nos.17

Most of the latest dev work and showcases happen in the SC4E discord #programming channel.

You can think of them just like folders. There's a basic but fairly comprehensive set that comes with the DLL, but you can either add your items to these pre-defined subnemus, add items into your own submenu inside that you put inside a predefined submenu, put your items in a new top level submenu outside of any other, etc etc. Other than setting it up in reader, the SC4 CLI tool is the best thing I know for creating submenus:

INI files define a configuration, or settings, for the DLL file. Want to customize any settings? Then change the values in the file. Otherwise leave it alone. The lines that start with a semicolon are comments that describe what the setting does.

Nope, the cache is just a folder, and it gets populated as you download the files. Searching for the file names would not show up anywhere, because they are files contained with in the SC4 CPU Options package. You must search for the package name or keywords, for example " SC4CPUOptions", and it will show up just fine. It's the difference between searching for "Thomas Glass Company" vs "C88-ThomasGlassCo-0x5ad0e817_0xd7547280_0x30000.SC4Model". Do not worry about this for now. CAM is a fundamental change to the game play engine, and if you're struggling and a bit overwhelmed now, I don't think adding CAM into the mix would be a good idea until you're more comfortable with playing the game and installing mods. Many of the items in the Ultimate Guide are available in sc4pac - search for them in the sc4pac application, or use the 'Download with sc4pac' link on the STEX page.

The 4GB patch an exception - it does not go into plugins at all. Follow step #6 from here: https://www.sc4nam.com/docs/getting-started/installation/. SC4CPUOptions and SC4GraphicsOptions are both available in sc4pac. You're using sc4pac right? So use that to install them. It will prompt you with an instruction for exactly what you need to do.

Hello! It is certainly possible, though it is complicated a bit with the fact that compatibility for the SafeDisc DRM that was used on the disks has been removed from Windows 10+. If you wish to keep using your disc copies, there are certainly ways around it like this article from Tom's Hardware discusses. While you can still use a huge majority of the mods with this version of the game, DLL mods are notably incompatible with the disc versions. See: If you don't want to mess with that (or want to use DLL mods), the recommendation is to purchase a digital copy of the game from either GOG or Steam. It goes on sale very regularly, so pick it up then. It now costs as little as $/£/€ 4 on sale.

Alright, the best thing to do is to just take this a few at a time, and address each one specifically . What are the first 2-3 specific downloads you're confused about?

Yes. PIMX (not the old Maxis PIM, to be clear - the naming is confusing) lets you copy and paste textures/props/flora between lots. There's even a new version of PIMX in the works with a number of neat new features, one of which makes it a single click to copy all of these properties.

Here's my opinion on the items in the first two links in the ultimate guide: Performance & graphics 4GB Patch: Absolutely recommended. SC4CPUOptions: Definitely recommended, for the CPUCount:1 property. Improves stability (fewer crashes) on most systems. SC4GraphicsOptions: Only if you want to run SC4 in a resolution not supported out of the box. SC4Fix: Definitely install SC4AutoSave: Optional, if you like that DgVoodoo 2: (DirectX Wrapper): Only use if you otherwise have issues launching or running the game, or if you want to play at larger resolutions (2k, etc). Startup Performance Optimization DLL for SimCity 4: Definitely recommended. Improves loading times, and lets sc4 read long folder paths (especially important if you use sc4pac) Transparent Texture Fix DLL: Good to have, but just fixes a small visual glitch SimCity 4 Disable FPS Limits: Optional, if you're into that king of thing. Region Thumbnail Fix DLL: Only necessary if you're playing at a resolution above 1440p and you see glitches in the region view. Gameplay enhancements All 100% optional. I have been inspired to start work on a version of this based on the original MODPACC zero mods, as I agree, it's not always clear what is a required bug fix, what is a fix for small visual glitches, and things that are just personal preference.

Cool! I'm a fan of seasonal myself, so this isn't something I'm interested in personally, but I'm excited to follow your progress. Even if you don't get many volunteers to test, I am sure others will be interested in the final mod too!

If you install the mods via sc4pac, you don't need to worry about this at all, as sc4pac handles this for you. Otherwise, for things you install outside of sc4pac the download page should specify the installation instructions. By and large, most things are fine to just put in your plugins folder. Though, if you are using sc4pac, we do recommend installing your manually installed items in certain folders.

I just published a few notable updates to the Catalog: Model TGIs are now indexed (in addition to props/textures/buildings/flora/cohorts/etc.) Added a huge number of prop/building/flora thumbnails (about 22,000 of these in total). If you choose to show thumbnails, they'll now show up on the home page main search query (first pic), but also on the screen to view a specific prop pack (second pic) Lastly, the About page has been updated to show the counts of thumbnails I have made in each category. Right now, I am not creating these thumbnails as part of my build process - I'm relying on the thumbnails created by the new PIMX-2026 program, meaning the thumbnails I do have are reliant on items I have loaded into PIMX at least once. I plan on changing this at some point in the future. There's a lot of blanks here, so please message or request if you want something that is missing.

+13 packages by @_marsh_ have been added, including a number of nice terrain mods, ploppable roadsigns, and other mods.