Installation

1.) The first step is to choose your terrain. You can do that from the main page. Look at the screenshots of terrains that sound interesting to you, and when you find one you like, right click on the "Terrain File" link and choose Save As. Put it in a location you can easily find.

2.) Choose a config file from this page. There are currently seven possibilities to choose from. Place it in a location that is easy to find, and rename it to config.bmp. Alternatively, you can create your own config file. If you choose to do this, You'll need to remember that all of these terrains are 5 by 5 large maps in size.

3.) Once you've chosen your terrain and config file, start SimCity 4. Create a new terrain, and choose either plains or water for the starting landforms, it really doesn't matter which. As soon as the new terrain is created, EXIT SIMCITY 4. Do not open ANY of the city files.

4.) Once you've quit SimCity 4, find the config file you chose. You need to place this in the folder where SimCity 4 is storing the new region you created. On computers using Windows 98 or ME, this will be C:\My Documents\SimCity 4\Regions\newregionname. If you have Windows NT, 2000, or XP, it will be C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\My Documents\SimCity 4\Regions\newregionname. The config file MUST be named config.bmp in order for SimCity to load it.

5.) Now, restart SimCity 4. Your new region should load, and it should be reconfigured by the config file you chose. If the layout and size hasn't changed, then something has gone wrong.

6.) Now it's time to import your chosen terrain. Press Ctrl Alt Shift R all at once. You should get a dialog box that will let you look for terrain files. Find the location you saved your terrain in, and click the filename ONCE. DO NOT DOUBLE CLICK. If the filename doesn't automatically appear in the filename line, you'll need to type it in manually. Then click OK. DO NOT HIT ENTER. I've heard reports that doubleclicking the filename or hitting enter can cause errors in the game, including in worst-case-scenario, a crash to the desktop.

7.) Now you'll be in for a wait. If everything has gone as expected up to this point, SimCity will begin generating the new terrain file. You will see a series of blank city maps appear, and a number of messages (some of them quite funny) will appear at the top of the screen. LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER ALONE until it finishes this process. Depending on how powerful your computer is, this could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. On my computer it takes about 25.

8.) After a while, the game will finish importing the terrain, and you will be dropped back into Region Mode. Congratulations! Your new region is ready to play! Have fun!