Cannot get SimCity 4 Deluxe to run on Windows 8.1

[SmokeStack]

To start this, I'd like to get it out there that I am not computer savvy at all.

I remember really enjoying this game in middle school, so I bought it when I saw it 75% off.
I downloaded the game, and tried playing it just like every other Steam game I have.

SimCity 4 Deluxe opens to a black screen for about 2 seconds, then returns to my desktop as if nothing happened. It's icon sits on my taskbar like it's running, but when I hover my mouse over it, all I see is a miniatured black screen. If I click on it, I get the black screen again and then back to my desktop shortly thereafter. I can't close it from the taskbar. I have to open task manager and kill it from there.

I've been running through forum for a few hours. I've read through these.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/24780/discussions/0/494631967657814350/
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=279736936

I'm frustrated with my inane understanding of computers, and I'm left wondering why I can't play my purchased Steam game. Perhaps there's no easy fix, but that's exactly what I'm looking for.

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks,
nick246

[Hamur]

i would like to throw my name into his hat, everything that is happening to him is happening to myself as well.

[SmokeStack]

Hey I got my computer science uncle to help me out. He noticed when I started the game, it took up ~15% of my CPU, so it was working, I just couldn't see it. He then lowered the resolution for the game to its lowest value, and it worked. Game still crashes after an hour or so and if I tab out then I can't tab back in, but other than that it's all good.

[Nadlug]

@ both of you. The guide will pretty much tell you this but right click on simcity 4 in your library and click on properties.

You shoudl see a button labled "set lauch options..." Click on it and copy paste the following text into the box that pops up.

-CustomResolution:enabled -r1920x1080x32 -f -CPUCount:1 -intro:off -CPUPriority:High

Nick in your case i would only copy paste

-f -CPUCount:1 -intro:off -CPUPriority:High

since your uncle recommended a lower resolution. If its fine for you then just leave it as it is.


Now then, what do these things do?

-f 

Simply tells the game to run fullscreen.
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Modern computer systems usualy have at least two, usualy three or four or more cores within the CPU. Simcity 4 however is not a modern game and it wasent designed with the intention of using these multiple cores, it tires but this causes alot of stability issues.

-CPUCOUNT:1

Forces the game to only use a single core. This solves most of the stability issues for most players.
___

-intro:off

This just disables the intro clip that plays whenever you launch the game wont really impact anything in any way unless you like to sit through the little video every time.
___

-CPUPriority:high

Tells your computer how important a particular program is and gives it a little more attention than all the stuff that may be running in the background. It usualy dosent have a big impact nowdays but it dosent hurt either so might as well do it.

As I mentioned -CPUCOUNT:1 is the real important one. Again Simcity 4 is an old game and like many games of similar age it just simply wont run very well on modern computers. So it's pefectly understandable to be a bit frustrated.

Think of it this way though, Simcity 4 is a parent and the new computer trying to run it is the child. Kids rarely get along perfectly with their parents simply by nature of the age, cultural, and social differences involved.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

So basically the game has multi-threading without good synchronisation causing crashing on multi-core where there is a higher chance of being out of thread sync?

[Nadlug]

Originally posted by The Muppet Surgery Special:

So basically the game has multi-threading without good synchronisation causing crashing on multi-core where there is a higher chance of being out of thread sync?

I dont know, all i know is that the game does not work well on multi core processors unless you restrict it to a single core.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Originally posted by Nadlug:

Originally posted by The Muppet Surgery Special:

So basically the game has multi-threading without good synchronisation causing crashing on multi-core where there is a higher chance of being out of thread sync?

I dont know, all i know is that the game does not work well on multi core processors unless you restrict it to a single core.

Sounds like that is the reason, what happens with multi threaded apps is they are run in sequencial order taking turns on a single CPU core, there is a chance that the bad or lack of proper synchronisation mechanisms (semaphores, monitors etc) they end up trampling over each other and data gets corrupted and pointers can get bad and out of sync in the timing. The chances of that happening in a real parallel (multi-core) environment are increased with real concurrency. This is why you see the game crash faster on multi-core and later on in single core. There is a chance still it will crash in single core too, just later on, and a lower chance due to the lack of real concurrency (but still it can get out of synchronisation). The critical section problem.

[The Griffin King]

You have to remember this game was originally designed to run on Windows 98 2000 and XP. and the fact of the game is more than 10 years old. it should not be a surprise That it will not function on Windows 8 or 8.1 # windows 8.1 and windows 8 the dumbest things Microsoft ever release

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Originally posted by Chesterwolf the Griffin:

You have to remember this game was originally designed to run on Windows 98 2000 and XP. and the fact of the game is more than 10 years old. it should not be a surprise That it will not function on Windows 8 or 8.1 # windows 8.1 and windows 8 the dumbest things Microsoft ever release

Yes I know :)

Bad coding practices is still bad coding practices, regardless of year. The product is very defective.

The critical section problem was solved in many ways a long long time ago (first with Dekkers algorithm).

So, no excuses :)

Can't you launch it as XP Compatible mode with Windows 8? Why don't you upgrade to W10?

[Nadlug]

Lets just face it, every other OS microsoft releases is crap. 10 is good, 8/8.1 was not. 7 was good vista was *sounds of agonising screams and flesh beign torn* XP was good with the service packages, ME was *see vista*

@Muppet ive known people who have run SC4 on windows 8. Some have had to jump through special hoops to get it to work some have not.

[The Griffin King]

I'm going to save you a lot of time and trouble do not update to Windows 10 you take it how you want it! I have 3 friends that are licensed computer programmers they say Windows 10 and Windows 8 + 8.1 operating system is absolute garbage. so lets get back on topic back in the days when this game was made there was no such thing as Windows 7 8 8.1 And 10 they never thought that they would get that high. this game work well back in those days I remember it I remember standing in queue for a half an hour to purchase this game from PC world. but back in the 2000 when this game is released what coding was brilliant it was the first city building game that allowed you to drive cars it was also the fist game that gave emergency vehicles the right of way no game has ever done that to present. not even the new city skylines has given emergency vehicles or right of way and/or included a you drive it. basically what I'm saying is it was the best coding that was available during the time. I mean come on we're talking about 10 years ago technology has come a long way since then. I do apologize that it does not function on your operating system but I don't think there's anything we can do about that next time always look to see what operating system the game can Run on .

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Originally posted by Chesterwolf the Griffin:

I'm going to save you a lot of time and trouble do not update to Windows 10 you take it how you want it! I have 3 friends that are licensed computer programmers they say Windows 10 and Windows 8 + 8.1 operating system is absolute garbage. so lets get back on topic back in the days when this game was made there was no such thing as Windows 7 8 8.1 And 10 they never thought that they would get that high. this game work well back in those days I remember it I remember standing in queue for a half an hour to purchase this game from PC world. but back in the 2000 when this game is released what coding was brilliant it was the first city building game that allowed you to drive cars it was also the fist game that gave emergency vehicles the right of way no game has ever done that to present. not even the new city skylines has given emergency vehicles or right of way and/or included a you drive it. basically what I'm saying is it was the best coding that was available during the time. I mean come on we're talking about 10 years ago technology has come a long way since then. I do apologize that it does not function on your operating system but I don't think there's anything we can do about that next time always look to see what operating system the game can Run on .

So they read the code and architectural documents?

They said she said he said so it must be true.

All I see here is a wall of rant. With no evidence. I also am very qualified but as I do not have access to the architectural design and source, I don't go around making bold claims without evidence.

The problem it seems with SC4 is NOT platform specific, it appears to be SHODDY programming in a concurrent environment.

A lot of API's (Windows in this case) are quite stable and also non-changed. You could try to run on a reimplementation of the Win32 API on Linux and run it over Wine to see if that helps but, I suspect it will not as the code is not well synchronised it appears.

[Nadlug]

Originally posted by Chesterwolf the Griffin:

I'm going to save you a lot of time and trouble do not update to Windows 10 you take it how you want it! I have 3 friends that are licensed computer programmers they say Windows 10 and Windows 8 + 8.1 operating system is absolute garbage.

I hate to disagree with you and your friends but i do disagree.

While im not programmer savy I am tech savy. Upgrading to windows 10 from 7 cut my OS install size down by over half and Shorter boot times (though I allready had short startups on account of my SSD.)

On lower end machines which i upgraded from both 7 and 8.1 the os runs more smoothly barring a few P.E.B.K.A.C. issues for non tech savy users which is no fault of the OS what-so-ever.

Honestly the only downside I have encountered is how alot of the tiles features require UAC to be enabled to function. But i dont personally use them and anyone i have done the upgrade for wont be disabling UAC anyway so it its a non-issue.

[The Griffin King]

No this is not a rant I'm trying to state that this game was not designed to function on today's operating systems. everyone seems to be overlooking the fact. it's a great game and I love it.

[The Muppet Surgery Special]

Originally posted by Chesterwolf the Griffin:

No this is not a rant I'm trying to state that this game was not designed to function on today's operating systems. everyone seems to be overlooking the fact. it's a great game and I love it.

It appears it was not designed to function in any era (see critical section problem).

[MinEQ]

Wow, I've never been able to get this game to work! I used to play it constantly on the old PC we used to have, but ever since, I haven't been able to get past frame rate and graphical glitches on my newer laptop. From the 10 minutes I've played so far, what @Nadlug said to do really helps. Thanks for the post.