RogerStenning

My thruppeny-bit's-worth...... Maybe make online registration actually work for a change? God Mode needs to be extended to the whole landscape globally, not just by each individual city area - it makes for an easier and more cohesive landscaping experience. This was available in SC2K, and appears to have been dropped in later versions. Bring it back Easier and more cohesive way of achieving the desired result with plug-ins, which on SC4D is a little hit and miss (some work in both God Mode and Mayor Mode, some only in God Mode, and again some only in Mayor Mode), needs to be achieved. There's no happy all-in-reliabilty at the moment, it's all very much hit or miss. An easy to use architectural generation/modification tool as standard. A more simple and integrated way of generating custom landscapes needs to be produced, including the importation of 2-d maps into the system - currently this is achieved by 3rd party add-ons (SC4 Mapper and SC4 Terraformer), and by force of system, results in a VERY convoluted way of achieving this result. This should be included As Standard, not as an optional extra. here's hoping, anyhow

Well... they appear to have side-stepped around the problem... I found this in my email inbox this evening... Hello , Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts. So it looks like the Deluxe Edition of the game isn't registering correctly through the website for some reason; instead, I have manually product registered you to Sim City 4 and Rush Hour. Please login again and check your Sim City account. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let me know. Best Regards, (Name given) Electronic Arts Here's my closing reply... (name given) - Confirmed, thanks. Checking results in this: Product Name Serial Number SimCity 4 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SimCity 4 Deluxe SimCity 4 Rush Hour XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX This has been quite a saga. While still quite dissatisfied that this happened at all, I am at least relieved that a solution - using a pair of different serial numbers than the singular one that came with the game - has been found. I would also note that it wasn't just a failure to register the game through the website - the member of your own support staff I phoned that day couldn't register the game through their internally tied systems either, so you have a major problem still ongoing, as to why the game failed to register in the first place, and for that, you will need to address a fix of some kind to your serial number database and/or its' interface with not only the Web but your own internal systems as well. Never the less, in this case, done, and done. Thanks. Roger. So, what have we observed from all this? Whether using the web interface or their internal systems via the phone, their registration system is sadly lacking when it comes to registering SC4D, as it cannot seem to recognise the issued serial numbers for the game. Their response to customer assistance requests is pitifully slow by comparison to current responses from other providers (I've had solutions - granted this was a couple of years back - over the phone instantly with other software manufacturers for packages that were older than SC4D). They need to address the customer registration database (or whatever they call it) in double-quick time, to prevent further erosion of customer confidence. Frankly, on curent display, I can't see that hapening soon, either. In other words, while they have, indeed, managed to avoid stepping in a pile of bovine manure on this one, there's a stink over there that needs to be addressed with a rather massive shovel. Wonder how many more complaints it'll take before they do something about it?

That's EXCELLENT info there - many, many thanks

Thanks, this helped - to clarify for anyone else, the file's called called "region.ini", and it looks something like this inside (you open it up with notepad) [Regional Settings] Name = YourRegionNameHere Terrain type = 1 Water Min = 60 Water Max = 100 Cheers, Roger

OK, good tutorial - that's certainly helping - thanks Main question of the moment - I notice that in SC4D, the size of the cities is arbitrarily set, some are large, some are small, a few are inbetween; I also note that there does not seem to be a way of making large or small cities in Mapper - is this actually the case, or is there a way to move those grid lines, to make say a series of large cities, and thus simplify importation into SC4D?

Originally posted by: drunkapple Only 200, some of my maps I make have 400 so stop your complaining,quote> LOL Originally posted by: drunkapple the real beauty of this is you do not have to render them all at once before playing any individual city tile. I have to render them all for an in game pic.quote> That was the hellish proiblem here too - ho hum! Originally posted by: drunkapple Terraformer like Mapper imports to the game but also does not do the final render, they will still need to be open and saved.quote> Oh... rude words! Originally posted by: drunkapple You can find my tutorial here for all ways including terraformer of importing mapsquote> Cool - I'll have a dekko - thanks Originally posted by: drunkapple Here's your stick. I'm old, I know things, sonny.quote> Works for me Originally posted by: drunkapple Here's your carrot. You're more than welcome.quote> Originally posted by: drunkapple PS. My sense of humour is always intact. ...It's goodnight from me . And it's goodnight from him. Goodnight. PPS. There's pictures too.quote> Oooooooo Originally posted by: drunkapple Cheers drunk(always)quote> Cheers again for the reply - I'd batten down the hatches and expect more questions Cheers, Roger

ok, thanks folks Much appreciated

OK, playing with God Mode in SC4D, and decided to make an island, just for the sheer heck of it. So, I'm planting trees alll over the place, and I notice there are two different shades, and - this is wierd - straight line separation in some places between them. A pic's shown below. Any ideas why the two colours of tree, and the straight lines?

I've searched and I've read and, oh good grief, the list goes on, I can't find a bleep bleep ding dong tutorial for either Terraformer or Mapper aimed at a luddite like me. To put it into perspective: I've got a Fractal Terrains* output image that I want to bring into Mapper, and thence into SC4D. Mapper receives the file OK, and as the very brief blurb points out, one then has to bring it into SC4D and render/correct every region square. NOT good. It's all in something like two hundred little city boxes - AAGH! It'd take like forever to render the darn thing each itty bitty quare at a time, so now I'm thinking Terraformer. And this is where I hit the brick wall: No flippin' tutorials! Here's the stick: I'm 45, folks, and you whipper snappers have all the advantages of computer training in schools these days (we were lucky if there was a ZX Spectrum between five hundred of us in my day!), so be nice - remember, Uncles, like Grandparents, are devious in the ways of revenge Here's the carrot: Thanks in advance for all help PS: I may be frustrated, bt at least my sense of humour's intact - I had a good laugh writing this * Fractal Terrains, Capaign Catrographer, and so on, are made by ProFantasy Software (engine based on FastCad IIRC), which are a range of computer-based cartographic packages aimed at traditional Role Playing Gamers like me

Hmph. EA don't seem to know how to find their backsides... they replied today, suggesting I log into their site using the user name and pass word combination I originally gave them (what, do they think that I'm that thick that I'd forget my own login details or something?!), and try registering again. Here's the text of my reply to them... Once again, failure. I logged into "http://simcity.ea.com/edit_avatar/manage_edit.php?edit=submit&action=serial" using login and password you suggested. The result was somehow predictable: Registration Failure. The error returned was the same as previous attempts: "Your serial number, (DELETED FROM THIS POSTING), for SimCity 4 Deluxe, is either registered already or is not valid." I got the same failure result using "(BROKEN UP INTO 4-DIGIT GROUPS WITH HYPHENS)" as the serial number. Once again, I have followed your advice, and come no closer to registering this product. This has now become a farce, and I am most sincerely dissatisfied with this entire episode. Given that the box was sealed in its shrink wrap from a reputable retailer through Amazon.co.uk, it's a safe assumption that the product is a genuine EA product, so to forestall any erroneous questions by you, this is NOT a pirated copy, and I have the receipt to prove it. The whole purpose of my attempting to register this game was (1) to ensure that I was listed as the purchaser of a genuine product, (2) to ensure that the product was up to date, and that (3) to obtain official licenced and/or approved plug-ins through your company to enhance the game. I have now been forced to seek the patches and any available plug-ins for this software through third party sources (online gamer-run forums), and this is NOT the sort of result I expected to have to use when using a product from a supposedly excellent multinational company such as EA. Frankly, this entire saga it is putting me off purchasing any more EA products, and you seriously need to pull your socks up and sort this problem out. Sincerely dissatisfied, Roger Stenning I'm left sncerely wondering if they know how to use a map, compass, and length of string? Anyhow, since you folks pointed me in the right direction to get the patches and updates, I'm no longer reliant on EA to pull a rabbit from a hat on this one, although it would be nice to actually be registered as the purchaser of my copy of the game. Ho-hum. Small wishes, or something... Cheers, Roger

No thanks to EA, of course. They STILL can't figure out how to get my copy registered, but that's for another thread Anyhow, thanks for all the help, folks, it's appreciated Roger

Aha. So, it IS my brain at fault, then In other words, situation normal, all fouled up Cheers for that

Eyesight. I wear glasses, and the old peepers ain't what they used to be Plus I'm a little set in my ways, as those of us in our 40+ years tend to be I forgot to mention before that I've uploaded and successfully installed the patches recommended elsewhere on this forum, in case anyone thinks that might improve things! I've attached a couple of screen shots, to give an example of what I mean re screen size/resolution... first is the splash screen, second the basic game screen. You see what I mean about the oval shape of the circles at the top - if this is normal, then ok, I read the manual wrong!

Hiya folks - excellent thread, very VERY helpful, but I guess I'm a tad slow or thick, as while using the command line switches, the screen still looks distorted (circles resembling ovals, etc), esp the buttons at the top of the screen in full screen mode. Here're the system specs: Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack 3 5.1.2600 CPU Type: 2061 MHz AuthenticAMD AMD Family 6 Model 8 Step 1 Video Card: NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Model 64/Model 64 Pro (Microsoft Corporation) Video Driver: nv4_disp.dll Driver Version: 6.14.10.5673 DirectX: DirectX 9 Monitor Description: LG W2243(Analog) Monitor Manufacturer: LG Monitor Max. Resolution: 1920x1080 Current Mode: 1280x720x32 Resolution | 16 | 256 | 16 bits | 24 bits | 32 bits ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 640 x 480.... | * | * | * | - | * 800 x 600.... | * | * | * | - | * 1024x 768... | - | * | * | - | * 1152x 864... | - | * | * | - | * 1280x1024.. | - | * | * | - | * 1600x1200.. | - | - | - | - | This is the command line that I'm using: "C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -l:english -Introff -CustomResolution:enabled -r1280x720x32 If you can give me hints as to getting the circles to resemble circles rather than ovals, it'd be well appreciated Also, I tried using the -w switch, but it still went full screen - presumably this is also a function of the resolution used? Cheers in advance, Roger

Interesting points, there. I take it then, that there is nothing in the game that won't work, even if registration fails (or isn't even attempted), then? Thanks also for the heads up re the exchange at EA/Maxis I'll go use the others, cheers Roger (from my mobile phone)