Sim City 4 tips

[Omega124]

I remember something. Want a quick 1000 bucks a month? Just legalize gambling. The crime it causes is microscopic.

 

[Tani Coyote]

I remember something. Want a quick 1000 bucks a month? Just legalize gambling. The crime it causes is microscopic.

That's 100 bucks a month, nut, yes, it is indeed a great idea.

Getting the actual casino requires going in the red...

...unless you use a U-Drive-It mission as the Mayor. Get the casino, build it for free. It's supposed to cause crime, but I didn't notice it. And I put it in the middle of my commercial districts!

Federal Prison is also a good idea, since it houses inmates just the same but pays you! Now, as to how to unlock that... probably involves a police mission.

On prisons:

I usually build a "Scum Island" out over the water. A single bridge connects it to the mainland. The entire island is tiny, but houses a city jail and all the landfill I can fit. It keeps the desirability impact low.

If you can't find a "scum island" of your own, just build dumps in the dirty industry section. If you don't have a dirty industry section, build one in the neighboring city. Export all your trash there.

 

[NBAfan]

You don't need to cheat. Just build a small airstrip, do missions for Dr. Vu in the skywriter. Each success nets you +100,000 Simoleons. The mission refreshes very quickly so you can do it over and over again. A few hours makes you a millionaire; money will never trouble you again. Then you can focus on the real fun - trying to unlock the rewards (though this too can be circumvented with Missions), developing an aesthetic wonderland, and keeping a large metro from falling apart because it lacks a magic ingredient.



I tried that once, I think I mis-installed it since for some reason, whenever I put one of the props down, it was surrounded by a large cardboard box.

I hate the driving, such a colossal waste of programing time for a gimmick. That time could have been spent fixing the many bugs the game has.

Do you have the latest patch? You need the patch and Rush Hour for any add ons.

 

[Omega124]

I hate the driving, such a colossal waste of programing time for a gimmick. That time could have been spent fixing the many bugs the game has.

Do you have the latest patch? You need the patch and Rush Hour for any add ons.

I personally found it fun, and it can also show you ways to improve your city's infranstructure. Did you notice it was so hard to get to a certian section of the city? Build a few side roads to make the nagivating easier. Notice a huge traffic jam? With it in your attention, you can fix it. Want to demolish a building without having to pay for it? Get thank tank rolling, and fire at will.

 

[Tani Coyote]

I personally found it fun, and it can also show you ways to improve your city's infranstructure. Did you notice it was so hard to get to a certian section of the city? Build a few side roads to make the nagivating easier. Notice a huge traffic jam? With it in your attention, you can fix it.

Indeed! Though I myself just use the "Traffic" Map... upgrade all red areas/build mass transit accordingly. I build mass transit anyway as a rule. Sometimes, I run a profit on it.

Want to demolish a building without having to pay for it? Get thank tank rolling, and fire at will.

That reminds me. Whenever you use disasters, you have to pay for whatever's destroyed.

I love the joke on the quality of the political system that happens when you go bankrupt. It says you're thrown out of office. Your options? "Run for Governor."

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Wasn't it "Run for Senator"? And I heard that's a reference to the Sims Political Career Track, where it comes before Mayor.

 

[J-man]

Get the network addon mod from simtropolis.com, It greatly improves the path finding algorithm.

Be careful with $$$ residential sims. A lot of people wonder why when a $$$-residential building has been it soon is abandoned. It's because there not much jobs for $$$-sims. Even in $$$-commercial buildings only like 15% of the jobs are for $$$-sims. This is why they often leave the city after they just arrived: they can't find jobs.

If/when you build high density make sure you have a very good transportation network.

Cheap carbage disposal: build an incinerator and set its funding to zero, it won't generate power but it will still burn trash. If you put all the polluting industry in a neighbor. You own city won't need much fireprotection (enact smoke detector ordinance).

 

[MaxaTheGreat]

Wasn't it "Run for Senator"? And I heard that's a reference to the Sims Political Career Track, where it comes before Mayor.

Yeah, I posted the Game Over screen in the screenshots thread.

Reading this makes me want to play SC4 again...

 

[Antilogic]

I always cheat for money, designing is much more fun then the lousy budget game.

If you don't have it already, get the NAM mod at Simtropolis now! It makes the game's traffic so much better! It is so awesome and necessary that no sane or smart person would play SC4 without it.

Link? I'm still stuck playing the base game with a patch.

 

[Dell19]

I noticed something today that it seems to be a good idea to start separating out industrial zones after a while. Previously I've always tried to keep my industry in one area however in my latest city I had to split it into two sections and I was pleasantly surprised that the new area has much less polluting buildings. Thinking about it, it does make sense that low polluting industries would also not want to be next to heavy polluting industries but it wasn't something I had tried before.

 

[Antilogic]

I noticed something today that it seems to be a good idea to start separating out industrial zones after a while. Previously I've always tried to keep my industry in one area however in my latest city I had to split it into two sections and I was pleasantly surprised that the new area has much less polluting buildings. Thinking about it, it does make sense that low polluting industries would also not want to be next to heavy polluting industries but it wasn't something I had tried before.

That, or even leaving a small 2-space wide empty gap in your industrial zones can be enough. Later on, it can be filled in with rails, maybe some trees.

I've started incorporating small industrial zones on the outskirts of the central business district, away from the core industrial areas. These zones are hotspots for high-tech industries, which have some of the greatest buildings in the industrial category--nine people employed in high-paying jobs to cut the grass? Sweet!

 

[W|M]

The city I'm currently focusing on is going to get an Advanced Research Centre and Launch Site in the High-Tech areas once I get enough money.

 

[NBAfan]

I personally found it fun, and it can also show you ways to improve your city's infranstructure. Did you notice it was so hard to get to a certian section of the city? Build a few side roads to make the nagivating easier. Notice a huge traffic jam? With it in your attention, you can fix it. Want to demolish a building without having to pay for it? Get thank tank rolling, and fire at will.

Yeah, it can be fun at first, but no one who's had the game 2-7 years cares about it anymore.

Link? I'm still stuck playing the base game with a patch.

This site, the biggest fan site for Simcity4


Here's a picture of my city

 

[Antilogic]

This site, the biggest fan site for Simcity4


Here's a picture of my city

Thanks for the pointer, I'll check it out later tonight.

Your CBD is way larger than mine, I think I need to expand neighboring cities more.

 

[Tani Coyote]

I've started incorporating small industrial zones on the outskirts of the central business district, away from the core industrial areas. These zones are hotspots for high-tech industries, which have some of the greatest buildings in the industrial category--nine people employed in high-paying jobs to cut the grass? Sweet!

You do that too?

I do it primarily to add some more jobs to a commercial district, that and may as well take advantage of the fact commercial districts that are well-built usually have several parks/open areas in them to begin with.

I do laugh at how High Tech Industry actually builds a yard that looks like a Plaza. There's a hint on how to get it, huh?

This site, the biggest fan site for Simcity4

Looks beautiful, NBAfan. How many people?

The way your roads are laid out looks really realistic too. Mine looks like a giant grid half the time.

 

[NBAfan]

Looks beautiful, NBAfan. How many people?

The way your roads are laid out looks really realistic too. Mine looks like a giant grid half the time.

My region population is 800,000. Mainly because it's 90% low density. I plan to have even more sprawl.

 

[Dell19]

delete

 

[Tani Coyote]

I downloaded the Network Addon Mod for my current region, which has a rendition of GTA IV's Liberty City.

So far there are only two cities in the network - Liberty City and a small island/ferry/subway based city, the East Carraways, to the south. For some reason, HUNDREDS of my citizenry flock south there for jobs. I relieved congestion by building a subway along the route.

What's funny is the only way to get there is by going across "Scum Island," where I keep my garbage and convicts. Yet despite it being but a single road, traffic was in the green! I am amused.

NAM does alleviate congestion issues as I recall... increasing road capacities and whatnot. My entire city is green now, apart from one or two tiles at intersections.

Seeing "Long" next to commute is no longer a scare factor like it used to be, woo.

Now that I'm starting to get residential, low income high rises, hopefully the bus stations/subway stations I have every few blocks get some use.

---

I'll confirm my earlier point - building parks attract high-rises of low-income as much as high. I built two parks next to a low-income, high-density zone, all of a sudden, high rises, high rises everywhere!

I'll build the Empire State building soon, but I do find it epic how commercial buildings, even at their tallest, never seem to be able to compare.

 

[Antilogic]

You do that too?

I do it primarily to add some more jobs to a commercial district, that and may as well take advantage of the fact commercial districts that are well-built usually have several parks/open areas in them to begin with.

I do laugh at how High Tech Industry actually builds a yard that looks like a Plaza. There's a hint on how to get it, huh?

Yup. It's much easier to get started on high-tech industries if they are not next to your crappy industries. I forget when it hit me that behind the commercial parks would be a great place for it.

The way your roads are laid out looks really realistic too. Mine looks like a giant grid half the time.

Embrace the inefficiency. Cities look more unrealistic when you don't plan a perfect grid but instead build a sprawl and then try to upgrade and cram necessary buildings and transit into it.

I downloaded the Network Addon Mod for my current region, which has a rendition of GTA IV's Liberty City.

So far there are only two cities in the network - Liberty City and a small island/ferry/subway based city, the East Carraways, to the south. For some reason, HUNDREDS of my citizenry flock south there for jobs. I relieved congestion by building a subway along the route.

What's funny is the only way to get there is by going across "Scum Island," where I keep my garbage and convicts. Yet despite it being but a single road, traffic was in the green! I am amused.

NAM does alleviate congestion issues as I recall... increasing road capacities and whatnot. My entire city is green now, apart from one or two tiles at intersections.

Seeing "Long" next to commute is no longer a scare factor like it used to be, woo.

I've also downloaded the NAM, but I'm not getting significant improvement--I've run a few of my cities for a couple months, but I still have mass unemployment due to commute times. Might take a few more months to equilibriate.

I'm also getting plenty of CTDs when I select one of the new options from the build menu. Sometimes it's when I select the item, sometimes it's when I try to place it on the map. Should you only place things like double-deckers over existing roads/streets?

I've been trying to place a tram line, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Do you have to make stops for trams? Do the trams need turn-around loops like trains or can you just build a single, linear track?

 

[NBAfan]

I've also downloaded the NAM, but I'm not getting significant improvement--I've run a few of my cities for a couple months, but I still have mass unemployment due to commute times. Might take a few more months to equilibriate.

I'm also getting plenty of CTDs when I select one of the new options from the build menu. Sometimes it's when I select the item, sometimes it's when I try to place it on the map. Should you only place things like double-deckers over existing roads/streets?

I've been trying to place a tram line, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. Do you have to make stops for trams? Do the trams need turn-around loops like trains or can you just build a single, linear track?

You need to run the city for a year.

Not sure about the CTDs, the new networks can't be dragged like the standard ones. A fault of the game engine.

You have to download a tram station.
Have you checked the mod's documentation?