SimCity4 RH MP Game, revisited

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I have unleashed a beast ... Good to hear it's at least moderately realistic.

The developers have gotten a lot better since the original SimCity, since they seem to have actually started visiting the city - more than half of SimCity 4's buildings are copies or adaptations of buildings in and around San Francisco.

SimCity 2000 was programmed in Orinda, a suburban town located in over the hill from Berkeley. This game modelled suburban sprawl quite well, with land value determined purely by trees, water, crime, etc, and not at all by the downtown effect. The tutorial showed how to build an industrial park, shopping center, and tract housing Silicon Valley style.

SimCity 3000 was programmed in Walnut Creek, and while it got the downtown effect, it still ignored a lot of transportation issues, such as allowing the clustering of all the schools and hospitals in one spot.

SimCity 4 was programmed in Redwood City, which is on the Peninsula south of San Francisco. It's still suburban, and the programmers probably take parking for granted, which is why it's not modelled in the game.

Sometime aroudn the release of 2000, Maxis also released A-Train, the Japanese equivalent of SimCity. That game is very much about transit oriented development and mixed zoning, and reflects the Japanese ideas of the city much in the way that SimCity reflects the NorCal idea.

[:) Smiley]

A few more things - Politics and Economics
The default tax rate (9%) is incredibly high. Then again it does include utilities and healthcare. Deep down SimCity is very much Socialist, yet you can't build public housing.
In many ways SimCity lumps in many regional and national issues into the muncipal level. It'd be nice to see this kind of coordination in the real world.

Often cities have a single large employer, this is especially true for manufacturing and military towns. The effects of plant and base closings is not modelled.

There are no elections, though the parts of the world doing the most city building now don't have them either. Even in democratic countries, consecutive terms or even dynasties (Chicago) are not uncommon.

IRare is the city founded in complete wilderness in 1900 (start date of original game), much less 2000.

and now something completely different
Nuclear power plants do not explode.

The Nuclear Free Zone oridnance does exist in many Bay Area cities, however. I'm still trying to um, get, one of those nifty signs.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Smiley
City Evaluations of Realism in the SimCity 4 game model

Fray Bentos
I wouldn't call this good city planning but I've seen lots of cities like this in suburban America - a downtown along a main corridor, lots of houses, and in this case, literally islands of shopping centers and industrial parks accessible only by car. A real waste of waterfront if you ask me.

Well if residential demand changes then ill be more than happy to rezone my industry, but when you have so much waterfront, the industry has to go somewhere.

Personally i dont like the blockiness of my city, maybe i can change that eventually. I also dont like the $$$ residential right next to offices on the original land mass, high wealth or not they shouldnt be together.

[Atragon]

The reason I only had 3 empties is probably because of the (some might call them extreme) measures I took to try and preserve demand...

1) Bank of China Tower (landmark, massive commercial demand boost)
2) Small International Airport (wedged in on the eastern edge of my city)
3) Convention Center (right beside Area 5.1, coincidence? You decide...)
4) Stock Market (already present from 2030)
5) Tax cut to 6% for CO$$, 5.5% for CO$$$ (strange thing, news ticker commended on low taxes attracting office jobs... demand is still almost at the bottom of the scale for both CO$$ and CO$$$)
6) Expanded subway system

Also, oddly enough, without any input on my part, I had a boom of high-wealth high-density residential, including some really big high-rises.

I have 2 options as far as the railway goes, try and run a line across Y City, the tracks would have to run right under my recycling centers and next to the solar plants, or leave it as it stands.

There are subway and bus stations nearby.

[Maquiladora]

Fray Bentos '40

Stats:

6,972
35,270
10,686

A massive boost in commercial demand, especially offices, dictated most of the development the last 5 years in Fray Bentos. The existing commercial area was revitalised, surrounded by high office buildings and plazas, the Stock Market is the center of commercial activity.

A new residential area was also layed, including a primary school and high school, together with brand new football field and basketball/netball court. A few more months and theyll all be developed into small luxury apartments.

http://apolyton.net/upload/view.php?file=10378_Maq-FrayBentos40.rar

[Lemmy]

Meh, feel free to skip my save if i'm late...this heat makes it impossible to play for any decent amount of time, all i'd do is just fast-forward another 5 years before my pc overheats again.


If someone else wants to do that, and maybe also complete neighbour connections they're welcome to do it.

[Maquiladora]

Have you tried taking the sides off your PC?

[mrmitchell]

back

Should I just play up to 2040 and import all the 2040 saves; or import all the individual every 5 years saves; or import the 2035 saves, play up to 2035, and then play up to 2040 and post that?

[Maquiladora]

Id import all the 2035 saves then play to 2040, then import all the 2040 saves.

[:) Smiley]

Originally posted by EPW
Only the best pilots can land in Epwood

Those takeoffs and landings would require one very well timed barrel row.

[Lemmy]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Have you tried taking the sides off your PC?

Yeah, i did that yesterday, but haven't tried playing yet because it was warmer than of the earlier days.
Seems to be a lot cooler now though, i'll try and play today.

[Lemmy]

I can play normally.
Expect my save late tonight, or tomorrow, i don't have time to finish it now :/

[:) Smiley]

Invest in liquid nitrogen cooling. Or, is there a way to underclock your processor?

[General Ludd]

Put an icepack on your motherboard.

[mrmitchell]

2040 save is up

http://www.angelfire.com/ar3/mrmitchellsc4temp/index.html