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Dirt Roads

Started by huzman, April 20, 2018, 09:13:31 AM

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huzman

(This seems like the right place for my questions... If not, feel free to replace them.)

I've been looking for dirt roads that are compatible with the rest of the transport network. That is, cars and pedestrians can use them. My intention is to use them in very rural farms and small industrial areas.
I've found a couple of them but they are useless.

Thanks for the help.
Cordially
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
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Kitsune

You would want SAM (Street-Add On Mod) that has three dirt street options. It is a part of NAM.
~ NAM Team Member

huzman

@Kitsune: Thanks for your quick answer...
After a quick look-see, I'll have to dig deeper in the plugins folder.
Cordially
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

huzman

A few hours later plus lunch.

@Kisune: Again, thanks a bunch! 'You hit the head right on the nail'... (I also say 'I hit two stones with on bird')...  ::)

the SAM is what I was looking for.
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

huzman

OK, I have been fooling with those dirt roads for a couple days and they don't seem to work for me. No curves, no junction between east-west and north-south roads, no diagonals and the worst, no traffic.

I hope I'm talking about the right thing, this the SAM as suggested by Kitsune, right?
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

mgb204

SAM sets do support diagonals, but as they are based on the street network, you must use the zig-zag pattern to draw them just as you do with streets. Similarly if you have updated to NAM36, all SAM sets support the WRCs, but only the draggable ones, the patterns as the same as the Street network again (See NAM readme for complete details). As for the specific junction setup, not all street x road junctions are supported by SAM, most are though. For example make a 90 degree road bend, then drag two streets from it should make a valid intersection along the lines of what you're after. Lack of traffic is something wrong with your transit layout, since it works when sims want to use said SAM networks. But if there are faster routes (note street is slow), sims will not use SAM by preference.

brick_mortimer

For the SAM to work you need to place the 'SAM-piece' of your choice and than drag through it with the (normal) street tool.

From what you are saying it sounds a bit like you are plopping SAM-pieces to make your dirt road.
Apologies if I'm misunderstanding.

This video is a good tutorial on dragging curvy roads and streets.
The street part starts at about 6.30
Busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest
Me no coffee function without so good

Tarkus

Additionally, the NAM's Documentation overhaul for the NAM 36 release added a rather detailed new Feature Guide for the SAM.  See your My Documents\SimCity 4\NAM Auxiliary Files\Documentation\feature-guides\street-addon-mod folder.

-Alex

huzman

#8
brick_mortimer: yes  &ops, I was doing that, just plopping SAM-pieces to make a dirt road.
So, I plop one 'SAM-piece' and only one and then add the normal street, right?
And thanks for the video! That is way neat and MGB is a master.

Tarkus: I had forgotten about those auxiliary files...
So thanks for the reminder...
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

brick_mortimer

Yep, just plop the SAM 'start piece' and draw through it wit the street tool.
You can't cross the 'start piece' itself with another street/road etc., but once your SAM street is long enough you can safely delete the 'start piece' and the street will stay in the chosen SAM override.

The other way is to draw you street network with the normal street.
Then you add a SAM 'start piece' at te end and the street network will convert to the SAM override.
You may have to click a few times with the street tool if the conversion isn't complete.

Have fun!
Busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest
Me no coffee function without so good

huzman

brick_mortimer: I have spent most of my Sunday fooling with them dirt roads with most negative results.
I have followed both your tips as well as the 'Auxiliary files' as Tarkus suggestion, which are very similar.
As you can see, the results are a fat pointed zero. The different examples are from different tactics:
From left right, they are
1) Running the standard street from north so south.
2) Starting from the start piece, ran north and from the start piece ran south.
3) Change dirt road and repeated 2).
4) Tried to join the CdS with the street option
5) Tried the herringbone variation and realized that I could continue in the same vein with the same results.

Please note that I have TWO starting buttons in the Roads tab.
Here is the pix:
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

mgb204

Looks like you are missing the RUL code needed for SAM overrides to work, but you have the starters. That's an installer problem, something has gone wrong, usually this is when the option to "Decouple NAM networks" is selected. You should therefore re-run the NAM installer, choose a custom install and ensure this option is unticked. Not forgetting to ensure all SAM networks are selected, in addition to ticking the "Run Cleanitol and the Station Updater" box. This combination will clear any potentially conflicting files from previous installs, make sure the SAM RUL is installed and should fix everything for you.

huzman

mgb204: You did it again dude! Followed your instructions precisely and all 10 or11 SAM dirty streets are now working just fine.
Not sure what "SAM RUL" means, tho.

Anyway, thanks a hell of a lot.

Cordially
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

brick_mortimer

Glad you got your SAM streets working!

Quote from: huzman on April 30, 2018, 04:15:19 AM
...Not sure what "SAM RUL" means, tho...
It's part of the magic formula that makes the NAM work known only to the "Masters" so that we, humble players, have a better game $%Grinno$%
Busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest
Me no coffee function without so good

huzman

hi!
As you can see, I have been tinkering with the Dirt Roads for the last few days.
I learned a lot from Siemanthepieman's MD and of course, brick_mortimer's tips have been very helpful, mgb204 and others have been very kind with their time, thanks all.

Now, about Siemanthepieman's MD:
The large amount of snapshots they all show the dirt rail street. No regular streets, roads, etc.

I'm working a small region (4 tiles) to test those Dirt Roads, rail and avenues intercity, diagonal houses and such. So I started laying the transportation network, zoning in RCI and farms, and placing schools, hospitals, fire houses, and all that infrastructure.

And ran into a frustrating problem. When I try to connect a dirt road to a street or road, the dirt road invades way beyond my wishes. the 2 pictures show it better than I can write.


Excuse my verbose and thanks for your tips
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

Tarkus

Your images seem to be corrupt for some reason, but in any case, from your description, I can figure out what you're describing.

SAM overrides are pervasive, and it is not possible to intersect a given SAM Street, i.e. SAM 3, with the base Maxis Streets or with other SAM Streets, or transition between them directly.  In the case of Maxis Streets, any stretch of Maxis Street that touches a SAM Street will convert.  In the case of multiple SAM Streets, they will clash with one another, alternating which one has the upper-hand based upon where one clicks.

The SAM was created during a timeframe (2007) when the prospect of two override networks intersecting one another was thought to be an extremely tall task, and due to the cosmetic nature of the plugin, and the incredible amount of code that would be required (the base SAM is somewhere around 240,000 lines of RUL2 code), there never have been any serious plans to allow such crosslinks (which would probably require a few hundred thousand more lines of RUL2 code in and of themselves).

-Alex

huzman

Tarkus: thanks for your quick answer.
From what I understand, I gather that one cannot join a Maxis street with a dirt road, or vice-versa without corruption. Bummer.
A few hundred lines of code? WOW!
Guess that puts my project in the garbage bin.  :'(
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley

siemanthepieman

It is only sometimes impossible to get your SAM streets to stop where you want them to (or perhaps it is more accurate to say it is sometimes possible to get them to stop where you want them to). A few tricks I use:

1. There is a set of 'SAM Stoppers' out there somewhere - just google 'sc4 sam stopper' and you should be able to find them pretty easily.
2. SAM can only override street. If you run the SAM into road (even just a very short/1 tile piece) the SAM will stop.
3. The SAM will only pervade so far without another click. If you layout your streets without a SAM override to start with and then apply the override from far enough away from the the intersection/part of the street you want to keep in its Maxis state you can sometimes get the SAM to stop just where you want it. Just be prepared for lots of trial and error and, once you've got it how you want it - don't touch it!

brick_mortimer

Like @siemanthepieman says, you can "block" a SAM street by putting a road in between.

One of the best ways to do this without looking artificial is by placing a roundabout.
And you, being French, will have a lot of experience with roundabouts. In other words, ideal if you're making a French inspired city :P
Busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest
Me no coffee function without so good

huzman

#19
You guys are wonderful!
Followed siemanthepieman's tip, downloaded someone's "Sam Stoppers" (credit to the owner, which I'll put here) and tried them. After a quick test here are the results:

1- is a stopper plopped upside down
2- this a diagonal street running into a road which is the first turn lane I've seen. Neat.
3- here, on the farm side is a dirt gravel road and on residential side with a dirt gravel road with no stoppers.

"You know something? I'm happy."

Question: How to post a picture into the post instead of a download file?
« Essayez d'apprendre quelque chose sur tout et tout sur quelque chose. »
             « Try to learn something about everything and everything about something »
                          « Trata de aprender algo sobre todo y todo sobre algo »
                                                                                                    — Thomas Henry Huxley