SimCity RH Game #6

:) Smiley · January 16, 2006, 11:13

For those who haven't played before, basically we get a region, everyone takes a city, and each plays a few years, uploads theirs and downloads the others, and repeats.

A recap of the past games....

#5 - Xiamen, China
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=137369

#4 - Kitakyushu, Japan
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=136220

#3 - Taipei, Taiwan
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=133862

#2 - Huntsville, Alabama
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=106839

#1 - San Francisco, California
(location of thread unknown)

So, any suggestions for what type of map to use this time?

Blake · January 17, 2006, 01:58

Ooooh, hope we get some more interest. These games are FUN.

For plugins i suggest the latest NAM better pathfinding, 2x capacity.

I want to build a city in a crater but I can always terraform that out of any medium sized patch of land.

Adagio · January 17, 2006, 04:05

I'm interested... it's been a year since I last played the game*, so someone should link to (or attach) all files that needs to be in the game (patches, mods, whatever)

*And back then I only played for a few days. The last time I actually played a game for at least a few weeks was the last time I was in one of these games...

Blake · January 17, 2006, 04:13

We'll just upload a new plugin pack, I assume.
Oh yeah, the other plugin I want is the Garbage Chute. But I wouldn't object to other interesting plugins.

Adagio · January 17, 2006, 04:14

What does Garbage Chute do?

Blake · January 17, 2006, 04:27

Dumps garbage off the edge of the world.
edit: and smells. People don't like living near it. And it's fairly expensive to run. But it is a clean option. The idea is the bad option is garbage dumps, the cheap option is the burner (reduced to 0 funding), the clean & expensive option is the chute.

Maquiladora · January 17, 2006, 05:30

Ill play again.

For mods, ill use anything, just attach them here in one tidy zip, so we're all on the same page.

The map im not bothered, perhaps something that hasnt been used before, like a canyon or cliffs.

Adagio · January 17, 2006, 08:22

How many years should each turn take? What's the turn limit? 24 hours? 48 hours? I don't have that much time on my hand to play too many years each day... I do need time for Civ IV too

Maquiladora · January 17, 2006, 09:46

I guess if it goes like last time, the more players the more time youll get to play your turn before the next turn starts. Since we all waited and downloaded each others cities before the next turn, then all played at once.

For years, last time i think we played like 5 years per turn from start to finish.

:) Smiley · January 17, 2006, 10:09

Looks like extreme topography is on the menu... Map should be ready soon.

Blake · January 17, 2006, 10:39

I'd actually advocate a fixed or semi-fixed year-advancing schedule. There is no particular need to be completely syncronized, it doesn't particulary matter if someone misses one update and catches up at the next one.

I seem to recall that in the previous games we would advance every 3-6 days. I think that 5 years every 3-4 days would be ideal. So the idea would be to have a "deadline", bur flexible in case everyone uploads early, or very few people manage to upload. And if anyone joins after the game has started, or needs to take a break, they just play and catch up to whatever year we're at.

:) Smiley · January 18, 2006, 18:36

Region has been created. Reminds me of those sample regons in high school geography textbooks used to illustrate different land formations.

The crater's in #4. The numbered tiles are all medium sized.

:) Smiley · January 18, 2006, 18:38

And here's the zipped file of config.bmp and the JPG for generating the terrain.

Maquiladora · January 18, 2006, 18:53

Nice one Smiley.

Ill take #2.

I think we need some instructions in the OP, like where to get the mods, how to import map etc.

:) Smiley · January 18, 2006, 19:30

Reposted from earlier thread.

The Network mod and pathfinding mod can be gotten from Simtropolis. I think it also contains the Pathfinding files within it. It also contains data that lets you build many more different kinds of overpasses and interchanges.
http://www.simtropolis.com/modding/i...tails&show=380

Pathfinding:
http://www.simtropolis.com/modding/i...tails&show=312
Use just the "better pathfinding" mod

Network addon:
http://www.simtropolis.com/modding/i...tails&show=380

creating the region:

In the more general case... usually, when you download a custom region, it's a big .jpg and a config.bmp (the latter of which dictates the boundaries. Create a blank folder under Regions, copy the .jpg and config.bmp into that directory, then load up SC4, enter the region, and hit Ctrl+Alt+Shift+R. Then go to the .jpg and double-click it.

Blake ought to coordinate this and upload a zip of all the plugins.

Spaced Cowboy · January 18, 2006, 19:48

Cool I might take one, but my time is quite limited with civ4 multiplay games.

I'll wait and see if there be any left.

Blake · January 19, 2006, 02:43

Plugins:
NAM: Do we want to use plain Better Pathfinding with default capacities? I'm happy with that but wouldn't mind using 2x Capacity.

For completeness sake I'll descibe how SC4 plugins work.

In Simcity when a building or anything really is placed all the *function* information is encoded into the save file, so when you place a station the game knows there's a station there and it's capacity and a bunch of other information. Even if you delete the station plugin the station will continue to function.
The *form* (apperance) is not encoded into the save, which means were someone else to load the city with the custom station, the city would function correctely but there would be blank tiles or the placeholder box where the custom station is, but it would be a purely visual problem.

Some plugins are *function* only, a good example is a hole digger, you dig the hole, and any Simcity4 installation will be okay with the hole, it's just a hole, it doesn't care how the hole was created. You can take these plugins in and out at a whim, if you wish to create something special.

Here are two pure-function mods that can be added to plugins and removed safely at will.
Smoother road and rail slope mod (get rid of "bumpy" rails and such)

Bridge Height mod (end the giant foundation madness!)

I will not be including them in the plugin pack, but feel free to use them to make your cities look nicer.

Hole Digging Lots
Make it way easier to dig holes for tunnels and stuff. Atleast some will be included in the pack.

This is a mod made by yours truly:
Station Pathfinding Fix
follow link and it has screenshots of what it does. I'll probably include it in the plugins pack, and will definitely use it myself (it's one of those "pure function" mods).

In the category of mods that add both form and function:
The Garbage Chute
I'll add this to the plugin pack. If anyone else has plugins they particullary like then we can consider including them, also there's no reason why additional plugins can't be added part way through, other than it might be confusing.

:) Smiley · January 20, 2006, 00:33

Hmm, we got 4 with possibly a 5th player interested. Shall we start with the seventh or the 6th?

Adagio · January 20, 2006, 01:26

I'll take plot one, but I doubt I'll get to the installing of the game before next week

Maquiladora · January 20, 2006, 08:07

Ill start once the mod zip is up, im in no rush to continue if we're short though.

Jonny · January 20, 2006, 13:17

I'll be in, and I'll take #3.

:) Smiley · January 20, 2006, 13:34

I propose we use this mod as well: The Bomb Pack.

http://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=14732

A month after this lot is built, it explodes and takes out several blocks!

:) Smiley · January 20, 2006, 15:44

Plugin zip has been uploaded. Get it here:

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?...s_apolyton.zip

:) Smiley · January 20, 2006, 15:48

Map so far: Blake, I'm guessing you want #4 since it's the one with the crater.

Maquiladora · January 20, 2006, 16:06

I have left-hand drive version of SC, do i need different/extra files with that zip Smiley?

:) Smiley · January 20, 2006, 19:12

This one right here - just decompress it into the plugins folder with the rest of them.

:) Smiley · January 22, 2006, 00:38

The Bathtub

Year 5

Large deposits of

were discovered in the mountains, leading to much

as the mountains were mined for the chewy yellow fruit.

Docks were built to ship the

down the river and out to sea for export, while the thousands of

peels were shoved off the side of the wharf for landfill.

Citizens are assured that this "soap scum" will not attract monkeys with typewriters or other undesirables, such as refugees from Ohnoes.

I'll upload the save file later once we figure out where we're going to to load them up to. Anyone know if Lemmy's site still works?

Blake · January 22, 2006, 02:58

And the 60 milion dollar question is, what do I need with a giant terraformed crater

?

:) Smiley · January 22, 2006, 03:12

Mmmm, too bad the river can't flow right through that rock in an underground tunnel.

Can't wait to see what devious plan is in store... are we going to see a reappearance of the Coin Wringer?

Sava · January 22, 2006, 03:18

from the other thread:

Originally posted by Blake

The scrawled text serves to detract from the most important part, the ingenious COIN WRINGER. Sims return-commute doesn't count against commute time, hence they can be shuffled through DOzEns! of ToLL BOoths! And they don't even know they are being shafted! Bwa ha ha ha ha. And the most efficient way to do this is to loop them through avenues, so they pass through each toll booth twice! I'm so evil I should be lynched by an angry mob!

What do you get when you put a city of 52,000 sims through 24 toll booths? 50K a month