Articles

Creating Functional Landmarks

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:22:00 +0000

Creating functional landmarks

This is my basic guide that shows you how to add jobs to a landmark. It will be far from perfect, as I’m doing it from memory. It’s a common question in the Chat room, so im making one that should be easy to follow.

This tutorial requires: Ilives Reader (http://www.simtropol...e-reader-0-9-3/)

It is possible without creating your own model, as long as you have the .SC4model file. Don’t know if it works if that is compressed in a Dat, I’ll try it later.

Right then, to business. I’m going to use
http://www.simtropol...
Because I like the BAT, and it looks right for a CS$ which is what I’m going to make. (Obviously that’s not all you can do, but I need one and this is a good excuse.)

It’s normally an Resi building, but Plop able Resi’s are a bit buggy, so don’t attempt it.

First find the model and stick it, and only it, in your plugins. This makes the Lot editor and such open quicker, and it is easier to remove mess after if you want.
Landmark
Quick hint, add LM and GR to the exemplar names. Makes them easy to distinguish later.

The landmark one doesn’t need too many changes from default, Budget cost will be removed later anyway. Change the item name and description if you want a different name in the menu. The only Real area that needs editing for this is the wealth section. MAKE SURE ITS THE SAME AS THE WEALTH YOU ARE GOING TO USE. I set mine to low after this, as I was doing CS$, but for CO$$$ it should be high. This isn’t needed for everything, but I’ve had crashes on some of the ones I didn’t do this to. Best be safe.

Growable

The only things that need Changing drastically are the in game features. Capacity satisfied is normally MILES higher than a city can provide, so lower that. (If you’re using more than $ the higher values when you click it are the lower wealth.) Don’t worry about the hex code on the left when you click there, ill deal with it later. You’re also going to want to change the Pollution and consumption figures; as if you look there they are incredibly high before changing them. That’s really it; you can change other stuff if you want. None of this is really necessary, but if you want it to have any useful purpose then do it.

Lotting

Make your landmark Lot, no need for a growable. Just get this done, not really major, but it needs to be done before the modding itself as Lot Editor can strip away the modding you do, leaving the files useless. It may not happen at all, I’ve only had it happen once, but it is a possibility. This is where using an empty plugins folder comes in useful, as if, like me, you have 5 GB of plugins it takes a while to load LE.

Now we get onto the hard bit...

Modding

This is the tricky bit. Open the Lot file in reader. Go to filters and select only the exemplar box. Click refresh underneath the boxes.

Once you’ve done that you should get 2 exemplars. For the minute we want the one that looks like this.

Remove these ones.

These are what ties it to the landmark and interfere. So remove them. A few require editing, but I’ll get onto that later. As ever, you can remove more, and edit more, but that picture there shows the ones that really need to be removed. (Just right click delete property.)

Now open the Growable. (If you close remember to save, reader wont prompt you.) You need to copy these properties from that exemplar over into the landmark Lots exemplar you just edited. (Right click copy and paste or CTRL+C CTRL+ V) (EDIT also select growth. Dont know why, but I forgot it in this pic)

Now we need to do some cleaning up. This is what the landmark exemplar looks like now. (Or should.)

To start with we need to clean up occupant groups. Double click on it.
Delete the bottom two, and then go to the Growable exemplar.

When you do, you should be able to see quite a few there. We want the second one down. Copy that over, by copying its hex code from the bottom into the other one, separated by a comma, the others aren’t needed as the ploppable shouldn’t grow, and we don’t want the game to think it should.

You should get this once you press the apply next to the text box in the bottom. Press the apply next to cancel to continue and save.

The next tricky bit.

This bit is a bit of trial and error unfortunately, ive not managed to work all of it out. The other exemplar within the Lot has some properties, which also require editing. These are the 3 in question.

Zone types is an easy edit. Simply double click, and add the code 0x0F into the box.
Wealth types is also simple. Add 0x01 for low wealth, 0x02 for medium and 0x03 for high wealth.
Purpose types is harder, they are all different. I’m going to look into various files to find them, but
for now this is what I’ve found out.

CS$ 0x02
CS$$ 0x02
CS$$$ 0x02
CO$$ 0x03
CO$$$ 0x03
I-D
I-M
I-HT 0x08

Just for reference, R is 0x01. (Again, dont make a ploppable resi. Not worth it.)

So just as an example, if you’re confused, mine now looks like this.

Remember I said you don’t want to confuse the game and make it grow this Lot? Well just to be sure make the “Growth stage” one 0xff. This sets the Stage to 255, which even the CAM can’t manage.

(No pics, im sure you get how to do it by now.)

This Lot is now testable in game, well done.

As always, don’t worry about asking me for help, I’m normally found in Chat and if you can’t find me there PM me.

Timmystwin.

Ill look at this if its put in the omnibus and correct it if theres anything to do, but this is a good enough one to follow.

How to Use Demand Mods Wisely

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:14:35 +0000

A work and investigation by myself

A number of people pass though the HD (help desk) door and ask about links to demand mods and stuff related to demand mods. But what do they actually do? How do you use something like a ID boost to fix up a city? These questions shall be answered in this mini-tutorial.

1. What is a Demand mod?

A demand mod is a mod designed to "explode" the demand on a particular demand. For example, a demand mod for residential $$ will explode that particular demand to 6000, the in-game's maximum demand cap, and thus, you will have highrises in no time.

2. Where can I find such mod?

There are several:

http://www.simtropol...
By gamzdude, works on CAM, no manual file plugin.

http://www.simtropol...
By RadicalOne, unknown if it works on CAM, manual file plugin use.

http://www.simtropol...
By Un1, no demand mod, increases the demand cap to 12000 and 8000

That is it. ( though I have seen several I have not found, if found, please PM me)

3. Useage and warinings

The demand mods are powerful, sometimes too powerful, they can turn cheap saloon towns into metropolis in a few game years, or turn a desert into habitable heaven. However, if your intention is to "have it real" you should not use it alot.

The way to use a demand mod if you want it that way is to open a city, build your city up to a point, then when the city is still a bit new ( when you don't have so many highrises) you remove the demand mod and leave it alone (though you still mantain it). The city should stay with the same numbers for a while and then plumment because of growing buildings. When that happens you should either choose to fix the demand by adding "demand boosts" or in other words parks and attempt to play the game as it should be.

A word of warning, sometimes the mod grows residential $$$ and then go bust because of lack of CO$$$. This happens because of logic. Ever thought of RL? Well it works this way, $ and $$ are mostly the larger population that work in a city and usually $$$ are a few (though some 20 sometimes go into a building). Well, what happens if you got more of that? you get no jobs sots!/9.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> and thus you get problems.

One way to fix this is to remove the demand mod for residential $$$, that way, you can avoid more problems in a city. If you need those $$$, they will grow alone by the $ and $$ demand and the CO$$$ mods.

If you can't still figure it out PM me or go to HD in chat and call for me /9.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':D' /> that way I can help you, any other questions should go to my PM box.

As always,
LC

Basic Lotting Tutorial

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:36:48 +0000

Basic Lotting

For those who want a good CJ, you might as well take up on custom content creation. For example, you're building a Middle Eastern city and want a filler for the empty spaces such that it fits the environment. Before we start making growable lots, lets start something smaller.
=======================================
Disclaimer: This tutorial assumes that you know some of the basics of the lot editor including rotating objects and textures.
=======================================
First, I used the grass green lot provided by maxis.

Let's change up the base texture, I don't want a grass lot in my Middle Eastern cities especially if its somewhat far from a water source. I'm going to make this a concrete texture by going to the Base Texture tab and click Add Item. From there, pick a concrete texture. Remember this, use a base texture so that it fits with the surrounding environment such as other building's / lot's base textures.

I want a dirt path, but you might be wondering how if I just selected a texture. The answer to that is going to the Overlay Texture tab. Then, you need to look through the menu for a dirt texture. Don't worry, this won't delete the base texture as this type overlaps the base texture.

See? No harm done to the base texture. But I want to add more than just that, maybe a prop (object) or two?

A prop is basically your objects where things like cars, streetlights, and other things that can be placed on the lot. In order to place a prop, you go to the Prop tab and click Add Item. Although the pop-up menu has no object viewer like the textures. You can go through each prop and select them to see what they look like. Besides that, there's a type-in box above the menu. From there, you can type an object you want such as a car. Remember, the results will be highlighted and you can press the Enter key to see more results. Pick a prop, any one. Don't worry, if you don't like it, you can always delete it by pressing the Delete key while selecting that prop. Alright, I picked my car (junker) and now able to place it on the lot.

Like so, after I selected my desired prop such as this junker.

I don't want to end there, I want this to be gritty as possible. If you downloaded a couple of prop packs, your prop menu will be much larger than the original Maxis' one. If you play around with the props, you are able to make something like this.

Complex? Nope, I just added a few props such as Shanties (by onlyplace4), Maxis garbage and a few street lights and that's it! Don't worry, you can overlap props and even make them out of bounds if a prop allows it.

I'm done my lot and ready to save this, (and edit for the future). Click Save As and name it whatever you want. I'm going to call it Slum_1.

Congratulations! You completed your good looking lot and ready to plop wisely in your cities. Look how much gritter it looks with some lotting.

Hope this helped you out!

Notes:

If you want to get more serious with your lotting, I recommend using the SC4 Plugin Manager and make buildings suited to your liking. You can use this tool to even create growable custom lots by using a building. I haven't covered this because I just want to get the basics down before I can move onto more advanced things.

For the Eager, Yet Overwhelmed Newcomer

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:16:00 +0000

New to SimCity, Simtropolis, or been out of touch for a few years? Wondering what the heck a NAM or a BAT is? And just what the heck is up with those brown boxes?! This article will take you through the basics of registering your game, whether from a hard copy of the disc or from Steam, the essentials of Simtropolis, and a jumpstart into the world of Custom Content, to bring your game to a level beyond what you could imagine is possible.

I would like to thank A Nonny Moose for his contributions and influences on the creation of this article.

Rush Hours, Deluxe Editions, SimCity Boxes, Oh my!
Before starting on registration information, we should make a clarification on just what the differences in these versions are. The short answer is nothing. When Maxis released Rush Hour, the expansion pack to the original SimCity 4 game, they released two versions: one simply the expansion (SimCity 4: Rush Hour); the other, a version that included both the original game and the expansion pack (SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition). It makes absolutely no difference to the game whether you own the Deluxe Edition, or Rush Hour.
Now, just what is the SimCity Box? After the release of SimCity Societies in 2008, EA released this version which contains SimCity 4, SimCity 4: Rush Hour, SimCity Societies, SimCity Societies: Destinations, and The Sims Carnival: SnapCity. The story here is the same with Rush Hour and the Deluxe Edition: it makes absolutely no difference.

In the event that you happen to be a long time player who does not own Rush Hour or the Deluxe Edition, it should be noted that the expansion pack is required to make use of 99% of the custom content available on this site. I will explain that further later on.

Registering and Updating the Game
Before playing, you need to register your game on the EA site and pick up the two (2) necessary EA-released patches to your game for it to work correctly. Here is the site you need. After you have registered you will be able to see the updates you need in the right hand frame of the home page. In recent months, we have noted some errors in the registration system of the official SimCity 4 site. So as not to leave these players hanging, some mirrors have been set up containing the assorted official updates.

For the standard, PC version updates, check out here:
SC4Devotion

Own the Mac edition and can't open .exe's? Check out this thread:
Get your Maxis files here!

Bought your copy off Steam?
Steam comes pre-patched! Yay!

You should apply the two updates to the game in this order: EP1 to fix bugs, and the BATupdate to allow nightlights.
When you are finished, you should check to see that the version number of the .exe file for the game in Program files/Maxis/Apps has been updated to 1,1,640,0. This is proof that your updates worked.

Optional Upgrades and Tools
You may notice, both on the Maxis site, and on the mirror sites, a number of other downloads available. Among these are new landmarks, new rewards, the Lot Editor, and Building Architect Tool (BAT). These are all optional, and are not necessary for the games function or the addition of but do add content, and functionality.

So, just what do these BAT and Lot Editor things do?
The Lot Editor allows you to construct new lots, using the buildings, textures, and assorted prop pieces included within the game. The Building Architect Tool (BAT) allows you to construct new 3D models, and is what is used to create new buildings, trees, seawalls, spaceships, and everything inbetween. Using the Lot Editor and the BAT in tandem, the world is yours to create.
It should be noted that both these tools have a sizeable learning curve. We do have a number of tutorials here to get you started, the most notable of these being the BAT Essentials Tutorial on the Omnibus.

Unleashing the Game
At this point, your game is ready to go! The appropriate patches are in place, and the game is as optimized as Maxis and EA could make it. So where to now?

Many players are happy to play the game without any custom content, relying simply on what Maxis has provided. It is indeed very possible to create beautiful cities using only what content Maxis provided. But, many would also point out that the game can be so much more. In the 8 years since the release of the game, the amount of custom content available brings the game to an entirely new level. Players can recreate their hometowns with stunning accuracy, watching roads twist and curve, with even the correct corner market in place. Players can build in the desert, in futuristic settings, or on Mars. The custom content community has taken a finite game and given it infinite possibilities. And the question I'm sure you're asking by this point is, where do I begin?

There are a number of exchanges available for you to browse. Here on Simtropolis, the STEX is perhaps the largest, and one of the oldest exchanges devoted to SimCity 4. The other primary English exchanges are SC4Devotion and SimPeg. You could say that SC4Devotiion is the high-tech site, and that Pegasus is the theme site, and you wouldn't be far wrong. These sites both require free registration in order to download, as Simtropolis does. The SimCity community expands far beyond English speakers, however - other communities include German and Japanese sites.

You may have noticed when downloading the patches that the official SimCity site also has an exchange. We do not recommend the use of that site. As EA dropped all support some time ago for SimCity, the exchange was allowed to run rampant. Many files contain viruses, and other such things that your computer may not enjoy.

Growable? Ploppable? What?
As you browse the exchanges, you'll notice these phrases on assorted files throughout. The answer to this could not be simpler. A growable lot means that it will grow on its own with the appropriate zoning, as if it were any building created by Maxis. Ploppable lots allow you to plop the building as if it were a landmark. Some ploppables retain their commercial/industrial nature and provide jobs as though they were grown.
It should be noted that at early points in the exchange, you may run across residential ploppables. These do not work, and will abandon some time after plopping.

So, I've Downloaded Some Stuff. Now what?
Installation of downloads really is simple. This article by our fearless Dirktator outlines the process of installation. Some downloads now come with .exe installers, which simplifies the process even more - the installer does all the work for you.

The next question you may have is where the heck do I find my ploppable items in the game? Some items will be pretty intuitive as to where they are located - Educational facilities are located in the Schools menu, policing facilities in the Police menu, etc. But what about that great skyscraper advertised as a ploppable? Those will generally be located in the Landmarks menu. Nearly everything else (parks, churches, etc.) will be located in either Parks or Rewards. And if you just can't find it anywhere, consult the ReadMe that should have been included with the download. It should state where it is located in the menu system in game.

Brown Boxes, Everywhere!

Uh oh! This may look tragic, but it doesn't mean your game is wrecked. You just missed downloading some dependencies. Wait, what? Dependewho?

Dependencies are separate files that a lot uses to complete itself. If Download A cannot find the appropriate dependency, it reverts to the lovely boxes you can see in the picture above. It may not look like it, but each lot is actually filled with bits and pieces of other files to make the bigger picture. The trees, the benches, the garbage cans, the swimming pools you see on assorted lots are all individual pieces, that come together to create a house, a park, or a shopping complex.
All downloads on the SimTropolis EXchange are required to list all dependencies needed to work properly. If you've looked everywhere and just can't find that dependency, or if the dependency package is locked, please make a post here, and one of our friendly members will help you out.

You may have further questions in regards to dependencies. As with installation, I would like to refer you to another article that goes into much further detail. The Dependency Debate by north_country_dude goes into great detail about the pros and cons of dependencies, and answers a few of the common questions you may have about them.

So what should I download?
Building tastes vary from person to person. Personally, I prefer the drab, 1970's concrete buildings, while many prefer the sleek, glass modern skyscrapers. Because of this, I'm not going to recommend any particular buildings - but I can recommend some mods that are considered the best and the greatest.

* Network Addon Modd, or the NAM. This mod was first conceived with the discovery of an unfinished road network Maxis left in the game. The talented modding community has taken this and turned it into entirely new road networks, gave us roundabouts, and allows us to create true metropolitan cities with roads to match. This can be found here on the STEX, or at SC4Devotion.
If you're interested, here is the "official" NAM thread with links to the different parts used with NAM and some FAQ's. If any issues come up while using NAM, there is a support thread here. Various NAM Team members frequent the thread and gladly help out.
* A terrain and water modd. When you first launch the game, the grass and water seems realistic enough. A bit off perhaps, but hey nothing can be perfect. Not true - modders have been able to create new textures for the terrain and the water, which makes the Maxis textures look like off-colored drawings. Cycledogg has made a number of varying terrain modds, and there are assorted water textures on the STEX, each varying for the kind of water your city needs.
* SimMars. Certainly this modd is not for everyone, but this article would be deficient if it weren't mentioned. SimMars transforms SimCity to Mars, complete with textures, buildings, road networks and music to match. The work done on this is exceptional, and it sits with the NAM as the greatest projects to improve the game that SimCity has seen.
* Everything else listed here. Livin in Sim has created this top ten list of great modd's that should be essential. A few other members have listed their contributions as well, and I would highly recommend them all!

From there you could look through the CJ section to get ideas or run through the STEX and other exchanges to see if anything "jumps" out at you. As I mentioned before, if you can't seem to find something, make a post here and someone is bound to help you out.

How do I win?
SimCity is different from most games, as there is no set end point. Your success is based on goals you set. For many, a balanced budget and proper governance of a successful city without "godly" intervention (ie. cheats) makes a successful game. For many, the accurate recreation of a real life city is the goal, generally with the assistance of assorted budget cheats. For others still, it's simply to create the best city they can. Set your own goals and adjust as you achieve them.

For all flavors of player, however, we do have an assortment of tutorials here on Simtropolis to help you on the Omnibus. The sections that will interest you most are SimCity 4 Tutorials and SimCity 4 Reference. Check back from time to time, as we do continue to add articles!

Hopefully, this article has helped you get started. If you have any further questions that this article didn't answer, the folk in the forums and the chatroom are always eager to help, and any member of the Simtropolis Help Squad would be more than happy to give you some tips to the right direction. /1.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

U-Drive-It Guide Version 2

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:43:30 +0000

U-Drive-It Guide
Version 2 By Voar Tok
Please PM Voar Tok if you have any questions about this article.

One of the biggest attractions to the Rush Hour expansion for SimCity 4 is the U-Drive-It missions. These things can either be a great addition to the game, or a plague depending on how you look at them. However, judging from the fact that you are reading this, I'd say that you've already decided to give them a shot. All of the various mission vehicles have some oddities to them, so I'll focus on general tips and the like for the vehicles that tend to give people problems.

Something that you will notice with all of the missions in SC4 is that they have a "good" or "evil" side to them. Some of the missions are good (meaning that they tend to have beneficial rewards like an increase in mayor rating or a reward building being unlocked). The "evil" missions usually cause your mayor rating to fall for a while, but they leave a chunk of cash in your city vault as a reward (although some of them do unlock rewards buildings also). Except for the Grand Railroad Station, which seems to have a bug in it and may or may not have been fixed with the updates for the game, you can get all of the reward buildings without playing the missions.

You'll notice in the game that all of the vehicles come with this general instrument panel layout. They are all a little bit different, and some might have some special additions to them. The tank is a primary example since it has a gauge to let you know the amount of power that will be used when you fire off a round. If you are ever unsure what a particular gauge is for, just hover your mouse over it and a tooltip will pop up telling you.

When you are driving a mission, it's usually ok to drive on the side wrong of the road or on the sidewalk. The exception to this is when you are driving and you have a siren turned on. When you are doing that, it is best to stay on your side of the road because people will usually move out of way. Also, when you are driving with the siren on, freight trucks have a tendency to drop their trailers in the middle of the road and leave them there. When you are driving through some area like a toll booth or a bridge where the snap to roads feature is on automatically, you should always stay on the proper side of the road because if you are on the wrong side, you could have your mission terminated prematurely. The same hold true for driving on the edge of a city tile. If you hit the side of it, your mission is most likely going to be terminated.

When you are playing on an "evil" mission, you have to be careful to avoid the police. They will be all over your city, and when one of them turns its lights on, he's on to you. There are two ways to deal with this - either get on another road really quickly, or hit him. If you decide to hit him, the best way to do it is to get along side of the car and just tap into him. This is especially helpful for vehicles like the garbage truck that don't have nearly enough hit points for the missions that you have to play. On some of the missions, you will be chased by police helicopters. Avoiding these guys can take some getting used to, so don't feel bad if you don't figure it out the first time. To avoid getting stopped by them, you'll have to keep them from shining their light on you for too long (and too long is a relative time - it can vary from mission to mission). The two easiest ways to get the light off of you is to either cut off on to another street or try to ride in the shadow of tall buildings. Riding in the shadow of tall buildings doesn't always work though, so you may still need to change roads often. Also, the police don't follow you on every "evil" mission (the Toxic Waste Truck mission is an example).

When you are operating vehicles like the tank, you'll need to experiment with the thing a few times to get the feel of how the ammunition firing system works. With the tank, a good rule of thumb to follow is to lower the barrel and the barrel power all the way. This will cause your shot to go approximately one tile before hitting the ground (this makes it a lot easier to take out the building you really wanted to destroy). Be sure to experiment with the vehicles before running a mission where you have to destory something. Air vehicles have a tendency to unload their ordinance off to the side if you shoot them while making a turn.

The helicopters and the UFO tend to be difficult to turn around while moving them. The easiest way to solve this is to let them slow down and then try making the turn. One the UFO, you'll notice that there is a little blue window on the front of it, so that is the easy way to tell which end is forward.

On certain missions where you have to perform a command at a target site (like the ice cream truck missions) it is best to leave the spacebar held down until the game recognizes that the objective has been completed. This helps to guarantee that you actually complete the mission, because sometimes the game won't recognize a simple tap to activate something.

There is still one final thing that you need to know before you start playing UDI missions. As you go about running into things, you'll gradually lose hit points on your vehicles. However, if you are running a mission in a vehicle like the ambulance, you can actually get the vehicle some extra hit points by carefully running into a stronger vehicle like a tank. This is something that you need to practice several times before you try it in a mission. If you do it properly, you'll notice that the diamond over your vehicle starting to turn green. However, if you let it get too green, your vehicle will explode on you right then and there. To get it to stop recharging, you need to back away from the vehicle you are touching. Cement mixers are good vehicles to try this on at first.

If you read all of this, you now have a good idea of the fundamentals necessary to complete UDI missions.

A very special thanks goes out to Altx. He wrote the original version of this article, and if it hadn't been for his article, this would have been far less detailed than it is. So Altx, wherever you are - Thanks!

Also, a special thanks to SkiGeek for all of her help on this project. If it hadn't been for her constant encouragement, I might not have ever finished the mission tables that you can find farther down in this thread.

If you have any questions about this article, or just UDI missions in general, you can check out the official thread on them, or you can send me a Private Message.

U-Drive-It Missions
Land Vehicles

Vehicle		Mission Name	Mission Triggers	Reward Buildings Unlocked
Any U-Drive-It Land Vehicle		Road Vehicle Training Mission	"Road Vehicle Training Mission" not completed and Residential > 0	Completing this mission is a pre-requisite for all other land vehicle missions.
	Police Car	On the Trail	Police Station > 0 and Commercial >100 and Residential > 50	Complete the four "good" police car missions to unlock the Deluxe Police Station.
	Police Car	Disturbance Reported	Police Station > 0 and Residential > 50	Complete the four "good" police car missions to unlock the Deluxe Police Station.
	Police Car	Catch the Robbers	Police Station > 0 and Commercial > 50	Complete the four "good" police car missions to unlock the Deluxe Police Station.
	Police Car	Nab the Car-jacker	Police Station > 0	Complete the four "good" police car missions to unlock the Deluxe Police Station.
	Police Car	Shakedown	Police Station > 0 and CS§ > 100
	Police Van	Cop Gone Bad	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and CS§ > 100
Stolen Vehicle		Freedom of Expression	Police Station > 0 and Commercial > 50
	Ambulance	Slipped on Llama Dung	Hospitals > 0 and Commercial > 50	Disease Research Center
	Ambulance	Shady Ambulance Driver	Hospitals > 0 and CS§ > 50 and CO§§ > 50	Court House
	Fire Engine	Fire!	Fire Station > 0	Complete this mission three times to unlock the Fire Department Landing Strip.
	Fire Engine	Help the Cats	Fire Station > 0 and Residential > 500
	Fire Engine	Hose Down the Cats	Fire Station > 0 and Residential > 500
	School Bus	Get Little Binghamton To School	Elementary School > 0 and Residential > 50	Private School
	School Bus	Study for Profit	Elementary School > 1 and High School > 0 and Commercial > 50	Nuclear Power Plant
	City Bus	Sick Bus Driver	Bus Station > 3	Convention Center
	City Bus	Dr. Vu Steals a Bus	Bus Station > 1 and Residential > 50
	Garbage Truck	Uncle Vinnie Asks a Favor	Police Station > 0 and Residential > 50 and Landfill Capacity > 0	Federal Prison
	Garbage Truck	A Special Load of Garbage	Police Station > 0 and Commercial > 50 and Landfill Capacity > 0	Toxic Waste Dump
	Toxic Waste Truck	Goo for the Masses	Toxic Waste Dump > 1 and Residential > 100	Cemetery
	Army Truck	Launch Time	Missile Testing Range > 0 and Army Base > 0
	Army Truck	Steal a Warhead	Army Base > 0 and Deluxe Police Station > 0
	Ice Cream Truck	Ice Cream Delivery	Elementary School > 2	State Fair
	Ice Cream Truck	Pure Evil Ice Cream	Elementary School > 2	Part of Area 5.1 Unlock
	News Van	Mayor's Got New Socks!	Mayor's House > 0 and TV Station > 0	The Bureau of Bureaucracy
	News Van	Paparrazi	Mayor's House > 0 and TV Station > 0
	Get Away Van	Escape with the Loot	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and Commercial > 50
	Taxi Cab	Scientist Late for Flight	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Residential > 50	Opera House
	Taxi Cab	Insane Taxi!!	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Residential > 50
	Hearse	Get the Deceased to the Funeral	Cemetery > 0 and Residential > 50	House of Worship
	Hearse	Simlent Orange	Cemetery > 0 and Commercial > 50	Army Base
	Mayor Limo	You CAN Throw Money At It	Mayor's House > 0 and Commercial > 50	City Hall
	Mayor Limo	Mayor [Name] Visits Landmark	Landmark > 0 and Mayor's House > 0
	Mayor Limo	Ribbon Cutting for Mayor [Name]	Commercial > 200 and Mayor's House > 0
	Mayor Limo	High Roller	Mayor's House > 0	Casino
Any Train Type		Train Training Mission	"Train Training Mission" not completed and (Freight Train Station > 0 or Passenger Train Station > 0) and Rails > 20
	Freight Train	Super Seatbelt Fabric For Space Ships!	Freight Train Station > 1 and Rails > 20	Part of Space Port Unlocked
	Freight Train	Train Station Tour	Freight Train Station > 3 and Rails > 20	Grand Railroad Station
	Passenger Train	Whistle Stop Tour	Passenger Train Station > 3 and Rails > 20	Tourist Trap
	Passenger Train	Hijack the Train	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and Passenger Train Station > 0 and Rails > 20
	Steam Train	Train Ride for Rocket Formula	Freight Train Station > 0 and Rails > 20	Part of Space Port Unlock
	Steam Train	Sell Secret Rocket Formula	Freight Train Station > 0 and Deluxe Police Station> 0 and Rails > 20	Part of Area 5.1 Unlock
	Monorail	Monorail Ride	Monorail Station > 1 and Tracks > 20	Solar Power Plant
	Tank	Tank Training Mission	"Tank Training Mission" not completed and Residential > 0 and Army Base > 0	Completing this mission is a pre-requisite for all other tank missions.
	Tank	New Missile Testing	Army Base > 0	Missile Testing Range
	Tank	Tank Joy Ride	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and Army Base > 0
	Tank	Teach the Strikers A Lesson	Army Base > 0 and Commercial > 0
	Tank	Dr. Vu Gets a Tank	Police Station > 0 and Mayor's House > 0 and Army Base > 0 and Residential > 50	Movie Studio

**U-Drive-It Missions**Water Vehicles
Vehicle		Mission Name	Mission Triggers	Reward Buildings Unlocked
Any U-Drive-It Water Vehicle		Boat Training Mission	"Boat Training Mission" not completed and Marina > 0 or Car Ferry > 0 or Passenger Ferry > 0	Completing this mission is a pre-requisite for all other boat missions.
	Motor Boat	Water Escape	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and Marina > 0
	Speed Boat	Rx Pick-up & Delivery	Marina > 0 and Seaport > 0	Resort Hotel
	Speed Boat	Water-proof Mind Control Device	Marina > 0 and Seaport > 0	Cruise Ship Building
	Cigar Boat	Jet Ski Fiesta	Marina > 0
	Fishing Boat	Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy	Marina > 0	Lighthouse
	Fishing Boat	Mmm... Endagered Dinner	Marina > 0	Stock Exchange
	Tug Boat	SOS	Marina > 0	Major Art Museum
	Passenger Ferry Boat	No Missions Available
	Ferry Boat	Whale Watching Tour	Car Ferry > 0	Marina
	Ferry Boat	Ferry of Evil	Car Ferry > 0
	Yacht	Rare Fish Viewing	Marina > 0	Country Club
	Metal Whale	Robotic Whale Destruction	Marina > 0 and Seaport > 0 and Car Ferry > 0 or Passenger Ferry > 0

**U-Drive-It Missions**Air Vehicles
Vehicle		Mission Name	Mission Triggers	Reward Buildings Unlocked
Any U-Drive-It Air Vehicle		Aircraft Training Mission	"Aircraft Training Mission" not completed and Residential > 0 and any aircraft unlocked.	Completing this mission is a pre-requisite for all other aircraft missions.
	Police Helicopter	Catch the Crook From the Air	Deluxe Police Station > 0 and Commercial > 50	Television Studio
	Police Helicopter	Disturbing the Peace	Residential (low density tiles) > 99 and Deluxe Police Station > 0
	Medical Helicopter	Give Jenny a Hand, and a Heart	Residential > 50 and Hospital > 0
	Medical Helicopter	Organs for Profit	Industrial > 50 and Hospital > 0	University
	News Helicopter	Cover the Hostage Crisis	Residential > 50 and Commercial > 50	Radio Station
	News Helicopter	Get the Perp's Story	Commercial > 50 and TV Station > 0
	Sky Writer Plane	Who Loves You, Baby?	Small Landing Strip > 0	Major League Stadium
	Sky Writer Plane	Secret Sky Code	Small Landing Strip > 0
	Crop Duster Plane	Farmer's Got Vermin	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Farm Tiles > 49	Farmer's Market
	Crop Duster Plane	Spread Zombie Dust	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Cemetary > 0	Part of Area 5.1 Unlock
	Sky Diver Plane	Infiltrate Vu's Secret Meeting	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Industrial > 50
	Sky Diver Plane	Skydiving Show At [Mission Target]	Small Landing Strip > 0 and Landmark > 0
	Fire Plane	Water Drop for Fire	Fire Department Landing Strip > 0	City Zoo
	Fire Plane	Let it Burn!	Fire Department Landing Strip > 0
	Military Helicopter	Take Out Dr. Vu's "Secret" Lair	Industrial > 100 and Army Base > 0	Advanced Research Center
	Military Helicopter	Raid on [City Name]	Train Station > 0 and Water source > 0 and Army Base > 0 and Mayor's House > 0
	Jet Fighter	Cripple [City Name] Industrial Complex	Industrial > 100 and Power Plant > 0 and Area 5.1 > 0	Hydrogen Power Plant
	UFO	Alien Abduction for Fun and Profit	Residential > 50 and Commercial > 50 and Industrial > 50 and Area 5.1 > 0
	UFO	Blast-O-Ray	Residential > 50 and Commercial > 50 and Industrial > 50 and Area 5.1 > 0

**U-Drive-It Missions**My Sim Vehicles
Vehicle		Mission Name	Mission Triggers	Reward Buildings Unlocked
	§ My Sim Vehicle	Run Some Errands	CS§ lots > 1 and My Sims > 0 CS§ > 50
	§ My Sim Vehicle	Knock Over [Mission Target]	Police Station > 0 and Residential > 1 and My Sims§ and CS§ lots > 2
	§§ My Sim Vehicle	[My Sim Name] Goes Shopping	Residential > 100 and My Sim§§ > 0 and CS§§ lots > 2
	§§ My Sim Vehicle	White Collar Crime	Residential > 1 and My Sim§§ > 0 and CS§§ lots > 0
	§§§ My Sim Vehicle	Take a Break at the Casino	Residential > 1 and My Sim§§§ > 0 and Casino > 0
	§§§ My Sim Vehicle	[My Sim Name] Goes Gift-Shopping	Residential > 500 and My Sim§§§ > 0 and CS§§§ > 2
	§§§ My Sim Vehicle	Took the Casino for a Bundle	Casino > 0 and Residential > 1 and My Sim§§§
My Sim Vehicle (all wealth levels)		[My Sim Name] Wants to See [Mission Target]	Residential > 1 and My Sim > 0 and Landmark > 0

How to create Puzzle Pieces Part 2

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 01:58:20 +0000

[Part 1]
7. The RUL 0x10000000 file

Now the SC4Path-files are all saved you are finally finished editing your DAT-file of your puzzle piece. Close the DAT-file, but don't close the Reader yet. We will uncover the magic file of SimCity 4 Transit Modding: the RUL 0x10000000 file

7.1. What is the RUL 0x10000000 file?
The RUL 0x10000000 file, also known as the "Intersection Ordering RUL", defines the puzzle pieces and places them in so-called Rotation Rings, which are part of TAB-Rings. This file was originally meant for Maxis Highway interchanges, since Maxis didn't make puzzle pieces for other transport networks. That's why the demolition costs of puzzle pieces are the same as the demolition costs for Maxis Highway sections.

7.2. Where can I find the RUL 0x10000000 file?
The original RUL 0x10000000 file, as Maxis created it originally, can be found in "SimCity_1.dat". But since "SimCity_1.dat" is way to big to update and for download, the NAM Team has created a separate DAT-file, containing the RUL 0x10000000, RUL 0x10000001 and the RUL 0x10000002 files: The NAM Controller. This file can be found in the NAM Folder. The filename of this file is "NetworkAddonMod_Controller_RIGHT_HAND_VERSION.dat" of "NetworkAddonMod_Controller_LEFT_HAND_VERSION.dat", depending on your driving side.

7.3. Editing the RUL 0x10000000 file?

7.3.1. Important notice before editing the RUL 0x10000000 file
The RUL 0x10000000 file is a quite delicate file and may cause CTDs on error. It's strongly recommended to let a NAM member know that you're editing the RUL 0x10000000 file. Not only can the NAM Team prevent errors, but they can also help you with editing the RUL 0x10000000 file and give you tips. Also, there is one Golden Rule:

DON'T RELEASE YOUR OWN VERSION OF THE NAM CONTROLLER IN PUBLIC! EVER!
ONLY THE NAM TEAM SHOULD RELEASE A PUBLIC VERSION OF THE NAM CONTROLLER.

We like to keep things central to make sure the files contain as less bugs as possible and that everything is compatible with each other. We don't like to have a dozen NAM Controllers hanging around with minor changes, but with no compatibility with each other. Following this Golden Rule will prevent much trouble and people asking why their mods don't work. An advised way is to post the RUL 0x10000000 code on the corresponding topics, so the NAM Team can incorporate it in the Controller and debug the code. Also, as said in Chapter 3, you should reserve IDs.

7.3.2. Importing/Exporting the RUL 0x10000000 file
The RUL 0x10000000 file is quite big (over 2MB uncompressed). The Reader contains a RUL editor, but it's advised to use an external text editor. This requires the RUL 0x10000000 file to be exported (this only needs to be done once):
- Right-click on the RUL 0x10000000 file.
- Select "Save decoded file"
- The NAM-folder now contains file_dec00000000.rul (or any other number) and file_dec00000000.rul.TGI. You can edit file_dec00000000.rul by simply dragging it into Notebook.
- You can edit the RUL 0x10000000 now. Don't forget to save when you're done.
If you're finished with editing the RUL 0x10000000 file, you have to import it into the Reader again:
- Open the NAM Controller.
- Delete the old RUL 0x10000000 file.
- Go to "Sub Files/Insert File"
- Select the external RUL-file you just edited.
- Now the new RUL 0x10000000 file is added to the NAM Controller. Don't forget to save!

7.4. The structure of the RUL 0x10000000 file?

7.4.1. Introduction
In general, the RUL 0x10000000 file contains two sections: the TAB-Ring Section and the Definition Section. SimCity 4 interpretates all RUL-files one line at the time. Lines or parts of lines starting with ";" are comments and will be skipped by SimCity 4. In theory, you can use all characters you want in these files, but uncommon characters may have a weird effect in SimCity 4. One example is the Sinkhole-to-China-bug, where a deep hole appears when you placed a puzzle piece. Therefore, it's advised only to use numbers, capital and normal characters without any accent in notes. (even an quite innocent comma could cause problems.)

7.4.2. The TAB-Ring Section
The TAB-Ring Section contains definitions of the location of puzzle pieces. It defines in which Rotation Ring in which TAB-Ring a puzzle piece can be found. It also contains definitions which puzzle pieces are at which location and order in a Rotation Ring in which rotation (or mirrored varieties of the puzzle piece). In SimCity 4 a menu button gives access to a TAB-ring, containing one or more Rotation Rings. With the TAB-key on your keyboard you can navigate through TAB-Rings and with the Home and End-key you can navigate through Rotation Rings. Each Rotation Ring contains one or more items, which will refer to puzzle pieces in the Definition Section.

In the TAB-Ring Section each line defines one Rotation Ring. Every line contains a series of hexadecimal numbers, which refer to certain HighwayIntersectionInfoIDs (H3IDs). These refer to puzzle pieces in the Definition Section. The first line of a Rotation Ring starts with "RotationRing = " and looks like this:

Code:


RotationRing = 5100, 15100, 25100, 35100, 45100, 55100, 65100, 75100, 85100, 95100, A5100, B5100, C5100, D5100, E5100, F5100 ;RHW-4/MIS Ramp A

Rotation Ring can be enlarged by adding one or more Rotation Rings. To do this, you can add one or more lines starts with "AddTypes = ", like this:

Code:


AddTypes = 5101, 15101, 25101, 35101, 45101, 55101, 65101, 75101, 85101, 95101, A5101, B5101, C5101, D5101, E5101, F5101 ;RHW-4/MIS Ramp A-DiagonalAddTypes = 5102, 15102, 25102, 35102, 45102, 55102, 65102, 75102, 85102, 95102, A5102, B5102, C5102, D5102, E5102, F5102 ;RHW-4/MIS Ramp A-InsideAddTypes = 5103, 15103, 25103, 35103, 45103, 55103, 65103, 75103, 85103, 95103, A5103, B5103, C5103, D5103, E5103, F5103 ;RHW-4/MIS Ramp A-Wide

One TAB-Ring should contain one Rotation Ring at minimum, but the maximum number of Rotation Rings is practically unlimited.

NOTES:
- It's common to add a comment containing the (code)name of the puzzle piece at the end of a Rotation Ring. This is not necessary, but it makes this section easy to overview.
- The minimum number of items in a Rotation Ring is 1. The maximum is quite unlimited, but the NAM Team holds a maximum of 16. Usually the number of items in a Rotation Ring is a power of 2: (2, 4, 8 or 16)
- It's important that every Rotation Ring in a TAB-Ring has the same number of items. When this is not the case, the TAB-Ring becomes unstable, resulting in duplicates or missing rotations or mirrored versions, or worse: it could cause a CTD (Crash To Desktop).
- The first H3ID of a TAB-Ring should be four characters long. Otherwise you can't assign a menu button for that rotation ring. The other H3IDs may be up to 8 characters long, but usually a Length of 5 characters is enough.
- Every H3ID can be used only once! Otherwise you'll get CTDs.

7.4.3. The Definition Section
The Definition Section defines puzzle pieces for each H3ID. Every H3ID where a new puzzle piece is defined has the following structure in theory: header, layout, properties, rotations. In reality it seems that rotation is a separate section that applies rotation and mirroring to puzzle pieces. So we have two sections: one to define the new puzzle piece and one for rotation and mirroring.

7.4.3.1. The Header
The Header usually gives a description of the puzzle piece, gives information about the author and date of creation and also defines the preview of the puzzle piece by referring to the S3D and EffDir of the preview model. Here's an example:

Code:


[HighwayIntersectionInfo_0x00005100];Added by Tarkus 8/13/2007.;RHW-4/MIS-1 Exit Ramp-Style A--OrthogonalPiece = -16.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0x5ceb0005PreviewEffect = preview_draggable_mis___001

Now let's examine this piece of code line by line.
The first line defines the H3ID of this puzzle piece. This must be 8 characters long. This H3ID, "0x00005100", refers to the H3ID "5100" in the TAB-Ring section.
The second line gives information of the author and the date of creation (format MM/DD/YYYY).
The third line is the (code)name of the puzzle piece.
The fourth line contains five values, divided by commas:
1. The X-offset of the preview model
2. The Y-offset of the preview model
3. The rotation of the preview model
4. Mirrored version ("1") or unmirrored version ("0") of the preview model
5. IID of the preview model. This is usually the AutoTileBase IID + 5.
The fifth line refers to the EffDir name of the puzzle piece. This makes your preview model to appear in game.

7.4.3.2. The Layout section
The Layout section defines how your puzzle piece is constructed. Here you can add starters and draggable stubs if you want to. Here's an example:
Code:

CellLayout =.......CellLayout =...a...CellLayout =..+b<..CellLayout =..cd...CellLayout =..be...CellLayout =..f....CellLayout =...^...CheckType = a - dirtroad: 0x02000200 Road: 0x01000001, 0xffffffff optionalCheckType = b - dirtroad: 0x02000200 CheckType = c - dirtroad: 0x02000202CheckType = d - dirtroad: 0x02020000CheckType = e - dirtroad: 0x02000200 Road: 0x01000001, 0xffffffff optionalCheckType = f - dirtroad: 0x02000200 OneWayRoad: 0x00010100, 0xffffffff optionalConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =../|<..ConsLayout =../|...ConsLayout =..|....ConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =...^...

As you can see, this section contains three types of lines, which should always be in the same order: first the "CellLayout"-lines, then the "CheckType"-lines and finally the "ConsLayout"-lines.

Every character after the "=" in the CellLayout, as well as the ConsLayout, represents one tile of the puzzle piece or the surrounding tiles. The "<" and "^" point out the position of the cursor when you place the puzzle piece. As you can see, in the CellLayout these characters point to "b" and in the ConsLayout these point to the topmost "|". Often this is also the position of the AutoTileBase IID. In this case however, the AutoTileBase IID is positioned one tile to the left. The game recognizes where the AutoTileBase IID is located and constructs the piece around it. But by placing the cursor not on the AutoTileBase IID, the preview will appear offset. To correct this issue, you change the value of the X-offset and/or the Y-offset of the preview model in the Header section to a multiply of 16 (since a tile is 16x16 meters large)

NOTES:
- The "<" and "^" should point out the same tile in the CellLayout, as well as in the ConsLayout. Otherwise you get some unexpected results.
- The "<" and "^" can only be used once in the CellLayout, as well as the ConsLayout.
- The "<" and "^" may never point to a "." . You should move them to the first tile that doesn't contain a "." . You should also need to change the offset of the preview model.
- The CellLayout, as well as the ConsLayout, have a minimum of two characters after the "=". The maximum is unlimited, but you'll never need more than 20, and usually a number of characters lower than 10 is enough.
- Every line in the CellLayout, as well as in the ConsLayout, should contain the same number of characters. Otherwise you get some unexpected results.
- The CellLayout, as well as the ConsLayout, should start with an introduction line, which only contains dots after the "=".
- The last line of the CellLayout, as well as the ConsLayout, always contains a "^", but there can be other characters placed on that line than dots.

The CellLayout defines the layout and design of the puzzle piece. They describe which tiles are occupied and with what. In the CellLayout you can use any character defined in the CheckType-lines. One character from the CellLayout refers to one character in the Checktype-lines. Beside these characters, you can also use these two characters:
- "." Unoccupied tile.
- "+" Occupied tile with no reference in the CheckType-lines. (an "empty" occupied tile)

The CheckType define which networks are located "under" your puzzle piece. You can also define starters and/or draggable stubs of various networks. The CheckType-lines effects the way how and where you can place a puzzle piece in SimCity 4. When the CheckType-lines defined right, this can lead to "autoresolving": a neat feature that makes it possible to place a puzzle piece over an existing network without demolition.
Every character after "CheckType = " may only be used once in one H3ID, where a puzzle piece is defined. The characters used for the CheckType lines are any of the letters of the alphabet without accents. Capital letters are however allowed. Each character refers to the same character in the CellLayout of the corresponding H3ID.
As I said before, the CheckType can define which networks are located "under" your puzzle piece, as well as starters and/or draggable stubs. But how do you know which CheckType line you should use? The answer is quite simple.
- Search for the H3ID of a puzzle piece which already contains the starter(s) and/or draggable stub(s) you want for your puzzle piece.
- Examine the CellLayout and search for characters from which you think they refer to the desired starter(s) and/or draggable stub(s).
- Copy the corresponding CheckType-lines of these starter(s) and/or draggable stub(s).
- Paste them in your own CheckType-lines of your puzzle piece.
- You may have to change the characters, since they can only be used once in one H3ID.
- Now you can use these starters for your CellLayout.
You can also use this method to define the transport networks "under" your puzzle piece.
Of course, the CheckType-lines have their own structure, which I'll not explain in detail here. If you still are interested in the details, I'd reccomend you to read chapter 11 of this tutorial.

The ConsLayout-lines define how the puzzle piece handles unequalized landscapes. The way SimCity 4 will equalize the terrain of the puzzle piece, correspond to the ConsLayout. Slope Mods also have effect on this. The following characters can be used in the ConsLayout:
- "." Unoccupied tile.
- "+" Resolve slope between neighboring tiles, which effectively means conform to terrain. The Sinkhole-to-China-bug is related to this, having a + next to a + with certain neighboring patterns will cause that. # is intersection, it will flatten the area.
- "|" "-" Orthagonal sections
- "/" "\" Diagonal sections
- "#" Intersection
NOTE: Although the ConsLayout is quite flexible with their input, in some cases they prevent that the puzzle piece can be placed, even on the best equalized terrain.

7.4.3.3. The Properties section
The Properties section defines the AutoTileBase IID, the possibility the automatically add a puzzle piece in an already realized transport network (rarely used), the IID of the Placement Query LText file and the costs of the puzzle piece. A common definitions section looks like this:
Code:

AutoTileBase = 0x5ceb0000ReplacementIntersection = 0, 0PlaceQueryID = 0x5ceb0000Costs       = 400

Every line defines one property. All properties have the same structure: [name] = [value]. The following properties can be used:

NameValue, Max lengthDescriptionAutoPathBase"0x" + 8 hexDefines the AutoTileBase IID of the pathing files only. When this property is not used, SimCity 4 uses the standard AutoTileBase IID of the puzzle piece. When you use this property, it should be defined before the AutoTileBae IID, otherwise this property will not function properly. This property is often unused.AutoTileBase"0x" + 8 hexDefines the AutoTileBase IID of all files of the puzzle pieceReplacementIntersection"0, 0"This is an depreciated part of code.PlaceQueryID"0x" + 8 hexDefines the IID of the LText file used for the query when placing a puzzle piece. Usually this is equal to the AutoTileBase IIDAutoPlace"0" or "1"Defines wether a puzzle piece is automatically placed ("1") or not ("0"). This property is used to construct a road over an Maxis Ground Highway. It automatically places a bridge. This property is optional, but be carefull: if you already used AutoPlace, you may not use ConvertQueryID for that puzzle piece, and vice versa. One of the two should be deleted or disabled (by placing a ";" at the start of the line)ConvertQueryID"0x" + 8 hexRefers to a LText-IID to be shown in a window when certain transport networks are placed in such way that you can place a puzzle piece here. This window only appear when you used transport network tools nearby the section. This property is optional, and is used for Maxis Highway On/Offramps:
Handle OffsetTwo values, divided by a commaOnly Maxis uses this property. Offsets the cursor position from the defined position in the ConsLayout and CellLayout arrays. Syntax: X shift, Y shift. Can be + or -. For example: Say you have a 3x3 piece, all tiles occupied:
###.
###<
###.
.^.
The handle is at the very center. But if I use HandleOffset = 1,0 then the handle will be located 1 tile to the right. -1,0 goes to the left 1 tile, 0,1 goes up 1 tile, and so on. You can have handles outside of the piece boundary by doing this.Costs8 hexDefines how much a puzzle piece costs when you place it in Simeleons. Not included are:
- Terrain equalisation costs.
- The costs for construction of starters and draggable stubs.OneWayDir1 character (see description)This option is only used for puzzle pieces containing One Way Roads and tells SimCity 4 in which direction the One Way Road goes. Use one of the following values:
- 0: West
- 1: Northwest
- 2: North
- 3: Northeast
- 4: East
- 5: Southeast
- 6: South
- 7: Southwest
NOTE:
The AutoPlace and ConvertQueryID are quite hard to handle and may do thing you don't want to. If there are one of more AutoPlace/ConvertQueryID properties in conflict with each other, only one of them is used and the rest is ignored. Also AutoPlace/ConvertQueryID can convert CTDs at TE Lots, because the game tries to place a puzzle piece into a TE Lot, which causes the crash. This is happened before and is known as the Car-Ferry-bug. So be very careful with AutoPlace and ConvertQueryID.

7.4.3.4. The Rotation Section
The Rotation Section makes it possible to rotate and mirror a whole item and copy it to another H3ID without changing the other sections. A example of a Rotation section:

Code:

Rotate =	1Transpose = 1

Again, one line defines one property and both functions are optional. "Rotate" rotates the puzzle piece and can have the following values: "0" = 0°, "1" = 90°, "2" = 180°, "3" = 270°. "Transpose" mirrors the puzzle piece horizontally ("1") or not ("0"). Unfortunately, the "Transpose"-function doesn't work for starters and puzzle pieces with vertically asymmetrical paths, such as the RHW networks (with exception of the RHW-2). Again, all properties have the same structure: [name] = [value].

7.5. Defining rotated/mirrored versions of your Puzzle Piece

7.5.1. The basics
After you've defined your puzzle piece in the Definition Section, you only have one variation of your puzzle piece. Of course you want to use multiple versions of you puzzle piece, namely all rotations and mirrored versions. As you read in the above section, you can easily rotate and mirror your puzzle piece. The question is: How do you use the previous code to define the different rotations and mirrored versions of your rotations? The answer is simple: the whole code of the H3ID needs to be copied. Fortunately, Maxis provided a command that does this particular thing: the CopyFrom-command. This command functions quite similar to the "include"-command in various programming languages. The structure of the CopyFrom-command is simple "CopyFrom = 0x[H3ID that needs to be copied]".

NOTES:
- Only one CopyFrom-command per line is allowed.
- You can use an infinite number of CopyFrom-commands
- The length of the H3ID that needs to be copied can be 1 to 8 characters long. To simplify the process, you can use the H3ID from the TAB-Ring section.

The CopyFrom-command, which can be seen as a Header, a Layout and a Properties section at once, is always placed at the start. Then you add the rotation code. An example:

Code:

[HighwayIntersectionInfo_0x00015100]CopyFrom = 0x5100Rotate =	1

This part of code can be read as the following code; the result is the same:

Code:

[HighwayIntersectionInfo_0x00015100];Added by Tarkus 8/13/2007.;RHW-4/MIS-1 Exit Ramp-Style A--OrthogonalPiece = -16.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0x5ceb0005PreviewEffect = preview_draggable_mis___001CellLayout =.......CellLayout =...a...CellLayout =..+b<..CellLayout =..cd...CellLayout =..be...CellLayout =..f....CellLayout =...^...CheckType = a - dirtroad: 0x02000200 Road: 0x01000001, 0xffffffff optionalCheckType = b - dirtroad: 0x02000200 CheckType = c - dirtroad: 0x02000202CheckType = d - dirtroad: 0x02020000CheckType = e - dirtroad: 0x02000200 Road: 0x01000001, 0xffffffff optionalCheckType = f - dirtroad: 0x02000200 OneWayRoad: 0x00010100, 0xffffffff optionalConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =../|<..ConsLayout =../|...ConsLayout =..|....ConsLayout =.......ConsLayout =...^...AutoTileBase = 0x5ceb0000ReplacementIntersection = 0, 0PlaceQueryID = 0x5ceb0000Costs = 400Rotate = 1

7.5.2. Be creative!
You can also apply these rules in a creative way. For instance, what if we want to copy the code from H3ID 5100, rotate the puzzle piece 90°, change the preview model to 0x5ceb0205 and we want to use the EffDir "preview_draggable_mis___002", we can apply the following code:

Code:

[HighwayIntersectionInfo_0x00015100]CopyFrom = 0x5100Piece = 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0x5ceb0205PreviewEffect = preview_draggable_mis___002Rotate =	1

Now we actually have two lines of "Piece" and "PreviewEffect". Since SimCity 4 has an unwritten law that what's loaded last will be used in-game. So the EffDir "preview_draggable_mis___002" is loaded instead of "preview_draggable_mis___001". The same goes for the "Piece"-line.
Reading the above text, you might guess why the following code copies the code from H3ID 5100, rotates the puzzle piece 90°, but doesn't change the preview model to 0x5ceb0205 and uses the EffDir "preview_draggable_mis___002".

Code:

[HighwayIntersectionInfo_0x00015100]Piece = 0.0, 0.0, 0, 0, 0x5ceb0205PreviewEffect = preview_draggable_mis___002CopyFrom = 0x5100Rotate =	1

This is because the code is in the wrong order. First the right "Piece"-line and "PreviewEffect" will be loaded, but then it gets overridden by the CopyFrom-command, which results in no change.
There is no further information about how this applies to other code, like the CellLayout and the ConsLayout. The only way to find out is experimenting. So be creative!

8. Mirroring Puzzle Pieces Horizontally

Some puzzle pieces need to have a whole new horizontal mirrored version. This is required for pieces where the "Transpose"-function can't handle the piece, such as most RHW and NWM networks. To make a mirrored version of your puzzle piece, you'll need create the same files as for a new puzzle piece, except you can still use the same FSH-files. Also, the mirrored version has a different AutoTileBase IID as it's non-mirrored counterpart. These IIDs need to be reserved too (see chapter 3). To mirror your puzzle piece, follow these steps:
1. Open the DAT-file with the non-mirrored version of your puzzle piece.
2. Export all files to a random empty folder by using "File/Export All Files".
3. Pack that same into a ZIP-file. All files should be in the root directory of the ZIP-file.
4. Open the Puzzle Piece Maker.
5. Fill in the AutoTileBase IID of the mirrored puzzle piece in the "AutoTileBase IID"-field.
6. Fill in the AutoTileBase IID of the non-mirrored puzzle piece in the "AutoTileBase IID textures "-field (skip this step if you want other textures for you mirrored version).
7. Fill in the width and the height (in tiles) of your puzzle piece in the "Width"- and "Height"-field.'
8. Check the "Mirrored version"-checkbox
9. Select "A-E" at "End Format IID"
10. Choose 0 or 3 at "Resource Key Type". It's advised to use the same RKT as the non-mirrored version.
11. Fill in the text that's shown in-game (when placing the puzzle piece) in the "Description (LTEXT)"-field. This should be very simmilar to the non-mirrored version.
12. Fill in the EffDir name in the "Effect Dir name"-field. This must be an unique name. So you have to use a slightly different name as for the non-mirrored version.
13. Fill in the Exemplar name (the name each exemplar of your puzzle piece gets) in the "Exemplar Name"-field. You can use the EffDir name for this (without "preview_")
13. Make sure that "Use my own uploaded SC4Path files" is selected in the "SC4Paths"-section.
14. Select "Mirror-X" and "Reverse" in the "SC4 Path files options" section.
15. Upload the ZIP-file you just created
16. Make sure every file type is selected.
17. Fill in the download location in the "Download Location"-field. This is the location where your ZIP-file is saved.
18. Click on "Build DAT Entries". A ZIP-file is now generated.
19. Extract the ZIP-file. Make sure it's extracted in a directory with the same name as the ZIP-file.
20. Open the Reader and open the DAT-file where you saved the nom-mirrored version of your puzzle piece.
21. Select "Edit/Insert (Batch Method)". A new screen appears.
22. Click on "Browse" and go to the location where you extracted your ZIP-file and select "batch.txt"
23. Click on "Insert." You get a message all files where succesfully imported.
24. Don't forget to save the DAT-file!
25. Add the code for the mirrored version of the puzzle piece to the RUL 0x10000000 file. Don't forget to update the NAM Controller DAT-file.
26. Start SimCity 4 and check if everything works as desired.

9. Creating New Menu Buttons

You can always add your puzzle piece to an existing TAB-Ring. Howerver, you can create a new TAB-Ring when required. A new TAB-Ring requires a new menu button, which gives access to the given TAB-Ring. A menu button requires four files to work properly.
- A PNG-image for the menu icon in four states (unavailable, normal, selected and hover state)
- An Exemplar file.
- Two LTEXT-files: One for the Item Name (shown in bold text in SimCity 4) and one for the Item Description.

These files always have the following Type and Group IDs:

FileTIDGIDPNG-image866DDBAC6A386D26Exemplar File6534284A2A3858E4LTEXT Item Name2026960B123006BBLTEXT Item Description2026960B123006AA
De IIDs of these files always starts with "6A47". The last 4 digits are the same as the first H3ID of the TAB-Ring in the TAB-Ring Section of the RUL0x10000000-file. For instance, the RHW Ramp Interface button uses the IID "6A475100", since the first H3ID is "5100".

The PNG image of the menu icon contains four states of the button. This section also applies for LOT menu icons. The image always has a resolution of 176x44 pixels. The image is divided in sections of 44x44 pixels. You see four images, each in a different state. The order of the states is the following:
1. The menu button is unavailable. You have to gain access to this function. Mostly used for LOTs, but rarely for transit items.
2. The 'normal' menu icon.
3. The selected menu icon.
4. The menu icon shown when your cursor hovers on top of it.

The Exemplar file makes the menu button functional. It defines the PNG image, as well as the two LTEXT-files for the menu button. The menu location is also defined here. You may want to copy an existing Exemplar file of another menu icon (for instance, the Exemplar for the RHW Ramp Interfaces) and edit the file. The first thing you need to change is the IID, so it corresponds with the IID-format as explained above. You can do this by clicking on Tools/TGI Editor. A new screen appears. Select the file you want to change its IID and fill in the IID in the text box under "Instance" and hit "Apply".

Here's an example of an Exemplar file of a menu button. The following values need the be changed:
1. Replace the Exemplar Name (marked dark blue) with another name. This is for reference purposes. It's not neccesary, but it's wise to do so.
2. Replace the item marked in green by the name of the sub-menu you want the button to appear in. You can choose a wide variaty of variables, but you may only use four:
- SubmenuKey: Networks: Highway Ramps Menu
- SubmenuKey: Networks: Miscellaneous Transport Menu
- SubmenuKey: Networks: Rail Depots Menu
- SubmenuKey: Networks: Road Menu
3. Replace the red marked items ID with the IID of your menu button.
4. Normally the menu buttons are sorted based on their IID. The lowest IID is located at the top of the menu, the highest IID at the bottom. When you're not satisfied with the location of your menu button, you can change the item marked in light blue. The higher the value, the lower the button will appear in the sub-menu. You may want to change this value for other menu buttons too.

10. Q&A

10.1. Pathing problems
Q: When I use the "DrawPaths"-cheat, one or more paths are showing up red and blinks. What does that mean?
A: it means that these paths have an incorrect entering and leaving wind direction and therefore can't be used. Change the entering and leaving wind direction of the corresponding SC4Path-file to solve this issue.

Q: When I use the "DrawPaths"-cheat, I discover that some of the tiles of my puzzle piece has no paths. What's causing this?
A: There could be two things that cause this problem:
1. The SC4Path-file has a wrong GID (GroupID). Check if the GID is "a966883f". If not, change it to that ID.
2. Two or more paths with the same entering and leaving wind direction have the same Path ID. Make these IDs unique to solve this problem.

Q: When I use the "DrawPaths"-cheat, I discover that some of my paths are missing, although I defined them. How is that possible?
A: In the header of the SC4Path file, you've entered a too low value for the number of paths. Change it to the correct value.

10.2. RUL 0x10000000 problems
Q: Why can't I place my puzzle piece, even on a perfectly flat surface?
A: There could be multiple things that cause this problem:
1. The ConsLayout is defined in such way that the puzzle piece can't be placed. Change the ConsLayout.
2. The "<" and "^" characters point to a "." in the ConsLayout, as well as the CellLayout. Replace the "." by another character or move the "<" and "^" characters so they point to another character.
3. In the CheckType-lines, the combination is not defined in the RUL 0x10000001 file. Change these CheckType-lines, or add new lines to the RUL 0x10000001 (not reccomended for new users). For more information read chapter 11.
4. The Definition section contains some comments with uncommon characters. Try to delete these comments one at a time until the piece can be placed.

Q: Why doesn't SimCity 4 show all tiles of my puzzle piece?
A: Check the CellLayout-lines if there is a "+" or a character reference to the CheckType-lines at the position of the missing tiles. If not, change them to a "+" or a character referring to a CheckType-line.

Q: When I place my puzzle piece, it has a different layout then I defined it and terraforms the landscape in a unwanted way. How to solve this problem?
A: The Definition section contains some comments with uncommon characters. These can cause unexpected effects on the layout of your puzzle piece Try to delete these comments one at a time until the piece can be placed properly.

Q: When I try to place my puzzle piece, why can't I see the preview model?
A: There could be two things causing this problem:
1. The Header in the Definition Section contains a incorrect IID of the preview model.
2. The Header in the Definition Section contains a incorrect EffDir name of the preview model.

10.3. Other problems
Q: When I place my puzzle piece, one or more tiles are gone. How can this be?
A: You might miss an exemplar file for that tile. Create an exemplar file for this tile to solve this issue. This problem shouldn't occur with the Puzzle Piece Maker.

Q: Some tiles dissapear at one or more zoom levels. What's wrong?
A: There could be two things causing this problem:
1. There are some S3D missing. Check if there are one (RTK 0) or five (RTK 3) S3D-files for every tile of the puzzle piece. If not, create new S3D files for the missing pieces. This problem shouldn't occur with the Puzzle Piece Maker.
2. You might have forgotten to add some textures. Check if you have five FSH-textures for every tile of your puzzle piece. If not, add the missing textures

11. Further details

--- PLACEHOLDER ---

Making Pleasing Downtowns and Skylines

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Making Pleasing Downtowns and Skylines
By: Mikeaut1

Please Private Message Mikeaut1 if you have any questions regarding this tutorial!

Welcome to "Making Pleasing Downtowns and Skylines". Hopefully this short little tutorial will help you get some ideas on how to build realistic and fantastic looking skylines and downtown areas.

In this tutorial I will cover:

Some tips on how to make skylines look better and more realistic.
Some BATs that are worth downloading to improve your skyline.
Some tips for creating rural and suburban downtowns.
Some BATs that are worth downloading to improve rural and suburban downtown and business centers.

Part One - Skylines

Skylines define your bigger cities. To have a pleasing skyline, here are some tips that you can consider to make your skylines more pleasing and exciting!

1. Using Custom Content

One of the benefits of Simtropolis is the STEX, where there are thousands of great BATs and LOTs that you can download and palce in your cities. The continuous use of Maxis buildings becomes tedious, so one suggestion is to go into the STEX and download some of the highest quality BATs and LOTs available for the game. There are many skyscrapers that can easily fit into any skyline of choice available on the STEX, so get downloadin'!

2. Diversity in Buildings

The trick to a pleasing and realistic skyline is to have diversity in your skyline. Who wants to see 7 Wren Insurances dominating your skyline? Try to limit the amount of repeated buildings by bulldozing them and using a different tileset. You can also bulldoze the lot until a different building appears, without changing the tileset options. But to have a skyline that is diverse and has a variety of buildings and landmarks will definitely be given attention, especially in city journals.

3. Balancing Your Skyline

Many skylines are over the top and stretch for miles and miles in each direction. If you are going for a mega-metropolis outlook, then this is fine. But if you are striving to create a realistic skyline with diversity, balancing out your skyline is one of the essentials. If you are using custom content, try to varietize your skyline by including smaller buildings and taller buildings. Also, try to balance between residential and commercial buildings in your city. This doesn't only help your city's economy, but it helps balance your skyline and diversify your city.

Part Two - Downtowns

This section is more for smaller city downtowns, rather than bigger ones. You'll find that creating realistic, pleasing downtowns parallel making pleasing skylines.

1. Using Custom Content

You'll be surprised, but there are many suburban and rural buildings located on the STEX that could really fit well in a downtown. Also, many of the Maxis in-game buildings for smaller downtowns (like Ken's Dinner Theatre for example) are overly repeated automatically. Try and take advantage of the STEX's custom content; you'll find that it really benefits your downtown areas.

2. Diversity in Buildings

Yes, basically the same as the above section. You don't want a downtown consisting of the same building. So diversify your buildings and make your downtown unique!

3. Balancing Your Downtown

For smaller, rural downtowns, balancing is essential. Try to stay away from the square-like downtown. For example, you have a downtown in a rural environment, and there are four roads meeting where downtown should be. Don't fit the downtown in between those four roads. The result would be that your downtown looks squarelike and cubed in. Downtowns, especially rural and suburban ones, should fluctuate between circular shapes or narrow shapes. Avoid the square! You'll find that a circular or narrow-circular downtown, easily accessible by many roadways will look much better and pleasing.

Part Three - A List of Recommended Custom Content for Skylines

Here are some recommended authors of BATs and LOTs that can fit in your skyline:

/Zumi/    --    /Zumi/ is a great BATter who has made many great BATs and LOTs in the past. They really fit into any skyline.

NDEX   --    NDEX is the award winning BAT team on Simtropolis who has created dozens of buildings, ranging from suburban shops, to towering skyscrapers. NDEX's material is recommended by anyone on Simtropolis.

Ill_Tonkso   --   Ill_Tonkso is now a member of NDEX, but has released several buildings for great skylines before his induction into NDEX. Worth a look at!

JtPortland --   An excellent BATter who has released many skyscrapers for skylines as well in the past.

Part Four - A List of Recommended Custom Content for Downtowns

For downtowns, here is some authors of BATs and LOTs:

SimGoober   --   Easily one of the best for suburban and rural downtowns. There are some highrises, some midrises, and some complexes for downtowns that work well. Also his creations of real-life stores and shopping centers help push the realism into the game. He is a part of the BSC, the other famous BAT team on Simtropolis.

Kevdan25   --   Includes an array of many fast food chain restaurants that any downtown may have. He is a great, realistic BATter, and contributes to BSC, the other famous BAT team on Simtropolis.

Part Five - Some Examples

Astoria, MayorTim

Santa Terra, Chicago333

Sa Penya, Jeronij

How To Add Custom Music to the Game

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:17:56 +0000

Please PM Nightwolf458 if you have questions or comments concerning this article!

1: Copy all the music files (MUST BE IN MP3 FORMAT)

2: Paste them into this directory:

C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Radio\Stations\Region\Music

The above directory lets you listen to your music in region mode.

3: Paste them into this directory:

C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Radio\Stations\Mayor\Music

The above directory lets you listen to your music in city edit mode (aka game mode).

Please PM Nightwolf458 if you have questions or comments concerning this article!

How to use train stations effectively

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:46:02 +0000

Article originally found in sc4ever.com

If your trains don't appear when you place them, then you must be doing something wrong, right? Wrong. You just placed the stations in the wrong areas. See Simcity 4 is very realistic in the sense that if you don't place your passenger train stations where it's crowded, then you wont be receiving any people riding your trains. The same with freight, place them in the heart of your industrial...then you are sure to receive freight trains.

If you don't know where the traffic is, just go to the traffic meter and it will show you, place stations only where the roads are deep red. But not too deep into residential, cause not even you would want a train riding past you while your sleeping right?

Ways to increase environmental rating, and convert to high-tech industrys

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:45:43 +0000

Article originally found in sc4ever.com

Achieving such results as the title suggests is actually relatively simple, just plaster your city with trees. It's relatively inexpensive for what it does and will do all three things mentioned in the title. I started placing trees and all my manufacturing and dirty industries immediately converted to high-tech. And if you're feeling particularly lazy (as this process can be very tedious), then use that cheat to get full God mode back and use the tree tool. Note: If your High-Tech demand is still high, but the rest of your non-High-Tech industries aren't converting, then just keep plastering the area with trees, it seems the more active and intent you are on placing trees, the more likely it is that High-Tech industry will develop there. The increase in trees also server to expand the size of commercial and residential development as well, although the effect is not as profound as it is on the industrial sector.

Mega income from toll booths

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:35:09 +0000

Article originally found in sc4ever.com

Toll booths are quite possibly the most unbalanced thing in SC4K. For a modest fee, you can get 20 cents per month for every car or bus passenger that travels through the toll. This can be abused to make massive amounts of money. I've had a city that made $10 000 profit per month on tolls alone.

Toll booths are pretty simple. Your Sims usually travel from residential to industrial, or residential to commercial. If their route goes through a toll booth, they give you $.10/month. Toll booths add a few minutes to their trip, and give you money in the process.

Build a ground highway to connect your residential and industrial zones. Make sure it's the only road connecting them. Place avenues at the ends of the highways, and connect them. Now, put toll booths all along the ground highway. Do the same thing between residential and commercial zones.

Now wait a few months, and check your income. You should be making huge amounts of income from the tolls! As long as the sims have to take that highway to work, they'll pay a huge amount in tolls. A well set up network will give you more money from tolls, than you will get from residential taxes. (Sick, no?)

Even Sims that take the bus have to pay the toll. But, busses don't make congestion like cars do, so they can drive around the toll more easily than cars. Make sure they can't, so you can get income from bus fares, and the toll.

If the highway gets cramped, build another one, set up the tolls, and connect it to the same avenue. Build bus stations to reduce congestion, and make more money at the same time.

Why ground highways? Ground highways are cheap. Highway toll booths handle the most amount of sims. Sims drive the fastest on highways, so more sims will be able to get to work. A good highway can have 8 tolls, giving you $1.60/month for every car or bus passenger that needs to travel on that highway. Sims pay 10 cents on the way to work, and 10 cents on the way back.

Toll booths cost $5 a month to maintain. So, as long as you get 50 cars going through, you'll break even.

One last word of caution: Toll booths add up to your commute time quickly. If your sims have a commute time more than 100 minutes, they'll start to lose their jobs, and leave your town. You'll still get bucketloads of cash, but a few buildings will rot. It's nothing to worry about on a small or medium map, but be careful in region play.

Make a bigger difference TREES!

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:34:49 +0000

Article originally found in sc4ever.com

Most of you should know this by now that lots accept a little more than one would expect. You got someone riding your hiney about planting more trees. Plant em in people's yards, industrial lots, parks, etc. This works with both mayoral and god cheat tools. Now go clean up your air.

Auto Installer Directions

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:47:24 +0000

Some people don’t know that with an Auto Installer you can select the direction you want it to be copied to and that this can ruin your plugins organization. Luckily it can be directed to any place on your system you want. Here’s a brief note on how to do it:

When you download a file with an Auto Installer in it, run the installer...

Then click 'Next' until you run into a similar screen like this:

http://www.simtropol...

If you are in the right screen you should see a bar with a location standing similar like with me. (marked in red) Now if you want it to go to a different location, simply select the button with the three dots on it.You will get a screen like this:

http://www.simtropol...

Simply select the location where you want it to go. If you want it to go into the My Documents folder, then simply select theMy Documents and you will get all the locations in My Documents and you can then select where you want it to go.

After you've done all of this, you can go to your plugins folder and see if it's placed right in your plugin folder. Sometimes certain authors have their own way in creating certain maps into the plugin folder during the automatic installation...

Also, feel free to PM STomnibus if you have any questions regarding this article.

Realistic Rural Rail

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:51:19 +0000

This very simple tutorial is designed to offer just one example of how you can add any transport route, in this instance rail, in such a manner as to enhance the realism and general aesthetics of your cities.

To start, I have a small rural community with road transport only.

My plan will be to run a single rail track west/east with a passenger station at the heart of the village. In order to add some shape and variation to the course of the track I will add a diagonal section, which will in turn require the re-routing of my main road in order to accommodate a rail bridge overpass.

This is going to entail some destruction of developed farmland, but needs must. I will firstly demolish along the route of my track.

Again, for visual reasons I am going to raise the terrain so as to have my rail run along an embankment. Using smoncrie's "lifter" lot, I will raise a small stretch of terrain.

Using single road tiles I will expand the raised embankment all the way along the route of the track.

For yet more visual realism I am going to add overhead electricity gantries produced by frogface (Railway Electrification mod). In order to do this I will raise every 5th/6th tile along the track.

Now that doesn't look too nice, so I'm going to add a simple grass filler lot, in this case one produced by morifari as it has no park effect. To finish the embankment look I will add ploppable trees along the route to a) add realism & b) hide the dirt base of the gantries.

Note: If you are skilled with the LE you may want to change the dirt texture for a grass one, but if not remember that trees can hide a multitude of sins !!

Next we need to deal with the re-routing of the main road and the positioning of the station. The reason I will be re-routing the main road is that the NAM rail bridge puzzle pieces must be fitted on a straight section and not diagonal. I do not like small sections of straight rail or road cut into diagonals, as I do not believe they look realistic and I'll avoid it at all costs.

The fate of the old main road is sealed and the northern section will be demolished to be replaced by a line of trees to separate the two farms. Again I have placed grass filler lots here for better visuals. The southern section is re-designed to add a few extra houses and again trees added to blend to the embankment.

For the station I have demolished a small section of the large farm and the few houses along the new section of the main road (although I'll add them back in after) and expanded the raised section in order to fit my station (produced by Ill Tonkso) and approach road. The bridge section visible in the second pic is the Rail Over Road Tressle by JayStimson

All thats left is to fill in any remaining embankment tiles with grass filler lots & trees and to add in any zoning where space is available.

Fast Population and Profit Growth on Hard Game Play Setting

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:43:29 +0000

The following technique will allow for a population growth of around 40,000 combined with a monthly profit of between $1,500 – $3,500 within 5 years, when playing on “hard” game-play setting.

I would like to thank vab423 & DOXXP29 for testing the technique for me and for their invaluable feedback and suggestions that have improved the original theory.

I use this method sometimes to provide what I call “off map” contribution to regional play. This enables the positive (and cumulative) effect of regional growth to be used to fuel demand in a connected city where I might be looking more for aesthetics.

In this example I should point out the mods I have in place on my system that may effect game-play, although it is not necessary to have the all those listed on your system for the technique to work. Note: I do not have any demand mods installed at all.

The NAM (optional).
Radius Doubler (optional).
Industry Jobs Quadrupler (required).

Ok, first select a small city square and establish your city.

Now, set your taxes as follows:

Run the blank city without development for at least 1 month in order to allow the city ordinances to appear in your menu. Once you have done this, enact the following ordinances:

Pro Reading
Smoke Detector
Free Clinic
CPR Training.

Again, you can actually achieve good results without enacting all these ordinances, but I have found that the benefits they bring are positive early in the game. In addition, you may also enact the gambling ordinance as DOXXP29 proved during testing that this does not have a negative effect on results, so in turn actually speeds up the profit growth.

Now, go into the utilities menu and select water pipes. You are going to lay the pipes in a particular pattern, which is both cost effective and provides the optimum coverage. Start the pipes 5 tiles in from the top left corner and one or two tiles down from the top. A tip here is that the horizontal pipes that connect each vertical row will cost $143. This saves counting out the gap each time. Incidentally I have tested pipe layouts several times and I have yet to find a more efficient way to supply a whole city square (regardless of size).

Once you have done this, put in a single water pump on the tip of your pipe system.

A note on water supply: if you are looking for rapid growth, water is essential. Its initial cost is quickly and easily outweighed by the benefits brought about by increased density and subsequently, increased tax revenue. The important thing to remember always is return on investment…how many $ will my original $ spent bring in?

Next comes the perimeter road. This road will be 4 tiles in from the edge of the map (meaning you will have a space for a 3 tile deep zoning area) and will connect to neighbouring cities on all sides.

Once the perimeter road is in place create roads in a grid fashion into 6x6 blocks, starting from each end and moving in towards the centre. As you approach the centre from both sides, you will notice that it is not possible to have equal block sizes at this point. Instead, create a row of blocks either side 3 tiles wide. This is very important, as it will leave you with a central block of specific proportions for our next step. If you are at all unsure about this layout, please study the image below.

Now, in the central block you will need to place the following services:

A Small Police Station.
A Small Fire Station.
An Elementary School.
A High School.
A Library.
A Small Health Clinic.

If you place them as shown below, you will note they fit perfectly into the space provided. Set your funding to fairly average levels, but cut ambulance & school bus to zero. Now this is one point where a radius doubler helps as you are still left with good coverage even at zero.

Now onto zoning. Using only high density zoning for all types, lay out your zones in the pattern shown below. Note that I have left a gap in the industry zoning close to the water pump. This will give you just a little extra time (but not much) before industry starts to affect your water quality. You will also note that I have placed a power plant and connected up my zones with power lines. I have used a non-polluting gas power plant from the STEX for this, but I have also run the simulation with the standard in game coal power plant and the difference is negligible due to the short period of time you will be running the simulation.

Your budget should now look something like this:

Ok, you’re ready to flick the switch and start the clock running. I use cheetah speed as little is going to happen that you need to watch particularly.

Pretty quickly, you’re going to dive into the red but this is all part of the plan. Take out a loan for $50,000 over 10 years and then hit go again.

You will note that the clinic and elementary school very quickly go way over capacity and the sims will moan and strike, as you’d expect them to. My advice is to ignore them and let them suffer for a little while..after all you’re only aiming for a 5 year target. Beyond that just wait for the 5 years to roll on (you do not need to respond to requests for rewards). You should now be left with something like this:

So now you have profit, a healthy population (in numbers terms), an existing water system, flourishing industry & commercial and still plenty of residential demand. You have lots of development space and the beginnings of a health and education system.

On the downside you have an emerging pollution problem, the first glimpses of a crime problem and no parks, no greenery and no entertainment, but plenty of profit to put all that right!

Creating Straight Edged Coastlines, Canals, and Ports

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:40:18 +0000

Important note: This method can ONLY be used prior to development taking place. If you attempt to raise or lower land levels during an existing game you will destroy ALL development.

The following method will enable you to produce sharp edged waterways to your city map prior to development. In the first example we will create a straight edged coastline. You will need smoncrie's hole digging lots in order to achieve the desired results.

Go into God Mode either before establishing your city or after by clicking ctr+shift+alt at the same time as selecting God Mode and raise the level of the whole map by a single click only.

Switch back to Mayor Mode and select the 26m monorail hole digging lot and lay down as many as you need in order to provide an area large enough to provide you with a workable area. It is not necessary to lay down the hole digging lots for the entire expanse you wish to create as you can easily expand your original selection by using single street or road tiles..or by using the Mayor Mode levelling tool for larger areas. I tend to use a combination of the two...levelling tool first and then tidy up the edges with road tiles.

Once demolished and tidied up with road tiles, you will be left with an area of lowered terrain as below:

Now, go back to God Mode again and lower the terrain one click. You will now have your first stretch of straight coastline and you will be able to check the depth of the water. As you can see, laying down a single 26m monorail (which is the deepest in the set) produces only a shallow water depth. If you want deeper water than this you must repeat the process and each hole digging lot will result in a different water depth.

Here, I have used the 26 monorail lots twice in order to create a deep water coastline.

Obviously this kind of coastline is unrealistic not only because of its absolute straight edge, but also because of the sharpness of the land edge. However it has many uses, some of which will be covered in due course.

Now you have the basic concept of creating the coastline, we shall look at ways of using the method in your cities. In this first example I will create a level beach using the standard in-game beach lots. In order to reproduce this design you will need a slope mod. In this instance I am using the slope mod created by bones1, but other variations will work just as well.

So first of all, create a straight coastline as below:

Now, go into God Mode and raise the level of the map by one click. Once you have done this, draw a road on the first raised tile of the shoreline along its whole length.

Next go back into Mayor Mode again and draw a road straight down from the raised to the lower level at each tile. Because you created a road on the upper tile, the slope will extrude giving us a "raised" descent to the lower level. If you do not draw the upper road first the slope will indent and push the upper level of your shoreline back.

Repeat this for the whole length of your shoreline.

Now go back into God Mode and lower the level of the whole map...incidentally it is not necessary to demolish the roads you have created as they will be destroyed when you lower the land level. You will now have a sloping shoreline.

Add the in-game beach lots to your shoreline and you're done.

You may feel that the slope of your beach is too high and if so, we can easily remedy this by lowering the level of the land for a few tiles back from the water's edge. Again, using smoncrie's hole digging lots (this time I have used the sunken version) lower an area of tiles from the first raised tile back inland. Remember, each hole digging lot will produce different results. Experiment to find the height you require.

As you can see in this example, once you have lowered the terrain the land sits much closer to the water level. Once you are happy with the height of your shoreline, you can raise the land and create your slope using the road method described previously.

The result is a shallower angle on the slope of the beach as you can see in the comparison image.

So, thats the basics covered for your coastlines. Now, you can also use the same method for canals, rivers, harbours and ports. Lots included are by jeronij and marrast.

And finally, if you have the imagination, lots of spare time and nothing else better to do, you can also go regional !!!

Sunken Highway Onramps and Offramps

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:37:12 +0000

Dependencies-
Hole Digging Lots (URL so its easier for you to link it http://www.simtropol...e-digging-lots/)

NAM (http://www.simtropol...sion-29-for-pc/)

Buddybud's Rural Highway Walls (Shown in this tutorial, but there are other choices on the STEX)

Alright lets get started, first we must construct the sunken highway. Once you have downloaded the Hole Digging Lots they will be found in your transit menu like shown in the pic below, scroll down till you find "Hole Digger for Sunken" and place them like I have in the pic below.

Next Step is to drag a road through one of the rows of Hole Digging Lots this will make the lots actually "Dig". It is important to make sure when plopping the hole digging lots that the arrows are facing in the same direction so that the road will go straight through. Do what is shown in the pic below.

Now that you have dragged a road through one side it will be sunken into the terrain, now you need to drag a road through the other row, like shown in the pic below.

This should be your finished product.

Demolish the 2 roads and place 2 Road tiles in the center at the deepest part of the hole.

Now you need to extend your hole by placing individual road tiles starting at the center two and spreading out. For the sake of the tutorial extend it by 6 rows of 2 tiles in each direction and the finished product should look like it does below.

Because it is hard to see the hole with my terrain mod installed I have inserted this pic to show you that all the sides are equally as steep and what it should look like up until now.

Now we need to construct the overpass, locate the NAM Road Puzzle peices which are located in the Roads menu and also dipicted in the picture below. Once you click on the Puzzle Piece you need to press TAB and continue hitting TAB as it scrolls through the different puzzle pieces. Once you arrive at "*T* Road OnSlope Puzzle Piece" place the 2 lots like shown in the picture below.

Once you have placed those directly accross from each other so you can make a bridge, keep scrolling through the Road Puzzle Pieces by repeatedly pressing TAB till you find the "Road over GroundHighway Puzzle Piece" and place it in between the 2 OnSlope pieces and place it right on top the highway and it will fit in nicely.

The finished overpass should look like the pic below. Now we need to expand next to the highway, to do this we add 5 individual road tiles going away from the intersection like shown in the pic below.

Ok, now we have set ourselves up for adding On/Off Ramps. To find the Onramps we need to use for a sunken highway go to the highways menu and scroll to the bottom till you see "Single-Sided Parallel Ramps" and click on it. Now once you have clicked on it hit TAB once and that is the first ramp we will be using. Place one north of the overpass on the right side( if your sunken runs east to west place it on the east side of the overpass). I put my On/Off Ramps on the 3rd road tile so that it will ease congestion. Do so like in the pic below. Once you have placed the north one continute and place the south one on the left side. It may take some tweaking and rotating to get the piece to fit right but it will.

Now that those 2 are placed, while you are still have the Ramp selected press TAB twice and that will bring you to your next ramp that you will use for the other side. Place one on the north end of the overpass left side and one south of the overpass on the right side. Remeber to have the Ramp meet the road at the third road tile. Once again it may take some tweaking and rotating to get it to fit in there.

Now the finished product should look like this.

Drag roads through the points to connect everything and it should look like this.

Now to add some highway walls. We will use buddybud's walls although there are other types. buddybud's walls will appear in the Power Menu like shown in the pic below scroll down till you find the "Sunken Rural Highway Wall 1x1 Road Bridge with OnRamp" and place them one on each side like shown in the pic below.

Now find in the same menu the "Sunken Rural Highway Wall 1x1 Straight Right Transitional Section" like shown in the pic below and place it on the other sides of the pieces you just placed like shown in the pic below.

Now the finished product.

Next we will use buddybud's walls to make the Ramps look nice and blend in with the rest. Scroll down till you find "Sunken Rural Highway Wall 1x1 Right On-Ramp Section" and place them like shown in the pic below one on the North side on the right and one on the South side on the left.

Next use the "Rural Sunken Highway Wall 1x1 Left On-Ramp Section which will be just below the one you just used. Shown in the pic below. And do the same to ther other On-Ramps like shown below.

Now to finish it off add some more transitional pieces and some filler pieces and you are finished, buddybud also has Pedestrian Overpasses that will look nice and you can add those where you want.

The Finished product In-Game with development.

For any questions regarding this article, please PM Crazychickensc12.

Curving Roads

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:26:23 +0000

Please PM wouanagaine if you have any questions about this article.

This tutorial shows you a step by step tutorial on how I made those curved roads you can spot in the regional view of the header.

I think it's quite an efficient method. I was inspired by the Curved highway Tutorial by Thalassicus, but unfortunately the move to ST5.0 removed the pics. But for summary, you place signs where you want the highway to pass through and refine the process and then build the highway between signs. For further explanations you can search the forums for "curved highway."

What this tutorial shows is a way to have a visual clue for the layout of the road (or any other network) so that you can plan where it will go.

First step is to set the "crime" view on

I apologize for the French on the picture.

Now open you police menu

And place one of your police building on the land.

By placing different buildings, you'll see each one has a different radius for the curves. Place the buildings so that some of the lines touch each other.

Choose wisely and you'll be able to draw a good looking network.

Now you can start building your network, making it follow along where the line goes.

Ok, now your network is complete.

Time to destroy the police buildings and see the result

Looks correct at level 2 zoom

Looks correct in the traffic view.

You can of course use this technique with any building that has a 'radius lines,' and it works with any network.

I hope you have appreciated this quick "how-to". I'm sure that you'll find plenty of use for this.

If you have any questions about this article, please PM wouanagaine.

Snow Effect Tutorial

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:47:40 +0000

Please PM The Big Z if you have a question regarding this tutorial.

Snow Effect Tutorial

The purpose of this tutorial is to show how one can add a snowstorm effect to your SC4 pics, whether of a City Journal or other reason. I used Photoshop 7, but I am sure that you can use any photo editing software with the same capabilities.

STEP ONE:
Find a Picture

You may use whatever picture you want. I am using a picture of JENX Burg Eltz V12 from my City Journal. Open the picture in Photoshop.

Step TWO:

Replacing Colors

For the next Step you need to add some of the white stuff! So, click on Image>Adjustments>Replace Color. As the picture indicates.

Now, your mouse will become a dropper. Click on a color of your choice. I chose some of the roof colors because snow likes to stick there, a lot. Of course there will be other places in the picture that will share that color. So, be careful what you choose! Now, don't worry about the quality quite yet. You can slide the 'fuzziness' bar at the top of the Replace Color Window. Once you've reached your desired look, click OK.

Step THREE:

Its Awful Cloudy

Now, create a new Layer. I find that Ctrl+Alt+N works best, but however you want to add a new layer is fine. Make sure the colors you have set are either Black and White or a Shade of Gray and White. NO COLORS! Make sure your layer's opacity is 50%. Then click on Filter>Render>Clouds. Now your picture will be somewhat, well, gray or darker.

Step FOUR:

Noise, Noise, Noise

Ok, now it time to add your snow flakes! On the Toolbar, click Filter>Noise>Add Noise. A window like the one below should appear. Slide the bar around to see how bad you want your storm to be. Make sure you have chosen the options: Glaussian, and Monochromatic. If you don't, you'll get a bunch of colored snow flakes!

Step FIVE:

LET IT SNOW

Ok, this last part is really easy. Go back to Filter, but go to Blur>Motion Blur. Now, a window will pop up, and you can choose how many pixels to move your layer. I would suggest NOT going over 20 pixels, or it won't really look realistic, unless you're in a tornado. You can also choose what angle. So, left, right, up, down. It's up to you! Once you've found your desired look, simply click OK. And viola! You're finished!

**TIDBITS**

Now, don't forget, its your picture! Experiment a little! Change the Opacity, if you want an even stronger storm! Or, less motion, if you want a lighter snow fall! There is endless possibilities! But first and foremost, make sure you have FUN!

Merging Split and Ground Highways

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 02:41:02 +0000

This is a quick and simple technique for "merging" a single lane split highway to a regular ground highway.

First create a stretch of ground highway and demolish a small section where you want the merge to occur.

Connect a single tile length of avenue to one end of your highway like so:

Next, run a small one way road section to join at the convergance of the highway and the avenue. Be sure that the direction of the one way road matches the direction that the split highway lane will have once connected.

Once you have this completed, run another ground highway up to the one way road so that the lanes connect.

Now run a section of rail along the unwanted lane of the new highway to demolish it. Once completed, demolish the rail line as well.

You will now have your split highway connecting to the ground highway and as long as you have taken care to ensure traffic flow is in the correct direction, the junction will work like any other in the game. The next step is to re-connect the original highway using a new section of ground highway.

You will now have the finished product. Although the merge is noticable, it is not too obvious (particularly at higher zooms) and a few trees will help to disguise it all the more. The important thing is, it works.