How to start your region

[Danny091283 1]

I just started a new region and i don't know how to start it.

The first thing i do is to build highways and other kind of transportation. When i am ready with it i want zo zone all the houses, commercial and industry.

Is that the right way to start?

And how about if i put the industry in one city and the commercial and houses into the other does that diliver me with long journeys?

Can someone give me a little bit of commentary?

[grstudios 188]

You should check the following link attached, it's a CJ started a while back by CSGDesign - regarding building a region with natural growth, and the proper stages that a region should be built. CSGDesign (SC4Devotion - No registering needed to watch the CJ)

Hope that the direction you aspire to! (I fond realism, in which you develop the region naturally as it was pristine land at first - I even started a CJ about it)

Have a good day,

Guy.

edited: small type-o's

  Edited August 6, 2012 by grstudios  

[Indiana Joe 1,751]

Did you do the in-game tutorials? They show you exactly how to build successful cities. Not pretty, but successful.

[Sandis_van_Great 346]

there is no right or wrong way to start, its the way you like , the way you enjoy making and the way you want to make it, its a game where you work on your imagination.

[dazza262 133]

I can only echo what dzekins has said, there is no right or wrong way.

Have a look through these forums, and you will see many different ways of building cities. Wether you want to build small rural villages or massive urban sprawl, it's entirely up to you.

There are many tutorials here on Simtropolis showing you how to build almost anything, but surely the enjoyment of the game is to create your own unique cities in any way you see fit. You are the Mayor after all.

My personal preference is to start with a small village and gradually let it expand naturally. I don't really start to put the transport infrastructure into place until much later, and I try to stay away from the grid as much as possible.

That's just how I like to do things, do whatever makes you happy, and enjoy the game

[Danny091283 1]

Thanx guys. I think i will begin small with farms and some houses and shops and then i want it to expand in the endless with much of skyscrapers.

I will begin with small roads and replace them when the roads have to much traffic.

@GRStudios,

I have read the beginning of the topic you suggested, but the man who is developing the city doesn't use highways. So i am asking when i have to use highways?

[Chuck The Mayor 28]

Here's how I put it:

Highways are just a big, fancy way of transportation, they're really not needed. you can use roads and avenues to transport from city to city. Highways are just a way to do it faster and more efficient. It doesn't really matter what you use.

Streets will not make neighboring connections so don't try it.

[Danny091283 1]

Thanks Chuck. By the way if i want to start from a small town with manny farms to a bigger city how must i use the taxes?

Yesterday i started my first city and the taxes are all on 9.00%

But how do i have to regulate my taxes through out the game?

[dazza262 133]

You don't need to start with farms if you don't want to. I very rarely do, unless I'm building a farming community.

Just start off slowly and zone low density, and if you zone carefully you will be surprised how quickly it will soon build up.

Once it begins to grow, add maybe an elementary school, a fire station, or small medical clinic, as these will give you a bit of a boost. Plop in some parks too and as your small town begins to grow, add a water tower and you will see larger buildings start to grow.

When you've got a decent population, start to build neighbour connections and you're on your way to the city of your dreams.

Like I said, just start off slowly. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Good luck.

[Markus J 242]

I just started a new region and don't know how to start it.

The first thing do is to build highways and other kind of transportation. When am ready with it want zo zone all the houses, commercial and industry.

Is that the right way to start?

So you plan your transportation system first, then zone? Nothing wrong with that. Some prefer to to grow their city slowly and redevelop areas like real life. Nothing wrong with either.

And how about if i put the industry in one city and the commercial and houses into the other does that diliver me with long journeys?

No, commute times shouldn't be an issue if you have NAM and a clear and quick connection. However; I personally discourage this behavior of having your industry stuffed in another city. Embrace them as one, with proper planning it can not only look good in your city, but also provide jobs and much needed relief to the city. If you use an Industrial Mod that multiplies the jobs each building produces (I use x2 for realism) you can have less industry in your city and not need a tile full. Early education is your friend to get less polluting jobs quickly.

Can someone give me a little bit of commentary?

Experiment! Everyone has their own playing styles and some of my tips may not work for you, while others will. It's all in trial and error. as well as your playing style, which makes a huge effect in how you build your region. Do you want something that looks realistic? Or is how real it looks not a concern and you just want a big city? Whatever your choice, experiment, have fun, and have patience!

All the advice I've gotten, and all the City journals I have viewed (by the way those help A LOT for ideas), I still don't know how to build the perfect anything.

After four years (real life years), I just was able to build something like this:

It takes time, and lots of trail and error. Sorry I don't have a great region picture to show you, I'm not ready yet to show my region off yet.

But wanted to show the benefit of having industrial in your city as part of the city. It can look nice.

  Edited August 7, 2012 by Markus J  

[16minuteman 58]

I just started a new region and don't know how to start it.

The first thing do is to build highways and other kind of transportation. When am ready with it want zo zone all the houses, commercial and industry.

Is that the right way to start?

So you plan your transportation system first, then zone? Nothing wrong with that. Some prefer to to grow their city slowly and redevelop areas like real life. Nothing wrong with either.

And how about if i put the industry in one city and the commercial and houses into the other does that diliver me with long journeys?

No, commute times shouldn't be an issue if you have NAM and a clear and quick connection. However; I personally discourage this behavior of having your industry stuffed in another city. Embrace them as one, with proper planning it can not only look good in your city, but also provide jobs and much needed relief to the city. If you use an Industrial Mod that multiplies the jobs each building produces (I use x2 for realism) you can have less industry in your city and not need a tile full. Early education is your friend to get less polluting jobs quickly.

Can someone give me a little bit of commentary?

Experiment! Everyone has their own playing styles and some of my tips may not work for you, while others will. It's all in trial and error. as well as your playing style, which makes a huge effect in how you build your region. Do you want something that looks realistic? Or is how real it looks not a concern and you just want a big city? Whatever your choice, experiment, have fun, and have patience!

All the advice I've gotten, and all the City journals I have viewed (by the way those help A LOT for ideas), I still don't know how to build the perfect anything.

After four years (real life years), I just was able to build something like this:

It takes time, and lots of trail and error. Sorry I don't have a great region picture to show you, I'm not ready yet to show my region off yet.

But wanted to show the benefit of having industrial in your city as part of the city. It can look nice.

yes bro always start my cities with industry in the cnetre

[Danny091283 1]

I have allready started one city with only farms, small houses and a little bit of industry and just let it grow, I am just building what demant is asking. The only problem is that i don't know to set the taxes right. Must i have everything on 9.00%?

[Markus J 242]

I have allready started one city with only farms, small houses and a little bit of industry and just let it grow, I am just building what demant is asking. The only problem is that i don't know to set the taxes right. Must i have everything on 9.00%?

Taxes don't have a "Must" number, they are flexible. Now, that seems to be the 'neutral number' wont effect demand one way or another. The higher you go up will decrees demand, and lower will increase demand (everyone wants lower taxes). Use this to your advantage to, control demand, increase demand you want, steer off demand you don't want. Or just play with the numbers to get some great income. It's all up to you, but if you want a neutral effect, I would leave it there.

[Danny091283 1]

Markus really nice industrial arrea. How did you build the diagnol streets? I am also trying to build them, but it isn't really working. I believe that you only needed the NAM right?

The last couple of days i played in my region and i started 4 sections now. The problem i now face is that my sims are asking much more things such as schools, hospitals, garbage, parks and all of those are expensive.

Later this week i shall post some pics of what i have done allready.

[Danny091283 1]

Like i told you guys, here are some pics of my region now.

Please give some comment of it so i can use it to my advantage.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Little settlements

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Little settlement and the beginning of some industry

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Patricius Maximus 236]

I'd say your farming town is pretty good. My suggestions are to use the Street Addon Mod - some of the other street textures would improve the town's looks. Dirt roads are more appropriate in this context. I'd also advise you to get some non-Maxis trees. The Cycledogg Tree Mod is excellent (I'm not sure if it's still available or not, but I'd advise you to look).

[Danny091283 1]

Those dirt track mods, are they working the same as the streets?

I got enough non-Maxis trees just look in my second and last screen. The only problem i face is that if i start and i get all the trees on the mape it's gonna take me for hours. The god modd with the normal maxis tree plant help (the big green cirkle) is much faster to use.

I just wanna say it's borring if i want to plant all the non-maxis trees in my town.

[naftixe 131]

The SAM, Street-Add-on-Mod, is just a visual texture that makes the low capcity streets have a different look to them. You have your choice of black asphalt, red brick, and dirt. There are some other variations also. The stats of the streets will not change with the mod, it only gives you the opportunity to give some eye-appealing individuality.

First I would advise to use the square grid method to first help you understand the basics of keeping a city sustained and growing. After you figure out how to make a living city, then go ahead and play around by experimenting with using non-grid methods. SC4 is hard programed to work on the grid square system, no diagonals. Using diagonals is meerly an illusion. The game itself calculated evrything on the grid, but you can trick yourself and others eyes into believing that your city is anything but grid. So just experiment. Read lots of CJS, Read the tutorials. Then use your own mix of these TOOLS and discover NEW ones in order to develop YOUR unique style.

  Edited August 16, 2012 by naftixe  

[Indiana Joe 1,751]

I got enough non-Maxis trees just look in my second and last screen. The only problem i face is that if i start and i get all the trees on the mape it's gonna take me for hours. The god modd with the normal maxis tree plant help (the big green cirkle) is much faster to use.

I just wanna say it's borring if i want to plant all the non-maxis trees in my town.

You can always get a Tree Controller Mod. It makes the God Mode mass-plant tool (with the green circle) plant custom trees. For example,

[LexusInfernus 908]

The SAM, Street-Add-on-Mod, is just a visual texture that makes the low capcity streets have a different look to them. You have your choice of black asphalt, red brick, and dirt. There are some other variations also. The stats of the streets will not change with the mod, it only gives you the opportunity to give some eye-appealing individuality.

Careful with that one though, when I tried to upgrade my dirt streets to standard asphalt streets again after my city had grown big enough, I had to demolish every road as it didnt return to the standard textures, and its prone to taking over whole parts of your streets if you attach normal street to a part using SAM textures. Quite annoying, but it could be that I was doing it wrong.

[Zodicus 34]

I advocate heavy modding. It makes the game so much better as far as graphics quality.

Most of us have been playing for years. I've been playing since right after SC4 was released in 2003 however I just got into using custom content heavily in January of this year. Now I have to relearn how to play almost. It's fun if you have the patience for playing it. It can even be fun for a casual gamer. If you are a heavy gamer with a love for meticulous modeling then by all means use custom content and get really in depth with it.

Good luck with the new region!

[Jim14409 448]

Careful with that one though, when I tried to upgrade my dirt streets to standard asphalt streets again after my city had grown big enough, I had to demolish every road as it didnt return to the standard textures, and its prone to taking over whole parts of your streets if you attach normal street to a part using SAM textures. Quite annoying, but it could be that I was doing it wrong.

I had a similar experience but found the dirt road only spreads to parts of the street (grey) and is stopped by the road (asphalt). I never have had to delete any street but dragging the asphalt road over the dirt road changed it to asphalt for me. I have also plopped one tile of asphalt in order to stop the dirt road from spreading. I told my sims it was a pot hole patch.

[LexusInfernus 908]

Careful with that one though, when I tried to upgrade my dirt streets to standard asphalt streets again after my city had grown big enough, I had to demolish every road as it didnt return to the standard textures, and its prone to taking over whole parts of your streets if you attach normal street to a part using SAM textures. Quite annoying, but it could be that I was doing it wrong.

I had a similar experience but found the dirt road only spreads to parts of the street (grey) and is stopped by the road (asphalt). I never have had to delete any street but dragging the asphalt road over the dirt road changed it to asphalt for me. I have also plopped one tile of asphalt in order to stop the dirt road from spreading. I told my sims it was a pot hole patch.

Yeah replacing the normal street with bigger street worked for me as well. I also had some issues with some of the road textures, like getting all white and ugly...

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

The SAM, Street-Add-on-Mod, is just a visual texture that makes the low capcity streets have a different look to them. You have your choice of black asphalt, red brick, and dirt. There are some other variations also. The stats of the streets will not change with the mod, it only gives you the opportunity to give some eye-appealing individuality.

Careful with that one though, when I tried to upgrade my dirt streets to standard asphalt streets again after my city had grown big enough, I had to demolish every road as it didnt return to the standard textures, and its prone to taking over whole parts of your streets if you attach normal street to a part using SAM textures. Quite annoying, but it could be that I was doing it wrong.

You need the