New to SCSD and pondering city building

[Major SNAFU]

Hi all,

I have been a city builder since the original Sim City.

I held off on SCS because of poor reviews, but seeing the boxed collection, I just had to give it a try.

While very different, it is fun and engrosing (I installed destinations right from the get-go).

My initial questions are:

I kept going with the "Fun City" from the tutorial, but eventually had to add other things into the city to flesh it out.

Is it possible to make a city using just one of the filters and never anything else, or is it rather that you end up making a city that does just enough of everything and specializes in one aspect?

The second question deals with residence capacity. I have been replacing some of the cottages with brownstones, etc. I see the population number shoot up, but when I click on a residence, it shows 2/2 or 6/6. e.g. a Brownstone's max is 12, I think, but when you click on it you see 6/6. What do these numbers really mean?

Lastly, Are there any standard (no mods) cities available for download so that I can get a feel for things? I want to build my own, but I want to see what kinds of mixes others have come up with just to give me an idea of proportions, etc.

Thanks,

Edit: I put this in the wrong sub-forum. Would a kind moderator please move it?

[Homeworld'sa]

Would a kind moderator please move it?
You'll be waiting a while, the only mods are the admins. :(
Email or PM them asking for a move.

[MidrealmDM70]

While very different, it is fun and engrosing (I installed destinations right from the get-go).


My initial questions are:

Is it possible to make a city using just one of the filters and never anything else, or is it rather that you end up making a city that does just enough of everything and specializes in one aspect?


Either way works,
I prefer using the filters as it reduces the sheer number of choices.

The way the game works is thus:
Each building is assigned a numerical value for each society.
Most are in the 0 to 5 range, but can drop to as low as -40 or as high as 45.

When the total value for a given society reaches a certain level, you will notice changes in the game, this could be small props on the buildings (flowers, mailboxes, etc); changes in the sky, the music, and even the paved city streets. These changes all vary by society type.

A building can (and usually does) add to more than one type, giving a +3 to capitalist society, a +5 to normal society, and +1 to cyberpunk society (for example) So you can end up with a interesting mix of props from one or more societies as these numbers accumulate.

If the value is positive (greater than 0) it will appear in the filter list.
If the value is 0 or negative it will not.
So by using the filter, you are more likely to achieve exacly that type of socieity props, music, etc. There is no penalty for using or not using the filter, but sometimes stricktly adhering to a filter can be a chalenge in itself.


The second question deals with residence capacity. I have been replacing some of the cottages with brownstones, etc. I see the population number shoot up, but when I click on a residence, it shows 2/2 or 6/6. e.g. a Brownstone's max is 12, I think, but when you click on it you see 6/6. What do these numbers really mean?

You can put your mouse over the numbers (and indeed over almost everything in the game) to get a 'tool tip' that will tell you what it means. (make sure you haven't turned off tool tips in the options)

But these numbers represent the number of workers inhabiting the building.
The first number is current inhabitants, the second is maximum inhabitants.

Worker Sims are not the same as population. A home that adds 2 workers may add 12 or so population, while an apartment that adds 20 workers may add 240 population. It is a very abstract system.


Lastly, Are there any standard (no mods) cities available for download so that I can get a feel for things? I want to build my own, but I want to see what kinds of mixes others have come up with just to give me an idea of proportions, etc.


I don't know if there are any uploaded, but some people might be willing to do so. What version of SCS are you running? Are you using the Destinations expansion?

Glad to see a new user on the Forums!

[Major SNAFU]

Thanks for the replies.

I am running SCS Destinations. No mods installed (I have found the mod repository on SimCity site to be painful to use so far).

I am used to playing COTN as well as other city builders. I get the point of it being abstract.

In a way, I find this game just ans interesting as SimCity4, but for very different reasons.

Anyway, I'm off to see what new mayhem I can achieve witha new city.

[MidrealmDM70]

Thanks for the replies.

I am running SCS Destinations. No mods installed (I have found the mod repository on SimCity site to be painful to use so far).

I am used to playing COTN as well as other city builders. I get the point of it being abstract.

In a way, I find this game just ans interesting as SimCity4, but for very different reasons.

Anyway, I'm off to see what new mayhem I can achieve witha new city.

There are several mods available at the forums here.
You can load a game with mods installed but you will get a warning when it starts if you don't have the mod
The modded buildings will be changed into other buildings -

If you want to see something in particular (like Authgoritarian, Small Town, etc) it wont hurt to ask.

[SlipperyJim]

MidrealmDM70 is too modest to mention them. but he has a couple of good mods. I really enjoy his Syndicate mod, for example. :D

You can download a range of mods from these forums. I recommend trying them!

[MidrealmDM70]

MidrealmDM70 is too modest to mention them. but he has a couple of good mods. I really enjoy his Syndicate mod, for example. :D

You can download a range of mods from these forums. I recommend trying them!

Thank you, Jim
:o
Its nice to be appreciated.
I try to keep a list of my mods updated here:
http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/member.php?u=16554
And I am currently working on some Western themed buildings.

Other good modders are
Azeem - beautiful renditions of Eastern clture, mostly released one building at a time, and (to my knowledge) there is no comprehensive list but
some examples can be found here: http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15384
Here: http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25022
and Here: http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24768

Soldyne also has released a number of small mods (alot of decorative stuff)
http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15702

Beyond that - you can check the Mod threads or just ask around and see what is recomended.

[Azeem]

Quick note on mods - There are some little quirks with mods, but none are particularly game-breaking. All it takes to fix them are just moving things into the right folders or some simple XML text edits. Info on that, you can ask here. :)

Welcome to the forums, by the way. :D