NAM - What is it and what does it mean to you?

[jplumbley]

NAM - Network Addon Mod

What is NAM to you?

How has the NAM changed the way you play the game?

What does the NAM mean for you as part of this community??


I am starting this thread because after a few months of being away I would like to take time to share what I have had a chance to reflect on.  I asked myself these questions before I came back to the community this past week.  And I realized that the NAM is probably one of the most complex, and most anticipated mods of any game.  I was proud to be able to say, I helped create a part of that and contribute to that pride I have for what we as a community have created the past 5+ years.

What is the NAM to me?

The NAM is a creative and technical output in which allows the challenges of todays modders become reality.  It allows us to dream of new ideas on how to implement real life situations in transit networks that are a part of our real lives into game realities.  What will we be able to do next?  I dont know, I can only dream.  It is the physical manifistation of what we the community have come together to create.  And I am proud to be able to say we have preserved the complexities and the delicacies of the NAM for more than 5 years.  To me the NAM is more than just a mod, it is what makes this community survive and thrive.  It is what has kept all of our interest into what the next great achievement will be.

What does the NAM mean for you as part of this community?

Look at what we all have done... the entire community!  Every single person has had ideas, suggestions, dreams.  Sure, only a few have the technical ambition to carry out these amazing projects but the idea, the dream of the NAM came from everybody.  To me the NAM is the reason we come back, it is the reason we check the boards every day.  What new idea was posted, what could I possibly have in my cities a month from now...  We keep coming back for more and it is the pride and joy of our community.  The NAM has had so many different contributors over the 5 years that it is impossible for anyone person to name them all without looking up a fact sheet.

The NAM belongs to the entire community and I would not give up being a part of it for anything else.  I take so much pride and joy in this, I hope every single person in this community feels the same way as I do!

       

I applaud this community for being able to work together so hard for so long to keep the NAM the most coveted treasure this community has to offer.  Thank you everyone for your continued enjoyment.



Please, share your thoughts about what the NAM means to you and has done for you.

[Olasz]

NAM for me is the hope that SC4 (and the type of game) just does not fade out because the community is disregarded by some high level marketing folks deciding on new EA releases

Olasz

[grbac]

NAM is the reason why one starts to play SC4 again. If he ever stopped.

NAM is the community.

[choco]

^which was me.....

when i bought the game, i played for about a week and got bored.  i stumbled on ST because i made a typo in a google search....which made me aware of the modding community (figured the game was dead).

i got hooked after the NAM.....it alleviated the major problem i had with the game....no versatility.

[MandelSoft]

Someone said this about the NAM once.

The NAM is how SC4 Rush Hour should have been.

[JoeST]

The NAM is, yes simply IS, SC4 for me. Without it, I wouldnt still be here. The collaboration and teamwork is what I love....the creativity and design, the discovery and experimentation. It keeps me on the internet.

Joe

[metarvo]

The NAM is by far my favorite mod, as it is the driving force that placed me in the community.  I consider it to be the centerpiece of SC4.

[io_bg]

I can only repeat some of the people above me:

The NAM is, yes simply IS, SC4 for me. Without it, I wouldnt still be here. The collaboration and teamwork is what I love....the creativity and design, the discovery and experimentation. It keeps me on the internet.

NAM is the reason why one starts to play SC4 again. If he ever stopped.

NAM is the community.

[sithlrd98]

What does the NAM mean to me? Freedom.Choice.Creativity. Although I rarely use some of the transit options , they are there if I want them. I occasionally am testing with a clean plug-ins folder and go to the transit menu and say:Man I can't believe just how bare our options were without the NAM!" I still am in utter awe at how much stuff has been done within the various add-ons, (HSRP,SAM,RHW,STR,Flups....) and can't believe some of the things that are being worked on , such as NWM and the T-ram , let alone what others are currently working on (any body been over at 3RR lately? (loaded question!) Any body seen what Smoncrie is doing(about to make my mods obsolete!) Even the Maxis highway has been upgraded with curves and some awesome interchanges.Look at some of the "tweakers"like BuddyBud, Andreas(and the SFBT team) , Jplumbley(Jason),Jonathan(Warrior) and Alex(Tarkus)to name a few , that are constantly working on projects to give us even more realism.The NAM is what SC4 was meant to be. Don't get me wrong , there are some beautiful models being created for our cities , and some pretty darn accurate maps to build our cities on, but if you can't get people to them , then whats the use? I know there are many others that I  have forgotten to mention , and I apologize. I didn't mean to ramble , but have been thinking about this all day! Thank you to all who are involved with making our transit that much more realistic!


Jayson

[girlfromverona]

Great overview, Jayson! To all those who have contributed to the NAM and its add-ons, I want to say a big THANK YOU! If I ever had to go back to a NAM-less SC4, I don't think I'd want to play anymore. To me, the NAM is an absolute necessity in anyone's Plugins folder. 

[Pat]

OK here I go...

To me the NAM is one of many great utilities out there for a computer game err scratch that... What I want to say about NAM, well Network Addon Mod is simply the driving force behind this community!!! It brings in the talent that keeps this game alive!!! It opens up peoples eyes to the possibility that they can to do it!!!

Lemme say here that and I will go on record saying that where the NAM was to where it is now is beyond any ones comprehension!!! Why I say that is well simply look at all who have dabbled in on the NAM.... Daaaang talk about some great skills that each and everyone has brought into IE modding a path that the freaking car travels and figuring out how long it should take that car to get from point A to point B!!! I am sorry I could never come up with a formula to work it like that...

Bridges WOW there we go on that... How long did it take for someone to come along and figure out hey we can add more bridges to this game? Who made them all work in the game and not cause the end user to suffer a CTD?? OK so yes that is a lot of question but I know it means to me a lot of folks working hard to make this game BETTER!!!!  Come on who ever thought there would be more highway interchanges?? I know I thought it was impossible till some folks came around and said hey look and its possible and also to make it work!!!

I believe if the NAM ever died, I honestly believe that this whole community of Sim City 4 will go out like a light... Why I say that is look at the previous comments!!

Honestly look and that is why the NAM is important here and to me!!! I know there are teams out there but I believe we are all intertwined into the NAM in one way shape or form...  Look at this way there are several members from BSC, NHP, ITC, SFBT, RTMT, RAM and the list goes on in how many of them are part of NAM... Them same folks come back to their respective teams and bring that spirit of unity back to them... So yes you can say honestly NAM is the glue!!!!

Jason (jplumbley)thank you for coming back and bringing this up!!! I soo agree with you 100 % if my ramblings wasn't obvious enough lol...  I wish I could give you a karma point right now for being a vibrant wind in the community!!!! I mean it and I just ain't blowing smoke here either!!!!

So that is what NAM means to me!!!

Cheers

Patrick

[mike3775]

NAM to me made me want to try out the newer transit systems.  When the tram(or GLR) was released, I placed it, and got so many CTD's that I gave up on it.  Then while looking through these forums, I saw that some found out how to place GLR inside an avenue and eliminated a majority of CTD's as well, I gave it a shot.  Now I rarely place trains at all, I instead use GLR and use the split Avenue and Street versions. 

When the High Speed Rail mod came out, I also tried it, never had much useage on it, but now that there is a ground level and elevated, it works great now and I love placing it in my cities as well.

I love the bridges people have come up with as well.  Way better than just the usual plain bridges that Maxis came with(although I do like to place cable stayed bridges).

I also like how NAM incorporated different styles of streets as well, and made them dragable.  Same with the GLR as well.

Without the NAM, I highly doubt I would still be playing SC4.  Its the different lots and mods and upgrades that other people have put lots of time and effort into, to make the game still enjoyable after all this time, considering I usually only PC games for about 2-3 months and then lose interest

So many many thanks to everyone who came up with the NAM, who beta tested it, who poured countless hundreds of hours into it, to make the game way greater than it used to be, and I am forever thankful for those who did just that

[heitomat]

NAM gives me the opportunity to recreate reality to the max. The implementation of new means of transportation, new interchanges, roundabouts, better traffic simulation and such, keeps the game alive. The NAM and its opportunities, spiced with add-ons like RTMT and HSRP,  is the core of my playing style.

NAM and it's related custom content is the reason I'm part of the community.

Many thanks to the NAM team who revived the game for me! 

[carkid1998]

NAM is the prevention of making people think sc4 is just another boring city building game.

[RippleJet]

Some people think the NAM is the greatest thing to ever hit the game.

Yes, I'm some people...

Some folk wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

No, I'm not some folk...