Starting up a minimal city

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The whole idea of this thread is to get started slowly, profitably towards whatever megalopolis you want to make.  However, it takes a more RL view of the founding of a city, namely that they all start as a cross-road in a rural setting. 

Cities just don't spring into being unless they are purpose built to support something like a military base, when you get very much a grid layout.  You have to get expansion money from somewhere, and unless you are running in easy mode, the treasury is pretty limited.  So instead of being a mayor at the top of this event, you get to be the reeve of the rural municipality.  Mayoralty comes only when you are making good net income and keeping everybody mutually not unhappy.

[smstevenms 7]

I couldn't have said it any better.

[nihonkaranws 88]

This sure helped me out when I was a newbie, lols.

[smstevenms 7]

Where is N_O_Body??

[ixnayonthetimmay 16]

Originally posted by: ewen_soccerpro i usually would put in as much agriculture as possible the build the commercial sector so as not to contaminate the farmsquote>

This is a very effective method; to fill up the land with agricultural zones, that is. It means you'll have to start out with more money (easy is the only option with a large city tile), but it will be much more worth it.

One important thing to remember is that a lot of services aren't needed until they are asked for. You don't even need water in a poorer city when you're just starting out. You can even get away with no trash service for a city up to about 1000 simians. This is a good way to keep your budget balanced without raising taxes, something our Congress and President seems to have trouble doing...

[smstevenms 7]

I wouldn't start out building ANYthing to large, the polution that farms generate can make sims sick, and the area more undesirable. And as farms grow they need water and they produce water polution as well, that means more money for water treatment plants. Just always remember, never grow more than your sims need.

[Geo66 0]

hey everyone!Im an absoloute newbie here and a simcity fanatic.I want to ask something thats quite off topic.Does anyone know where I can download real life skyscrapers?For instance the Petronas Towers?Help will be much appreciated!quote>

[Geo66 0]

hey everyone!Im an absoloute newbie here and a simcity fanatic.I want to ask something thats quite off topic.Does anyone know where I can download real life skyscrapers?For instance the Petronas Towers?Help will be much appreciated!.quote>

[un1 41]

Um... Geo66 you should of deleted the second post. You can find towers in the SimTropolis Extange (STEX) in the search box type tower or related stuff.

[smstevenms 7]

Not only that Geo66, but this is the wrong forum thread for your question! There is a search box (2) to your left, second you ask about a skyscrapers in "Starting up a minimal city", don't just post "anywhere" because you don't want to wait for an answer.

[thehandyman 11]

Originally posted by: N_O_Body leoleo:  You need to remember that this thread is for beginners.  In no way have I envisioned people running this on a tile large enough to create that kind of income.  Ohwhatawetness, my very first large city, now has over 650,000 Sims and is making about 20K per month with a treasury over 40,000,000§.

However, you should know that this didn't happen over niight.  It took about two years of real time, on and off, and the city is over 500 Sim-years old.  It has now reached the stagnation ponit, where just keeping it pooping along at current specs is a major job.  I don't play it very often.quote>

 

About 2 years of real time?? I don't wanna waste that much time on making a metropolis. Maybe a week or two would make sense, but 2 years????

[thehandyman 11]

Originally posted by: smstevenms Not only that Geo66, but this is the wrong forum for your question! There is a search box (2) to your left, second you ask about a skyscrapers in "Starting up a minimal city", don't just post "anywhere" because you don't want to wait for an answer.quote>

 

For God sakes steve. He's just a newbie, he even mentioned it. Don't assume that he's impatient all of a sudden. Help him like a patriot. Don't be a slob.

[smstevenms 7]

For one "handyman", what are you contributing to this thread, neither of the post have any relation to the topic, just a comment? <-- This is a dying thread if not dead. Second you doubleposted, use the edit feature, delete your second post! Third there are many different threads for many different topics, that is why there is a search box(s)! He may be a newbie here (as you are too), but it doesn't take much time to read and be observant.

And in final, lets watch the insults "slob", name calling is unnecessary and immuture.

[Bones1 96]

Yeah, I think "thehandyman" should wait at least a couple of months before developing his attitude problem. He only joined 2 weeks ago! As for Geo66, it's better to swat him down now, before he develops all the wrong posting habits. (Wrong thread, not searching, double posting, etc.) All common newbie mistakes, but that's the time to tell them what they're doing wrong.

[smstevenms 7]

Thank you Bones.

[Zoodos 0]

Thanks for the tips just what I'm looking for!

[kingdiz_55 12]

This is really useful information. Thanks!

[smstevenms 7]

Where is the Moose, still haven't seen him around. ???

[vinzenp 0]

wow

[Hester 700]

well, I just happened on this tonight,. Who knows..maybe I will get up the courage to try. I have been lurking a long time. I never knew what to do or how..and smstevensms also mentioned not to get too upset if it all went wrong..just back out and don't save. I think it was he that said it when I started at the beginning of the thread.

[Cicle Ying Chu 0]

Good idea!

[Cicle Ying Chu 0]

Good idea!

[ididntdidit 0]

I think you should extend on this because this has some serious potential

[smstevenms 7]

Originally posted by: ididntdidit I think you should extend on this because this has some serious potentialquote>

 

The Moose has been MIA for some time now, and did notice the date this thread was was really last active?

There are many great tips here you'll just need to browse the few pages, because there's not much else to this concept!

[Speth 0]

i'm new here so i don't know if this has already been said, but personally i never start new cities in this way (i assume with minimal city you mean a minimal selfsustaining starting city that works and turns a profit). the key to turning a profit early on is to skip the dirty and manufacturing stages of development entirely, and going directly to high-tech and $$$ residential and commercial zones. to do this you just build a basic minimal city center with high density commercials and residentials (the extra cost for high density isn't that significant) and utilities, then place down ALL the educational facilities and a clinic and turn down their budgets to the absolute minimum required to keep them from going on strike, and raise the taxes for dirty, manufacturing and possibly low wealth residentials to 20% to avoid them from being built. zone the industrial area somewhere near the residentials as high tech industry doesn't generate significant NIMBY effect and the commute is best kept to the absolute minimum. then just wait a while for your citizens to get smarter and more numerous (a certain minimum is required to get the hightechs to pop up so don't zone too little) and the high tech industries and associated high wealth economy should grow long before your money runs out.

if you do run dry, just run the "organs for profit" mission from the hospital helicopter(needs at least 1 industrial building in the city) or any profit-generating mission a bunch of times.

the reason to do it this way rather than to start with the small stuff is that the pollution generated by the initial low-wealth economy is usually what prevents it from improving, and the low-wealth economy is much, much harder to keep up than the high wealth stages since those generate loads of cash and a huge commercial demand. i generally find it very difficult to transform a low-wealth city into a high-wealth one and usually just keep the two different types of economies in separate cities entirely using taxation. i think that the reason many people complain about sc4's difficulty is that many people advise them to start small and not overspend, even though the game becomes very easy and creative once the region economy goes in high gear.

[Lolek 0]

umm you can still make a city with like 10 people i think

[Lolek 0]

umm you can still make a city with like 10 people i think

[smstevenms 7]

There is more than one way to run a min. city, patients is key.

[GTASA 0]

Thanks! I neede This!

[kingdiz_55 12]

I would also suggest getting the:REPower Modern Wind Turbines by neder because there's more variety to it and you could always buy a bigger version of it as it is a set... Cool isn't it?