$C demand is sky high, but so is my $$C

[yoge123 1]

I want low wealth shops in my town. I want to diversify the commercial. But every time I get demand for $$C, my $C upgrade to $$C. Is this a bug because I played this game before and I encountered the same problem. I had tons of commercial in a city but not a single low wealth commercial.

 

No matter if I zone low density, still only $$C appears even though my $C demand is very high.

[zombie615 9]

I'm not great at sim city 4 or anything but have you tried adding stuff that might deter $$C like make it less attractive in the area. Add something that might make the pollution go up just a bit or something. I don't know just an idea. An maybe make sure the low wealth is near low wealth people so they can get jobs at those small profit places. Just like real life you wouldn't open a bass pro shop right in the heart of the ghetto. You'd open a little gas station or something.

[Bdub01 201]

Don't want C$$ right away? Just tax it till you do want it.

[docj101 99]

what zombie said is pretty spot on.  if the zones are in an area desirable for CS$$ and the demand for CS$$ exists, the buildings will always upgrade. 

 

to prevent this you keep an eye on desirability, and keep it low for the areas you want CS$.  personally I notice all my gas stations and burger joints come in along the roads down by my dirty industry.  I always line the main drag into an industrial development with low density commercial just for this reason.

 

don't forget you can always kill demand for CS$$ or whatever by raising taxes.  remember, no demand = no development.

 

when you think about the way this works, it's far from being a bug, it's actually very logical.  manhattan isn't going to have single story diners being built in it, land value, desirability, and demand for commercial is too high in that part of the city.  likewise, your not going to find office towers in the middle of farm country.

[yoge123 1]

The thing is, my low wealth residents seem to only live in giant apartment buildings. All of my low and medium density residential are mansions and condos. I have 1 medium wealth giant and the rest are low wealth brown giants lol.

 

Also, I don't have any dirty I in my city but I want burger joints, gas stations etc without taxing my high wealth and medium wealth C out of my town. I am building a downtown.

[docj101 99]

well as long as low wealth sims are in town they will come from wherever to work assuming your transit is well laid out.  keep in mind that even $$$ commercial buildings need about 25% of their workers to be low wealth, so their will always be low wealth sims around, either in your city or neighbors.  so having them around to work isn't the issue.

 

commercial services are always the bane of my regions, I can never have enough for the sims; they always want more.  having nice cities simply turns most of it to offices and shopping centers.

 

you can try to avoid high traffic because that increases commercial demand.  the NAM modifies the traffic noise coefficient from .12800001 to .25 (at least it does in v30); creating more traffic noise for the sake of boosting commercial development.  in this way the NAM does actually make what you are trying to accomplish just a little more difficult. (but I am not in any way saying don't use the NAM) (the traffic noise coefficient can be adjusted by itself if you actually though it would help)

 

lowering desirability is your best path, as the tax method will hurt all density commercial of that type.  an alternate route is to have a neighbor who can supply the services you desire, but then of course they won't be in your city. 

 

perhaps your best solution for this is to make use of the "make historical" check box that you see when you 'click query' a building.  when you first zone a tile it will always start off as something small, so you can click it and make it historical at that point.  this will prevent that building from ever changing (except it can possibly go abandoned).

[yoge123 1]

I have to throw in another thing. I have a small tile neighbor that I use. I use it for some dirty I, low wealth R and farms. It has no education or anything to attract medium and high wealth. It does have water, but even my low wealth commerical in this dump of a city turned into medium wealth commercial from demand from my big city.

 

This goes to show you that medium wealth commercial will build anywhere. I have no burger joints anywhere

well as long as low wealth sims are in town they will come from wherever to work assuming your transit is well laid out.  keep in mind that even $$$ commercial buildings need about 25% of their workers to be low wealth, so their will always be low wealth sims around, either in your city or neighbors.  so having them around to work isn't the issue.

 

commercial services are always the bane of my regions, I can never have enough for the sims; they always want more.  having nice cities simply turns most of it to offices and shopping centers.

 

you can try to avoid high traffic because that increases commercial demand.  the NAM modifies the traffic noise coefficient from .12800001 to .25 (at least it does in v30); creating more traffic noise for the sake of boosting commercial development.  in this way the NAM does actually make what you are trying to accomplish just a little more difficult. (but I am not in any way saying don't use the NAM) (the traffic noise coefficient can be adjusted by itself if you actually though it would help)

 

lowering desirability is your best path, as the tax method will hurt all density commercial of that type.  an alternate route is to have a neighbor who can supply the services you desire, but then of course they won't be in your city. 

 

perhaps your best solution for this is to make use of the "make historical" check box that you see when you 'click query' a building.  when you first zone a tile it will always start off as something small, so you can click it and make it historical at that point.  this will prevent that building from ever changing (except it can possibly go abandoned).

I did that to a few buildings. Made them historical. But it would be to much work to do it for all the buildings I want.

[docj101 99]

yeah, because of the fact that regional demand is extrapolated and transferred to neighbors, that will happen.  the fact that medium wealth commercial isn't that picky make it tougher.

 

you can eliminate police coverage without affecting you.  eliminate fire coverage but then you have to occasionally dispatch fire trucks manually.  deliberately build next to something like prisons and other things that are bad for desirability.

 

but you might like my previous suggestion best.

 

perhaps your best solution for this is to make use of the "make historical" check box that you see when you 'click query' a building.  when you first zone a tile it will always start off as something small, so you can click it and make it historical at that point.  this will prevent that building from ever changing (except it can possibly go abandoned).

[docj101 99]

I did that to a few buildings. Made them historical. But it would be to much work to do it for all the buildings I want.

What's the rush?  All part of the creating of a city.  I hear ya though, a bit tedious but it makes for a better thought out road of commerce.  When you take some control like that at least you don't get 12 gas stations in a row.

[Bdub01 201]

Don't supply water to areas that you want to be $C as well.

[SilverCyric 130]

I think I have a fair grasp, what you seem to be having problems with is stage growth. Sure you can deny water, education and tax the low high wealth, but soon as you cross into 4 & 5 stage growth, it'll be office buildings and apartment complexes no matter what density usually, it also depends what is in your plugins, plus if you're running CAM, $$ class move in way faster than normally at first

You'll have to historic them to get them to stay and use exclusively light density

[yoge123 1]

$$C desirability covers my whole city, eve parts where I haven't even built anything. I will try and make a dirty area with no education etc see if that works.

I think I have a fair grasp, what you seem to be having problems with is stage growth. Sure you can deny water, education and tax the low high wealth, but soon as you cross into 4 & 5 stage growth, it'll be office buildings and apartment complexes no matter what density usually, it also depends what is in your plugins, plus if you're running CAM, $$ class move in way faster than normally at first

I don't have CAM but $$R is most of my residents. I have no problem attracting them. I zone low density C but they turn into $$C.

[SilverCyric 130]

Usually it takes water, amenities and some trees, plazas, and\or parks to override the basic $ demand that's pretty much ever present. Are you treating them too nice? Flat barren, near both air, and noise (Traffic) pollution.

I can zone miles and miles of C$. Here's one, try downloading some C$ by madhatter and spa, their stuff grows like weeds in my cities

I'm also thinking maybe your subway system is creating too short a commute, might be upping your wealth class. I usually don't put a subway system in until at least 50,00 residents, and try to make it to 100,000. Just and added touch of realism I do : )

Anytime I add parking lots is a sure way to increase my wealth class

[Turjan 1,048]

deliberately build next to something like prisons and other things that are bad for desirability.

 

Heh. In one of my cities, I have some very nice R$$ buildings line the prison in the same block. I guess I'm too generous to my Sims .

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

If you want C$ without much effort at environment, try zoning 1 x 1 and 2 x 1 low density C.  To stop this from getting too monotonous you need to add some business building packs that are available as well.  Many of them contain C$ outfits like beach shacks and burger joints.  If you hunt for it, there is also a red light district package.

[cogeo 960]

CS$ isn't really "insatiable" (and so is CS$$ too), and you can actually satisfy it all (exhaust it), taking up little space. Many players want to get rid of it (or the demand for it), but I don't agree, because it's better than I-D and i-R in any regard: takes up much less space, generates very little pollution, consumes very little power and is easier to reach; it can also be upgraded to other CS or CO types.

 

In general I'm trying to satisfy all C demand (incl CS$) before zoning for more industrial. Demand and development for R and C appear to have a (and if you look into the RCI exemplars you will see that it actually has) a positive correlation one another. For example, if you zone industrial you will get industrial development (if you have positive demand), and this will create jobs and increase R demand. Then you can zone for R and you will get R development. The population increase will create additional demand for CS immediately after your new sims come in (demand for CO will start rising slowly, as the education level of your sims increases). With this demand you can cause additional CS development, which means yet more jobs, then more R, more CS etc etc (every new "cycle" has a diminishing effect). Satisfy all C and R demand, before zoning for more industrial - or you can wait until the EQ improves, which will create demand for CO (then additional jobs, more R and more CS again).

 

The subject has discussed a lot in the past. Take a look and

 

 

If you want C$ without much effort at environment, try zoning 1 x 1 and 2 x 1 low density C.  To stop this from getting too monotonous you need to add some business building packs that are available as well.  Many of them contain C$ outfits like beach shacks and burger joints.  If you hunt for it, there is also a red light district package.

 

Moose, sorry but I don't agree, which are those 1x1 lots and buidings with many CS$ jobs? I can only remember some Grease Pit, Used Cars trading and the like, with some 7-15 jobs each. In my links above I instead suggest zoning high-density C zones sized 1x3, and later on 1x2. These lots have CS$ buildings with about 140-170 CS$ jobs, which is the most compact form of CS$. The 1x3 and 1x2 contain the same buildings, but the 1x3 ones are easier to get because they are of lower growth stage.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Cogeo, you are right about the default game.  That is what the STEX is for.  Also many CS$$ and CS$$$ lots employ R$, sometimes more than other types.