Seaports Revealed: Unofficial Guide to the BSC Functional Seaports

[whatevermind]

Part 1 - Introduction

Hello all, and welcome to my guide to the BSC Functional Seaports, v3.1.  Why do we need a guide, you ask?  We've gotten along just fine for almost two years with just the Readme, the Support Thread, and the Development Thread, haven't we?

Well, yes and no.  All three of those are excellent resources, and if you haven't read the Readme and the Support Thread yet, I strongly suggest you go do that.  There is important information in the Readme that I will not be repeating here (i.e. lot size, cost, capacity, etc.).  However, even after reading every scrap of information out there about the BSC Functional Seaports, I still found myself confused and staring down a long list of new seaports and an even longer list of dependencies.  What did they look like?  Which dependencies went with which seaports?  What if I want one that matches the waterfront pieces I'm already using?  These are just some of the many questions I found myself asking, and the ones I hope to answer here.

So, I went the route of simply installing everything, and seeing what it was all about.  Besides, it would give me the opportunity to test each of the seaports and document it for my own future use.  And, if I was going to all this work anyway, I might as well present my results to the world so they can be helpful to other confused players who are overwhelmed at the prospect of starting to use the BSC Functional Seaports.

Over the next few weeks, I will be presenting the results of my research here.  At the moment, this will not include any of the seaports on canals, since I don't currently use canals, nor will it include any custom or third-party seaports, since I don't have those either.

This guide is primarily focused on aesthetics, dependencies, and issues related to gameplay.  For technical issues or those related to development of the BSC Functional Seaports, I direct you to the Readme, Support, and Development threads listed above, or the people behind the seaports themselves.  On that note, I was not involved in the creation of the Functional Seaports project or any of the individual seaports contained therein, and I am not implying any credit for that work.  I am merely cataloguing the work of others.  (Pictures used in this guide, however, are my work  )

Speaking of the people behind the seaports, a huge thank you is due to the entire Seaport Development Project group and the creators and designers of the individual seaports for their tremendous work in advancing the world of SC4 seaports.

As always, feedback is welcome, and I hope you will find this guide useful.  Every effort has been made to ensure the guide is as accurate as possible, so if you spot any errors, please let me know so they can be fixed.   

Table of Contents:

   
• Part 1 - Introduction
• Part 2 - General Concerns
• Part 3 - Notes Regarding Dependencies
• Part 4 - Maxis Seaport
• Part 5 - Mr. Truesage Local Seaport
• Part 6 - BLS Rural Port
• Part 7 - BLS Rural Port cnut
• Part 8 - BLS Newman Inc Rural Port
• Part 9 - SDP Small Seaport
• Part 10 - BRT Seaport
• Part 11 - BLS Oil Port
• Part 12 - Newman Inc Grain Port
• Part 13 - BLS City Centre Port
• Part 14 - SNM Seaport
• Part 15 - SDP Warehouse Port
• Part 16 - BLS Container Port
• Part 17 - Cargo Handling Facility
• Part 18 - BLS Airport Cargo Handling Centre
• Part 19 - Package Loading Center
• Part 20 - Conclusion

Note to Admins & Mods: Please do not combine these first 3 posts, they are intentionally separated and need to remain so for future link functionality.  Thanks!

[whatevermind]

Part 2 - General Concerns

This is going to be from the point of view of someone coming into the BSC Functional Seaports at version 3.1 completely unfamiliar with previous developments in the project, because that's where I started.

There are a few general concerns that apply to all of the seaports and that you should be aware of before starting.  Many of these are covered in depth elsewhere and are simply repeated here for convenience.

• They function.  That is, they export freight.  They also provide jobs and industrial cap relief.
• They upgrade.  You plop them at Stage 1, and they automatically upgrade to higher stages (up to each one's highest stage) with increasing demand.
• Many of them match existing waterfront/seawall sets that can be used to augment your seaport area and create visually continuous areas between your ports.
• With the exception of the Maxis and Mr. Truesage seaports, the ships don't move and won't wander about the city.  The ships will however change with upgrades, and do flicker in and out of existence.
• The dependencies list provided with the Readme is not entirely accurate:
  
  
  
  • BSCBATProps RT MineCorp Vol01 is now part of BSC MEGA Props RT Vol 04,
  • There is a known missing dependency, see here
• See the next section for more notes regarding dependencies.
• All of the seaports show up as seaports in the regional transportation view (Mr. Truesage does so only after growing).
• BSC Functional Seaports is fully compatible with AC Functional Airports, and you can use both at the same time.  There is some overlap between the two mods, but the only dangerous one (can crash your game) is listed in the next note.  More information on shared functionality can be found in the forums.
• If you already have AC Functional Airports installed, delete the following files before installing BSC Functional Seaports:
  
  
  
  • Enable SWAP Package Loading Center.dat located in ..\Plugins\X-Ports\Airports
  • AC Functional Seaports, Version 0.0.dat located in ..\Plugins\X-Ports\Seaports
• While several of the seaports have railroad tracks on them, only the Cargo Handling Facility and the Package Loading Center actually accept freight trains – at the other seaports the rails are just eye-candy.  More on this later.

There is one more general note, which is about seaport placement.  The only seaports that are designed to be plopped across both land and water are the Maxis Seaport and the Mr. Truesage Local Seaport.  Some of the others can be plopped across land and water, but it will look weird and possibly mess up your terrain (see pictures below).  Other seaports can only be plopped entirely on land.  How each seaport is meant to be plopped will be mentioned in that seaport's section.

For those seaports that allow you to place them over land and water, the recommended seaport placement is entirely on land (BLS Oil Port shown):

If you place these seaports over both land and water you get the following.  Note the terrain alteration in the second picture, and the highlighted areas in the 3rd and 4th pictures where you can see the seaport floating in the air above the water:

Note to Admins & Mods: Please do not combine these first 3 posts, they are intentionally separated and need to remain so for future link functionality.  Thanks!

[whatevermind]

Part 3 - Notes Regarding Dependencies

Dependency lists for each seaport are provided in that seaport's individual section of the guide.  I have provided the latest name/links for each dependency on the list.  However, there are some notes that will apply to all of the seaports.

• The dependency lists here use the actual filename of the dependency, instead of the formal name of the dependency that you might see in the Readme or elsewhere.  In the vast majority of cases, these are EXACTLY THE SAME.  In cases where the filename is notably different, I will give the formal name of the dependency as well.  In all cases you can use the provided link to go directly to the dependency.
• I have taken the liberty along the way to rename some of the mega packs on my computer to keep them more uniform, so if you see an extra space or dash in a filename, don't freak out!
• Almost all of the dependencies can be found on the LEX, one is only available on the STEX, and some can be found in both places.  Links are provided to the LEX wherever possible.
• It is assumed that you already are running SimCity 4 Rush Hour or Deluxe.
• All seaports require the file BSC Functional Seaports, Version 3.1.dat which is included in the installer.
• All seaports also require their respective enabler.  For more on enablers, see the Readme.
• The Logistics Centre Dependency Pack is actually several files, not a single mega pack, however I am listing it as a single dependency.
• The file Railyard Texture Mega-Pack Vol 1.dat is version 1.01 of that file, not version 1.02.  The seaports are older lots and were never updated to reflect the changes in this dependency, and this happens to be one of the rare cases where the update fundamentally altered the dependency, so lots (such as the seaports) that require v1.01 cannot use v1.02 instead.
• The dependency SimCityRail Utility Lots forces the install of its lots into your rail menu; you cannot (to my knowledge) get whatever part of this dependency the seaports use without also adding the lots to your rail menu.
• Those dependencies that are actual buildings (not dependency packs) bring their lots with them, you then have to go back and manually delete the lot files for those buildings you don't want to keep after you run the installers for these dependencies.

Note to Admins & Mods: Please do not combine these first 3 posts, they are intentionally separated and need to remain so for future link functionality.  Thanks!

[mike3775]

Thanks for this "unofficial" guide.  It is definitely going to help many people out(it has already helped me with the land/water issues I been having and why I basically gave up using seaports), and it may get some seaport love going as I always seemed to hate the default maxis seaport

[whatevermind]

Part 4 - Maxis Seaport - 3 Stages

This is the first seaport in the list, and the one you are probably most familiar with, since it is the only one that comes with the game.  This seaport has been altered to work as part of the BSC Functional Seaports, and now includes three stages, automatic upgrades, and all the rest.  If you are used to using it and really want to keep using it after you see the rest of the seaports, you can, but I would strongly recommend against using this seaport.  There are several graphic glitches with this seaport, which get worse whenever it upgrades.  These include, but are not limited to: floating cargo, cranes in the water, altering the terrain (even more than the in-game version does), locating itself below sea level, disappearing foundations, etc.  Like the in-game version, the boat does move around, and will wander around your city.  This seaport is required to be placed overlapping land and water, same as the in-game version.  The seaport has nightlighting, and provides jobs.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:



Pictures of some of the graphic errors, the first two showing the seaport below sea level, and the others showing some of the floating boxes, cranes in the water, etc.:









The Maxis Seaport requires no dependencies beyond the game itself and the BSC Functional Seaports v3.1 installation.

[whatevermind]

Part 5 - Mr. Truesage Local Seaport - 3 Stages

The Mr. Truesage Local Seaport has three stages, and is a relotting of the Maxis Seaport, and consequently largely looks and behaves the same.  It is a legacy seaport that predates the BSC Functional Seaports, and was the first to exhibit upgrading behavior.  Like the Maxis Seaport, the boat that comes with this will move around.  This seaport must be placed overlapping land and water (note that it is oriented differently than the Maxis Seaport).  When initially plopped, the seaport is just a blank lot:



At this stage, it will not show up as a seaport in the regional transportation view.  If you run the game, the seaport will then grow into its Stage 1, after which it shows up as a seaport in the region view.  This seaport has nightlighting, and provides jobs.  Once the seaport has grown, it is street-enabled in one location.  Much like the Maxis Seaport, this seaport will generally alter your terrain, and contains a number of graphical glitches, including overlapping props.  If you want to have ships moving around your city, this is the better option to use than the Maxis Seaport.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:



Dependencies:
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol01.dat

[whatevermind]

Part 6 - BLS Rural Port - 8 Stages

The BLS Rural port has eight stages, and is one that can only be plopped entirely on land.  The docks and boats then overhang into the water.  This is typical to many of the seaports in this set, in that they are land-only plops, but use overhanging props to give the appearance of also being in the water.  This seaport is street enabled at one location, and provides jobs.  It is one of the three rural ports provided in the BSC Functional Seaports.  There is nightlighting, but until Stage 6 it is only on the boats.  Stages 6, 7 and 8 have nightlighting on the building.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:


A close-up view showing the nightlighting at Stage 8:



Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol04.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol07.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol08.dat
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - MJB Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol01.dat
BSC BAT Props - Newman Inc WFK Vol01.dat

Note that BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat is version 1b of that dependency.

[Lowkee33]

Wow.  This is very useful information.  The main reason I don't use any of the custom seaports is because of the dependencies.  Even though I thought I had them all, I kept getting brown boxes (I just lot my own now).  I think you're doing a great job here.   

(karma-point anyone?)

EDIT: Mod Comment

Done   

[mike3775]

Agree on the K-point, I also have to add that its nice that whatevermind is also including links to the seaports at the end of every section as well, which will make it easier to get everything needed.

EDIT: Mod Comment:

Agree on the K-point

see above

[whatevermind]

Thank you all!!! 

[whatevermind]

Part 7 - BLS Rural Port cnut - 8 Stages

The BLS Rural Port cnut has eight stages, and can only be plopped entirely on land.  Like the seaport above, it then overhangs into the water.  This seaport provides jobs, and has nightlighting.  It is one of the three rural seaports included in the BSC Functional Seaports.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:


Some additional photos showing greater detail, at Stage 8:







Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol04.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol08.dat
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - NewmanInc Vol01.dat
BSC BAT Props - Newman Inc WFK Vol01.dat
Railyard Texture Mega-Pack Vol 1.dat

See note 8 in the post above regarding the Railyard Texture Mega-Pack.

[whatevermind]

Part 8 - BLS Newman Inc Rural Port – 3 Stages

The BLS Newman Inc Rural Port has three stages, and can only be plopped entirely on land.  Its dock then overhangs into the water.  This seaport is one of the three rural seaports included in the BSC Functional Seaports.  It provides jobs, but does not have nightlighting.  One unusual feature about this seaport is that it includes growable, seasonal trees, which means that the lot plops (and upgrades) without some of its trees, and they then grow and change with the seasons throughout the life of that stage.  Because the trees are part of the lot, they have to start growing from scratch every time the seaport upgrades.

Stage 1 (before trees grow):


Stage 1 (with trees growing at left, and during fall at right):


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


The backside view at Stage 3:



Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol08.dat
BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - D66 Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - MJB Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - NewmanInc Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - NewmanInc Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat

Note that BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat is version 1b of that dependency.

[rooker1]

Really great work here.  Thanks for doing this.
Your K-Point was well deserved!!
Robin

[mike3775]

Thanks Catty. 

[whatevermind]

Part 9 - SDP Small Seaport – 6 Stages

The SDP Small Seaport has six stages, and should be plopped entirely on land, see the note on seaport placement at the end of the post here.  It does not have any docks overhanging the water, but its boats will sit in the water.  The SDP Small Seaport uses the BRT WIMPS waterfront (this is not a dependency, just linked for reference).  The three-tile deep lots in that set align with the fences used on the sides of this seaport.  This seaport provides jobs and has nightlighting.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Two more views of Stage 6:





Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol04.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol06.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol08.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT WFK Vol01.dat
SOMY Prop Pack Vol 04 Ships.dat

[whatevermind]

Part 10 - BRT Seaport – 8 Stages

The BRT Seaport has eight stages, and should be plopped entirely on land, see the note on seaport placement at the end of the post here.  The BRT Seaport uses the BRT WIMPS waterfront (this is not a dependency, just linked for reference).  Which tiles from this set will work best at the side of the seaport varies by stage, initially the seaport does not take up the entire width of the lot, but eventually finishes in a position to use 4-tile deep waterfront pieces as accessories at the sides.  While this seaport includes roads and rail at later stages, these are purely eye-candy and cannot be connected to your transit network.  This seaport provides jobs and has nightlighting.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:


A side view and two close-ups, all at Stage 8:







Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 02.dat
BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol04.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol06.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol07.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT Vol04.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT WFK Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT WFK N Vol01.dat
BSC BAT Props - RT SNM Vol02.dat
BSC BAT Props - RT SNM Vol03.dat
CSX MEGA Props - Vol04.dat
SOMY Prop Pack Vol 04 Ships.dat
RT_WIMPS_SNM_N_DryDock.dat

Note that BSC_TexturePack_Cycledogg_V 01.dat is version 1b of that dependency, and that the formal name for RT_WIMPS_SNM_N_DryDock.dat is the SNM Navy Dry Dock.

[whatevermind]

Part 11 - BLS Oil Port – 8 Stages

The BLS Oil Port has eight stages, and should be plopped entirely on land, see the note on seaport placement at the end of the post here.  It is road enabled at two locations, and features the jeronij Seawalls, which can be found here (this is not a dependency, just linked for reference).  This seaport provides jobs and has nightlighting.  There is a minor graphic error at Stage 7, with the LNG tanker.  Like the BRT Seaport, this seaport does not start out occupying the full width of its lot, but eventually grows to that point.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:



Side views at day and night, Stage 8:





Some close-up views at Stage 8:









Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC Textures Vol 02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol07.dat
BSC MEGA Props - JRJ Vol06.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - NewmanInc Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - NewmanInc Vol03.dat
CSX MEGA Props - Vol01.dat
CSX MEGA Props - Vol04.dat
SOMY Prop Pack Vol 04 Ships.dat
SOMY Prop Pack Vol 05.dat
Railyard Texture Mega-Pack Vol 1.dat

See note 8 in the post above regarding the Railyard Texture Mega-Pack.

[Silur]

Unrealistic work - how we can tell about IT ... GREAT WORK ...
THANK YOU - once more - THANK YOU

[whatevermind]

Part 12 - Newman Inc Grain Port (aka cnut Grain) – 8 Stages

The Newman Inc Grain Port has eight stages, and can only be plopped on land.  The seaport is road enabled at one location from the beginning, two locations as of Stage 6, and three locations as of Stage 7.  The dirt road present at Stages 1 through 6 is eye-candy only and cannot be connected to your road network.  Between Stages 1 and 2, the road connection shifts one tile to the left (shown below at Stage 2, with the old location visible by the road crossing the avenue):



There is rail across the seaport at all stages, and it is connectable at both ends of the lot, however the seaport does not accept freight trains and trains cannot travel through the lot.  If the rail crosses a road immediately adjacent to the seaport, the connection will break at every upgrade, and will have to be dragged back across the road into the seaport.  If there is no road there, the rail will automatically reconnect after the upgrade (similar to how road connections function with the seaports).  This rail-breaking behavior is typical of all seaports that have connectable railroads, whether or not the rail is functional.



The Newman Inc Grain Port uses the BRT WIMPS waterfront (this is not a dependency, just linked for reference).  Like some of the other seaports, it does not initially use the full width of the lot, but eventually grows into the full width.  This seaport provides jobs and has nightlighting.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:



Some side views of the seaport at Stage 8:







Some close-up views of the seaport at Stage 8:











There is also a texture error that occurs when the seaport dilapidates after Stage 8, as you can see at the railroad in the picture below:



This is probably a good place to point out that all of the seaports in the BSC Functional Seaports will dilapidate after their highest stage if they cannot keep up with demand.  In general, they will then look like abandoned buildings and otherwise keep functioning at the same level as their highest stage.  The best thing is simply to make sure you have enough seaports to keep up with your freight demand.  The seaports will return to their highest stage appearance after the demand has been reduced back to within capacity (by building new seaports, neighbor connections, etc.).

Dependencies:
bldgprop_vol1.dat
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC Textures Vol 02.dat
BSC Textures Vol 03.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol03.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol08.dat
BSC MEGA Props - SG Vol 01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - CP Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - MJB Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - RT WFK Vol01.dat
BSC BAT Props - cnut Vol04.dat
JB_GE_Props.dat

The file JB_GE_Props.dat is part of JBSimio's Chelsea Mills, however it is the only file from that building that is required, and the remainder can be deleted after running the installer.

[whatevermind]

Part 13 - BLS City Centre Port – 8 Stages

The BLS City Centre Port has eight stages and should be plopped entirely on land, see the note on seaport placement at the end of the post here.  The seaport has several roads as part of the lot, but they are eye-candy only and cannot be connected to your road network.  The BLS City Centre Port uses the jeronij Seawalls (this is not a dependency, just linked for reference).  This seaport provides jobs and has nightlighting.

Stage 1:


Stage 2:


Stage 3:


Stage 4:


Stage 5:


Stage 6:


Stage 7:


Stage 8:



Some side views of the seaport at Stage 8:







Some close-up views of the seaport at Stage 8:









Dependencies:
BSC Essentials.dat
BSC Textures Vol 01.dat
BSC Textures Vol 02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Misc Vol02.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol01.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol05.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol06.dat
BSC Mega Props - JES Vol07.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Gascooker Vol02.dat
BSC MEGA Props - Jen_P Vol01.dat
BSC MEGA Props - JRJ Vol06.dat
SOMY Prop Pack Vol 05.dat