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Need help creating Speeder's Realism Mode Mod

Started by speeder, May 06, 2021, 09:46:09 PM

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speeder

Greetings!

So I wanted to make the game more realistic and harder, I started this mod back in 2016, ended getting stuck on the work distance bug, got sidetracked reverse engineering SC4 while trying to fix that bug.

So, what my mod will do?

It will basically change a lot of the rules, like budget, RCI, when strikes happen, crime simulation, fire simulation, etc... The idea is make choices much more meaningful, for example the mod makes earning money harder, but give more options to how to handle lack of money, including lowering the strike threshold from 90% to 75% so you can realistically defund your stuff as a way to save money.

Also I intend eventually to figure out how to put slums in the game, but I guess this will be a separate mod.


So what help is needed?

Well... I need help figuring out what mods will be required! See, my mod touches a TON of stuff, including a TON of stuff other mods ALSO touch.

So I am sure so far it will require NAM. Industrial Revolution is another one I might require.

But after that, I have no idea.

So what basic mods that also deal with zones, amenities, etc... that  you people recommend?

One thing that must be chosen is between CAM or SPAM. I want farming to be actually useful and vanilla farming just suck.

fantozzi

Lately, with corona, I always sound pessimistic and precociously and therefore I might be the very wrong person to answer here. I always did say: if we want to do something big, let's make an open source city builder. Now, in 2021, certain things are simply too late regarding the limitations (f.e. 1 Core) of SC4.

Of course, I enjoy this game and everyone should enjoy it and if you really want to dedicate your time to a mod of this kind - you always should do and never think those thoughts an old pessimistic fart thinks first.

We are talking about games and on games it's a little different than working f.e. in a hospital - on games you should do things always because they are fun to you. If those things you say are fun to you than you should do it. Definitely.

I don't know nothing ab out Assembler, C++ and LUA.

But if I were in your shoes most probably I would take a different approach. Simmaster showed a way how to load additional dlls into SC4 on start. Instead of creating a new path I would follow this one.

https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/30883-sc4fix-third-party-patches-for-sc4/

At the bottom there are two links - to the source code and to the development thread. So maybe this can give some inspirtion?

Second thing it's more some kind of favour I'd like to ask. Those things you talk about - demand, desire, caps (for money - approach should perhaps be not earning less but spending more for more challenges) - sounds close to the CAM.

I personallly think CAM is an excellent mod but not really finished. Full of possibilities - integration of CAM and NAM, integration of CAM and IRM. InvisiChem expanded CAM-Farming to 10 stages, which I never did arrive, even if I created a farming mod especially for this new CAM feature (https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/32023-colossus-farming/). 10 stages for farming are too many.

But worst - CAM 2.1 and PIM-X aren't in line anymore. Where RippleJet developed PIM-X to mod lots and bats for the CAM, InvisiChem changed stats of the CAM but didn't update PIM-X accordingly. Farming is the best example. PIM-X isn't able to mod farms accordingly to the new CAM.

So you might do the biggest favour to the comunity if you bring CAM and PIM-X to the next level first. But doing this you may find options to already realise your own ideas within this job.


These are my personal thought's and can't represent the opinion of a community.


Keep it up  :thumbsup:


speeder

[quote author=fantozzi link=topic=18831.msg536825#msg536825 date=1620368320
But if I were in your shoes most probably I would take a different approach. Simmaster showed a way how to load additional dlls into SC4 on start. Instead of creating a new path I would follow this one.

https://community.simtropolis.com/files/file/30883-sc4fix-third-party-patches-for-sc4/

At the bottom there are two links - to the source code and to the development thread. So maybe this can give some inspirtion?
[/quote]

I was helping with that but... it proved to be a massive undertaking at the time and I ended never finishing the parts of the mod that could be done without source tinkering beceause of that.

This time I want to release what can be done first.


Also I am trying to see if I can figure out how to contact EA and nag them, again, about having access to SC4 source, either having them opensource it, or have them let me assemble a team to expand the game and sell the expansion.