SimCity 4 Deluxe — Linux Install & Modding

Automated installation of SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition on Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) using Ansible, Wine, and a curated mod collection.

Quick Start

# Full install (system deps → Wine → game → mods)
sudo make deps     # install Wine + 32-bit support
make prefix        # create Wine prefix + registry tweaks
make game          # install GOG game (place setup_*.exe in installer/)
make optimize      # GPU database + 4GB patch
make mods          # install all mods
make launch        # play!

Project Structure

├── mods/                  # Committed mod files (~16MB, no re-download)
│   ├── sc4fix/SC4Fix.dll
│   ├── sc4cpuoptions/…
│   ├── sc4autosave/…
│   ├── sc4dbpfloading/…
│   ├── sc4graphics/…
│   ├── sc4fullscreen32/…
│   ├── sc4soundfix/…
│   ├── gizmo-night/…
│   ├── gizmo-fog/…
│   ├── gizmo-weather/…
│   ├── gizmo-effects/…
│   └── fantozzi-audio/…
├── playbooks/
│   ├── install.yml        # Ansible: system + game + mods
│   └── templates/         # Launcher, desktop, registry
├── scripts/
│   ├── fetch-mods.sh      # Download mods (use --repo to update mods/)
│   ├── launch.sh          # Game launcher
│   └── simtropolis-cookies.txt
├── installer/             # Place GOG setup_*.exe here
├── Makefile               # Convenience targets
├── AGENTS.md              # Agent instructions
└── README.md

Prerequisites

• Debian 12+ or Ubuntu 22.04+
• NVIDIA GPU with proprietary driver (recommended)
• GOG installer: setup_simcity_4_deluxe_*.exe

Mods

Mod	Source	Type
SC4Fix	GitHub	Bug fixes, crash prevention
SC4CPUOptions	GitHub	Single-core, priority tweaks
SC4AutoSave	GitHub	Auto-save every 10 min
SC4DBPFLoading	GitHub	90% faster startup
SC4GraphicsOptions	GitHub	DirectX, custom resolution
SC4FullScreen32Bit	GitHub	32-bit color fullscreen
SC4DisableNetworkConstructionSounds	GitHub	Removes jackhammer loop
Gizmo Day-Night Mod v2.0	SC4Evermore	Dark realistic nights
Gizmo Ground Fog	SC4Evermore	Atmospheric ground fog
Gizmo Weather	SC4Evermore	Rain/cloud effects
Gizmo Effect Props	SC4Evermore	50+ LE effects
Fantozzi Audio Essentials	SC4Evermore	Custom query sounds
NAM 49	SC4Evermore	Transportation overhaul
Sudden Valley Terrain	SC4Evermore	HD ground textures
Gobias HD Water	SC4Evermore	HD water colors
CycledoGG Trees	SC4Evermore	Tree controllers
SPAM	Simtropolis	Agricultural overhaul

Mod Targets

# Individual mods
make mod-sc4fix
make mod-fog
make mod-weather

# Groups (via fetch-mods.sh)
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh essential   # DLL fixes only
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh polish      # Audio/visual (sound, fog, weather, effects)
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh beautiful   # Terrain + water + trees + SPAM
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh all         # Everything

# Download mods to repo for committing
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh essential --repo
./scripts/fetch-mods.sh polish --repo

S3 Mod Cache

Large mods are served from LoopAware's Garage S3 (10.32.70.16:3900). The fetch-mods.sh script checks this local cache first, falling back to SC4Evermore. Set env vars to customize: S3_ENDPOINT, S3_BUCKET, S3_PREFIX, S3_KEY_ID, S3_SECRET_KEY.

Reproducibility

Small mod DLLs are committed in mods/ — no re-download needed for essentials. Large mods (NAM, terrain, water, trees) are fetched on demand by the playbook. Run ./scripts/fetch-mods.sh <target> --repo to update the repo cache.