help with L.E

[VeTram]

-Hi to all friends ...I feel very happy that i returned back to the site , after a short period of vacations..
Unfortunately there was an Internet cafe far away from where i stayed , and i never managed to reach it.. 
Of course i had taken the game with me , together with all the tutolials and help informations , but  i never had the time i wanted to have , as my girlfriend was with me...   ( she really hate me!..whenever i am opening my pc ... ) ..I read a little , and worked little either , as you will see below...
-Anyway , back to home now and immediately back to site..

-Dear friend jmdude1 , i am glad that you liked so far my work , and i really hope that we can become a team and continue together at whatever we are making , just like a team , helping eachothers. Thanks for the link ( i only knew Simtropolis similar thread) ..i will check it all carefully and enjoy it, as there are many pages , as i can see. I will also post my work there very soon , but i also wanted to know if there is any other thread that someone can post his work , and receive help , or advices and opinions while the project is on procress?

- Friend jmyers2043 , thanks also for your support , but i have changed the pier that leads to the lighthouse somehow , as you will see in the pic below...i hope you still like it.

-For the moment i would like a moderator to tell me , what i must do.  Should i continue to this thread , or should i open another thread in another place of forums. What i want to do? ...I want to continue my work , showing it to others , that are willing to help and tell their opinion , while the project is on procress.  Moderator i hope you understand what i mean.

-And finally for the moment i post an image of a little transformation mostly at pier leading to lighthouse and some additions , during vacations.. thanks again to all friends for all support

[jmdude1]

VeTram,
its good to see youre back again. i think its a good thing the internet cafe was far away so you can have a good holiday.  i like your updated pics. your port will look great once you finish it and surround it with buildings.  i agree about having a thread where you can showcase your progress, i think this thread is no longer only about LE help. maybe you could pm a moderator so they can help you. and of course we can continue to help each other. im also sure others will help anytime you ask.  i just do lot editing work while others have a great deal of knowledge which is way beyond me. but i will always offer help when i can.
ive been looking at your pics and thought i might add some constructive criticism.  these are just my thoughts on your pics: i think that you may have too many green/red buoys in the water. some of those ships might have a hard time navigating around them.
also, a preference of many people is to remove the yellow pause line around your screen. you can find the mod here: http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=18680&v=1 
im not sure if you have this problem or not, but many of my port buildings are LM with no jobs so i dont get too much traffic on the roads. you can try a power search on the LEX for swamper77.  he has made some great train and freight truck traffic generators. 
i like how you used the logistics warehouse pack in the 3rd pic. the rail lines up nicely with pegs waterfront warehouse. nice work there!  also, good work with the barges! i havent edited them yet. hehe.  if you want, check out the show us your seaport thread. i added some pics there last week. keep up the good work!

[BarbyW]

I have moved this to the LE Projects section as you are not longer requesting help and are showing some promising projects.

[VeTram]

thanks a lot BarbyW   ...I suppose that i can continue , in the same thread in this forum , and not open a new one..

-So, as i have already written above , my intention is to continue my project showing it to others that are willing to help and express their opinion and criticism.  I dont know if the word "showcase" ( it has a little strange meaning in Greek language) is the right word in english , but that is my intention , and i suppose BarbyW lead me to the right forum.
-Also , i will need help of course , and this was the reason that i opened this thread in LOT Editor HELP forum in the begining. You see , i am making my first steps in L.E , but i strongly believe that it is a great tool that is necessary to use it in game , if we want to add more and more realism in the game.

-For the beginning i think i must mention some words about the history and the idea of that project.. I will try to be as brief as i can...

-This project is inspired from a real harbour in Greece , it's name is Piraeus and its one of the biggest ports in Europe and the biggest in Greece. 
I wanted to create a big , realistic port , following the steps of great post "Building a port" by Emilin , which is a MUST read for everyone that wants to deal with ports in game..

-So , i discovered that great post by Emilin  , and at the same time i discovered Google Earth in net . A new region was opened into my eyes , as i am dreaming to create a big seaport that has it all parts of a big seaport , like Emilin describes.. which means a Container Seaport , a Bulk Seaport , a passenger Seaport  etc..

-I dont know yet , how many cities/parts of the whole seaport this region is going to finally have , but i since now i am sure about at least three (3)..i am now working on one of them that contains the Container and Bulk Seaport. I am working on it about the last 2 months , and during that period i realised that if i really wanted to create a realistic seaport , i ought to use L.E...and the questions began.. .i opened a thread in L.E help , and i spend most of the time dealing with L.E , which slowed a lot the progress of the project...you can see where i have reached since now , in the images that i have already posted above...you can take a look and tell me your opinion...i am open to ideas , criticism , and of course help!...this is the history in a few words...but i am afraid i have already written too much , and i have to stop and start to work ...i will continue very soon i hope ...i ought to apologize for my poor english  , i will do my best to be as correct as i can in the continuation..

p.s : jmdude1 thanks so much for all your support and criticism...i hope we will stay together in that journey of our projects..next time i will continue with your thoughts in your last post.. thanks once again ...

[VeTram]

-Hi to all once again...

-Before continue , i would like to ask the moderator the following...whenever i want to ask for help in L.E or for help generally in game , should i ask from here at this forum , or should i open a new thread somewhere else in forums, or return back to LOT EDITOR HELP forum?
For example , i want to ask something like the following....well, i have noticed that whenever i am trying to make a corner in the game i see something like this in the following image...

...this is a great problem for me , because it force me to think of other ideas to render the corner that i have into my mind..and many times i get a different result from what i want to have. More concrete in my project, i wanted to render the pier in the first image with the lighthouse in the end of the pier. I forced to change it , as seen in second image , because i had the problem with the corner in the barge that is near the lighthouse..
first image..

So, i made it a pier 3x3 lot ,in order to avoid the corner,  and i think i am not satisfied with the result..
second image...

Also i will surely face the same problem in the continuation , and i can not avoid the corners always ofcourse.. I hope my poor english , were enough to understand my problem.
is there a solution to this?
At the same subject , there is something more i want to ask for help.. if i want the pier to be 1x1 like the first image , and there is no room of course for a street , can i make transit enable the lots instead of a street , till the end of that street to the lighthouse?  I think i know how to make a street or road to pass through the lot , but is it possible to put a transit enable lot next to eachother?

-So , as you can see ,there are questions that needs an answer , and of course there will be more in the future..that's why i am wondering if i am in the right forum...

-jmdude1 my good friend
Thanks so much once again for your constructive criticism. You are always into my mind, as this is exactly what i need more.
More concrete ( i hope this is the right word as i found it in the dictionary) , i will surely reduce the green/red buoys , as i was just trying to see the sea-roads when i am placing them..you see , it is a big port with lot of ships and lots of sea-roads of course.
Thanks also for the link , for the yellow line. I have already followed your advice.
About the problem with not much traffic on roads , i have not reached yet into this point, but i will check it and will let you know. My lots are parks , should i use LM instead? is there any difference?  Since now , i have just customised some already lots with jobs , but i have read SimGoober's tutorial about how to make ploppable lots with jobs , and i will try to create such lots whenever needed. Really , are there any standards in traffic?  and in our busy ports surely we need lot of traffic.. thanks for mentioning about swamper's77 traffic generators , we will see about that in the continuation.
So , you liked the logistics warehouses and barges?.that's nice...i like them also , and i think i will leave them as they are now.
-As everybody knows every project needs a lot a work , and of course that means a lot of time , which is not so easy at all...I find myself to spend a lot of time in the site and forum , and there is no time left for the game finally....but we like what we do isn't it?  ...so , time for returning to game..see you soon..

[BarbyW]

I think i know how to make a street or road to pass through the lot , but is it possible to put a transit enable lot next to eachother?

the simple answer to that is no there is no way to put transit enabled lots next to each other.
You can continue to ask questions in this thread or you can ask each question separately in the LE Help Forum.
As for the corners problem, you can by careful terraforming get a square corner but it is not easy to do. You will have to practise until you can do it as there is no easy way to explain.

[VeTram]

Barbyw thanks for replying..i knew that it is no way to put transit enabled lots next to each other , so here comes my stupid question...

As seen in the following image , i just have a lighthouse in the end of the road..since (if i am not wrong) the lighthouse hasn't jobs , why must need a road connection?..



i say so , because i was thinking to move completely the road that across the pier , and use lots eyecandy only which doesn't need road connection , but as you can see in the image the query needs road connection to the lighthouse...why? ( of course i deleted the street connection just to see the result)

As for the square corner , i really have tried hard to find the way to do it , but since now with no result...any idea or help also with that?

thanks ...

[jmdude1]

i have an idea for the no road zot. you can open the lot in the SC4Tool (easiest way for me) and in the lot file there is a line called .....roadsrequired... or something like that. i think if you go in there and uncheck any roads selected and save, you should no longer need roads for that lot. back up your file and give it a try to see if it works. i do that with my industrial lots quite often, ive never edited a game lot this way though.

[VeTram]

jmdude1 , my friend nice to see you again.

-As you see , as long as i am trying to continue with project , always new questions come into my mind...some of them have to do with L.E , others with the game generally . I think i know the answers for some of them already , but i ask because i want to be sure...

-At my question in my previous post , i think i know the answer , and the answer i think is that some lots ( like the lighthouse) have road connection in some of their tiles. Also i think fuctional lots with jobs need road connection. As i saw in query , the lighthouse is not a fuctional lot ...am i right?  but still want a road connection , because in the edge of it's tiles has a road connection...am i right?

-The lighthouse in an official Maxis RW , so i tried to transform it in L.E , but there was no option to save as. Only option is save. But shouldn't i change the official RW that way? So i didn't go on , and i left it..but the new questions arrived into my mind...Can't transform official lots?  Is it possible to enter the lighthouse building in another custom lot?   Also noticed props like seagulls , or lightbeam , a green somehow diamont in an elevation ...what about all these?  ...didnt notice anything about that in tutorials

-Well , i suggest to Moderator BarbyW , to return that thread into the old forum it used to be ( L.E help) , as there are too many questions arrise every time i open the game , and hopefully open a new thread here that i can showcase my work...I suggest so , because i think it would be much more easier for someone to read exactly what he wants.  Help with L.E , or L.E showcase.. i think i am in both of them now..
Waiting forward for an answer , in order to continue.....thanks

[BarbyW]

Moved as per request.

To answer some of your questions:
1. The lighthouse does have jobs so needs a road connection.
2. When you start with a Maxis reward and only have the option to Save you actually get a second copy of the lot file into plugins. It doesn't change the main simcity_1.dat file. To continue to get yourself a useable lot you need to do a lot of modding. You need to extract a copy of the building exemplar from the simcity_1.dat and embed it it into you new lot file. You need to give YOUR lot a new IID and reference that throughout the lot file. You also need to change some of the properties and the filename.
3. The lighthouse itself is not a prop so without considerable modding it is difficult to put it on another lot.
4. The green diamond is the Effect_seagulls prop and should be used sparingly as it uses a lot of resources. The lightbeam is an animation found in the ARW section of the props list.

I hope this helps but it seesm to me as though you are trying to do things to advanced for your current stage. I suggest using JRJ's excellent lighthouse for the end of his breakwater would solve all your problems.

[VeTram]

..Another stupid , but very important question for me...well , whenever i want just to change some things in a ready made original /or custom lot ( like the original RW Lighthouse, or a custom lot ) , should i need to extract a copy of the building exemplar , and give my new lot new IID and reference throughtout the lot file ( as you wrote) ? Isn't it enough to just make some changes and save my new lot?  or in other words....should i need a new building and lot exemplar whenever i change a ready made original /or custom lot?

thanks BarbyW for moving me into my old forum , and thanks for all informations and support..

[jmdude1]

hi vetram, sorry i havent been here for some time but its been a busy week for me. i somewhat agree with what barby says, the lighthouse seems to be a big project. but if you back up your files and read some good tutorials, then you could give it a try. if not, you could try using another lighthouse. i think there are a few out there to download and they would be easier to add to a new lot and you wouldnt need road access.
im looking forward to an update on your progress as always.

[VeTram]

jmdude1 my friend , i am glad to find you again.

-Lately , i have stopped temporarily my project , as i am trying to concentrate in L.E and its secrets... I decided to take another look at my custom lots , as i am not satisfied with some results, and also because i wanted nothing to be wrong with them .  I have started with the lighthouse and the road that leads to it. I searched for informations and help but there are so many informations around that sometimes makes things more confusing than they really are ..
-I have posted another question above , but unfortunately i do not see any answer yet.. so i decided to look everywhere i can for some more help and support. Anyway one thing i can say for sure..i won't give up and i will continue .. i always count on your polite support , and i hope that very soon , i will return back to my project and open a post in "show us your seaport"
-I have asked from BarbyW to move my thread into this forum , because i felt i was not ready for making this step yet.. I always have too many questions , and i will not hesitate to swim into deep waters , if i have so in order to reach my target in the project and feel satisfied  with the result.
jmdude1 my friend , i have some ideas into my mind , and when i will be sure i will post them , so keep in touch 

[jmdude1]

hi vetram,
what you have done is perfectly normal. i have also gone back and redone all of my lots.  as more great custom content comes out its hard to not want to update previous lots to make them better. as for your question above (about extracting the building exemplar), i dont think you need to do this as long as you give your new lot a unique name (using the 'save as' option). im sure you have noticed that many people use their own prefix before their lots to make sure nobody uses the same names, such as JRJ for jeronij and SG for simgoober, etc. this is also a good way to find their work easily because you can just search for their prefix.
i have also been working more with the LE lately, creating more boats that float as i find them as well as looking at the 'effects' that can be added to lots.
as always, feel free to ask any questions, or post any answers you may discover.   
also, feel free to call me jeff if you want. its more personable and its better than my username here.    keep up the good work my friend.

and another edit. hehe. i thought of a question to ask you while i was looking at your photos above. i see you were able to create your own floating barge by pegasus. i have had trouble with this barge. i did the crane barge with no problem but this has been more difficult because its a prop family i think. ive noticed it uses 'resource key type 4' rather than the normal 'resource key type 1' and it also used the building/prop family property. did you copy this to your new file? and did you create a type 4 or type 1 resource key for your lot?  thanks for any help. 

[VeTram]

Jeff my friend ,  you are the first friend ever that asks me something!   it really sounds a little funny to me..

As for your question , unfortunately i can not help you right now , as i really do not remember   how i did that.. But i promise early tomorrow i will check it and reply with details.

Since then , you can also feel free and call me Antoni (Tony in english if you prefer) 

[jmdude1]

thanks antoni. theres no rush to answer my question. i always have a few things im working on. also, barby might know the answer if she sees this, or another member might help.
thanks again!

[VeTram]

Dear Jeff

-To answer to your question , it was finally easy to remember.  What you see in the image , is NOT a floating barge. It is just a custom lot that was made with SAVE AS , to the similar custom lot by Pegasus. Nothing more.

-In case you are interested to make a floating barge , we may try together and see what happens. ok?

[BarbyW]

Whenever you take an existing ploppable lot, whether is it a custom one or a Maxis one, make changes in LE and Save As the lot you get will have the building exemplar for the original lot so you will need to change the name etc to suit the lot you have made. If you do that with a growable you do need to find the building exemplar and mod a copy to fit your lot.

[VeTram]

Well , i am afraid i need some help ..

-I am looking desperately for some props , but i can not find what i need.. my question is , where and how can somenone search for props?  For example i need some stairs for my lighthouse.. are they exist ?   where and how to look for?   I am sure that i will also need other props in the contiunuation of my project , so i was wondering how others look for them either?

-I was wondering , if i could create some different lots , and put every prop in it's own category...could that be possible?  or is there any other way , that i can see props before i use them?  how?

[RippleJet]

or is there any other way , that i can see props before i use them?  how?

Serkanner once started a project of showcasing all prop packs.

You can see those he has finished here:
http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc75/BSC_SeeThemOl/

...and read about SeeThemOl here:
http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=2471.msg88460#msg88460