MPD01605

I currently have a Windows computer, but I'm getting a MacBook very soon. I am debating getting SC4:mac and using it on there, but I am wondering if I would be able to copy my current SC4 folder to my Mac, and if all the things would work correctly. I have numerous plugins that I've collected in the past five years. Are there compatability issues between plugins and the NAM and Mac computers? I'll still have my Windows PC, but it might just be easier to use SC4 on the Mac so I don't have to juggle two computers. And even then, I would hate to lose my region and have to start from scratch. Any help/tips would be great. Thanks!

In the US, most vending machines only take $1 notes, in addition to all the coins (except pennies). A few take $5 notes. In most of the other countries I've been to, most vending machines don't accept notes, only coins (to be fair, most other countries have a 1 or 2 coin (euro, pound, A-dollar, CND-dollar, etc). But that's another argument). Simple solution: don't change the $1 note. If the note you feel doesn't have a mark or anything on it, it's a $1 note. Long argument short: without a total change in currency, it would take years to rotate out all the currency, which is enough time to get things ready for the new bills. It's not impossible, just difficult. @ belfastuniguy: yeah I thought about that flag, but I figured since the pound was legal tender all over Great Britain, it was a better way to represent it (as the country the currency is used in), but the notes are printed by the Bank of England, so that's why I put England. I do however respect your statement and have made a change. Also, I'm not ignorant, I'm well up to speed on the fact that the British flag is a combination of St George's Cross, St Andrew's Cross, and St Patrick's Cross (doesn't seem to represent Wales very well though). But we're "cool" mate, I understand.

I have a few different currencies in my wallet right now (just did some travelling around Europe, and just like to collect). Here are some things countries have done that I have noticed as a seeing-person. When I say "differences between notes", I mean aside from colour and size of the numbers, because if you were completely blind, those things wouldn't matter. European Union: the only thing I can recognize on the €5, €10, and €20 notes is that the large numbers on the face are raised a little. If I couldn't see, I'd probably be more used to feeling for them. Czech Republic: I have absolutely no idea how you'd be able to tell them apart. The size difference between the 50K? and 100K? note is only maybe 1 or 2mm, but nothing less than what you'd find between a €5 and €10 note. Nothing raised or easily noticeable by me. England: Nothing tactile, I only have a £5 note, but I know from experience that their notes are significantly larger in size with the higher denomination. The £5 note fits very comfortably in my Irish-made wallet (in my old US one, too), but I have issues with even the £20 note. Australia: They feel awesome. Probably my favourite notes, but I digress. The window is neat, and if I were blind, I'm sure I could figure it out. Other than that, the A$5 and A$10 notes are the same height, with maybe 1 or 2mm of difference in length. Switzerland: Everyone's favourite. The sizes are radical. The 10 Sfr note is fairly big, and the other notes get significantly larger by denomination. But what makes them the best, in my opinion, is also what I feel the US could do and not have to worry about a whole new different-size initiative, in my opinion. On the front of every note, on the left side, there is a small symbol about 2mm in diameter. The 10 Sfr note has a circle with a dot in the middle, the 20 Sfr note has a square with a dot in the middle, the 50 Sfr note has a triangle with a dot in the middle, and the 100, 200, and 1000 notes have the same order of shapes, but without the dots. They are very easy to feel, even for me. On a US note, I don't think they'd mess up any machines. This 10 Sfr note that I have is pretty worn down, but the symbol still remains. In the end, it seems like the notes you would need to tell apart the most, in terms of usage, would be the $1, $5, $10, and $20 notes. I'd hate to mistakenly think I'm using a $5 and it's really a $100, but I can't remember the last time I used a $100 for anything. It's even rare that I use $50. The only place you might get a large denomination is from the bank, but while there, ask for smaller notes. Yes, a measure should be applied to all notes of course. I'm just sayin'. But a symbol of sorts, not necessarily changing the size, seems like the best option for the time being. It has to be "something", per the judge, not a specific change. I personally prefer the Swiss franc when given today's options. I do however miss the ot

I played around with grade-separated busways, only I went the other way. I used the road puzzle pieces and built up. Although I couldn't put bus stops along the elevated sections, it provided a quick link across town. I used the bus-only diamonds to limit traffic to buses, and put no-bus blockers along side roads to force buses onto the busways. It worked for a while, but I ended up taking some of it out. Also, for some reason, the no-bus blockers let traffic skip onto the elevated section from the car road...so I got some non-bus traffic sometimes...oh well. I'll probably try it out in another city soon. Here are some photos. It was a more extensive system than this, this is jut a small part of it. And then I cut it back some... And yeah, if those ped stairs are somewhere, those would be good to have, too!

I hope Monte Cristo and De Silva read threads like these, and understand that modding, and our ability to add to the game, are VERY important, and help prolong the life of the game. SC4 came out in 2004, and I- along with all you- still play it like it came out last month. There's always something new to add and play with in the game. I can't remember the last game that I played for over three years with such enthusiasm after all this time. I always lose the first disc of SC4, so every time I get a new computer or have to reinstall (playing SC4 on my third computer, still the SAME region since 2004), I have to go buy another copy. I've bought one copy of SC4 Original, three of Rush Hour, and two Delux Editions. Always worth it. I sincerely hope that they read this, and understand what we want. No, we dont' want a souped-up "copy" of SC4. We want to go along those lines, though, and have great graphics, great (variable) gameplay, where we can set things to automatically run themselves if we want to make gameplay simpler, or micromanage every aspect if we want. We want the ability to add and modd the game to suit our wants and needs, to fix omissions and bugs or issues that give us trouble. All the content I have in SC4 would have cost SO much in expansion packs on my end, and how many millions on EA's end for them to have made. Continuous user-created content only helps the game's longevity. Societies has something that I can let it get away with: the city development is (reportedly) influenced heavily by the way we control the behaviours. That is interesting, and I will probably play around with it in the interim until CU comes out. Although SCS looks like a cross between City Life and SimCoaster (or whatever it's called now). I didn't like the classes and such in CL...WAY too much work, and I hope CU doesn't have that (at least not to such a great extent). It was also too hard to build buildings. Very time consuming and inefficient. All that aside, I have high expectations for CU, and I hope that I don't have a great disappointment next year. I am sure, however, that I will still be playing SC4 in a year. Since this is getting long, I will end my statements here.

This is my region of New York. It bears no relation to the real-life New York. This image is out of the Highway Numbering thread, since it's here and I don't have a recent image to put up. This one's from February of this year at the latest. So excuse the highway markers. I have two countries in this region. The capital city is Chenonceau, and it's where I-35 and I-70 intersect. I'm working on a nice, scenic region. This is a small picture since the image is HUGE. The link to the HUGE 100% image is here: https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/MPD01605/1CopyofNewYork19.jpg

I saw a discussion on this on some SimCity forum about a year ago (I could swear it was Simtropolis), and it gave me the idea. Since I can't find the previous thread, I'll start one. I've numbered all the highways in my region of New York (new name pending). I pretty much follow the Interstate Highway system of numbering, and even use their shields. Even though I can't actually do it in the game, it's a great way for me to follow my routes and adds some realism. When I first numbered, my region was smaller, so as I added cities to it, the numbers got all weird. I renumbered, and this is how it is! To shake things up, I've started another country in the east of my region, and that uses no real system of numbering. Has anyone else started a system of numbering yet? Highways or just other systems? This is a small picture since the image is HUGE. The link to the HUGE 100% image is here: https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/MPD01605/1CopyofNewYork19.jpg

@haljackey: Short answer- I used MS Paint. It's a long and painful process of taking screenshots and lining all 50ish of them up perfectly. Then saving. If and when I make a new map (usually I just add on to the south and east, it's faster), it can take 3 hours or so. It's also hard to not get airplanes in the region. But yeah, MS Paint will do it.

@haljackey: Short answer- I used MS Paint. It's a long and painful process of taking screenshots and lining all 50ish of them up perfectly. Then saving. If and when I make a new map (usually I just add on to the south and east, it's faster), it can take 3 hours or so. It's also hard to not get airplanes in the region. But yeah, MS Paint will do it.

After looking at the NAM development thread, I think it would be neat to have two things: elevated and sunken train stations. Elevated...I don't know if that would be possible, but a train station with an entrance 8, 10, or 14m above the track and extending over the slope to the road would be fantastic. I'd use sunken railways a LOT more. If I should create an image and take this to some other thread, please let me know.

Reversible lanes would be incredibly awesome, but I'd imagine they'd be VERY hard to make. I mean, if it could be automatically set for a certain direction during certain times, that would be so neat.

I posted my map a while ago (page 8 or 9 I think), but I have since expanded my system and revised my map:

More highway interchanges would also be nice: Drawings are terrible, but you get the idea. The different semi-cloverleafs currently on NAM are...inefficient. They don't work too well.

Iain: try the one in the post right above yours. :-)

There are some very original names here. I for the most part do not have such original names. However, I am in the midst of a renaming scheme for my cities. Plus I was running out of ideas when I started expanding my region, and I never kept track of my cities until now, so I have a few duplicates. Les Champs Milano McMurraysville Butte Asheville Salem Winston Charlotte Asheville Salerno Sestriere Valencia Novavilla New Kensington Highton Edditon Stonebrook Centreville Coruscant Future City North Bend Den Haag Blitzschneemanstadt Seaside Lille Port Victoria Ogdenville Birmingham Port Midland Einschoenland Lovettsville Mountain View Mercer Coast City Nouvelle-Caledonie Lenoville Harbourville Nordenville North Haverbrook Le Grand Plateau Centreville Ferrington Bay City Wellington Herring Sound Michigan Ionic Springs San Andreas Alamance Leesville Citta Dell'Isla Leesburg Chenonceau (capital) Queenstown Harbour View Denver Mount Nomatic Two Rivers Wilmington Cary Salisbury Santa Fe Central Islip Lansing Altavista Fairfax Portsmouth Morgantown South Hill South Hills Yavin Mesa Mos Espa Beaufort Charleston Savannah Columbia Vienna Ellendil Mos Eisley East Morgantown Huntersville Osipee Wein Geonosis Prague La Paz John's Gap Randleman Kensington Cascade Ridge New City Columbia Michel Bensonne Saint-Malo Plie-de-Fleuve Tenienne Brouleville La Fleur

Of course there are ways to make these already, but it's not as smooth as it could be. I'd like to see a one-way-road split/merge. as in two one-way-roads side-by-side split or merge very neatly, not with an intersection. Of course, this would go from an Avenue to one-way roads, then the split, then it could be brought back to an avenue with two frontage roads. It would also be easy to widen a bridge by building one-way bridges on the sides of an avenue bridge. Below is what would be two lots- one for each direction, and there would be any number for all the different configurations (left merging, on and off merging, splitting, etc). But it would essentially put out or accept two same-direction one-way-roads. It would look much better than the current intersection (with a stoplight!) that exists now.

I don't think the capacity actually increases with the number of airports. I have a landing strip and an international airport in one city, and when I query the landing strip, the current capacity number is the same as the international airport. Just what I've noticed though.

Start small. As capacity increases, upgrade through the three types of the smaller airports, then then the largest regional airport is maxed out, you could probably safely build an international airport. As long as you can sustain it financially.

I'd like to see borders. ...perhaps forms of governmet. We could make countries in any shape, then divide those countries into states, and within those states, make city areas with a defined city limit and the rest is just like a county-type space. We can make some laws in some way, with any government you choose. There are border crossings and you can close them. Between two countries you can have trade, and all that fun stuff. Custom interchanges, custom roads and rail. Just things to make the game more realistic at least in the infrastructure department. Airports can serve more than one city. Also, being able to see like 10 tiles into the next city/county, so when you try to make connections, you're not off by 1 tile or trying to make a connection into a fire department or airport. Underground roads and highways and rail. Tunnels that go under a city, but you can have on- and off-ramps to the highway underground. Seasons, weather. Etc. I would like lots more detail, and more control. Of course, like it's been said, I'd like it to be voluntary, so if we don't want to micromanage everything, we don't have to stress about it. That'll appeal to more novice users. Things come pre-made as well as modular, so we can have a quick-plop or a lengthy design and build process. That is a lot, I know. Everything we're suggesting will require a superfast computer. But so be it. When SC5 comes out, it'll run slow, and we'll complain. But once we give it time, in a year or two after it comes out, we'll be able to enjoy all these features at lightning speed. Maxis perhaps should make two versions; a SC5 Lite and a Total version. The Lite version has less features and runs faster so those who don't want control can have the game, but those who want EVERYTHING can get it. Of course, it'll probably run on Vista and require a Quad-core processor, so all computers right now will be obsolete! Haha. Oh the dreams and raves I go on. I trust Maxis and Will to create a wonderful game; no doubt they read this and know what we want.

Just some small fires; simple stuff. Putting my Fire Service to the test. I'm hoping to get some good fires soon. Engine 8, Engine 3, Brush 4, and Rescue 5 on the scene of a building fire. Truck 9 and Engine 10 are en route. Truck 1 and Brush 2 on the scene of a house fire, PD is en route. Right after this, I dispatched Engine 7 to the scene to assist.

I agree I have many many highways. The system works though. Traffic flows smoothly in most regions, thanks to the highways and thanks to extensive mass transit. Growth has slowed, I've moved from expanding my region and cities to perfecting them- rebuilding city centres, more subway, and as I go, I actually de-construct highways in some places. I-25 used to go right through where it intersects I-40 (it paralled I-240 through the city, that was back when it was known as I-81 before my renumbering, but I digress), but then traffic was so bad, I removed it and upped mass transit and reconstructed a lot of that downtown, it's better. I never really planned the initial highways. I just build them as I needed. But eventually, I began to see that I needed a system for me and for my little Sims. So I connected them, then eventually...a network came about. But it does hold true to life though; there are some places (like the western and southern edges of my city that don't have any build up, but there are highways. I don't know...just did it. My next region is going to be more chill; less highways, more byways; more scenery and more thought. I've nursed this region since I got the game (back in 2003!). I like how many different ways that you all number your routes. It's really interesting to see other views!

Hello all. I've been a member here about June 2003. I've been downloading from the STEX and the Modds, which I enjoy tremendously. I never really visited the forums unless I was looking for help, and even then, I didn't write. But since I'm becoming more active on the forums, I should do the right thing and introduce myself! I'm MPD01605, feel free to just call me MPD. I'm from Northern Virginia in the United States, but go to school in North Carolina and visit relatives in Toronto frequently. I've been playing SC4 forever, and continue to enjoy it tremendously. I hope to be able to add to the community, and gain from everyone. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far!

Here is the subway map for the subway system of my capital city, Chenonceau. I have an extensive monorail system that I'm mapping out, but this is only subway (small section of El on the red line, three stations around Transit Centre). It's very effective, and will be expanded within the next 100 years. It's abbreviated CART.

Thanks. I considered a secondary and tertiary route system of all types, not just highways, but that was really trying for me, and very hard on a regional level. Probably my next renumbering (long ways away), I'll add some state routes of sorts. I am working on a much much smaller region with state routes, and that's in the works. Finding shields was hard. The first time, of which I have a map and maybe I'll put up later, I was searching the internet for shields and making ones I needed in Paint. These are from Wikimedia; it was much easier than creating so many. It still took a good few hours to renumber and re-plot all the routes (not to mention do so many screenshots of the game and merge them all together!). When I get better at designing, I'll be making my own custom route markers.

I have some issues with sunken highways, walls, and onramps. Mainly, I can't get the highways to exactly 15m depth. I use the 15m hole digger, but I have to use two in order to create a wide enough trench for a highway. What I end up with is too deep for the walls. I've tried different combinations, and it usually doesn't work. This is probably my fifth attempt at this in this poor city that's had years of traffic tie-ups from trying to redo this. Any advice?