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Josh's Reference Guide!
Having trouble with commute times?
Don't know what to download?
Why do I keep getting brown boxes?
What are dependencies and why should I use them?
I don't know much about downloading?
If you have any of the questions stated above, read here!
I'm having trouble with commute times, what do I do?
The game is programmed to make it hard to manage commute times. It probably has to be the worst case scenario to have your streets red in the traffic data view.
1: The NAM: This is a good way to repair those nasty commute times. Simply run the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool, which you have the option to install after installing the NAM (that is coming up) and then set your capacities higher.
2: Toll Booths: Using toll booths can be used to solve a bad road problem. Simply make an avenue that bypasses the road.
Inside the vacant space, try placing something that the sims can work at to avoid going to the other places they were working at originally.
Your sims are going to want to work at those places probably. So now place toll booths along your road like so. T indicates a toll booth.
Then, your sims will start taking the avenue, which has a higher capacity. Sims are cheap you know.
. Depending on how much stuff you put in that vacant area when building the avenue, you may be able to throw in a commercial district, which goes along nicely with your major arterial 
What Should I Download?
My top mods are the NAM, SAM, and NWM, and RHW.
The NAM-------------------------------------------------
It is not needable, but strongly recommended.
NAM means "Network Addon Mod". It is a mod off of the STEX that allows you to place new road features such as wide radius curves, roundabouts, turning lanes, bridges, and my favorite, you get to edit how much traffic each type of network can handle. You can download it here
Of course the NAM team also places stuff such as SAM and NWM, or RHW, however these are seperate from the NAM, but it requires it to function properly as well as the NAM essentials. The SAM gives you different textures to add to your city's streets. And streets only. It provides brick, blacktop, dirt, gravel, mud, cobblestone, and then brick with a center stripe going down the center.
NWM gives you different varieties with avenues and roads. They mostly remove the medians from your avenues. They also provide some various different textures as well. Also 3 laned avenues are good too. And then you can also have a median for your roads as well. This is my favorite of all time.
RHW is another good one, that gives you a giant variety of highways to add to your cities. It makes the texture on top black.
The NAM, SAM, and RHW as well as a few NAM components use Starter Piece technology, meaning you plop a tile, and then place your cursor with the appropriate network on top and drag it out, and it looks just like the starter piece only longer and it can be driven on. Once you do that you can simply delete the starter piece and still have your road
The SAM, RHW, and NWM require the NAM Essentials. Download links are coming up.
SAM- Street Addon Mod
RHW- RealHighway Mod (formerly Rural Highway Mod)
NWM- Network Widening Mod
NAM- Network Addon Mod
Download links----------------------------------------------------
The NAM
NAM Essentials
SAM
RHW
NWM
You must have a Simtropolis.com account to download those. We all do though
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do I get brown boxes?
Brown boxes are due to missing dependencies. Here is how to solve that.
Before downloading a BAT, be sure to read the description and look for dependencies. If there are, the creator has links to them. Clck those links and download them. If it links to another site, register at the site to download them. If they aren't in the description, or it says nothing about dependencies, read the readme file included to see if there is. If not, then try reading the comments. If still not, maybe contact the creator, via a Private Message.
Placing those dependencies in your plugins folder helps. That is where they should go.
This only affects BATs and Relotted Maxis buildings (Lots). Mods aren't affected by this unless under unusual circumstances.
Missing dependencies may also result in missing textures or missing props (trees, etc...)
What are dependencies and why should I use them?
Read the above.
Dependencies are a thing that we cannot complain about. Leaving a hostile comment because something has a dependency and it is a waste of time, etc etc... is rude. So we cannot judge people for dependencies. This is a thing called the Dependency Debate. And it has been going on every since Custom Content evolved, and it will not go away until custom content dies. Same for auto installers. They may be a hassle, but if you want that building, you must have them for it to work. That is that.
I don't know much about downloading?
1: Read the comments and description: This helps give you an understanding of what the plugin is about. Whether it works, whether it has a bug, read those two before downloading to avoid screwing up your city. Reading and reading before downloading, as well as reading the readmes, and testing on a sandbox tile before applying to one of your cities helps prevent disaster should you download a buggy plugin (a plugin is custom content)
2: Where do I send the downloads?: In your ...My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins in most cases. Sometimes some things have to be sent to ...Program Files/Maxis/SimCity 4 Deluxe/Plugins. Read the readme for info on what one to install it to. Or if there is no readme, description and comments.
The one in Program Files is the root plugin folder. Unless under extremely rare circumstances, should it be placed in the root directory.
----------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone thinks something should be added, feel free to comment, and thanks for looking! You are free to use this on your site/blog if you'd like, as long as you give me credit for this.. (I spent 30 minutes writing this.
)
Thanks!
-----------------------------Conclusion----------------------------
Having trouble with commute times?
Don't know what to download?
Why do I keep getting brown boxes?
What are dependencies and why should I use them?
I don't know much about downloading?
If you have any of the questions stated above, read here!
I'm having trouble with commute times, what do I do?
The game is programmed to make it hard to manage commute times. It probably has to be the worst case scenario to have your streets red in the traffic data view.
1: The NAM: This is a good way to repair those nasty commute times. Simply run the Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool, which you have the option to install after installing the NAM (that is coming up) and then set your capacities higher.
2: Toll Booths: Using toll booths can be used to solve a bad road problem. Simply make an avenue that bypasses the road.
Inside the vacant space, try placing something that the sims can work at to avoid going to the other places they were working at originally.
Your sims are going to want to work at those places probably. So now place toll booths along your road like so. T indicates a toll booth.
Then, your sims will start taking the avenue, which has a higher capacity. Sims are cheap you know.
. Depending on how much stuff you put in that vacant area when building the avenue, you may be able to throw in a commercial district, which goes along nicely with your major arterial What Should I Download?
My top mods are the NAM, SAM, and NWM, and RHW.
The NAM-------------------------------------------------
It is not needable, but strongly recommended.
NAM means "Network Addon Mod". It is a mod off of the STEX that allows you to place new road features such as wide radius curves, roundabouts, turning lanes, bridges, and my favorite, you get to edit how much traffic each type of network can handle. You can download it here
Of course the NAM team also places stuff such as SAM and NWM, or RHW, however these are seperate from the NAM, but it requires it to function properly as well as the NAM essentials. The SAM gives you different textures to add to your city's streets. And streets only. It provides brick, blacktop, dirt, gravel, mud, cobblestone, and then brick with a center stripe going down the center.
NWM gives you different varieties with avenues and roads. They mostly remove the medians from your avenues. They also provide some various different textures as well. Also 3 laned avenues are good too. And then you can also have a median for your roads as well. This is my favorite of all time.
RHW is another good one, that gives you a giant variety of highways to add to your cities. It makes the texture on top black.
The NAM, SAM, and RHW as well as a few NAM components use Starter Piece technology, meaning you plop a tile, and then place your cursor with the appropriate network on top and drag it out, and it looks just like the starter piece only longer and it can be driven on. Once you do that you can simply delete the starter piece and still have your road
The SAM, RHW, and NWM require the NAM Essentials. Download links are coming up.
SAM- Street Addon Mod
RHW- RealHighway Mod (formerly Rural Highway Mod)
NWM- Network Widening Mod
NAM- Network Addon Mod
Download links----------------------------------------------------
The NAM
NAM Essentials
SAM
RHW
NWM
You must have a Simtropolis.com account to download those. We all do though
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do I get brown boxes?
Brown boxes are due to missing dependencies. Here is how to solve that.
Before downloading a BAT, be sure to read the description and look for dependencies. If there are, the creator has links to them. Clck those links and download them. If it links to another site, register at the site to download them. If they aren't in the description, or it says nothing about dependencies, read the readme file included to see if there is. If not, then try reading the comments. If still not, maybe contact the creator, via a Private Message.
Placing those dependencies in your plugins folder helps. That is where they should go.
This only affects BATs and Relotted Maxis buildings (Lots). Mods aren't affected by this unless under unusual circumstances.
Missing dependencies may also result in missing textures or missing props (trees, etc...)
What are dependencies and why should I use them?
Read the above.
Dependencies are a thing that we cannot complain about. Leaving a hostile comment because something has a dependency and it is a waste of time, etc etc... is rude. So we cannot judge people for dependencies. This is a thing called the Dependency Debate. And it has been going on every since Custom Content evolved, and it will not go away until custom content dies. Same for auto installers. They may be a hassle, but if you want that building, you must have them for it to work. That is that.
I don't know much about downloading?
1: Read the comments and description: This helps give you an understanding of what the plugin is about. Whether it works, whether it has a bug, read those two before downloading to avoid screwing up your city. Reading and reading before downloading, as well as reading the readmes, and testing on a sandbox tile before applying to one of your cities helps prevent disaster should you download a buggy plugin (a plugin is custom content)
2: Where do I send the downloads?: In your ...My Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins in most cases. Sometimes some things have to be sent to ...Program Files/Maxis/SimCity 4 Deluxe/Plugins. Read the readme for info on what one to install it to. Or if there is no readme, description and comments.
The one in Program Files is the root plugin folder. Unless under extremely rare circumstances, should it be placed in the root directory.
----------------------------------------------------------------
If anyone thinks something should be added, feel free to comment, and thanks for looking! You are free to use this on your site/blog if you'd like, as long as you give me credit for this.. (I spent 30 minutes writing this.
)Thanks!
-----------------------------Conclusion----------------------------
Last edited by Joshriddle_1234 on 2010-10-17, 00:01; edited 3 times in total (Reason for editing : Editing the reference)