Introduce Yourself Here!

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @Datkat69. Welcome to Simtropolis.

Which would be this game for you? (I play SimCity 4.)

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi @Datkat69 and welcome to the site!

There sure are a whole ton of content items on the STEX (21,209 to be precise as of this post). For anything SC4 related there's seemingly an endless array of BATs, mods, and maps available here and also on the LEX. I'm sure you'll find some useful additions to enhance your cities, and feel free to ask in the forums if unsure of anything.

For organizing downloaded content, presuming you are into SC4, there's some good suggestions inside this topic on possible strategies for Plugins folder management. Also as I'm sure you're aware, remember to check if there are any dependencies for stuff you download. These are additional items and commonly props and texture packs which are needed to ensure full functionality on custom buildings. There's the consolidated info topic here with some resources you may find useful.

[Toby66 155]

Hello.

Been around to this webpage before a long time ago but with a different account. Did one lot which i put down a little effort in since it was fun to try that out and it´s (i think) one of the first lots to replace the Army Base lot done with the profile name "Skinntrall". 

One devoted page this which i would say holds more quality to it then the original game SimCity 4 deluxe which i play.

Still a fun game to play despite all the flaws.

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi @TobyOne_Wood66 and welcome back to Simtropolis!

 

29 minutes ago, TobyOne_Wood66 said:

Did one lot which i put down a little effort in since it was fun to try that out and it´s (i think) one of the first lots to replace the Army Base lot done with the profile name "Skinntrall".

Cool. I think I found it here.

Only if you wish, one thing we can arrange is for your old @Skinntrall account to be merged with your new one here. That way you could have your posted items transferred over, and your join date would show as back in 2003 as it was. Alternatively if you'd prefer to regain access to the old account we'd set a temporary password for you to sign in with. It's completely up to you, and if rather keeping this new account and making a fresh start, that's fine too. Let us know either way.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

1 hour ago, TobyOne_Wood66 said:

Been around to this webpage before a long time ago

Welcome back to Simtropolis.

[Toby66 155]

5 hours ago, Cyclone Boom said:

Hi @TobyOne_Wood66 and welcome back to Simtropolis!

 

Cool. I think I found it here.

Only if you wish, one thing we can arrange is for your old @Skinntrall account to be merged with your new one here. That way you could have your posted items transferred over, and your join date would show as back in 2003 as it was. Alternatively if you'd prefer to regain access to the old account we'd set a temporary password for you to sign in with. It's completely up to you, and if rather keeping this new account and making a fresh start, that's fine too. Let us know either way.

Thanks for the welcoming back greetings people.

Sounds great now. You can verify that it´s my account or you just trust me then?

Both the e-mail address  and password gone now, i just know it´s mine. Honestly now, it would be some lousy lie to pull wouldnt it hehe.

If it can be merged with this one then Cyclone?

Thanks you guys! 

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

2 hours ago, TobyOne_Wood66 said:

You can verify that it´s my account or you just trust me then?

We have behind the scenes tools. I've not personally done the research, but rest assured @Cyclone Boom checked before making the offer.

 

2 hours ago, TobyOne_Wood66 said:

If it can be merged with this one then Cyclone?

The merge can go either way with regard to which single account becomes you afterward. In all the ones I've done (after CB taught me how) the member has chosen to retain the older account as their main one as there is a certain prestige with having an older join date. (It also makes sense because posts older than the join date of the later account would prolly throw the site software into a conniption fit.) When merging, the content from both gets assigned as if everything had happened from the single account.

The choice to make is if you want to re-become @Skinntrall or move your current @TobyOne_Wood66 name to the older account. Obviously you'll want your current email moved to the older account and, presumably, the avatar you are currently using. So if you can answer these easy questions by the time CB pops in again that'll let him know your preferences.

1. Skinntrall or TobyOne_Wood66 for the account name?
2. Use the email you currently have for TobyOne_Wood66? (Yes is assumed.)
3. Move your current avatar to the account? (Yes is assumed.)
4. Move the profile banner picture too? (Yes is assumed.)

There will be one other thing which will be handled via Private Message.

[Toby66 155]

Thank you Corina.

1. TobyOne etc. Yes this one.

2 Current one

3. Current

4. Yes, current. 

I see no need for this though, but if you will do it, it´s appreciated! (perhaps there´s some neat, awesome perks to it not yet discovered. Eventually i will see it, call me TobyOne Columbus the second).

All jokes aside, thank you!

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

@Toby66

As per our PM convo, glad to see you're all set now with both accounts merged and a new username.

[Murcutt 25]

Hi guys, this is Murcutt from nearby Frankfurt/Germany.

I have played SC4 some years ago and now have installed it again. I am overwealmed by the options the modders have added to the game! Thanks a lot!

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi @Murcutt and welcome to Simtropolis.

You've made a wise choice there reinstalling SC4, and this sure is the ideal community you've joined for anything about it. There indeed are loads and loads of buildings and mods available to download. For starters I'd recommend taking a read through Cori's Shoppes which list all known rock, water, beach, terrain, and tree mods. So much to choose from even with those, but for a graphical improvement to the realism, these give an excellent starting point to build upon.

You may find this thread useful for many other recommendations. One good piece of advice early on is to try and take it slow with adding content. Trying to be selective on the items you choose to install isn't easy with so much choice. But maybe create a test region to get an idea, and then realise which to pick for your main regions.

If you've any questions, feel free to ask away in new topics and we're here to help.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @Murcutt. Welcome to Simtropolis.

 

1 hour ago, Murcutt said:

I am overwealmed by the options the modders have added to the game!

You might also want to check out CAROL'S LIST - An index of SimCity 4 Tutorials and Resources by @BC Canuck for lots of linkys to things you might be interested in as you get started on the custom content path. Let me draw particular attention to my reply in the Back to SC4 thread as it has linkys to lots of little game fixes. Also, there's a tutorial by @11241036 : How to use building blockers to control building growth exactly which you might want to become familiar with early on to really tweak how your cities look as they grow.

[BlueCloud 82]

Hi All,

I am CloudBlue. I've played SC4 since it was released and it has remained my favorite game of all time. I'm looking to learn more about modding and hopefully improve my gaming experience by expanding my understanding of dependencies and building mods and how they interact with the game. For as long as I've played, I consider myself a noob, and so I've finally registered here to ask questions and learn as much as possible. Thank you!

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi @BlueCloud / CloudBlue, and welcome to Simtropolis!

Having the desire to learn about the modding and custom content side of the game sure sounds a really neat idea. You've absolutely come to the right community to discover new things about SC4, and just having that willingness alone will stand you in good stead. A lot of things involve trial and error through experimentation. I've kind of built up (and continue to build up) my own knowledge this way. Although far from an expert, I certainly understand far more about the Reader and other tools than I used to.

For starters you may find this a useful resource: MGB's My First Mod Tutorial

Also this wonderful posted tutorial might be the ideal place to start in a practical sense: Cori's Side Water Alternate Paint Scheme (Tutorial)

To ask anything about modding the game, feel free to post in existing SC4 Modding or Custom Content topics. It doesn't matter either about replying in older ones if you've specific relevant questions. Rest assured we've no hard rules on topic bumping or such. Also opening new topics inside that forum is very much encouraged too.

It's great you could join us!

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @BlueCloud. Welcome to Simtropolis!

Here are some guides to a few of the tools you'll be using:

• The Reader, Beginners Guide
• SC4 PIM / SC4PIM User Guide
• GoFSH (PDF of its user manual is included)

I'd personally already learned how to use Reader by trial and error and miscellaneous posts, but I can certainly vouch for the SC4PIM and GoFSH manuals inasmuch as if you work thru their step by step instructions it's easy to learn the basics of each of those programs.

[Garbanzo 30]

Hello everyone,

I'm Garbanzo, back to the 90's I used to be an advanced player of SC2000. Then I went to College and University. Now I have a wonderful wife and a very energetic little guy. By now I was missing my old SC2000 games with collections that I had. So I did a little research about the best city simulators nowadays, well at the reviews I noted 2 games SC4 and CSL, so few day ago I got the SC4 and i'm enjoying it a lot. So here I am today, exploring this major website for, in near future, start downloading: patches, buildings and etc..

It was great to find an active community about SC4 and even old city simulator games.

See you around...

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi @Garbanzo and welcome to the community.

I'm probably a little biased here myself since SC4 is my own personal game of choice too. Even though it's been around for over 16 years now, it was very much a prevalent part of my childhood, and still is to this day. There's just something about building a city which is so fascinatingly compelling. It's great to see how there's still a strong interest here at Simtropolis for many mayors around the world. The scope with custom content too really does expand SC4 to limitless potential.

Feel free to ask about anything in the forums inside new and/or existing topics, and we hope you enjoy the site.

Just a quick mention...

Regarding patching the game, this would depend on whether you've got a digital or disc based version. If the latter then we've got the published patches available on our Maxis Files page. This being the EP1 Update (install first), and then the nightlights patch for custom buildings to show up correctly.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @Garbanzo. Welcome to Simtropolis.

I'm repeating myself from a few posts up, but these are some topics you might want to peruse: Check out CAROL'S LIST - An index of SimCity 4 Tutorials and Resources by @BC Canuck for lots of linkys to things you might be interested in as you get started on the custom content path. Let me draw particular attention to my reply in the Back to SC4 thread as it has linkys to lots of little game fixes. Also, there's a tutorial by @11241036 : How to use building blockers to control building growth exactly which you might want to become familiar with early on to really tweak how your cities look as they grow.

[Garbanzo 30]

Hello @Cyclone Boom and @CorinaMarie,

Thank you for your reply, it makes me feel confortable. Of course I'm not advanced player neither cretor yet. Hopefully, in near future I'm posting pictures and archives of my SC4.

See you around,

[Vigilante1987 180]

Hello.

Vigilante here, most people call me Vig, closer friends call me Al (no Paul Simon jokes, please.)  I've been using the handle (or as it's called now Screen Name) Vigilante since around 1987, so if anyone remembers the days of the old BBS's yes, I am that Vigilante.

I was a Simtropolis member long ago, since before the site redesign, under the same screen name. I was happy to recently discover that Aspyr released a version of SC4 that is compatible with my computer, and excited to find that the Simtropolis community is still around and going strong, so I am back!

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi Vig, welcome back to Simtropolis!

Glad you could join the site again. It's true how SC4 is still sailing soundly after all these years.

For the Aspyr version and the Mac experts would know more about this than me. But I believe one consideration is how there's a files limit for custom content. Not to fear though, because a way around this is to use a DAT Packing tool like JDatPacker which is a cross-compatible program which runs on Java. Then to keep a copy of your uncompressed content outside of Plugins which can be re-packed as needed when installing bundles of new items.

Of course, if you've any questions about this or anything SC4 related, feel free to post in existing or new topics.

As an aside...

Spoiler

With your old account and I presume this might be the one: @Vigilante1987a

It's completely up to you, but we can have this merged into your new account here if you'd like. This way you'd have the older join date and user ID with all the posted items associated under this profile. The name and email address can be switched over too, and so having it without the "a" on the end should that be preferable.

 

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @Vigilante1987. Welcome back to Simtropolis!

[Vigilante1987 180]

Thanks for the welcomes, and thanks for the advice @Cyclone Boom.  You did indeed find my old account, I thought it might have the a on the end but wasn't sure.  It would be awesome if my old account could be merged into the new one! I'd rather not have the a on the end, and I'm sure the email address on the old account is no longer valid.

  Edited May 12, 2019 by Cyclone Boom  
Update: Account merged and all sorted. :)

[Lord Odin 9]

Hi Everyone

I am an old man who is addicted to city building games, especially SimCity. I also play most of the other City Building games such as Cities Skyline to Workers and Resources Soviet Union which is on early access, I do like mods but don't have the faintest clue how to mod SimCity and which mods are best. I am looking forward to meeting some of you online. Although I have had SimCity for years I have only recently dug it out and started to play it, aaaah the memories :). Never played a multi-player game yet so look forward to that in the near future. Got to do some gardening which I hate then I will be playing a bit later.

Thanks for reading

Odin

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

Hi Odin, welcome to Simtropolis.

Although activity isn't completely common in that area of the forums nowadays, you may still find people who check the SC13 Region Games forum who are looking to play online multiplayer. Feel free to post there whenever you'd like. This sure is a site for all kinds of city building games, so you've definitely come to the right place.

We hope you enjoy it here.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @Lord Odin. Welcome to Simtropolis.

[Lord Odin 9]

Thanks for the welcome, been looking round the forum's, its a nice place and the members seem like nice genuine folk. I wish I had found this forum when I first started playing back in the day, it seems like most members prefer SimCity 4 to SimCity which kinda shocked me. Looking for some mods and looking for a way to install some, so if anyone could give me a heads up as to which mods I need and which ones to avoid I would be most grateful. 

Odin

[Cyclone Boom 16,853]

For why SC4 still tends to be more popular versus SC13, and it really all comes down to the direction of the game.

I was around when SC13 was released in March 2013, and there was understandably plenty of hype building up to that day. Some thought it might potentially be the true successor to SC4 after a decade of waiting. Sadly it was soon apparent the release was plagued with problems however, with the online servers crashing due to unanticipated demand. The design of the game was also questioned by many due to restrictions of the city size, along with a forced online connection requirement to play at all. Lots of people believed how this was a notable step backwards from SC4. While there was a surge in activity initially leading up to the release and shortly after, it soon subsided.

I've personally not tried it myself, but that's not to say the game might not be fun. Eventually an offline mode was added which separated the single player game from online multiplayer. This was long overdue in many people's opinion, and at least does away with the forced online requirement to play at all. In terms of mods for SC13, and you may find the most downloaded items of particular interest. I heard how the UDoN and Project Orion are two popular mods for the offline mode.

From reading around and I believe content for SC13 must be installed to:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\SimCity\SimCityData

----------

For why SC4 remains a focal point here at Simtropolis, it's really all due to the community which has grown on the foundation of 16+ years worth of custom content. There's so much potential, and it's become a hobby for many due to the open-ended nature of the simulation. Then there's those who take more of an artistic approach and use each city as a blank canvas to creativity. I see from your posted topic that you've got SC4 too. If it would be something you'd consider, there really is endless scope for what can be possible. Then many helpful resources and people around willing to answer any questions you may have.

For starters though, this post is an excellent base to work from by starting with the basic fixes. Also there are many useful recommendations in this thread, and I'd especially recommend checking out Cori's Shoppes for a list of all rock, water, beach, terrain, and tree mods.

Content for SC4 should be installed at:
Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins

Anyhow, it's completely your choice which way you'd like to go, or even to play both games.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

5 hours ago, Lord Odin said:

it seems like most members prefer SimCity 4 to SimCity

You can count me in that group. I never did try SimCity 2013 since I was put off by all the bad press.

When I quit playing D2 (after 13 years) and wanted to go back to my other love of City Building (I'd played the original, 2000, and 3000 and they are great) I dusted off my SC4 and RH boxes and installed them in late 2015. From that start I was hooked on it as the best one yet. Along the way I Googled up answers to things like Why does the damn thing crash so often? and found I needed -CPUCount:1. Having done a lot of research over a few months time I finally decided to join Simtropolis and the interaction with all the wonderful peeps here has made the game ten times more enjoyable. I even learned some of the modding stuff and now-a-days I prolly spend more time using tools to create things than actually playing the game.

[Flutter 6]

Hello! Flutter here. The *real* Flutter. I see someone has taken my name so I will appear as Flutter1 for you all. I've been Flutter in the gaming community for about 20 years starting with Ultima Online (and not counting any sims game)  Hiya!!