Can you help me with layout questions?

[jkgreyling 0]

Hi, I've been playing a while but always reach a point when I realise my starting layout was no longer working. I really need help with my starting layout. I want a huge skyscraper downtown and would love hi-rise res to look across the water at my office buildings (like brooklyn looking across at manhattan financial district). To achieve this skyscraper haven I obviously need certain rewards. 1 reward I want to include is a cruise ship port, meaning I need 35% water.

- Would it be possible to include res and the skyscraper dowtown, considering the res area will need schools, stadiums etc and comm will also need an airport, and 35% water?

- How much space is needed for 45 000 comm population?

- Any other tips that worked for you?

Thank you

[Tysons4 68]

you need to fill many cities to start to get skyscrapers. Zone lots of cities with farms and light residential, give them education, as as time goes on replace your farm fields with industry. To have the structure you are looking for, i would say separate your zones into different cities. Zone them out slowly and don't go over demand (if you do save to region and load a city with what demand was highest for when you left). Only connect your cities with mass transit and encourage your sims to use them, over time you will start making huge amounts of money off mass transit, which will help your zones as you can decrease taxes to almost nothing.

It takes a lot of time to get a metropolis, but it will be worth it as long as you keep busy making new cities and zoning for your high demand.

Consult the manual for the most efficient tips and tricks for each type of development. I could regurgitate them, but really mass transit is the most important thing.

[jkgreyling 0]

So I can't produce on a large city, res facing my downtown across the water?I've attached a rough sketch of the region shape I wanted to take, blue=comm, green=res and brown=ind. the red square shows what I was hoping for in terms of city boundaries.

you need to fill many cities to start to get skyscrapers. Zone lots of cities with farms and light residential, give them education, as as time goes on replace your farm fields with industry. To have the structure you are looking for, i would say separate your zones into different cities. Zone them out slowly and don't go over demand (if you do save to region and load a city with what demand was highest for when you left). Only connect your cities with mass transit and encourage your sims to use them, over time you will start making huge amounts of money off mass transit, which will help your zones as you can decrease taxes to almost nothing.

It takes a lot of time to get a metropolis, but it will be worth it as long as you keep busy making new cities and zoning for your high demand.

Consult the manual for the most efficient tips and tricks for each type of development. I could regurgitate them, but really mass transit is the most important thing.

[lukeallyn 3]

@jkgreyling

I've just come back to SC4 and am amazed at all the news stuff that's out there. It's possible to get what you want, in fact you might want to use the NYC map if you really want to be detailed. You just need to connect a few cities to your "main" city or the one you want with the skyscrappers first. If you surround your main city with a highly educated population looking for high res commercial office space (meaning you don't zone this in the other cities) you can accomplish what your looking for. Start developing a few cities around the main city with agriculture and low res with high education and proper infrustructure. Than grow that up to high end industry and med res and get the demand really high for high res com. Than go to your main city, build up the infrastructure and plop down high res and high commercial. Always take care of their needs as the higher ends are fussy. No garbage or pollution, lots of mass transit and quality police, fire and education.

[jkgreyling 0]

Ok, sounds great. If theres high density res in the main city would I have enough space for all the things res likes aswell? I attached a rouch pic of the region shape i'm using to the last reply i posted.

@jkgreyling

I've just come back to SC4 and am amazed at all the news stuff that's out there. It's possible to get what you want, in fact you might want to use the NYC map if you really want to be detailed. You just need to connect a few cities to your "main" city or the one you want with the skyscrappers first. If you surround your main city with a highly educated population looking for high res commercial office space (meaning you don't zone this in the other cities) you can accomplish what your looking for. Start developing a few cities around the main city with agriculture and low res with high education and proper infrustructure. Than grow that up to high end industry and med res and get the demand really high for high res com. Than go to your main city, build up the infrastructure and plop down high res and high commercial. Always take care of their needs as the higher ends are fussy. No garbage or pollution, lots of mass transit and quality police, fire and education.

[Cleaner475 150]

Just in case you aren't aware, there are some cheats and files you can download to help speed up development, just in case you don't wanna stick to slowing growing a city, theres stuff you can download to give it a quick boost

Richard