============================================================================== SimCity 3000 Advisor and Ordinance FAQ ver.1.0 ============================================================================== author : Hafiz Rahman e-mail : notinmybackyardplease@yahoo.com first started : 23 May 2003 last updated : 29 May 2003 ============================================================================== 0. Table of Contents / Version History ============================================================================== 0. Table of Contents / Version History 1. Advisor 1.0. Financial Advisor: Mortimer Green 1.1. Transportation Advisor: Moe Biehl 1.2. City Planner: Constance Lee 1.3. Environment Advisor: Karen Frawl 1.4. Public Safety Advisor: Maria Montoya 1.5. Health, Education and Aura Advisor: Randall Shoop 1.6. Utilities Advisor: Gus Oddman 2. Ordinance 3. Miscellaneous 3.0. In-game tips, "The Llama suggests..." 4. Endnotes 4.0. Credits 4.1. Author's note Version 1.0 ~ initial release. ============================================================================== 1. Advisor ============================================================================== ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.0. Financial Advisor: Mortimer Green ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ____________________________ Welcome from Mortimer Green \_________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Welcome, Your Honour. I am Mortimer Green, your Financial Advisor. It's my job to keep a close eye on the treasury and the tax rates. Building and running a city is very costly. Especially now, before the city starts collecting tax revenues, you may run out of cash before you've finish(ed) setting up the essentials of a new city. Without the essentials -- zones, transportation, and power -- your city will never grow. You can take out a loan whenever you need more money. Find out how loans work by reading the briefing called "Loans" -- it's in my files. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________ Simoleons \___________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Simoleons are the currency of SimNation. Each city maintains a treasury of simoleons to pay of city operations and growth. When the treasury is empty, you will not be able to zone or construct new buildings. However, expenses from city departments, ordinances, neighbor deals, and outstanding loans will continue to accrue, sending the treasury into debt. A city can carry debt up to a point, but if a city gets so deep in debt there is no hope for escape, Sims will start looking for a new Mayor. Your Financial Advisor will warn you when things start looking grim. ----- From the book, "Simoleons and Treasury," by Albert Volkspan, Chairman of the SimNation Federal Reserve Board ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________________ Setting Tax Rates \___________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Contrary to popular belief, there is no ideal setting for tax rates. Succesful mayors continually review and adjust tax levels to influence how their city grows. Tax rates have a strong effect on the demand for certain land types. However, conditions in the city such as availability of jobs and current land values can counteract the effect that tax rates have on demand for land. LOWERING TAXES Lowering taxes in a particular sector will spur growth in that sector, other things being equal. For example, cutting Residential taxes will attract Sims to the city. There are risks to lowering taxes. The total number of taxpayers may increase, but total revenues collected may fall. Also, a growing population requires more city services, and that costs money. RAISING TAXES Raising taxes can increase the amount of tax revenues collected, allowing the city to accumulate more funds to pay for city services growth. There are risks to raising taxes. High tax rates encourage Sims or businesses to move away, leaving the city with fewer taxpayers. Also, Sims don't like tax hikes and will complain. ----- Abstract from "Economic Hokum and Conceptual Profundity: A Tax Primer for Mayors" by Dr. Crendel Hildenbraut, Academy for Justified Redistribution ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________________ Funding City Departments \____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Drafting a budget means deciding how much money from the city treasury should be spent on each city department. Each department requires a minimal amount to pay for salaries and capital equipment. If you give a department additional funds, the department becomes more effective -- up to a point. When departments receive far more than they need, departmental employees have a tendency to waste extra funds on unnecessary "luxury" items such as cappuccino machines and visits from pet psychics. So how much money should you allocate for each department? There is no one answer to this question. Departmental needs change as the city grows. Your advisor will offer their opinions on how much money to allocate. Be aware, though, that they are sometimes biased in favor of their own departments and may ask for more than they really need. And your Financial Advisor will normally argue against spending money for anything that is not an absolute necessity. If you have seriously underfunded a department, you can be sure your Sims will let you know. And unless you increase funding, the department may retaliate with a strike. ----- Class notes from "Budgeting for Mayors 101," Beezletown Community College, M-W-F, 9:00-10:00 A.M. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______________ Budget Window \_______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Budget window has two different views; one view shows city expenditures and the other shows city income. EXPENDITURES VIEW The view shows the aggregate outflow your city pays for Ordinances, Neighbor Deals, or outstanding loans. In addition, you'll see the current funding level for each city department. You can adjust the funding by moving the departmental slider to the right or left. The light blue marker on the budget slider shows the amount of funding the department has requested, though you may allocate any amount. INCOME VIEW This view shows the aggregate income your city receives from any money- generating Ordinances, Neighbor Deals, or Business Deals, or from Disaster Relief. In addition, you'll see current tax rates for each of the three city main sectors (Industrial, Commercial, and Residential), and may adjust them if you like. The city's estimated annual profit or loss is displayed at the bottom of the window. If the total is displayed in black, you're in good shape and should make money at the end of the year. If the total is 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. ----- Excerpt from the user's guide, "Budge-It," Financial Software for Mayors, Version 1.1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________ Neighbour Deals \_____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From time to time, Mayors from other cities may offer you deals to trade power, water, or garbage disposal services. Each deal must be reviewed on its own merit -- some deals are very advantageous, others potentially damaging. The value of a deal depends on how you wish to operate your city. You cannot initiate a deal directly. But when you build a connection to a neighboring city, it signals that city's Mayor that you are interested in trading a certain commodity. Power deals require a water pipe connection, and garbade deals require either a road, rail, or seaport connection. When you accept a deal to sell to a neighbor, you'll receive monthly income from the contracted neighbor, money which is automatically added to your treasury. When you accept a deal to buy from a neighbor, a monthly charge will be deducted from your treasury. Makre sure to read and understand the terms of a deal before you accept it. Once you accpet a deal, you are obligated to fulfull the contract and will be charged a penalty for canceling. If you destroy the connection between cities, or run out of the commodity you're selling, the deal will be automatically cancelled and you'll be charged a penalty fee. ----- Inter-Urban Regulatory Guidelines for Neighbor Deals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________ Business Deals \______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From time to time, you may be asked for permission to construct certain buldings in your city. If you grant permission, your city will receive a monthly fee for as long as the bulding stands. All Business Delas may sound attractive, but be aware that these buldings always bring problems to the city such as high crime, or pollution. The presence of these buildings in the city will cause Sims to complain, especially if they are constructed near Residential neighborhoods. Think carefully before agreeing to a Business Deal. They are only worth the trouble if you really need the cash. ----- Inter-Urban Regulatory Guidelines for Business Deals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______ Loans \_______________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When times get tough, or you are looking for rapid growth, you may want to take out a loan. Loans provide a quick infusion of cash to the city treasury. This cash can be used for any purpose -- it can pay for improvements such as new schools, or it can pay off existing debt. In short, loans stimulate growth in cities that are robust but not wealthy, or can save from bankruptcy cities that have suffered loss from disasters or fiscal mismanagement. Loans are expensive, so don't take one without considering the consequences. Interest costs are equal to approximately fifty percent of the loan; therefore if a city takes a 10,000 simoleon loan, the city is obligated to pay back nearly 15,000 simoleons. FACTS ABOUT LOANS: You may have up to ten loans outstanding at any dime. A loan can be taken for any reason, and at any time (unless you have ten loans outstanding). Loans are available in 5,000 simoleon increments. Each new loan is extended from ten year, 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 mande in the tenth year, the loan is repain and comes off the books. Total payment made will equal approximately 150% of the original loan amount. ----- Government Publication 10546\A-2F "Taking Out a Loan" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________ Strategies for Increasing Cash \______________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HOW TO CUT 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 the departments will not run very well without adequare funds and 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 in 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. HOW TO RAISE INCOME Raise Taxes! It will lower demand for real estate, but without cash to build, you don't need high demand. Watch that taxes are not so high that everyone leaves town, or you'll be 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 Moneymaking Neighbor Deals! If you have excess water, power, garbade disposal capacity, check in the Petitioner window for neighbors who will pay you to supply these commodities. 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. ----- Advertising supplement, "Eight Ways to Increase Your Cash Flow" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FISCAL WATCHDOGS Proud to be called bean counters, the Fiscal Watchdogs keep a close eye on how the public's money is spent. This loosely-organized group of concerned accountants, bursars and cashiers volunteer their time and training to make sure the city is not frittering away taxpayer money. Phyllis Denning, the group's figurehead, claims never to have met a city expenditure she liked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Legalised Gambling Legalized Gambling allows the establishment of casinos offering card, table, and mechanical games of chance as defined by the State "Right To Be Stupid Act" of 1895 and ammended the following year. The city regulates the vigorish and takes a percentage of profits from all city gambling establishments each month. Even though gambling boosts the treasury, it attracts unsavory types prone to petty crime. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.1. Transportation Advisor: Moe Biehl ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// _______________________ Welcome From Moe Biehl \______________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello, Mayor . Moeh Biehl is my name, and I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance. I don't mean to start off making too many suggestions, but you need to build some roads. WIthout roads or rail the city will never develop. Sims need a way to get around a town is all. Make sure the roads you build connect all the different types of zones. It might be nice to build a road around the borders of each zone too. If you need help, check my files. I have a briefing called "Building A Transportation System" that should give you a few tips. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------_________________________________ Building A Transportation System \____________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ROADS vs. MASS TRANSIT A transportation system can be based on roads, mass transit, or some combination of both. Most Sims prefer to drive their cars, so if roads are plentiful, more Sims will want to live in your city, especially when the city is small. But if you rely solely on roads you'll find that as the population grows, traffic problems become horrendous. Mass transit gets cars off the street and keep sthe air cleaner. It's one of the best thing you can do for your city. In fact, it's difficult to build a large city without using any mass transit at all. When planning your subway, rail and bus 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 facor of mass transit. ----- Free Government Handout, "The Importance of Infrastructure" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------___________________________________ Roads, Intersections, and On-Ramps \__________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ROADS and HIGHWAYS Roads are two lane paved routes that Sims like to drive on. Highways are 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. INTERSECTIONS Intersections allow your Sims to drive off of one road an donto 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 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. On-Ramps allow your Sims to get on and off Highways. To build an on-ramp, select the On-Ramp tool and click on the tile at the corner of the intersection of a road and highway, or of two highways. The city engineers will construct the on-ramp. ----- Endnotes from the poem, "The Road More Traveled" written by Moe Biehl ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________ Bridges \_____________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ You can build roads, highways, and rails across water. When you build over water, your city engineers will automatically be notified to build a bridge for you. They will build causeways over short spans of water and suspension bridges over large spans. When building, don't be disheartened by the red drop shadow that appears as you move the mouse over water -- just keep dragging until you reach dry land again. When you release the mouse button on dry land, the city engineers will notify you of the cost of the proposed span. If you accept, the bridge will be built. ----- Why Engineers Love Toothpicks and Duct Tape: Part 1 - Bridges ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________ Tunnels \_____________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you're building a road, highway, or rail over mountainous terrain, your omnipresent team of city engineers may insist you to bore a tunnel if the incline is too steep. This happens automatically if you try to build a route a steep incline. Your team of city engineers will inform you of their ability to construct a tunnel and the cost. If you accept, they will bore the tunnel for you. ----- Why Engineers Love Toothpicks and Duct Tape: Part 2 - Tunnels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MASS TRANSIENTS This group is commited to the expansion, enhancement and use of public transit throughout the city. Organized by Kara Barkley, estranged daughter of car-mogul Ben Barkley, the group's expressed purpose is to remove automobiles from all city streets. While they accept the futility of this position, they nevertheless believe any victories, no matter how minor, are steps in that direction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Alternate Day Driving The Alternate Day Driving Ordinace asks Sims to limit the number of days they drive each week. Sims with even numbered license plates are encouraged to drive only on even days and those with odd numbered plates only on odd days. Drivers with vanity plates are asked to stay off the roads completely. Global traffic in the city is reduced when this ordinance is in effect. The monthly cost of this ordinance, based on population, is used to promote voluntary compliance. Sims who violate the odd/even rule are frequently ostracized by friends and co-workers, and can become angry enough to call for its repeal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Carpool Incentive The Carpool Incentive helps encourage drivers to have passengers in their cars. Drivers with three additional passengers are not required to stop for toll plazas. All "No Left Turn" signs may be ignored by drivers with seven additional passengers. A driver with nine or more passengers receives free all-day parking in most city garages. This ordinance has a monthly cost based on population to pay for administration of the program. The main benefit of this incentive is that it reduces traffic in the city, although at times tempers can flare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Parking Fines The Parking Fines Ordinance gives the city a small but steady source of income from parking violators. Dedicated city employees, who meet minimal standards for penmanship and congeniality, patrol the streets and issue tickets to Sims who stop their cars without regard to safety factors, posted regulations, common courtesy, or civic pride. This ordinance tends to improve traffic flow in the city. However, most Sims don't like the measure, and receiving a parking ticket fuels the fire of Sims with latent anger issues. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Shuttle Service Sims will normally walk only short distance from their homes or offices to reach a road or mass transit stop. Enacting the Shuttle Service Ordinance sets up free shuttles around the city, increasing the distance Sims can travel to find other sources of transportation. The monthly cost of this ordinance is based on city population, and monies are spent on repair and maintenance of a fleet of shuttles. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subsidised Mass Transit The Subsidized Mass Transit Ordinance cuts subway, rail and bus fares by 50%, providing an incentive for Sims to forego their cars for mass transit alternatives. City funds provide the subsidy, and an amount based on population is calculated and deducted from the treasury each month. This ordinance reduces traffic congestion and air pollution in the city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.2. City Planner: Constance Lee ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ___________________________ Welcome From Constance Lee \__________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let me introduce myself. I'm Constance Lee, your City Planning advisor. I have some advice for you right off -- start zoning. You must designate zones in the city to let the Sims know where they can build. If you lay down zones and make sure they have power and trasportation, it won't be long before you'll see Sims construct new houses and businesses right before your eyes! The city will never start to develop until you have at least one Industrial zone and one Residential zone, so place them first. Later you can add more zones of all types. If you need help placing zones, read the briefing in my files called "Understanding Zones." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________ Types of Zones \______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zones are areas of the city that a Mayor designates for specific uses. There are six types of zones. RESIDENTIAL ZONES Residential zones are where Sims live, in structures ranging from single family homes to exclusive high rise condominiums. COMMERCIAL ZONES Commercial zones are where Sims shop, and where some of them work. Buildings in these zones range from mom-and-pop shops to towering office complexes. The demand for Commercial zones typically rises as a city gets larger. INDUSTRIAL ZONES Industrial zones define areas where manufacturing, agriculture, and high-tech enterprises can do business. Younger cities normally attract polluting industries, and can even attract farms in low density areas on the outskirts of the town. As the education level of Sims rises, cities start to attract cleaner, high-tech industries. AIRPORT ZONES Airport help Commercial and Industrial districts to grow by bringing in tourists and workers. Airports must be fairly large in order to develop, and require power and transportation. SEAPORT ZONES Seaports help Industrial and Commercial sectors to grow by providing a means to transport goods to the outside world. Seaports must be fairly large in order to develop, and require power and transportation. They must be located on a seacost. LANDFILL ZONES Landfills are areas where city garbage is dumped, buried, and left to decompose. When zoning landfill, remember to extend a road or rail from the city to the landfill site so that the garbage can be transported there. ----- Excerpt from the program "Location, Location, Location," broadcast on KSIM 98.1 -- SimNation Public Broadcasting Service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ____________ How To Zone \_________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zoning a city is both a science and an art. It is a science because demand dictates when new zones are needed. It is an art because new zones may be placed anywhere, allowing you to design any kind of city you like. The RCI Demand Indicator is the tool that tracks the demand for Residential, Commercial, and Industrial zones. When demand for a particular type of zone is high, provide more of that zone. Your decision on where to place a new zone, and what a density to zone for, will influence how your city develops. Zone density determines the maximum number of buildings that can occupy a zone and how tall those buildings can be. In high-density zones, buildings may start small (low density) but will be replaced with larger buildings as land becomes more valuable. When placing different zone types next to each other, consider the impact of adjacent zones. For example, a low-density Residential area placed next to arge high-density Commercial towers might be a hard sell. Even though you designate zones, the Sims will ultimately decide what to build there. Sims are fussy and fickle and often contradictory. They want to live close to the place where they work, but not too close since businesses create pollution and traffic. Finding a balance between Sims' wants and needs is key to the art of zoning. In summary, there is no one right way to lay out the zones of your city. Zoning is a process of estimation, and trial and error. Your Sims will let you know when something is amiss. ----- Editorial from Zone Quarterly, Volume 23, Issue 3, Section 21, Upper Left ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ RCI Demand \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cities, particularly young cities, tend to exhibit similar growth trends because demand for specific land types follow a predictable pattern. Early on, Industrial demand is high because outsiders want cheap land to build new industries. Once industry is established, Residential demand grows becase Sims who work in industry need a place to live. Gradually, these Sims need Commercial services so, over time, demand for the Commercial sector grows. Residential demand is usually equal to the aggregate demand for Industrial and Commercial, or simply stated, R = C + I. Younger cities demand more Industrial than Commercial, while in mature cities the opposite is true. Industrial demand comes from outside the city, while Commercial demand is primarily internal -- as the city grows, it creates more and more internal demand for Commercial. Each sector has growth "caps" where growth cannot continue without intervention. Certain buildings such as airports, seaports, amusement parks, or sports stadiums can "lift the cap" allowing additional growth in the sector. Listen to your Sims -- though the won't talk about caps, they'll let you know when a sector stops growing and will suggest things to encourage growth. ----- Government Pamphlet 2352-4S (rev 1.2) Patterns and Trends of RCI Demand ------------------------------------------------------------------------------________________________ When Zones Fail to Grow \_____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are five primary reasons why some zones will not develop: 1. LACK OF UTILITIES: Zones must have power before they will start to develop, and need water to develop to full density. 2. INADEQUATE TRANSPORTATION: And area will not develop unless Sims can drive to that area, or get there using some form of mass transportation. Any areas located more than a short walking distance from a transportation route is of minimal interest to Sims. 3. OVERSUPPLY OF ZONE TYPE: If there is not sufficient demand for a particular type of zone, that zone will not develop. 4. EXTREMELY HIGH OR LOW LAND VALUE: Industrial zones will not develop in areas where the land value is too high, even if there is a demand for Industrial zones. Residential and Commercial zones will not develop in areas where land value is too low, even if there is a demand for such zones. Low land value is caused by factors such as high crime, high pollution, or proximity to certain structures like garbage incinerators, high-tension wires or even buildings like jails. 5. RADIATION: If a zone has been contaminated with radiation, it will not develop. ----- Conclusions of the 11th Annual Conference of Zone Failure ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ INDUSTRY FOR A BETTER TOMORROW These dedicated plant managers and factory owners work to bring peace and justice to the industrial sector. The organization has no written by-laws, as this would fly in the face of the group's contempt for needless regulations. Taxes are another concern; members believe governments tend to balance the budget on the backs of rich industrialists. Fred Honker, the chief executive of the group, enjoys skeet shooting-and canasta. MALCOLM LANDGRAAB INDUSTRIES Malcolm Landgraab Industries, the sole employee of which is Malcolm Landgraab, owns a controlling interest in many of SimNation's large-scale real estate projects. By advancing the interests of all developers throughout the city, Landgraab Industries earns a small commision at both ends of all transactions. Mr. Landgraab divides his time between his condo in the city and his hacienda on the resort island of San Cordelia. BUREAU OF OVERSIGHT The Bureau of Oversight is the federal Watson to city government, operating under the juridiction of the SimNation Department of Obscure Intentions. With bureaucrat Fred Smith at the helm, the Bureau of Oversight has enjoyed higher funding and lower responsibility for twenty-two consecutive years. Fred enjoys coin collecting and television game shows. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The Chamber of Commerce works on behalf of the local business community. President, pro tem, Prunella Penny is considered quite forceful in her pursuit to make the city a business and commercial leader in the region. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Earthquake Resistance and Retro-Fitting The Earthquake Resistance and Retro-Fitting Ordinance requires that money be spent on design, engineering and construction of earthquake-resistant buildings, and also on retro-fitting older buildings constructed before the advent of modern techniques. When this ordinance is enacted, building are better able to withstand tremors and shaking, and will sustain less damage during an earthquake. It can be pricey, though, since the monthly cost of this ordinance is based on the number and types of buildings in the city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Homeless Shelters The Homeless Shelters Ordinance pays for shelters, soup lines, and basic infrastructure to aid the city's less fortunate. The ordinance incurs a monthly cost based on city population. The money seems well spent, as the city's overall land value actually increases, perhaps because doing something positive for the least of people is uplifting. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tourist Promotion The Tourist Promotion Ordinance uses tried-and-true advertising techniques to attract visitors to town. It also establishes a Welcome Center where guests receive maps, brochures, and discount coupons that can be used at numerous retail establishments in the city. When enacted, the treasury takes a monthly hit to pay for advertising expenses in an amount based on population. Sims benefit from a stronger Commercial demand, though they gripe about the traffic that the shutter-happy tourists bring. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Conservation Corps The Conservation Corps is an organization responsible for maintaining the natural beauty of the city. Armed with litter-stabbing sticks and plastic trash bags, Sims of the Corps patrol city highways, streets and coastlines hunting down unsightly trash. This ordinance is funded through a monthly fee based on the number of polluting factories in the city. In addition to reducing pollution and helping to attract clean industry, the Conservation Corps keeps teenagers busy with positive activities and a sense of purpose, helping to reduce crime. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clean Industry Association The Clean Industry Association is a consortium of cities that promote clean industry throughout SimNation. A small monthly fee supports the association's efforts to attract non-polluting industries, conduct research in waste management, and act as a watchdog over polluting industrial sites. Many a new mayor has welcomed high-polluting industries into city, only to regret the eventual costs to the quality of life. Enacting this ordinance will please ecologically-minded residents, but when polluting industries start feeling the pressure, they may pack up their bags and leave -- which may be just what you're after. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Tax Incentive The Electronic Tax Incentive Ordinance is designed to attract electronic companies to your city by subsidizing some of the taxes those companies would otherwise pay. For cities only mildly attractive to the electronics industry, this tax break gives high-tech firms reason to take a second look. The monthly cost of this subsidy can be pricey, as it is based on the number of non-polluting manufacturers in the city. But if moving toward cleaner industry is on your agenda, the financial hit may be worth it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aerospace Tax Incentive The Aerospace Tax Incentive Ordinance is designed to attract developers of aerospace materials to your city by subsidizing some of the taxes those companies would otherwise pay. This may encourage demand for clean industry in your city, depending on the growth of the aerospace industry. The monthly cost of this ordinance is based on the number of clean industries in the city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronics Job Fair The Eletronics Job Fair Ordinance pays for an annual city-sponsored job fair. Electronics companies view the job fair as a valuable way to find an educated and experienced employee base, and are more likely to set up in cities that hold one. Demand for clean industry increases when this ordinance is enacted, but the city foots the bill which is a monthly fee based on population. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Biotech Tax Incentive The Biotech Tax Incentive Ordinance is designed to attract biotechnology companies to your city by subsidizing a portion of the taxes those companies would otherwise pay. This may encourage demand for clean industry, depending on the growth of the biotechnology industry. The monthly cost of this ordinance is based on the number of clean industries in the city. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Public Access Cable The Public Access Cable Ordinance pays for free local use of media facilities by members of your community. Media companies are more likely to see your city as a place where telecommunication skills are highly valued, and may be more likely to move in, hoping to find an experienced employee base. Each month a fee is deducted from the city treasury, an amount based on population. Its effect is an increase in demand for clean industry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Farmer's Market The Farmer's Market Ordinance, the brainchild of the Urban and Rural Resource Sharing Committee, asks the city to allocate a parcel of land where farmers can sell fresh fruits and vegetables to the public at wholesale prices. There are no costs to the city for enacting this ordinance, and all its effects are positive. It encourages farm development in nearby areas, and gives Sims a place to go on Saturday mornings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Industrial Pollutant Impact Fee The Industrial Pollutant Impact Fee Ordinance assesses a monthly fee to each polluting factory in the city. Fees are deposited into the city treasury with the understanding that some day they may be needed to clean up dangerously contaminated sites. Industry seems to resent government regulation in any form and some factories may respond by moving to less restrictive cities. As long as the ordinance is in place, it may be difficult to persuade new industries to move in, replacing those that leave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.3. Environment Advisor: Karen Frawl ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ____________________ Dealing With Refuse \_________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trash happens. You simply can't stop Sims from generating it. There are ways to reduce the amount of trash that Sims produce, but you can't eliminate it completely. You must find a way to dispose of the trash in your city. Your disposal alternatives are to dump it in landfills, burn it, or ship it out of town. Don't put off this chore. If you don't provide a means for your city to dispose of garbage, Sims will be forced to dump their trash right out their window and you'll be able to see it pile up. It isn't pretty. When garbage levels get very high, health levels drop dramatically as will the overall happiness of the Sims. It won't take long for everyone to find a cleaner city in which to live. ----- Public Education Brochure 12C-2, "Don't Let Garbage Become A Mess" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________ Landfills \___________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LANDFILL ZONES If you want to bury your city's garbage, you must zone an area for landfill. Choose a site carefully. Landfills don't make grand neighbors -- they stink up the air and cause surrounding land values to plummet -- so pick a spot far from Residential and Commercial zones or Sims will complain. All landfills require road or railroad access so that garbage can be transported there. Without a transportation route, the landfill will be unusable. HOW LANDFILLS WORK Landfills slowly decompose garbage, but they are not black hole; overused landfills will reach a point where they can't handle any more trash. Eventually, a landfill will decompose all of its accumulated garbage, at which time it can be rezoned. If you want to get rid of a landfill and you think bulldozing it will solve the problem, think again. You can't bulldoze over landfills; however, you can decommision them by removing road or rail access. ----- Government Pamphlet 102-C "Landfills Are Everybody's Business" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____________ Incinerators \________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Incinerators dispose of garbage by burning it. Unfortunately, they are nasty metal monsters that spew out lots of air pollution and ash. Sims don't like them, and they especially don't like them build in their backyards. Waste-to-energy incinerators are not any kinder to the environment. They have a greater disposal capacity and actually create electricity by burning garbage that can be used for supply power to your Sims. Incinerators should be placed near a road or railway so garbage trucks or trains carrying garbage can get there. But because of all the pollution they create, incinerators should not be placed near Residential or Commercial zone or Sims will complain. Incinerators have a set lifespan. As they age, their capacity is significantly reduced. There will come a time in the life of an incinerator when its capacity drops so low, it is preferable to bulldoze and replace it. Government Pamphlet 102-D "Insights on Incinerators" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------__________________ Recycling Centers \___________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Recycling Centers can significantly reduce the amount of trash that Sims produce. It's much cheaper to recycle trash than it is to dispose of it, so build a Recycling Center as soon as they become available. These centers pay for themselves quickly, and no city should be without one. Each Recycling Center can onlye deal with a limited amount of garbage, so large cities should have them in multiple locations for maximum effectiveness. Enact the Trash Presort Ordinance and you'll raise the efficiency of all Recycling Centers. Recycling Centers have a fairly long lifespan, but as they age, their capacity diminishes so periodically these buildings will need to be replaced. ----- Government Pamphlet 102-E "Recycling Centers: Where Sims Return Again and Again" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------___________________________ Neighbour Deals for Refuse \__________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mayors from neighboring cities may come to you with offers to buy or sell garbage disposal services. Garbage deals are only available if you have built road, rail or seaport connections to a neighboring city. EXPORTING GARBAGE An easy, but sometimes expensive, way to dispose of garbage is to pay a neighbor to haul it all away. Each month, a contracted neighbor will take all your excess garbage (meaning all garbage that your city's landfills and incinerators cannot handle); and each month, funds are deducted from your treasury based on how much garbage they took. If you don't generate any excess garbage, you still have to pay a minimum fee. There is a large penalty for canceling the deal. IMPORTING GARAGE If you have excess landfill space or incinerator capacity, you can make a deal to dispose of a neighbor's trash. Each month, a set amount of trash will be added to your city's garbage and each month, you'll receive a cash payment. If your garbage disposal services become overloaded and you want to cancel the deal, you'll be charged a large penalty. ----- From the Circular Files of Inter-Urban Council On Trash Exchange ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______________ Air Pollution \_______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Air pollution lowers land values and health levels in your city, making your Sims quite distressed. While many things contribute to air pollution, the two biggest culprits are heavy traffic and smokestack industries. If you can encourage mass transit and clean industries, you are well on your way to solving your city's air pollution problem. Adding trees and parks to your city helps to clean the air, as well as enacting any of the clean air ordinances. ----- A Skunkworks Team Report, "Air Pollution" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________ Water Pollution \_____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water pollution can devastate a city. It threatens the health of residents, makes the drinking water smelly and unpalatable, and clogs pumps and pipes. Water treatment plants can purify small amounts of dirty water, but it is far too expensive and time consuming to keep a city's entire water supply treated. The best defense against water pollution is to stop it at the source. That means preventing garbage from accumulating and attacking older, smokestack industries. Enact clean water ordinances to encourage non-polluting, high-tech industries to replace heavy manufacturing firms. ----- A Skunkworks Team Report, "Water Pollution" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GREEN GAIANS Named after Gaia, the Greek goddess of the earth, the Green Gaians have been instrumental in spearheading legislation to insure a clean environment for all Sims. Spokesman Eugene Banks, and eco-biologist and former motorcycle enthusiast, is SimNation's foremost authority on pollution and the lost art of tie-dying. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Industrial Waste Disposal Tax The Industrial Waste Disposal Tax levies a tax on all Commercial and Industrial interests doing business in the city to pay for special disposal of Class 3 Refuse. To "share the burden," a flat tax is assessed to all businesses regardless of the actual amount of Class 3 Refuse they produce. All companies dislike this tax, particularly small business owners who feel the flat tax structure is unfair. This ordinance brings monthly revenue into the treasury, an amount based on the number of Commercial and Industrial in the city. It tends to lower Commercial and Industrial demand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mandatory Car Smogging The Mandatory Car Smogging Ordinance requires that any car driven comply in principle with clean emissions standards as set by the SimNation Geo-Physical Council of 1979. When this ordinance is enacted, air pollution levels drop. The city spends money each month for administration of the program, an amount that varies based of population. Since the cost of non-compliance falls upon the car owners, a few Sims are always royally cheesed by this ordinance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Clean Air The Clean Air Ordinance promotes techniques to reduce air pollution reduction in all homes and businesses. Industry sees itself as the victim of this measure, feeling pressured to clean up its own mess. This ordinance has a monthly cost, based on population. The overall effect is to lower citywide air pollution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Leaf Burning Ban The Leaf Burning Ban Ordinance asks the residents to refrain from setting outdoor fires to dispose of piles of leaves. The result is a reduction of citywide air pollution and a lowering of flammability. There is no cost associated with this ordinance, and it does not ban Sims from burning leaves in their living rooms, should they choose to do so. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Waste Presort The Trash Presort Ordinance encourages Sims to separate their garbage for more efficient recycling. Individual bins are provided for each of ninety-five refuse types, including toxic waste and syntethic plastics numbered one through seventy-eight. Sims caught tossing trash into the wrong bin must attend a six-week course, "Olfactory Identification of Trash Types." When this ordinance is enacted, the city pays a monthly cost, based on population, but efficiency in Recycling Centers goes up considerably. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lawn Chemical Ban The Lawn Chemical Ban forbids the use of any fertilizer that contains Triphenel-Bichloral-Monodioxide, a compound that has been found to contaminate the city's ground water. Although the chemical ban hinders agricultural development, most Sims believe the reduction in water pollution is for the greater good. Each month the city is charged a fee (based on population) to pay for research and development of safer fertilizers, a move to appease farmers and persnickety gardeners who rely on the 3P-2B-1D compound to control weeds. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Landfill Gas Recovery The Landfill Gas Recovery Project instructs the city to use available technology to recover the natural gas that is a by-product of garbage decomposition in a landfill. The city may, at its discretion, build and maintain its own recovery plants, contract such recovery to local businesses, or both. Any recovered natural gas will revert to the Utilities Department for inclusion in the city's general power production, although the amounts are not expected to be significant. When this ordinance is in effect, the city incurs a small monthly cost that fluctuates with population. However, air polution will be reduced by this project, making the whole thing worthwhile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Backyard Composting The Backyard Composting Ordinance establishes periodic neighborhood workshops to train citizens in the techniques of composting, a process that converts organic home refuse into a useful fertilizer. The monthly cost of this ordinance, based on Sim population, helps cover the granola budget for workshop participants, and pays for tour guides at local manura farms and worm ranches. It benefits the city by reducing citywide garbage and by letting Sims experience the good feeling that comes when one works with the soil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Paper Reduction Act The Paper Reduction Act reduces garbage levels in the city by calling attention to the vast amount of paper wasted in the normal course of running a business. It requires all production managers to file a fifty page report whenever paper usage at their business or factory exceeds, by then percent or more, the previous month's levels. These reports are to be typed on the Standard Form 23/6-A (rev. 2), and must provide written justification for the paper usage variance. The monthly cost of this ordinance, based on Sim population, pays to bind and store these reports in public reading rooms. The ordinance if found to be an effective means for reducing garbage production, because managers will do "whatever it takes" to avoid writing a report. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tyre Recycling The Tire Recycling Ordinance requires that all discarded vehicular tires be pulverized and incorporated into asphalt, in accordance with common road engineering practices. This ordinance reduces both garbage production and the cost of building new mads. A monthly fee, based on Sim population, is deducted from the treasury when this ordinance is in effect. Funds pay for pulverizing the city's old tires, and for delivery of the material to the Transportation Department for use in road construction. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.4. Public Safety Advisor: Maria Montoya ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// __________________ Police Protection \___________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crime is a fact of life in any city, but it can and should be kept to a minimum. High crime in a neighborhood lowers land values and makes law-abiding Sims very unhappy. You can deal with crime from several angles. First, build more police stations in your city. Second, take steps to make your city a nice place to live (SimCriminals tend to avoid nice places). POLICE STATIONS Police stations provide protection in a radius around each station called a "precinct." The size of a precinct expands as you raise the police budget. Criminals can roam free in any area that is not covered by a precinct, so try to place police stations in strategic areas around your city. Funding not only affects a precinct's size, but also its effectiveness. Police effectiveness is the likelihood that a criminal who commits a crime within a precinct will get caught. Effectiveness is always highest in a small radius around the police station, and starts to face farther away from the station. As police funding increases, police effectiveness throughout the precinct rises. Police stations placed near one another may have precincts that overlap, and effectiveness in these overlapping areas is addictive. The Crime Data map shows the location of police stations and the effectiveness within the precincts, as well as showing areas of high crime in the city. Use this map to find the best spots to place new police stations. You can use the query tool to get details on how any individual station is doing. ----- Classnotes from the Police Academy, "Protecting Your Sims" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______ Jails \_______________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Jails are where convicted criminals are put to pay their debt to society. If you do not have enough jails in your city, the police will be forced to release any new criminals they catch back onto the street. Keep enough jails around or your police effectiveness will drop. Sims don't like living near jails, so build them away from Residential neighborhoods. ----- SimNational Report on Criminal Housings Alternatives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________ Lowering Crime \______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The best way to lower crime is to build more police stations and raise the police budget. But there are additional measures you can take. High land value goes hand in hand with low crime. The more you can do to make your city a more desirable place to live, the fewer crimes will occur. Certain ordinances can reduce crime, though you should weigh the cost of the ordinance against the cost of providing additional police protection. And be aware that some ordinances, like some building, tend to increase crime levels. ----- Proceedings from the Police Commissioner Convention: Making Your City Safer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________________ Dispatching Police \__________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When an emergency occurs, you may manually dispatch a polce squadron to any area in the city. The number of squadrons you can send at any one time is equal to the number of police stations in the city plus one. You always have at least one dispatch, even with no police stations. When an emergency arises in a area with sufficient police coverage, you probably do not need to dispatch additional police. You still may want to, though, especially for larger disasters. Police can help to some extent no matter what type of disaster occurs. Though they are most effective for dealing with riots, they can be helpful for dealing with other disasters such as fires. To dispatch a police squadron, click on the Dispatch Police button within the EMERGENCY button menu and then click on any location in the city. The officers arrive immediately and go straight to work. A police dispatch pylon will mark their location. ----- Excerpt from The Police Office"s Handbook, "Getting the Most Out of Your Patrol Car" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________ Fire Protection \_____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIRE STATIONS and FUNDING Fires occur at random, though they are more likely in areas of high flammability. If Fire Stations are placed strategically throughout the city, you can rest easy knowing that if a blaze does break out, you have everything set up to solve the problem without your intervention. Each fire station you place provides a radius of fire protection around it. The size of the coverage area expands up to a limit as you raise the fire budget. Though a fire is just as likely to break out in an area with fire protection as in one without, fires in protected areas are less likely to do any damage because firefighters respond immediately. Funding not only affects the size of the coverage area, it also influences the effectiveness of firefighters within a covered area. Firefighter effectiveness is the likelihood that a fire that breaks out in a protected area will get put out before damage occures. Effectiveness is always highest in a small radius around the fire station, and starts to fade farther away from the station. As fire funding increases, firefighter effectiveness rises. Fire stations placed near one another may have cover areas that overlap, and effectiveness in these overlapping areas is additive. The Flammability Data map shows the location of fire stations and their coverage areas. It also shows areas at high risk of fire. Use this map to find the best spots in your city to place new fire stations. WHEN A FIRE IS OUT OF CONTROL When a fire occurs in an area not served by a fire station, you can dispatch firefighters to the scene. You might even dispatch police, though they don't help much. Or you can bulldoze a firebreak around to blaze to try and contain it. What you cannot do is turn off "disasters" when a fire is already in progress. ----- Tips from Dotty the Dalmatian: Protecting Your City Against Fire ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____________ Flammability \________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Flammability is a measure of how easily something will burn. All buildings in your city have an inherent flammability rating, which you can see if you query the building. The higher the rating, the more like that building well be consumed by fire if one occurs. The most effective way to reduce the flammability of a building is to make sure it is watered. To be watered, a building must be located within seven tiles of a water pipe that is supplying water. Try to see that all buildings in your city are hooked to the water system. The reduction in potential fire damage is significant. Certain ordinances can reduce the global flammability level in your city. ----- From Dotty the Dalmatian's Collection of Favorite Quotes: Don't Let the Flammability Dog Wag the Fire Hose Tail ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________________ Dispatching Firefighters \____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When an emergency occurs, you may manually dispatch a unit of firefighters to any area in the city. The number of units you can send at any one time is equal to the number of fire stations in the city plus one. You always have at least one dispatch, even with no fire stations. When an emergency arises in an area with sufficient fire coverage, you probably do not need to dispatch additional firefighters. You still may want to, though, especially for larger disasters. Firefighters can help to some extent no matter what type of disaster occurs. For example, they are very effective dealing with fire, but not so great at quieting riots. To dispatch a fire fighting unit, click on the Dispatch Firefighters button within the EMERGENCY button menu and then click on any location in the city. The unit arrives immediately and firefighters go straight to work. A fire dispatch pylon will mark their location. ----- From the inspirational papers of Dr. Bernie Upman, "Responding to the Mayor's Call" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________ Disasters \___________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ PREDICTING DISASTERS Disasters occur at random, but sometimes you may see hint that they're coming. Keep your eye on your News Ticker. WHEN DISASTERS STRIKE Fires and riots are the only disasters where you can make a difference by dispatching police and fire units. It doesn't matter how many police officers you send to an earthquake or alien attack, it won't make any difference once the disaster hits, though the Early Warning Siren helps if activated beforehand. If, for some reason, you actually want a disaster to occur, select CREATE DISASTER and pick your means of destruction. You may avoid disasters altogether by unchecking "Disasters" in the Preferences window. ----- Recovered page from Mrs. O'Leary's diary entitled, "I could Kick Myself for Not Seeing That Disaster Coming" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ____________________ Early Warning Siren \_________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ When it comes to disasters, all cities are at risk. Though you can hope for the best, it always best to prepare for the worst. If you can get your Sims off the streets and inside before a disaster strikes, the damage from the disaster will be much less. Activate the Early Warning Siren and they will heed your warning and take cover. You are the only one who can control this siren, and you should not abuse the privilege. If you activate the siren when no emergency is imminent, Sims will start to doubt you and may not respond when a the need is real so tease with caution. ----- Government Pamphlet #108B\4, Misuse of the Early Warning Siren is Cause For Alarm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SIMS ACTING FIRMLY IN EMERGENCIES (S.A.F.E.) S.A.F.E. works closely with local authorities to help neighborhoods fight crime and prepare for emergency situations. "Neighborhoods are the collective family," says Drill Sergeant Kurt Kahonis. "When the neighborhood works together, the city works -- period." Sims don't argue with him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Crossing Guards The Crossing Guard Ordinance puts highly-trained crossing guard at some of the more challenging intersections of the city. This ordinance carries a small monthly cost, based on population, to pay the salaries of these fearless public servants. Crossing guards help prevent pedestrian accidents, increasing the overall health of Sims in the city. However, traffic becomes more congested at these intersections, causing a slight increase in citywide traffic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Neighborhood Watch The Neighborhood Watch Ordinance encourages Sims to volunteer for duty and crime-watch teams in their neighborhoods. Team members patrol the streets and report any crimes or suspicious activities to a designated "block captain" who in turn contacts a police rapid-response unit. Though this ordinance has a monthly cost based on Sim population, it is highly effective in lowering citywide crime levels. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mandatory Smoke Detectors The Mandatory Smoke Detector Ordinance requires that all buildings in the city be equipped with smoke detectors. These battery-powered devices emit a piercing sound whenever smoke is present. As irritating as the noise is, Sims prefer this harmless annoyance to the alternative -- being unaware a fire has broken out. This ordinance has a monthly cost, an amount based on the number of buildings in the city. When it is enacted, citywide flammability is significantly lowered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Youth Curfew The Youth Curfew reduces crime by requiring the all youths be off the streets by 10:00 PM every night. Violators are escorted to the nearest police station where they must wait for their parents or guardians to take them home. This ordinance has a monthly cost, based on city population. Funds are used to pay for the additional police patrol needed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.5. Health, Education and Aura Advisor: Randall Shoop ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// _____________________ Improving Sim Health \________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How long do you expect to live? If you're an average Sim living in the average city, you'll probably live fifty-nine years. At least that's what insurance actuarial charts tell us. But there is new scientific proof that we can increase our life expectancy to as high as ninety years. No, it's not a miracle drug. The secret to longevity is living a healthy life. This is easier said than done, and despite the claims made by militant vegans, broccoli alone is just not enough. So what can we Sims do to increase our own longevity? We demand that more hospitals be built in the city, and ask for higher healthcare funding. We can take public transit to reduce smog levels. And we can lobby for health- improving ordinances, including measures that ensure a healthy, pollution-free environment. ----- Transcript of a Channel 12 "Viewer Perspective." The speaker is Dexter Filbert. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________ How Sims Learn \______________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Young Sim brains are like sponges, soaking up and learning everything they are exposed to. But their uncanny ability to learn is fleeting. By the time Sims reach adulthood at age twenty-two, they have learned all they will learn in their lifetime. Sadly, adult Sims must work to merely retain the education level they achieved in their youth. If they aren't continually exposed to educational environments such as museums and libraries, their accumulated knowledge starts to decay. ----- From the article, "The Myth of Adult Education -- A Meta-Analysis Of Sim Learning Trends With Implications for Policymakers" by Harcourt Nosetip, Ed.D. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________________ Raising Education Levels \____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Education levels determine a city's potential. High education levels in a city mean less pollution, less crime, and happier Sims. Also, high-tech industries are only attracted to cities that have a pool of educated workers. If you want to raise education levels in your city, concentrate on educating the children. Build enough schools and colleges in your city so that every young Sim has a place to learn. The quality of education that young Sims receive in school will affect them their entire lives. Schools require funding to be effective. If education funding is very low for an extended period of time, teachers and/or college professors will go on strike. Do not neglect the educational needs of adult Sims. Build museums and libraries to halt the natural decay of knowledge in adults -- it's a smart move for your city. ----- Letter to the Editor, Simville Picayune, "Fallacies in The Analyses of Harcourt Nosetip, Ed. D." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ __________________________ Keeping Sims Happy - Aura \___________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Aura means happiness and feelings at well-being -- the general ambience of the city. A city with high Aura is home to happy Sims, and happy Sims give high approval ratings to the Mayor. Sometimes they even bring gifts! You can raise the Aura in your city by keeping education and health level high. Also, a growing economy and the presence of desirable buildings such as parks and zoos can raise Aura. Aura is tied to land value; the higher the aura, the greater the land value. Pollution, crime, traffic, high tax levels, and the presence of undesirable buildings such as landfills and prisons can lower Aura. Do not neglect or pooh-pooh the Aura rating, as only cities with high Aura will achieve full success and become eligible to receive gifts and special opportunities. ----- From the self help book, "If I Had Only An Hour To Live, I Would Continue Playing This Slot Machine," by Marcia Q. Boggle, Certified Aura Specialist offering aura readings and photographs at reasonable prices. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______________________ Petitioner Files - 1 \_______________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GRATEFUL CITIZENS COMMITTEE Grateful Citizens Comittee members are, in the words of its founder, Beverly Overly, "so dang happy to be Sims that we could just spit." The main function of this group is to present awards to city officials for outstanding work. When there are no awards to be presented, Beverly devotes her time and energy to recruiting new committee members. "HAVE A NICE DAY" CLUB Originally a divorce support group called Dumped and Desperate, the "Have A Nice Gay" Club was renamed when several members remarried but didn't want to break ties with the group. This is a social organization, not a political group, though members speak out occasionally on city Aura issues. Suzanne Pleasant, the committee's Executive Secretary, is an unflagging optimist who searches for the good in any situation. She has not remarried. GRAY LLAMAS Eighty-eight year old Beatrice Meffelwhim started the Gray Llamas when her husband, Jervis, was recovering from a broken hip. "The poor dear," Bea remembers. "Seeing him hobbe after busses as they pulled away from the curb gave me the idea." She does not think of the Gray Llamas as a "senior citizen's lobby," but as a group of older Sims who have ideas for everyone. BENEVOLENT AND PROACTIVE ORDER OF LLAMAS The BPOL is one of the oldest, most revered civic organizations in the city. Its stated purpose is to "gently remind the Mayor from time to time of certain obligations inherennt to the office." The spokesperson is Fred Clockson, Regional Coordinator. When not attending to organizational duties, Fred ties flies at Miller's Trap'N Trout. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______________________ Petitioner Files - 2 \_______________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOCIETY OF THE EXCESSIVELY CULTURED This elite organization works to enrich the city by promoting education and the fine arts. Members also do charity work. Each holiday season, the group delivers baskets of classical music CDs and domestic Pinot Noirs to needy families in the city. Mrs. Harold Crebs assumed leadership of the group when her husban, Harold Crebs, was killed in a golf cart accident. BELOW AVERAGE BOWLERS LEAGUE B.A.B.L. members have learned political activism can bring almost as much excitement into their lives as bowling does. This group of third shift millwrights have little reason to complain to the mayor, but do so at every opportunity because they enjoy hearing their voices echo in the office rotunda. "Besides, it gets us out of the house during the day," says current Exalted Poobah and thirty pin handicapper Lenny Striker. MRS. FARSHEIM'S 10th GRADE CIVICS PROJECT Established by the school board, this experimental group of high school sophomores gives the voice of youth open access to the Mayor's office. Civics teacher Peg Farsheim hopes that showing young Sims the inner workings of city government will help prepare them to be citizens and lead more productive lives. Rodney "Boss" Jones, the group's teen leader, has already expressed an interest in becoming an alderman. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Free Clinics The Free Clinics Ordinance uses city funds to establish and maintain low-cost, high-efficiency clinics. Although they are open to the entire citizenry, these clinics are generally frequented by members of the lower economic strata, and thus treat a wide variety of ailments which would otherwise go untreated. The monthly cost of this ordinance is based on population. It results in a general rise in the city's health, and the sense of having done something worthwhile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Junior Sports The Junior Sports Ordinance organizes after-school team sports for youths. Uniforms are provided by various companies in the city in a spirit of co- operation with local government. Still, the ordinance costs the city a small amount each month based on city population. This ordinance lowers crime in the city by giving young troublemakers a positive outlet for impertinent creativity. All students in the league show a marked increase in standardized test scores thanks to strict academy requirements. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nuclear Free Zone The Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance spends a small amount of money per Sim to promote alternatives to nuclear applications and to encourage replacement of existing nuclear facilities. Politically charged and occassionally effectual, this ordinance raises a city's aura by providing Sims with a feeling of impact in an otherwise uncaring world. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pro-Reading The Pro-Reading Ordinance promotes reading and writing in the city through the use of tutors, special programs and other learning resources. All Sims, but especially younger Sims, may take advantage of these free extra curricular classes to imporve reading skills, learn new skills, or just get out of the house on occasion. The Pro-Reading Ordinance has a monthly cost based on city population. It brings positive effects to the Sims including an increase in the city's education level, and the ability to discuss Proust. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Public Smoking Ban The Public Smoking Ban outlaws smoking in and around all public buildings. The city must pay money each month, an amount based on population, to equip local merchants with plastic water buckets. Patrons, customers or just passers-by are then able to dump water on anyone caught smoking in a public area. When this ordinance is in effect, the result is an increase in the overall health of city Sims. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Community CPR Training The Community CPR Training Ordinance establishes a small fleet of mobile medical training vans that travel throughout the city offering courses in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Conducted by local chapters of the Junior Llama League, these courses teach Sims how to respond in an emergency, increasing survival rates for Sims stricken with cardiac arrest. This ordinance costs a small amount each month, based on population. The program raises general health levels of the populace and gives all Sims peace of mind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.6. Utilities Advisor: Gus Oddman ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ________________________ Welcome From Gus Oddman \_____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Glad to meet you, Mayor . I'm Oddman -- Gus Oddman. I see you're starting to build your city and thought I'd remind you about the importance of electric power. Without a source of power, your city will never develop. I recommend you construct a power plant immediately. If you build one close to your zones, they'll get power automatically. You can build a power plant far away if you like but you'll need to lay power lines to connect the power plant to your zones that need power. If you need more help understanding how power works, I have several briefings in my files that could help you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________________________ Getting Power To Your Sims \__________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Due to major advances in power transmission, power plants can transmit power effortlessly across zones. Electric energy from power plants radiates out two tiles in all directions. Every zoned tile or building that lies within that two line radius will be powered. But that's just the beginning. Every powered tile or building acts like a power relay station, transmitting power for an additional four tiles. Powered tiles use what they need, and deliver any remaining power to surrounding zoned tiles and buildings. As long as power flows to a zoned tile or building, it will just keep going. Thoughtful zoning makes it feasible to create a chain of power, enabling you to power an entire city without ever placing power lines! But there may be cases when laying power lines is a better option. For instance, if you place a power plant in an unzoned area on the far outskirts of the city, there may not be enough zoned tiles to relay the power where it's needed. In this case power lines are needed to transmit the power to the zones. Power lines allow you to place heavy polluting, undesirable power plants far from your developing zones. ----- Utility Billing Insert #24, "Recent Advances in Power Delivery" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________________ High-Tension Power Lines \____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ High-tension power lines carry power any distance over zones or unzoned tiles. Power lines do not need to originate at a power plant -- they can be built anywhere. As long as part of the power line touches a powered tile, the entire power line will be powered. Power is conducted through the lines to the end point, and also radiates out two tiles along the path of the power line. Power lines can cross most types of terrain, though if the terrain is too mountainous, you'll need to find another path. You can even build power lines over water if you are willing to pay your city engineers to construct platforms to stabilize the power lines. Sims do not like living near high-tension power lines, and Residental land values near them will never reach their peak. ----- Utilities Billing Insert #59, "The Angst Over High-Tension Power Lines" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____________ Power Plants \________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SimCity 3000 offers nine types of power plants, though not all of them are available all the time. (They must be invented first!) Each power plant varies in cost, useful lifespan, amount of power it can generate, and amount of pollution it produces. You need to decide which is best for your city's needs. If you can afford it, it's worth spending the extra money for lower-polluting power plants, but there may be times when you have no choice but to cover your Sims in black spot. Power plants lose capacity as they age and will explode when they reach the end of their useful life. It is a good idea to bulldoze and replace older power plants with new plants before they explode to prevent any unexpected power losses. It is especially important to bulldoze nuclear plants before they reach the end of their life. If a nuclear plant explodes, it releases dangerous radiation that will devastate the surrounding area. ----- "Power Can Neither Be Created Nor Destroyed -- The Debunking of a Theory," unpublished paper by Gus Oddman. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________ Blackouts and Brownouts \_____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A power loss, called a blackout, occurs when a building or zone that normally receives power is not receiving enough power to operate. Most blackouts occur when a power station can't generate enough power to meet the demands of the area it serves. Power will radiate as far as possible from the power station and then will just stop, leaving structures farthest from the plant without power. Another cause for blackouts is when a "break" in the grid occurs. This can mean that a power line was destroyed, or that the established path where the power radiated was disrupted through unzoning of powered tiles, or when a powered building on an unzoned tile was destroyed. A lighting bolt symbol will flash when a structure is not receiving power. For a complete view of the powered and unpowered ares of your city, check the Power Data map. ----- Utilities Billing Insert, Flyer #87, "What Causes Power Loses?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ______________________ Your City Needs Water \_______________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sims need water. Zones that are not watered will never reach full development and are at high risk for fire disasters. If water to a developed zone is cut off for too long, Sims will pack up and leave. It's not always easy to tell if a tile is watered just by looking at your city. Slow (or no) development is an indication, but the only sure-fire method is to query the time, or switch to the underground view where watered tiles are easily distinguishable by their bright blue color. ----- Excerpt from "The Universal Solvent: What Every Mayor Should Know About Water" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________________________ Getting Water To Your Sims \__________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Though you may have natural water sources like lakes and rivers in your city, you must build pumps to pump the water out, and build a network of pipes to carry this water to your Sims. Water from the pumps will flow through the pipe network toward the city until the water supply is exhausted. You may have tiles that are piped from water, but unless your pumps can generate enough water to fill all the pipes, some areas won't get the water they need. Build more pumps and connect them to the pipe network to increase the flow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _____________________ Three Types of Pumps \________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are three kinds of water sources in your city and, not surprisingly, three kinds of pumps. All pumps have a limited lifespan. As they age, their capacity to pump water decreases. It makes sense to bulldoze and replace older pumps with new pumps. PUMPING STATIONS Regular pumping stations pump water from fresh water lakes and rivers. Like all pumps, they require electricity to operate. Pumping stations, though, can pull up more water than any other kind of pump. They must be built very near a fresh water source, or they won't work. Pay attention to water pollution levels, as high pollution really slows down the efficiency of pumping stations. WATER TOWER Water towers pump water from hidden underground springs. These springs exist everywhere, so water towers can be build anywhere. The problem with water towers is that they don't pump very much water. Water pollution can slow them down even further. DESALINIZATION PLANT Desalinization plants pump water from the sea and convert the salt water into fresh water. They do their job amazingly well, but they do come with some potential problems. These pumps must be built on a seacoast to be of any use, they are less efficient than a pumping station, and they lose efficiency when water pollution is present. ----- Article from Pump Weekly, "Three Common Types of Pumps" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ____________ Water Pipes \_________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water radiates out along pipe routes, watering all areas within seven tiles of a pipe that carries water. Unlike power transmission, watered tiles do not act as relay stations. For a tile to be watered, it must be above or near a pipe, not just near another watered zone. To get water to the Sims, you must lay water pipes from a water pump to the city and construct a pipe network under all zones. When you choose the pipes from the Main Toolbar, the city view will automatically change to an underground view. Roads, zoned areas and developed areas are visible in this view so you can orient yourself. You can also see the underground components of water facilities so you can make the connections with ease. ----- Article from Pipes 'n' Wires, "Pipes: A Network Connection That Needs No Computer" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________ Water Pollution \_____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pollution can really gum up the waterworks. Pumps lose efficiency when they're pumping polluted water. You can add more pumps to increase the supply in the short term, but don't forget to clean up the pollution. WATER TREATMENT PLANTS One way to help clean up the water supply is to build water treatment plants. They must be connected by pipes to the water grid in order to be effective. ORDINANCES If water pollution in your city is severe, or you don't want it to become severe, consider enacting ordinances to reduce pollution. They cost money, but they make a real difference. ----- Excerpt from The Little Book of Daily Affirmations: Clean Words on Dirty Water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________ Buying Power and Water \______________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you don't want to clutter up your city with unsightly and expensive facilities, you can purchase power or water from a neighbor. You must have the proper utilities connection in place before a deal can be made. Each month, a contracted neighbor will look at your city's power or water needs at the connection point, and will supply enough to cover the deficit. The connection point is critical. Any area of the city that you want to supply with purchased power or water must be able to be served from the connection point. If no pipe network or power transmission path exists between the connection and an area that need utilities, the neighbor will not recognize the deficit and will not sell you enough power or water to cover that deficit. Each month, funds are deducted from your treasury based on how much power or water you needed. If you didn't need any during the month, you still have to pay a minimum fee. You should also take into account that there is a large penalty for canceling the deal. ----- Inter-Urban Council Proceedings on Buying Power and Water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ________________________ Selling Power and Water \_____________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you are generating excess power or water and you have the appropriate utilities connection in place, you may be approached by a neighbor looking to purchase these resources. If you make a deal to sell power or water, each month you are responsible to supply the contracted amount to be delivered through the connection point. The connection point is critical. If you're generating excess power or water in areas that cannot serve the connection point, you may not be able to fulfill the contract. Make sure there is a clear transmission path (pipes for water, zones or wires for power) from the source at your excess utilities to the connection point. If conditions change and you can no longer provide the power you promised, the deal is canceled and you'll be charged a large penalty. ----- Inter-Urban Council Proceedings on Selling Power and Water ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _________________ Petitioner Files \____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHANNEL 12's "IF YOU HURT, WE GET THE DIRT" Neighbors helping neighbors -- that's the philosophy of the Channel 12 Consumer Action Team. Led by investigative reporter Allie Wong, this group brings hard-hitting local stories to the public. Allie recently won the acclaimed FACE award for her ability to feign compassion when interviewing victims of catastrophes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ___________ Ordinances \__________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Stairwell Lighting The Stairwell Lighting Ordinance requires all high-occupancy buildings be equipped with small automatic devices called "minuterie" in public stairwells. These devices detect movement and turn off lights when the stairwell is not in use, saving energy. The ordinance has a small monthly cost based on number of buildings, but it benefits the city by reducing overall power consumption. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Water Conservation The Water Conservation Ordinance funds citywide programs to educate Sims about methods to reduce residential water consumption. In addition, it sets restrictive standards for business water usage, and a governing board issues penalties for non-compliance. The monthly cost for maintaining this ordinance is based on city population. When enacted, water consumption in the city drops by several percentage points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Power Conservation The Power Conservation Ordinance funds programs to teach Sims about methods for reducing power consumption at home, including turning off air conditioners and cable TV sets. Residents are asked for voluntary compliance, but bussinesses must adhere to mandatory power restrictions and are assessed penalties for non-compliance. The monthly cost for maintaining this ordinance is based on city population. When enacted, power consumption in the city drops by several percentage points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mandatory Water Meters The Mandatory Water Meter Ordinance requires that water meters be placed in all buildings within the city limits. Building owners are assessed water usage fees based on actual water consumption for that building. Up to half of this assessment may be passed on to building tenants. A monthly fee, based on the number of buildings in the city, is deducted from the treasury when this ordinance is in effect. Funds are used to pay for meter installation and periodic meter readings. Its effects are to significantly reduce citywide water consumption. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ============================================================================== 2. Ordinance ============================================================================== (Note that the most common risk for enacting most ordinances is the fact that there *will* be a part of your population who asks for the repealing of that ordinance. It's so common that I won't include it again within the ordinance's data. Another risk is, of course, losing money. I won't include it again as well. Also remember that the better a factor is, like the decrease in pollution or traffic, will obviously have an effect to increase land value and aura, so it's not necessary to remind you again and again.) ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Financial ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 00. Legalised Gambling Type : Income Base : Population Risk : Increase in crime Feat.: Invites Casino business deal Legalised Gambling is usually younger cities' early breath. It provides quite some steady amount of income and the crime it comes up with isn't all that damaging due to the currently small city size. Also, if the ordinance alone can't help you and your money keeps on free-falling, you may be asked to agree the Casino Business Deal which, despite the lowering Aura thing and all, will give you another fresh money. You will see that the income from this ordinance rises as your population grow, but it is suggested that you take a point in time to stop this ordinance for once and ever. If you can live through without it, better live through without it. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Transportation ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 00. Alternate Day Driving Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic Alternate Day Driving probably is not a good way to reduce traffic. People generally dislike the idea, and the cost seems to be a bit high. 01. Carpool Incentive Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic Carpool Incentive is also generally disliked, and while the cost is lower, the effect doesn't seem to come by much. Try this if you want to help but is on a budget. 02. Parking Fines Type : Income Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic While Parking Fines give less than that of Legalised Gambling Ordinance, it's a good source of money as well. There will be time when people will complain about it, but as the advisor says, it is their own fault to disobey the parking rules in the first place. This is a recommended one, since it does reduce traffic too (although money might be the first reason after all). 03. Shuttle Service Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic, helps farther Sim's travel Shuttle Service, while seems to be more effective, costs a whooping amount of Simoleons. If that's fine with you, then go all the way with this. 04. Subsidised Mass Transit Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic, air pollution This ordinance, of course, is meant to go with a city with decent mass transit system (or else it'd be meaningless, duh). This may work okay if you've spent your time building railroads or subways or even bus stops and want to make use of them all to their very best. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// City Plan ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 00. Earthquake Resistance and Retro-Fitting Type : Expense Base : Number and types of building Risk : - Feat.: Decreases damage by earthquake Since some of us might play a city with Disasters turned off, this would be a useless ordinance. However, more as a prevention than anything else for a city that braves the possibility of disasters, this ordinance may be of a help. Think again, though, because earthquake only rarely happens, and when you have a large-scale map, it may just hit undeveloped areas. 01. Homeless Shelters Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in land value Homeless Shelters helps reduce the city from unsightly, uh, homeless Sims and its kind. This gets more expensive later when population blooms, and when population *does* bloom, you might have done some other thing to increase the land value anyway. This means that you may just want to enact this early in the game, and stop it as it becomes cheaper just to put another park each month rather than keeping this on. 02. Tourist Promotion Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Increase in traffic Feat.: Increase in Commercial demand An increase in Commercial demand is very likely to be quite enough early in the game, no matter what you do with your city (including enacting this ordinance). Like it is said, Commercial is more stimulated by "inside" factor, that is the population of your city than anything else. Once you get enough people, Commercial demand will grow on its own. Ignore this, except you want the demand altogether with the traffic risk as well. 03. Conservation Corps Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing pollution, crime, and increasing clear industry demand While the feature is very nice, this ordinance is a bit pricey as well. The time you will want all those features is later on through your game, but you will also have quite a number of population by that time, which explains the high cost of the ordinance. Check this if it's okay for you to lose some money to give your Sims a better life. 04. Clean Industry Association Type : Expense Base : none (?) Risk : Dirty industry may leave Feat.: Clean industry may come, reduce in pollution On the bad side, if the dirty industry leave, they may cause quite a punch into your city income. Also, clean industry might not replace them as fast as it is expected, because usually they also demand a better educational levels and such. On the good side, though, the reduce in pollution can be dramatic, and if you actually want hi-tech industrial parks, this is the ordinance to go with. 05. Electronic Tax Incentive Type : Expense Base : Number of clean industries in the city Risk : - Feat.: Attracts electronic industry Electronic Tax Incentive should only be enacted when you already have a population with high enough Education levels (around 120 or more). This way you will be able to provide smart enough workers for the industry, because otherwise they may not come. Also remember that since the cost is based on the number of the clean industries in the city, while electronic industry is one of them, it means that the more they come, the more you pay. 06. Aerospace Tax Incentive Type : Expense Base : Number of clean industries in the city Risk : - Feat.: Attracts aerospace industry Aerospace Tax Incentive should only be enacted when you already have a population with high enough Education levels (around 120 or more). This way you will be able to provide smart enough workers for the industry, because otherwise they may not come. Also remember that since the cost is based on the number of the clean industries in the city, while aerospace industry is one of them, it means that the more they come, the more you pay. 07. Electronics Job Fair Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing traffic Naturally, if you enact the Electronic Tax Incentive, you shouldn't have to enact this one, because they seem to do the very same thing (although it may be accumulative). However, should you choose one of them, pick the cheaper one. 08. Biotech Tax Incentive Type : Expense Base : Number of clean industries in the city Risk : - Feat.: Attracts biotech industry Biotech Tax Incentive should only be enacted when you already have a population with high enough Education levels (around 120 or more). This way you will be able to provide smart enough workers for the industry, because otherwise they may not come. Also remember that since the cost is based on the number of the clean industries in the city, while biotech industry is one of them, it means that the more they come, the more you pay. 09. Public Access Cable Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Attracts telecommunication industry The industry demands high educational level as well, so enacting this alone will not guarantee them to come in. Wait until later and when the industrial demand isn't already high on its own. 10. Farmer's Market Type : Neither (costless) Base : none Risk : - Feat.: Increase in Land Value So, the real question is, why not? Just enact this all the way down, even though your city has no farm whatsoever, or it's year 2053 already. Who cares? Nothing's can be wrong with free stuff like this. While the effect may not seem to be significant, you don't have a reason to complain anyway, no? 11. Industrial Pollutant Impact Fee Type : Income Base : Number of polluting industry Risk : Polluting industries leave, replacement industry may not come Feat.: - Dirty industries completely hate this ordinance. Unless hi-tech industry is blooming and you actually want them to leave, don't put this much pressure on the rest of the industries. You need them to provide the tax as well. Remember that if you time it wrong, there may not be another industry that comes to replace the already gone dirty industries. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Environment ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 01. Industrial Waste Disposal Tax Type : Income Base : Number of Industry and Commerce Risk : Reduce in Industrial and Commercial demand Feat.: - The income is nowhere near dependable, and it is generally disliked by everything but the Residential area. So why the bother? This may get you the money, but if taxpayers leave for better places, who knows what might happen to your (much bigger) income tax... 02. Mandatory Car Smogging Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing air pollution This reduces air pollution on those road areas. While it won't be much help if you can't control the traffic, you may want to try it anyway. Sims dislike living around pollution, while that's exactly what those non- smogged cars do all around them. 03. Clean Air Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Dirty Industry may leave Feat.: Reducing air pollution While this has good effect on Residential areas, it would exactly be the opposite on the specifically dirty industrial areas. If you actually want them to leave, though, this is a good ordinance. In fact, it seems like there aren't that many dirty industries willing to leave because of this, so in overall this is a must-have ordinance what with the positive impact in Residential areas and all. 04. Leaf Burning Ban Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing air pollution The cost is usually pretty low and it helps reducing pollution around the Residential area, although maybe for a little bit. Enact this, though. Legalised Gambling or even Parking Fines should be more than enough to cover its cost. 05. Waste Presort Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Helps effectiveness of Recycling Centers Waste Presort is good when your waste processing system depends heavily on Recycling Centers. Generally, though, it's also quite helpful even if you also have Landfills, Incinerators, and it may even reduce cost if you export your trash. Anything that reduce trash, I say. Go with it. 06. Lawn Chemical Ban Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Kill agricultural industry Feat.: Reducing water pollution Aside from the look, agricultural sector is near worthless in SimCity. They pay little to nothing tax (which is a bit okay, they even take enourmous space as well as paying exactly *nothing* in SimCity 4), are very picky about pollution (they hate even the slightest hint of smoke), plus they pollute the water. So, not having an agricultural sector is probably a smart move. Pick this up. 07. Landfill Gas Recovery Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing air pollution; slight power addition Pick this for the pollution reduction, not the power addition. I believe that Landfill Gas Recovery ordinance won't cost you much, and aside from traffic, air pollution is your biggest nightmare. Pick this unless you're on a budget. 08. Backyard Composting Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing waste Backyard Composting reduces general city waste, which is always a good thing. As I said earlier, pick everything that reduces waste. Unless, of course, you don't have the money. Even so, I think it's better to raise tax a bit so you can use that money to teach your Sims how to do much more with their waste. That way, their money returns to themselves, so you don't really have to feel guilty about it. 09. Paper Reduction Act Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Disturbs commercial Feat.: Reducing waste This Act may cause a hit to the Commercial districts, because they are the part of the city who need papers the most. Also, it is better to just use the Backyard Composting or Waste Presort ordinance, as they are more risk- free. 10. Tyre Recycling Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing waste, lowering Road price from 10 to 9 Simoleons Okay, so 1 Simoleon doesn't mean anything. However, the waste reduction factor is what you should chase the most. And in this case, just choose it if you think Waste Presort and Backyard Composting aren't enough. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Public Safety ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 01. Crossing Guards Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Increase in traffic Feat.: Increase in general health and (therefore) life-expectancy Listen, you don't want to increase traffic. For whatever the exchange is. You can help your Sims better by placing more hospitals, not this way. Maybe you can use this early on when cars are scarce and there aren't that many roads laid down your city. But later on, you'll usually have enough traffic already without this ordinance. So don't. 02. Neighborhood Watch Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing crime The way placing hospitals is always better than Crossing Guards ordinance, so is placing police stations to enacting Neighborhood Watch ordinance. Of course, there might be places where your police just can't cover. You will not be able to kill all the crimes there even with this ordinance on for years, so maybe another station is a better answer. Unless you're on a budget, of course, in which case you can temporarily resort on this. 03. Mandatory Smoke Detectors Type : Expense Base : Number of buildings in city Risk : - Feat.: Reducing risk of fire With decent fire station covering, there is no absolute need to reduce the risk of fire. However, if you have holes in your city, maybe smoke detectors can help. Sims may feel a bit more secure too with this. 04. Youth Curfew Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Reducing crime This emphasize more on the youth of the city, so it may not work efficiently if there are only a few number of them in the city. That's highly unlikely to happen, though, so Youth Curfew may be an answer. Only that, if reducing crime through ordinances is what you really seek, choose Neighborhood Watch instead. Expensive as it may be, the result is much better than this. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Health, Education and Aura ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 01. Free Clinics Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in health Free Clinics is probably good when the city is young with little to no hospital around. However, as you're able to afford it, Free Clinics may have less effect. Pick either way you want, although you will of course need to emphasize more on the hospital. 02. Junior Sports Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in educational levels, decrease in crime Giving kids something positive to spend the time is always good. Everything good comes with good education, so pick this if you have the money. 03. Nuclear Free Zone Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : Can't place Nuclear Power Plant when this ordinance is on Feat.: Increase in aura I find Nuclear Power Plant quite useful due to their large power capacity, but then again, my Sims happiness is much more important. Therefore, I enact Nuclear Free Zone and go all the way with the Fusion Power Plant. Okay, maybe later on in the game...but you get my point. If your Sims are afraid of the nuclear risk, then they shouldn't complain as you place more polluting Coal Power Plants instead, right? 04. Pro-Reading Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in Educational levels Educational levels are important. They attract clean industry, bigger commercial areas, and so on and so on. This may get a bit expensive in time, but as long as you feel okay with the budget, choose it. 05. Public Smoking Ban Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in health Making your SimCity a better place to live in should be your first goal. Me, I don't smoke and therefore I always have this ordinance on. It may sound too subjective, but I don't care as the overall Sims' health is what I look for the most. You, you decide for yourself. 06. Community CPR Training Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Increase in health This unfortunately don't increase crime (if you know what I mean) and the cost is not too high as well. However, I prefer Public Smoking Ban to this. Maybe you should only choose either one. Pick both if you have money to burn. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Utilities ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 01. Stairwell Lighting Type : Expense Base : Number of building in city Risk : - Feat.: Decrease in power consumption All utilities ordinances, I believe, is not the final answer to any of the power/water problems. When your city asks for more power, you have to give her power plants. For a short while, you can enact this (like when your power plant starts to age and can no longer fulfill faraway buildings' need) so there's a little decrease. You should use that little time the most to save up money, though, because you will still need to buy a new power plant. 02. Water Conservation Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Decrease in water consumption You know that water pollution can decrease overall water production, and therefore you might experience that your city gets perfect water coverage last year, but needs for more the next year although you haven't really build anything else that might increase water consumption. Well, it's either that, or because your pumps age. Water pollution takes long time to take care of, and the instant solution (i.e. the water treatment plant) can be really expensive at times. So, until you get enough cash, you will have to help it a bit via the Water Conservation ordinance. When things are finally solved, though, don't waste more money and stop the ordinance. 03. Power Conservation Type : Expense Base : Population Risk : - Feat.: Decrease in power consumption I don't know the real difference between this and the Stairwell (in effect, that is). Between this and the Stairwell, the only difference is that their cost is based on different things. So, if you have more population than buildings, the Power Conservation may be more expensive, and vice versa. As to the effect, I think both have equally the same effect (or maybe not, don't take my words for that). I think non-residential areas may not feel okay with this ordinance, though, since they consume power the most. 04. Mandatory Water Meters Type : Expense Base : Number of buildings Risk : - Feat.: Decrease in water consumption Another water-saving ordinances. I really haven't been experiencing much with these, so I can't really say much. All I know that if your city needs water, it's not like water pumps are too expensive to purchase anyway. If you can save the money you would otherwise use to enact this ordinance, I think it's enough to afford water pumps for your city. If you only need it temporarily, then it's fine, but maybe you should think twice if you want to keep it a long time. However, though, there may be exception like when you run out of water source, or space to put pumps, desalinization plants or anything. In that case, maybe the ordinance can help a bit. ============================================================================== 3. Miscellaneous ============================================================================== ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 3.0. In-game tips ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The Llama suggests... - Experiment to your heart's content, and save often. - Recycling is a great idea, a city that recycles has less garbage to dispose of in landfills or incinerators. - Each game tile represents an area 64 meters on each side. The largest SimCity you can build has 256 x 256 tiles, repsresenting a city of approximately one hundred square miles. - Sims will travel only a few blocks to a road, stop or station, or any other place they want to go. - "NIMBY" stands for "Not In My Backyard." A NIMBY building is one that might benefit the city as a whole, but no one wants to live near it because it pollutes or attract crime. - If you zone Residential and Commercial near water or hills, they will have higher land values than other areas because Sims find these area scenic and desirable. - The best way to increase land values in your city is to keep pollution and crime under control. - Ordinances can help improve education and health levels, and lots of other good things. - Pollution can enter your water supply and reduce available water. It also lowers the capacity of pumps. - High-tech industries pollute less than traditional industries, but require highly-educated workforce. - Refer to your city maps to see the status of pollution, health, education, flammability and crime in your city. Select "View Data" from within the Adjust & Review button menu. - Buying power from a neighbor is expensive, but you won't have to deal with pollution from power plants. - If you place polluting power plants and landfills on the edge of the city map, half of the pollution will go to your neighbor. - Raise the education level of your Sims by building schools and colleges. - A low unemployment rate helps reduce crime. - You can build a city without roads, but it requires lots of mass transits with closely-spaced stations. - Larger cities typically need more Commercial and fewer Industrial zones. - Sometimes petitioners ask you to make a decision; other times they complain about something in the city. Once in a while they'll compliment you for doing a good job. - You can import garbage to earn money for your city, but it's smelly and polluting. - When trouble arises in a neighborhood that does not have a police station, you should dispatch a mobile police unit to the scene. - Without jails, police must let criminals go because there is no place to put them. - Hospitals that are well-funded help raise the life expectancy level for Sims. - Young Sims need schools and colleges to get smarter. - Libraries and museums help keep adults Sims sharp as they get older. - Use the Query tool to find out information on individual buildings. - If taxes are too high, your Sims will vote with their feet and leave your city. - When Sims want something badly enough, they will ask for it, but you don't have to give them what they ask for. - There's always something going on at the SimCity website: www.simcity.com. Check it out! - Plant trees and parks in your city. Not only do the look nice, they help to reduce pollution. - Sims can always find something to complain about, buy you can ignore what they say. - Farm's won't develop if pollution levels are high. - You cannot make all your Sims happy at the same time. - Check in with your Advisors on a regular basis. - Seaports must be build on a coastline, and won't grow if they're too small. - To save money while your city is small, lower the budgets for city departments such as police, fire and education. Just be careful -- it is not wise to underfund any department for very long. - Reducing traffic congestion can help reduce pollution. - When you use the Raise Terrain tool, every time you click, the land rises thirteen meters. - Look in the SimCity 3000 manual for short biographies on your Advisors. - Sims eat their broccoli, and so should you. - Whenever you start a new game, the simulator is paused. Use this time to lay zones and set up an initial infrastructure of roads and utilities. If you're ready, unpause the simulator and your city will come to life. - If you are a new SimCity player, check out the tutorial in the SimCity 3000 manual. - Watch the news ticker for important information and interesting tidbits. Click on underlined headlines to open messages from Advisors and Petitioners. - Watch the RCI Demand Indicator. A tall bar on the indicator means that the Sims want more of that type of zone. - Make sure all zoned areas have power and transportation or else they won't grow. Zones must have water to reach their maximum density. - Zone density sets the maximum number of Sims that can occupy a zone. It is less expensive to zone low density than high density. A good strategy is to zone for low density in young cities and then rezone when land values rise. - There are no cheat codes for this game. Yeah. That's it. No cheat codes. Sure. - Loans can infuse a city with quick but expensive cash. - Roads bring cars to your city -- and cars bring traffic and pollution. Minimize these problems by giving your Sims mass transit (bus stops, subways, and trains). - Bus stops must be placed next to road tiles or buses won't stop there. - As power plants age, they produce less power. Older power plants run the risk of exploding and should be replaced. - Some players find that laying water pipes directly underneath the city's road is a good strategy for ensuring that all buildings in the city receive water. Of course, the water pipes must be hooked to pumping stations to be of any use. - If your Sims are very happy, they will give you gifts as your population grows. - Build pumping stations near water, and make sure they have power or they won't work. As pumps age, their capacity drops until finally they turn to rubble and must be replaced. - Make road or rail connections to your neighbors to open up opportunities for trade. - Ordinances can help reduce pollution and crime, and lots of other bad things. - Do you want to live near a landfill or polluting industry? Neither do your Sims. ============================================================================== 4. Endnotes ============================================================================== ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 3.0. Credits ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Thanks to... Allah SWT, The Beneficent, The Merciful CJayC, for what would otherwise be ungrateful for me not to do so Maxis, for the amusement Ta2K, without whom I wouldn't have the chance to play SC3K ...and to you, for keeping up this far! Thanks! ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 3.1. Author's note ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// This FAQ is my own damn work, most of which are composed from a *whole* lot of PrintScreening, Pasting, Alt-Tabbing, and running out of my room hysterically after what seemed to be endless streams of in-game texts, more and more and more again. There is no copyright notice in this FAQ. Not that I'm being sceptical, but I'd rather label it it as an open-source. You want it, you can take and modify as you want. You may do that without asking my permission, although doing otherwise would be more than welcomed. Thank you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------