• PIM-X'd -> Lots generated with Maxis PIM but updated to PIM-X specifications

 

 

[Tarkus 6,932]

The "PIM-X'd" term actually dates even farther back, to the BSC Team's xxdita back in 2010.

-Tarkus

[Tyberius06 12,189]

2 hours ago, Tarkus said:

The "PIM-X'd" term actually dates even farther back, to the BSC Team's xxdita back in 2010.

-Tarkus

Yeah, I recall that. And @CasperVg and @ScottFTL had a series of re-Lots/re-mods called PIMXd. 

[Haljackey 17,303]

I could create an entry regarding the lore of PIM-X, but I don't want to give it a straight up definition. I really don't know anything about it so if I could get a blurb or something I can work with that.

[Haljackey 17,303]

All the mentions regarding SimCity SNES got me hankering to play the game again. While I somehow own two copies of the game, I found a stable browser version that works well.

https://www.retrogames.cc/snes-games/SimCity-usa.html#

---

I never managed to get the Mario Statue as a kid. I got it this time. Life goal achieved.

You need to reach a city with 500k residents to achieve it. It's very hard to accomplish.

Screenies of the achievement:

The soundtrack at Megalopolis status is very triumphant and rewarding

---

The AVGN couldn't get it and got PISSED

 

[nos.17 5,120]

On 8/13/2025 at 9:14 AM, Haljackey said:

I could create an entry regarding the lore of PIM-X, but I don't want to give it a straight up definition. I really don't know anything about it so if I could get a blurb or something I can work with that.

How about:

PIM-X'd - A term coined by BSC member @xxdita to refer to lots that have been created with the PIMX program, specifically around an effort to make existing lots compatible with CAM. Today, it typically refers to any lot whose stats were generated by PIMX, which is a good way to know if a lot has been properly modded with the correct stats.

[Haljackey 17,303]

Googled this thread by accident- gives an interesting result

[Duke87 1,070]

I still think the most nefarious April Fools joke was the 2004 one where it was announced that EA was buying Simtropolis and paid subscriptions would be introduced. 

(pardon the eye-bleeding custom Windows theme I was using when I was in high school)

[Tarkus 6,932]

Also reminds me of the 2013 April Fools' prank, with the NAM Team being bought out by EA in the wake of the release debacles of both SC2013 and NAM 31:

Doesn't seem the comments were archived, unfortunately, though did manage to catch a rather fortuitously-timed status update referencing it.

The original text from the prank:

Quote

EA To Acquire The NAM Team, Open New Studio

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 1, 2013 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced an agreement to acquire The NAM Team, the developer behind the popular Network Addon Mod™, RealHighway Mod™, and High Speed Rail Project™, for EA Maxis' 2003 blockbuster, SimCity 4 Deluxe.

"EA and NAM is a compelling combination", said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau.  "The NAM Team's continued dedication to SimCity 4 from EA's Maxis label, some 10 years after its release, is truly remarkable.  As EA is an online company, and the NAM has always been distributed online, the two are a perfect fit."

The NAM Team is one of the most respected custom content developers for SimCity 4, founded in 2004 as The Modd Squad, by three members of Simtropolis.com.  Today, their flagship Network Addon Mod™ is considered "essential" by most SimCity 4 players, and has accumulated millions of downloads from users worldwide.

EA will pay approximately 250 $10 Starbucks® Gift Cards, and 50 orders of Tandoori Chicken.  As part of the agreement, the NAM will now be delivered exclusively on Origin™, EA's digital distribution channel.  The NAM Controller™, the heart of the Network Addon Mod, will be hosted on the Origin cloud, in order to minimize strain on lower-end computers.  Due to The NAM Team's strong presence in the state of Oregon, EA will be opening a new studio for The NAM Team on the Oregon high desert, in Burns, Oregon.  The NAM Team will become a label of EA, and will be formally known as EA NAM Burns.

A new logo was also unveiled for the new label.

 

-Tarkus

[Null 45 3,041]

50 minutes ago, Tarkus said:

The original text from the prank:

Interesting bit of history, I did not know about that prank. Besides the last paragraph, I thought the lack of trademark symbols on SimCity 4 Deluxe and Maxis were a bit of a giveaway. 

[Cobb32118 239]

Hello Haljackey and everyone. Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era. I’m 56 now but still kicking. It’s amazing to see this game going strong after 22 years. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I occasionally vanity surf and get a big boot of nostalgia when I see my buildings on YouTube and elsewhere. I’m tempted to start it up again! I’d love to see Dusktrooper and other old time Batters mentioned and preserved here as lore. Love and best wishes to all! — Cobb32118 (Darren Cobb)

  Edited August 29, 2025 by Cobb32118  

[IDS2 3,346]

3 hours ago, Cobb32118 said:

Hello Haljackey and everyone. Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era. I’m 56 now but still kicking. It’s amazing to see this game going strong after 22 years. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I occasionally vanity surf and get a big boot of nostalgia when I see my buildings on YouTube and elsewhere. I’m tempted to start it up again! I’d love to see Dusktrooper and other old time Batters mentioned and preserved here as lore. Love and best wishes to all! — Cobb32118 (Darren Cobb)

One of the greatest to ever do it. Really great to see you around, thanks for dropping in. 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

3 hours ago, Cobb32118 said:

Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era.

Hiya! I'm Cori.  

I strolled in long after you were gone, but I'm very happy to have found your work. I tweaked a bug Maxis introduced and then played with your Harbor Village pieces. 

Edit: And I found my Overview Shot too.

[Terring 6,473]

9 hours ago, Cobb32118 said:

Hello Haljackey and everyone. Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era. I’m 56 now but still kicking. It’s amazing to see this game going strong after 22 years. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I occasionally vanity surf and get a big boot of nostalgia when I see my buildings on YouTube and elsewhere. I’m tempted to start it up again! I’d love to see Dusktrooper and other old time Batters mentioned and preserved here as lore. Love and best wishes to all! — Cobb32118 (Darren Cobb)

The legend himself! 

[Silur 3,304]

10 hours ago, Cobb32118 said:

Hello Haljackey and everyone. Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era. I’m 56 now but still kicking. It’s amazing to see this game going strong after 22 years. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I occasionally vanity surf and get a big boot of nostalgia when I see my buildings on YouTube and elsewhere. I’m tempted to start it up again! I’d love to see Dusktrooper and other old time Batters mentioned and preserved here as lore. Love and best wishes to all! — Cobb32118 (Darren Cobb)

Hi Cobb32118. Your Harbor Village set is a unique masterpiece!! This is for all times for me. I use this everywhere on my CJ Santana Island. Thank you!!!

[Cobb32118 239]

12 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

Hiya! I'm Cori.  

I strolled in long after you were gone, but I'm very happy to have found your work. I tweaked a bug Maxis introduced and then played with your Harbor Village pieces. 

Edit: And I found my Overview Shot too.

Hi Corina, I love what you’ve done with the Harbor Village. It looks great especially at night. And the shadow fix is ingenious!

[Cobb32118 239]

5 hours ago, Silur said:

Hi Cobb32118. Your Harbor Village set is a unique masterpiece!! This is for all times for me. I use this everywhere on my CJ Santana Island. Thank you!!!

Looks fantastic, Silur! I love the lighthouse out on the point. 

[WannGLondon 2,239]

I bought SimCity 4 Deluxe in 2003 and it changed my life forever - sounds dramatic, but it is true.

I am now an architecture, urban planning, geography, city-fanatic.

I did not discover the fan sites like this one until after they had been established for a few years - it was like opening Pandora's box. A true treasure trove.

I was very active on SC4Devotion, even started a city journal, and whined and complained at BATters to make what I wanted (lol). I became deeply obsessed with London, England and created a massive region, which I still visit today from time-to-time. 

Slowly but surely, with the guidance of Matt and Jason, I eventually became a BATter and I now spend more time modeling than playing the game itself.

I currently have several regions which I hop around from all inspired by these real-life metropolises: Los Angeles, Marseille (with a blend of Nice, Barcelona), Paris, New York, Chicago (really just a major run-of-the-mill American city), and London. I am fortunate to live in one of these metros and have traveled to all of these, further fueling my drive for creating.

I love everything this community has done for the game and for myself. Truly an inspiration and with these recent DLL mods - the game has been given new life.

I am married with young ones running around so do not devote as much time to contributing to the online community as I used to, but I plan to be a player, creator, and fan for the years to come.

I <3 SC4 & the online community.

[Haljackey 17,303]

Hi all-  sorry was on vacation for a week in the middle of nowhere (near Nipigon, Ontario). I'm updating the list thanks to the feedback here!

On 8/23/2025 at 10:50 AM, Duke87 said:

I still think the most nefarious April Fools joke was the 2004 one where it was announced that EA was buying Simtropolis and paid subscriptions would be introduced. 

(pardon the eye-bleeding custom Windows theme I was using when I was in high school)

Good to see you again! I added a blurb for April Fools news and linked to this post as well as the one @Tarkus added

On 8/29/2025 at 6:42 PM, Cobb32118 said:

Hello Haljackey and everyone. Darren Cobb here, from the 2004 to 2009 BAT fledgling era. I’m 56 now but still kicking. It’s amazing to see this game going strong after 22 years. I haven’t played the game in a while, but I occasionally vanity surf and get a big boot of nostalgia when I see my buildings on YouTube and elsewhere. I’m tempted to start it up again! I’d love to see Dusktrooper and other old time Batters mentioned and preserved here as lore. Love and best wishes to all! — Cobb32118 (Darren Cobb)

Hello! Yes it's been a long time- hope you are doing well! I think I'm using some of your content in my vids as well!

On 8/29/2025 at 9:46 PM, IDS2 said:

One of the greatest to ever do it. Really great to see you around, thanks for dropping in. 

Thanks for this. My mind is fuzzy thinking about all of this. I added @DuskTrooper to the members section

On 8/30/2025 at 1:43 PM, WannGLondon said:

I bought SimCity 4 Deluxe in 2003 and it changed my life forever - sounds dramatic, but it is true.

I am now an architecture, urban planning, geography, city-fanatic.

I did not discover the fan sites like this one until after they had been established for a few years - it was like opening Pandora's box. A true treasure trove.

I was very active on SC4Devotion, even started a city journal, and whined and complained at BATters to make what I wanted (lol). I became deeply obsessed with London, England and created a massive region, which I still visit today from time-to-time. 

Slowly but surely, with the guidance of Matt and Jason, I eventually became a BATter and I now spend more time modeling than playing the game itself.

I currently have several regions which I hop around from all inspired by these real-life metropolises: Los Angeles, Marseille (with a blend of Nice, Barcelona), Paris, New York, Chicago (really just a major run-of-the-mill American city), and London. I am fortunate to live in one of these metros and have traveled to all of these, further fueling my drive for creating.

I love everything this community has done for the game and for myself. Truly an inspiration and with these recent DLL mods - the game has been given new life.

I am married with young ones running around so do not devote as much time to contributing to the online community as I used to, but I plan to be a player, creator, and fan for the years to come.

I <3 SC4 & the online community.

Hello again! Sad to see the demise of SC4D but at least @Tarkus and others have done what they can to preserve the old forum and keep the flame alive. 2 major sites for a 22+ year old game is kind of excessive, but these days it's really important for redundancy. Be sure to back up things every now and then as you can see some old screenshots like above on this page.

[Cobb32118 239]

On 29/08/2025 at 6:46 PM, IDS2 said:

One of the greatest to ever do it. Really great to see you around, thanks for dropping in. 

I really appreciate that, @IDS2. So many great memories from the Golden Era when this game was new! —Darren Cobb

[Cobb32118 239]

On 30/08/2025 at 1:06 AM, Terring said:

The legend himself! 

It’s an honor, @Terring. Thank you for remembering! —Darren Cobb

[Haljackey 17,303]

Before I get any flack, I want to mention that @Zelgadis specifically requested the description listed for him

From the ST Discord Social Lobby today:

 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

28 minutes ago, Haljackey said:

@Zelgadis specifically requested the description listed for him

GFI 

[Turnstyled 486]

What about the time Kip Katsarelis interviewed @Zelgadis for SimCity 2013? YouTube has made finding old videos very difficult, but I can't find that video. If there was a SimCity YouTube channel, I can't find it, either. I've been lurking for a long time here. I bought SimCity 4 with The SimCity Box in very early 2010. I ended up making a writable DVD with both install discs together. Though, I can't at all say what I saw on community websites in 2003 at school and at home. Boy, was I excited for SimCity 4...but my Sony Vaio bought in very late 2000 certainly couldn't run it. I remember knowing that the video card was incompatible and I wrecked the graphics on that Sony Vaio trying to do something about its inability to run that game. I wanted to go to EB Games or so in the mall with my mother to get the bonus transportation disc, but my mother declined. Apparently, that bonus transportation disc does nothing when all of the Maxis files are safely hosted here! 

There was a user here who provided and repaired promotional archive files from EB Games for SimCity 3000. I want to say that I have an incredibly vague memory of those files existing... I was going through a lot from 1998 to 2000. In fact, I spent the summer of 1999 in Paris visiting relatives and August of 1999 with my grandmother while my parents and brother went back to New Jersey. I'd look through SimCity 3000 guidebooks in Fnac, a books/electronics chain in France. Given when it was, maybe, some of those books were for SimCity 2000? I don't know.

The Fnac on the Champs-Elysees had a video display on the ground floor with the SimCity 3000 World Edition trailer playing on it. I was under so much stress that August in Paris that I developed Bell's palsy. Anyway, though, I was following the SimCity 3000 website closely, so I remember the website talking about the trailer. Now, what in the world was a trailer? I didn't know. But I ended up stopping with SimCity 3000 for a little bit of time. But also, I was without Internet access for the summer! But then, I got excited about SimCity 3000 again in the late summer or early autumn of 1999, so I went back to the website, and it was talking about SimCity 3000 Unlimited. Now, what in the world was THAT?

[Zelgadis 638]

On 11/9/2025 at 1:29 PM, Turnstyled said:

What about the time Kip Katsarelis interviewed @Zelgadis for SimCity 2013? YouTube has made finding old videos very difficult, but I can't find that video. If there was a SimCity YouTube channel, I can't find it, either.

More like I interviewed him, and I also brought in questions from online watchers to ask him whilst on stage. Bottom line, I know it was live streamed, but, I have no idea where. The interview idea came at the very last minute and I spent my time getting questions ready, getting ready for the interview itself, and trying not to crap myself, rather than concern myself with where it was being broadcast. That was a job for the tech crew behind the scenes. It's funny being on the other side of the camera, not having to concern myself with where it was streaming or whatnot.

Maybe @dirktator remembers? He was there, but in the audience.

  Edited November 12, 2025 by Zelgadis  

[Turnstyled 486]

45 minutes ago, Zelgadis said:

More like I interviewed him

That is correct. I know that there were great people at Maxis then. As said in the original post to this thread, Guillaume was working with the community. I forgot his name, but I was shocked by how long it took for Gula who worked on Cities: Skylines custom assets to get a new job after his Patreon campaign and uploads to Steam Workshop got so much positive press. It sure seems that the games industry can be vicious. While Ocean was initially in charge of the game, it sure seemed to me over the years that he put a lot into things. I'm someone who was so eager for a new SimCity that I watched the entire Game Developers Conference "chat" that Lucy Bradshaw had with several guests. I think that one of them was the founder of Twitter. I forgot his name. Attendees left the talk over time and Lucy sure looked nervous after it was all over. 

I'd say that there was a lot of pandering with SimCity 2013, but that kind of marketing just feels normal to me now. I also remember the types of personalities who they had look at Cities: Skylines at PDXCon in 2014. That landscape has completely changed. I also remember community manager TotalyMoo posting on the Cities: XL community forums. He must've posted here, too, but I don't remember that specifically. I also remember Cities: Skylines community manager AzureSpecter being recruited from Simtropolis. Like I said, though, that marketing feels normal to me now, even if I'll never get over the feeling of it being odd. For example, getting big-time streamers to play Cities: Skylines II "in the sky" at Gamescom, announcing the game with a pre-rendered trailer, and giving specific instructions to YouTubers to not showcase Cities: Skylines II past a specific level of growth. 

On the SimCity subreddit, Maxis employees were participating until they submitted a post with a gif of running hamsters to indicate that the game was out. Then, there was complete silence. In fact, there was a rule to not allow negative talk about the game on the SimCity subreddit soon after launch. This led some to believe that the moderators of the SimCity subreddit were being paid off by EA. Sadly, the lead moderator of the SimCity and Cities: Skylines subreddits, Niclisten, developed cancer.

Anyway, I saw that video of the interview on YouTube during COVID-19 pandemic times. I know that you said that it was live streamed, but it was on YouTube for a long time.

Edit: I found the video! Dang SimCity YouTube channel doesn't have a profile picture!

Also, I wanted to attend a panel at New York Comic Con on SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow with Stone Librande hosting the panel, but I haven't attended New York Comic Con since 2012. New York Comic Con is hell on Earth to me. It is the worst possible place for me to me. All the sights, sounds, and stimuli of many kinds.... I never want to go there again.

[Zelgadis 638]

Bringing back some memories...

Both Dirk and I liked the devs. They were kind, enthusiastic, and passionate about the game. I suppose I can be more direct now, since that time has long since passed, but the few times we met with some of the executives was when things went south. They were very obviously feeding us lines of BS that we didn't want to hear, the devs didn't want to hear, and the players didn't want to hear. Typical EA stuff right there. If the execs had just listened to literally anyone else besides their charts and garbage marketing research, they'd have made a much better game. 

I also remember the restaurant they took us to. I'm pretty sure the filet mignon that I ordered cost more than my plane ticket (They paid for both ) 

[Turnstyled 486]

9 minutes ago, Zelgadis said:

I also remember the restaurant they took us to. I'm pretty sure the filet mignon that I ordered cost more than my plane ticket (They paid for both ) 

Sounds like when my mother went to the Michael Jordan Steakhouse in Chicago on her workplace's dime!

I'll leave "experiencing things that most people shouldn't know about" to other people. I really don't like having more people than I feel comfortable with, which is few people, in my life. When I tried to "be social" due to circumstances that I resent, I ended up feeling so sick. Attending New York Comic Con was actually a part of all that. If posting here helps keeps my mind sharp, then I'll take it, though!

[Chptrk 86]

Woah! This lore list is a blast from the past. Thank you to everyone who put it together. This site and its members were really something special. It's nice to see the history being remembered. 

 

PS. Nice to see Zel as youtube famous! 

[Haljackey 17,303]

Wow, I remember that Q&A now. Thanks for sharing!

I added it to the Honourable mentions section. This work?

SimCity (2013) Q&A hosted by Simtropolis member @Zelgadis

Or should I change/expand it somehow?