Commerce

[Weedcow 0]

Hi there. I got a few questions for you. -

I recently started playing sim city 4, and installed the most popular mods like the transportation mod.

I have around 100,000 people living in my city, with 25,000 commercial jobs, and 40,000 industries (which is currently a mix of high tech and manuafacturing industries.

But my commercial jobs don't really do well, since they have low customers! And thats kinda weird, since i placed them up and down the most vital traffical section i have in my city, which is the avenue, connecting the city to the freeway leading to the industries. - My commercial buildings are also pretty much surrounded by housings, parks (high desireability!), and even the commerce center or whatever its called - stockmarket? - and with a few cultural buildings, like big ben.. but yet, no skyscrapers, and very very few tall buildings (3/200 or so) - And ALL my buildings are rated "low" in customers...

Also, some of my houses are starting to dedevelope because of "commute time".. i don't get this, commute time to what? - The houses are surrounded by either high-tech industries or commercial buildings, with a direct road to the freeway! They have education systems, parks, buss-stops, subways.. You know im confused :b

1. Whats up with the commercial aspect of the game, more specific, why don't i get customers, and is this the reason they don't develope?

2. Commute time, how does this work? It makes little sense to me! 

3. Whats to be done when you made a huge city :b - Build another  - What are you guys doing, when you got it all up and running : 

Thanks!

[BlackStar 0]

Intentionally throwing up a bit of traffic congestion in the heart of your shopping district can generate a bit of commercial demand at the expense of commute time.

It is not very common for the customers information to read as 'high'. Infact, I suspect it might even relate to pedestrian traffic. Would be interesting if this was the case. If it is, then bus stops generate foot traffic. 

With 100k residents you are not likely to see skyscrapers just yet. SC4 works through the growth stages as the demand caps are broken and the city grows.

What I would say is work on a more regional level - developing adjacent cities really helps. Make a load of subway connections to neighbouring cities, too (even if it is just a 1 tile section of subway to get the yellow arrow), and also work on what worker Commerce NEEDS. High end commerce requires R§§ and R§§§ with high educational quotients.

It sounds like you have the ideal layout - however, it would be a good idea to check the traffic volume dataview to find out where the highest levels of traffic actually are. If you have some heavily traversed streets and roads, you might consider placing shops there instead of homes (may as well, residents don't like busy routes).

'Too long commute' is simply a generic way of saying 'unsuitable commute', or 'cannot find suitable job'. The best way to assume this error is that the jobs aren't suitable.

[Weedcow 0]

Okay thanks for that BlackStar!

So, just growing the city should increase the commerce aswell ? - Linking subways to other regions, is it not only worth it if i have cities on those slots? - I only have this city, (on the map "london"), meaning theres 1 city and 1 industrial city close by?

[Eggy 8]

When your city becomes denser and denser, the customers automatically go to HIGH. Or, try putting parks and grass(recreational areas) nearby your downtown. My city's commerce's customer is high in urban areas, and low in suburban areas ALWAYS.  I doubt with BlackStar's ideas that congestion creates customers---congestion doesn't increases customers. Instead, it creates only longer commute time and air pollution! And, the education really doesn't matter.

[BlackStar 0]

What I meant with the connections is simply to have *a* subway connection. It doesn't matter where it comes from or where it goes, just having a connection helps with demand caps and the like.

I've always noticed there to be a correlation between congestion and customer levels. Not only do I frequently observe it, its logical - how else would the game determine how successful a business is? I expect this to be a replication of foot traffic, so that shops in dingy backstreets suffer. Although I may stand to be corrected by someone with relevant experience in the field.

And of course education matters! Low educated sims cannot work for a CO§§§ (apart from 1 or 2 sims as cleaners, etc). Equally, highly educated sims won't work as security guards (i.e. low wealth jobs). It is a well-documented fact and covered in many guides. 

[Cobraroll 138]

Might as well ask here, seeing as it's on topic (hopefully):

In short, is it THAT bad to work in offices? I have a region population of 2.3 million, more than twenty cities (all connected), all of them have a steady economy and plenty of connection to their neighbours. My largest cities have a population exceeding 400,000.

Still, I can't for the love of my life get demand for offices. My sims want CS

[Nuclear550 3]

Yeah my region has 530k and my metropolis has 300k of people. My downtown is developing still. Commute time works by saying how sims go to work. If a commute problem continues the building will be abandoned. You should also put commercial areas near heavy traffic or transit hubs.

[andhow 0]

And don't forget, Weedcow, that as you increase traffic to boost customers, you'll also increase traffic noise and air pollution, which high wealth res and comm respectively hate, thus reducing demand for them. It's the eternal sim conundrum!

If you're new to the game, and I don't wish to sound patronising, you might be trying to increase population by placing buildings right next to each other...maxing out the available tiles as it were? If so, it's a false ecomony as it atrracts lower weath communities that way. Instead try seperating buildings with grass, trees, park etc to give open space. Your extra monthly investment will pay off in higher incomes and more attractive buildings and cities. I often see ugly little commercial buildings become majestic offices instantly, just by covering them with trees!  My bill for grass tiles alone is usually in the high hundreds.

Finally from me, I think the true definition of jobs in SC is really "industrial", to a degree at least, in that sims travel to industrial and commercial benefits as a result of that travel. A few of my cities have no ind and are still very successful , but regardless of how many com zones I create, how close they are to the res zones (ie low commute time) or how good education etc are, the sims always want to travel to neighbouring cities to work. I've learned to live with it as it still produces very nice cities.

[Weedcow 0]

Thanks for the answers, i will take them into consideration!

- Andhow. You say, that sims will prefer foreign cities. Do you mean by this, that i instead should try and build my main "industrial" in a foreign city, such as having my main civilization in my metropol, and then have a commercial city, and an industrial city? (with of course some exception).

Also, i do build parks and the like, and i do have quite some wealthy sims - But mainly, i just place a medium park or green-zone in every 4th or so - "section" (or houseblock if you like). Compared to your building strategy is this too little?

[andhow 0]

First one first...no, I'm not really suggesting that they "prefer" to travel "abroad" to work, just that if a city has no industry they seem to seek ind jobs elsewhere even if there are comm jobs available in their home city. I'm not commenting on game mechanics, which I don't pretend to understand, just my playing experience. Not meaning to be negative but neither am i saying its "better to" or that you "should" build industrial cities to service other neighbours, simply that i like to create specialised cities for realism eg a farming cities merging to commercial only to resort style or oil refineries etc. with some mixed thrown in. it's entirely up to you - play in the way you enjoy!

No.2...hard to say how we compare. In my "beautiful" cities i spend up to 20,000 on parks etc when fully developed, usually consisting of a large central park built from many small water/park/landmark lots and small parks/plazas within 'burbs and commercial centres, or separating larger industrial lots s i don't get horrible messy ind zones full of 1X1, 1X2, 2X2 buildings. I don't seem to be able to create slum cities - my conscience gets hold of me!

Hope that helps.