The Basics
The Network Addon Mod (NAM) is designed to pave the way to new horizons in Sim City 4, quite literally. There are so many network options in this single mod that learning them can feel off-putting and overwhelming. Frankly, very few players will ever need all of them - there's that many to choose from! Learning the basic principles of NAM, however, is easy. This page is the only part you need commit to memory! So let’s jump right in…
DRAGGABLE, PLOPPABLE!
Just like many other elements of Sim City 4, the many options in the NAM are either “draggable” or “ploppable”. Draggable items work just like the default networks: click, and drag to build them. Ploppable items work just like buildings in the menu: click to place them.
Simply put: drag a highway, plop a junction! Seem familiar?
OVERRIDES
The one particular difference with the NAM from other mods are items called Overrides. Many items in the NAM are designed to be plopped and then dragged through. When this happens, they transform their initial appearance, updating and fitting themselves into your design, overiding into a single, seamless network. Learning what Overrides to use in the right place is where you’ll spend the most time learning in-game and unlock the true power of the NAM. This is the fun part, as there are literally endless variations to choose from!
IN-GAME MENU
Within the NAM’s menu you’ll find a few different kinds of items. We’ll get into where and when to use each tool later on, so for now all we need to learn are the differences between them:
- PUZZLE PIECES - A fixed, ploppable element that is static and does not override.
- STARTER PIECES - A ploppable element that does override, telling the game to ignore it’s default tool and use your chosen starter piece instead. Example, plop a single 4-lane highway starter piece down and then drag through it with the highway tool to build a 4-lane highway! Easy.
- FLEX PIECES - A ploppable, pre-built element that does override. Example, you’ve built a highway but now you want to add a slip-road or ramp. Plop down a flex piece ramp directly on top and it’ll fit itself into your design just like that. Alternatively, drag though a piece and it’ll update. Flexible, wouldn’t you say?
- HOLE/RAISER TOOL - A simple tool that allows you to dig a hole (for tunnels) or raise the terrain (for bridges).
- ERASER - Unlike the standard in-game “Bulldozer” tool, the NAM’s Eraser allows minimal destruction! Erase one tile, and only one, at a time.
- TRANSIT-ENABLED LOTS - A piece that accepts more than one type of network. Example, a transit station, allowing sims to switch from riding a train to walking.
USING THE MENU
The NAM contains many hundreds of different items you can place. To minimize the items in your menu and make things easier to find, many pieces are found grouped within Tab Rings. Tab Rings are shown as a single icon in the menu. Once you select one of these in the menu, use TAB (CTRL+TAB on macOS) to cycle forwards through the available pieces in this group. Use SHIFT+TAB (CTRL+SHIFT+TAB on macOS) to cycle back through the group. A hovering preview shows you the piece you currently have selected, and a small dialog box appears to explain what that piece is. Don’t worry if some of the descriptions don’t make sense just yet — this guide will help there.
Use the HOME and END keys to rotate a piece on the map, just like buildings.