SimCity 4 - half-broken game
After some unspecified update the game stopped working with command-line arguments (like disabling intro and widescreen support). Another issue - the game doesn't launch on the first click "Play" in ...
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Hi @ButcherGrindslam - I don't know if I can help, but if you're still experiencing problems with SC4, I can point you to some possibilities on why you may be experiencing issues.
Not certain why command line switches would have stopped working. There haven't been any updates to SC4 in many years, although one of the recent Origin updates might have changed how it works. If you're using the Origin client for the command line switches, try using them in a desktop shortcut instead.
Right-click the SimCity 4 shortcut. Choose the Shortcut tab. In the Target box, add the switches to the end, after the quotation marks. So, to run in windowed mode at 1080p, the command line would look like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -w -r1024x768x32
If you're already using the shortcut, try entering just the command line switches in Origin. Right-click the SC4 icon, choose the Advanced tab, and in the Command Line box enter the switches with NO quotation marks:
-w -r1024x768x32
For more info about the difference between the GoG & Origin versions, this page describes it well - scroll to the part that says EP1 update. More help & info at this FAQ page.
Also be aware that SC4 is a 32 bit game. If you are running on MacOS Catalina, Apple has dropped support for all 32 bit games.
Hope this helps!
Setting shortcut properties doesn't work - just increases resolution but not widescreen. Even if I set parameters to Full HD. Checked on WinXP and Win7 where the game worked perfectly around 2014-2015.
@ButcherGrindslam wrote:
Setting shortcut properties doesn't work - just increases resolution but not widescreen. Even if I set parameters to Full HD. Checked on WinXP and Win7 where the game worked perfectly around 2014-2015.
Are you using the full switch? "-r1920x1080x32" should yield the 19:1 widescreen resolution, at 32 bit color. (you could use a 16 in place of the 32, just to test & see if the command line switch is actually being used)
I don't think a game as old as SimCity 4 probably has support for anything greater resolution than 1080p, so it may default back to its native resolution if you try to upgrade it to UHD.Edit: I found this article that says you need to enable custom resolution in the switch.
Try this:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe "-CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32" for 1080p
-or-
C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe "-CustomResolution:enabled -r2048x1152" if your monitor supports UHD
Tried all of this. Nothing works.
@ButcherGrindslam - Would you please provide a dxdiag for your computer?
To post your DxDiag:
1. Select the 'Choose file' button below the post box
2. Find the DxDiag file and select it - hit Open
3. Add text to your post and hit Submit
