Introduce Yourself Here!

[hangthadj 8]

4 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

It makes them fit together seamlessly if that's the question.

The more I think of that question the more I realize how irrelevant it is, the ability to go full God mode on a from-scratch terraform outweighs everything else lol. Thanks again, I'll post my finished work eventually

[Delgard 6]

Hi, my name is Del and I am a SimCity 4 street sleeper

I am just returning after originally playing back in the 80s.  It was the original.  I have tinkered since then and think about it every year or so. I just bought a new computer and thought to download it.  I am not sure where I want to go with it, though. I just see it as a thinking person's game.  Much to learn, though.

I just started a generic city and have a 1100 Sims. I need to learn because it will no doubt grow. I'll be reading guides.

 

Del

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, Del. Welcome to Simtropolis.

There are multiple ways to play the game so whichever way you chose will be the right one.

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

Hi @Delgard and welcome back to Simtropolis.

For me and what's great about SC4 is how it has endless possibilities. The aspect of creativity with city building really does invite thoughtfulness with strategy. In that way and it is different than many actual games with a set goal, and there are so many ways to play.

We hope you enjoy it here on your return to the community.

[Delgard 6]

Thanks!  Heading to the General Forum to find definitions of some terms. 

[Delgard 6]

Is there a "definitions" thread?  I am looking for what the following mean. 

Plex files

CAM

NAM

Lots

Props

Omnibus

[Delgard 6]

Is there a way to not double space?

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

13 minutes ago, Delgard said:

Is there a way to not double space?

Yep. Press Shift+Enter at the end of the line. Or highlight all the lines and press the button up above the typing box for bullet points.

• With
• Bullet
• Points

[Delgard 6]

Thanks!

In the Omnibus, there are catalog files.  What do they hold?

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

49 minutes ago, Delgard said:

Is there a "definitions" thread?  I am looking for what the following mean.

Here's an overview for those 6 terms:
 

• PLEX Files: These are content items which were originally hosted on the SimPeg Lot Exchange. Unfortunately that site suffered database corruption in 2015, and is sadly no longer online. Most content was already here at ST though thankfully, and these have since been moved to this category on the STEX.
   
• CAM: This is the Colosus Addon Mod on the STEX. It adds extra growth stages to the game, so then allowing RCI buildings to be distributed on a wider scale. This article clears up some of the common misconceptions about it: The CAM (Colossus Addon Mod) – Separating Fact From Fiction
   
• NAM: Considered one of the most essential mods by many, this is the Network Addon Mod and is a package which completely transforms the game's traffic simulator, and also has options for adding numerous new network components and stations. It's very complicated and has a steep learning curve for the more advanced components. There's a nice showcase topic which has an overview of what it's about. We also have a dedicated forum for the NAM here.
   
• Lots: These are items which are either ploppable or growable plots of land in the game.
  They're commonly comprised of ground textures (base and an optional overlay), and then with props placed around which add details. For RCI lots and they have a visible building which is the main structure (house, shop, factory, skyscraper). See my post here for info on other common formats.
   
• Props: As hinted, props are objects which are placed on lots. They're arranged using the Lot Editor (or the PIM-X), and there can be many included which are what add extra details. There are custom prop packs that often get listed as dependencies, which are files needed for content items to function as an author designed. Two common dependencies which are often overlooked are: bldgprop_vol1.dat and bldgprop_vol2.dat  (See the linked Maxis Files page above to download these.)
   
• Omnibus: This is the section of the site linked from the navigation bar at the top. The name is rather an unusual choice, and I remember wondering what it means when I first visited ST. It happens to be where some (but not all) articles are stored for references and tutorials.

 

Additionally you may find these couple of topics useful for the common acronyms defined:
 

 

Then for the NAM which has a whole vocabulary of its own:

 

I hope this helps. And of course, if you've any more questions, feel free to reply in new and existing topics.

[Delgard 6]

Extremely!  Thank-you!

 

I copied all to a file for reference.

 

Thank-you!

[ThomasPelnak1988 44]

Hello everyone,

My name is Thomas and I've been playing SimCity since the Super Nintendo days. I'm currently going to school for video game design and look forward to becoming an active member here.

These days I mostly play CS on console since my PC cannot run the game, but I think I'm going to get back into SimCity 4 after finding this great website

Thomas

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

Hi Thomas, welcome to Simtropolis.

Having been into the SimCity series since the early versions, that must've been really cool to experience how it all started. For me and SC4 was the first city builder I've played. I did then pick up SC3K and gave it a go, but even before I discovered ST and it never quite captured my imagination in the same way. I then tried CS initially, but I struggled to run it on my computer also, and it is very graphically demanding. To play it on console is a nice idea with being a dedicated gaming system.

To study video game design sounds fascinating. I suspect that'll involve either the programming side or UI design (maybe both). The modding and content creation aspect with both CS and SC4 is very much technically oriented, and you may find it interesting to look into at some stage.

Should you wish to play SC4 again, I certainly recommend that highly. If needing to get the game, the GOG version would be the best digital release available (as my post here explains). You've also arrived at a good time too, with an extremely promising modding development having just been discovered.

We hope you enjoy the site.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @ThomasPelnak1988. Welcome to Simtropolis!

[ThomasPelnak1988 44]

@Cyclone Boom 

The SimCity release on the Super Nintendo will always be my favourite but I do enjoy SimCity 4 a great deal. I recently purchased the GOG edition and am having a blast playing it.

As for Cities Skylines, it is great on console but the lack of mods and custom maps is unfortunate.

I can't wait to go away and study game design as I have a great game idea  My focus is on the modelling aspect so expect to see me enter the world of SimCity 4 CC very soon!

@CorinaMarie

Thank you very much for the warm welcome.

Thomas

[PaPa-J 778]

@ThomasPelnak1988 Please be sure to show us your creations.  Love seeing new content.

[Mighty_Borlaug 59]

Hey Folks. I'm an old bleeder to the SimCity world and have recently ended up in a lifestyle that gives me time to work with this material again. However, I have a different bent: I make Voxel Buildings. Think Pixel art but in 3D. Turns out I have gotten proper good at this and am scumming my way through Clipart and Isometric buildings to create my stuff. My thoughts turned back to SimCity as I did this, remembering my youth and the hours I dumped into SimCity 2000, 3000 and 4.
So, I got me a little project now. Basically, I want to do this:

... with every vanilla Building in SC2000 and 3000. I just want to build them as a start up to larger ambitions. I saw somewhere in here that somebody photographed the SC3000 SKUs on a grid and might have a .ZIP with all of them inside. Would you guys be able to hook me up? Might have to buy SC3000 on GOG and get them from that place instead, if I have to. Not unhappy to do that either.
This little "me" project is just called "City Love." When done, I'll give the models up for free. Working at a 1VOX/1Ft. scale. Tell me what you think of that!

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

Hi @Mighty_Borlaug and welcome to Simtropolis.

That sure sounds a really neat idea for a project. To create all the vanilla buildings from both games would take considerable effort, and to see those or even have them usable in the games would be very cool indeed. I wish you all the very best with it, and you're welcome to post a topic perhaps in the SC3000 forum to document your ongoing progress, however long it takes. To see 3D art in pixels that way encompasses a very retro feel, and just shows what can be achieved through simplicity.

 

44 minutes ago, Mighty_Borlaug said:

I saw somewhere in here that somebody photographed the SC3000 SKUs on a grid and might have a .ZIP with all of them inside.

I'm not sure if this is precisely what you're looking for. However, I know @CorinaMarie meticulously completed a project of compiling over 10,000 SC3K custom buildings on the internet archive (Wayback Machine). See her post here for the download link to a 650 MB zip file containing them all. This also includes indexes of archived pages.

 

44 minutes ago, Mighty_Borlaug said:

Might have to buy SC3000 on GOG and get them from that place instead, if I have to.

It's completely up to you. But if wishing to purchase from GOG (which is a highly recommended site for digital DRM-free legacy games), clicking through to buy using our affiliate link and it'll provide Simtropolis with a small sales commission to help with site running costs. They do tend to have games including SC3K and SC4 on seasonal sales several times per year, and so it might be worth waiting until that time when they retail for up to 75% off.

We hope you enjoy it here, and again it'll be great to see how your project develops.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

7 hours ago, Mighty_Borlaug said:

I saw somewhere in here that somebody photographed the SC3000 SKUs on a grid and might have a .ZIP with all of them inside.

Way back in June, 2017 I did some conversions of some buildings by taking pics in the original game and then converting them for use in Unlimited. I see I did post pics of all 4 sides of the Museum of Modern Art.

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I have pics of all 4 sides of the 5 buildings I converted. I'm tossing a zip of my project folder on WeTransfer.com so this linky is only good for one week from today: Cori's Conversion Project

I didn't sort thru that so you find some images that are worthless when I hadn't yet realized I needed to set my screen capture to 100% quality. I'll leave it up to you to delete the garbage.

And, welcome to Simtropolis!

[Mighty_Borlaug 59]

1 hour ago, CorinaMarie said:

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I have pics of all 4 sides of the 5 buildings I converted. I'm tossing a zip of my project folder on WeTransfer.com so this linky is only good for one week from today: Cori's Conversion Project

I didn't sort thru that so you find some images that are worthless when I hadn't yet realized I needed to set my screen capture to 100% quality. I'll leave it up to you to delete the garbage.

And, welcome to Simtropolis!

Copy that and downloaded! Thank you for reaching out. I see now I might have to buy SC3000 from GOG but I am ready for that too. I'll pop a thread later today and start work. Thanks guys!

[NateyFloyd 3]

Hello, everyone. I'm NateyFloyd, and I love SimCity 4, especially building aesthetic and beautiful cities, towns, villages, and farmlands. In addition to SimCity, I like to play 4X and RTS strategy games, citybuilders, first-person shooters, roleplaying games, and Star Wars games. 

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @NateyFloyd. Welcome to Simtropolis.  

You've come to the right place for SimCity 4 info and companionship. (And there's also good stuff over on SC4Devotion.)

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

Hi @NateyFloyd and welcome to Simtropolis.

Being into the artistic side of city building, and you may particularly find items of content like MMPs useful for that task. We hope you enjoy the site.

[dangquan09 3]

Hello everyone. My name is Quan. I'm 25 years old. I am a new member. I am really happy to meet you all Thanks everyone

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Hello!  Welcome to the site.  We hope you enjoy your stay.  If you're looking for more of a welcome we have an official Introduce yourself thread here.  Feel free to ask if you need help with anything, and enjoy the city journals and the STEX!

[Vigilante1987 180]

Welcome to Simtropolis.

19 hours ago, NMUSpidey said:

Hello!  Welcome to the site.  We hope you enjoy your stay.  If you're looking for more of a welcome we have an official Introduce yourself thread here.  Feel free to ask if you need help with anything, and enjoy the city journals and the STEX!

Perhaps a kindly admin can merge this into the official thread?

  Edited July 26, 2019 by Cyclone Boom  
Sure, good idea. Done! :)

[Cyclone Boom 16,854]

Hi Quan, welcome to Simtropolis!

Whether you're into SC4, CSL, SC13, or anything city building, you've certainly come to a great place here.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, Quan. I'm glad you've joined us here at Simtropolis.

[OrangeCrush2019 5]

Hello I am new to Simtropolis I love to play SimCity 4 and Cities Skylines only 2 games I really play in the mean time hope to make some really good friends here.

[CorinaMarie 29,577]

Hiya, @OrangeCrush2019. Welcome to Simtropolis!

This is a great place for discussion of either of those games.