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CAM 2.1.0 Uploaded and ready

Started by InvisiChem, January 28, 2016, 02:06:53 PM

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CT14

#160
Quote from: InvisiChem on February 24, 2016, 06:49:58 AM
There is another problem with attempting to use SPAM farms. SPAM uses all industrial types in their farms. If you look at them in reader, the jobs are IR, ID, IM and IHT. Fields included. The exemplars removed to make them compatible also sum all the industrial types together.
...

The SPAM farms are very pretty though, so in order to properly use them, one would have to PIM-X the farm buildings and remove the ID, IM and IHT occupant groups and job types from farm fields.

I'm still reading through the whole thread, but if this hasn't been done yet, I might look at it. I do like me some SPAM.

I also want to mention that there are no problems running SC4DatPacker on Windows 7 if you install a few old DLLs in C:\\windows\system. That directory existed but was empty before adding GdiPlus.dll, MFC71.DLL and msvcp71.dll.

MFC71.DLL at least is one that comes from the old .NET, but you can just grab all of these from https://dll-files.com without installing .NET (scroll down page on that website for DLL download links). Thanks to the commenter on the 2.1 file thread who pointed this trick out. No need to "register" the DLLs or anything crazy, either.

(scroll down each of these pages for the download links)
https://www.dll-files.com/mfc71.dll.html
https://www.dll-files.com/gdiplus.dll.html
https://www.dll-files.com/mvcp71.dll.html

With these DLLs in place, the CAM 2.1 installer "just worked" on Win7.

APSMS

Efforts have been made to reconcile the SPAM with the CAM, but it appears that the gap between PEG and the BSC might be too great.

The PEG caretakers and InvisiChem were unable to find a way that would properly allow use of the SPAM and still maintain PEG's vision for the project. Additionally, I think there was an effort to incorporate some of the SPAM concepts into the CAM, but the jury is out on whether or not that's a feasible idea. Basically it requires a rethink of both, and we want to be careful not to step on the toes of PEGPROD, since Pegasus introduced the concepts so many years ago (things like water and powerless farms, reduced pollution, Industry type farming to satisfy job requirements).

If I understand it correctly more work needs to be done, but your best bet at the moment is to make something for yourself that incorporates both, with the caveat being that I have no idea how this would be done.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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Zeratai

I will give this a try, but will this work with Industrial Revolution Mod by T wrecks?
Making a clean plugins run, only CAM and NAM on plugins....

mgb204

Quote from: Zeratai on November 07, 2016, 02:21:45 PM
I will give this a try, but will this work with Industrial Revolution Mod by T wrecks?

Not by default. But a special CAM compatible version of IRM was released not too long ago which will.

Zeratai

So I decided to install the CAM, the installer failed to merge simcity.dat but I did it manually. I thought it installed correctly. What is bothering me, is that almost 430 sims are working on a single farm(?), and when I query the farm says it has 10/10 jobs... I realize every single farm tile gives jobs, but can it be more balanced? I think what I'm supposed to do is to build adyacent cities to balance demand? Or can it be done another way? I was trying to build a little farm town.

APSMS

So, what tells me that everything appears to be fine is that of your 950 or so Sims, about half (430) are working. CAM bugs display themselves via disproportionately large numbers of workers, closing to a 1:1 ratio of residents to workers, so having only half go to work is actually fine.

You have to consider that, like you said, farm fields provide jobs. If every tile provides 2 jobs (the std number, I think, which is essentially default from Maxis), then your farm right there (which has a rough est. dimension of 24 by 12 tiles) provides not quite 500 jobs. &idea

Most farms IRL can obviously be run with significantly less personnel most of the time, but MAXIS, in their wisdom of using farming as a starter job provider, figured that having giant swaths of farm fields empty (not employing workers) would not lend itself to much use for starting players, so they made it so that the farm fields all give between 1 and 3 jobs (I think 2 is the default max, but 3 would not surprise me), so that you get jobs out of really large farms, rather than having to zone for tons of little ones since the query only represents the main building on the farm.

SO, all things considered, it looks like you're doing OK.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

My Mayor Diary San Diego: A Reinterpretation

Zeratai

Thank you for the response :) I think I will need to accept that and generate a lot of demand to accomplish a lot of big farms.

What about I-D I-M and I-HT, I once used quadrupler by Toroca, but I read that it is inCAMpatible. Does CAM fix the jobs for each industry too?

gn_leugim

Reading the manual you ca read:

Quote• Standard – Just like CAM 1.0 stages, just the curves have been smoothed out and the range slightly extended.
• Rural – Stages are set for smaller, rural style growth. Stage 15 can happen, it just will be in very large regions and very infrequently.
• Midrise – Stages are set to place an emphasis on growing midrise stages. This is similar to the way European cities grow.
• Skyscraper – Stages have been set to allow Skyscrapers to grow quickly, even in one city regions.

Is there any place where we can see these stages thresholds, to better evaluate them and chose?

MarkShot

Win7 Pro SP1 64 bit (GOG version SC4DLX)

I am having this problem:

  File "datPacker.py", line 1, in ?
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 25, in ?
  File "win32ui.pyo", line 12, in ?
  File "win32ui.pyo", line 10, in __load

I there any solution to this other than the MAC around?  I prefer something more straight forward and I am not so eager to hack files.

Thanks.

matias93

Quote from: MarkShot on January 10, 2017, 08:19:06 PM
Win7 Pro SP1 64 bit (GOG version SC4DLX)

I am having this problem:

  File "datPacker.py", line 1, in ?
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 25, in ?
  File "win32ui.pyo", line 12, in ?
  File "win32ui.pyo", line 10, in __load

I there any solution to this other than the MAC around?  I prefer something more straight forward and I am not so eager to hack files.

Thanks.


I'm not completely sure of what's the procediment to install the CAM 2, but from the error report I guess this is another, related problem.


Have you used the DATpacker before? It could be that you lack some DLL library to use it, which is a very common and easy-to-fix problem.


In fact, this is what the readme says:

QuoteDependencies

In order to run SC4DatPacker, you'll need the following dlls installed on your system.

       
  • MSVCP71.DLL
  • MFC71.DLL
  • GDIPLUS.DLL
or you'll get things like
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "datPacker.py", line 1, in ?
File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 23, in ?
File "win32ui.pyo", line 12, in ?
File "win32ui.pyo", line 10, in __load
ImportError: DLL load failed: Le module spécifié est introuvable.


There are sites that distribute those DLLs freely on internet, and you should install them on the installation folder of DATpacker.

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but it is to meet the social needs of man and the development of the society"

— Valentín Letelier, 1895

MarkShot

Well, I am not sure what the automatic windows installer problems is but ...

On Page 2, I found the instructions how to do this manually from the MAC version.  Also, the Windows packer on this site is not complete, but one 7zipped into the windows installer is.  So, I used that for windows.

A lot of messing around, but I got it.

Thanks!

ChiefZDN

#171
Why I can't run the DATPacker that is included & ran automatically by installer in the Linux? Because, I want to finish my CAM installation. I was installed gdiplus (through the PlayOnLinux), mfc71, and msvcp71 (these 2 are installed manual through copying the files into the system32 folder). I used Ubuntu 14.04 (more specificly, elementary OS 0.3.2 "Freya", x64), 32-bit Wine, and SKU2 SimCity 4 Deluxe.

Problem resolved. Thanks for your information.  :thumbsup:

mgb204

The process of DAT Packing is something separate from the installer. It was included, to try and make life easier for users. But, I doubt a Windows installer is going to just work on Linux without a little extra effort.

As such, either you can get DatPacker running, then manually pack the appropriate files. Otherwise, perhaps using JDatPacker (a Java-based multi-platform alternative) would be better for you as a Linux user.

mgb204

I've spent a long time trying to assist a user over on ST with a problem installing CAM. I've never used it or been inclined to do so, but as part of the process, I decided to download the latest installer with a view to working out what's gone wrong.

I've noticed a number of people who can't get the DAT Packer to work as part of the installer. But the problem I've come across here is much worse than that.

The installer correctly installs the DAT Packer to AppData\Local\etc, but it simply doesn't run. It's obviously waiting for a command to say the app has finished, but since it doesn't run, that's not going to happen. My only solution is to force quite (End Process Tree) the installer in Task Manager. However, it doesn't install the a_CAM folder as part of the process. It does seemingly do everything else in preparation for DAT Packing the fix for SimCity_1.dat though. Leaving rather a mess behind in my computer, folders in three locations and presumably registry entries and temporary files it won't be cleaning up too.

The solution is to use 7zip and manually extract the a__CAM folder, but of course that's really just a work-around at best.

I'm using Windows 7 x64, Ultimate. UAC disabled, Full Admin rights and Windows fully updated. I also already have SC4 DAT Packer installed, if that makes a difference. Since I'm not the only one reporting the issue, I'd have to assume something is wrong somewhere with the installer. At the least, a cancel button would have been nice.

Anyhow, assuming you see this Invisichem (I'll PM you too), perhaps we can work together to try and resolve the problem?

InvisiChem

Still active and on it. Thank you so much for showing me this.

Work has taken me away, writing a Database for them right now, so I have not completed the new CAM. Still, I can probably just put something together with a partial update to fix these problems. No more DAT Packer at all.

I'm having trouble writing a MAC installer for the new files, which removes the need for DAT packer completely. MAC security is a pain lol. Perhaps just a windows installer will work for now, along with the NAM/CAM package update for MAC users.

Give me a short time to write the new instaler, I'll put up the partial update. DAT Packing just isn't working anymore. :(

Everyone has something to offer, most do not possess the courage to offer it.

vortext

Yeah somehow datpacker doesnt play nice with modern OS and I use JDatpacker instead, maybe that could work for CAM installer as well?
time flies like a bird
fruit flies like a banana

mgb204

In my case it's not an incompatibility that was behind the problem. I have and use DATPacker frequently without trouble. But the installer simply failed to launch it, but it did install the temp files. It's not a permissions issue either, since UAC is disabled and I have full Admin rights, plus the files are not in a protected OS folder.

As I understand however, you've another solution in mind, so I guess it's a moot point.

tommyc86

Hello,

I hear you (InvisiChem) are making a new or updated version of cam well good luck with that and I wouldn't mind an outline on what is planned with that.

Question 1 - After a year I want to change my install type do I have to restore original Simcity_1.dat before I do this.

Q2 - Is there a table somewhere with the updated stage ranges for all install types.

Q3 - What is the quickest way I can tell the difference in-game between Standard Install type and Midrise or your Extended version or any other if you want to.

Q4 - Is there any difference between cam 2.1.0 on STEX AND LEX I assume not.

Thanks

twalsh102

Q1.  The manual for CAM 2.1.0 (installed at \My Documents\SimCity 4\CAM Auxillery Files when you install CAM) specifically states in the first paragraph (labeled Important Note:...) of the Installation section that you must restore the original version of SimCity_1.dat.

Q2.  There is a table in the CAM manual, but InvisiChem states that it only relates to the Extended version, and other versions have different thresholds.  He also states that he will upload tables for the other versions to the CAM General Discussions forum as he develops them.  I wasn't able to find anything new there.  Since RL essentially caused InvisiChem to be absent from the forums from the end of July last year through mid-February this year, my guess is that he never got around to doing that.  There's a lot of work involved because these tables will be huge.  Ripplejet put together tables for CAM 1 back in 2008 that you can look at here (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=3578.0).  Now imagine redoing this with 4 more versions.  My next guess is that updating documentation is going to happen only after InvisiChem gets all the installation bugs taken care of.

If you have to see what the percentages are now, rather than waiting for documentation to get updates, there is a way to do so.  But it is neither pretty nor easily readable:
1.  Load the PlayStyle DAT file mentioned below into ILives Reader. The only exemplars included in the file are the Developer Exemplars for each Developer Type / Wealth Level.
2.  Use the Exemplar Analyzer to more easily find the particular Developer type you are interested in.
3.  Once you click on the particular Developer type/Wealth level in the left pane, the configuration properties will show in the right pane.  You are looking for the Stage xx vs. Size properties. 
4.  Remember that you are working with pairs of values, with all values separated only be a comma.  The first value in each pair is the population threshold for that particular Developer type/Wealth level; the second is the percentage of that type building at that particular population threshold.  Note that the values for percentages are not neatly rounded.  Also note that after Stage 1, the first 2 pairs of numbers are used to delineate where you jump from the previous Stage to the new Stage.  Also note that you can have multiple thresholds within each Stage.  There can be as many as 39 pairs for each Stage.  Double-click on the property for each stage to more easily view the values

Q3.  There is no way I am aware of to tell in-game which Install type is currently installed, since the only real differences are values in the Developer exemplars. You might be able to tell by prolonged, detailed study of what you experience in-game.  However, if you open \Plugins\a__CAM\a__Core, you will see 2 files:  CAM_2.1.0_Main_Controller.dat and CAM_2.1.0_PlayStyle_<xxxx>.dat with <xxxx> replaced by the Installation Type currently installed.

Q4.  While I haven't personally checked, it would be folly from a support standpoint to upload different installers for different locations.

tommyc86

Thanks.
Q1 I realise I only have the IR fix added to original DAT so I'm OK.
Q2 I didn't realise it was the extended table sorry and thanks for the rest I will try that.
Q3 never mind about that's a stupid question from me.
Q4  I only ask because it was uploaded and especially updated on stex after lex but    ok