City crashing

[SuperBeber 0]

Hi everybody,
I was playing in my new city, building and building again... then i quit, downloaded a few plugins, installed them and launch SC again... but when I tried to load my city again, it crashes !! (It show the city loading screen, but then make a black screen and put me back to windows...)
The others cities works well, only my last city was crashing...
So i figured it was one of my new plugins that was making my game to crash... So I test one by one my plugins, putting them out of my plugin folder... but when all of my new plugins where out, and my city still crashing, i begin wondering if they were causing that...
So, i tried to move ALL of my plugin folder... and my city was still bugging !!!
So I move them all back... and it works !! So i load my city, and then a second time... I try to quit SC4 and launch it again... and then my city crash !!!
Is there someone who could explain me why it sometimes works, and sometimes not ???
Thanks a lot

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

This sounds like something to do with your machine state at the time of loading. At the top of this list, there is a stick about bug reporting requirements. To work on this problem we need the information outlined there, please.

[SuperBeber 0]

Ok thanks.
So :
1. I use SC Deluxe, updated with the latest update of Maxis.
2. My machine specs are :
Processor Intel pentium M 1.73 ghz
NVidia Geforce 6800 256 mb
Hard Drive of 60 gb
virtual memory : min 1536 mb ; max 3072 mb
3. before the bug as come, I have installed a lot of lots (almost 25-30), almost all of them from Simgoober (Hotels, Offices, and other ones...)

I hope this will help...
Thanks a lot

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

You didn't mention your memory size, but from your VM specs I deduce you have 512MB.

Are you running version 638 or 640? 640 has the BAT night textures patch.

If you really have 512MB you are a little thin for memory, but your VM is OK for that. I am afraid you are in the position of backing off your last set of plugins, then putting them in one at a time and testing until the problem happens. When it happens, you can either post here or PM the author. There may or may not be a fix.

[SuperBeber 0]

Oops sorry i've forgotten the memory... I have 1024 mb, and i think i'm running the 640 version, because i have done the nightlighting update...

For the bug itself... I've already tried to move all my new plugins, and testing them one after one, but my city sometimes launch well, but sometimes crash even with the same plugins...
I'll try one more time, but i'm afraid that it dont works...

But thanks anyway for the help

[Tolomar 5]

well the thing about crashing cities...is that there are so many things that can cause it...think what N_O_body is saying is that it might be possible that theres is a conflict between two plugins....each by themselves the game works...both in the game at the same time...might cause the crash...and trial and error is really the only method

there is the possiblility that the saved city might be corrupted...it does happen...rarely , but is a possiblility, but doesn't sound like the problem here though

could be you forgot to add the plugin(s) that might be causing the problem the one time the one time so the city worked....well that be just a guess


with 256 ram....you might be just overloading your computer too...it just doesn't have enough power to run all your plugins at once...might have hit it's maxium playable ability ????

[SuperBeber 0]

Thanks for your help... unfortunately i must say that i'm not enough motivated to try all my plugins one by one... (and i don't think it the cause of plugins, because between the time i installed new plugins and the time the city have crashed, I have been playing exactly 0min 0 sec : i have never can play again to this city....)
BUT i just remember that i had plop the simgoober's heliport just before... i've searche on the forums, and found that it was causing many troubles to many people... But i have destroyed this heliport when i was able to launch the game, before i crashes again...
I have not been able to start this city again... even with moving plugs, or everything else...
So i think this city is lost for good...
So I have another question : when obliterating a city, the landscape and all of terraforming we've done are saved and stay for the next city, only buildings and others are destroyed...
So i was wondering if there was a way to do that WITHOUT loading the city... (because if I load it, it crashes...) Usually, when a city is destroyed from the region view, it turns into a vast and empty land... so is there a way to keep the landscape the way it is, and destroy all the others things ?...

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Alas, not that I know of. If you delete the city from the folder, you will get a blank slab.

Now, if the city was part of a map and you have a grey scale for it, then yes. Copy the grey scale and the config.bmp files to another region ("Test" for example" and render it. You can then import your scragged city from there, with the terraforming.

You should be aware that when you import a city it is moved not copied, so it will be gone from your test region.

With a Gig of memory, your VM settings should be (3072,4096).

[storms991 0]

I have the solution. turn your PC of for a while, it will take away heat, the crashing thing always happens to my laptop, its just excessive heat. or its a but in a few tiles in your city, just put something plopable there that's permanent, like I put Highbury stadium in a spot where if theres development it crashes, my city works fine now.

[SuperBeber 0]

Turning the laptop off doesnt work... and I could plop something there if I only could run the city... but I can't...
I think I will soon obliterate this city and begun a new one..
Thanks a lot everybody for your answers...