Starting up a minimal city

[Lucky01101 0]

This is probably one of the best "Quick Start" Tutorials ever, I have been building farm communities for a long time and this is one of the many ways I start a farming city.  

Good job N_O_Body, this will help a lot of noobs.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Welcome to Simtropolis Lucky01101.  Howcome you just joined up?  Shy?

[smstevenms 7]

This may seem be criticism but it's not intended as such, the key to doing "anything" is start small, start slow. Once you've played enough you'll know what "pre-planning" (for building a large areas quickly) you can get away with. But build to large right away and you'll definitely run into the red. This doesn't matter if you have the patch that unlocks all rewards.

Also remember, if you royally screw-up, just back out without saving and retry the process over again. We are talking about grasping the basics of this game, aren't we? For true beginners it may even be a great idea to draw on paper, your city, how you want it sit, what and where you zone are placed, and transportation planning (<--MOST IMPORTANT). And save yourself money by pulling out (from menu) small and large government service buildings (fire, police, and hospital) to view there coverage area (then draw these circles on the drawn out city. When it feels good pick a spot and go to work.

I should also mention that there are dozens of ways at starting out, and you should do what works. It truly helps allot if you understand a degree about government because allot of the structuring of this game is closely related. Good luck!

[Norfrit 0]

Thanks, I am playing SC4 for long time but never had good starting strategy

[Bones1 96]

Most newbies get into trouble with cash-flow when they start adding services such as schools and hospitals. It's incredibly easy to run a profitable city without health and education services. Start with that. You'll have nothing but slums, but you'll be making lots of money.

When you've got a strong positive cash-flow, start adding schools and hospitals slowly. Always check in on the funding for each school and hosptial every few years, and adjust the funding of each so you're not over-spending. Also, make sure you're not over-spending for electicity and water. (The latter are easier to check by using the graphs. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to check schools and hospitals, so you have to query each one.)

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Bones1 Unfortunately, there's no easy way to check schools and hospitals, so you have to query each one.quote>

Well, yes and no.  You can use the budget display and expand it to see each unit under education and health.  You can control these pretty closely without having to see them on the display, but only on the bean counter.

[Bones1 96]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: Bones1 Unfortunately, there's no easy way to check schools and hospitals, so you have to query each one.quote>

Well, yes and no.  You can use the budget display and expand it to see each unit under education and health.  You can control these pretty closely without having to see them on the display, but only on the bean counter.quote>

 

Yes, but unless I'm mistaken, you can't see whether the funding is "optimal" in the budget display. For example, a hospital may have 1500 patients in it, so there's no point in funding it for 3000 patients. (The extra funding is wasted, which can become a major source of wasted money for newbies.)

So, I'm stuck clicking on every hospital in my city every few years to make sure it's not over-funded. Actually, hosptial usage stays fairly consistent once a city is developed, so I don't have to check very often. It's school attendance that keeps changing, since usage depends on the age of sims in its area.

I wish the game had a way to set funding to "optimal", to cut back on that micro-management.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Bones1

Originally posted by: N_O_Body

Originally posted by: Bones1 Unfortunately, there's no easy way to check schools and hospitals, so you have to query each one.quote>

Well, yes and no.  You can use the budget display and expand it to see each unit under education and health.  You can control these pretty closely without having to see them on the display, but only on the bean counter.quote>

 

Yes, but unless I'm mistaken, you can't see whether the funding is "optimal" in the budget display. For example, a hospital may have 1500 patients in it, so there's no point in funding it for 3000 patients. (The extra funding is wasted, which can become a major source of wasted money for newbies.)

quote>

Unless your display is unlike mine, it gives the number of occupants/maximum number of occupants in detail, one line per building.  Did you try clicking on the eyeball?

[Bones1 96]

Oh, stupid me! I've never tried that before. Thanks! That saves a lot of time.

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[Bones1 96]

Originally posted by: Barbarossa

Is the cemetery REALLY considered a YIMBY? Desirability indicates the Richies don't like it as much... it isn't red, but is certainly isn't green...

quote>

 

Yes, it's a YIMBY. It has a mayor rating effect of +2 across pretty-much the whole city. Also, it has a "park-effect" (residential YIMBY) of +40 with a radius of 20 tiles around it. It also has some air-cleaning power right around it, although it does pollute water a bit it the same area so that might balance the air-cleaning ability.

Your sims should like it. If they don't, then check to see if you've got some crime in it. Sometimes local crimes in areas will turn a desirability temporarily "red". (Things like the university are horrible for crime, despite also being a YIMBY. Best to live a block away, and not right next to it.)

[Kayean_Henser 2]

I think the strength of these suggestions is their clarity--and that's perhaps what people are reacting to so favourably. You've laid out some good, clear guidelines to help people to start successful cities--thank you!

[FrenchBread 0]

nice examples, thanks!

[hydra 4]

Right i don't need help on play easy or meduim but thanks i might see how these works Hehe.

[vlad755 0]

Great post- solid advice. One little nit, and this is really minor but I have discovered that this does make a difference. Instead of having two "T" intersections close together, try to arrange your streets to line up so that they make a four-way intersection. The number of intersections a Sim has to drive through does affect their commute time -at least from what I have experienced.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

^ Agreed, but this is a basic tutorial, and I tried to avoid niceties like that that I would have to explain.  Besides, the the real world, rural concessions fall where they may.

[villagemayor 0]

What Vlad said is true in real life. Intersections, in particular ones with traffic lights, will add to commute time. I noticed this in my commute, where part of my commute is along a 10 kilometre stretch of road in the city with 8 intersections with traffic lights, and I just zoom without needing to stop. Think if anyone (or a Sim) can do that on a road with numerous intersections, during rush hour.

[BattleField-2142 9]

Nice and fast way to fill a region fast, thx!

[Darth Krow 0]

i dont get it i tried that but it didnt grow what did i do wrong

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Darth Krow

i dont get it i tried that but it didnt grow what did i do wrong

quote>

The only thing I can think of is that you had your game in Pause.

[Darth Krow 0]

no i never was good at this game lol

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Sounds like you need a reinstall and refix.

[Darth Krow 0]

no i cant build thats what it is

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Originally posted by: Darth Krow no i cant build thats what it isquote>

Aw, g'wan.  If you have it installed with the right fix, you shouldn't be having problems: especially with this tutorial.  What version are you running (SC4, RH, Deluxe), and have you registered and patched it?  C'mon!  Use the Force, Darth!

[PoseidonST 0]

Hey N_O_body,

Thanks for saving me from creating this thread!

-Ruler Of The Sea

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

All hail, Earthshaker.

Potted any Neirids lately?

[PoseidonST 0]

*Chuckles*

As for your question, no. Suprisingly, I decided to stop after I resigned my position. (More Info In Sig  )

-Ruler Of The Sea

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

^ You want to watch that ruler of the sea thing.  I think Gilbert and Sullivan own that copyright from HMS Pinnafor ....  Oh, ...  wait, .... copyrights expired several years ago.  Do you still "polish up the handle of the big front door"?

[squiggles35 1]

@ Barbarossa

For your second question, if I'm not mistaken, the eyeball is the thing that you find in the ordinance section. I might be wrong but that is the only eyeball I know of in the game, except on the sims in your city!

[PoseidonST 0]

Yes! I am presently forged Tuscon and I always make sure our doorknobs are very stylish!