Episode 2
3:40 "We were in suspended animation" How right you are little sim, how right you are.
- 00iCon
Episode 2
What a fine day! The revolution in Magnasanti is over and the city’s future looks a little brighter these days. We continue our journey into the best-worst SC3000 city ever build.
I do keep in mind the milestones set in one of the previous posts. Let’s make an agreement that I will file a report on the progress, every tenth episode. K? There is obviously a lot of work to be done. Of course, the beginning is always the worst part. So where shall I start? Hmmm…
Regardless of what I decide to do first, I am sure some of the people will actually not like the changes. Given that the pre-revolution mayor approval rating stood at circa 43%, that leaves us with roughly 2.5 million residents who actually supported the old status quo!
Well, if they choose to leave, I will not be stopping them. Actually, this may have some benefits - more space for freedom-loving simtizenry and more responsible development being amongst those. However, in the current complicated situation it all sounds like daydreaming. Better start with some short-term goals.
Now then, what do you think, Dear Reader, is the first order of business after a successful revolution? You guessed it (or not…) – tearing down the monuments of the old regime! With that being said…
Bye, bye “Path to the Land of Darkness!” – POOOFF
Bye, bye “Statue of Insanity!” – CRUMBLE
Bye, bye “Performing Death Center!“ – WALLOP
Some extra space has just been gained. Not much though, and not readily available either, but it may come in handy one day or another.
Honestly, I also toyed with the idea of destroying the entertainment park and the stadium but… since these are the only entertainment establishments the Magnasantians currently have, I can’t in good faith deprive them of these buildings...
By contrast, one of the things that I just have to do, is to make some administrative changes. Just to let everybody know, “who-runs-Bartertown?” ![:]](https://community.simtropolis.com/assets/emoticons/default_16.gif ":]"){kind=small}
Uhmm… Yes, I know that “TheMurderousCricket” does not sound very reassuring… But I guess my Sims have no other choice but to simply give me the so-called "benefit of the doubt".
Right, one thing that especially gets on my nerves right now, is the invasive, chant-like news-ticker which repeatedly “sings”:
SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES SIMS WANT MORE FUN IN THEIR LIVES
Oooh boy... But then again, I think this might be a good starting point… “Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves” they say.
Let’s cater to the Sims’ entertainment needs and provide this city with some long-forgotten leisure amenities. The post-uprising battlegrounds offer a lot of space for this purpose. I can also see, that the previous disembodied-brain-mayor has hoarded some interesting items and rewards in the city’s databanks:
Oh wait! There's one more:
Ummm... no.
This city is sufficiently scary on its own. 
Perhaps a Geyser Park then? Let’s do some cleanup and dezoning while we’re at it. Then, link the “stub” to some other green areas, parks aaaand…
Perfect! Though an oddity in a concrete jungle like New Magnasanti. It may take a while before the Simtizens get used to this profound change. Also, I’ve got a fitting name for this new development…
Speaking of freedom… It is high time to reduce funding for the police. Yes, it’s set to 120%, which is nothing short of abuse. The citizens will remain well protected from crime even at 100% funding. We don’t need too much of a “good” thing, right?
(By the way, while taking this screenshot, I discovered that you can actually see the police station radii change in real-time if you leave the data window open and move the budget slider)
All these actions combined, should influence aura in the vicinity, though it will take some in-game months for it to really take effect. Meanwhile, I’ll take a look at other problems throughout the city.
I believe it is time for some tough choices now. I need space. This is why I need to address the clean up of the mess that the uprising has left behind. Some rezoning and de-zoning is required as well to make the zones a little bit more functional and organized. Also, the residential demand is at an all-time low, which gives me a green light (sic!) to “repurpose” some of the original areas.
My fire containment efforts in the last episode have led to an inadvertent destruction of some of the subway stations in the vicinity. This has led to a profound abandonment crisis as many buildings in the affected area got vacated, just like that – I wasn’t prepared for that! I was also quite surprised at the magnitude of this phenomenon - even some zones in the center of New Magnasanti got abandoned as a result. It looks like the subway system in this city is extremely fragile and sensitive to changes.
As far as transportation goes, I’ve got this devious idea… What if I add actual ROADS into the picture? Encircling “Camp Freedom” with the first-in-ages road network should look nice and inject some movement into the city. Besides, I just need a good road network to chip my way into the inner New Magnasanti.
I have my doubts though… Most of the Sims have never driven a car in their entire life. I’m afraid this might be one of these “May cause death or serious injury” situations. Think of all the crashing, accidents, out-of-control cars, broken bones that will unfold!
Still, my determination has taken the best of me and I have built the very first road network… and the streets turned RRRRRed again!!
One more time, this is not what you think – these are just strawberry pulp deserts that are traditionally served around here to celebrate new infrastructural developments. (If you’d like to try one, go to “Aunt Corina’s Fresh Fruit Mart”. It’s just around the corner.)
Looks a little livelier, but depressing at the same time... It is nice to see the new (albeit not needed) commercial developments rising up from the ashes. It’s a pity though that the city looses so many citizens due to the “shock” it has been exposed to. Let’s just hope it will all smooth out in time.
What I don’t really like about New Magnasanti is the inflated commercial demand which is not very useful right now. I just don’t have any space for it. Had I decided to cave in and zone for new commercial regions then, within months, I might have again ended up with a glass and concrete jungle. Something I actually try to refrain from in this city… There is a massive exodus of the residential population going on right now, and the commercial well-being is one of my lesser concerns.
I think it is high time to actually reduce the commercial demand. If only by a little bit. In order to do so, I put my protective helmet on and descend into the underground city depths.
In the past, New Magnasanti border has been riddled with subway connections to all of the four neighbors. These connections cost money and increase commercial demand – two burdens, neither of which I am willing to accept. This is why I decided to burry some of the existing subway tunnels and plan for some new demolitions in the future:
When I emerged back to the surface, a distressed Sim came running up to me with some rather depressing news. Apparently, my decision to cut the police funding has seriously impaired crime safety in New Magnasanti! I did not believe it at first… But when I looked on the crime map again…
Ssssugar! I thought it’s gonna be less complicated. Aparently, in the current situation I have no other choice… but to keep police force oppressive… Given the number of Sims living in this city, it’s no wonder that even the slightest police oversight gives birth to new crime syndicates…
But crime does not really stem from the lack of police. It takes root wherever there is boredom, poverty, lack of education and poor health. If I manage to improve the conditions in one of these areas, crime will probably decrease.
In order to plan for the upcoming crime-fighting task, I have decided to consult the city graphs to see exactly how this city is doing. Here are the stats for New Magnasanti, in the course of episode #2:
The situation is clear – poor health + 11% unemployment + no entertainment = crime. It has skyrocketed as soon as the police funding was cut. Not good at all. Hospitals and some residential-industrial shuffling will be needed to bring the situation back around. It will not happen overnight for sure…
I must admit that I was rather surprised to see the relatively high level of education in New Magnasanti. This is really unexpected for a city that has no schools or colleges. Who would have thought that you can get relatively smart just by reading books? Still, I have seen (and built) cities which boasted a 120EQ rating, which means there is still some room for improvement.
In any case, the reconstruction of New Magnasanti has begun. I must say I like the looks of “Camp Freedom”. It’s a nice, colorful start on the way to the better future which New Magnasantians deserve. I wonder what other challenges lie ahead and how long will it take to deal with those already described. Here’s how New Magnasanti looks like at the close of the second episode:
-
8
2 Comments
Recommended Comments
Sign In or register to comment...
To comment in reply, you must be a community member
Sign In
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In NowCreate an Account
Sign up to join our friendly community. It's easy!
Register a New Account