Norwegian Neko

Hey Bixel, long time member here. Just got to say that I love the work that you've done on your BATs! That being said, I don't mean this as criticism, but I've noted a few issues you have in your releases. You may have noted in your Pencil Tower Pak that some of the towers were even growing in low-density zones (I had issues with the "Kwan Tak Hing" residential tower in particular). I just thought you might like to know what the issues was - you didn't have any Growth Stage string anywhere in the description files. Also, I thought it was weird that you didn't even have a .LOT file for that tower... instead I guess you have 2 description files with the data in them. Hmm... The other issues with that particular BAT is that there is a "dummy tower" that doesn't seem to do anything (???) but is placed in the middle of the lot. Anywhoo, I added a Growth Stage = 6 in the description file and it solved the problem. The only other problem I've had with your older releases is they grow on all Building Sets. It would be great if they only grew on the Euro sets, and I think you have been doing that lately. Anywhoo... I'm kind of back after a long hiatus. Are you making your buildings compatible with the CAM? Just curious. I'm trying to figure out how all these new MODs work now... Anyways, just like to say that you've done a bang-up job with all your BATs! Now I just have to work on a new Chinese region.

How about putting in links to the CJs that you guys review?

oh my god, thank you for that link! I have been trying to download this patch for years, and ea's simcity website says that my serial #'s for my copies of the games (sc4 vanilla + rush hour) are not valid - even though I registered them 4 or 5 years ago.

Hi, I'm a long-time Simtropolis and Simcity player, so this comes somewhat as an embarrassment to have to ask for something... considering I have multiple gigs of plugins well organized in my folders. There are two tileset mods that I have seen floating around. There is the standard mod that stuffs ALL of the normal Maxis buildings into the Chicago tileset... but there is a second tileset mod that I saw a couple of months ago that allows you to choose individual RCI-types and wealth levels to be dumped into the Chicago tileset. Has anyone seen this second tileset mod and know where I could download it? Please tell me I didn't just dream it up!

I think this is the most important mod that can be added to the transit networks besides the trams...

Even though I live in the United States - and US citizens pollute and use more energy than any other people in the world - I try to do my part: 1. got rid of my car - I ride the bus, bicycle, and bought a small 50cc scooter that gets ~65 mpg 2. live in a small apartment - doesn't need much heat during winter, summers in Oregon don't need air conditioner 3. try not to take too long of showers - long showers & hot water for washing clothes requires energy, and contributes towards CO2 emission 4. don't leave my computer on all day - saves energy 5. turn off lights when they aren't in use, compact fluorescent bulbs everywhere else 6. when I travel, I try to take the train - much more energy efficient than flying! 7. I am an architecture student who has been studying a lot about sustainable development; the Architecture 2030 challenge aims at reducing energy consumption of buildings (which, in the US, generate 50% of the global warming gases) to zero. So this is a big thing that I am going to pursue - designing buildings that use zero energy, and thus don't harm the environment as much. 8. I recycle and don't buy very much stuff; once I start making money I would like to buy most of my stuff locally, so it won't have to be shipped long distances What I'd love to do: skylights in my house, solar water heating panels, and photovoltaics... but alas, I don't own this house. ======================================== I've read a few negative comments on this site regarding an individual's impact on the environment - which is a shame, you know. Reducing your energy consumption has a huge economic incentive, as it can potentially save you a lot of money. Case in point: I have a friend who drives a big SUV. He spends about $200/week on gasoline. I bicycle to work - I pay nothing. So I save $800 a month on gasoline on my friend... not to mention his car payments, insurance, and repair bills (which are also expensive). Don't forget, we're in this mess by everyone making choices that negatively impact the environment. If we want to turn things around, it needs to come from all direction: personal habits, government programs, and businesses smartening up. Luckily, businesses and government ARE smartening up, but lazy people should also kick their arse into gear, as... well, there are over 6 billion of us on this world, so we gotta learn to share.

I am drooling over this project so I can incorporate it into a few new CJ's I have planned...

I had this same problem in one of my cities. Just relay all of the transport networks, and/or bulldoze them.

marcszar had some good points; one of the most important aspect of green building, however, is the use of passive solar. However, this really depends on which part of the country do you live in? You have vastly different environments and solar loads in the desert in, say California than you would in Chicago. Average temperature during the day is going to play a big part in this... as well as how much insulation and thermal mass you would want in your building: a good green building won't need to use a heater or air conditioner for most of the year. I am assuming that this is not a college architecture course? I'm actually just finishing up my arch degree... but all I'd really say is that use your creativity in thinking up a plan; what kind of place would you like to be in? As Alvar Aalto said when he designed the Paimio Sanatorium, design from the patient's perspective. When you are sitting back in the dentist's chair, would you like to stare into the sun? Or perhaps some nice indirect sunlight would help the dentist to see. But definitely, you would need a reception area, semi-private rooms for the actual checkups/cleaning, and a back area for the techs and dentists to do all the stuff they do.

Originally posted by: blahdy TheOneThird: I am kind of planning on making a separate realistic elrail->underground transition that is not tied to any road system (stand alone rail transition). The one I've been working on is based on Boston's Big Dig project. As for standalone elrail->underground transition, I'm currently hunting for pictures of nicely done, modern subway tunnel boats around the world during free time. quote> Last summer when I was in Europe I snapped these photos of the sub-->el transition on the S-Bahn line that runs through central Berlin. This is just to the south of Potsdamer Platz. The rail lines in Europe - particularly the new lines in France and Germany - have lots of modern station and subway designs you could borrow from. Try checking online or wiki...

Originally posted by: blahdy TheOneThird: I am kind of planning on making a separate realistic elrail->underground transition that is not tied to any road system (stand alone rail transition). The one I've been working on is based on Boston's Big Dig project. As for standalone elrail->underground transition, I'm currently hunting for pictures of nicely done, modern subway tunnel boats around the world during free time. quote> Last summer when I was in Europe I snapped these photos of the sub-->el transition on the S-Bahn line that runs through central Berlin. This is just to the south of Potsdamer Platz. The rail lines in Europe - particularly the new lines in France and Germany - have lots of modern station and subway designs you could borrow from. Try checking online or wiki...

Interestingly, I've heard that the concrete that they used in the structure isn't of the appropriate mix to actually be safe to occupy... so it's just going to sit unfinished as it is until they eventually implode it. Could be wrong, but that's the rumor I heard.

Interestingly, I've heard that the concrete that they used in the structure isn't of the appropriate mix to actually be safe to occupy... so it's just going to sit unfinished as it is until they eventually implode it. Could be wrong, but that's the rumor I heard.

(bit late to the game here) Marrast/Criquette - never got the opportunity to say thank you for all the hard work, effort and creativity you put into the game. I personally expanded your underpass LOTS for rail and roads... and yea, I was really looking forward to the Battersea project (whatever happened to that project anyway? Were the files deleted? I never heard about it). Real life has to come before games. Good luck!

Mixed-use buildings, particularly retail with residential above. This is really, really needed for realistic European cities...

Originally posted by: Jasoncw I've just recalled more ideas I have about the game. Yes, I have thought about SC5 A LOT over the past few years, lol. Design Mode: -Original Problem: In Sim City 4, I found that I was building something, but building one tile too far, or messing up an intersection, or just not getting what I want in general. So I bulldozed and restarted. Or I zone something too big, or I quickly change my mind about what I want built there, so I need to redo it. This was a problem with the game being "too complicated" in previous Sim Citys. Players can't get what they want, along the way they accidentally bulldoze things, and in the end what they got didn't work anywhere near what they thought it would. Also in Sim City 4, everything is rediclously cheap. In real life, infrastructure like that is a major expense. Highways and transit lines can cost millions and billions of dollars. But if the prices were made realistically significant in SC4, we'd go bankrupt after needing to redo something after it didn't work right. -A Solution: So what I suggest is a design mode, where the game is paused, and what you build is completely free. Somewhere on the interface it would tally up how much it would cost to build it, a button to confirm construction, and a button to leave design mode. There would be an option to do "studies" on the system, where you would pay some money, and it would basically unpause the game and show you what would happen if you built what you designed. Of course, this would be at a decent cost, so you can't just do excessive studies for everything you do.quote> I actually think that this would be an excellent idea - you could plan extensions to highways or subway lines, including digging tunnels and moving around dirt, and once you got the perfect design down with a cost estimate, you could hit the 'build it' button. And - it would take months, if not years, for it to be finished (if it was something like the Boston Big Dig in scale). Very good idea Jasoncw!