Simple terrain editing for dummies in SimCity 3000

Contributor/author(s): Carl Chartier

Why go to all the trouble of bitmaps, paint programs, and the importation process when all the terrain editing tools are already in the game? For some mystical reason, our friends at Maxis decided to put the terrain editing tools in the 'city building' window, but not in the 'terrain editing' window. Why they chose to do this is beyond me, but there is a way around this and Maxis gave us the tool to do it. It's called the 'i am weak' cheat code. Here is how it works:

Start the game and select 'New City'. In the 'options' window, select the difficulty, start date, and city size you want (other information can be filled in later). Click the 'check' button.

In the 'terrain window', run the 'tree' bar to zero (the reason for this will be explained later), then pick the other terrain features that are roughly close to what you want (i.e., oceans rivers, mountains). Regenerate the terrain until you get something you feel you can work with. Accept the terrain.

After the 'city building' window comes up, enter the 'i am weak' cheat code (press Shift + Ctrl + Alt + C),then type in 'i am weak' in the box). Press 'enter', then click on the 'landscape' button to bring up the terrain tools.

You can now edit the terrain until your heart's content, and it won't cost you anything! Well, almost nothing. It does cost $5 to remove a tree (darn conservationist!). Five simolians my not seem like much, but multiply that times a couple thousand trees and it adds up! That's why it's best to start with no trees. After you have the terrain you want, you may want to go one step further. I run a road, railroad, and power lines across the map and add a power plant. I do this because cities usually develop at existing transportation intersections, not in the middle of nowhere. You don't have to do this if you feel it is morally wrong! You can stop with just a blank map. The final editing step is to add the trees.

Once you have the map you want, click on the 'settings' button, then click on the 'save as' button. In the 'save as' window, fill in the file name then double click the 'terrain' folder to bring up the terrain files, then click the 'check' button. Your map is now saved as a terrain.

Now, reload the terrain into the game by clicking 'load', clicking 'no' in the save window, and double clicking on your terrain file. The terrain will reload, the cheat code will no longer be in effect, and you can build you city as you normally would. When you are ready to save your city, click 'save as', click on the folder with the arrow on it to bring up the city files, fill in the mayor, city, and file names then click on the 'check' button.

You now have the city, and its original terrain to use or misuse as you see fit. You can create a highly detailed terrain in less than an hour, you don't have to have a degree in computer science, and you don't even have to leave the game to do it. There is also nothing to stop you from editing the terrain 'during' the game, but some people might call that cheating!

See also
What is a mile?
Get certain terrain types with SC3K terrain generator
Realistic terrain
Realistic space terrain with Unlimited
Notes on scale
Generating custom terrain from bitmaps
Downloadable terrain editors