Tutorial on Plugins

[Sorengaard]

Hi, Is there a tutorial about how to setup your plugin?  Firstly, Simtropolis advises not to use the Program Files/SimCity 4/ Plugins at all because it is a secondary folder. And since the "My Documents" folder is the primary one it will override the existing files in the "Program Files" folder.  Secondly they advise to divide the plugin into three major categories: Mods, Lots, and Props. (http://www.simtropolis.com/omnibus/index.cfm/Main.SimCity_4.Keep_Sim_City_4_Running_Smoothly) I always understood that the plugin will access folders alphabetically, so does this mean that all Lots open first, Mods second, and Props third using this format?  Does that make sense?  Again I understood that Props need to open before Lots so their "properties" are already in place when the Lot opens and can access them.  Is that incorrect?  As you can see I am just a wee bit confused and wondered about a tutorial that explains how this process works.  Thanks, Steve

[Girafe]

Hi, as I know it's better to place your downloads in the plugin folder of my documents and not on the disk C. Moreover when you download a file with an automatic setup, it will be place in this folder.
After I think that it's better for you to classify every downloads as you want. This folder is quikly heavy and it's a little bit the mess after few months of downloads. The classificaton props/mod/lots could be one, mine is like this for instance:

- Automatas
- Infrastructures
- Houses
- skyscrapers
- Nature
- NAM (alone it's better I think, it's a big one)
- Props
- Textures
- Ways

In another part, I have never heard about which one opens at first maybe someone could you advise on this point 

[jmyers2043]

My answer is what ever systems makes sense to you. Maybe I am reading between the lines but it seems like your looking for ideas on how you can organize your stuff rather then looking for the definitive perfect system?

I've organized by plugins by authors, teams, or projects. Author would be a folder named after JasonCW. Individual members of the BSC or NDEX will have folders inside the respective BSC or NDEX folders. So authors are often grouped into teams. Projects tend to be things like seaports, NAM, CAM things like that. That way - if I am working inland and there is no seaport in the city I am tinkering with then I can omit the seaport files.

Most (not all) the material on the LEX use installers. I usually let the installer do it's thing because that makes updates easier. Especially if you have 2G of downloaded material like I have.

Good Luck.

[jigsaw]

everyone to their own, but i have split the 3 plugins folders up to do 3 different jobs

1. mydocs - CC main
2. progfiles - DEPs
3. SKu data - mods

and in the main folder 1., i have resorted to setting it up as close as can be to the in game menu... ie RCI, transits, Plops, Rewards etc. and within them i have them split ie.. Transits has Rail, Road, Misc Transport, Airports, Seaports etc....

i find this easier, as it shares the workloads over 3 folders, and i know where things are based on subject matter. however, i have a huge plugin archive that is far more complex, and have dedicated artists collections.

[Sorengaard]

True about the ideas.  But also since the Program Files/SimCity 4/ Plugins is secondary (something I never knew) should all the Maxis plugin items be moved to the My Document/Plugin folder?  Like the bldprop files, essentials, and the miscellaneous ones like the castle set? And certainly don't put NAM or similar programs into the Program Plugin. And also I know that some Lots want certain things to open before others because they will utilize "z" in front of folders to ensure they open later. I also assumed that NAM is suppose to open before other folders.  That is why I asked about Props, Mods, or Textures.  Should they as a rule be alphabetized or not?  Since neither of you do I conclude that it isn't. And Jigsa, your response posted while I was writing my own.  I don't know what DEP's is or SKu data plugin is either. Thanks for the help, Steve

[Andreas]

For "normal" items like buildings, lots, and dependency files, the loading order shouldn't matter, unless stated otherwise in the readme file. Using a certain loading order is only critical if you use certain mods that override other items, such as the European Road Textures Mod, which has to be loaded after the NAM because of the textures that override the NAM default US textures.

I think more important than your folder structure is being careful when installing new files. Ideally, you shouldn't just dump everything into the plugins folder, but also tracking the content, either in your mind, or maybe make a list, and always check the readme file if you already have the necessary dependency files. I have some 1.5 GB in my plugins folder and know virtually every building by name, and also know who created it.

This knowledge is much more important than the actual folder structure, since you can easily navigate through your folders and rearrage them without hesitation, if needed. It's not that hard to learn what you have installed if you always read the readme file, and you shouldn't install more than a dozen of new items or so during one batch, in order to keep the process simple.

It's also up to you which of the two plugin folders you're using, as long as the loading order stays intact. Personally, I'll keep all non-Maxis plugin in My Documents, since this is also the default installation folder for most, if not all installers on the LEX and other exchanges. One reason is that making backups is a lot easier - I can copy everything to an external HD with just one click.

[jmyers2043]

But also since the Program Files/SimCity 4/ Plugins is secondary (something I never knew) should all the Maxis plugin items be moved to the My Document/Plugin folder?

You probably already know this ... but just in case ...  Maxis loads from C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4 first. Then C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Plugins second. It loads from \My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins last in a somewhat alphabetic order.

There are some things that I keep in C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Plugins. Such as the Maxis bldgprops_vol1 and 2 as well as the Cycledog textures and tree props because I am often making lots and that means for me that no matter what I choose to have in the mydocs plugins I'll have necessary files when the Lot Editor loads.

Another thing for me is that I tend to keep the mydocs\plugins root somewhat clean. The Lot Editor will put my new lots and the bat tool will place the model files in the mydocs plugins\ root directory. That means I don't have to search through a lot of files so that I can find my new stuff. Hence the reason for a lot of folders in my plugins.

I have a system that works for me. Good luck with yours.

- Jim

[Sorengaard]

Thanks to everyone for the info and help.  Some things I already knew, some things I didn't know, and some things I was mistaken.  Therefore the confusion.  I knew about some things needing to run after others but wasn't sure of the overall impact.  I have asked a question about deleting duplicates because of this and am waiting for a response.  Thanks again for the help Steve  Oh and btw what again is a SKu data plugin?