Text Viewing Test One:- Are the two lines below the same length? If they are,
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Microsoft Word.
Thanks to Steve Towle and Dustin Cushman. I copied this text viewing test from
their NiGHTS FAQ, which can be found at www.gamefaqs.com, in the Sega Saturn
section.
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow Rosenberg:) So true, so true..
unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that due to certain legal issues, I can't beat
you to death with a shovel if you plagiarise this document. I may, however,
take legal action. See you in court:)
This document is Copyright Captain Syrup 2000. All rights reserved. Use it at
your own risk:)
=-------------------=
=Table o' Contents:)=
=-------------------=
I. Introduction:- Enter SimCity!:)
II. 3rd rate story:)
III. Practice Mode
IV. New City
V. Scenarios
VI. Disasters and Gifts
VII. Miscellaneous Tips
VIII. FAQs
IX. Cheat Codes
X. Credits
XI. Contact
XII. Closing:- Exit SimCity:(
SimCity was one of the first "God games". Originally released in 1989 on the
Mac and PC, it has been converted to many different formats including the SNES.
There are two sequels available; SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000, but many still
consider the original SimCity to be the best of the series. Surprisingly,
considering the quality of the game, there is a major lack in FAQs available,
so I decided to write this. This FAQ is written primarily for the SNES version
of the game, but since all the versions are virtually identical in terms of
playability, the guide should help you, whichever format you are using.
Normally game storylines are often pretty poor, but with the exception of
Scenario Mode, SimCity has a particularly terrible plot...
You are the mayor of a new city, built in the middle of a desert. However,
there are no people living in this city, there are only Sims, (like in er, The
Sims). Your ultimate goal is to make your city so desirable that 500,000 or
more "Sims" live in your city.
Another Klassic...still I can't think of a better story, so on with the guide:)
SIMCITY is a city-building game where you are the Mayor. To develop your city,
you need to adjust the budget, listen to the resident's opinions, and solve
problems like rising crime rates, traffic jams or environmental pollution. To
begin, let's aim at building a city with a population of 30,000 people.
On Practice Mode, you start with a VERY small island on which to build your
city. There are two tiny islands near the main one; one to the north-east and
one to the south-west. You will only receive three or four Landfills when the
island is almost full, so space is very limited. It is possible, although very
difficult, to build a Metropolis on this island, but to complete the level,
you are only required to build a city with a population of 30,000.
First, set the timer to sleep, (click on the Stick Figure at the top of the
screen, then choose the sleeping man), and move the viewing area to the top of
the island. Move east until you can see a very small island above the larger
one. Choose the Bulldozer on the left by clicking on it and bulldoze the edges
of the smaller island so you can see how large it actually is. Save the game,
(note; this is important), and select the Nuclear Power Plant icon on the left,
(it is the one above the ? icon, not the one above the Airport). Now, carefully
place the power plant as far to the south-east of the small island as possible.
This is important as it will allow you to fit more onto the island,
essential when you're pushing for those last few thousand people. Now build a
few Residential Zones on the furthest north part of the large island. (The icon
is a small house with a large R by it). Demolish the top edge of the island and
build a Railway along the bottom of the power plant to the left, through the
sea and along the top of the large island, until it reaches the water. Now
select the Power Line and create a line across the railway and over the sea to
the residential zones. Next, head to the peninsular on the right of the island
and squeeze two Industrial Zones, (the factory with an I by it), as close to the
beach as possible. Run some rails from the top of the industrial zones to the
power plant. Also add a power line from the plant to the industrial zones. Now,
turn the game speed up to the max, (the running man), wait until the RCI
bar on the right of the screen fills up completely, and put the game to sleep
again. Build two more industrial zones underneath the ones you already have,
build residential zones in line with the three you already have, and extend the
rails you have to reach them. Now, build two Commercial Zones in the middle of
the left bank of the inlet at the top of the island, as close to the peninsular
as possible. (Commercial Zones look like a sky-scraper with a C next to it).
Build rails and powerlines from the power plant to the nearer commercial zone.
After doing this, set the speed to the max and wait until December. (In the
meantime, you will see a couple of cut-scenes will explain how the RCI bar and
Budget work, so I don't have to:) At the end of December, you will have to set
the budget. Leave it as it is and choose O.K. You will now see a cut-scene
explaining how to see what the Sims think of your city. Soon into the beginning
of the new year, your Village will become a Town and you will receive Your
House.
Placing new zones perfectly is not as important now, but remember that land
space is important. Build the residential zones on the coast into three times
three groups of zones, with parkland or other valuable items in the middle.
Place Your House in the middle of the central block, and place three times
three groups of commercial zones underneath, if and when you need to. If you
have any space on the west of the island, build more residential zones.
Continue to build industry on the east of the island, but separate the zones
from other industrial zones and commercial zones with parkland. Also fill any
space in your landform in with parkland. You should reach City level very soon.
To grow from city to capital, you won't need to build any more zones than you
built in Town. You will need to add more police and fire coverage though,
especially in the industrial east. If your citizens demand a Seaport, build one
in the east of the island; it will encourage the growth of both your industrial
zones and the entire city. Make sure it is touching the water though:) Your
level of available cash may soon drop below $2000, and if it does, you will
have the option of building a Bank. Build it in the commercial area of your
city to encourage growth. If you keep the crime rate low, your city should
quickly progress into a capital.
Growing from a City to a settlement with 30,000 citizens is not very difficult.
You probably have all the zones you need, but if you don't, build more
commercial and residential zones in the south of the island, adding more
industrial zones on the east. Continue to increase police coverage, (fire
coverage isn't important), if you can afford it. Drop the tax rate, if you
want, but anyway you will soon have 30,000 citizens in your town.
Reaching Capital level is not important for completing the scenario, but it
isn't difficult. Place gifts where there was parkland, and build a stadium near
a residential area, if your citizens demand it. Maximise the space in your
landform by squeezing your zones together to grow to a Capital.
Again, reaching this level is completely unnecessary, but it's still fun to
try! Build an Airport, along with another industrial zone on the small island
on the south-west of the main landform, when your citizens demand it. An
airport will encourage the growth of commerce, and the Expo gift you receive
when you build it should be placed in the industrial east to help industry
grow. If you get any Landfills, (you will probably receive up to three or
four), place them on the east of the island, and zone them for industry. You
may need to increase police coverage in industrial areas to lower the crime
rate, and help your city grow. Finally, if you can afford it, maximise funding
for everything and drop the tax rate to 0%, (if you have enough citizens, you
will still turn a profit, and you should hopefully have a few zoos, amusement
parks, etc. to give you more income).
Playing through a New City is similar to doing the practice mode, except that
the objective is to reach Metropolis level. (500000 citizens). Follow the same
tactics as you did for the practice level, although obviously, I can't tell you
exactly where to place everything because there are nearly one thousand
different landforms to choose from. I can however, offer some tips:-
* Always choose easy level; you get to start with more money, and there is no
disadvantage.
* Choose a landform with very little water, to maximise building space. If
possible, build on Freeland. (A landform with no water).
* Always use rails and nuclear power plants to prevent pollution.
* When your city is finished, drop the tax rate to 0% to attract the maximum
number of citizens possible.
* Turn disasters off, if you can.
* If you have a lot of money, force gifts by building a large number of a
particular item, getting the gift, then demolishing the items.
* If there is a river is your landform, build all industrial zones/airports on
one side and other zones on the other, to prevent pollution.
Scenarios are probably the main part of the game. They give you a pre-built
city with problems to sort out in a limited time with a limited budget.
Remember that if you have unlimited money, (or pretty near unlimited), from
cheats etc., then when you attempt a difficult scenario, it is easier to
demolish the entire city and start from scratch than attempt to fix the cities'
problems. This is particularly true when attempting Las Vegas 2096 because the
city you start with is VERY poor, and it is centred in the middle of the
landform, where there is a much greater chance of UFO attacks.
A major earthquake rattles the city by the bay. The subsequent fires burn for
several days after the quake, causing massive damage. As Mayor, build fire
stations near the major fires and restore power as quickly as possible before
you try to rebuild. You only have 5 years before the residents will demand a
new Mayor.
Guide:-
This is a very easy level, so you probably won't need much help. Set the speed
to max, and prepare for the 'quake. When it happens, demolish all building
which are damaged, on fire, or next to a fire. Build fire stations close to,
but not touching each fire, and fund them to the max. When the fires die out,
demolish all the new and existing fire stations, until there is only one left,
(which you don't need to fund). Wait until the final year, and build police
stations in high crime areas, (as many as you need, until the crime rate is
below ten percent), and give them full funding. Drop the tax rate to five or
six percent, (or lower, if you can afford it), and wait for the end of the
scenario.
Bowser, King of the Koopa's is looking for his arch rivals Mario and Luigi.
Leaving no building unturned, Bowser will wander through your city knocking
down planes, smashing ships and leaving a path of destruction behind him.
Contain the fires he has set and repair the damage before he decides to come
back, you have 5 years to accomplish this task.
Guide:-
This is, by far, the easiest level in the game. I'll keep things brief, because
the first couple of pages in the instruction booklet basically tell you
everything you need to know. Anyway, on with the guide. When the level begins,
set the speed to max, and wait for Bowser to appear. When he attacks the city,
keep him on the screen, and demolish every building he damages or sets on fire.
When he leaves, build fire stations close to the fires, wait for the fires to
go out, and demolish the 'stations. Rebuild all of the damaged or destroyed
buildings, then wait for the end of the scenario. You could build police
stations to lower the crimes, reduce taxes to make the citizens happier, or
even take steps to reduce pollution, but none of this is necessary to
completing the scenario.
Rapid growth and poor city planning has caused traffic to come to a standstill.
The highways have become unsafe and the motorists are becoming militant. Since
the residents of this city hate to walk, you'll need to come up with a
transportation plan quick! Obtain a low average traffic density within 10 years
and the citizens of Bern will make you the National Transportation Planner!
Guide:- This is one of the more difficult levels, mainly because lowering
traffic density is difficult and expensive. On the upside, solving the
secondary problems is not very hard, so almost all of the budget can be used on
the major disaster. Firstly, see which roads are useful, and which are not.
Also, make a mental note of where the traffic density is highest. You probably
won't have enough money to demolish all of the roads, so demolish either all of
the horizontal or vertical roads and replace as much as possible with rails,
(in order to save money, don't bother to use this technique in areas with very
low traffic density). I prefer to demolish the vertical roads, as they seem to
have a slightly higher traffic density, however, this can be more expensive.
If you can afford it, demolish every section of road with visible traffic on
it, (if you demolish these roads early in the scenario, it can actually save
money, because you won't have to pay maintenance on demolished roads). When
you've done that, wait until the final year, then build a few extra police
stations in high crime areas, fund them, and drop the tax rate a little if you
can afford to do so.
With the recent gas shortages and slumping auto sales, Detroit's economy is
deeply depressed. The real estate market has crumbled, unemployment has
skyrocketed and the crime rate in downtown Detroit has risen to epidemic
proportions. Your task is to lower the crime rate and reconstruct the
industrial foundation within 10 years.
Guide:-
This is a rather difficult scenario. The trick to success is not to build
police stations wildly all over the city. Doing that will bankrupt you, and
cause you to fail the scenario. Instead, place a reasonable number, (five to
ten is about right), in key high crime areas across the map. Funding the
'stations will be expensive, so bulldoze all but one of the city fire stations
in order to reduce the amount of funding, however, if you can, fund all of the
police stations you have to the max. It would be a good idea to either build
the police stations late in the scenario, or only begin funding them properly
two or three years before the end of the scenario, greatly reducing the amount
of funding you will need to pay to keep crime rates down. Reducing pollution is
too expensive to deal with, but, if you can afford it, try to drop tax rates a
little towards the end of the scenario.
A nuclear nightmare has occurred in Boston. The plant's water pressure dropped
to critical levels, causing the core to overheat and explode. This incident
coincided with the simultaneous flush of every toilet in Boston during halftime
of the Nintendo power Bowl Championships. Your task is to isolate the
contaminated areas and rebuild the city in 5 years.
Guide:-
Don't be put off by the high level of pollution, (52%), it is only caused by
the nuclear meltdown. Let's face it, if you were living in a radioactive
wasteland, you'd be complaining too! Firstly, demolish every contaminated
building, and deal with any fires in the usual manner. Due to the explosion,
much of the city's industry has been destroyed, so start by rebuilding it,
after checking that every zone still has a power connection. The best area to
rebuild industry in is on an island in the north-west of the city; pollution
from the island will not affect the mainland. When you have built at least as
much industry as was destroyed, turn your attention to the pollution. You will
probably need to demolish some roads and replace them with rails, to reduce
pollution levels. Build some police stations and reduce taxes if you wish, but
doing so is not completely necessary.
The Greenhouse Effect has caused both polar caps to melt rapidly thus raising
the world's oceans several feet. Many of Rio's beaches are now underwater and
the rising water levels are threatening the city. Your task is to rebuild the
areas damaged by the flood and to develop waterfront property to prevent
further flooding within 10 years.
Guide:-
This is a very difficult level, maybe the hardest in the game, mainly because
flooding is difficult to recover from and impossible to prevent. Not only that,
but there are several other major problems, such as pollution and crime. When
flooding occurs, build parkland around the floodplains to contain the water,
but spend most of your time moving industry into the forests on the left of the
city. Soon after the beginning of the scenario, you will be asked to build a
new power plant. Build a nuclear plant, to reduce pollution, and bulldoze one
of the old coal plants. Try to build good quality residential areas near coasts
to deter flooding, and a few years from the end of the scenario, build several
new police stations in high crime areas, fund them, and drop the tax rate, if
you can afford to. With a little luck, you should be able to finish the
scenario.
Las Vegas, the world's largest gambling city, was severely damaged by a sudden
attack of Unidentified Flying Objects. While the government has denied any
U.F.O. sightings whatsoever, gamblers are leaving their chips at the tables and
fleeing for their lives. Your tasks are to put out the fires from the attack
and rebuild the city to an active Metropolis within 10 years.
Guide:-
Quite a hard one, this. During the entire scenario, you should be building
zones on the outskirts of the city, but during the middle four years, three
U.F.O.s will attack the centre of the city several times per year. Put out the
fires, but don't rebuild. Instead, use the budget to build on the outskirts of
the city. The aliens will not attack the outskirts, so these areas will be
safe. Because the citizens are particularly worried about crime, build a lot of
police stations and fund them. Spend the last three years doing a lot of
building, and towards the end of the scenario, drop the tax rate by as much as
you can afford, while still maintaining a high level of police funding.
Congratulations! You have earned the right to develop Marioland on the plains
of the Midwest. Since there are no rivers or oceans, you can make the best use
of the available land. Working on this geographical flat land should allow you
to build a city with a population of 500,000 people. Work hard till you can
create a Megalopolis. Good luck! No time limit.
Guide:-
This scenario is practically the same as the normal mode, but it is easier,
since you can build on the entire landform. Stick roughly to the strategies
outlined in the Practice Mode guide. Here a few relevant tips:-
* Always use rails and nuclear power plants to prevent pollution.
* When your city is finished, drop the tax rate to 0% to attract the maximum
number of citizens possible.
* Turn disasters off, if you can.
* Save often, and if a disaster occurs, reset.
* If you get desperate, use the cheats!
Note that since this is a scenario, you cannot receive gifts. Even if you reach
Megalopolis level, the scenario will not be "complete", (the level will not end
and the scenario will not be crossed out on the scenario selection menu).
* Random Disasters; When playing in any mode, disasters will occasionally
occur. Usually only minor disasters, such as fires or ship wrecks will occur,
though the type and frequency will depend on the design of your city, (e.g. a
city with one or more airports will get plane crashes). Demolishing schools and
hospitals will increase the chance of a random disaster occurring.
* Deliberate Disasters; On the top row of the menu, there is a picture of a
footprint. If you click on it, you will have the "opportunity" to unleash one
to six disasters on your city. The disasters which can be chosen are; fire,
flooding, plane crash, tornado, earthquake and monster attack. There is no
reason to use this option, unless you want to be sacked. Strange. Anyway, it's
interesting to note that if you are playing the SNES version, the King Kong
alike from the monster attack is replaced by Bowser from the Super Mario games!
* Predetermined Disasters; In certain Scenarios, disasters will occur, either
at the beginning or at certain intervals during the Scenario. You cannot
prevent these disasters, but you can prepare for them, as the same disasters
will happen every time you play the Scenario.
Fire:- This is one of the most common and least dangerous disasters. However,
fires can become dangerous if there are several of them and they are left
alone. Many of the other disasters also cause fires. If you have a fire on your
hands, demolish anything touching it so it can't spread, and build a fire
station nearby.
Flood:- This disaster is rare and will only occur near water. (Duh!). Demolish
anything near it and build a barrier of parkland around it. Eventually it will
go back into the sea. Flooding may cause fires.
Plane Crash:- This disaster is relatively common. It will only occur if you
have an airport and even then, the plane will usually crash near the airport,
so it can easily be prevented by building your airport on an island. All that
a plane crash will do is cause a small fire. (See the section Fire to find out
how to sort it out).
Tornado:- This is a rare, but dangerous disaster. A tornado will appear on one
side of the landform and make it's way over to the other side, destroying parts
of your city in the process. It will also cause several small fires. Wait until
the tornado has disappeared, then fix the damage by rebuilding.
Earthquake:- Another disaster which is rare but damaging. Your city will shake
for several seconds, causing a lot of destruction as well as creating fires.
The damage will be strongest at the epicentre, so focus your efforts there.
Rebuilding is your only option.
Monster:- A monster will attack your city, targeting sources of pollution in
particular. The monster will only appear if you have large amounts of
pollution, so it is easy to prevent. However, if you ARE attacked, you city
will suffer significant damage, will destruction and fires. Rebuild your city,
spacing out industrial zones and airports, and replacing any coal power plants
with nuclear plants.
Ship Wreck:- A situational disaster. If you have a seaport on a river, then
rails and powerlines further down the river, a ship from the port might crash
into the rails/lines and destroy them. (This doesn't happen with roads because
they open up to let the ships through). To fix this, simply rebuild the rails
and powerlines apart from each other. Easy!
Nuclear Meltdown (!):- As far as I know, this disaster only occurs in the
Scenario of the same name, which is a good thing, as it is probably the most
damaging disaster of all. A nuclear power plant will burst into flames, causing
a fire, and much of the surrounding area becomes radioactive. (Impossible to
build on). Just give up on that area and try to rebuild in another area of the
landform.
UFO Attack (!!!):- This disaster will only occur when playing in the distant
future. Three UFOs will appear and use lasers to set areas of your city on
fire. Deal with each as you would a normal fire.
Bomb Drop:- Apparently, there is a bomb drop disaster, exclusive to the Mac
version. (See Cheats). However, I can cannot try it out as I do not own that
version. If you can get the cheat to work, please let me know!
Condition:- Spend money until you have less than $2000.
Data:- Build it to help commercial zones. You can take out a loan of $10000,
for which you must pay back $500 every year, for twenty-one years. ($10500 in
total). Because you must pay back more than you took out, getting a loan isn't
a good option, unless you really need the money.
You are incorrect in saying that a loan requires a payback of more than twice
as much as you borrowed... Actually, a loan (of $10,000) requires 21 payments
of $500 annually, for a total of $10,500, just $500 more than the borrowed
amount. I hate to nit-pick, but, if you check, I'm sure you'll see that I'm
correct.
Thanks for your time!
TJ Forsythe
Programmer
CarExpress.com / ProMax"
Answer:- Yes, you're correct, so I've changed that section in the guide.
Actually taking out a loan is better option than I previously thought, so is a
good addition, thank you:) You should still only take out loans when absolutely
neccessary though, (e.g., Expert Mode).
Thanks to Derek at GameSages for this easy money cheat:-
First spend all your money. Put the game on the fastest setting and wait for the
tax grid to appear. As soon as the screen turns black hold L + R. While holding
these buttons change all settings to 0% and exit the screen (don't release the
buttons yet). While still holding these buttons, use the menu to return to the
tax screen. Raise all settings to 100% except for the tax rate. Set that to
20%. Exit the tax screen and the menu, then release L and R. Congratulations!
You now have $999,999. You might want to lower the tax rate now. Give those
SimCitizens a break!
Thank-you to GameSages for these SNES Game Genie Codes:-
C28A-AD61 Money doesn't decrease for most types of spending
DD67-DFAA Time goes faster
DE67-DFAA Time goes slower
0DAB-6D02 + BAAB-6D62 Start easy game with $40,000
1DAB-6D02 + 3CAB-6D62 Start easy game with $60,000
86AB-6D02 + D8AB-6D62 Start easy game with $3,000
And thanks to World-of-Nintendo for these Action Replay/Gameshark Codes:-
01BBC2AD Money doesn't decrease for most types of spending
01BBC2FD Infinity money!
03803700 Time goes faster
0380370F Time goes slower
7E03F501 Villa house bonus gift (Your House)
7E03F503 Park bonus gift (City Park)
7E03F504 Zoo bonus gift
7E03F505 Casino bonus gift
7E03FF50 No bonus gift
7E0BF9EB $49,000 all games
03C69160 + 03C692EA Start easy game with $60,000
Easy Money
For a cool $10,000 hold SHIFT and type "FUND". If you do this three times in a
year you'll get an earthquake, and the code may only be used eight times. For
best results, use it up before you build to avoid damage from the quakes.
Note: The $10,000 you receive is a loan and must be paid back with interest.
During gameplay, hold the SHIFT key and type...SADDAM. This will drop a bomb on
the city. Since I do not have a Mac version, I don't know exactly how it will
look, but hey, it's worth a try. It obviously doesn't help build your city, but
it will give you something to look at.
Try CaptainSyrup@ignmail.com. You're not kiddies any more, so I won't run a
list of unacceptable e-mail. If it's rubbish I'll just delete it, simple as
that. I also have a website which may have more up to date information than
this FAQ; www.geocities.com/captainsyrup
My next FAQ? It's going to be a biggie! I'm going to write a guide for every
Sonic game in existence. My guide shall be known as "The Ultimate Sonic FAQ".
Look out for it at my site, and probably GameFAQs, hopefully before Christmas!
"A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend" - Willow Rosenberg:) So true, so true..
unfortunately, I'm afraid to say that due to certain legal issues, I can't beat
you to death with a shovel if you plagiarise this document. I may, however,
take legal action. See you in court:)
This document is Copyright Captain Syrup 2000. All rights reserved. Use it at
your own risk:)
