What causes Prop Pox (and how to avoid it)

[Rayden]

Yes, I am avoiding saving me untill there is a cure for the Pox.  I have several very important props I don't want to lose.

You'd better then, remove Daeley's Save Alert Mod from your plugins, so you keep avoiding saving until a cure for the damn umbrella comes out. And don't go to the beach.

[snorrelli]

Finally got a chance to upload the files. Two cities:

http://www.fileden.com/getfile.php?file_path=http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/4/2/2389093/City%20-%20Ciocana.sc4

http://www.fileden.com/getfile.php?file_path=http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/4/2/2389093/City%20-%20Sarmizegetusa.sc4

Unfortunately, I seem to no longer have the pre-pox versions. I believe both of these are heavily poxed.

Also, Stephane, I can't for the life of me get your command line instructions for the plugins list to work. The command works up until >pluginslist.txt. Can you please clarify?

[wouanagaine]

Thanks for the files, I will study them

As for the instructions:
start->run->cmd.exe
this open a console window:
cd "My Documents\Simcity 4\Plugins" or whatever your plugins folder here
dir *.* /B /S >pluginslist.txt
this will create the listing in your plugins folder, then just attach that file to a post here
In case you have some plugins in the maxis folder, reiterate the same operation on that folder

[snorrelli]

Aha - got it. Brace yourselves (attached)...

[RippleJet]

You've listed what you've got under plugins_disabled...
Are all these the ones that are loaded with SUM when you're playing your game?

[snorrelli]

I understood we needed the non-compressed folder. Plugins is datpacked and plugins_disabled is where the loose ones are. I don't use start-up manager.

[RippleJet]

I understood we needed the non-compressed folder. Plugins is datpacked and plugins_disabled is where the loose ones are. I don't use start-up manager.

Okiedokie!

You do of course at least have this file...
PEGPROD\CDK3\OWW2\Beach\PEG-OWW2_BDK_RESOURCE.dat

[snorrelli]

True, but as has been established, the Pox (in my case most notably) existed before the BDK kit...

Note the dates in the properties of the savegame files. These are from spring 2007...

[Diggis]

OK, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon this thread here:

Adding Props to Resized lots

which struck me as interesting.  The trick outlined in that thread appeared to force the game to reload the props on a file from the lot files, not the prop subfile (where the Pox apparently lies).   

This got me thinking, if we can rebuild the sub file we might be able to remove the Pox.  After a few failed attempts which left my cities still poxed I have found a technique that at first checks appears to remove the Pox and restore props to poxed lots.

1. Back up the poxed city
2. obliterate the city (using the mayor mode tool with the dynamite that removes the city, but not the terrain)
3. open the backup in the reader and delete the prop subfile
4. open the obliterated copy in the reader and copy the prop subfile into the backup
5. restore the back up and open the game
6. set the city display level to minimum, save and exit
7. set the city display level to high and save and exit.

8. send the file to Tage for testing   

It would be very helpful if people with an affected city would be able to have a go at this and see if they can also restore their cities to a working state.

Edited by Barby to correct spelling errors

Edited by Callagrafx to correct even more spelling errors

[RippleJet]

8. send the file to Tage for testing   

The city is indeed prop pox free!

All those props that were deleted when you obliterated the city are still in the prop subfile, but all the info is zeroed out. Thus, when regenerating the prop subfile, when setting the City Details to low and back to high, the size of the prop subfile in this case increases from 16 MB to some 26 MB.

Edited by Barby to correct spelling errors

Time to obloterate the Kiwi...

[BruceAtkinson]

...Hey dudes! and Dudettes!......
    It's Bruce.....haven't posted for a long while, however have faithfully been playing and building up my regions.  Now, for the first time in months, I went back into Wesley, and lo! and behold...I still had the pox in that city, and only that city.  So, prior to updating myself with info from this thread, I decided to subject Wesley with disasters....so I let loose with tornados, lightning, and earthquakes.....wiping out 70,000 Sims....saved the city and the next day, went back in to see the damage and start to rebuild.  I know, very mean hearted of me...however I was frustrated!  Anyway, when I went back in and started to bulldoze the rubble and start to rebuild, I noticed something very odd....most of the lots that had missing props all of a sudden did not!....although a few did....so I replaced those and saved the city, and exited.  Now, the next day I went back in to Wesley, and absolutely everything was fine....no sign of the pox!  I couldn't believe it...I wanted to post my good fortune straight away, however thought better of it....so I played Wesley for two more days and the same thing, all was well...and anything I restored from the disasters stayed intact as well.  I figured, wow!.....and that was yesterday, when I decided to update myself with all the info from this thread. Some great research by the way!    Sadly, though, this evening when I went in to Wesley, the pox was starting to appear again....just in a small area, residential with a couple of park areas.  The bus stop is only half way there, and the tennis court is poxed as well...so it is coming back, but slowly this time, almost like it is creeping. 
I thought this odd and worth sharing with the group,, the odd thing being that after the disasters, the city appeared normal again, even if only for a short while...so there you go!
  Cheers
Bruce

[z]

Yes, this is known to happen.  It's not that hard to get the Prop Pox to go away... for a while.

Which reminds me... I should really fix up the Near West Side of Chicago according to Diggis' instructions and ship it off to RippleJet for checking.  The Sims living there will be so happy.

[Diggis]

Yeah, it's a funny one.  I can repeat it on the city, but if I repox the city at a later date I haven't been able too.  Bap can't get it to work on his so maybe there is a point you need to be at to do it.  It's possible I was doing it on a city that will get the Pox but doesn't have it yet and thats the reason.  I'm going to look into it more this weekend hopefully.

[JoeST]

So, what would happen, if you had a prop-pox-inducing item. and just before the prop pox starts, you delete the offender?

Joe

[Diggis]

You get the pox.   If it is in your plugins at anytime you have saved the city you will almost certainly get the Pox. 

[z]

I have found a technique that at first checks appears to remove the Pox and restore props to poxed lots.

It works!    It works!    All the props have been restored to the Near West Side of Chicago!    And that's a lot of props.  You have earned the undying gratitude of all the Sims living in the Near West Side, Shaun.    The subfile has almost doubled in size to almost 31 MB, though - does anyone know why that happened?  That might also explain why things seem to be moving a little slowly there.  Or maybe everyone's just dazed at having everything back.  In any case, the total file size of this city is now a little over 100 MB, which just happens to be the size limit for most of the free file services.  Does anyone know how to get a file that size to Tage?  Is it acceptable to use the DevEx temporarily in such a case?  If so, which section should I use?

[Diggis]

Zip it, it should shrink a fair amount.  Additionally, try playing for a while and checking that the Pox remains gone.  Thanks for testing BTW!

[z]

I've run the city for an additional fifteen years, and everything appears completely normal.  My testing included a thorough check of all the game's data graphs.  And after fifteen years, there's still no sign of the prop pox anywhere.

Once again, congratulations and thanks to all those who worked so hard to understand and fix this bug. 

(BTW, zipping the city file reduced its size by more than 80%!  Definitely the way to go.  )

[Diggis]

[SC4BOY]

...I have found a technique that at first checks appears to remove the Pox and restore props to poxed lots....

It works!    It works! 

Yippee!

Congrats Diggis on that flash of insight.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this turns out to be a permanent solution... I have a city very close to the 16G size and I'm fairly sure it has the precursors to the pox, so I'll be very happy to find that there is a confirmed solution..  Be a great end result of some clever work by several key people. Its such an ignominious end to be poxed after so many invested hours!

Once its confirmed, it would be sweet if you made this into a tutorial with a bit more expansion of your steps.. perhaps some pics, etc..

Pretty exciting!