help, please, with changing menu assignments

scritore · February 10, 2007, 07:49:37 AM

Hi folks... I've searched several SC4 sites, obviously in vain, in an effort to learn how to change the menu assigned to custom ploppable lots. Is there a way that I can accomplish this using iLive Reader? I know that a lot's position within a certain menu can be changed using Reader, but I cannot seem to figure a way to change a lot from, for example, being listed on the Rewards menu to the Landmarks menu... thank you for any help you can offer me with this frustration...

John

kwakelaar · February 10, 2007, 08:01:35 AM

As far as I know which menu a lot appears in is determined by the OccupantGroups in the Exemplar file of the lot. This can be changed in the Ilive Reader.
What I have been doing is finding a lot from the menu I want to assign my lot to and then copying the needed OccupantGroup number from there.

Edit:By the way I think this question should have been put in a different forum something more like the modding help section maybe?

wouanagaine · February 10, 2007, 08:08:55 AM

I'm not sure that changing from reward to landmark will remove the 'reward' factor of that lot. The reward condition is dictate by another file and I don't know how the game will behave if you put a reward lot in the landmark menu only.

scritore · February 10, 2007, 08:29:59 AM

Quote from: wouanagaine on February 10, 2007, 08:08:55 AM
I'm not sure that changing from reward to landmark will remove the 'reward' factor of that lot. The reward condition is dictate by another file and I don't know how the game will behave if you put a reward lot in the landmark menu only.

I'm not really concerned about actual "reward" lots, moreso lots that have been arbitrarily assigned to the Rewards and/or Parks menus for menu space reasons. For example, virtually all of the CSX lots have been assigned to the Rewards menu for ( I presume ) space reasons, when they are not in fact reward lots, but simply ploppable industrial or commercial lots. The same is true for many custom transportation lots that have been assigned to the Parks menu...

I dislike the rewards menu because it will not "hold" in the place of the last clicked item... it always reverts to the top of the menu. I tend to forget I even have certain transportation lots that get buried in the parks menu, so I'd like to move them to the various Transportation menus.

Thank you, wouanagaine, for your reply here and for your wonderful tools...

John.

scritore · February 10, 2007, 08:31:32 AM

Quote from: kwakelaar on February 10, 2007, 08:01:35 AM
As far as I know which menu a lot appears in is determined by the OccupantGroups in the Exemplar file of the lot. This can be changed in the Ilive Reader.
What I have been doing is finding a lot from the menu I want to assign my lot to and then copying the needed OccupantGroup number from there.

Edit:By the way I think this question should have been put in a different forum something more like the modding help section maybe?

Thank you... I'll fiddle about with this approach and see if I can get it to work... I very much appreciate the reply. I apologize if I chose the wrong forum for the topic, btw...

John.

jeronij · February 10, 2007, 09:26:08 AM

May I suggest you to use Ilives LEProp, available at the mods section at Simtropolis ?
This is the simpliest way I know about, to change the lot menu. Be aware, however, that sometimes, your changes will not work as expected, specially when moving to the seaport menu

. If this is your case, simply open a working existing lot with Ilives Reader, and find the Occupants group property and copy it ( right click on it and copy). Go to your lot and paste this property. delete the original Occupants groups from your lot. Only one can remain. Save and done.

The reward condition is a separate property and works in whichever menu you place the item, as far as my experience can say.

Now I will move this one to the modding help requests

.

Fukuda · February 10, 2007, 12:11:04 PM

Yes, copy the Occupant Group, but never forget reindexing! If you don't reindex, the LD file probably won't update.

jeronij · February 10, 2007, 01:12:31 PM

Reindexing is only necessary for Lot exemplars, but not for building exemplars...

wouanagaine · February 10, 2007, 03:18:54 PM

Hum, if fukuda think about reindexing in reader, I think it is better to always reindex if you remove/add new entries.
However, most important thing is to rebuild directory entry. Looking into source code of reader, it is not done automatically
If you modify a 'compressed' entry you need to rebuild the directory entry

BarbyW · February 10, 2007, 03:33:57 PM

After making any changes in either exemplar you should Reindex and Rebuild Directory file. It takes 10 secs to do. The LD file is not affected by the Reader as it is a file generated by LE and is only changed if the lot is edited.

jeronij · February 10, 2007, 11:26:53 PM

Thanks for making this point clear

I admit that I usually dot not rebuild anything when I make changes only to an exemplar building....

.... I think some of the test I made, which failed, could be related to that....

Still learning after soooooo much time

scritore · February 11, 2007, 04:21:27 PM

Thank you, everyone, for your help here... I'll try and get things to work this week...

John

RippleJet · February 16, 2007, 12:37:41 PM

Quote from: wouanagaine on February 10, 2007, 08:08:55 AM
I'm not sure that changing from reward to landmark will remove the 'reward' factor of that lot. The reward condition is dictate by another file and I don't know how the game will behave if you put a reward lot in the landmark menu only.

It's been a few days since this post, but couldn't help commenting on it

All of my commercial landmarks with subway stations, mentioned in this post, are rewards. Most of them are only in the landmark menu and function properly.