This post comes to you from Hohenberg Shores in the Hanshol region on the Antarctica Server (operating just fine.)

Goal - Build / manage an oil exporting city that remains profitable on an hourly basis while meeting needs of citizens.

With this goal in mind, I surveyed the ground map for crude oil deposits and calculated the cost to start pumping. I took into consideration the size and location of the oil fields as well as the direction of the wind.

Before charging forward, I sketched (on paper) a general idea of where the zones would be for my town, laying out a basic growth strategy for my intended specialization.

To minimize costs I procured all resources (water, power, sewer) from my neighbors and placed mostly dirt roads for my initial layout. This is a key aspect of SC2013 - have an idea of how you want your city to grow over time - dirt roads can be upgraded all the way to high density streets, but not avenues. If you develop based on the width of roads (streets) and later want an avenue, you will have to knock down the existing structures and this could be very costly. A few minutes of planning can make or break your long term success.

So there you have it. I executed my plan and 24 hours later Hohenberg Shores has a healthy bank account and positive cash flow.

Stay tuned for Phase II (City Development) and Phase III (City Management)

We still have a few more open land claims, if anyone's interested come learn more about us here.