Asking help for a newbie

[iConstruct 0]

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this site as well as to the world of Simcity.

Are there any patches that I have to download or any other software etc?

Any advice that you can give a newcomer is appreciated.

[CaptCity 4,678]

Welcome iConstruct...

Yes, there are a couple patches for the game depending on what version you have. You can find them on the official site. You will have to register to get the updates. If any problems, just ask . Hope this helps.

[sandej23 0]

Hi Everyone. Iv'got a problem with buildings downloaded from this site. The problems is that none of those buildings aren't highlited at night. Is there any patch which can fix this problem??

[Bumdark 3]

sandej23: Yep, you need the updates (the EP updates) from the official site, as mentioned above. Nighlights don't work without them.

[sandej23 0]

Thanks for answer Budmark. Could you give me link to this site? I'm registered user on ea website but i couldn't find any patch for simcity 4 de luxe edition. And also i was trying to register on http://simcity.ea.com but my cd key is already registered or not valid. My game is original of course!! Does anyone know how can I solve this problem??

[iConstruct 0]

I have some other newbie questions. The tutorial never showed how to adjust local funding of your power plant based on your population. Anyway, I adjusted it so that my power plant only gives out enough for the population...is this ok?

Also, I'm trying to build up my city a section at a time. Meaning I want to have a small city first with high resident buildings, even skyscrapers, the move on to another section of the city starting with low density and so on...is this practical and does it make sense?

Also, how far do simoleans want to live away from the industrial zone?

[sturmgewehr 0]

Adjusting your power funding level is a great way to save some cash when you start out.  Just keep an eye on it because if you walk away for five minutes and come back to find 'brown-outs' across your city it can take time to recover.

Building your city in sections is completely your choice, however you are going to find it difficult to get huge skyscrapers in your first city immediately.  think about it as if it were real life.  When Manhattan was first populated, did they start putting up 10+ story buildings immediately?  Nope, it all started low density and communities sprawled out across the region.  As demand region wide grew Manhattan then had the demand to build larger and larger buildings.  This directly relates to how you can plan your cities/region.  While everyone may not follow this strategy, it has worked well for me. 

Edit:  "Sims" live in your city, "Simoleans" is the term used for SimCity's monetary system, a simolean is like a dollar, or a euro... That's why the dollar signs int he game are "§" not "$" or "€"

You'll find some Sims don't mind living right next to dirty industry at all.  These Sims though are your low income Sims (R§).  While they are important to your population base, you won't find much of your middle income (R§§) or high income Sims (R§§§) looking to live there.  So, going back to your previous question of building in sections, you could have one city that is interlaced with dirty industry and residential for sure if you don't mind the demographic it will produce.  Note also that when refering to industry I said 'dirty industry'...  If your education system is paying it's dividends then there will be demand for high tech industry which isn't dirty at all.  Middle and high income Sims don't mind living next to those types as much because they don't have the negative status effects dirty industry does.

[iConstruct 0]

Thanks for the reply! I'm guessing the education levels also affect what kind of buildings will pop up and for higher tech industry, not 'dirty industry'

My next question is, are elementary schools and high schools, a prerequisite for colleges universities, etc, meaning do i have to build them before i build higher education schools?

[sturmgewehr 0]

Yes, education plays a big role in the kind of city you want to create.

There are some dependencies that exist with educational structures.  For example, if you are playing with the Rush Hour Expansion Pack or SC4 Deluxe you can't build large elementary schools or large high schools until you have so many Sims living in your city.  There isn't a dependency though that says you can't build a normal size high school before a normal size elementary school.  Just check out the options and what you can select, you can build.

Common sense alone can teach you the best way to go on what to build (for example, we all must go to elementary school before high school, or another train of thought is that a library can equally educate Sims of all ages).  Check some of the other forums or the Omnibus regarding education (EQ) and how you can make it work to your benefit.

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=87270

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=76465

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=96499

https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=22&threadid=98465

[MbahGondrong 0]

Does the Deluxe Edition contain the Rush Hour EP or not?

[Maxis92 11]

Originally posted by: MbahGondrong Does the Deluxe Edition contain the Rush Hour EP or not?quote>

 

I'm sure it does, because I have the DE.

[MbahGondrong 0]

And what would the difference be?

[masochist 111]

Nothing. Having the Deluxe Edition is exactly the same as having SC4 with Rush Hour...there's no difference.

[Maxis92 11]

Originally posted by: masochist Nothing. Having the Deluxe Edition is exactly the same as having SC4 with Rush Hour...there's no difference.quote>

 

Actually, I think the only difference is fewer bugs.

[MbahGondrong 0]

So if I installed the deluxe edition than I already have the Rush Hour EP?

[CaptCity 4,678]

Yes, however, there is still an update you should get.

[iConstruct 0]

Agghh I need help with this one....

My city is ALWAYS in demand for Industrial Zones, ESPECIALLY Agricultural. I have an elementary school as well as a high school. No matter how many industrial zones i build there always seems to be more demand.. Need advice. Oh and thanks for the great help sturm. Lots of great advice and links. Oh and I don't have any water going to my industrial zones. Does it need water?

Also, I have a small elementary school as well as high school, but most of sims are not educated. I have a pop of about 5000 and there are only about 300 going to elementary school and 40 going to high school. what am i doing wrong?

[sturmgewehr 0]

My advice on the IA Demand (Industrial Agricultural) would be to not pay it much mind, unless you want some of your cities to have lots of farmland.

If you want your industrial areas that aren't zoned as agricultural to turn into medium and high tech industry, yes you will want to provide them with water.  Only dirty industry will grow in industrial zones with no water.

To have a population of 5000 and only have 300 show in the school system isn't abnormal.  it's just the game mechanics.  What you want to pay attention to is the coverage of the school.  You may already know this, but for the sake of putting it out there; a school or library doesn't immediately cover the entire geographic area of your city.  It covers a set radius around itself.  museums on the other hand do have a city wide coverage, as do colleges/universities.  You can see this affect in your map displays.

If you are seeing only slow growth in your EQ that isn't abnormal either, but do check your funding levels and coverage areas just in case you do have parts of your residential areas that aren't getting a good education.  Keep in mind though you won't have a group of Einstein's after one year of great funding and participation.  It takes a few cycles.

Another piece of advice just based on my own playing style as well; don't necessarily give your city all the amenities right away.  Maybe hold off on the high school and build an elementary and a library to take care of business for a few years.  Throw in a museum as well if you like.  Save the money you would have been spending on the the high school maintenance and use it for other projects that are of more immediate concern like water infrastructure.  When the net income margin gets large enough then start putting in the big things.  You don't want to be living on a monthly budget just scrapping by.  If you are, you may want to cut back.  Keep in mind though as I said before that is my individual playing style.

[iConstruct 0]

Great! Thanks so much. So my Sims that have been there for a while are now are on the high E.Q. So I'm guessing that my industrial zones alot of them zoned with High density Industry are going to turn into HT industry as soon as I provide water...

Also, about taxes. I want to charge my sims a little bit more tax but I don't know how high it has to be, what is the proper tax bracket etc...

As for my high school, if i wanted to, do you think it would be safe to bulldoze it and add a museum or library?

For some reason this part of the city below is quite ugly. As you can see, the SAME residential buildings have been there for QUITE a long time. What can I do to make changes? (keep in mind that 90% of my village including this one is zoned with medium density) I have a park near-by, just a few blocks west, that is not shown in my screenshot. And then i have High-wealth residential (also zoned medium density).

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=buildings.jpg

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=buildings2.jpg

[Sam 163]

At the start of a city, neutral tax rates are between 7 and 9%. As the city develops the neutral rates decrease slightly. You don't want your rates too low, as that will just invite undesirable elements. Too high and you will suppress growth.

[sturmgewehr 0]

Also, about taxes. I want to charge my sims a little bit more tax but I don't know how high it has to be, what is the proper tax bracket etc...quote>

Think of taxes as a lever that does two things.  1) It directly adjusts your income level 2) It will control the demand of what you are taxing higher or lower.  No tax rate is really "correct", it just depends on what you want to do.  Keep in mind though if you overtax you'll make your growth rate stagnate.

As for my high school, if i wanted to, do you think it would be safe to bulldoze it and add a museum or library?quote>

If you think you're supporting the city well enough and can afford it, go ahead and keep it.

For some reason this part of the city below is quite ugly. As you can see, the SAME residential buildings have been there for QUITE a long time. What can I do to make changes? (keep in mind that 90% of my village including this one is zoned with medium density) I have a park near-by, just a few blocks west, that is not shown in my screenshot. And then i have High-wealth residential (also zoned medium density).

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=buildings.jpg

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=buildings2.jpgquote>

It's hard (for me at least) to have a city that will be all high and medium wealth Sims right off the bat in a new city in a new region without killing your budget.  I mean, where would our real life cities and towns be if no one wanted to be the garbage man? (no offense garbage men, I don't know where I'd be if you didn't take my trash and recyclables)...  In my cities personally you see a pyramid effect of there being 2 medium wealth Sims for every high wealth Sim, and then 2 low wealth Sims for every medium wealth Sim.  After a few cycles of good education and good high tech job availability a city can grow and prosper into having an even larger medium wealth Sim population versus low wealth, but that's after a while.  Keep in mind if you are only working in one city that isn't connected to any other city in the region it's going to be an island so to speak.  That's where building neighboring cities in the region and connecting them will help share demand.

[iConstruct 0]

Yeah what you say makes sense. Just getting back to HT Industrial. I laid water for my industrial zone, but HT Industrial does not seem to be popping up. Does it take a few years?

Some of my Sims are not within the elementary school radius, but they ARE within the high school radius. Will this affect their education? E.Q. of my Sims grows realllly slow it seems..

[Sam 163]

What is the demand for IHT in your city look like? It would help if you posted some pictures of your city and its detailed demand charts. Also knowing the age of your city and other details would help (like population figures for each developer type)

[iConstruct 0]

Ok, here's the links...

Demand - http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=Demands.jpg

Age - http://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=Age.jpg

[iConstruct 0]

Bump - before it goes to the next page...

I really need help with HT Industry. It's not being plopped...even after years have passed.

Please give me some advice. Is it ok tto grow HT Industry near residential areas?

[Sam 163]

I wouldn't suggest too close, just close enough for your sims to have a reasonable commute. Don't put it near dirty industry though, it won't like it. It likes similar conditions to commercial (but not the traffic).

Your demand looks reasonably balanced except your dirty industry has taken a bit of a dive, do you have a lot of it somewhere? What are your tax rates like?

Since you have some demand you really just need to find a good place for it. Have you checked the desirability overlay? Also can we please get a pic of your Jobs & Pop chart?

I would suggest since you have a fair amount of funds in the bank that you put in a fairly high scoring neighbourhood connector, eg highway or several rail connectors, leading from your intended IHT area over the map edge. Industry likes nearby neighbour connections that can handle a lot of freight easily.

[iConstruct 0]

Thanks for your reply.

I found out that IHT desirability is around residential and commercial zones. But it's hard to plop them away from residential zones as that's where the high desirability is, and if I do it on a not so high desirability zone (even when it's just below highest desirability), it will just create manufacturing Industry, which is ok, but not what i want. Here's the pic:

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=ihtdesirability.jpg

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=ihtdes2.jpg

Here's a more clear city overview:

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=cityoverview2.jpg

And here's the job and pop chart:

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=jobsandpop.jpg

As you can see from the overview of my city, I added a park and even then it created a manufacturing industry because the radius of the desirability was not high enough to make IHT. I made some just north of the highway, and IT DID create IHT, but i don't want to create it there because i want to put commercial and residential around that area. Instead, I want to create it near the west edge of my city...

If my monthly income helps...

https://s286.photobucket.com/albums/ll113/Juilkca/?action=view&current=income.jpg

I started on easy with 500,000.

[sturmgewehr 0]

It would also be helpful to see your education stats as well.  One thing I noticed from your demand graph is you have negative demand for I-D.

With my cities, when the nature of the city begins to transform away from I-D towards I-M and I-HT I'll demolish some of my I-D when the demand for it starts to plummet so that my industrial area becomes more appealing to new I-HT.  The pro's of this option are obvious as stated.  The con's are potentially losing the I-D income you may have placed a higher tax rate on (by this point though money shouldn't be a problem).

Some additional things you can do to make an area you want to have I-HT in more appealing is to reduce the water and air pollution in the vicinity.  This can be done by placing trees/parks and/or a water treatment plant where the pollution is coming from.  You could also in addition or exclusively use the tactic I do of demolishing dirty industry in the area that is causing these negative effects (keep an eye on the demand for it though, as it is coupled with your Sims education)

[NetPCDoc 1]

Hello iConstruct,

A brief word on education -

Please remember your cities will contain sims of all ages (at least up to the point where the oldest finally dies).

Elementary Schools, High Schools, City Colleges and Universities provide education to different age groups. Thus to get the most education for a sim - that sim must attend all of these in their proper sequence over a period of 16 to 20 (game) years. Then to retain that education and pass on a higher starting EQ to any offspring requires Libraries and Museums. New Sims (from SimNation) tend to come into your cities with the lowest EQs; while the starting EQ's of those born and raised in your cities will depend on the eduction that you have provided to their parents and continue to provide to them.

And, of course, the better educated all of a city's sims are - the more they will demand High-Tech Indusrty.

Please note - if (or when) you have a sufficiently educated population - you can place High-Tech zones right next to residential zones; just be careful to crush any demand for dirty industry - as you don't want that popping up in what you thought would be a High-Tech Industrial zone.

-NetPCDoc

No detail is too small to be micromanaged.

[iConstruct 0]

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I was able to finally get some IHT in my city, by building them near high desirability places with water and no pollution. I also built a next door city with lots of agriculture because the demand for agriculture was going through the roof.

In regards to education, it takes a loooong time for them to be educated. It seems like 20 years since i started my city and only 1/4 of them have high education.