SC4D + linux + 3GB plugins = success!

[mittfh]

Not strictly a technical help request, but for want of a better place to put it...

I've managed to get SC4 Deluxe running under Linux (Mandriva Linux 2009), and it's happy enough with 3GB worth of datpacked plugins
Best of all, it requires very little extra configuration to set up, and unlike most previous tests on Wine's AppDB, doesn't need a nocd crack to run.
In fact, courtesy of the built-in cdemu tool, it'll even cope with a CCD virtual CD of CD2.

Test results have been uploaded to Wine's AppDB, and as I write have been accepted and are showing as the 'default' selected test result.

http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=10515

Admins: if you think one of the other boards is a more suitable home for this, feel free to relocate this post...

[sumwonyuno]

Nice to hear that you have success in Linux too.  Here are some experiences I've had:

- I am running it in wine-windowed desktop mode.  You need to put env XMODIFIERS='' before wine ".../SimCity 4.exe" -args, if the keyboard doesn't work.

- Game windowed mode w/ the -w argument doesn't work with software or opengl mode.  gdi can work, it's slower, choppy, and you may need to set the custom resolution to run at the same mode as you have X (e.g. X running at 1650x1050 at 24-bit = -r1650x1024x24 ... not 16 or 32) to increase performance, since the graphics won't have to be recalculated into a different depth.  Stick with opengl.

- Registry tweaks are for modifying performance, they aren't prereqs for the game.  The only two you need to explicitly put are VideoMemorySize and DirectDrawRenderer.

- Graphical issues, especially 'residue' from the query tools, are common, and shadows are always stuck to low quality, regardless of setting. 

- No 'native' Windows .dlls are needed to run SimCity 4 Deluxe (though some are needed for the 3rd party programs); the ones with Wine are sufficient. 

- You could copy DirectX files into Wine's system32 folder, and then change the registry and shortcut settings to reflect.  Overall graphics performance is subjectively better (speed, shadows, no artifacts), but automata are messed up.

I have 1.8GB of plugins and DatPacking has greatly improved performance (50 sec first loading time, 20 sec successive loading time).  I use Windows in VirtualBox to run the 3rd party programs w/o having to boot back into Vista.  Also, I had the blank text bug/crashing problem.  I thought it was due to file names (which I still haven't ruled out), but DatPacking has solved this problem too.

I have got to try cdemu.  I need the nightlighting patch for some potential mayor diary pictures.  Though, does it have the same behavior as like Daemon Tools: having to unmount, then remount the file if you close the game the first time and go back in the game?