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NAM 35 fault

Started by clemo3802, August 16, 2017, 12:03:46 PM

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clemo3802

hi all.

new to this add on - only just found out you could up date Sim city!! , just downloaded NAM 35, now all my RCI wont connect to roads - all zones say have no access to roads even though they are slap bang on a road/street etc.

Where's the Fries? (next time we'll wash your mouth out with soap)?! any help appreciated!

Tarkus

First off, welcome to SC4D and the world of custom content!  (Also, as you may have noticed, that common internet acronym you chose to use here is not permitted on site, and is auto-censored).

First off, the simulator usually takes a little bit of time to update--usually on the order of about 3 months of in-game time.  If the access issue is lasting much longer than that, however, it would point to a different issue.

Did you by chance mess with the Traffic Driving Side option when installing it?  The NAM doesn't actually change drive side, so those options simply change whether or not the support files for whatever drive side your game runs (the installer checks the game's registry entries to determine that).  The result of having the wrong drive side support files can actually mean that Rail crossings have no pathing whatsoever, causing them to completely block traffic. 

Hope that helps!

-Alex

APSMS

Quote from: Tarkus on August 16, 2017, 01:09:01 PM
(Also, as you may have noticed, that common internet acronym you chose to use here is not permitted on site, and is auto-censored).
I had no idea our forum software did that! That's pretty cool!
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

My Mayor Diary San Diego: A Reinterpretation

clemo3802

hi,

yep - deffo where's the fries! apologies.

also there seems to be a few bugs, have I downloaded NAM 35 incorrectly? for example HSR I lay the HSR track then put the multi station over it but the track then disconnects.

any ideas?

mgb204

This isn't a bug, so much as game-behaviour. Similar to the Maxis El-Rail and Monorail stations, the lots need flat land to place correctly. If this isn't the case, it may be the networks disconnect because the game isn't able to auto-terraform everything to fit. It should be as simple as reconnecting up the networks to resolve however.

clemo3802

thanks Alex,

much appreciated,

next question - where and what is the latest Sim City 4 update/Mod?

i've seen loads of pictures with all different buildings/landscapes/trees etc. I want a go..... :thumbsup:

mgb204

That question is simply a can of worms, there isn't one mod as such.

If you look at the exchanges, there are thousands of different buildings and mods you can choose from. But for the most part, they are not bundled into packs, you need to download/install them all separately. Not to mention the need for dependencies. Best advice I can give it take a look around the LEX and STEX exchanges and try some of them out, but take it slowly. It's all too easy to chuck lots of content together and end up with problems. But a good collection of content built up slowly and methodically will be much better in the long run.

clemo3802

awesome thank you.

im a complete novice with modding etc, what are and how does BATS LOTS and dependencies etc work? a brief explanation would be great before i start downloading the world

again many thanks

mgb204

A lot is simply an item you can place in game, whether grown or plopped, it's lots that will appear.

BAT is a general term for models, things like buildings, trees and misc props, each one needs to have been made as a model at some point. As such lots can use just the content that Maxis supplied with the game or custom models made by Batters. In the later case, you may need dependencies, which are third party packs containing the models or textures you see upon such lots. So someone might make a really nice set of trees, rather than every modder having to make their own, they "link" to the packs of another creator. These files are necessary to have installed, otherwise the lots will have missing props or brown boxes. These files should be clearly noted with either the download or in the supplied readme.

Once you've downloaded some custom content, you need to place it into the Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins folder, that way the game will load it when it starts. You can have as many subfolders are you desire within the Plugins folder for organising content. Many files come in .zip format, just extract the contents and place them into the Plugins folder somewhere. Some come with installers designed to handle this process for you.

Ploppable items will add new icons in one of the menus where you can select and place the item in game. Growable items are added to the pool of things that can grow if the conditions are right. Dependencies or prop/texture packs are simply there to be used with other content, you can't use them directly in game for the most part.

There are also many mods out there, which do a whole range of things that alter how the game works or looks. Additionally there is a category of mods known as MMPs, or Mayor Mode Ploppables, this allows for props to be freely placed anywhere in-game, much like the trees included by Maxis. Only it extends to all types of things from cars, people, paths, trees, flora, even water sources.

In every case, be sure to check out any documentation provided with such mods, for any explicit instructions needed for successful use. Note also that some mods, because the need to override other content, have specific load-order requirements.

If you are starting out, I'd recommend looking at some mods that will transform the way your cities look:


  • Terrain Mod
    This will alter the way the terrain looks, but can make a dramatic difference, with all sorts of choices from dessert-like areas to luscious green grasslands.
  • Rock Mod
    Similar to a terrain mod, this will transform the look of rocky areas.
  • Beach Mod
    This will alter the looks of sandy beach areas.
  • Water Mod
    Use of a water mod will alter the sea and rivers in-game.
  • Tree Controller
    A tree controller will change the trees used by the God Mode Flora brush. Again there are plenty of options from which to choose between to customise your region.

For each of these mod types, I've linked to pages where you can see all the available choices listed. This makes it much easier to get a feel for how each mod looks. But armed with these 5 different mods, you can make a huge difference by mixing and matching the various options together to get your ideal setup. As such I feel that's a great place to start customising your game. There are a few things you need to bear in mind however. You can only have one of each type of mod installed at any one time. For tree controllers, it's important to remember these can't be easily changed once installed. If trees planted with the controller are in saved cities, you will not be able to open them with a different tree controller installed. As such, it's pretty important to make sure you are happy with your choice before using it freely.