Marble_1

Haha, thanks for letting me know about it! I recently updated the guide to use sc2kfix instead of SC2000X, since I do think it’s easier and provides a better experience for people on modern hardware.

Yeah, the open-source version is called “Micropolis” and it’s based off the Unix version of the game. There’s a version of the game playable on web I think. (also if people do come knocking on our door, which isn’t likely considering EA’s reputation for non-aggression when it comes to this kind of stuff, I can always just remove the links to the game!) Also, I’m probably not gonna be making any more guides for this kind of stuff. For one, there really isn’t anything to make a guide on anymore. Also, I think I should try and find something for myself outside of simply being that one guy who made setup guides for old SimCity games then vanished off the face of the earth.

For those who don't know, there was a version of SimCity Classic that was developed to take advantage of the extra space provided by CD-ROMs. This version of the game has FMVs for the introduction, as well as cutscenes that appear periodically during gameplay. This was a fairly niche version of SimCity Classic that was ultimately not a huge success, and many don't know it ever existed. This guide will show you how to get this version of SimCity Classic up and running. MS-DOS First, download SimCity: Enhanced CD-ROM from here (https://www.myabandonware.com/game/SimCity-enhanced-cd-rom-cb8). Make sure to download the installer option, not the ISO option. Then, extract the files. You should see a folder called "SimCity". Drag it to the root of your C: drive (or anywhere you want, but that will complicate things for you). As for the other files, you can safely delete them. You will need DOSBox, or a fork of it, to run the game. Before we continue, it is imperative that you change a few settings in the DOSBox config file. For this, I recommend making a backup of the original config file, and then making a new one for SimCity Enhanced. To access the config file, press Win + R, then type in "%appdata%" (without quotes). Then, navigate your way to AppData\Local (NOT Roaming!). You should see a folder named "DOSBox". That is what you want. Open the folder, and you see the config file. Here are the settings that you must change in the config file. If you do not change the cycle count, the game will run too slow to be playable. machine=svga_s3 cycles=15000 If you can't find the settings in the config file, search for them with your text editor's search function (Ctrl + F in Notepad). Now, it's time to boot the game. But first, we need to change just a few more settings. First, open DOSBox, then boot SCSETUP.EXE through it (which is in the SimCity folder) by mounting the SimCity folder as the C: drive within DOSBox, then typing "C:" to switch to that folder (press enter), and then "SCSETUP.EXE" (again, press enter). You should find a series of options. First, press A to change your Digital Sound Board (which is fancy speak for "sound card"). This is required if you want to hear any audio in the game at all. Select "B" for Sound Blaster. Press "C" and "D" to change the locations of the video and audio folders respectively. Change the default file location to C:\VIDEO and C:\AUDIO respectively (assuming that the SimCity folder is set as the C: drive in DOSBox). Also, if you want, press "G" to toggle full-screen video on. Remember to press "Enter" to save your changes. To exit the setup, press "Enter". When asked if you want to save, press "Y" for yes. You should now be back at a DOS prompt. Now, just launch "SimCity.EXE" and enjoy! If you find that the ingame time passes too fast for your liking, go to Options > Set Game Speed, making sure not to release the mouse until the cursor hovers above "Set Game Speed". Set the game speed to "slow". Unfortunately, there is no sweet spot when it comes to running the game on DOSBox. It either runs too slow, or the ingame time passes too quickly. Overall, getting SimCity Enhanced running on your PC will require quite a bit of work on your part. However, what you get is a niche, quirky version of SimCity with slightly incessant voice clips and quippy FMVs.

In this guide I provided a link to an abandonware version, simply because I wanted to make the game more accessible to the people who don’t have CD drives and all that. This guide should work for those who are using CDs to install the game though. As a side note: I’m quite happy to see this game still gets quite a lot of love. This really is a great game that was truly ahead of its time, so much so that it formed the base for the two SimCity games that succeeded it.

Hey lateraldnb, I haven't run into this issue myself. Judging from the error code, it looks like the patch is failing because the patcher is unable to access the game files in C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 2000\ to replace the SimCity.EXE file with the patched version. If you haven't yet done so, make sure you're running the SC2000X patcher in Administrator Mode. This can be done by right-clicking the file, then pressing the "Run as Administrator" button (if you use Windows 11, that may or may not be hidden behind a "show more options" button). Hope it works!

I should probably give this a try Name: Marble1 Gender: Male Zodiac: Virgo

SimCity 2000 is a quintessential game in the SimCity series, taking everything from the first game and cranking it up to eleven. While EA hasn't neglected this game the way they did the first game, the version for sale is not the "best version", which I'll go into later. Now, the MS-DOS version is still being sold on digital storefronts, so if you want to play this version of SimCity 2000, to avoid legal trouble, it's best if you buy it from GOG. However, the Windows versions of SimCity 2000 are still classified as "abandonware", meaning that while they are protected under copyright, EA will probably not sue anyone for having copies of the Windows versions on their PCs. NOTE: This installation guide is only for the Windows / DOS versions of the game. There were many versions made for many other platforms, like SNES, Sega Saturn, PS1, Game Boy Advance, and more. Every single one of them requires their own specialized emulators to work on modern PCs. Now, if you’re still here, follow me. MS-DOS As I said before, the DOS version of SimCity 2000 is available on digital storefronts. I recommend going that route, as it's easier to set up, without the risk of legal trouble. EA: Buy SimCity 2000™ – PC – EA GOG: SimCity™ 2000 Special Edition on GOG.com While this version can be made to work on a Mac, many reviewers have rightfully pointed out that the DOS version is inferior to the Windows versions. People have said it felt clunkier to use, being stuck at a lower resolution and taking slower to launch than the Windows versions. Furthermore, this version is lacking in features found in the Windows versions, like the intro videos (Windows 95 exclusive) and an extra zoom level. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy this version. Just know what you're getting. Windows Ideally, the Windows 95 version is the one you should play. However, it is also harder to get working. This version of the game is the definitive version of SimCity 2000, with brand new intro videos that always play when starting up the game. The main problem is that this version of the game has a save bug that causes the game to crash upon pressing the “save” or “save as” buttons (this is also a problem with the Windows 95 version of SimCity Classic). First, download the game here (https://archive.org/details/SimCity_2000_Special_Edition_Maxis_Inc._1996). After extracting the .iso file, download InstallShield 3 Engine (http://toastytech.com/files/Is3Engine.zip). Go into the folder labelled “WIN95” and place the file “setup32.exe” into that folder (which should contain “SETUP.EXE”). Then, launch “setup32.exe” instead of SETUP.EXE. The setup should launch and go on without a hitch. If it doesn’t launch, restart your PC, then try again. To fix the save game bug, we are going to use sc2kfix (https://github.com/sc2kfix/sc2kfix/releases). Download the "winmm.dll" file, then move it to your game's directory (C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 2000 by default). To get the intro and Will TV videos working, go into the "DATA" folder at the root of the CD and copy its contents (NOT the folder itself, the files inside it with the extension ".SMK"). Then, go into your game's directory (C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 2000 by default) and make a new folder titled "Movies". Paste the .SMK files you copied from the DATA folder of the CD into that "Movies" folder. SimCity 2000 can be found on “SimCity.EXE” and the Urban Renewal Kit can be found on “WINSCURK.EXE”. Overall, installing SimCity 2000 requires a bit of work on your part. However, it’s well worth the effort, as what you get is a timeless classic that remains fun 30 years later.

Hey there! I’m Marble! I’ve been a fan of the SimCity series for about 1-2 months at this point. I tried out SimCity Classic, and its zen-like experience captivated me like no other. I wanted to see if I could learn the ropes of every SinCity game and make a city for each game. Unfortunately, SimCity 2000 and 3000 are getting the best of me, and I haven’t tried 4 yet I also just released a guide for how to get SimCity Classic working on Windows 10. Hope you like it!

SimCity Classic is a game that propelled Maxis to enormous success. However, it seems like EA has neglected this game, relegating it to the status of “abandonware”. Now, as many people before me have already talked about, the legalities of downloading abandonware are quite murky. The game is technically still protected under copyright. However, EA doesn’t see a dime from the game anyway, being that it isn’t sold anywhere, so they probably won’t hunt people down for having copies of SimCity Classic on their PCs. NOTE: This installation guide is only for the Windows / DOS versions of the game. There were many versions made for many other platforms, like Macintosh, Amiga, SNES, Unix, and more. Every single one of them requires their own specialized emulators to work on modern PCs. Now, if you’re still here, follow me. MS-DOS The DOS versions of SimCity are the easiest to get working on modern PCs. All you need are the files for them, as well as DOSBox, then you can launch the DOS executable (through DOSBox, of course!), and play the DOS version to your heart’s content. Your cities will even save to whatever subdirectory the game is in! SimCity v1 (1989): https://www.myabandonware.com/game/SimCity-ri Terrain Editor (1989): https://www.myabandonware.com/game/sim-city-terrain-editor-2is SimCity v2 (Classic, 1994): https://archive.org/details/msdos_SimCity_Classic_1994 (note that this version of SimCity Classic has a built-in Terrain Editor) Note that these versions can also be made to work on a Mac. Windows Ideally, the Windows versions are the ones you should play. However, they are also harder to get working. If you want the Windows 3.1 version, you’ll need a copy of the game, which can be found as part of the CD (https://www.mediafire.com/file/e1sk7fijxvf4cb9/SimCity_Classic_for_Windows_95.iso/file). However, to run it, you’ll either need an old PC, or you’ll need VirtualBox or WineVDM. To run the game in WineVDM, extract the .iso file, then simply open “otvdmw.exe” and run BOTH the setup file (found in the WIN31 folder) and the game file (C:\SIMCITYW\SCW.EXE) using WineVDM. You’ll need to run the game .exe directly from WineVDM EVERY TIME you want to play. There is music in the Windows 3.1 version. However, WineVDM doesn’t play it, even when the sound effects still play normally. This is because of one of those bugs that come with running the Windows 3.1 version in modern Windows. To enable music, go to “SCW.INI” in the game directory and set the boolean “Music” to “No”. Then, enable music in-game through the menu options. Do note that there is no Terrain Editor built specifically for Windows 3.1. The version of the Terrain Editor that comes with the Windows 3.1 version is actually the MS-DOS version, which can be run from Windows 3.1. If you find yourself wanting to use it for your cities made in the Windows 3.1 version, the MS-DOS version is your best bet. Now for the Windows 95 versions, and oh boy, this one’s a real doozy. You’ll wanna sit down for this one. This version of the game is the definitive version of SimCity Classic. The music is amazing, the graphics are improved, everything is improved. However, it’s also the hardest to get working. The main problem is that this version of the game has a save bug that causes the game to crash upon pressing the “save” or “save as” buttons (this is also a problem with the Windows 95 version of SimCity 2000). First, download the game here (https://archive.org/details/SimCityWindows95). Then, download InstallShield 3 Engine and place the file “setup32.exe” into the same folder containing “SETUP95.EXE”. Then, launch “setup32.exe” instead of SETUP95.exe. The SimCity setup should launch and go on without a hitch. If it doesn’t launch, restart your PC, then try again. Then, download this, and extract the files and place them inside the game directory (C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity Classic). SimCity Classic can be found in “CLASSIC.EXE” and the Terrain Editor can be found in “TERRAIN.EXE”. Do note that Windows continually has these drivers updated, which means that these files will not keep the Windows 95 version running stably forever. You’ll simply have to keep checking the GitHub repository for new updates to the dxwrapper plugin. Overall, installing SimCity Classic requires a bit of work on your part. However, it’s well worth the effort, as what you get is a timeless classic that remains fun 30 years later.