I'm considering installing the CAM as I've heard great things about it. Unfortunately I'd have to restart the region, but as it's relatively young I don't thing it'll be so bad.
Anyhow, I have a question about it. With the CAM are the growables a little more controlled than without it? What I mean is, before the CAM I would have restaurants growing right next to each other, so will this happen less often with the CAM? That's one thing I hate about the game and why now I use mostly ploppables.
Another question relates to ploppables. Will the ploppables be affected by the CAM alot? Reason why I'm asking is because I'm planning on plopping most of my commercial development outside of downtown (since I don't want restaurants and such to be everywhere), but I don't want the ploppables to be off-balance with the growables.
Thanks to whoever answers these questions!
-- John
Hey, John. I have to admit to ignorance as to the CAM- that sort of thing is still a ways down the road from where I'm at in 3RR. I will say, though, that from an urban planner's perspective, where stuff winds up in a mature CBD is pretty much random, despite everyone's best efforts to keep it orderly. Businesses come and go over time, and you may well wind up with three restaurants in a row, then a few of these and then a few of those. So I wouldn't worry too much unless everything comes up restaurants. You know what I mean, anyway.
From a game perspective, during my last go-round creating urban areas (probably about two years ago now), I gradually found myself moving from plopping, which is quick and relatively easy (those mile-long menus are the pits, though) to relying on growables, which I'd then manage through a process I thought of, to extend the gardening metaphor, as weeding. Something grows I don't like- I'd pull it out and see what replaced it. Sometimes I'd have to do that a dozen times before I got what I wanted, but patience generally paid off. Then too, there'd be the times I just wanted something particular to show up so badly in a place I'd created just for it. I'd go off and do something else, then come back- and there it would be. The feeling when that happens keeps you going through a lot more weeding.
Anyway, hope this helps.
David
David, thank you, that does help a little bit. I do hate the long menus when using ploppables (I actually broke the scroll wheel on my old external laptop mouse from scrolling through the menus :D), but at the same time I want everything to be just right. Of course, I know that never works in RL and even in a controlled environment like SC4 it's impossible, but I can always try. ;)
When I first started working on making more realistic cities instead of just plain playing the game, I got the crazy idea stuck in my head that "growables are evil", but now that idea has gone away.
-- John
If you, after all, decide to plop your CBD, you should read this first: :)
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=3036.msg94888#msg94888