The default game settings include 8 growth stages for Residential and Commercial, and 3 growth stages for Industrial. A Stage 4 commercial office will have fewer jobs than a Stage 5. A Stage 2 residential will have more residents in it than a Stage 1 residential. The notion of a growth stage is roughly equivalent to the concept of density. The centerpiece of the mod is that it adds new growth stages for each type of zone. It includes altered properties for some Maxis lots, to mesh them with the new settings, meaning you can use the CAM right out of the box, without downloading anything else. To put it in short and simple form, the CAM is a mod that alters the game’s Residential-Commercial-Industrial (RCI) simulation, changing when and how growable buildings grow, and adjusting the mechanics of population and job balance. As I’ve seen plenty of misconceptions being repeated across many corners of the internet, including a lot recently, I’d like to clarify things, and finally separate fact from fiction with the CAM. The reasons for this most likely lie in the fact actual concept behind the mod is somewhat abstract to someone who is not terribly familiar with the inner workings of SC4–which most new players aren’t–and also perhaps due to community politics from the time the CAM was released, some 6 years ago.
The CAM, or Colossus Addon Mod, is arguably the most misunderstood SC4 mod out there.
