Hey there.
So I'm a VERY new guy to this game. (In fact, first time playing it at all... EVER!) Downloaded last night and spent about 6 hours goofing off in it.
Took to the web today to get oriented on how to play and found this site. Was looking over the tutorials and noticed that my game looks different. So have I downloaded the wrong game? Which game do I have? Can I use the NAM mod for my game?
I bought the SIMCITY plus Edition from http://www.simcity.com/en_US/buy (http://www.simcity.com/en_US/buy)
Sorry for the extreme NOOB questions and I appreciate the help.
Hi Mach_V, and welcome!
I think you have SimCity 2013 (link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_2013)) and not SimCity 4 (link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_4)).
If this is indeed the case, you can check out this site for a SC2013 community -> Click (http://www.simtropolis.com)!
Alternatively, you can always purchase the awesome game that SC4 is on Steam (link (http://store.steampowered.com/app/24780/))!
I do highly recommend that :thumbsup: ;D
Ahh. Thats kinda what I thought...
One more question...
Is there any reason I should prefer the older one over the new one? (I understand I'm asking a fan forum about their baby... I just want to understand WHY I would choose the older one -- specifics?
There're many reasons but personally the biggest reason why I like SC4 over SC2013 is the regional aspect. First of all you can choose a region from a plethora of RL locations (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=15569.msg450395), or make your own from scratch. Moreover, SC4 allows you to build large, contineous metropoles spanning multiple city tiles, like so.
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg855.imageshack.us%2Fimg855%2F3040%2Fneunv.jpg&hash=190d46ce15d5860926b77bfa46c4b3b6b494bf0a)
Empire Bay by RickD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=14333.msg456228#msg456228)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0LMi7mD.jpg&hash=f7761f814b50e61a59212dc16dfe24ede42a2193)
Holt District by sim_link (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=14984.msg464882#msg464882)
(https://www.sc4devotion.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimagizer.imageshack.us%2Fa%2Fimg685%2F5287%2Fcaptureobg.jpg&hash=dec5dc73160b4981c77f9f79374070b7f719ce19)
Pense by WannGLondon (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=14262.msg443605#msg443605)
These kind of cites are simply not possible with the new SimCity because of the preconfigured regions with predetermined network connections. Not to mention the stretches of empty land which surround each city seriously butcher any sense of realism. I still cannot comprehend why the regional aspects were abandoned just like that. ()sad()
Other than that there's a ton of custom content available for SC4. Urban jungle or quaint rural town? Asian, American, European or Middle-Eastern region? It's all very possible indeed. Just browse the MD (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?board=153.0) sections (http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?board=156.0) to get a sense of the possibilities. :)
Interesting.. I like the scale w/o limitations. In my reading today, I've read that SC4 was 'hard' due to the details, scale and learning curve. Do you find this accurate? If so, I will be buying it as I don't want limitations... I want to play the game to build as I can imagine... for better or worse.
Well, there are limitations, but mostly due to bugs or errors/design flaws. Things like how the game handles traffic and the treatment of in-game menus, and a lot of things much more evident to the modder than the end-user. The game is also single-threaded, so there's that...
Still, some game bugs/flaws/incomplete stuff has allowed for things like the Aurora and Weather mods, the RHW (in the NAM), seasonal trees/flora, seasonal terrain mods (rather uncommon, though), and other such stuff. The NAM is easily one of my favorite mods, but other people make the game entirely non-functionally in the Lot Editor (not my cup of tea, but still...) and thus end up either painting entire landscapes and scenes or creating things like Mediterranean coastal towns that would not be feasible to make in a traditional "functional" city.
The very fact that you can place stuff away from roads to me seems like a huge win on that part.
Quote from: Mach_V on April 16, 2014, 10:35:15 AM
In my reading today, I've read that SC4 was 'hard' due to the details, scale and learning curve. Do you find this accurate?
As with every game there's a learning curve involved and with SC4 there're actually a number of them. I'll address each briefly.
First of all, if you're entirely new to the game than building a city without going bankrupt can be challenging. The key is to withhold any kind of service until you can actually afford it. Typically a new city is started with just power, farms and/or dirty industry and low wealth sims. This way a city actually makes a profit rather quickly and you can then start to provide water, civics, education, parks, etc., which in turn will attract medium and high wealth sims. Each of these services can be managed individually and the city budget has a host of options, too. Other than that there're a number of statistics and graphs to keep an eye on, like traffic, pollution, health, etc. Fun stuff.
Secondly, getting custom content to work properly has a bit of a learning curve indeed and for most people this is were most frustrations arise. Again the key it to take it slow. Tempting as it may be, do not go on a downloading spree and mass-install everything. Just download a few things, install them and see how it works out ingame. Familiarizing yourself with the terminology and general structure of custom content doesn't hurt either, Simtropolis has good threads on the subject (here (http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/43754-for-the-eager-yet-overwhelmed-newcomer/) and here (http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/42142-how-to-install-stex-bats-lots-and-maps/#entry1136475)). That said, at one time or another you're gonna have to deal with missing dependencies and conflicting mods. Admittedly not fun stuff. However, a bit of patience and problem solving skill go a long way. Besides, there's a large online community ready to help out.
Finally, there's the wonderful world of lotting and modding. Pretty much everything in this game can be tweaked and customized to one's heart's content. There're quite a few tools available to do so and needless to say each has its own learning curve. At this point basic knowledge of file types and internal structure kinda is mandatory (though it actually is rather hard to screw things up beyond redemption). And be forewarned, at this point you may also find yourself spending way more time with various tools rather than actually playing the game. ;)
Hi Mach_V, first off let me tell you that for some SC4 has transcended from being merely a game into being a tool for creating beautiful works of art. Just look at the many wonderful City Journals (CJs) or Mayor Diaries (MDs) you'll find here and in other SC4 community forums out there.
Only a handful of folks still consider SC4 as a game, including this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMzz2LPYYsY&list=PLF1B329DF1C6503A4&index=2
Players like these still think playing the game with mods is cheating... well in some cases, there are cheaty mods out there. And you are breaking the game by modding or using CC on it, which by the way is incorrect seeing as mods like the NAM actually fixes up the game and adds so much more to it. Players like these are still bound by the belief that like most other games, you must "beat" SC4 to be good at it, whereas the belief nowadays is that you play SC4 to express your creativity using the game as your canvass. And without mods and CC CJ makers would never be able to create wonderful works of art.
There are some mods that actually make the game harder. Most notable are slope mods, which restrict the slope angle you can build roads on. This is a deliberate challenging factor, but also one that makes your city look more aesthetically pleasing.
You can also make the game harder by using a more capacity restricted version of the NAM Traffic Simulator.
However, these are only technical restrictions you can put on your game to make it harder. There are also deliberate aesthetic challenges you can apply, for instance:
- Use smooth curves everywhere whenever you can apply them. No sharp curves.
- Use RHW only and don't build Maxis Highways. This will get challenging since the RHW takes up more space (which is actually more realistic).
- Restrict yourself to certain architecture styles
- Use industrial lot fillers. They look aesthetically pleasing, but they also limit the profit from your industrial areas since they take up space.
- Avoid pure grid structures and make up your own street patterns. This takes more time and is more challenging to work with, but it gives you a more unique feeling.
So, people who still think modding is cheating, think again. You can make the game a whole lot more challenging if you apply different restrictions.
When it comes down to it, I think a Lego analogy is appropriate. If you are at all familiar with the LEGO brand of video games, then maybe you'll understand...
To me, SC13 is like a LEGO video game (specifically LEGO Creator, but games like LEGO Star Wars still work for the analogy), where there's a lot of stuff that you can do, but ultimately there's a specific goal. The opportunities for creation and exploration are still there, they're simply more restricted; reduced if you like. Having played a few myself you realize that the video game only allows for certain amounts of creativity that are largely restricted by the game rules, and are limited by the fact that the world is only so big, and there's only so much you can do "wasting time" before you have to move on to something else, be it a city (in SC13) or a new level/stage (in a LEGO game).
In contrast, SC4 is more like the actual LEGO bricks themselves. There are limitations, sure, mainly based on the fact that there are only so many pieces/BATs/what have you available to complete your creation, and sometimes finding the right piece amidst all the others can be a chore in itself. The fact that there's a grid in SC4 also puts limitations on what you can do in terms of free form, just like you can only make a LEGO creation "so smooth" because of the size of the bricks. Still, the stuff people have done with both LEGOs and SC4 usually boggle the mind far more than what has been done with the "game" versions of the equivalents.
So, in short (TL;DR), SC13 is more like a "game" where it forces you to do certain things to keep operating and doing what you want, while SC4 is more like a sandbox. There are limitations, sure, but with a little bit of creativity and ingenuity these can be overcome to produce spectacular results.
@APSMS: Love the LEGO Analogy :thumbsup:
And to be honest, that was how I felt about SIMCity as a whole franchise ever since I first saw the original SIMCity's SNES port back in the early 90's. Also I'm still wishing & hoping that EA would make a tie in game with the LEGO group and make a LEGO based SIMCity game. It can be just like SIMCity Societies... wait, before anyone reacts negatively about SCS, let me explain... It can be like SCS in the sense that we'd plop pre built buildings in the game but every building is based of an actual LEGO builder set. And there would be a reward unlocking system where you must achieve certain goals to unlock more buildings based on other LEGO sets, especially ones from their older lines like the old LEGO town series from the 70's to the 80's.
Then the game should also allow us to design our own LEGO buildings using LEGO bricks, some of which like "specialty connectors" can only be used once we earn them by reaching certain goals as well.
Thanks for all the information guys. A few more questions/inquiries if you dont mind.
Ok.. after researching and reading (and spending some time in the game yesterday), I've come to realize that what I'm looking for in this gaming experience is to create! I want to BUILD and CREATE.
To that end, HOW do I go about getting to this level of functionality in the game? I already have NAM installed at its default levels. I was reading through some of the MDs and love the level of detail and diversity and creativity.
A question came to my mind... Are those MD/CJ cities functional? Are they allowing time to go by in the game or are they building and documenting a story line at their pace(I find this idea INCREDIBLY intriguing).
Sorry again for the very new-b questions. Thanks for your insight.
Most of them are functional cities where time does flow as you so put it. Some even go as far as starting an MD from scratch, as in they document the very foundation of their cities from building the infrastructure to showcasing the city's populational growth.
For an excellent example, you should watch this awesome "Let's Play" from one of the legends when it comes to CJs... the great Haljackey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so5gzcbSktM
I'll give it a watch.. Trying to find my way....
Are all the 'custom' buildings and items functional? For example, I saw one of them where the guy built a sawmill.... Holy crap that was cool... but functional?
It depends on what your definition of functional is. A sawmill would provide jobs and tax income but thats about it. It's not going to produce lumber as you might think a sawmill would. The airport doesn't actually transport people anywhere but provides CAP relief to commercial.
So every custom building, icon, lot is functional within the scope of the game? (ie... does whatever job the item it replaced was designed to do? Jobs, taxes, etc?)
Quote from: droric on April 17, 2014, 02:16:50 PM
It depends on what your definition of functional is. A sawmill would provide jobs and tax income but thats about it. It's not going to produce lumber as you might think a sawmill would.
If SC4 were more like an RTS (Real Time Strategy) game with resource management like say "Banished" or the "Anno" games than with its current sandbox mechanics, then that will drastically increase its difficulty & learning curve even more ;D
Quote from: Mach_V on April 17, 2014, 02:33:49 PM
So every custom building, icon, lot is functional within the scope of the game? (ie... does whatever job the item it replaced was designed to do? Jobs, taxes, etc?)
Not many CC actually replace existing in game items. And most are often categorized as being either "ploppables" or "growables". Ploppables are items you just plop in your city and some are indeed functional especially ones that serve as "civics" buildings such as Police Stations, but there are some ploppables that are just eye candy landmarks with little or no benefits other than being an eye catcher.
Growables are buildings that "grow" when you zone one of the three in game zone types (Industry, Residential or Commercial).
You can always tell which category a download falls under by reading its information on its download page :)
Quote from: Mach_V on April 17, 2014, 12:25:50 PM
Sorry again for the very new-b questions. Thanks for your insight.
We were all new once.
To answer your question about functionality (and in particular with respect to MD/CJs) there are many ways to do it.
In the basic game you have a budget that you need to keep balanced. You can plop down a school building and it will provide the same level of education whether there are play areas around it. Sims will still find places to park without a visible parking lot. It's a simulator, and there have been very successful MDs playing it that way (Digby from way-back-when on Simtropolis was one of my favorites).
Taking it to the other end, there were MDs like Anduin Valley Revisited by Darmok (also at ST from years ago). In that MD, he had a vision for what he wanted, and he built it. Budget never once factored into it that I can recall.
Other MDs take great pains to rebuild sections of real-world places. Now, given that residential buildings need places to send workers and industrial areas need a supply of employees, there is some degree of "playing the game" that needs to be done in order to prevent abandonment, etc.
Browsing the MD boards here too provide ample illustrations of both functional approaches and complete art. Three Rivers Region by dedgren (wide-scale "real-world", Mind Scape by rooker1 (artsy-functional), Siliijoki by noahclem (functional-art), and the list goes on.
Bottom line, each MD has its own approach, its own goals, and its own way of presenting what it has to offer. Functionality may or may not be something they care about (there's an "extra cheat" mod which allows for fun things like nearly unlimited money, etc).
In the world of custom content, each building out there has an impact on the game, even if it's just "eye-candy" (no real benefit other than that it looks pretty).
In terms of the sawmill you saw, it's possible that the lot provided industrial jobs, but it's also possible that it was an eye-candy park or landmark lot. It may have been one lot, or a collection of several different buildings designed to give the feel of a larger complex.
At the heart, it boils down to Residential, Commercial, Industrial (RCI) and the civic buildings/roads. There are ways to play with them to pursue any goal you'd like.
I hope that rambling to a degree helps give some guidance. Browse the MDs, Show Us... boards, and all that and feel free to ask questions of people there, how they did what they did and all that. It'll help you get a better feel for what you want, and it's always nice to know people out there are enjoying the stuff that's posted.
Welcome to SC4D.
-Matt
There's an article on the Simtropolis forum (http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/43754-for-the-eager-yet-overwhelmed-newcomer/ (http://community.simtropolis.com/topic/43754-for-the-eager-yet-overwhelmed-newcomer/)) that is really helpful in explaining the whole process of installing custom content. I'd recommend taking a look at that article; it was extremely helpful when I started playing SimCity again recently.
As other people have said already, balancing the budget is one of the biggest challenges in SimCity 4 (at least for me). When I first started playing this game years ago, I could never make money, so I eventually lost interest in SC4. When I reinstalled it recently, I didn't want to have that problem anymore, so I watched this Youtube video by Dwyrin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ewJRD6OMLk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ewJRD6OMLk)) about how to start a successful city and not suck at it. The tips he offered really helped me balance the budget, so now I have no problem with that. I also saw turning lanes appear on roads and avenues--obviously evidence of a mod--and so I just had to go download some custom content with the help of Google. :)
Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I got SimCity in 2005. That's the same year I got my 1st generation iPod nano. Believe it or not, I still have that iPod! :o It still functions, but it no longer holds a charge anymore (I can hardly make it thru one song w/o the battery dying). As opposed to my iPod, my copy of SimCity still functions and is even getting better with all those mods. I currently have 750 MB in my plugins folder. Seems like a lot, but some people have several gigabytes of plugins. Goes to show how much custom content you can get for this game. And don't forget that the game itself only takes up 1 GB of hard drive space.