DAMN Development Thread (formerly known as "Custom Submenus")

[Grasool]

thx for your quick answer. I finally got around to try this out. I did as told and copied the exemplar files into a new .dat.
I put that into my plugins folder but somehow it doesn't load into the sspt.

Are there any other files other than the exemplar i would need, or is there something else i am doing wrong?

alright saw my mistake.

[CaptCity]

If I may offer up a question... There's a situation that's come up at ST where it seems that some are able to DAMN mayor mode ploppable items and some can't. (thread here). Would there be any reason for this to be the case? I seem to be able to create DAMN menus for MMPs just fine, and I can't seem to recreate the problem others are having. Thanks for any assistance...

[DAB_City]

Hello everybody,

I have installed DAMN on SimCity 4 for PC successfully, but I was wondering if there is a way to set up a functional DAMN system on the Mac, possibly by organising the lots on the PC, and then transferring the files to SimCity 4 on the Mac. If any of you have any ideas about how to do this, I would find it incredibly useful to know...

Nevertheless, well done to Daeley and the team, and I look forward to future versions of the DAMN. 

[wunderlong88]

I installed Damn and the SSP-Tool and the SSP-Tool Damn plugin.  I now see the Damn menu in the newsticker in the SC4 but nothing is in it.  I have downloaded lots of content and it is in the plugin folder in my documents\simcity 4\plugins

The Damn plugin installed into the Programs(x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Plugins folder

I can't figure out why it doesn't find any of my plugins.

Can some one advise on what I still need to do?

TY,

Linda

[wunderlong88]

Oh and to let you know the Maxis - Plugins folder with the DAMN install does have the addons installed - the folder structure shows up in the directory with .dat files in it.  Although I don't have these sets in my Documents/Plugins folders.

I'm unclear whether I have to have the files in both places or what?

[joshua43214]

You should have this file structure on C
C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Plugins\DAMN\Root\"your various menu category fodlers"

and this structure in your docs
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\DAMN
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\DAMN menus
C:\Users\YourName\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\zzzzz_Damn remove
to be extra clear, thats 1 folder in the program files, and 3 in the documents

I had to change the z file so it had 5 z's before it worked for me - it has to be the absolute last thing to load. It also seems to be buggy when used with datpacking.

As a final note, you have to run the indexer everytime you change the file structure of the plug in folder. The indexer is in the extra tools in the ssptool.

I got tired of fighting with it and datpacker, and gave up on it a while back. Every now and then I'll fool with it for a while and quit. Datpacking is far more important to me, I have a trackball with a 2 inch scroll wheel, it goes through even the parks menu quickly enough.

[wunderlong88]

I do not have any of the 3 DAMN folders in Documents\Sim City 4\Plugins\

I have root & support (which contains the index file, which I ran) in the other Plugins folder.

I've installed twice (and used the SSP-Tool w/ the damn plugin).  Not sure if I did the SSP-Tool right - when I installed it, it automatically opened I chose plugin and picked the zip file with the SSP-Tool for Damn plugin and it said it installed.  What else should I be doing?

I can, of course, create those 3 missing folders but what files should be in them?

[wunderlong88]

Here's what I've done -
I have read the guide at Simpeg.com and installed DAMN - SSP TOOL & SSP TOOL DAMN PLUGIN per the instructions - in a nutshell I did this:

- Download and install (unzip) the 'SSPTool_Complete.zip' to your desired folder.

- Download 'SSPTool-DAMN Plugin' - no need to unzip, just remember the location where you saved it.

- Start SSPTool (double click the 'SSPTool.bat' inside the installed folder).

- Select 'Tool | Install Plugin', then select the 'SSPTool-DAMN Plugin' ZIP archive (hopefully you do remember where you saved it to) and press 'OK'. This will install the plugin to the correct folder.

- Restart SSPTool so it can complete the install - now a menu called 'Plugins' and the 'DAMN' plugin itself should appear.

- Press 'Install DAMN' in the lower left corner of the DAMN plugin to install DAMN; select the options to your needs.

- Now you can start the DAMN Manager and manage your DAMN menus.

I've done this multiple times and I always get the same result - when I start SC4 I see the blue open menu link in the newsticker but I never see anything except for the 3 icons.  I have installed the addon file structure that was available and this does not show up in the menu area.

I see the Damn root & support folders in the simcity program plugins but there are no damn folders except zzz_damn remove in the my documents plugins folder.  This only appeared after I attempted to use the Manager in the SSP Tool to begin setting up my menu navigation.  Neither the original file structure in the manager (which I removed) nor the new structure which I created appear in SC4.  Just the blue link for Damn - which gives me 3 icons - arrow, home, ?.

I have tried installing and uninstalling 4 or 5 times - nothing changes.

The damn plugin in SSP does appear to be there - I see the installer, manager, etc.  I've used this installer as well as installing manually. ANd yes I've run the index file (or in the case of the SSP Tool install, it does it for me).  I notice there are no files listed in the index window - it begins and ends but no folders show up in between as I've seen in online screenshots of the index file.

After setting up folders/subfolders and installing files using the manager I do have .dat files in my root menu.

I have Windows 7.

I'm very frustrated. 

Any ideas???

[wunderlong88]

Found my solution...I had to remove "apps" from my shortcut start in line in my shortcut for SC4.

[wunderlong88]

Well, happily the DAMN menu system is working but I have a formatting issue that I can't seem to resolve.

When I open the DAMN menu in SC4 and I click on one of the icons for the menus it goes to the subfolder set then when I click on that set I get more columns than I can see in the newsbox.

I've tried reinstalling the program with different settings - If I set it to 1 column in the subfolder icon set I see 2 but the 2nd one doesn't fit (can't see the works only the icon with an i on it).  If I set the columns to 2 I see 3 in the subfolder set of icons and the 3rd is cut off.  I can see all the folders it is only when I get to the actual icons for the landmarks, buildings, etc. that I have more columns than will fit in the newsbox.

Help??

Linda

[joshua43214]

Glad you are working out the issues, they seem like they are similar to things I worked out and can never remember how lol.

Silly question, have you repositioning the popup?

Also, do you have the Bigger News Window plugin?

[wunderlong88]

I have tried repositioning the image and I don't have a the bigger news plugin - don't really want the box any bigger. 

If I change from 300 to 350 or 400 it just makes the columns wider and they still don't show.  I was going to attach and image to this post but I can' figure out how...

[joshua43214]

Ya, my window fills a 1/4 of the screen, I move it arround when I work.

either use the ingame photo taker - it saves into the mydocs\SC4 folder\albums. or use f12 and paste the screeny into any photoeditor. Upload it to photobucket or a similar site. On the forum, click the Insert Image button, and paste the "direct link" from the photobucket.

A heads up if you missed it - NAM 30 and NWM 2.0 is out. get it before the server locks up lol

[wunderlong88]

[wunderlong88]

I inserted the image using the "image" icon but I only see a blank post (directly before this one). So, not sure what's up with that but here is the link to the pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shore_pk7/6150516927/in/set-72157627678117450

[joshua43214]

DAMN MENU by keechivalley, on Flickr

bleh...I hate flicker lol
click share, click "grab HTML BBCode," select the BBCode button, copy the code in the window right into the forum page without using any of the buttons
The code will be a big mess with a bunch of url= type stuff

Your window is too small, sorry
There is someway to select a bigger window in either the bigger menu mod or in the installation of the DAMN itself, can't remember which.

[wunderlong88]

I installed using the ssp-tool damn plugin...it gives options but no matter which i pick it still does that - even in a bigger window

[wunderlong88]

I've been playing some more with the settings that are in the dialog that comes up when you use the "install DAMN" from the Damn Plugin in the SSP Tool - No matter how many columns I choose it gives me +1 columns in the icons sets within my folders/subfolders.

So, if I set it for 6 columns and 300 pixels wide, it automatically puts in 1914 pixel under size (widthxheight) in that same dialog.  After installing and updating the index, when I view in SC4 the Damn Menu the folders icons are fine (6 across) but when I select a folder and see the ploppable icons I have 7 wide and I can't see the 7th one. 

Obviously I haven't tried all possibilities but it appears no matter how many columns I select (1-6) or how wide I make them (300, 350 or 400) I have one extra in SC4 that I can't see but part of the icon as in the pic above.

BTW I have it set to Urgent Advice Dialog and 30 items in the menu.  Reduce the amount of news messages is checked.

Any ideas?  Is there some where else to change these settings that might be more effective?  Am I the only one who experiences this?

[packersfan]

I reinstalled my SC4 and reinstalled DAMN and SSP following a step by step tutorial like I did the first time I used it, however this time when I go into SC4 and creating a few menus nothing shows up when I click the additional subfolders.  Just HOME but nothing else.  What's the deal?  It used to work.  Why doesn't it work anymore?

[packersfan]

Sorry for not reading a few posts ahead of me!  Just had to remove apps from the shortcut.  Sheesh.  I was just a little frustrated.