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NAM 37 Now Available!

Started by Tarkus, July 02, 2020, 06:45:41 PM

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figui

thanks mgb204 and Tarkus for your answers :thumbsup:
i'll be looking forward for the diagonal 6S interfaces. in the meantime, i'll look for alternatives  :-\
first forums inhabitant from Uruguay..   first forums citizen from Uruguay..  first forums councilman from Uruguay..   first forums mayor from Uruguay..  first forums governor from Uruguay..
...i'm still the only one from Uruguay!

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lolo69ol01

Hello, I really like the nam but my game crash since i installed the nam 37. I need to delete the z_nam_controller_rhd, but when i want to use the nam piece, i don't have the piece, just a red cursor. Who can help me?

Tarkus

#22
Deleting the NAM Controller will remove all the code that makes all the NAM's network additions work, causing your red cursor.

As noted in NAM 37's "0-read-first-nam37.html" file (included in the download package itself), Windows users will need to apply the included 4GB Patch file (4gb_patch.exe) to their copy of the game, which will make it Large Address Aware (LAA).  Without the 4GB Patch, the game will crash.

Open this file, point it to the SimCity 4.exe file in the game's installation directory, and click "Open".  You should then get a window with an "Executable successfully patched!" message.  Click the "OK" button.  Your game is now successfully patched to be Large Address Aware, and you can run NAM 37 without issue.

For reference, these are the default locations of the SimCity 4.exe file in the available and compatible versions of the game:

GOG: C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps

Steam: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\Common\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps

Disc: C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps

(Origin: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps--note that copies purchased from the Origin Store are not supported, due to being unpatched and unpatchable.  Ask for a refund.  If your copy was obtained by redeeming a CD Key with Origin support, it is patched.  Check the version number on the executable if you remain unsure.  1.1.641 = fully patched, 1.1.610 = unpatched, unpatchable, and incompatible.)

While all NAM versions over the past 6+ years have incorporated a routine to apply the 4GB patch, do not assume you automatically have already applied it and are ready to use NAM 37 out of the gate.  If you've changed from disc to digital in the time since NAM 36 was released, or have swapped to a different digital edition, the edition you are now using will need patching.

Alternatively, see this video from NAM Team developer mgb204 on the installation process:
https://www.youtube.com/v/ROtulkSF2m4

-Alex

lolo69ol01

I use Windows 7 32 Bit just for Simcity.
My .exe is version 1.1.640 not 1.1.641. I made the GB patch but the problem is the same.

Tarkus

Quote from: lolo69ol01 on August 07, 2020, 07:18:34 AM
I use Windows 7 32 Bit just for Simcity.

That might be your problem.  32-bit Windows can only address 4GB RAM total (even if your system actually has more), and at that max, it likes to leave 2GB reserved for Windows itself, with the remaining for applications.  It can address more by using hard drive space for virtual memory page files, but it's possible the processes involved are simply exceeding 32-bit Windows' ability to cope.  There's also ways to up the space for applications to 3GB, but that requires boot.ini modifications and isn't always the most stable.  32-bit Windows is like a straight jacket for your computer, especially since CPUs supporting 64-bit Windows have been commonplace since well over a decade ago.  The fact that Windows 10 32-bit is actually a thing is . . . disturbing.

To be safe, I'd double check that the patch was indeed applied--if you're on a disc copy on 32-bit Windows, check the C:\Program Files\Origin Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps folder (that is the default install path), and see if there is a SimCity 4.exe.Backup file in there.  The 4GB Patch saves the pre-patch version of any .exe it touches in such a fashion.

You can shrink the size of the NAM Controller down to a size that might allow 32-bit Windows 7 to cope, by running the included Controller Compiler and deselecting some features. 

I'm guessing the reason you're using 32-bit Windows 7 is because your other OS/system is some flavor of Windows 10 (hopefully 64-bit!), which won't play nice with the disc copy.  There's a few other options available to you, which would allow you to run SC4 on a 64-bit OS with a full-blast NAM, and the other improvements that having the 4GB Patch provides for those using custom content. 

One would be to get in touch with Origin Customer Support.  They've long had a program to allow users to redeem their CD Keys and receive free digital copies--and strangely, unlike the infamous horror that is the unpatched/unpatchable version that users who buy the game off the Origin Store get, those doing CD Key redemption get a fully-patched Version 1.1.641 copy.  The other prospect would be to purchase a digital copy from GOG.com or Steam, which both sell Version 1.1.641.  Right now, the GOG version (which is DRM free, and also has all the command line prompts added to ensure compatibility with newer systems/OSes right out of the box) is on sale for US$4.99.  (Just make sure you go for the "Offline Backup Game Installer" rather than GOG Galaxy.)  Steam's storefront has it at full MSRP right now (US$19.99, absurd for a 17-year-old game), but someone on /r/simcity4 on Reddit recently posted a reputable third-party dealer, selling the Steam key for US$1.99.

It does appear we may have mark the newer iterations of the NAM as being "for 64-bit OSes, unless you're willing to manually run the Controller Compiler".  As far as what we do with 32-bit OS users, if there are enough out there, the prospect of a "NAM Lite" would be the most viable option.  Making old NAM versions available is completely out of the question for us, however, as version mismatch issues have proven to be nightmarishly annoying in the past--and we'd much rather spend our limited volunteer resources continuing making and sharing new content, rather than dealing again with ancient bugs we've long since fixed.

-Alex