CAM - General Discussions

[TheTeaCat]

Use the query tool on an Industrial building
It will tell you in the info window that opens


TTC

[tag_one]

Hi shovelmonkey, I usually zone an area of 8x12 tiles surrounded by roads for industrial development. This size is big enough for large buildings and works also well for smaller 2x3 buildings. The area behind the small buildings is mostly filled with small 1x1 lots. Imo this looks quite good. When an industrial area develops further the small ones make usually place for bigger buildings. 

[neville_bartos]

I've downloaded a number of individual buildings from Simtropolis and when i unzip the file i get various .lot, .dat and model files. What do i actually do with them?? So far i've just been keeping the model files and moving them to a folder in my plugins but i've got a feeling that this is wrong as they're not growing!!!!

Also, can someone explain the whole density qustion and how you encourage skyscrapers to grow. So far i've been only been able to grow a couple and mypopulation has stagnated at 55k! Any ideas how i can boost the population too???

Thanks

[platyfish124]

Assuming you have a population of 55,000 with no neighbouring cities, then it is not nearly enough for the huge buildings to grow. These require populations of at least 200,000 or more, even up to 1.2 million for the very largest buildings. I will explain the idea of stage caps to you. Stage 8 buildings, for example, are not CAMelots, but some are included with the pack. They require a regional population that is a certain amount. For example, if the next stage limit is at ~500,000, then you need a population of 500,000 for that certain type of development for that stage building to grow. If that stage limit of 500,000 is residential, then your regional residential population must be at least 500,000.

Also, for your stagnating population question: Did you place parks? Are your hospitals/schools covering your residential areas and are sufficiently (enough so that the capacity exceeds usage, though it isn't required to be too much above) funded? Have you checked crime levels? If they are high (about 30-40 unreported crimes a month), you should use the data views to find out the worst areas. You sould also check garbage levels. This is one that I forget a lot. You should build a waste to energy plant in a neighbouring industrial city, make sure there is a neighbour connection, then in a few months, there should be your utilities advisor telling you about a neighbour deal involving garbage.

[shovelmonkey]

Excellent, thank you very much for the replies. You all have already multiplied my industrial success and satisfaction greatly. 

[platyfish124]

Yep, I always place a 6x4 grid of streets before I expand. The grid that Maxis provides is... useless, to put it mildly. I like to place a 6x4 grid mainly because it is the perfect grid size to accommodate those pesky rectangular services.

[neville_bartos]

Ok thanks.

Anyone have any ideas on what i do with all these files???

For example, for the Azuriko Plaza i get a growable.dat, plopable.dat and a model file.
I've put the model file in a folder i called "model" in my plugins but i don't know what to do with the rest! I want all my buildings to grow as opposed to being plopable!
Also, when i get a query file, where do they go?

Thanks

[Bobsuga]

All new cities I start are planed , but problem persists in my older cities ...
Well , I like to create small villages , and grow they step by step to huge urban cities , so my grid (in most cities) is everything but perfect... And the way diagonal streets and grid work is just terrible :p . Maxis should have made zones fit with diagonal roads...

[BarbyW]

If you have downloaded the CAM starter packs from the LEX then all you need is the model file. The CAM CO$$$ pack contains a CO$$$ stage 11 that uses the model. If you keep the growable.dat from the original upload then it will start growing at the wrong time as it is an old file and pre-CAM. Thus it will be a maximum stage 8 and probably has poor stats as well.
Many of the original lots were set to grow in all densities too so you could end up with a skyscraper in a rural city.
If you get a query file it should go into the root of plugins.

[neville_bartos]

ok, cheers!

[Eliteforce]

All of my cities with CAM have an insatiable appetite for CS-$ and CS-$$  The bars are maxed out all the time, even though my education levels are over 100, they have not budged one bit.  Is this supposed to happen?  Anything I can build to dull this?  (something with several thousand CS-$ jobs???)

[RippleJet]

As long as there are R§ people in your city, you will have a demand for CS§, and
as long as there are R§§ people in your city, you will have a demand for CS§§.

One reason it seems like CS§ demand can never be fulfilled, is the fact that those lots often upgrade to CS§§ or CO§§.
Once a lot has reached a higher wealth level, it can only degrade into § if it first dilapidates.

You might get some drop in CS§ and CS§§ demand, once you start getting hi-rises of these, mostly hotels.
Otherwise, I'd simply ignore the demand. The R§ and R§§ Sims are equally happy working in CO and industries as well.

In general, the erroneously doubled regional workforce that CAM sees, is the main reason for the high demand overall.

[24athome]

Hi all,
This may have been discussed before but I can't find the solution any where.
The problem is that I am not getting any CO$$$ growth in any of the cities no matter what. The Demand for CO$$$ is maximum, I have Parks and Fire stations but no CO$$$ growth, not even the non CAM buildings. 

[RippleJet]

Plazas and landmarks are better than parks in promoting CO§§§.
Check the desirability map for CO§§§ and plop some plazas where the green is most green.
Plant some trees in the area as well to provide some transient aura effect.
Also make sure there's no crime and no garbage where you want CO§§§ to grow.
And finally, next to a busy road is a good place to start building your commercial district.

[sumwonyuno]

I understand that CAM 2.0 won't be "fully CAMpatible" with CAM 1.0, but how so?  What would it mean for CAM lots and 1.0 regions?  The only thing I've heard is that 2.0 requires that simcity_1.dat be patched. 

[RippleJet]

The fixing/removal of the doubled residential regional capacity and workforce gives too big an inpact on the demand... effectively, the demand simulator would suddenly realise that half the population is gone.

[b22rian]

To me in the cities im playing.. the demand bug hasnt been the worst thing that has happened..
and i know for a fact others would agree here,,
But what the demand bug has caused to happen for me, is the sky lines in my cities are that much larger
and nicer looking..because you have the increase in the commercial sky scrapers..

Anyways to me its a nice choice your offereing players..Continue with your cities as they are with cam 1.. OR-
Start up new cities with cam 2, and expect reduced sized sky lines ..
that you have now gotten used too..

Brian

[RippleJet]

OR-
Start up new cities with cam 2, and expect reduced sized sky lines ..
that you have now gotten used too..

That will depend on which version of CAM 2.0 you'd select

[z]

Which version?  Please, do tell more! 

[b22rian]

That will depend on which version of CAM 2.0 you'd select

WOW, are you serious ripple !
Boy.. I cant wait to hear about that...
that sounds awfully exciting to me...