Never Go Bankrupt Again

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/16/2006 3:48:04 AM Author: Aramus I've stopped using High Schools in my cities... those bright young kids go straight to (city-wide coverage) college with no complaints being heard anywhere. I doubt that leveling the high schools will save your finances... but a few homes in its place might bring in a few extra tax dollars. keep it going!!

quote>

Never tried that.  In the past, though, when a city didn't have a college, my high-schoolers were dumb as posts.  And the extra

[your_adress_here 11]

Breaking news! Porter Feilds is in the positive! Our SC4 correspondant, your_adress_here, was there.

Mr. Tok! Mr. Tok! Can you awnser my question please?! Yes? Thank you. I just heard about your new profit, and I was wondering, what plans do you have for you city, now that you have an extra three dollars?

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/20/2006 4:57:05 PM Author: your_adress_here Breaking news! Porter Feilds is in the positive! Our SC4 correspondant, your_adress_here, was there. 'Mr. Tok! Mr. Tok! Can you awnser my question please?! Yes? Thank you. I just heard about your new profit, and I was wondering, what plans do you have for you city, now that you have an extra three dollars?'

quote>

HAHAHA!  I plan to use the extra

[iquere 2]

Yey! You've made it! Small profit, but still... success! But I'm a bit worried about the water. It isn't very cheap with water in SimCity 4. It might cause the citys budget to fail and so on. I didn't have water until my city reached 10000 (I continued to play it for a while after) but I think you are about to make it.

Rock on!

[screamomatic 14]

Once you get some high wealth apartment buildings, getting the budget in the black will no problem what-so-ever, you'll be able to splurge like crazy

[MadMax410 1]

Ive always used  U Drive It missions to float my budget when I need money, but otherwise I rely on taxing. Ive seen that dirty industry doesnt leave when you tax them 20%. The worst thing that happens is that they stop building. I suggest doing this once you add water.(and be sure to have all the development you wanted built for dirty) Im currently using my stragety located here: https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=73058

Remember im rooting for you!

[BlakeMW 84]

Fares and tolls can give a massive amount of income. It is hard to make a prosperous city without having at least fares income. It's easy to make a wealthy city with added tolls income. There are ways to exploit tolls to a crazy degree, but I'm assuming tolling each sim only twice a day - once to work, once from work.

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/24/2006 8:44:10 AM Author: iquere Yey! You've made it! Small profit, but still... success! But I'm a bit worried about the water. It isn't very cheap with water in SimCity 4. It might cause the citys budget to fail and so on. I didn't have water until my city reached 10000 (I continued to play it for a while after) but I think you are about to make it. Rock on!

quote>

That is a valid concern, and as you will see, I'm not going to be providing much water to start with.

Date: 1/25/2006 5:37:47 AM Author: screamomatic Once you get some high wealth apartment buildings, getting the budget in the black will no problem what-so-ever, you'll be able to splurge like crazy

quote>

 

I've wanted high wealth buildings for a while, and now that I can get the sims some water, I think that I might actually get some.

 

Date: 1/25/2006 4:55:12 PM Author: MadMax410

Ive always used  U Drive It missions to float my budget when I need money, but otherwise I rely on taxing. Ive seen that dirty industry doesnt leave when you tax them 20%. The worst thing that happens is that they stop building. I suggest doing this once you add water.(and be sure to have all the development you wanted built for dirty) Im currently using my stragety located here: https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=73058

Remember im rooting for you!

quote>

 

Yeah, you can tax the daylights out of the dirty industry, but I'm not at the point yet where they have maxed out their ability to grow.  So, I'm not going to be doing that right now.  I am not using UDI missions because I decided that I wanted to make this as hard as possible and still see if it could be done.  Also, I can't do the bedroom community thing that you suggested in that other thread because I don't have any neighbors.  When this test is officially done, though, I will probably branch out and expand this region. Who knows, I might take this place and turn it into a CJ.

 

Date: 1/26/2006 5:07:18 AM Author: Grater Fares and tolls can give a massive amount of income. It is hard to make a prosperous city without having at least fares income. It's easy to make a wealthy city with added tolls income. There are ways to exploit tolls to a crazy degree, but I'm assuming tolling each sim only twice a day - once to work, once from work.

quote>

 

I didn't get a picture of it, but I am making quite a healthy quantity of dough on those toll booths.

 

Now for the long awaited update!

---

 

 

This city has come a long way in only one year's time!  Porter Field doesn't have a whole lot of simoleons, but otherwise, it is doing OK.

 

 

Well, I'll still be losing simoleons this month, but I think that it will be worth it.  When I get some more surplus, I'll give the other residents a drink too.

 

 

I thought that I was going to lose money, but check it out, I didn't!  One month of profit down, eleven to go, and the future looks bright.

 

I'll try to get a bigger update next time.  RL doesn't seem to understand the importance of this experiment.

[p_marum 0]

I always try a play of similar way of your experiment.  Generally the incomes is more than expenses.... but not ever....

A few questions.... maybe help you in the incomes...

[lemansgranprix 0]

Just a few things I do to keep things simple:

 

1. Raise all taxes to 9.5% (not much but seems to help without slowing down city growth)
2. Zone regions (all low-density for Residential at first), water, power
3. Crank the speed to the highest setting
4. Wait for schools until you have a population big enough to plot down the larger High School and Grade School
5. Hold off on Health, Fire and Police until getting messages about it, warnings or fires
6. Do not start zoning higher density residential until all available area is zoned with low density (keeps wealth up)

This seems to work pretty consistently and I have rarely had to fight for income, I hope this helps

[p_marum 0]

I forget ask you.... 

[MadMax410 1]

Great job so far! What water facility are you using? The water tower right? Well Ive seen this makes problems. Their capacity isnt enough to water that area of residents because when they build up they take up more water. You should buy a water pump as soon as they finish building up. then water the rest of the area...including the industries. This makes slightly larger jobs, and uses up excess water.

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/26/2006 12:38:19 PM Author: p_marum

I always try a play of similar way of your experiment.  Generally the incomes is more than expenses.... but not ever....

A few questions.... maybe help you in the incomes...

[iquere 2]

It's going great!

Voar Tok, you should view this experiment to everybody out there that hates SimCity becouse they think it's hard with the budget. That would prove them wrong!

[MadMax410 1]

Date: 1/26/2006 3:24:11 PM Author: MadMax410 Great job so far! What water facility are you using? The water tower right? Well Ive seen this makes problems. Their capacity isnt enough to water that area of residents because when they build up they take up more water. You should buy a water pump as soon as they finish building up. then water the rest of the area...including the industries. This makes slightly larger jobs, and uses up excess water.

quote>

 

Today I tried something: I Built a city with only High tech Industries,(a small city about the size you are using)and supported it with only four water towers.Cool, huh.

 

 So NOW I say keep adding on water towers(since they are cheep)until they reech the total capacity a normal water pump would have.  Just trying to help!

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 1/27/2006 10:24:02 AM Author: iquere It's going great! Voar Tok, you should view this experiment to everybody out there that hates SimCity becouse they think it's 'hard with the budget'. That would prove them wrong!

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Well, I'm not going to go into all of the particulars, but there are plans to save this experiment so that others can find it easily.  I'll let you let your mind wonder as to what I had in mind when I said that.

 

Date: 1/27/2006 7:07:28 PM Author: MadMax410

Date: 1/26/2006 3:24:11 PM Author: MadMax410 Great job so far! What water facility are you using? The water tower right? Well Ive seen this makes problems. Their capacity isnt enough to water that area of residents because when they build up they take up more water. You should buy a water pump as soon as they finish building up. then water the rest of the area...including the industries. This makes slightly larger jobs, and uses up excess water.

quote>

Today I tried something: I Built a city with only High tech Industries,(a small city about the size you are using)and supported it with only four water towers.Cool, huh.

So NOW I say keep adding on water towers(since they are cheep)until they reech the total capacity a normal water pump would have.  Just trying to help!

quote>

 

Thanks for the info!  I'll remember that for future reference.

---

 

http://www.imgcity.net/server/primary/End%20of%20February.jpg align=baseline>

 

Still making money!  The residential zones aren't filled up yet, so I'm not going to give the Sims medium-density yet.  However, it will come at one point in the future.

 

http://www.imgcity.net/server/primary/Residential%20Zones%20Watered1.jpg align=baseline>

 

All of the Sims have water now.  The high-wealth sims should start moving in.

 

http://www.imgcity.net/server/primary/High%20Wealth%20Sims1.jpg align=baseline>

 

Speaking of high-wealth sims, look what's being built!

 

If you look at the budget in the shot above this one, you'll notice that I am still making money.  The first quarter of year two is over, and everything is going great!  Only nine more months to go before victory!

[MadMax410 1]

Finnaly! do you know how much I wanted this update to come? Anyway, you should give the city something special, for I can see you're earning money, with plenty of years to go. I suggest some parks?, a tax reduction?. Also, you put in toll boothes, right. Your main priority should be to get rid of them. These can screw up your short commute time. Check the transportation budget to learn how much you are making from them. OR you can keep the toll boothes, and build some railroads or subways, or both together. This can speeds sims to ther jobs. Doing this, first build a railroad station by the main roads(avenues), and connect them to the industrial section. Then , when commercial starts to boom, build a railroad station to the commmercial section, then make a subway system. You are kinda made to do this once you see a huge growth, for avenues wont be able hold the capacity. But this should be done later

[Voar Tok 4]

I regret to inform you all that something has come up in RL that has forced me to end this experiment prematurely.  Thank you all for your kind feedback.

[tanc24 0]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Great experiment, Voar.  I hope your RL issues are resolved quickly and you come back to complete this expirement.

Best wishes,

T24

[iquere 2]

Date: 2/6/2006 12:23:13 PM
Author: tanc24

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Great experiment, Voar. I hope your RL issues are resolved quickly and you come back to complete this expirement.

Best wishes,

T24

quote>

I couldn't agree with you more, tanc24.

[Voar Tok 4]

Thanks guys!  I thought that I would tell you that I made it through June and my budget excess only increased, so I think that the experiment was a success.

[MadMax410 1]

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! I hoped I could see the end of this experiment, but you say it was ended. By the way, did you mean permately when you said prematurly? Too bad about it, though.

PS my first BAT is coming out soon, I just have to finish the windows

[wafgking 22]

All that reading.... and no results.  I'm mad now, I'm gonna throw a temper tantrum.  AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.  SO THERE.  TAKE THAT.

 

Anyways.  GREAT WORK.  I hope you come back and finish it when things are going better for you.  I wish you the best.  This is absolutely one of the best, entertaining, thrilling, seat hold posts I have seen anywhere on the internet.

 

I did vote that you could ABSOLUTELY NOT DO IT (for the point of voting that way, even though I believed you could).  I totally cheat on cities (once I found simtropolis anyways).  I give myself 10000 each month from the Federal Government to cities that oblige their commands.  Other rebel cities that don't want to be tied down to obligatory Mass Transit, Express Ways, etc... don't get the treat. LOL  I also use NAM.

[Voar Tok 4]

Most thrilling experiment huh?  I'm glad that you all enjoyed it.

Maybe I'll get an opportunity to finish this wonderful project.  I really did have fun pushing the envelope with what people said could and couldn't be done when starting a city.  Looking back on it, I think that I successfully proved that you can give you sims WAY more services than everyone originally said was possible.

 

Any time that I can shoot down a gaming myth is an awesome day for me.  I'm glad that Porter Field did hold positive all the way through June, because that just proves to me that it would have been a success.  I'm happy with the way that everything turned out (the premature ending of it not withstanding).

 

BTW this experiment isn't done yet.  Once RL subsides, I intend to finish this experiment.  It just may be several months before I get that chance.  Carry on troops, for this experiment will return one day for its glorious conclusion.

[Goldfish4209 9]

Oh come on. That sucks. Why not just put it in high speed for an hour and call it a success?

[Voar Tok 4]

The answer to that is simple.  My computer has been assimilated and is now no longer my computer. I can only use it when its new owner says that I can, and so far, it isn't looking like I'll be getting it back any time soon.

EDIT: The new owner of the computer has taken the liberty to delete the files that I had saved of Porter Field.  The city is still there (thankfully) but the pictures from April to June are missing and I'll have to look for my backups.  (Hopefully I can find them).

[Compromise 1]

I am sorry to hear that Voar Tok. Hopefully you can get this experiment restarted again at some point to get completley over the mountain in finances but it is good you have remained in the black so far.

[iquere 2]

Bad luck about Porter Fields, Voar Tok...

[Micah 16]

Well, it seems like your plans are mostly working. I think in the end you will do it (finish your task successfully). Wow, I can't believe it has been over 2 months since I last posted in here, and since then you have made a lot of progress. Hopefully you won't have to use any cheats.

[TheCrybKeeper 301]

Voar Tok: hello again. Really great to read through this experiment! I like how you pushed everything right to the limit and just broke through to a profit. Excellent details, on how to keep a smaller city thriving and happy at the same time! Thank you bunches, friend!

Hope thing in RL work out good for you.