SC4 Devotion Forum Archives

Sim City 4 Devotion Tools => Tools - General Discussion => Topic started by: cogeo on April 23, 2016, 05:51:18 AM

Title: SC4 Plugin Manager on Windows 7/10
Post by: cogeo on April 23, 2016, 05:51:18 AM
Hi all,

Has anyone been able to successfully operate the good ole SC4 Plugin Manager under Windows 10? Doesn't work. Also checked it on my old PC (Win7) and I can't run it there either.

More specifically:
- All entries in the "General" and "Files" tabs are empty, and are not editable either (double-clicking does nothing).
- Pressing F5 (Refresh) causes a "Error loading Properties XML file" to be displayed.
- No help file.
- No Ingred or Application.ini file
- Dragging a model onto the "Descriptors" sign does nothing (just shows a dialog with all properties left empty) - it doesn't display the Prop or Buildings leafs either.

The download on this site contains just the executable, not an installer. The help file is missing, and the Ingred and .ini are not present and not created by the Program either.

Can anyone help me please? The ideal solution would be to find the "original" (unicode) installer, (containing everything).
Otherwise, I could setup the App myself, installing the missing files as needed. Of course, this is an old program, that attempts to write data under the Program Files folders (which is not allowed in Windows 7 and later), but this can be worked around by creating a mirrored folder structure under C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files. I basically need the .INI, the Ingred (?), the Help and the SC4Exemplar.xml files.
Most probably these can be found in an XP installation only.

Anyone please?

Thank you in advance
Title: Re: SC4 Plugin Manager on Windows 7/10
Post by: NCGAIO on April 23, 2016, 06:42:57 AM

Good to know still active


Always available for old files - - SC4_Plugin Manager (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3VTMmYUkHQNdk5WOFBMV3ZBSUk)




NC.
Title: Re: SC4 Plugin Manager on Windows 7/10
Post by: cogeo on April 23, 2016, 07:04:52 AM
Nice to see you around too NCGAIO!

Many-many thanks for your files!  :thumbsup:
I installed them and this has restored most of the program's functionality. The Descriptors are now shown, and dragging a model file on a descriptor item indeed generates a new bldg/prop exemplar. And F5 (Refresh) no longer causes an error! At least the basics work.

Now I'm only missing the Help file(s), and the Application.INI - its entry in the Files tab is empty, and these entries are still not editable. If anyone can find them, PLEASE POST.

All the Best!
Title: Re: SC4 Plugin Manager on Windows 7/10
Post by: NCGAIO on April 23, 2016, 11:59:48 AM

Sorry friend ... I did not notice the lack of the cited files.


Already updated.
note: Help is a old .chm file.


Just out of curiosity &Thk/(  ...  intent to something new in your look to Plugin mananger ?
Title: Re: SC4 Plugin Manager on Windows 7/10
Post by: cogeo on April 23, 2016, 01:43:18 PM
Maaaaaaaany thanks again!

Installed the additional files, and now the help system works. The entries in the Files tab (in the Setting dialog) are still not editable - but maybe they wouldn't be anyway. Only little prob left, is that the Recent File list contains no files, even if I do some work on a file, but of course this is indeed unimportant. Also looked into the SC4PluginMan.ini, and it consists of just one single line, containing the value c:\. This is not a correct .INI file format, but again we don't know whether the program read/writes a correct file anyway. So I now have a correct, or almost correct installation (the problem with the Recent File list may just be related to the fact that under the new Windows, applications are not allowed to write under Program Files) - and yet, the "problem" is minor, negligible I would say. Maybe if we can find a "correct" (?) SC4PluginMan.ini file we could then fix this last little thingy too.

My point is that the file in the Downloads section contains just the executable, intended as a fix (in-place replacement of the original), that is it's not a full installation, so it won't work as is. It we be good to find the original full installer and upload it on the site as well.

As for you question, I want the Plugin Manager to make some few little lots (vester's small powerplants), but I don't know whether they're gonna be worth to upload them. But I will upload the a small set Lots named "Growth Catalysts", not anything great, just some small "parks/landmarks" with extreme local desirability effects, designed to utilize the so called "Transient Aura Effect" so that you can grow what you want where you want. They are so ugly that the player will not want to keep them, just use them to grow the lots he/she wants and then bulldoze them  :P