CAM - General Discussions

[RippleJet]

Putting CAM in and out and in of use was probably not a very good idea, Pat... it takes quite a while for the game to settle with the new demand levels each time.
And each time there is also a risk that you will screw up the demand levels saved in the saved game file (depending on your possible regional commuters).

You could take a snapshot of one of your city's demand shown in the query of the Census Repository Facility. That could help a little...

Otherwise, I think I would recommend that you restart a fresh region with only the CAM and whatever CAMeLots you've got installed.
Just to see that you do get the CAM running in an empty region to start with.

[Pat]

OK thank you Rj that is what i was thinking i would have to do settle down the upset in the balance of things lol... That just gives me anther op to perfect my Plop water skills some more too and do diffrent things as well lol

[aestiva]

Just a reply to let you know that the CAM is the greatest! I see how it is working now!  I makes it nearly new game. I actually had to adjust my playing style.  I've got new challenges.  Thank you thank you thank you. . . 

[Shadow Assassin]

It can be hard for people to readjust their playing style, but it is worth it.

Though I was lucky in the sense that I didn't need to do much adjustment... all I had to do was reassess the time span in which I do things (it's quite a bit longer with the CAM, but that's fine with me).

Have fun with it! It'll give you a whole new perspective on the game.

[Kitsune]

Any suggestions for a camified garbage and power lots? Esspecially the garbage, at this point I've given up and using mods as to not worry about, and I really dont like that solution....

[Toblakai]

I use these:

http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?p=results

This is a set of 6 nuclear plants with "real world" output levels. Only my 2.000.000+ CAMelot city needed two of the best plants in the pack. Costs etc. are scaled accordingly and they look good and are bug-free.

For garbage I use the:

http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?p=results

It's a modded waste to energy incinerator that has more capacity, but costs more too. the pollution has been reduced. Since the CAM has adjusted the garbage levels you wont need too many of these in a city.

Toblakai

[BarbyW]

Toblakai: The links are not working but I think you mean cogeo's set of nuclear power plants here: http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/index.cfm?id=12299
I am not sure which waste to energy plant you mean, though.

[RippleJet]

I've used Cogeo's realistic nuclear power plants for a long time as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite Cogeo to upload them on the LEX, together with his other gems that I've used, e.g. his Rail Traffic Controllers, Pedmall Transit Pack and Semitransparent Stations (which should get CAM capacities).

Garbage I usually export to a neighbouring industrial city with incinerators (even the one by Maxis works ok) and reimport electricity.
If you want something from the future for garbage disposal, I would recommend RalphaelNinja's Hydro Plasma Converter IV.
Don't be afraid of its seemingly high monthly cost! You will get the money back through I-D taxation, starting the month after you've plopped it.

[Toblakai]

Darn links, they are links to search results, but the search engine on the stex seems to be down... hence the url errors.

I searched there for "Wastetoenergy Mod" which is a modified waste to energy incinerator as described above. don't know out of hand who made it. It messes up your garbage graphs though, so I might try that Hydro Plasma Converter RippleJet.

[Kitsune]

I've used Cogeo's realistic nuclear power plants for a long time as well.

I would like to take this opportunity to invite Cogeo to upload them on the LEX, together with his other gems that I've used, e.g. his Rail Traffic Controllers, Pedmall Transit Pack and Semitransparent Stations (which should get CAM capacities).

Garbage I usually export to a neighbouring industrial city with incinerators (even the one by Maxis works ok) and reimport electricity.
If you want something from the future for garbage disposal, I would recommend RalphaelNinja's Hydro Plasma Converter IV.
Don't be afraid of its seemingly high monthly cost! You will get the money back through I-D taxation, starting the month after you've plopped it.

I dont care about costs - I use the moolah cheat!   And yes, those semi-transparent stations need to get camified - I have the medium station in one of my cities at 500% capacity, and my GLR line aint liking that eithier.

[Bluebeard]

Try the Black Waste Management.

[JoeST]

@Bluebeard: do you mean the Black Hole Waste Management? they are a good set of buildings for CAM use, especially version 1

[Bluebeard]

The Original Black Hole lots are awesome.I tell anyone if you have a Garbage problem the only real solution is the Black Hole Waste Management.
    Now I havn't gotten to deep with CAM so I ain't sure yet but I think this solution will work.

[cogeo]

I would like to take this opportunity to invite Cogeo to upload them on the LEX, together with his other gems that I've used, e.g. his Rail Traffic Controllers, Pedmall Transit Pack and Semitransparent Stations (which should get CAM capacities).

Just saw this. Feel really flattered!  (j/k)
I could upload these on the LEX too, but I never thought there would ever be a demand for these. They use all-Maxis models and props and consequently they look old-ish, at least now. I made these because I didn't like the ingame NPP - the output is unrealistically low and expensive (nearing the cost of renewables) - you would need a string of power plants to power a medium/large city. So this was mostly a modding project (and to a lesser degree a lotting one).
I have started a BAT project for a NPP. I chose the EPR power station. There is no such a NPP in existence at present, but there is one under construction in Olkiluoto, Finland. I have found many brochures, documents and pics about this, even a cardboard model (this was the main reason for chosing this specific plant). Here is my thread on ST. The BAT is real-scale. Most of the work has yet to be done (what you see in the pics is just the turbine building and a small ancillary building). Most of the detail is on the nuclear building and the emergency diesel generators - there quite a few details on the electrical structures too, plus some special props that need to be made. Unfortunately I have no time to do this in the foreseeable future (at least till spring 2008) due to my job requirements (I will keep sneaking into SC4D, but there will be no time for SC4, let alone developing custom content). This would be an acceptable BAT/Lot for CAM, so if someone would wish to continue work on it, I would be happy to hand over my work so far, as well as all related material (though these can easily be found on the web). I can also help with reviewing/testing, though not carry-out any kind of development.

As for the other lots:
- Rail Traffic controllers need some little work, basically add a prop on the lots (they are almost impossible to identify). There are some rail props I think, though a custom prop like a signal post would be very easy to make.
- Ped mall stations can be somewhat improved too: there are some improved versions of the garage models (less steep, improved colours etc) - never released, also the subway stations might be possible to be modified so that they can accept a pathfile for the pedestrians (I couldn't do this at the time they were released, so those subway stations are just "normal" subway stations with pedmall-like textures and slightly increased capacity and maintenance cost - adding a pathfile would make them better integrated with the pedmall tiles). The reason I have nearly abandoned these is that the latest version of NAM was a... blow for pedmall tiles: a) The landmark effect (which was indeed set to a very high value in the previous versions) has now been removed completely and the players are advised to use plazas for this; the lots served by the pedmall tiles suffer from worse-than-average commute and lack of customers (traffic in front of them), and this results in only modest development around the pedestrian streets; increased desirabilty can counterbalance this, so the landmark effect shouldn't be removed - ideally set to a lower value like say an open paved tile. b) The pedestrian automata were removed on grounds that they overloaded the graphics engine; to my opinion one of the nicest eyecandy features was lost, and I'm not really convinced if the resources gain was worth (esp when compared to the total number of automata in the city, cars, pedestrians, trains etc); moderation would again be the best choice, eg reduce the number of pedestrian automata to a third or fourth of the original (the original setting was too high indeed, causing pedmall tiles looking like ant nests). If the NAM team could sort out the above, I would update this pack too.

[RippleJet]

I could upload these on the LEX too, but I never thought there would ever be a demand for these. They use all-Maxis models and props and consequently they look old-ish, at least now.

However, the modding is perfect and they function as they should, and are better than the in-game NPP.

I have started a BAT project for a NPP. I chose the EPR power station. There is no such a NPP in existence at present, but there is one under construction in Olkiluoto, Finland.

Guess if I would want to see that one in the game!
I hope you'll be able to finish it well before the real one at least!

If the NAM team could sort out the above, I would update this pack too.

Now, where is Andreas?

[Swamper77]

...the latest version of NAM was a... blow for pedmall tiles: a) The landmark effect (which was indeed set to a very high value in the previous versions) has now been removed completely and the players are advised to use plazas for this; the lots served by the pedmall tiles suffer from worse-than-average commute and lack of customers (traffic in front of them), and this results in only modest development around the pedestrian streets; increased desirabilty can counterbalance this, so the landmark effect shouldn't be removed - ideally set to a lower value like say an open paved tile.

The "effects" were part of a test file that Tropod put together in the early days of the NAM. It was accidentally inserted into the NAM for one of the releases. Tropod himself said it that was not supposed to have happened. They literally acted as the "cheat" air/water pollution lots that are on the STEX and as a landfill in every city that they were placed in.

b) The pedestrian automata were removed on grounds that they overloaded the graphics engine; to my opinion one of the nicest eyecandy features was lost, and I'm not really convinced if the resources gain was worth (esp when compared to the total number of automata in the city, cars, pedestrians, trains etc); moderation would again be the best choice, eg reduce the number of pedestrian automata to a third or fourth of the original (the original setting was too high indeed, causing pedmall tiles looking like ant nests). If the NAM team could sort out the above, I would update this pack too.

The pedestrians were added by adding Occupant Groups to the Ped Mall Tile exemplars for the pieces. Each puzzle piece has an exemplar that references the model(s) for the puzzle piece. This is where the Occupant Groups get added. As for the overload on systems, some people reported that their computers got slowed down by the sheer numbers of pedestrians. It wouldn't be so bad if every other tile or so produced them, but all the Ped Mall tiles were producing the pedestrians which created the slow down on some slower computers.

A separate plugin could be made for those that liked the eyecandy and effects of the Ped Mall tiles from the last version, so those folks wouldn't impose their preferences on everyone. And having reduced effects like the open paved areas is a feasible solution, too. We will have to come up with a standard for the strength and radii of the pollution effects so they are kept manageable. Set the effects too high and you get a green "radiation" effect across your cities. This is caused by the park/landmark effects being set too high.

-Swamper77

[Diggis]

Hey, I just have to say thankyou to all you talented people who worked on CAM.  I have just played a test city with it for 30 mins (to test the SAM) and my industrial areas have never looked to pretty.  50 ID BTE lots, and 80 (yes 80) IM BTE lots.  I've posted pics in the SAM area.

[Andreas]

Now, where is Andreas?

I didn't do it. No, actually, I didn't really know about the effects anyway, but I think Jan explained it very well. I'm not exactly a transit modder, but I think this is an issue that should be researched a bit more detailed indeed.

[mightygoose]

do we know if their will be CAM versions of the bigcity reward series, i loved those big neoclassial pieces...

[RippleJet]

CAM rewards will be appearing, but I can't tell which and in what order...

The CAMeLot Counter itself is the only one so far, but I've heard a rumour saying that Bengt's Helsinki City Hall will be a CAM reward...