Trying To Grasp The Basic Mechanics

[mangojuice 30]

Good day everyone.

Returnee mayor here coming back to the game after around 6 years and just trying to get an understanding of how the game works.  I'm running a handful of "essential mods" including NAM39.  

So I figured I would just lay a straight road, add a few Res, Com, Ind and then spend some time with the Query & Route Query Tool to see what was happening (actually my initial reason for doing this was to try and see if there was a tile limit that determines commute time but I got sidetracked).

My simple setup

 

As you can see it's very simple as just wanted to get an idea of who commutes where and how.  There are a couple of things that I do not understand though...

1. The Residential zones are housing a total of 117 sims yet there are 294 sims working (Com: 48; Ind: 246).  I'm interpreting this as I have 177 more sims working than are actually living there (294 - 117).  Where are the extra 177 workers coming from? Do I have an illegal immigrant worker issue (in which case I would like an "Immigration Dept" ploppable).
2. The road going through the Industrial Zone has zero traffic, all traffic stops at the Commercial Zone with the exception of a bus that goes to the first bus stop at the Industrial Zone then they walk to the factory adjacent to the bus stop.  All the other Industrial units are showing zero workers with the Traffic Query tool yet showing workers with Query Tool.  How can there be workers there if there is zero traffic?

I apologize if I am completely missing something but I'm getting a little bit confused...

 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I believe you are seeing the classic misunderstanding we've all had. (Me included.)

When you use the regular query on an industrial or commercial you'll see two numbers similar to this: 48 / 59. So, as we all did, you make the logical assumption that four dozen Sims work there out of a possible 59 job openings. Turns out that's not what the game is saying at all.

The first number is the number of jobs offered with all current economic factors considered and the second number is the maximum jobs that place would offer under ideal circumstances. Neither number is how many Sims actually work there.

So, it's only the Route Query tool that gives info on how many Sims go there for employment.

And even then you have to be careful because industrial grown adjacent at the same time tends to lump all of their workers into one query. So, you might have a Farley's Foundry with 5 / 6 jobs listed and it's on the corner of a much bigger set of industrial buildings such that the traffic query might show 150 or something. (Clicking on other nearby industrial and noticing the incoming traffic pattern still goes thru that corner lot is how you can see that is happening.)

[mangojuice 30]

WOW!   Yes, I was assuming that 45/52 meant that 45 people were employed out of 52 job positions lol.

So, if I understand you correctly, as the Route Query shows zero workers for practically all the Industrial Units then none of my sims are working there, they are all empty buildings....correct?  If that is the case then why would they grow?

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

You do indeed understand correctly.

The industrial and the commercial will go ahead and grow even without workers as they are sprouting due to the demand for them. (The game needs to do this or it'd get into a Catch 22 situation where Sims would not move in because there's no jobs and there's no jobs available cause there's no Sims to need them nor to pretend to buy their goods.)

[mangojuice 30]

Ok, maybe I'm overthinking or just having a "moment"...

I've just gone through it with the Route Query Tool...

Industry: 0 workers

Commercial: 26 workers (split between car/bus)

Residential: 36 sims are commuting...none of them are working in the Industrial Zone (0 workers) and 26 of them are working in the Commercial Zone, so where are the other 10 sims who are commuting no further than the Commercial Zone? I'm beginning to think that they are just milling around the commercial bus stop having a smoke or illicit affairs...

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

3 minutes ago, mangojuice said:

so where are the other 10 sims who are commuting no further than the Commercial Zone?

The Route Query should be showing where they all come from. Btw, each bus stop offers 2 low paying jobs so maybe 4 Sims work at them in the Residential section and 6 at the 3 stops in the Commercial district?

[mangojuice 30]

9 minutes ago, CorinaMarie said:

Btw, each bus stop offers 2 low paying jobs so maybe 4 Sims work at them in the Residential section and 6 at the 3 stops in the Commercial district?

Well, I never knew that, it never occurred to me that a bus stop would employ anyone (let alone 2 people)...bus stops in the UK consist of a small shelter with a bench (if you're lucky) waiting in the rain for hours.  

The bus stops do indeed account for the missing sims.  I have a better basic understanding now thanks to you, thank you.  I still can't over the "46/62" query revelation....years (on & off) I've been playing SC4 and reading that query incorrectly until now 

[Henry Crun 75]

13 hours ago, mangojuice said:

Well, I never knew that, it never occurred to me that a bus stop would employ anyone (let alone 2 people)...bus stops in the UK consist of a small shelter with a bench (if you're lucky) waiting in the rain for hours.  

There's a bus shelter outside my house in Birmingham UK and there's two fellas that turn up every few weeks to replace damaged perspex panels...

[Naomi57 2,985]

Welcome back, @mangojuice.  You'll see a similar explanation just posted from me under your other thread.  @CorinaMarie is spot on.

• https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/760579-cs-depreciationabandonment/?tab=comments#comment-1751622

On the subject of game mechanics, that's something I like to analyse, and write about, so you might find a few of my other posts interesting, too.

• https://community.simtropolis.com/journals/entry/29025-thoughtful-reflections-on-oompa-loompas-aka-where-are-all-the-workers/
• https://community.simtropolis.com/journals/entry/29028-the-mysterious-powers-of-the-sc4-bus-stop/
• https://community.simtropolis.com/journals/entry/29044-tutorial-for-building-your-first-city-in-a-brand-new-region/