Network Extensions 3 (Backup your mods now)
Update v1.0.2 (Feb 5, 2022): If you missed the Cable-stayed bridges, they are BACK! see release notes in the discussion thread.
Network Extensions 3 is a continuation of the venerable Network Extensions 2, which needs no introduction. It is a generous collection of roads, several of which have been published by Colossal Order as paid DLC, inspired by this mod. You can get them for free with this mod, or pay for a subset of them via DLC.
This is a drop in replacement for Next2; Subscribe it, disable Next2, enable Next3 in the Content Manager, and keep on building. It’s possible to have both subscribed at once, so you can switch back and forth as you wish. Enjoy!
I am taking over maintenance of this work because it appears the original authors are unresponsive. They themselves had taken over maintenance from the original creator when he stopped playing. Long live open source, and thank you, original dude Katalyst6[github.com]!.
This collection of networks has stood the test of time because it’s an exceptionally well engineered piece of software, unlike so many fly-by-night attempts to imitate.
The main advantage of using this network pack over individual network or even asset collections is optimized memory usage. This mod remixes textures and object data as needed, and does not waste memory on duplicating imperceptibly similar textures. A non-negligible benefit of shared data is that CPU and GPU load will be diminished, by having to move less data around in memory, leaving more compute resources available for simulation or other assets.
I plan to take an active maintenance role, including support. However, I’m no graphical artist. If you want some new roads added, or existing roads improved, please submit a GitHub[github.com] pull request, I will gladly consider integrating it into the mod (ie, it must not break existing functionality, and should use existing texture as to keep it light).
The open source is available at GitHub[github.com].
I’ve been the target of much hatred from Colossal Order and a certain clique of "modders" over supporting this mod, and the alternate Harmony (redesigned) and I expect it to continue, but worry not, I remain unphased.
Rumors of pending incompatibility are only FUD. This project will be updated and supported for as long as it is needed, to keep your old game saves playable, and your new projects running smoothly.
Kindly keep comments and forum posts on the topic of this mod, and maintenance there of. I will vigilantly clean up trolling that is here to comment on my person or my other mods. I welcome bug reports and constructive criticism regarding this mod, but I will delete all trolling without warning.
Image of Kosciuszko Bridge[en.wikipedia.org] in New York City by Edom31 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0[commons.wikimedia.org]
Revisions:
Old revisions of this mod are available below. Click the link to download.
