Change to NoMaxisMod requested...

[allan_kuan1992]

Usually... when I play the game... i don't like pollution. Air pollution especially.

So when I thought of blocking all of the Maxis dirty industry with BSC No Maxis mod, I thought that they wouldn't grow anymore. However... they still did.

As a result... I investigated... and found that Maxis (or maybe CAM?) did something peculiar... there were industrial buildings with up to stage 8 designation O.O
This is way past the three stages that the original blockers were supposed to cover. And those higher stage buildings continued to grow as a result.

In the end, I extended the blockers by saving the lots with 0xFF growth stage. However... I do request a change be made to accomodate the extra stages of Maxis buildings that I discovered. =O

If you want me to I can send over the modded files to "complete" the dirty industry blockers. However... this doesn't cover the other industries as of yet (except for some Patch's Paint lots).

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EDIT:

I would also want to ask something a little off-topic: What is the loading order for SimCity? Does global plugins have a higher or lower priority compared to local plugins?

I ask this because loading LE reveals that it likes to load all of the local plugins before the SimCity files... meaning my overrides don't show. I haven't experimented with the global plugins... but usually installers and people tell me to place most files in the local plugins.


- Allan Kuan

[RippleJet]

As a result... I investigated... and found that Maxis (or maybe CAM?) did something peculiar... there were industrial buildings with up to stage 8 designation O.O
This is way past the three stages that the original blockers were supposed to cover. And those higher stage buildings continued to grow as a result.

Since CAM changes the growth stage for some ingame buildings, the Maxis blocker must be loaded after CAM.

CAM is installed in the folder My Docs\SimCity 4\a_CAM.
Thus, the blockers need to be placed in a folder that alphabetically comes after a_CAM, e.g. BSC.

I would also want to ask something a little off-topic: What is the loading order for SimCity?

1. Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\
2. Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Plugins
3. Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 4\Plugins\... (subfolders in alphabetical order)
4. My Docs\SimCity 4\Plugins
5. My Docs\SimCity 4\Plugins\... (subfolders in alphabetical order)

Within each folder the files are loaded alphabetically.
However, *.dat files are always loaded last.

[allan_kuan1992]

well the CAM is in a directory in my plugins... and in that same directory the NoMaxis blockers are in a different folder such that theoretically CAM should load first. Unless something is wrong with my setup.

Anyhow... after some reconfiguration (moving CAM out and placing it at top of loading order in Plugins) things should work.

I'm surprised also about the CAM-included industrial lots with higher growth stages =O

- Allan Kuan

[Swamper77]

I'm surprised also about the CAM-included industrial lots with higher growth stages =O

Well, there had to be some basic files so your city could still expand despite not having any other custom industrial CAMeLots installed. Without them, you would be forced to download CAM industrial lots so your city could expand.

-Swamper

[JoeST]

Are .dat files loaded at the end of their particular directory or at the end completely?

Also, does it natural sort the plugins or is it just by the character code of the letter, IE will it take lowercase as seperate to uppercase and have punctuation interspersed between.

Joe

[Swamper77]

Joe,

It is at the end of the particular directory or folder. I have DATs in subfolders overriding DATs from the folders above them.

-Swamper

[JoeST]

So:

In any single directory it will load loose files first, then subdirectories, and then .dat files.

I am making a wiki article on loading orders atm

Thanks for the help

Joe

[RippleJet]

No, I think that should be:

In any single directory it will load loose files first, then .dat files, and then subdirectories.

...and then recursively the same order for each subsequent subdirectory...

[JoeST]

Check out (and edit ) Plugin Loading Order on the wiki

Joe

[wouanagaine]

Can't edit the page

Loading order in a folder :
loose files
dat files
then subfolders

all of those categories are loaded in alphabetical order ( using sort on ascii charset, which might be different of what windows explorer shows when you sort by name )

[JoeST]

sorry about nobody being able to edit, here lies the problem of overprotection

Joe

[allan_kuan1992]

I do have some Pegasus Skyfarms... and I'm a huge fan of them... in fact so much... I expanded the original set with dirty industrial lots (they weren't originally included).
These lots tend to produce no pollution, which was a big draw for me because i usually don't like how all these burners pop out of nowhere when most "dirty"-considered industries would draw electricity more nowadays rather than pollute the air.

I've also selectively blocked Patch's Paint in the hopes that Villett Textures and JMyers Refrigeratry would grow. I have yet to see the results of those... but I'll continue investigating on the weekend.

- Allan Kuan