I am a question mark.. help please

[Snitchie]

Hello..

Blew of dust from my Simcity 4 deluxe cd's a few weeks ago.
I wow I can't even figure out why I stopped playing b4.. 

Anyway, I have played over 30 hours in 2 weeks now. Messing around starting up new regions etc.

Ive installed NAM, RHNAM, Hole digging tool.

And where I get lost is the BSC packs.. What to get ?

I downloaded a few here and there . Textures vol 1. Prop etc.. But game replied in crashing on regular basis.

So im starting all over again from scratch , removing everything.

I got the NAM parts down.

But what Packs should I grab to my game from this awesome group BSC???


A list of packs to get would be super greatfull.

( P.S I have spent over 2,5 hours going over forum , files sites etc to try and find this kind of noob guide  with no luck , hence my post here )

Any help is great.. In advance thanks..

[rooker1]

You really need to decide what you want and go from there.
It's not the dependecies you start with, it's going to be the main files and than dwon load the dependencies that it tells you to get in the read me.

The NAM is the most important.
Decide if you want to go CAM or not.  I would suggest you do so.  Download the files needed there.
The RHW is very popular and almost a must in my opinion.
After that, it basically wahtever you want really.

Robin 

[Gaston]

Okay I have to admit I am not the expert on this.   I tend to download everything.   I have a HUGE plugins file.    I just can't decide what I need and what I don't.   I want it ALL and all available all the time.   This can cause some serious operating issues.    What I would suggest is to get a sort of theme for a region and stick with it.   Use "Start-up" and load for different themes.   Like an all Japanese theme, or perhaps Small town or even old Euopean W2W stuff.    It is all out there.     You can't BSC for parks and canals that is for sure.    But if you are like me just a little bit you will want it all.

---Gaston

[Rady]

Take your time. As rooker1 already said, get the NAM, and possibly the CAM. I installed the CAM after some months of playing around with SC4, but it wouldn't hurt to put that pack in right from the start. 'Cause if you play along for some tme, you most likely will end up installing the CAM. So you could do that right now also. In that case you will also need to download the CAMpatible lots. These are buildings (R,C,I) that can make use fo the additional growth stages provided by the CAM. I downloaded them from the LEX, but it's probably a good idea to go for copy of the LEX DVD. Makes installing that stuff a lot easier, plus you get some bonus stuff that's not available on the LEX.

As for the additional stuff - you will discover what you need as you play along. Want to spice up your cities recreational areas? Go for some park and plaza addons. Wanna have a greater variets in buildings? Go for some (R,C,I) buildings. Starting your first seaport - there are tons of stuff for that out there (just be careful - there are certain incompatiblities between the functional seaport sets of different creaters. E.g. PEG's seaports aren't compatible with the BSC Functional Seaports - but there are enpugh threads out there covering that topic ..).

So in my opinion it isn't useful to download anything that you find if you don't know wheter you have any use for it. It will only result in overcrowded menus.

Talking about menus - I would suggest downloading the DAMN menu and the SSPtool that is needed to create DAMN menue entries (the easy way). With DAMN you can remove icons from the standard maxis menu tree and cerate own menus using the news window. Very very needed once you have piled up some custom stuff.

And not to forget Wouanagain's DATpacker. This tool will compress your plugins folder resulting in better game performance, especially regarding the time it takes the game to load.

DATpacker also works well with DorRorlachs "Diownload & Install Catalogue" - and easy way to install an keep trace of your plugins.

Hope this wasn't too much of information for the start .. 

[Snitchie]

Thanks for replies..


I reinstalled NAM,  RHNAM and hole digger tool.

I grab the CAM, and start looking for CAMpatible lots. I realy would like the dvd, but again i must first see how hooked I get   I'll check out the donations thing. Since there is some serious good work put into the game from ppl here..

[xxdita]

Aside from what Rooker, Gaston & Rady have mentioned, make sure you're checking the forums for the development & support threads, especially when it comes to mods like NAM and CAM. There's a lot to know about the changes they make to the game.

[Snitchie]

Have read about NAM and think I understand it pretty well.

As for CAM , im kinda reading up on it now. And grabbing files for it. But omg  its a lot of dependecies for many of theese things..

So the thinking of getting that LEX dvd ( donate )  And save me all this work. Been downloading and looking around for 1.5 hour now..

[Snitchie]

Now i have downloaded 169 files.Everything CAM releated. Clicking from dependencies here and there..
I'm currently at work so cant test em out now.

But as I saw on many of the files. Remove the following files b4 installing , etc etc.

So if I would like to install all this can I do it like this :

1. Install SC4 deluxe.
2. Update SC4 deluxe.
3. Install NAM
4. Install NAMRH
5. Start installing every  CAM 169 zip files ( .exe , .dat , etc etc )
6. Use Cleanitool to clean up ?


Im so excited to get home and try.. Downloaded to USB Storage device on work .. I used like 3 hours +   lol...

[xxdita]

That pretty much does it. 
Make sure you're checking the ReadMe's of the lots for any dependencies you may have forgotten to download.

[Snitchie]

Doubled check on ur sigg for all the files xxdita. And got em all. and from here. http://sc4devotion.com/forums/index.php?topic=1890.0

Do I stil need to run cleanitool ?

I took a quick read through your cleanitool guide. And im getting kinda scared of the complicity of it, hehe.. Or maybe its the fact that i don't have my computer in front of me to test it out with.. hmmm..

After many hours of downloading and reading i realy wanna just pop it all into the game, and start building     And see marvelous buildings grow up.

btw on the files from simtropolis (.dat files ) , do I choose growable or plopable ones, when used with CAM ?

[xxdita]

For any of the dependencies required for the CAMelot Starter Packs, the only file you need is the *.sc4model.
Using the old lots with CAM can cause problems. SO make sure you also download this Cleanitol file from the LEX to make sure you don't install any of the original lots.

[Snitchie]

ok , so if i extract this file DUSKTROOPER's WILLTRANS CORP V1.01   i Only need the .sc4model  file.?

the .sc4lot and .sc4desc   i dont need to put in my plugin folder?


Sorry im asking so much.. Kinda new to this , and wanna learn it all at once. And btw I thhought it took lot of work to download all theese files.. I can't even imagine how many hours that you guys have put into making em... super thanks!   

[Andreas]

Yes, you only need the model files, since the CAM has new lots and desc files anyway.

[Snitchie]

Great!  Thanks again folks..   Time to install thesse things. Will report back when all is done   

[Snitchie]

Lol , I give up... Its not that its "hard" to compile everything.. Its just the time it takes to get everything needed for CAM..  I thought after a whole workday ( at work ) I got it all. Got home. installed over 170 files.. one at the time.. And running cleanitool. Still kinda confused about how it realy works..   
It tells me im missing 98 dents..   I start to download.. but after 2,5 hour due to simtropolis's DL speed.. I gave up

Deleted plugin folder, uninstalled the game ( and addons ). Then reinstalled. SC4 deluxe.  Updated it, installed NAM nad RHNAM, hole digger and a few landmarks..

And I'm heading over to donate page and donating to you guys here.. So I can recieve the dvd with all I need as a gift.

[k808j]

Look at it this way, Sim City 4 is like a 67' Ford Mustang (with the bay windows  ), you take the time and effort restoring it and when you are done its an amazing piece of work!

[Snitchie]

Wondrfully put k808j.

Slowly putting in littl things while I wait for DVD gift