Games PC SIMCITY 3000 UNLIMITED User Manual

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 2 www.simcity.com

HAIL TO THE MAYOR ......................................................................... 6

IMPORTANT: READ BEFORE YOUR INAUGURATION

(OR HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

TUTORIAL......................................................................................... 9

STEP 1: LAUNCH AND LOAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

STEP 2: SELECTING AN AREA TO BUILD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

STEP 3: BUILDING ROADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

STEP 4: ZONING RCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

STEP 5: POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

STEP 6: BRINGING YOUR CITY TO LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

STEP 7: WATER AND GARBAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

STEP 8: PROTECTING YOUR CITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

STEP 9: FINANCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

STEP 10: DATA MAPS, CHARTS, AND GRAPHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

STEP 11: DISASTER AND DESTRUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

SCENARIO TUTORIALS........................................................................ 24

THE JOY OF MAYORING: A REFERENCE GUIDE...................................... 27

OPENING MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

INFORMATION BAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

NAVIGATION PANEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

MAIN TOOLBAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CITY: REPLACING BUILDINGS IN SIMNATION............. 72

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 3

CITY CUSTOMIZATION CONTROLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

REPLACING INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

REPLACING MULTIPLE BUILDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

EDITING YOUR BUILDING LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

CITY DEPARTMENTS: PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER................................... 85

FINANCIAL/BUDGET DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND AURA DEPARTMENT (HEA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

UTILITIES DEPARTMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

ADVISOR Q&A: CLUES ON SOME BASIC SIMCITY STRATEGIES................. 121

SIMCITY 3000 BUILDING ARCHITECT PLUS: BUILDING BASICS .............. 127

SIMCITY 3000 BUILDING ARCHITECT TUTORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

SIMCITY 3000 BUILDING ARCHITECT REFERENCE GUIDE....................... 139

OPENING MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

THE BUILDING ARCHITECT WORKSPACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1

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SIMCITY 3000 SCENARIO CREATOR .................................................... 155

SCENARIO CREATOR TUTORIAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

BECOMING A SCENARIO MASTER:

A REFERENCE GUIDE TO CREATING SCENARIOS ................................... 170

OPENING MENU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

NEW SCENARIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

SCENARIO CREATOR COMMANDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

PREPARING YOUR SCENARIO FOR LOADING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: EVEN MORE CLUES TO USING

THE SCENARIO CREATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

SHARE YOUR WARES: SIMCITY EXCHANGE .......................................... 198

SIMLANGUAGE: A GLOSSARY FOR SIMNATION..................................... 201

INDEX ............................................................................................. 212

CREDITS .......................................................................................... 216

WARRANTY...................................................................................... 219

This product has been rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. For
information about the ESRB rating, or to comment about the appropriateness of
the rating, please contact the ESRB at 1-800-771-3772.

HAIL TO THE MAYOR

Page 6 www.simcity.com

HAIL TO THE MAYOR!

Welcome to SimCity 3000™Unlimited!
Congratulations on your entry into the elite
mayoral force of this growing SimNation.
Whether you’ve cut your political teeth as
mayor in other SimNations, or this is your
first elected office, there are a few things you
need to know before you begin making
executive decisions.

As Mayor, your power may seem unlimited.
You can build roads, or decide to create a city
where no one needs a car. You may want to
try your hand at building an industrial
powerhouse, or an island paradise. Perhaps
you’d like to have both the Eiffel Tower and

the Empire State Building in your city. Or maybe you are one of those artistic mayors who
prefers to design their own buildings. You have the power to create cities, buildings,
strategies, even city goals that other mayors must try to fulfill. And your cities are not
limited to your own imagination; you can share your creations and gain insights in global
meetings with other mayors all over the world.

Did we say your power was unlimited? Not entirely correct. See those little beings walking
about in your city? They are Sims, the inhabitants of any SimNation. Remember, you are
holding an elected office. Those little beings can unelect you if they are unhappy with your
mayoral decisions. There’s a lot of leeway here, as Sims come with all sorts of needs and
desires. Some Sims want to live where captains of industry roam the streets and
skyscrapers abound. Others harbor dreams of operating a farm on the edge of town, or of
living in an eco-friendly mountain community. As mayor, you will need to balance your
visions of city growth with providing your Sims an attractive place to live. Every decision
you make ripples from one end of SimCity™to the other. If your Sims move to other
communities, you are out of a job. If they are happy, your city will prosper. Of course, one
never knows when disaster may hit. Unless, as mayor, you planned it all along.

So get creative and unlock that shady Machiavellian side of yourself that rarely gets to let
loose. If you read this guide, give ear to your advisors, and learn from your fellow mayors;
you will be orchestrating the operations of a megalopolis sooner than you think. After that,
who knows where your political aspirations might lead?

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 7

IMPORTANT: READ BEFORE YOUR INAUGURATION
(OR HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL)

SimCity 3000 Unlimited is a game of strategy. If you follow the

Tutorials

and read the

Resource Sections

of this guide, you will become familiar with many of the tools
and strategies needed to become a successful mayor. But there are endless ways
to play SimCity–as many as there are individuals who try out their mayoral robes.
The following suggestions will help you get the most out of this guide, as well as
out of your experience as mayor of SimCity 3000 Unlimited:

Already been a mayor? There is a good deal of new information in this
manual. Look for flagged new features, and use the index to look up
references to aspects of the game you would like to know more about.

◆ Start by going through the

Tutorial

, especially if you are new to the world of

SimCity. The

Tutorial

will give you hands-on experience with the basic tools

you’ll need to begin creating your own cities.

◆ Use the

Scenario Tutorials

provided. These scenarios will introduce you to

some more advanced building tools, and will help you become even more
familiar with various aspects of SimCity 3000 Unlimited.

◆ Read this manual. There is a ton of information in here, both pragmatic and
strategic. The

Reference Guide

tells you about the functions and menus on
the screen. It’s a good idea to take a look at this so you don’t miss out on
some neat application you may not have known existed. The

City Departments

section is full of good information on how cities in SimNation work. A good
manual-reading strategy is to read it once as a beginner, play a bunch, then
read it again. Already been playing for a while? Read the manual anyway. You
may find out something you didn’t know before. Whoever you are, you’ll be a
better player if you read these instructions! We promise.

◆ SimLanguage got you confused? There’s a

glossary

of terms in the appendices

of this guide.

◆ Play. Experiment. Fail. The best way to hone your mayoring skills is to

practice them. As you play SimCity 3000 Unlimited, you’ll create your own
strategies to accomplish your goals.

!

HAIL TO THE MAYOR

2

Page 8 www.simcity.com

◆ In the middle of a game and forgot how to build a highway ramp? Use the

index

to

help pinpoint the information you seek.

◆ Want to know more? Use the SimCity website (www.simcity.com). There are all sorts of

hints, how-to’s, and notes on strategies from the folks who created SimCity 3000 Unlimited;
and from players like you. Also regularly check out the

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

on various aspects of the game. These are updated as new queries arise.

◆ Share your skills. Use

SimCity Exchange

to expand your horizons. Talk to friends who
have also been elected. There’s a whole community of politicos out there who may
have developed a new twist for handling high pollution levels, or who think your
architectural creations are worthy of Frank Lloyd Wright status. You’ll never know
until you begin comparing notes!

◆ Have fun! It’s a game!

TUTORIAL

Page 10 www.simcity.com

TUTORIAL

This Tutorial walks you through the beginning stages of building a city and familiarizes you
with some of the basic tools of SimCity 3000 Unlimited. There are many types of cities you
can build with SimCity 3000 Unlimited and many ways to begin construction. Here’s one
way to go about it.

STEP 1: LAUNCH AND LOAD

This tutorial calls for the use of a specific saved game.

1. The first thing you need to do is launch SimCity 3000 Unlimited. If you need
any help, please see the

Reference Card

.

2. When the

Opening Menu

appears, select

Load City

, then open the city named

Tutorial.

Each time you start a new city or load a city, the simulation speed is set to

Pause

. Keep it
that way for now so you can build in peace, without the demands of your incoming Sims.
You’ll be ready for them soon.

STEP 2: SELECTING AN AREA TO BUILD

Well, here it is! This is where the magic happens. Over on the right, you have all of
the tools you’ll need to build any kind of city you can dream of. This is called the

Main Toolbar

. Across the bottom of the screen, you have at a glance all the
information you’ll need to make sure every gear is spinning just the way you like it.
This is your

Information Bar

.

Your first step is to find a large open area to build your future metropolis–the
bigger the area, the better. When you start a new city, the city view is set to the
furthest zoom level.

1.

To scroll freely around the

City View

, click and hold the right mouse

button then move the mouse in the direction you wish to scroll.

2.

To center the view on your cursor, single-click the left mouse button.

3.

Zoom In one level using the

Zoom In

button in the

View Panel

.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 11

View Panel

Landscape
Zone
Build Transportation
Build Utilities
Place Civic/Special Buildings

Emergency

Meet
Adjust & Review
Change Settings & Exit

Main Toolbar

Information Bar

News Ticker

City Name

Simulation Speed Control

Population

Funds

Date

Demand Indicator

Query

Layer Views

Navigation Map

Zoom In

Zoom Out

Rotate

City View

Hide Toolbars button

TUTORIAL

3

Page 12 www.simcity.com

STEP 3: BUILDING ROADS

Transportation is critical to the growth of your city. Let’s build a few roads.

1.

Click the

Road

button from within the

Build Transportation

button menu.

2.

Move the cursor over to the

City View

.

You’ll notice that as you move the cursor into the

City View

window, the cursor will
change appearance to indicate the selected tool. In this case, the cursor represents a
transportation tool–roads, to be exact.

3.

Click and drag the mouse where you wish to place your first road. Create a
road that is ten tiles in length.

The line you’ve drawn represents where the road you’re creating will be placed; it is called
the

Drop Shadow

. Upon releasing the mouse button, the

Drop Shadow

turns into a road. If

you cannot place an item, the

Drop Shadow

will turn red indicating you need to select a
different location. If you start to place any item and change your mind about placement,
you can cancel the action by making sure the

Shift key

is pressed before you release the

mouse button.

4.

Build a series of straight roads along the grid to end up with a square that is 10
tiles by 10 tiles.

5. Continue drawing roads until your map looks like the following picture.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 13

STEP 4: ZONING RCI

There are three zone types that Sims need in order to have a functioning city:
Residential, Commercial and Industrial. Residential zones are where your Sims live.
Commercial zones contain shops and offices. The Industrial zones contain various
factories, industries and warehouses. Sims need a lot of room to live, so let’s zone
the middle area you’ve created with your roads as residential.

The

Residential

icon contains a submenu of options. The active item from each

submenu is designated by a

Checkmark

. In the case of the

Residential

zone button,

the default is for

Light Residential

. Once a different zone density has been selected

in this submenu, it will become the new default.

Residential areas can be zoned in 3 different densities: Light, Medium, and Dense.
This allows you precise control over what your Sims can build.

1.

Move the cursor to highlight

Medium Residential

and release the

mouse button.

2.

Move the cursor to the

City View

and click on one of the corners of the

8x8 enclosed area, but do not release the mouse button.

3.

Drag the zoning

Drop Shadow

until it covers the tiles within the 8x8

enclosed area.

4.

Release the mouse button; the

Drop Shadow

will become a medium
density residential zone. Don’t worry if you don’t fill in the square in
one swipe. You can designate zoning by clicking on individual tiles if
you need or wish to. For this tutorial, zone as many tiles as you need to
fill in the square.

In the two remaining rectangles created by your roads, you want to provide an
area where Sims will be able to work and shop.

5.

Select

Light Commercial

from the

Zone

menu and fill one of the

smaller enclosed rectangles.

6.

Select

Medium Industrial

from the

Zone

menu and fill the remaining

enclosed rectangle.

Click on the Zone button on the Main Toolbar. A menu of icons
will pop up. Click and hold the Residential button.

TUTORIAL

3

Page 14 www.simcity.com

You should now have a layout that looks like the following image:

As you become more familiar with aspects of city zoning, you will find that you need plenty
of residential areas to support the commercial and industrial districts of your city. Don’t
be skimpy with providing your Sims with areas to live.

STEP 5: POWER

Sims need power, yet typically do not like living next to power plants. Usually, the more
distance between power plants and residential zones the better. However, for the sake of
this tutorial, pick a location just a short distance from your zoned area.

This brings up a window containing a selection of power plants. Because this city started
in the year 1950, you have a very limited selection of power plants.

1.

Select the coal plant and click the

Checkmark

to signal your choice and close

the window. Then move the cursor to the

City View

over the area you have

chosen to locate your power plant. Notice that the

Drop Shadow

for the coal

plant is 4x4.

2.

Place the coal plant with a single-click of the left mouse button.

Now you need to run power lines from the power plant to the zones.

3. Draw a row of power lines that connects the coal plant to at least one point of
any of your zones.

Ready to power your city? Click on the POWER PLANTS button located within the
BUILD UTILITIES button menu on the MAIN TOOLBAR.

Select

POWER LINES

from within the

BUILD UTILITIES

button menu. Power lines are

built just like roads; you can click and drag the

DROP SHADOW

in a line.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 15

For more information on what your Sims’ power needs are, please refer to your

Utilities Department.

.

STEP 6: BRINGING YOUR CITY TO LIFE

Are you ready to see your city come to life? It’s time to see the first fruits of your
labor.

Let a few months tick by. Sims are starting to move into their new homes, and
workplaces are being established. The types of buildings that are built reflect both
the density and land value of that zone. For more information on the relationship
between zones and land value, see the

City Planning Department

.

You can see time pass by looking at the

Date

next to the

Simulation Speed Control.

So what else is happening in your city?

1.

Look at the

RCI Demand Indicator

in the

Information Bar

. This tool
provides feedback regarding what zone types are in demand in your
city. When the meter, or bar, for a zone type is up, that means the Sims
could use more of that zone type. If the meter is down, then there is a
surplus of that zone. It is possible to have the

RCI Demand Indicator

levels up even though you have a lot of that zone. See the

City

Planning Department

for more information.

2.

Pause the game again by clicking on the

Pause Simulation button

on

the

Simulation Speed Control arrow

; it’s time for more additions to

your city.

Move the speed of the simulator from
PAUSE

to full speed by clicking on the
extreme right speed marker on the
SIMULATION SPEED CONTROL

located

in the

INFORMATION BAR.

Then click

the Run

SIMULATION

arrow to turn the

simulation on.

TUTORIAL

3

Page 16 www.simcity.com

STEP 7: WATER AND GARBAGE

There are two more utilities that are absolutely essential to your Sims’ lives: Water and,
yup, Garbage Disposal.

WATER

1. Click on the

Meet

button on the

Main Toolbar

. This is where you’ll go to

meet with an Advisor or Petitioner.

2. Select the

Utilities Advisor

and select

Briefings

from the drop-down menu.

Briefings

contain reference documents provided by SimNation.

3. Read through the briefing Getting Water To Your Sims.

4. When you’re done, close the

Advisor Window

and select

Water Structures

from within the

Build Utilities

button menu. This brings up a window

containing a selection of water supplying structures.

5. Select the

Pumping Station

from the list of available water structures.

6. Move the cursor to a site near your zones in the

City View

window and

place a

Pumping Station

by clicking the mouse button. Water pumping
stations must be built near a fresh water source to operate. If the location
you have selected for your water pumping station is not within two tiles of
fresh water, the pump will have no pumping capacity. The easy solution is
to create surface water (See the

Landscape

section of the

Reference

Section

).

7. You need power to pump water to all of your Sims! Select the

Power Lines

button from within the

Build Utilities

button menu.

8. Draw a row of power lines that connects the nearest powered zone or power
plant to the pumping station (Again, learn about power in your

Utilities

Department

).

9. The pumping station holds and pumps water to the thirsty Sims, but we
doubt they’ll come to the pumping station with buckets. You need to build a
way for the water to travel to your Sims. You do this by connecting the
water pumping station to the zones with pipes (but don’t forget that power!).

10. Select the

Water Pipes

button from within the

Build Utilities

button menu

on the Main Toolbar

. You’ll see this:

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 17

Whoa! Don’t worry! You are now looking at the

Underground View

of your city. This
layer shows how your water pipes are laid out as well as all of the structures that
are providing water. It also shows which tiles are watered by the pipes, and which
ones are still out of reach. Notice the tiles change color from brown to blue within
a few weeks of laying the water pipes. The tiles colored blue are watered. The only
building you currently see is the

Underground View

of your water pumping station

11. Click and drag a line of water pipes that connects the water pumping
station to your developing zones. Again, this is done just as if you are
building a road.

12. All tiles within seven tiles of any part of the pipe will be watered as
long as there is water running in the pipes.

13. Start the simulator by clicking on the fourth tick mark (African
Swallow) and then the

Run Simulation

arrow on the

Simulation

Speed Control

in the

Information Bar

.

14. Let a little time pass and watch as water begins to radiate from the
pipes to the zones. Watered areas will appear in blue in the

Underground View

for pipes.

15. Now return to the above ground view by clicking on the

View City

Layers

button at the top right of your

Navigation Map

.

16. Click on the

Default View

.

17. Now click on the

Checkmark

. You should be back in the land of

clouds and sky.

18. Let’s pause the game again and deal with your city’s garbage.

TUTORIAL

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Page 18 www.simcity.com

GARBAGE

Since Sims are moving in and happily going about their daily lives, you should start seeing
messages in the News Ticker (the text scrolling along in the Information Bar) letting you
know what is going on in your city. The Sims may not be complaining about waste
management yet, but trust us–deal with garbage before you need to. An ounce of
prevention here can save you from being overwhelmed by tons of trash later.

1. Click on the

Meet

button and then select the

Environmental Advisor

for a

little talk.

2. Read through the

Briefing

on Dealing with Garbage, and then close the

Advisor

window.

Pause the simulator again so you can do some more work while the Sims spend a little time
in suspended animation. We’ve got to get to work on a landfill! Usually you’d want to keep
a landfill as far from your city center as possible. For this tutorial, though, let’s put it
relatively close in.

3. Find some land near your zoned area and then select

Landfill

from within the

Zone

button menu. Since landfills are a type of zone, you can place them in the

same way you placed the residential, commercial, and industrial zones.

4. Zone a landfill that is 4x4.

You don’t need to worry about powering a landfill, but you need to be sure there’s a way
for the garbage trucks to get there.

5. Build a road from the zones to the landfill.

6. Unpause the simulator again.

7. Zoom in using the

Zoom

button (+) in the

View Panel

and watch as garbage

trucks start taking trash to the dump.

Over time the landfill will show signs of use. This is just one example of how SimCity 3000
Unlimited gives you visual feedback to let you know the status of your city. Always keep an

eye on various aspects of your city to see how well everything is doing. The query tool and
the maps view will help you watch over your SimCity and your Sims. These tools are
discussed later in the manual.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 19

STEP 8: PROTECTING YOUR CITIES

Safety is very important in your city. Without police and fire protection, how do
you expect your Sims to sleep at night? You need to place a police station and a
fire station to satisfy the security needs of your Sims.

1. Click on the

Place Civic/Special Buildings

button menu. Here you

will find the

Police

and

Fire Station

buttons.

The submenu in the

Police

button contains the

Police Station

. The

Fire Station

has

its own button under the

Place Civic/Special Buildings

button.

2. Place one of each building along the road near your landfill. If you
place the buildings more than five tiles away from the zoned area
(which has power), you need to run power lines to them from any
powered building or zone. Not sure if they have power?

3. Click the Query button at the right side of the Information Bar. You
can click on anything in your city with this tool and a window
containing information about that particular item will appear on the
screen.

4. Armed with your query tool, click on your newly built police and fire
station. If they are not powered, you will need to run power lines to
them.

TUTORIAL

3

Page 20 www.simcity.com

Anytime you provide your Sims with a new water or power connection, make sure you
are not in Pause mode when checking to see if the connection is working. Time needs
to pass for the power to travel and water to flow. You might want to build in Pause
mode, then run the simulation for up to a month before checking to see if buildings or
zones are provided with water and power.

5. Got your information? To close the

Query Window

, click the

Checkmark

in

the lower, right corner.

Keep in mind that having a single police department and a single fire station is fine as long
as your city remains small. As your city grows, and your population of Sims multiplies, you
will need to build more police and fire stations to keep everyone safe and sound. For more
information on maintaining proper safety coverage, see the

Public Safety Department

section in this manual.

STEP 9: FINANCES

Did you happen to notice that as you built your
roads, power lines, and water pipes a number of
increasing value followed your cursor about? Did
you think water pipes were free? Ha! Practically
anything you build in your city comes with a
pricetag. The monetary unit of SimNation is the

Simoleon

.

1. Open the

Budget Window

by clicking

on the

Budget

button from within the

Adjust & Review

button menu. This is

where you monitor and control the way you spend your money.

2. Look at the

Police Budget

line item.

3. You can adjust each budget by moving the

Percent Sign Slider

that appears to
the right of each department name. Each slider has a marker. The marker
represents the percentage of your annual budget the Advisor for that
department wants you to allocate (and, just as in real life, your advisors are
somewhat biased). Leave the Police and Fire Budgets at the spending levels
recommended by your Public Safety Advisor.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 21

4. At the bottom of the window, you’re told whether you are projected to
make or lose money at the end of the year. If projections show you will
lose money, you can try raising taxes to increase your income.

5. Click on the

Income

button at the top of the

Budget Window

6. Adjust the tax rates for

Residential, Commercial

or

Industrial

categories by clicking on the

Up/Down Arrow

in the appropriate line

to increase or decrease the tax rate.

Raising and lowering taxes can have large consequences for your city. While
taxes are key to your budget, tax rates are also a means by which you can
attract or discourage certain kinds of development in your city. Low residential
tax rates will attract Sims to move into your town. Decrease the industrial tax
rates and watch new factories (and pollution) pour in. Other factors can have an
effect here, but understanding tax rates will help you immensely as you plan
your city’s future. Check with your Financial Advisor for more information.

7. Look through and familiarize yourself with your city’s

Income

and

Expenditures

.

8. Close the

Budget Window

by clicking the

Checkmark

in the lower

right corner.

STEP 10: DATA MAPS, CHARTS, AND GRAPHS

You are not limited to visual feedback for information about your city’s status quo.
Your advisors provide you with up-to-date Data Maps, Charts, and Graphs to help
you gain a better understanding of your city. You can get different overviews of the
current state of your city, or you may choose to obtain historical data on various
aspects of your city’s growth.

1. Click on the

View Data

button located within the

Adjust & Review

button menu on the

Main Toolbar

. Choose from a list of subject maps

on the left to see an overview of your city as it stands now.

2. Now click on the

Chart

and

Graph

s buttons to review all the kinds of
information you can access and compare. You’ll get more information
on these in the

Maps, Charts, and Graphs

section of this manual.

3. When you are finished looking at your city’s statistics, close any open
windows by clicking on the X in the upper right corner.

TUTORIAL

3

Page 22 www.simcity.com

STEP 11: DISASTER AND DESTRUCTION

Disasters happen all the time in the real world and SimCities are no exception. In fact, it
seems as if more and more disasters are occurring all the time. As mayor, you may have to
deal with several unforeseen disastrous events. You might also decide that you want to see
what happens when an earthquake rumbles through, or a plague of locusts descends.
Before you unleash anything in your city, it’s a good idea to save the game.

1. Click on the

Save As

button found within the

Change Settings & Exit

button

menu; this opens the

Save City Window

.

2. Name the file anything other than Tutorial (otherwise you’ll save over this
tutorial).

3. You can choose the location of the file in which you save your city, but let’s
leave this one in the default directory.

4. Click the

Checkmark

to save.

Back to the game? Good. Time to destroy what you have created.

5. Press the Start Disaster button located within the Emergency button menu on
the Main Toolbar and select Fire.

A fire will soon start in your city. The City View will automatically center on the location of
the fire as it breaks out.

You can choose to turn off the Auto Go To Disasters feature in the Preferences
Window from the Opening menu. You may also open the Preferences Window
during game play under the Change Settings & Exit menu in the Main Toolbar.

During a disaster the Simulator runs at a very slow speed so you have time to deal with the
effects. The Simulation Speed Control is disabled until the disaster runs its course. Once
the devastating event is over, the simulation speed will return to the setting it was at prior
to the disaster.

You have to hurry and get some firefighters out to the blaze before it reduces your city to
rubble!

6. Click on the

Dispatch Firefighters

button, located within the

Emergency

button menu.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 23

You have firefighters to dispatch because you built a fire station. If you had no fire
coverage, your Sims would rally a volunteer group to dispatch at your command.
Click on a tile near the fire.

This dispatches one of your two fire units–one of professional firefighters from the
fire station and one of volunteers. Each subsequent fire station you build will give
you one additional dispatch unit. After leaving the fire dispatch unit next to a fire
for a long enough time, the fire will be put out.

7. Click on another tile near a fire to dispatch your second fire unit.

8. If you click on yet another tile, it will move the first of your two
dispatch units to this new location.

9. Continue to dispatch your fire fighting units to surround the blaze until
you manage to put it out.

Ready to move on?

10. Once you have either put out all of the fires, or your city is burnt to
the ground, click on the

Load City

button from within the

Change

Settings & Exit

button menu in the

Main Toolbar

.

11. You will be asked if you want to save your current city. Select No,
and then click on your saved game when the

Load City

window

comes up. Voila, good as new!

As you continue to explore what you can create as Mayor of a SimCity, Sims will
continue to ask for more and more things (keep your eye on the

News Ticker!

). It’s
up to you to make their dreams, as well as your own, a reality. Feel free to continue
building this city, or start a brand new one. The choice is yours!

TUTORIAL

3

www.simcity.com

SCENARIO TUTORIALS

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 25

SCENARIO TUTORIALS

Want a little more experience before you dive in? Scenarios are cities which
require you, as mayor, to perform certain tasks and achieve specific goals in an
already existing city. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of help along the way. Just
remember to read your News Tickers and any Pop-up Messages that appear. These
messages will tell you what you need to do and how to do it. To access these
tutorials, you need to open the

Load Scenario

window.

If you are at the

Opening

menu:

1. Click on

Play Scenario

.

2. Select one of the

Tutorial Scenarios

from the browse menu.

3. You’ll see a

Thumbnail

of the scenario town and a description of what

you’ll learn on the left.

4. Found one that sounds interesting? Click on the

Checkmark

and

SimCity 3000 Unlimited will get the tutorial ready for you.

5. Don’t feel like doing a tutorial right now? Click the X at the top right
and you’ll return to the

Opening menu.

SCENARIO TUTORIALS

4

Page 26 www.simcity.com

If you are playing a game:

1. Open the

Change Settings & Exit

menu on the

Main Toolbar

.

2. Click and hold the

Load

button, then select

Scenario

from the submenu.

3. You’ll see a window that asks if you want to save the current city. Make your
selection.

4. After you’ve saved (or declined to save) your current city, the

Load Scenario

window will appear.

5. Follow the above procedures so that you can play one of the

Tutorial

Scenarios

.

THE JOY OF MAYORING:
A REFERENCE GUIDE

Page 28 www.simcity.com

THE JOY OF MAYORING:
A REFERENCE GUIDE

This section gives you a breakdown of the tools, buttons, and menus you’ll see in SimCity
3000 Unlimited.

OPENING MENU

After you launch SimCity 3000 Unlimited, the

Opening Menu

is the first place you’ll begin

making decisions. You have seven options in this menu:

Start New City, Load City, Starter

Town, Real City Terrain, Play Scenario, Preferences

, and

Exit

. Each option is detailed below.

START NEW CITY

NEW CITY OPTIONS WINDOW

When you click on

Start New City

, your first step is to determine your

New City Options.

You’ll need to fill in information or make selections in the following areas:

CITY NAME

Anything that suits your fancy, up to a maximum of 50 characters.

MAYOR NAME

This is how your Sims will address you. Select any name less than
50 characters. Those seeking your attention will address you as
Mayor ‘MAYOR NAME’, so take this into consideration when
choosing your name.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 29

DIFFICULTY LEVEL

Choose an easy game, a hard game, or something in
between. Easy games give you more money to start with.

START DATE

The year your city is established. The date you choose
here has an impact on immediately available structures
and utilities.

CITY SIZE

The number of tiles in your city. (Low end systems will
have better game performance with smaller cities).

DISASTERS

This button allows you to enable or disable disasters during
game play. Do you want to play it safe, or take your chances?

AUTO BUDGET

When this is checked, the financial advisor will maintain
status quo on each budget item. The

Budget Window

will
only appear at the end of the year if your city’s available
funds are negative (you are in the red).

GRAPHICS

Your first major creative decision. SimCity 3000 Unlimited

PREFERENCE

allows you to choose the overall look of your city. By
clicking on the different selections under each category,
you can choose the type of

Landscape, Trees

, and

Buildings

for your city. The image at the right will show
you how your selections will appear. You may change
your city’s look anytime during the game under the

City

Options

window found in the

Change Settings & Exit

menu of the

Main Toolbar

. If you save your city, your

selections will be saved as well.

USER-MADE

This button will open the window for the

Building Replacement

BUILDINGS Manager

. From this window, you can choose to replace
individual buildings or entire building groups in your city
with available User-Made Buildings from your SimCity files.
See the section on Building Replacement: Customize Your
City for more information about this feature.

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Once you make your selections in the New City Options window, click on the Checkmark.

TERRAIN EDITOR

After you make your city option selections, you’ll see the

Terrain Editor

window. You may
decide the pictured terrain is just fine, or you may choose to sculpt your city’s look from
the ground up.

◆ Click

Accept This Terrain

at the bottom of the

Terrain Edit

window to immediately

start building your city using the terrain you see in the City View window.

◆ Click

Re-generate Terrain

to create a new random terrain based on the same

landscape profile.

You may also create your own personalized city terrain by using the features of the

Terrain

Edit

window as described below:

MAP EDGE

If you click on any of the four map edges, it will change from a
land border (or neighbor border) to a coastline, and then back
again. Do you want your city to be a peninsula? Land-locked?
Decide here.

MAP CENTER

When you click on the center section of the map, you see the
following four terrain choices: rivers, mountain, dry land, and lake.

map edge
map center

mountain slider

water slider

tree slider

re-generate terrain

lower terrain

raise terrain
level terrain

create tree

create surface water

demolish

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 31

ROTATE/ZOOM

Use the arrows and the + / – signs to get a different view

IN AND OUT

of your landscape (pictured in the

City View

to the left of

the toolbar).

MOUNTAIN SLIDER

Raising and lowering this slider will increase and reduce
the amount of mountainous areas on your terrain.

WATER SLIDER

Raising and lowering this slider will increase and reduce
the amount of water on your terrain.

TREE SLIDER

Raising and lowering this slider will increase and reduce
the amount of trees on your terrain.

RE-GENERATE

Any time you make adjustments in the Terrain Toolbar

TERRAIN

you must press this button for the changes to take effect
on the actual map.

The above controls give you quite a bit of creative control over your city’s terrain,
but you can get even more specific. The following features allow you to micro­manage the topography of your town. You can create trees and lakes and
mountains while you are playing the game too, using the

Landscape

button on the

Main Toolbar

. But if you make changes during game play, it’ll cost you. Make your

adjustments here and add a forest of trees for free.

Remember to click on RE-GENERATE TERRAIN after you’ve made the macro­edits to your landscape. Then do your micro-editing. If you click on RE­GENERATE TERRAIN after you’ve made specific changes, you will lose all your
work. After you’ve added a tree here, a pond there, click on ACCEPT THIS
TERRAIN. Your micro-edits will be included in your city topography.

LOWER TERRAIN

Clicking on this button will allow you to choose where in
your landscape you would like to lower elevations,
perhaps creating a canyon, or a river valley. As tiles are
lowered, the surrounding terrain will lower as well.

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RAISE TERRAIN

Click on this button and you have the power to create mountains.
Add some gently rolling hills, or create a precipitous peak.

LEVEL TERRAIN

Click on this button and you can level any terrain. Click on a tile
with the left mouse button and drag the mouse with the button
still held down. Terrain will be leveled to the elevation of the first
tile selected. Remember, Sims need level terrain for building
homes, businesses, and factories.

PLANT TREES

Click on this button and then click, or click and drag, on the tiles
where you would like to plant trees. The more you click, or drag,
the more trees you’ll place. If you click on the same tile
repeatedly, your trees will become redwoods, or giant palms
(depends on what you chose in the

New City Options

window).

CREATE SURFACE

Click on this button and then click, or click and drag, to place

WATER

ponds, lakes, rivers, or marshlands.

DEMOLISH

Click on this button and you can take out a tree. Click on the tile
where the tree appears and, poof, it’s gone. You can not
demolish a mountain.

Are you delighted with your topography? Ready to build your next urban empire?

ACCEPT

Click here and SimCity 3000 Unlimited will establish your new city

THIS TERRAIN

using the terrain pictured in the City View. Start building!

STARTER TOWN

If cities are allowed to grow by themselves, their layouts may have charm, but often lack a
guiding principle of organization. Some hardy souls realized this and began to decide how
cities should look before they were built. Many of the city plans which evolved from these

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 33

early (and more recent) urban designers are used to guide city growth throughout
the world. These templates are available to you in the form of

Starter Towns

. These
are ready-to-go templates for your town based on city planning theories through
the ages.

1. From the browser menu on the

Load Starter Town

window, highlight
your selection. You will see the selected town layout in the city view
box at the left of the window. Click on the

Checkmark

.

2. This will bring you to the

New City Options

window, described above.

Make your selections, decide upon your town’s ‘look’, and click on the

Checkmark

. Your city is Sim-ready!

LOAD CITY

The Load City button allows you to load prepared, downloaded, and saved cities
from both SimCity 3000 and SimCity 2000.

➤ Select the city you’d like to continue playing and click the

Checkmark

. That’s

all there is to it!

REAL CITY TERRAIN

SimCity 3000 Unlimited offers players the ability to build upon terrains based on
geographic data from real cities all over the world. From Hong Kong to Detroit,
you’ll find many of the world’s major cities here. How would London look if you
had arrived there first?

1. Highlight the city terrain upon which you would like to build.

2. Click the

Checkmark

to proceed to the

New City Options

window

described above.

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LOAD SCENARIO

With SimCity 3000 Unlimited, you have the option to play the game in scenario mode.
Scenarios are cities that come with certain goals or parameters for their development.
Your challenge, as the newly elected mayor, is to either achieve the explained goals, or to
maintain your city within the set parameters. See the section on the

Scenario Creator

for

direction on how to create your own scenarios for game play.

Want to give it a try? The

Play Scenario

button allows you to access prepared scenarios for

game play. You may also access the

Load Scenario

window while playing a game by

clicking and holding the

Load

button located within the

Change Settings & Exit

menu on the

Main Toolbar

.

1. Select a scenario from the browse menu at the right of the

Load Scenario

window.

2. A

Thumbnailimage and a

Scenario Description

of the selected scenario town

will appear at the left.

3. When you’ve found a scenario you’d like to play, click on the

Checkmark

.

4. SimCity 3000 Unlimited will load the selected scenario, and you’ll be ready
to play!

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 35

PREFERENCES

Everyone likes to run their city a certain way. Select the choices among the options
of the

Preferences

menu that will make you a happier Mayor. When you have made

your selections, click on the

Checkmark

to return to the

Opening

menu.

PERFORMANCE

These settings allow you to fine tune your game to suit the performance of your
system. When you turn any of these settings OFF, SimCity 3000 Unlimited will run at
a faster rate.

TRAFFIC VISIBLE

This determines the zoom level at which you can see
your Sims’ vehicles zipping about. Use

Closest 3 zooms

only if you have a recommended system (see the system
requirement information on the outside of the box or see
the

Reference Card

that comes with the game literature

for more information).

SIMS VISIBLE

This determines the zoom levels at which you can see
your Sims walking the streets, or even rioting in the
streets.

OTHER ANIMATIONS

This selection includes building animations and graphic
effects that are not essential for game play (e.g., neon
signs on buildings).

SCREEN RESOLUTION

This selection will allow you to set the screen resolution
of your game window. The smaller the size, the faster the
game will run. Changes in screen resolution will not take
place without restarting SimCity 3000 Unlimited.

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GENERAL OPTIONS

SHOW TIPS

Allows you to toggle ON/OFF the

Startup Tips

that display at the

AT STARTUP

beginning of a new game.

AUTO GO TO

Allows you to toggle ON/OFF the Auto Go To Disasters function

DISASTERS

when disasters occur in your fair city.

SOUND

Check or uncheck the boxes for these options to turn the selection Onor

Off

. The sliders

increase or decrease the volume.

IN GAME MUSIC

Control the volume or toggle ON/OFF the selection of scores that
will be played in random order throughout game play.

AMBIENT SOUND

The noise of your city that you hear when you zoom in and get
close to your Sims.

SOUND EFFECTS

The noises you hear when you do action items in the game.

ENABLE 3D SOUND

This option is available only if the game has detected the
necessary hardware.

MUSIC CHOICES

Highlight a music selection and preview it by clicking the

Play Button

below the list of
selections. Check the selections you want to hear during game play. Selections that are left
unchecked will not be included in the random selection of music. There are several new
selections available in SimCity 3000 Unlimited. See if you want to add them to your sound loop.

EXIT

Just like it sounds, this button will exit the game.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 37

INFORMATION BAR

The

Information Bar

across the bottom of your screen gives you citywide
information at a glance. Keep your eye on all the information available here. It
helps you to read and predict certain situations, and will guide you as you make
your next policy decision.

NEWS TICKER

See the messages scrolling along at the top of the

Information Bar

? These are News

Tickers. News Tickers

will tell you about everything going on in your city, from
premonitions of disasters to what’s happening at the skating rink. If a town teen
would like you to build a Haunted House, or your Financial Advisor has an issue to
bring to your attention, you’ll be informed on your

News Ticker

.

News Ticker

messages are coded by color.

ORANGE TEXT

Indicates general information about the goings on in
your city.

UNDERLINED

Indicates that an Advisor or Petitioner would like your

GREEN TEXT

attention. Click on these messages to open the

Meet

window to hear them out.

YELLOW TEXT

Indicates information on game states, including when
your simulation speed is set to pause.

UNDERLINED

Pay particular attention to these. These messages alert

RED TEXT

you to emergency situations in your city that require
your immediate attention. Click on these messages to
take you to the site of the emergency in progress.

You will now see

News Tickers

when you play scenarios, and can write your own

when you create scenarios in the

Scenario Creator

.

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CITY NAME

Your city’s name will appear here.

POPULATION

The current population of Sims living in your city appears here. Don’t assume your
population will continue growing ad infinitum. This might be the first place that lets you
know that raising those residential tax rates was perhaps not such a good idea.

FUNDS

This is where you’ll see your current funds balance. The currency of the SimNation is
called the Simoleon.

DATE

This is the current date of your SimCity. New inventions come along as the years pass (the
date especially impacts what kinds of utilities you can build), and demands of your Sims
change with the passage of time. The faster your simulation speed is set, the faster time
will pass. While the simulation is paused, time stands still.

SIMULATION SPEED CONTROL

Want time to move slowly, relatively speaking? Want to see the months fly by? You can
control how quickly time passes in your city using the

Simulation Speed Control.

Simulation Speed–Click on one of the four speed categories–Turtle, Llama, Cheetah, or
African Swallow–to determine the simulation speed.

PAUSE SIMULATION

You can halt time’s effects by pressing the Pause Simulation
button.

RUN SIMULATION

Unpause the simulation by clicking on Run Simulation.

RCI DEMAND INDICATOR

The

RCI Demand Indicator

tells you at a glance whether your Sims are clamoring for more
residential zoning, or if you have zoned for more industrial buildings than are currently
needed. Demand is indicated above the letters, oversupply below.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 39

QUERY TOOL

The

Query Tool

can be used to obtain information on any structure within your city,
even trees! Want to know if a certain building or piece of land is supplied with water
and power? The information that appears in the

Query Window

will change
depending on the structure you query. For instance, if you query a power station,
you’ll see information about its maximum capacity and current usage. If you query a
house, you’ll see the density of its residential zone and its land value. To use the

Query Tool

, click on the

Query

icon, then scroll about your

City View

and highlight

the item you would like to know more about. Click on the highlighted item, and the

Query Window

appears. A few more things you’ll want to know about the

Query Tool

:

ABANDONED

If a structure has been abandoned, you can use the

Query

BUILDINGS Tool

to find out why. This information might help you to

revise certain policy decisions you have made as mayor.

MAKE HISTORICAL

The

Query Window

will ask if you want to give historical
designation to certain structures. A building with an
historical designation has special protection, but can still
be abandoned if you don’t take care of it.

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The

Query Window

includes the command that will allow you to replace individual
buildings in your city with custom-built architecture you’ve created or downloaded and
saved into your

Building Architect

files. For more information on replacing default SimCity

3000 Unlimited buildings with your own, see the section on

Customize your City: User-Made

Buildings in SimNation

.

REPLACE

The

Replace

selection will appear in the

Query Windo

w for any

building that can be replaced with a building from your saved

Building Architect

files. If you click on

Replace

, the

Building

Replacement Dialog

will appear.

NAVIGATION PANEL

The

Navigation Panel

allows you to rotate your map, zoom your view in or out, or go to a

specific point in your city. Using the

Layer Views

button, you can also decide to view your

city’s subterranean systems, or customize your above ground view.

NAVIGATION MAP

The

Navigation Ma

p gives you an aerial view of your city’s entire terrain. Click anywhere on

the map to center your

City View

on that location.

Rotate Map Clockwise:

Rotates your

Navigation Map

and

City View

clockwise.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 41

Rotate Map Counterclockwise:

Rotates your

Navigation Map

and

City View

counterclockwise.

Zoom In: Zooms

your

City View

in one level each click.

Zoom Out: Zooms

your

City View

out one level each click

VIEW CITY LAYERS

This button gives you access to the

View City Layers

window. From here you can

turn on and off the display of certain city elements and have quick access to

Data

Views

in your

City View

. Determine view options by clicking on your selections,

then click on

Apply

. Your chosen

City View

, above or below ground or city layer

views, will update to reflect your choices. Click on the

Checkmark

to close the

window and have the selected view serve as your

City View

.

ABOVE GROUND

Checking or un-checking these selections allows you to turn on and off elements in
your

City View

.

➤

Transportation:

Toggles ON/OFF all of the transportation networks in your city.

➤

Power Lines:

Toggles ON/OFF all of the power lines in the City View.

➤

Flora:

Toggles ON/OFF all the trees in the

City View

.

➤

Zoned Buildings:

Toggles ON/OFF all of the zoned residential, commercial,

industrial, airport and seaport buildings in the City View.

➤

Other Buildings:

Toggles ON/OFF all non-zoned buildings in the

City View

.

➤

Zones:

Toggles ON/OFF the zones in the

City View

.

UNDERGROUND

Any good mayor knows her way around her city’s subterranean systems. The

Underground

view gives you a quick way to check out what’s going on in the
bowels of your town. In both underground views colored areas indicate the
following: brown represents open terrain; bluish brown represents where natural

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water appears above ground; gray represents where roads are placed above ground; dull
orange represents zoned yet undeveloped areas; and bright orange represents zoned and
developed areas.

➤

Subways:

This underground view shows the city’s subway system as well as the

underground portion of the subway system transit buildings.

➤

Water Pipes:

This underground view displays the underground portion of your water
structures as well as the water pipe network. Once watered, an area will appear blue
(opposed to bluish brown representing natural water above ground).

CITY DATA VIEWS

These radio button selections enable display of the selected

Data Views

in your

City View

window. You may only display one set of data at a time.

➤

Aura

– the higher the intensity of blue, the better the aura.

➤

Crime

– the higher the intensity of red, the more crime.

➤

Density

– the higher the intensity of blue, the higher the density in the area.

➤

Electric Power

– powered areas vs. non-powered areas. Blue is powered. White is not

powered.

➤

Flammability

– the higher the intensity of red, the higher the fire hazard.

➤

Land Value

– the higher the intensity of blue, the higher the land value.

➤

Pollution

– the higher the intensity of red, the higher the pollution.

➤

Traffic

– the higher the intensity of red, the higher the density of traffic on that road

or transit system.

APPLY

Once you have adjusted the settings,

Apply

will update your

City View

to reflect your

choices. Toggle between view types using the

Above Ground, Underground

and

City

DataViews

buttons.

DEFAULT VIEW

Returns all of the above to their original settings, after you click on

Apply

.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 43

TERRAIN GRID

Click on this to turn ON/OFF the display of the tile grid in your

City View

.

CHECKMARK

Clicking on the

Checkmark

will apply the current view selection to your

City Vie

w

and will close the

View City Layers

window.

HIDE TOOLBARS

You can use the

Hide Toolbar

s button to toggle the information and main toolbars

ON/OFF. You might want these interfaces turned off to give you an unobstructed
view of your city. You can still use the

Hotkeys

(listed in the

Reference Card

) to get

things done.

MAIN TOOLBAR

The

Information Bar

and the

Navigation Panel

are both
means by which you can get up-to-date information
about what’s going on in your city. Are you ready to act
on that information? Think of the

Main Toolbar

as your
control center. Using the functions here, you can build,
demolish, accept deals with neighboring cities, or reject
a bothersome petitioner. Any decision you make will
cause endless side effects in your city, unless, of course,
you’re just taking a snapshot for your own personal
photo album. Here are a few general instructions for the
functions you’ll find in the

Main Toolbar

.

MENUS AND The Main Toolbar

contains buttons

SUBMENUS

that can have up to two levels
of tools within them. Clicking
on a button on the

Main

Toolbar

displays the tools that button menu offers. Some
of these buttons have a submenu within them. To
activate the submenu, simply click and hold on a button.
The active tool in the submenu is designated by a

Checkmark

.

Change Settings and Exit

Landscape

Zone

Build Transportation

Build Utilities

Place Civic/Special
Buildings

Emergency

Meet

Adjust and Review

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DROP SHADOWS

In order to achieve the exact placement of roads, power lines, etc.
in SimCity 3000 Unlimited, everything you can place has a

Drop

Shadow

. The

Drop Shadow

is a preview of what you are about to

place. In general, if the

Drop Shadow

is blue, an item can be placed

or built. If the

Drop Shadow

is red, it is not possible to build or

place the selected item.

PLACEMENT

Everything in SimCity 3000 Unlimited is placed with a single click
of the left mouse button. Items like transportation systems,
pipes, wires, and zones can also be placed by clicking and
dragging the cursor over an area and then releasing the left
mouse button.

BUILDING COSTS

The cost of construction is actively displayed as you place an
item. This cost will be subtracted from your operating funds as
you release the left mouse button.

CANCEL PLACEMENT

You can cancel the placement of any item by holding down the

Shift

key before releasing the mouse button. Be careful, if you end

up building something where you don’t want it, you pay both for
its construction and for the demolition crew.

Ready for a rundown of your executive powers? Here we go.

LANDSCAPE

Need a mountain? Are your Sims clamoring for water? The

Landscape

menu is where you
shop for all of your terrain editing needs. When it comes to placing items like trees or
surface water (a lake, a river, perhaps a marshy area), a single click or a click and drag of
the mouse in the

City View

will place those items. The terrain modifying tools alter your
landscape by creating areas of lower or higher elevation, or getting rid of annoying dips
and rises that are in the way of construction.

The

Landscape

menu tools are the same as the tools described in the

Terrain Editor

section

of

New City Options

. We’ll list them here as well as there are a few differences in how they
work in the game. Just remember, if you edit your city’s terrain before you’ve started the
game, it’s free. When you build lakes, or flatten ridges during game play, it costs you
precious Simoleans. And, once again, the tools are:

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 45

Plant Trees:

Click on this button and then click, or click and drag, on the tiles
where you would like to plant trees. The more you click, or drag, the more trees
you’ll place. If you click on the same tile repeatedly, your trees will become
redwoods, or giant palms (depends on the kind of Trees you chose in your

New

City Options

window–a choice you can remake during game play by choosing

the

City Options

button from the

Change Settings & Exit

button menu).

Create Surface Water:

Click on this button and then click, or click and drag,

to place ponds, lakes, rivers, or marshlands on undeveloped tiles.

Lower Terrain:

Clicking on this button will allow you to choose where in your
landscape you would like to lower elevations, perhaps creating a canyon, or a
river valley. As tiles are lowered, the surrounding terrain will lower as well. You
cannot lower terrain if buildings or other structures like bridges are affected.

Raise Terrain:

Click on this button and you have the power to create
mountains. Add some gently rolling hills, or create a precipitous peak. You
cannot raise terrain if buildings or other structures like ponds are affected.

Level Terrain:

Click on this button and you can level terrain at any elevation.
Click and drag to choose the area to be leveled. The selected area will level
to the height of the first tile selected. This is especially handy when you
want to build your new museum into that hillside at the east edge of the city.

Demolish:

Click on this button and you can take out any Sim-made object, or
trees. If you really want to get the job done, you can click and drag over an
area to demolish all objects in that entire area.

ZONE

A city that works well is zoned well. This is an area where you really need to draw
on your city planning skills. In the Zone menu, you’ll find all of your zoning tools.
Zoning means you designate a kind of zone, and the Sims will develop the
appropriate buildings within that zone. Zones are placed by clicking and holding
the mouse button and then moving the mouse to draw the desired zone shape. You
can place a single tile of zone with a single-click of the mouse button. Zone an area
residential, only Sim dwellings will be built there. Zone an area heavy industrial,
and watch the smelters move in.

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What actually builds in the

Residentia

l,

Commercial, Industrial, Airport

and

Seaport

zones is
up to the Sims. You are merely placing restrictions on types of buildings, kinds of business,
and zone densities. But remember, zoning an area

Dense Residential

doesn’t necessarily
mean that high-rise apartment buildings will immediately appear. You will not see zones
develop to their peak capacity until you have created conditions that spur demand for
those zones. Keep your eye on your

RCI Demand Indicator

to let you know if your zoning is

in line with the needs of your Sims.

RESIDENTIAL

The density choices are:

➤

Light:

Zoning for primarily single family homes.

➤

Medium:

Mostly smaller apartment buildings.

➤

Dense:

This density includes large apartment buildings and high-rises.

COMMERCIAL

The density choices are:

➤

Light:

You’ll see some mom and pop stores, gas stations, and other small business.

➤

Medium:

This zone includes medium size office buildings and stores.

➤

Dense:

Large office buildings, large stores, and skyscrapers.

INDUSTRIAL

The density choices are:

➤

Light:

Depending on conditions, you’ll see agricultural areas, small manufacturing

plants, and office buildings.

➤

Medium:

This zone includes office parks, factories, and warehouses.

➤

Dense:

Mega-industry. Large factories, incinerators, or perhaps gleaming high-tech

industry complexes, among other things.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 47

LANDFILL

Landfills are a cheap way to deal with your garbage, but they destroy the land
upon which they are built and lower the land values of surrounding areas. Each tile
of landfill can hold up to a certain amount of your Sims’s trash. As the landfill
reaches capacity you will notice garbage piling up. Use the

Query Tool

on a landfill
tile to find out the disposal capacity system-wide. Over time, the garbage in a
landfill will decompose. You cannot demolish a landfill while garbage is present,
but you may de-zone the area once all of the garbage has decomposed. Once a
landfill is de-zoned, you can try to recoup some of the value of the land. Makes you
think twice about accepting some of those neighbor trash deals, doesn’t it.

SEAPORT

Zoning a seaport helps industry and commercial zones to grow, and opens an
effective means of removing garbage from your city. Seaports must have water
access to a neighbor and be at least 2x6 tiles to develop.

AIRPORT

Available beginning in 1930, airports help your commercial districts grow by
bringing travel options into the 20th century. Who knows what travel options may
be available in the 21st, 31st, or 41st centuries. Keep SimCitying and you’ll find out.
Airports need to be at least 3x5 tiles to develop.

DE-ZONE

As ye shall zone, so shall ye

De-Zone

. The

De-Zone

tool removes any pre-existing

zoning ordinances you have passed. In order to

De-Zone

an area, though, you
better not be telling the Sims in those nice residential neighborhoods that you’re
planning on building a hazardous waste burning plant in their midst. You cannot

De-Zone

an area where there are existing buildings, so you may have to demolish

the area first.

DEMOLISH

Click on any Sim-made object to destroy or remove it. Click and drag over an area
to demolish all objects in that entire area.

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BUILD TRANSPORTATION

Everything you need to create a smoothly functioning transport network for your Sims is
available here, from roads to subway systems, train stations to highway ramps.

Transportation networks are drawn very much like zones, except they can only be drawn
in a line (straight or diagonal). The types of transit you can build are: roads, highways, rail,
and subway routes. To place a line of any of these items, click and hold the mouse button
while moving the mouse where you want to place the object. As long as the

Drop Shadow

highlight is blue, the item will be successfully built. If the terrain or presence of
surrounding buildings prevents your route from being placed, the

Drop Shadow

will turn

from blue to red. The selected transit type will not be built along the path of the red

Drop

Shadow

. See the

Transportation Department

section for more information.

City engineers will jump to your assistance in building some of those trickier
transportation elements:

CONNECTIONS TO

To make a connection to one of your neighboring cities, simply

NEIGHBORS

draw a road, highway, rail or subway to the edge of your city
terrain. The city engineers will ask if you wish to build a
connection and will apprise you of the cost. If you accept the
cost, they will construct the connection.

BRIDGES

To build a road, highway or rail bridge, drag the

Drop Shadow

for
the selected transit type across a body of water. The line must go
straight across the water. The blue highlight will let you know
that bridge construction is possible. The city engineers will let
you know the cost of the span, and, if you accept, they’ll build
you the bridge you need.

TUNNELS

A road, highway or rail tunnel will be recommended by the city
engineers when traversing mountainous terrain. Drag the transit

Drop Shadow

to the base of steep terrain. If the underground
distance is sufficient for the tunnel to be constructed (six tiles
minimum), the city engineers will ask if you wish a tunnel to be
bored. And, of course, they’ll let you know the cost of this
construction. If you dole out the Simoleans, the city engineers
will get busy digging, and you’ll be able to build routes to and
from the tunnel exit and entrance.

The Build Transportation menu offers you the following construction options:

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 49

ROAD

Roads can be placed as a single tile, or clicked and dragged to be placed in straight
or diagonal lines.

HIGHWAY

Available beginning in 1940, highways are elevated, high-capacity roads. They
allow traffic to travel more efficiently over greater distances. You’ll find two tools
under the

Highway

menu.

➤

Highway:

To build a highway, select a location and drag the highway tool

across the terrain, release the mouse button to place the highway.

➤

On-Ramp:

To place an on-ramp to a highway, you must first have a road to

highway intersection or highway to highway intersection. Position the

On-

Ramp Tool

in the tile adjacent to any corner of the intersection and single-

click. An on-ramp will be built.

BUS STOP

Available beginning in 1920, bus stops must be placed adjacent to a road tile to be
effective. Remember, Sims don’t like to walk very far, so if you want a bus system

to be effective, make the stops convenient for your Sims.

Sims need bus stops only to get on the city busses. They can get off anywhere
they like. You might want to factor this into your bus route planning.

RAIL

Sims won’t ride your trains unless you’ve built a train station to give them access.
Within this button, you have access to:

➤

Lay Rail:

Trains run on rail.

➤

Train Station:

Train stations are where Sims get on and off the rail. Train

stations must be placed adjacent to rail to be effective.

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SUBWAY

Selecting the

Lay Subway Rail

tool will automatically place you in the underground view.
The colors in this view indicate what you would see above ground; brown is open terrain
(the darkest brown indicates terrain you can not build subways on), gray represents above
ground road or rail, dull orange is zoned yet undeveloped area, and bright orange is zoned
and developed area. Placing a

Subway Station

will leave you in the current

City View

, but
these stations are visible in both above ground and underground views. The following
items are available in the

Subway

submenu:

➤

Lay Subway Rail:

Available beginning in 1912, subway is underground rail. Trains

transport your Sims in tunnels built under your city.

➤

Subway Station:

Also available beginning in 1912, subway stations provide your Sims
access to the subway routes you’ve built. Stations must be placed adjacent to the
subway rail to be effective.

SUBWAY TO RAIL CONNECTION

A necessary structure for mayors who believe in mass transit, this structure allows Sims to
transfer from train to subway and vice-versa. To be effective, this building needs to be
placed directly adjacent to both subway rail and train track.

DEMOLISH

Does just what it says. Clicking on any Sim-made object (as well as trees) with this tool
destroys or removes it.

BUILD UTILITIES

Utilities are not very glamorous, but your Sims will move on in a hurry if you haven’t
provided them with power, water, and garbage disposal. As time progresses in your city,
new technology becomes available for you to provide these necessities to your Sims. New
technology may cost a little more up front, but, in general, is more efficient and less
polluting. Each utility includes buildings or structures that serve specific functions. Utility
buildings require connection to developed zones in order to function. So be sure to
connect your water structures to pipes, power structures to power lines (if necessary), and
garbage disposal areas to roads. Here’s the rundown of your utility-building capabilities:

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 51

POWER LINES

The

Power Line

tool gives you the ability to place high voltage power lines. You can
lay power lines in much the same manner you do roads. Sometimes high tension
power lines are necessary. See the

Utilities Department

for more information.

POWER PLANTS

You will have a selection of up to nine different power plants with which to grace
your city. Inventions occur during the course of time. Some of these plants will only
become available as they are invented. Here’s a full list of possible power plants:

➤

Coal Power:

An inexpensive power plant to build, but costly in terms of the
amount of pollution it creates. This plant is good for starting out, especially
in cities which are developing in the early 1900s, but you’ll probably want to
replace it over time with a source of power that is less polluting. The coal
power plant becomes available in 1900.

➤

Oil Power:

Oil power plants don’t produce a lot of power, and they tend to
pollute a fair amount. But, hey, they’re inexpensive! The oil power plant also
becomes available in 1900.

➤

Gas Power:

You don’t get much power for the cost of natural gas, but these
plants pollute less than the fossil fuel plants, and less smog makes for
happier Sims. The gas power plant becomes available in 1955.

➤

Nuclear Power:

Please be careful when handling a nuclear plant. Why? The
possibility of an explosion and nuclear meltdown is very real if these plants
are used over their capacity. Use your

Query Tool

to keep an eye on any

nuclear plants you build. Nuclear power becomes available in 1965.

➤

Wind Power:

Wind power is very clean. You’ll need many wind generators to
power even a small sized city. Place these structures on top of hills to be
most effective. If you play it right, these little guys can provide clean,
inexpensive power to smaller cities. Wind power becomes available in 1980.

➤

Solar Power:

Ah, the sun. Solar power is rather expensive to maintain, but it’s
very clean and may someday save this planet when fossil fuels run out. Solar
power becomes available in 1990.

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➤

Microwave Power:

A satellite up in space collects solar energy 24 hours a day and
then beams it down to your Sims as microwaves. Microwave power becomes
available in 2020.

➤

Fusion Power:

This plant won’t be available until 2050, but once you can get it, you’ll

be glad you did. Fusion power, though expensive, is clean, efficient, and powerful.

WATER PIPES

This

Water Pipes

tool allows you to build systems of water pipes that will carry large
amounts of water to an area. Selecting this tool will automatically place you in the
underground view.

Water Pipes

are built in the same manner as roads–select the Water
Pipes tool, select where you would like to begin laying pipe, and hold your mouse button
down while moving it to direct placement of the pipeline. A

Drop Shadow

will appear to
show you where your pipe will be installed. Water pipes will provide water 7 tiles out in
each direction. See the

Utilities Department

for more information.

WATER STRUCTURES

Something needs to get the water into those pipes. Water structures are necessary for a
working water system. You must connect these structures via pipes to the developed areas
of your city.

Water Structures

come in the following forms:

➤

Pumping Station:

Pumping stations hold and process the water that the Sims drink.
They must be placed directly next to a source of fresh water to pump at full capacity.
Remember, you can create surface water with the

Landscape Tool

.

➤

Water Tower:

Water towers are a smaller capacity version of a water pumping
station. They draw water from underground springs so they can be placed anywhere
and run at full capacity.

➤

Water Treatment Plant:

Available beginning in 1935, water treatment plants lower the

amount of pollution in the water.

➤

Desalinization Plant

: Available beginning in 1960, desalinization plants convert
otherwise unusable seawater into drinking water. It’s the wave of the future. These
must be placed directly next to salt water in order to run at full capacity.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 53

GARBAGE DISPOSAL

The following structures, available in the

Waste Management Buildings

window,

allow you to manage your garbage. Remember,

Landfills

are zoned areas, and are

designated in the

Zone

menu.

➤

Recycling Center:

Available beginning in 1970, recycling centers help lower
the amount of garbage that is taken to landfills and incinerators. Building
recycling centers also pleases your environmentally-minded Sims.

➤

Incinerator:

Available beginning in 1920, incinerators can dispose of large

amounts of garbage, but create a lot of air pollution.

➤

Waste To Energy Incinerator:

Available beginning in 2000, this incinerator
provides power as it burns garbage. Your trash is treasure as it is converted
to usable energy within this structure.

DEMOLISH

Familiar with this yet? Does just what it says. Clicking on any Sim-made object (as
well as trees) with this tool destroys or removes it.

To demolish a historical building, you must first uncheck the Make Historical
box in the Query Window.

PLACE CIVIC/SPECIAL BUILDINGS

You would like to build the mayor’s house that your grateful Sims have offered?
Perhaps you would like to improve education in your city by building a college.
Increase tourism and city pride with a landmark? It’s all here. Government
buildings such as hospitals, police stations, and schools can be found here, as can
city landmarks from around the world. Here’s a rundown of what this menu offers.
Most of these buildings will show up as

Government Zones

.

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POLICE

➤

Police Station:

The presence of police stations helps lower the crime level in your
city, and provides you with police dispatch units in times of emergency. Each police
station has a range of coverage which you can check out in your

View Data

window.

The presence of police and fire stations also helps boost land value.

➤

Jail:

Provides a place to keep your criminals, otherwise they go back out onto the streets.

For more information on combating crime, speak with your Public Safety Advisor
in the manual section on the Public Safety Department.

FIRE STATION

Use this tool to build a fire station. Fire stations also have ranges of coverage. Check out
how well you’ve protected your Sims in the

View Data

window. For more information on

flammability, consult your

Public Safety Department

.

HEALTH AND EDUCATION

Building a hospital, school, or a library will help to increase your Sims’s health and
education levels. This may in turn attract more Sims to your city, as well as high-tech
industries. To know more about how you can keep your Sims healthy and well-read, check
out the information in the

Health, Education and Aura Department

section in this guide.

➤

Hospital:

Sims are very concerned about health issues. They like to know doctors are
available when illness strikes. Each hospital can handle a certain amount of patients.
You’ll need to keep track of how your hospitals are doing. Having an insufficient
number of hospitals can result in a shorter life span for your Sims.

➤

School:

An essential investment toward the education of your Sim population. Each
school has a limited capacity. You’ll need to support your growing population with
an adequate number of schools.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 55

➤

College:

Colleges are another essential component to the education of your
Sim population, especially if you want to attract high-tech industry to your
city. Each college can enroll a limited number of students. Make sure you
provide an adequate number of colleges to satisfy your Sims’s thirst for
knowledge.

➤

Library:

Libraries help keep adult Sims sharp, and improve your city’s aura.

➤

Museum:

Museums keep adult Sims entertained and knowledgeable.

PARKS AND RECREATION

These structures add to a city’s feeling of well-being, and also increase the health
and happiness of your Sims. A city which combines a healthy economy with plenty
of recreation becomes very desirable for Sims seeking new homes. Again, the

Health, Education and Aura Department

will provide you with more information on

maintaining Sim well-being. As mayor, you can order construction of the following:

➤

Small Park:

Ah, a nice quiet park where your Sims can enjoy a sunny day.

➤

Large Park:

A larger open space where your Sims can relax and have picnics.

➤

Fountain:

Nice for downtown areas and entrances to high-end neighborhoods.

➤

Pond:

A nice place for Sims to picnic and feed the ducks.

➤

Playground:

Young Sims love a place to play. A nice addition to residential

neighborhoods.

➤

Marina:

Even if you get seasick, many of your Sims love to go boating.

Provide them with a place to house and launch their vessels.

➤

Zoo:

Sims of all ages love to see the wondrous beasts at the zoo. If you find
the RCI indicates a plateau of the residential zone demand, try adding a zoo
and watch the demand grow.

➤

Sports Park:

A place where your Sims can join together and burn some

calories while having fun.

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LANDMARKS

Want to place a signature building in your city? In SimCity 3000 Unlimited, you have more
landmark buildings available to you than ever before! When you select this option, a
browse window opens that allows you to pick a famous landmark building to add to your
city’s skyline.

◆ If you have already placed a specific landmark building, and you try to place it again,
a message will appear letting you know that landmark already graces your fair city.
You can only place one of each landmark in a city.

◆ Feel free to mix and match landmark buildings from all different countries and cities!

REWARDS & OPPORTUNITIES

Occasionally you are given a special building as a gift or approached with an opportunity
from a Petitioner. Whenever this happens, and we hope it happens often, come to this
window to place these special buildings. Each building has a description, so you’ll know
exactly what you are about to place. You can place these buildings immediately as they
become available or decide to wait until you feel the moment is right.

DEMOLISH

Does just what it says. Clicking on any Sim-made object (as well as trees) with this tool
destroys or removes it.

EMERGENCY

New millenniums seem to bring on more opportunities for disaster. Just when we think we
have our cities under control, everything running smoothly, the unexpected occurs. Or are
you one of those mayors who thrive on crisis? You’ll find ample outlet for keeping yourself
and your Sims on edge as you use the tools to fight or create disasters. Disaster-minded
mayors can go to the

Public Safety Department

for additional information. One reminder:
when a disaster occurs, the simulation speed defaults to disaster mode, and you cannot
change the speed to make the disaster go away more quickly. Just like your Sims, you’ll
have to sit and wait it out, or use whatever tools are at your disposal to mitigate the

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 57

damage. Mayors who are just too jittery to contemplate even the possibility of a
disaster can turn disasters off by using the

Disasters

toggle in the

New City Options

window or from the

City Options

button in the

Change Settings & Exit

menu. Okay,

here’s your arsenal.

GO TO DISASTER

When a disaster is happening in your city, this button will center your

City View

on
the location. If there is more than one disaster happening at a time, pressing this
button centers your

City View

from one emergency to the next in the order in

which the disasters started.

ACTIVATE WARNING SIREN

Keep your eyes on the

News Ticker

. When disastrous events are hinted at, you can
use this button to give your Sims an early warning. Sims will respond by getting off
the streets. Be careful, though. After too many false alarms, the Sims aren’t likely to
heed your cries.

DISPATCH POLICE

Police will fight various crimes. Police men and women are especially handy when
it comes to rioting Sims. To dispatch police units, select this button, then click on a
tile in the

City View

window as close to the “incident” as possible. The police will
rush to the scene, indicated by a blue dispatch icon. As long as you are funding the
department adequately, you’ll only need to dispatch police to crises occurring
outside police precincts. Check the

View Data

options to see precinct coverage.

DISPATCH FIREFIGHTERS

Firefighters put out fires. To dispatch firefighting units, select this button, then
click on a tile in your

City View

as close to the fire as possible. Firemen will rush to
the blaze, as indicated by a red dispatch icon. If you have adequate fire coverage
due to the proper placement of precincts, you won’t need to use this tool to signal
your firefighters. You only need to signal a dispatch when an emergency occurs
outside of a precinct, as long as you are funding the department adequately. Check
the

View Data

options to see how much of your city is protected.

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DISPATCH CROP DUSTERS

Your defense against the locusts descending upon your fine SimCity is to dispatch

Crop

Dusters

to poison the crops the locusts eat. Then the locusts eat the poisonous crops and

their reign of destruction ends.

To dispatch the Crop Dusters click on the plane icon in the

Disasters Menu

. Then click on
the area you want the Crop Dusters to spray. Notice the dispatch icon appears. This is just
like when you dispatch police or firemen. Soon, the Crop Dusters will fly in and spray the
vegetation in the general area of the dispatch icon. You may dispatch up to 3 crop dusting
planes at once. Try to spray areas you think the locusts will attack, or as a last resort, aim
directly at the bugs themselves!

START DISASTER

Every now and then you may get the desire to wreak havoc on your city. Here’s the place
to come to scratch that evil itch. Just click on your selection, and watch the disaster begin.

➤

Fire:

Burn, baby, burn!

➤

Tornado:

Mobile home owners watch out!

➤

Earthquake:

Shake those plates!

➤

Riot:

Power to the Sims!

➤

UFO:

Little green men!

➤

Toxic Cloud:

Industry meltdown, clear the streets!

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 59

➤

Whirlpool:

The briny fights back!

➤

Plague of Locusts:

Grasshoppers on steroids!

➤

Space Junk:

Smashing satellite shards!

MEET

Want some tips on building a functioning water supply system? Has an advisor
indicated the need for an audience? Is a petitioner pushing for a new city
ordinance? A neighbor wants a deal? Open the

Meet Advisors and Petitioners

window by clicking on this button, and you’ll have instant access to all of those
people who have been waiting so patiently to speak with you.

The great thing about Sims is that they believe in being active members of their
community. When one of your Sims has something to say, he won’t hesitate to do
so. And your advisors are always eager to share their opinions about pending
policy decisions. Just remember, each one of these Sims has their own point of
view. You can’t always depend on your Sims for unbiased information.

For the most part, your mayoral duties will bring you into contact with the
following Sims:

Advisors, Petitioners, and Neighbors.

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ADVISORS

A group of seven

Advisors

are always available to help you with the many aspects of being

Mayor. Your

Advisors

represent the following departments:

Finances; Transportation; City

Planning; Environment; Public Safety; Health, Education & Aura (HEA)

; and

Utilities

. You’ll

learn more about each advisor in the

City Departments

section of this guide.

To meet with an Advisor open the

Advisors

and

Petitioners Window

from the

Meet

button

on the

Main Toolbar

.

1. Select the Advisor you wish to meet by clicking on his or her picture in the top
half of the

Advisors and Petitioners Window

. Each Advisor has a list of

relevant

News Topics, Briefings and Department Ordinances

he or she

may want to discuss.

2. Choose the type of information you wish to discuss from the selection box:

News Topics, Briefings

or

Ordinances

.

3. The list of topics will update to reflect your choice of topic.

4. Select from the list of topics by double clicking on a message.

5. When you are done reading any specific message, click the X in the upper right
corner of the message window to close it, or use the left arrow button to return
to the previous screen.

Advisors keep up with all developments in your city. They’ll give you up-to-the-minute
feedback on issues relating to their departments.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 61

PETITIONERS

Petitioners

can be one of your friendly Sims offering a suggestion to the Mayor of a

Neighboring Town. Usually,

Petitioners

want something, even when it sounds as if

they are the ones doing the giving.

Petitioners

are located at the bottom of the

Meet

Advisors and Petitioners

window, which you access from the

Meet

button in the

Main Toolbar

. Once there, click on any

Petitioner

to see what they have to say. They

may be offering you a deal or complaining about the way you are doing your job.

In the above example, the Mayor of one of your neighboring cities is offering you a
deal. It’s always a good idea to assess the pros and cons of any petitioner deals
that come your way. The first thing you may want to do is consult with one of your
Advisors.

1. Consult your Advisor by clicking on the

Impact Analysis

button.

2. When you are done reading, click the

Checkmark

to take you back to

the previous screen.

3. Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can either

Accept

or

Reject

the offer. If you reject the offer, the Petitioner leaves. Sometimes
they never come back. If you accept the offer, it goes into immediate
effect, unless you need to place a building to complete the deal.

◆ Sometimes a Petitioner pops up just to give you some information. When
there is no decision to be made, you can click on theXin the upper right
corner to close the message.

◆ If you don’t want to hear from a certain Petitioner again, click on

Dismiss

Petitioner

. This will keep him or her out of your office for a little while.

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If you need to place a building to complete the deal, select the

Rewards & Opportunities

button from within the

Place Civic/Special Buildings

menu on the

Main Toolbar

. This opens

the

Rewards & Opportunities

window, from which you can select the appropriate building

for construction.

NEIGHBORS

Your neighboring cities can provide critical resources or even cash flow to your city by
setting up deals to trade for power, water, or garbage disposal. To enter into a deal with
your neighbor you must first construct a connection at your border. See the

Utilities

Department

and

Environmental Department

sections for more details on

Neighbor Deals

.

➤

Power

: To exchange power, you need a power line connecting your city to one of

your neighboring cities.

➤

Water:

A water deal requires a water pipe connection to one of your neighboring cities.

➤

Garbage Disposal:

If you are looking to make a deal for garbage disposal, you will

need a road, highway, rail or seaport connection.

When these connections are in place and the conditions are right (you have excess or
insufficient resources or disposal means), the Mayor of the neighboring city will approach
you via the

Petitioners Meet

window with terms for an import or export deal. Deals are

updated periodically to reflect both your city’s and the neighboring city’s needs.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 63

You can check up on your neighbors as well as any active

Neighbor Deals

at any

time by clicking on

Adjust & Review

on the

Main Toolbar

and selecting

Neighbors

.

The

Neighbors

window shows each of your neighboring cities, their population,

names and locations as well as details on all current deals.

◆ To check greater detail on any deal, highlight the deal in question and then
click the

Meet With Neighbor

button.

◆ To cancel a deal, select the appropriate deal and then press the

Discuss Deal

button. From there you can choose to terminate the current deal. Remember,
this could result in a hefty termination fee.

ADJUST & REVIEW

This menu contains tools to help you make executive level changes to the way
your city functions. Or you can take some pictures for your scrapbook. Executives
need scrapbooks. What better way to remember when your city was just a small
suburb? Or to share your developmental pride with other mayors? Besides
snapshot taking capabilities, you can also access important data via various high­tech maps and charts of your city’s current or historical status. Important
information, just not so fun for the scrapbook.

Here’s a rundown of these high level tools. We’ll start with the scrapbook.

TAKE SNAPSHOTS

SimCity 3000 Unlimited gives you the ability to take customized screenshots of your
city. You can describe your photos, and they’ll automatically be saved in a photo
album made especially for your city. Keep this pictorial record for yourself, or
swap pics with other mayors. You may be especially proud of a certain bit of city
planning, or perhaps you want to share before and after pictures of a transformed
town. It’s up to you.

Here’s how your camera works.

1. Click on the

Take Snapshots

button in the

Adjust and Review

menu.
Choose the size of your snapshot–small, medium, or large. The default
size is medium.

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2. Your cursor is now a

Snapshots Cursor

, which you can move about

your

City View

to frame your image. You can take a snapshot of any area, at

any zoom level.

3. While trying to frame your picture, you can use the

Spacebar

to cycle through

the available snapshot sizes.

4. Ready? Left-click your mouse button and voila! You have preserved an image
of your city!

5. Once you’ve taken a snapshot, you’ll see the

View Snapshots

window.

◆ Don’t like the picture? Click

Delete

to remove it.

◆ It’s a keeper? You’ll see your city’s name, mayor name, date, current population, and
funds listed at the right of the image. Underneath the image, you may enter a brief
description of your photo.

◆ At right, you’ll see a list of photo albums. When you take a snapshot, a

photo album

is

created for your city and appears here.

◆ To

Save

your photo and its description, click on the

Checkmark

.

VIEW SNAPSHOTS

When you wish to review or edit your snapshots, click on the

View Snapshots

button. Sit
back and get all misty-eyed as you see how your cities (and perhaps your mayoral skills)
have grown. Clicking on the

View Snapshots

button will open the

View Snapshots

window,

described above. Here are a few more things you’ll want to know about this window:

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 65

◆ Choose the

city photo album

you’d like to view from the list on the right.

Albums are saved to a default folder on your hard drive.

◆ Photos are arranged chronologically within each city’s album. Use the arrows
at either side of the snapshot description to view photos taken before or
after the displayed image.

◆ You may edit the photo’s description by entering new text.

◆ The + button will enlarge the current photo, so you can get a closer look. Use

the left arrow button to return to the smaller view.

◆ Want to trash a snapshot? Click on

Delete

.

◆ Click on the

Checkmark

to save your editing and return to the

City View.

BUDGET

Click on the

Budget

button to open the

Budget

window any time you want to review
or manage your city’s finances. For more information on your financial affairs, see
the section on your

Financial Department

in this guide.

NEIGHBORS

You can check on your neighbors as well as adjust and check on current neighbor
deals in this window. For more information on neighbors and deals see the section
on

Neighbors

under the

Meet

function and your

Utilities Department

section in this

guide.

ORDINANCES

You always wanted to enact laws, didn’t you? Will there be parking fines in your
city? A clean industry incentive? Ordinances are a means for you to protect your
Sims, generate (or spend) income, and direct the development of your city.
Petitioners will ask you to enact certain ordinances, but be advised that almost any
ordinance you put into effect will greatly please some and outrage others. You can
access ordinances through the

Ordinance

window. Here you’ll see each ordinance

and it’s yearly cost (or addition) to the city budget. The

Ordinance

window can

also be accessed from the

Budget

window. To find out information on each
ordinance, check with your advisors. Each Advisor will provide information on
ordinances that affect their department.

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SCENARIO STATUS

This button functions only when you are playing SimCity 3000 Unlimited in scenario mode.
Click here to check on the scenario status. A pop-up window will inform you of original
goals, any subsequent goals, and will indicate which goals have been satisfied.

VIEW DATA

From this button you have access to all of the maps, charts, and graphs that are kept up by
your Advisors.

DATA MAPS

Data Maps

show how specific areas of your city are functioning. Each map has a
legend in the bottom right corner that explains what data you are viewing. You can
also access

Data Maps

using the

View City Layers

button in the Navigation Panel.

◆ You can use any of the data maps as your

Navigation Map

by clicking the

Use As Map

button in the

Data View

window.

◆ To see the information from each data map in your

City View

, use the

View City Layers

button in the

Navigation Panel

.

The following maps are always available to you:

➤

Aura Data Map:

Aura shows the overall happiness in a city. This map

gives you an idea of what areas are in a better mood than others.

➤

Crime Data Map:

This map shows you not only where crime is a
problem, but where you’ve set up police stations and their precincts.
Precincts are represented as circles surrounding a dot, which denotes
the location of a police station.

➤

Density Data Map:

With this map you can see the areas where Sims are

moving in. The various densities of each zone are made visible here.

➤

Power Data Map:

You are able to see areas that are powered, and those
still lacking power with this map. The map shows roads, power lines,
and dots that represent power plants.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 67

➤

Flammability Data Map:

The city’s flammability as well as fire stations and
their precincts are found here. When viewed as a map, you can see roads and
dots with circles around them. This represents the station and its precinct.

➤

Land Value Data Map:

This map shows the varying land values throughout

your city.

➤

Pollution Data Map:

The city’s pollution is segmented on this map, showing
where air pollution, water pollution, and garbage are a problem. When
viewed as a map, only landfills, litter tiles, and roads will be visible. Litter
tiles, our dear Mayor, are places where the garbage has gotten so out of
control that it is swallowing up any available space.

➤

Traffic and Transportation Data Map:

Traffic density for both road and rail is
displayed in this map–as well as structures representing any type of public
transportation, including bus stops, rail stops, and subway stations.

➤

Water Supply Data Map:

Check out which areas are supplied with water.

➤

Zones Data Map:

This map shows the location and area of each zone type in

your city.

CHARTS

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There are five different charts available to you. They are as follows:

➤

Education:

This chart shows the Education Quotient (EQ) of your Sims at their various
ages. The EQ of your work force is very important. When this level gets high enough,
you can see all kinds of positive changes occur in your city, not the least of which is
nasty polluting industries leaving to make room for cleaner, high-tech industries.

➤

Health:

This chart helps you keep track of your Sims’s Life Expectancies. The higher
this level, the longer your Sims live. The longer they live, the longer they work, which
means a larger work force.

➤

Population:

Here you can see what percentage of your population makes up your

work force. You can also see your city’s total population.

➤

Electricity:

This chart shows you a breakdown of the different Power Plant types in
your city as well as a breakdown of the percentage of the total power they are
contributing. You can also find out how much electricity is produced annually.

➤

Garbage:

Here you are shown a breakdown of the different methods you are
employing to get rid of garbage in your city. You can find out which method is
dealing with what percentage of your garbage. You’ll also be able to see how much
garbage your Sims are producing annually.

GRAPHS

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 69

The Graphs window can show you the status of a variety of items over a period of
time. You can view more than one set of data at a time to check for correlations.
You can view the graph in increments of 1, 10 or 100 years, depending on the
scope of information you want.

➤

Approval Rating:

Global Aura vs. Time

➤

Pollution:

Combined Pollution Level vs. Time

➤

Crime:

Crime Level vs. Time

➤

Residents:

Sims living in the city vs. Time

➤

Education:

Education Level vs. Time

➤

Health:

Health Level vs. Time

➤

Land Value:

Overall City Value vs. Time

➤

Traffic:

Traffic Density vs. Time

➤

Funds:

Operating Funds vs. Time

➤

City Size:

City population (includes Residential, Commercial, and Industry

populations) vs. Time

➤

Commerce:

Sims employed by Commerce vs. Time

➤

Industry:

Sims employed by Industry vs. Time

➤

National Population:

National Population vs. Time

➤

Unemployment:

Unemployment Level vs. Time

➤

Power %:

Power Usage vs. Time

➤

Water %:

Water Usage vs. Time

CHANGE SETTINGS & EXIT

Set preferences, change your city’s look, add some buildings, or go to a different
city or scenario. You can do it all here. And if you are exhausted from your mayoral
efforts, you may exit back to the mundane world.

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PREFERENCES

This button opens the

Preferences

window that also is accessed in the

Opening

menu. You
can reset your choices here during game play. These settings will be saved with each city.
See

Preferences

in the

Opening

menu section for more information.

CITY OPTIONS

Clicking here will take you to the

City Options

window. This window consists of the overall

city design choices that you can also make in the

New City Options

window accessed from

the

Opening menu

. See the

New City Options

above for more information.

Have you tired of the desert palette and palm trees you chose at the beginning of the
game? Change it now, and see your city transform. Want to change the name by which
your Sims address you? It’s up to you. You can also choose

User-made Buildings

to replace
buildings in your city with customized creations. For more information on building
replacement, see the section on

Customize Your City: Building Replacement in SimNation

.

City Options

are not available when playing a scenario.

SAVE CITY

This allows you to save the city you are currently working on.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 71

SAVE AS

This opens the

Save

window allowing you to save and re-name the city your are

currently working on.

LOAD CITY

This button gives you the option of loading a Saved City, a Starter Town, a Real
City Terrain, or a Scenario. You will be given the option of saving the city you are
currently working on first.

NEW CITY

Selecting this button allows you to start a new city. You will be given the option of
saving the city you are currently working on.

EXIT

Just like it sounds. When you’ve had your fill of complete power, you can click this
button to go back to the real world. You will be prompted to save your city before
exiting.

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5

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CITY:
REPLACING BUILDINGS
IN SIMNATION

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 73

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CITY:
REPLACING BUILDINGS IN
SIMNATION

Are you especially fond of Bauhaus architecture? Or perhaps you go more for the
Notre Dame kind of thing. Gargoyles are a beautiful example of form following
function, don’t you think? Whether you prefer post-modern or rococo, SimCity 3000
Unlimited gives any Mayor the power to customize city skylines to reflect personal
tastes. And it all happens with a few clicks of your mouse button!

SimCity 3000 Unlimited lets you replace buildings in your city while you are playing
the game. You can choose to replace one building at a time, or many. You can even
choose which custom buildings will appear in your city before the city is built!
Some custom buildings are already provided, or to expand your possibilities, you
can download buildings built by others from SimCity.com. And you can always
create your own, you Michelangelo you.

Sound complicated? It’s not. Whether you are a newly-minted mayor or an already
revered SimNation architect, placing custom buildings in your city is a breeze. As
for you novices out there, once you get a taste of the artistic possibilities open to
you as mayor, you may not be satisfied with merely placing custom buildings. You
may discover the need to begin creating them. With the

SimCity 3000 Building

Architect Plus

you can build that skyscraper you designed at the beach ten years
ago. But we won’t be covering how you build your dreams here. See the section on
the

SimCity 3000 Building Architect Plus

for more architectural information.

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CITY CUSTOMIZATION CONTROLS

You can access the

Building Replacement

tools from three sites while in SimCity.

Query Tool:

Use the

Query Tool

during game play to replace individual buildings.

City Options:

Use the

City Options

button from within the

Change Settings & Exit

menu to replace individual or multiple buildings in your current city. This will take
you to the

City Options

window, where you can get to your

Building Replacement

tools through the

User-Made Buildings

button.

Start New City:

When you select this button from the

Opening Menu

, you will open

the

New City Options

window. Once again, use the

User-Made Buildings

button to
signal use of custom buildings in place of regular SimCity buildings. The difference
here is that you are telling the game to use your custom buildings before your city is
even built.

Let’s start with single building replacement and move on from there.

REPLACING INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS

Using the

Query Tool

is the easiest way to place custom buildings in your city. Although

you may

Query

an individual building, you are not replacing only that building, but all
instances of that building which occur in your city. This makes it easy to quickly give your
city a customized look.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 75

➤ Use the

Query Tool

and click on the building in your city you would like to

replace. In the

Query Window

, you’ll see a picture of the building along with
information about the building. If the building you’ve selected is replaceable,
you’ll see the

Replace

button in the lower left corner of the window.

If the queried building has already been replaced, its background in the
Query Window will be light yellow and the architect’s name, if provided,
will appear.

➤ Click on Replace to open the Building Replacement window.

BUILDING REPLACEMENT WINDOW

Here’s the

Building Replacement

window. You should see the building you’ve

selected for replacement at the bottom of the window, in the

Building Queried

section. You’ll see the name, architect, and tile size of the selected building to the
right of its image.

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Now you need to choose the building with which you’re going to replace the original
structure.

BUILDING LIST

You will see an alphabetical list of buildings ready for use in SimCity 3000 Unlimited. The
list will only include buildings the same tile size as the building you have queried. We’ll talk
about getting more custom buildings ready for use in the game later.

◆ When the window opens, the first building on the

Building List

will be highlighted,

and you’ll see its image and description at the top of the screen.

◆ Scroll through the list and select buildings by clicking on the name in the list. As each
building is selected, its image and description will display.

◆ Made a choice? Great. You are ready to customize.

You can only replace existing buildings with custom buildings that are the same size
(or “tile size” as we call it at Maxis). You’ll see the tile size for each building listed in
the text to the right of its image. You can replace a 4x4 building only with another
4x4 building.

REPLACE

When you’ve chosen a building from the

Building List

, the

Replace

button will become

bright green, meaning it is “active.”

◆ When the

Replace

button goes from gray to green, it is active.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 77

◆ Click on

Replace

. The original building will now be replaced with the chosen

structure from the

Building List

. The image will look like this:

◆ See that folded-over corner on the replacement image? That’s your

Peek-a-

boo Tab

. Everyone should have one. If you click and hold on the

Peek-a-boo

Tab

, you’ll see the image of the building that was replaced. When you let go

of the mouse button, the replacement building, complete with

Peek-a-boo

Tab

will reappear.

REVERT

Once you’ve hit the

Replace

button successfully, the

Revert

button will ‘light up’

and become active.

Change your mind? Want the original building back?

◆ Click the

Revert

button and the original building will reappear in the

Building

Queried

space, discarding the replacement building.

◆ You can also use this process to bring back an original building long after it
has been replaced. If the building you selected with the

Query Tool

is already

a replacement, the yellow background and

Peek-a-boo

Tab will indicate that
fact. Of course, you are free to choose a different building from your list to
replace the replacement, ad infinitum.

COMPLETING THE PROCESS

Ready to tell the City Engineers it’s a go?

◆ If you’ve made your choice, and you’re ready to see the effects of the
demolition/construction process, click on the

Checkmark

to save the

changes you’ve made.

◆ Presto! Wherever the originally queried building appeared, it has now been
replaced with your

User-Made Building

. You have already had an impact on

your city’s skyline, and you’ve only changed one building style!

◆ If you click on

Cancel

or X, the

Building Replacement

window will close with

no changes made.

Take a minute and look around. Neat, huh.

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◆ When you save your city, building changes will be saved in place; and all available
replacement buildings will be saved as a ‘list’ linked to your city’s file.

ADDING BUILDINGS TO THE BUILDING LIST

Sharp mayors may have noticed we neglected to address the Edit List button. Well, there
has to be a way to add more buildings to your replacement options, whether you’ve
created them or received them from another player. Right? Clicking on the Edit List button
will open the Building List Editor, which will be described later.

REPLACING MULTIPLE BUILDINGS

Now that you have a taste of the kind of control you can have over the look of your city,
you might be ready to make global changes to your skyline. While using the

Query Tool

allows you to replace one building type at a time, using the

Building Replacement Manager

enables you to replace many building types at a time. If you feel like it, you can customize
every replaceable building in your city with just one visit to the

Building Replacement

Manager

. With more than 300 replaceable buildings, we’re talking quite a makeover. You
can do this before your city has developed, or in mid-stream, trying out different
architectural guises as you play. You can access the

Building Replacement Manager

from

two points:

Start New City

◆ From the Opening Menu, choose Start New City. This will open the New City Options
window. Click on User-Made Buildings to open the Building Replacement Manager.

City Options

◆ In the course of a game, open the

Change Settings & Exit

menu and click on

City

Options

. This will open the City Options window. Click on

User-Made Buildings

to

open the

Building Replacement Manager

.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 79

THE BUILDING REPLACEMENT MANAGER

You will see the same window whether you access the

Building Replacement

Manager

via

Start New City

or the

City Options

button. Many of the functions here

are found in the

Building Replacement

window, explained above. Here’s a rundown

of functions.

BUILDING LIST

Located at the top left. The

Building List

is a scrollable list of all buildings ready for
placement. As buildings in the list are selected, the preview image along with the
name of the building, the architect, building type, and tile size will be displayed.

REPLACE/REVERT

These functions work identically to the

Replace/Revert

buttons in the

Building

Replacement Window

, described above. When you have found a building you want

to replace, the

Replace

button will become active. Click on

Replace

to make the

switch (and see the

Peek-a-boo Tab

appear). Now the

Revert

button will activate.

Click

Revert

to get that old building back.

THE BUILDING SET

Instead of just one building type slated for replacement, you have real possibilities
here. Each pictured building in the

Building Set

represents a structure that has

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been or will eventually be built in your city, if conditions are right. Replace only five
building types, or two hundred! The whole town could be named after you! Here are some
navigational instructions for the

Building Set

.

Current Building Indicator

As you scroll through the

Building Set

, the building that appears in the

Current Building

Indicator

frame is the structure available for replacement.

◆ When a building appears in this frame, you’ll see its tile size listed on the bottom part
of the frame.

◆ To replace all buildings of this type in your city with the custom building you’ve
chosen, simply click on

Replace

.

◆ Buildings that have already been replaced will appear in the

Building Set

with the

yellow background and

Peek-a-boo Tab

at the top right of the image.

To change the current building, simply use the buttons at the right to move
through the images.

◆ The single arrows move through the images one at a time. If you click and
hold on an arrow, the image in the

Current Building Indicator

will keep on

changing.

◆ If you want to scan the

Building Set

more quickly, the double arrows move through
the images three at a time. If you click and hold on the double arrows, the images will
continue to roll through three at a time.

Filters

You just built an amazing neo-Gothic factory the size of 4x4 tiles. It’s ready and now on
your

Building List

. Now you can’t wait to see your creation in your city’s industrial sectors.
Do you want to scroll through all the replacement buildings possible? No! Well, you can
narrow your search by using the

Filters

located below the

Building Set

.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 81

The

Filters

are buttons which toggle ON/OFF by clicking on them. There are two

types of filters: building type, and building size.

◆ The first five

Filter

buttons allow you to choose building types you wish
displayed. These types are: Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Opportunity,
and Reward buildings.

◆ The second five

Filter

buttons allow you to choose building tile sizes, from
1x1 to 5x5. When you select a building tile size, it affects both the Building Set
Strip and the

Building List

.

◆ Above the

Filter

buttons, the number of buildings that meet your criteria will

appear (e.g., 243 of 357 Buildings Selected).

◆ As you make each filter selection, the

Building Set

will immediately be

updated.

Clear Set

If you click on the

Clear Set

button, you will remove all replaced buildings from the

entire

Building Set

. It’s a global

Revert

button. Every building in the set will revert

to the original default buildings.

Import Set

If you click on the

Import Set

button, you will open the

Import Set

window. Did you
save a city in which you were particularly pleased with your building
replacements? Instead of doing it all over again, do you want the same

Building Set

to be available in your current city? Whenever you save a city in SimCity 3000 Web
Edition, the building set is saved as well. The

Import Set

button allows you to

import

Building Sets

from saved city files.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CITY

6

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1. Select the saved city’s name you would like to import from the list.

2. Click on the

Checkmark

. This will return you to your current city’s

Building

Replacement Manager

. Any buildings replaced in the city you selected will

now be replaced with the same choices in your city’s

Building Set

.

3. Click on the Xto close out the window and cancel the import process. You will
be returned to your current city’s

Building Replacement Manager

with the

original

Building Set

displayed.

COMPLETING THE PROCESS

◆ As in the

Building Replacement

window, click on the

Checkmark

to save and

implement any changes you’ve made to the

Building Set

. You’ll be back in the

New

City Options

window.

◆ If you’re starting a new city–edit your terrain, start building, and watch your city
develop with your custom buildings from the ground up.

◆ If you’ve made changes to the

Building Set

after your city has become a sizable

metropolis, close the

New City Options

window and admire your city’s makeover!

◆ Don’t want to make any changes? Click

Cancel

or X. The

Building Replacement

Manager

will close out with no changes saved.

EDITING YOUR BUILDING LIST

Whether you are working in the

Building Replacement

window or the

Building Replacement

Manager

, you may find you wish to make changes to your

Building List

. The

Building List

contains all the custom buildings ready and available for placement in your city. Are there
some buildings you would like to remove from the list? Would you like to expand your
choices? You can do either in the

Building List Editor

.

◆ To open the Building List Editor, click on the Edit List button in either the Building
Replacement window or the Building Replacement Manager.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 83

BUILDING LIST EDITOR

The

Building List Editor

lets you browse SimCity 3000 Unlimited files for buildings

you’d like to add to your

Building List

.

ACTIVE LIST

◆ When you first open the

Building List Editor

this list will have the same

buildings that appear in the

Building List

in the left replacement window.

◆ When you select a building from the list, the preview image of the selected
building will appear in the middle of the window. The

Add

button will be

inactive, and the

Remove

button will be active.

◆ Click

Remove

to delete the selected building from the

Active List

.

LOOK IN

This list gives you access to any user-made building files in your computer. User­made building files are saved buildings you created using the SimCity 3000 Building
Architect, or architectural masterpieces that which others have graciously made
available through the SimCity.com (which you have downloaded to your own files).

◆ Use the drop-down menu to browse through the

Building Architect

folders on
your hard drive. As each file is selected, the building names within that file
will appear listed in the scrollable list below.

◆ If you click to select one of the buildings from your

Building Architect

folder,

the building in your

Active List

will be de-selected. The

Add

button will

become active, and the

Remove

button will be inactive.

◆ A preview image of the building you have selected from Look In will appear in
the middle of the window.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR CITY

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ADDING BUILDINGS

When you have found a building you would like to include in your

Building List

, click on the

Add

button.

◆ The building’s name will now appear in the

Active List

.

◆ If you have chosen to add a building that already exists in your

Active List

, you will

be asked if you want to replace the building in the

Active List

with the new building.

Select yes or no, and you’ll return to the

Building List Editor

.

◆ You can keep selecting and adding buildings to your

Active List

until you’ve

expanded the list to your satisfaction.

COMPLETING THE PROCESS

Are you satisfied with all the edits you’ve made to your

Active List

?

1. Click on the

Checkmark

to save and implement your changes.

2. SimCity 3000 Unlimited will now do some fancy footwork to make the
buildings you’ve added to your

Active List

SimCity ready. This could take a
few minutes. You’ll see a pop-up message informing you of this fact, and you
can choose to proceed or cancel the process.

3. If you choose to proceed, you’ll be returned to the

Building Replacement

window or the

Building Replacement Manager

, with any selections you’ve
already made still in place. The only difference will be all those new buildings
to choose from in your

Building List

.

4. As always, clicking on the Xwill close the

Building List Editor

to return you

to the building replacement window you were in with no changes made.

CITY DEPARTMENTS:
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Page 86 www.simcity.com

CITY DEPARTMENTS:
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

As Mayor, you must oversee the operation of seven city departments, and therefore you
have seven different roles to play. Quite a responsibility! Luckily, each city department has
its own advisor; an expert to help you solve problems and make decisions.

It’s easy to grow a happy and healthy little town. The trick is to be able to get the big
picture, to see how the workings of all the departments are interconnected. As you play,
you’ll find that every decision you make has widespread effects throughout your entire city.

In the pages that follow, you’ll meet your advisors and learn the ins and outs of running
each department. While your advisors are experts in their areas, they are only Sims! And
Sims can be a biased lot. So be aware that your advisors represent only one point of view.
Their own!

At the end of this section, we’ve included some

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

about

SimCity 3000 Unlimited operations that may help you understand more about political
strategies, or the day-to-day operations of your city. Visit the www.simcity.com to check in
on other

FAQs

. You’ll also find scads of other information there that will greatly enhance

your game experience.

FINANCIAL/BUDGET DEPARTMENT

MEET YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Mortimer Green: Financial Advisor

Mortimer Green received his Ph.D. in Post-Classical Economics from Grendletown University and accepted a
teaching position there. During his tenure, he worked to turn the Economics Department into a now widely
respected model of idealized application. His book, Tightening The Belt: A Primer for Parsimonious Pro Formas, is
considered the definitive work on frugality theory. Green left the Ivory Tower to follow his dream of public service.
He rarely regrets the decision.

MORTIMER SPEAKS:

The purpose of the

Financial Department

is to control income and expenditures in
the city. It may sound simple, but it’s not. The Financial Department is responsible
for funding the city treasury by collecting taxes, enacting certain ordinances, and
looking for money-making deals. The goal is to collect at least as much money as
the city needs to fund development and pay for city operations. On the flip side,
this department is also responsible for controlling city expenses. The other city
departments just want to spend, spend, spend and the Finance Department must
keep spending in check.

Money management is the key to a healthy economy, but holding the city purse
Dialog Text is a thankless job. Know that I’ll be there to support you. If you ever
want help making financial decisions, just ask for me.

BASICS OF THE FINANCIAL DEPARTMENT

SIMOLEONS

Simoleons are the currency of the SimNation, and are considered legal tender for
all transactions. The primary goal of any mayor is to keep Simoleons in the
treasury. Your city can carry debt up to a point, but if it gets so deep in debt there
is no hope for escape, your Sims will start looking for a new mayor. Your Financial
Advisor will warn you when things start looking grim.

You can always see how much cash you have available by looking at the

Information Bar

at the bottom of the screen. A running tab of the available cash in

your treasury is displayed in the funds section.

If you run out of Simoleons, you will not be able to do any new construction or
zoning. If you run out of cash in the middle of a construction project, like building a
new road for example, you’ll be notified and the project will be cancelled.

Even if you are completely out of cash, certain expenses will continue being paid
each month, sending the treasury further into debt. City departments will receive
their budget allotments. Ordinance costs will be deducted each month. If you have
deals to buy power, water, or garbage disposal services, the monthly costs will still
be charged to the treasury.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 87

CITY DEPARTMENTS

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BUDGETS AND TAXES

Setting Taxes

Taxes are your main source of income. City taxes are broken down into sectors based on
the three zone types:

Residential, Commercial

, and

Industrial

. Tax rates affect the demand
for each type of zone, and determine the amount of income your city collects in taxes.
Typically, when you lower tax rates for any sector, demand for that sector will increase. If
you raise taxes, demand decreases.

Lowering taxes gives Sims an incentive to move in to your city, so demand goes up. Just
remember that demand is influenced by other things too, not just tax rates. Depending on
conditions in the city, lowering taxes can either raise or lower city income. If the tax cut
attracts lots of new taxpayers (Sims) to your city, income may increase even though each
taxpayer pays a small amount. But if the tax cut does not increase your population of
resident Sims, the city might lose money.

Raising taxes gives Sims a good reason to move out of your city, so demand goes down.
Sometimes raising taxes is a smart thing to do. If you have strong demand for a certain
zone type, but don’t have any cash left to zone for that demand, taxes are probably too
low. Raising taxes may either raise or lower city income. It just depends on the current
conditions in the city.

The amount of taxes paid by any one interest is determined by the following
computation. Tax Rate * Population of Sector * Average Land Value * Constant = Tax
Revenue. As you can see, increasing land values or population are both ways to
increase your city’s tax revenues.

Funding City Departments

The Mayor makes the final decision on how to fund six city services. The optimal funding
level for each branch changes as the city changes. An over-funded branch will waste
money. Under-funding causes a loss of effectiveness of the branch, and may even cause the
workers to go on strike. The following items are covered under each department budget.

➤

Police Budget:

Pays for equipment, maintenance of police stations and jails, as well as

salaries of police officers and wardens.

➤

Fire Budget:

Pays for equipment, maintenance of fire stations, and firefighter salaries.

➤

Roads Budget:

Pays for road and highway maintenance, and keeps roads pot-hole free.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 89

➤

Mass Transit Budget:

Pays for upkeep of train and subway tracks and
stations, bus stops, and pays for salaries of train crews, subway workers, and
bus drivers.

➤

Healthcare Budget:

Pays for hospital equipment, building maintenance, and

salaries of doctors, nurses, and orderlies.

➤

Education Budget:

Pays for equipment, maintenance of schools and city

colleges, and salaries of teachers and aides.

Understanding the Budget Window

The

Budget Window

is where you make all of your financial adjustments. It can be

accessed by choosing the

Budget

button from within

Adjust & Review

button menu

on the

Main Toolbar

.

The

Budget Window

shows you how you are allocating your money for the year.

There are two faces to the

Budget Window: Expenditures

and

Income

. To switch

between the two, click on the desired button at the top of the window.

The

Expenditures

window shows you where you’re spending the city’s Simoleons.
You’ll see the city department budgets displayed, and can change allocations from
this window. Each department has an amount of money considered optimum
(indicated by the light blue marker on their slider). The amount you allocate is up
to you. For details on other things you’re paying for, click on

City Ordinances,

Neighbor Deals,

or

Loans

.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

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Page 90 www.simcity.com

The

Income

window shows you where the money in the treasury is coming from. You’ll see
the tax rates you’ve set, and may adjust them if you like. For details on other sources of
income, click on

City Ordinances, Neighbor Deals,

or

Business Deals

.

The bottom line is, well, at the bottom of the window. If the end of year funds are displayed
in black, you’re in good shape and should make money at the end of the year. If the end of
year funds are in red, you are projected to lose money. That means you have more
expenses than income for the year, and will have to use cash reserves in the treasury just
to make ends meet. If you don’t have enough cash, you’ll start accumulating debt. When
you’re in the red, it is best to start looking for ways to increase your income or decrease
your expenditures.

DEALS

Neighbor Deals

You can make money by selling your city’s power, water, or garbage disposal services to a
neighbor. You’ll receive monthly income from the neighbor that is automatically added to
your treasury. Just be sure the income you receive more than covers your cost of providing
the commodity.

If you contract with neighbors to buy their power, water, or garbage disposal services, you
have to pay. A monthly charge will be deducted from your treasury. Try to be sure the price
you pay your neighbor is less than what it would cost to provide these services at home.

Business Deals

From time to time, Petitioners will offer deals to construct certain buildings in your city.
Business deals provide the city with a monthly stipend for as long as the building stands.
Sound tempting, except that these buildings bring problems to the city such as high crime
or pollution. If you need cash, they may be worth the trouble.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 91

LOANS

When times get tough, or you are looking for rapid growth, you can take out a loan
to raise quick cash.

Here are some facts about loans:

◆ You may have up to ten loans outstanding at any time.

◆ A loan can be taken for any reason, and at any time (unless you have ten

loans outstanding).

◆ Loans are available in 5000 Simoleon increments, up to 25K per loan.

◆ Each new loan is extended for ten years, and cannot be paid off early.

◆ The city must make annual payments on each loan for ten full years.

◆ Annual payment amounts are based on principal and interest.

◆ When the final payment is made in the tenth year, the loan is repaid and

comes off the books.

◆ Total payments made will equal 150% of the original loan amount.

DISASTER RELIEF

In the event of a catastrophic disaster, the powers that be in SimNation may take it
upon themselves to assist you in the clean up costs. Be forewarned, a mayor that is
well prepared generally receives better treatment.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

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STRATEGIES FOR INCREASING CASH

Cutting Expenses

➤

Stop Construction!

Zoning and building use up your cash reserves faster than you’d
think. When cash reserves are low, build up your treasury before you build anything
else.

➤

Cut Budgets!

A quick way to cut expenses is to lower the budgets for some or all of the
city departments. Be careful though, as your departments will not run as effectively as
they do with an adequate budget. This may cause problems in your city. If you cut the
budget too far, you may end up with a strike on your hands.

➤

Repeal Ordinances!

Most ordinances, when enacted, will cost the treasury a certain
amount each month, usually based on population. If the ordinance is repealed, the
monthly charge will stop. You can see all your current ordinances by going to the

Ordinance Window

. Click the box to remove the

Checkmark

and repeal the ordinance.

➤

Review Neighbor Deals!

If you’re spending money each month to buy a commodity
from a neighbor, decide if it’s best for the contract to continue. If you think it is best to
cancel a contract, try to wait for an opportunity to cancel without paying the hefty
penalty. Try to wait until the neighbor comes to you asking for renegotiation of the
deal. At that time you can cancel the deal without penalty.

Raising Income

➤

Raise taxes!

Watch that taxes are not so high that everyone leaves town, or you’re in

real trouble.

➤

Enact Money-Generating Ordinances!

A small percentage of ordinances bring monthly
income to the treasury. This money comes from groups in the city affected by the
ordinance, and they will not be pleased when forced to pay.

➤

Look for Money-Making Neighbor Deals!

If you have excess water, power, or garbage
disposal capacity, check in the Petitioner Window for neighbors who will pay you to
supply these commodities.

➤

Accept a Business Deal from a Petitioner!

From time to time, Petitioners may
approach you with an opportunity to construct a specific facility in your city in
return for cash. These generally come with Dialog Text; you make the choice.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 93

➤

Take Out a Loan!

Even though you have to pay back the money, plus interest,
loans are a quick way to build up the treasury. If you use the money wisely,
paying back the loan shouldn’t be too painful.

➤

Look for ways to Increase Land Values and Population!

Both will increase
your tax revenues, which can help get you out of any financial holes you’ve
fallen into without jeopardizing the status quo by raising taxes.

TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

MEET YOUR TRANSPORTATION ADVISOR

Moe Biehl: Transportation Advisor

In contrast to his folksy demeanor, Moe Biehl is a well-connected political insider. His credentials (never
independently verified) include: Alderman, Ombudsman, Councilman, Chairman, Elector (appointed),
Sergeant at Arms, and Minority Whip. “There isn’t a function of city government I don’t know
something about,” he admits. Moe feels right at home as Transportation Advisor, despite accusations
that he has never set foot on a bus, subway, or train in his entire life.

MOE SPEAKS:

Even if you create a city with the nicest houses or cheapest office space, no one will
move in if they have no way to get around. Sims need to get from one place to
another, and they are willing to walk only so far. The Transportation Department is
where all of that is handled. It covers everything from roads and rail lines to tunnels
and bridges. When you build a city, transportation is one of the first aspects you will
want to consider. If you lay out an inadequate transportation system, you can have
real problems in the long run. Suppose you have a busy downtown that needs a
larger road due to bad traffic. This is going to be a problem when you look at the
area and see that skyscrapers line the small road.

There are mass transit systems that can help eliminate traffic, so you are rarely
stuck with only one solution. Just think ahead and you should have few, if any,
gridlock problems.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

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BASICS OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

BUILDING YOUR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

A transportation system can be based on private transportation (meaning roads for cars),
or public transportation (meaning trains, subways and bus routes).

In general, Sims prefer to drive their cars. If roads are plentiful, more Sims will be willing to
live in your city, especially when the city is small. But if you rely exclusively on roads,
you’ll find that as your population grows, traffic problems become horrendous.

Public transit gets cars off the street, and limits air pollution. It’s the right thing to do for
your city. In fact, it’s difficult to build a large city without using any public transit at all.
When planning your public transit routes, be sure that they are convenient, or your Sims
won’t use them. Certain ordinances provide incentives for Sims to forego their cars in
favor of mass transit.

Building Travel Routes

To place a transportation route, click on the

Build Transportation

button menu in the

Main

Toolbar

. Select the desired type of route, e.g.

Roads, Highways, Rail,

or

Subway Rail

. Your
cursor will change into an icon of the chosen route type. Click and drag a line where you
want the route to be placed. The

Drop Shadow

will be blue as long as you are placing the
route in an area where one can be constructed. If you are attempting to build a travel route
where one cannot be built, the

Drop Shadow

will change to red and your construction

attempt will be cancelled.

If you hold down the

Shift

key before releasing the mouse button, construction will be

cancelled.

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS

◆

Roads

are two-lane paved routes that Sims like to drive on, but you probably knew that

already.

Zoom In

close to see traffic flowing through your city. If you keep a good eye

on things, you’ll be able to assess and remedy traffic problems before they develop.

◆

Highways

are basically elevated, high capacity roads. They allow Sims to travel more
efficiently over long stretches of terrain. So if you want to connect two very distant
zones, highways are a good choice.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 95

INTERSECTIONS AND ON-RAMPS

◆

Intersections

allow your Sims to drive off of one road and onto another. They
are usually trouble-free, though if traffic is heavy, intersections can become
bottlenecked with Sims trying to merge. When you build a road that crosses an
existing road, city engineers will automatically create an intersection for you.

◆

On-Ramps

provide access to Highways. Highways may be built over roads,
but if you want your Sims to be able to get from one to the other, the
intersection requires an on-ramp. To build an on-ramp, use the

On-Ramp

Option

from within the

Highway

button. Click on a tile at the corner of the
intersection of a road and highway or highway and highway. The city
engineers will construct the on-ramp.

BRIDGES

You can build roads, highways and rails across water. Your city engineers will
automatically be notified to build a bridge for you. The main thing to remember is
this: Don’t be disheartened by the red

Drop Shadow

as you move the mouse over

waterfljust have faith and keep dragging until you reach dry land again. When the

mouse is back on land, the

Drop Shadow

will turn blue again. When you release the
mouse button the city engineers will notify you of the cost of the proposed span. If
you accept, the bridge will be built.

Causeways are built over short spans of water. Suspension bridges are built over
large spans of water.

If the surrounding terrain is not stable enough to build a bridge, a text box will
notify you construction could not occur. Try using the terrain tool to build up the
land surrounding the beginning and ending points of the bridge. Sometimes the
bridge just needs more support.

TUNNELS

When you’re building a road, highway, or rail route in mountainous terrain, your
omnipresent team of city engineers may suggest you bore a tunnel if the incline is
too steep. This will happen automatically if you drag the selected

Drop Shadow

to a
point where the incline is too steep to simply cross over. Your city engineers will
inform you of their ability to construct a tunnel, along with the cost. If you accept,
they will bore the tunnel for you.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

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MASS TRANSIT

Busses

Bus Stops

must be placed along the side of roads to be effective. If you place bus stops and
Sims don’t seem to use them, they may be too far apart. But remember, you only need to
place

Bus Stops

where Sims want to get on the bus. They can pull the string to signal the

driver and get off whenever they want. Use the

Query Tool

on any

Bus Stops

to get

information on how many Sims are using that particular stop.

Trains

Setting up a rail system is much more expensive than roads, both in time and money, but
the reduction in traffic and pollution can make it extremely worthwhile. Simply laying track
will not be enough to get things working. Once the track is laid, you must place

Train

Stations

on tiles that touch the track. This tells trains where to stop, and provides Sims a

place to get off and on the train. Use the

Query Tool

on

Train Stations

and

Rail

to get

information on how popular trains are.

Subways

When you select the

Lay Subway Rail

tool from the

Build Transportation

button menu, the

City View

will automatically switch to underground viewing so you can build subway
routes. In this view you can see where the city has roads and zoned and developed areas.
You will also see the below ground portions of subway stations or subway to rail stations.
Use the

Query Tool

on

Subway Stations

and

Subway Rail

to get information on how popular

subways are.

Subway Stations

must be placed next to or directly above

Subway Rails

to be effective. This

can be done in either the above ground or underground view.

Subway to Rail Connection

This station allows Sims to transfer from rail to subway, making your city’s mass transit
options more versatile. These stations need to be placed directly adjacent to train tracks,
and directly next to or above subway rail to be effective. Use the

Query Tool

to see if the

connection is working.

FUNDING ROADS AND THE MASS TRANSIT SYSTEM

The road budget pays for maintenance of all roads, highways, bridges, and tunnels in the
city. Roads, especially well-traveled routes, will begin to fall apart if they are not
maintained. This causes Sims to seek out alternate routes. If the commutes become too
difficult, you may find your Sims are leaving town.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 97

The mass transit budget pays for the upkeep of rail and subway track, as well as
the salaries of conductors and bus drivers. If the mass transit budget is low,
systems will begin to deteriorate and Sims will be less likely to use the train, bus,
or subway. If the budget is far below adequate, transit workers will go on strike.

CONNECTING TO NEIGHBORS

Making connections to neighboring cities helps your industrial sector by creating a
way to export goods to other cities. Inter-city connections help your commercial
sector as well, by opening up borders so new customers can visit and shop. Only
when connections are built will you be able to contract with neighbors to buy or
sell garbage disposal services.

To create a land connection, build a road, highway, or rail line right to the city
border. If you signal your city engineers that you are willing to pay for a connection,
one will be built. You can have connections of all types to all neighbors.

Seaports

and

Airports

are considered connections to all neighbors.

◆ Seaports are a connection for industrial/commercial growth, as well as
garbage exchange, but only if there is transportation from the edge of the
map to the seaport.

◆ Airports are a connection for industrial/commercial growth only.

CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT

MEET YOUR CITY PLANNING ADVISOR

Constance Lee: City Planning Advisor

Constance Lee has an infectious energy that bolsters everyone around her. Her professors at San
Bolima State College of Urban Design remember her as one of their brightest, most hard-working
students. Accepted into the City Planning Commission Office right out of college, Constance rose quickly
to the top of her profession through sound judgment, quick learning, and cheerful enthusiasm for
serving in city government.

CONSTANCE SPEAKS:

The function of the

City Planning Department

is to oversee the layout of the city. Your
role is to grow the city by zoning parcels of land for different purposes. You must make
sure to maintain a good balance of the various types of zones, and see that they are
developing as planned.

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Your Sims will continually judge your city planning decisions. When things are going well,
Sims will be clamoring to live and do business in your city. On the other hand, they are
quick to complain when things are not to their liking, and will leave as fast as they arrived.

Planning a city may well be the most difficult task of being a Mayor. You can rely on me to
help you solve problems as they arise.

BASICS OF THE CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT

UNDERSTANDING ZONES

Zones are areas of the city that you designate for a specific use. Every city must contain
the three main types of zones–

Residential, Commercial

, and

Industrial (called RCI)

–because

every city needs a place for Sims to live, to shop, and to work.

Sims will only build on areas of the city that are zoned. The buildings they choose to
construct in a zone depend on the type of zone, the density of the zone, and the land value.

Zoning an area does not guarantee that Sims will build there. Sims will only develop zones
that are in demand (see the

RCI Demand Indicator

for more information), and that are
usable. A usable zone has power and adequate transportation to other zones. Having water
helps tremendously. Light density zones can develop without a water supply, but water is
a necessity to sustain medium to dense zone development.

TYPES OF ZONES

Residential Zones

This is where your Sims will live. Keep in mind that every Sim needs a place to call home, so
don’t be surprised to find your city needs more Residential Zones than any other type of zone.

Residential areas can be zoned

light, medium,

or

dense

. The density of the zone influences
the type of buildings that get constructed. If you want huge apartment buildings, build
Dense Residential. Townhouses are built in medium density areas. And for single-family
homes, choose light density. The higher the land value, the nicer the properties will be.

Commercial Zones

This is where your Sims shop, and where some of them work. Office buildings as well as
stores of various shapes and sizes are located within Commercial Zones. The type of
commercial buildings that get built depends on the density of the zone, as well its land value.
Large stores and office buildings will come with the higher densities. You’ll need light or
medium density commercial zones to let the small business Sim get a foot in the door. The
demand for commercial zones typically rises as a city ages. Keep your eye on the

RCI

Demand Indicator

to see what the trends are.

SimCity 3000 Unlimited Page 99

Density sets the maximum density for a zone. Land value of the zone must
be very high in order for full density to be reached.

Industrial Zones

Industrial Zones define areas where manufacturing, agriculture, and high-tech
enterprises can do business. Young cities, especially those established in the
1900’s, normally attract heavily polluting industries, especially in dense industrial
zones. Sometimes farms will develop in light density industrial zones that are far
from the hustle and bustle of the city. As your city ages and you raise the education
level of your Sims, you may be able to attract cleaner, high-tech industries. Of
course, more modern cities, those established in the year 2000, for instance, are
much more likely to attract clean, high-tech industry right from the beginning.

Airport Zones

Airports help your Industrial and Commercial Districts to grow by bringing in
tourists and workers, as well as making your city more accessible to the outside
world. Just like

RCI zones

, you zone for airports and wait for Sims to develop them.
Available in 1915, airports must be at least 3x5 tiles or larger in order to develop.
They also require power, water, and a road nearby.

Seaport Zones

Seaports help your Industrial and Commercial sector to grow by providing a means
to transport goods to the outside world. They allow you to make deals to import or
export garbage to neighboring cities (though rail, road, or highway connections
can provide the same service). Seaports must be zoned at least 2x6 tiles or larger
in order to develop. They require power, water, and a road nearby. They must be
located along a shoreline to do anything, either seacoast or river edge. Always be
sure the your

Seaports

are connected by some sort of path to the edge of your

map. Otherwise they may not develop as you had hoped.

Landfill Zones

All cities create garbage, and one option for dealing with garbage is to zone a
landfill. Landfills decompose garbage at a fairly slow rate and have a maximum
capacity dependent on size. Once a landfill is full, garbage will accumulate around
the city unless you have other means in place for disposal. When zoning a landfill,
remember to lay a road which connects it to your city so trucks have a way to carry
garbage from parts of town to the landfill.

CITY DEPARTMENTS

7

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