Simcity 2000 FAQ
PC Version
By Ed the Moogle
Final Revision
Copyright 1999 Ed the Moogle
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General info
The Toolbar
Getting your city started
Keeping your sims happy
Cheats
Disasters
Ordinances
Secrets and Tricks
Other Stuff
General info
When you first choose to start a city, the land is generated for you. There is
most often hills, forests and rivers. You can choose to start with $20000,
$10000, or a $10000 bond. You also have the choice to start the game in year
1900, 1950, 2000, or 2050. The later you start, the easier it will be. One
square on the grid represents about 1 acre. If the terrain isn't to your
liking, just go under file and choose "Edit New Map" to create one to your
liking.
Toolbar
Press and hold the mouse button on a toolbar icon to get other options.
Bulldozer
Demolish/Clear: $1: You click on something and it blows up! Useful for getting
rid of unwanted buildings or roads.
Level Terrain: $25: Allows you to level out a part of terrain with another
section of land. Each square costs $25, though, and that can add up quickly.
Raise Terrain: $25: Raises a single square of terrain up 50 feet (1 square on
the grid). Useful for creating roads or tunnels. It blows up any buildings in
the way, though, so be careful where you use it.
Lower Terrain: $25: The exact opposite of Raise Terrain. But it also destroys
buildings. Use it carefully.
De-Zone: $1: De-zones a "Zoned" square. I don't think it's very useful,
because you can just put a new zone directly over the old one (and thus
replace it and save a few bucks).
Tree/River
Trees: $3: Plants a single tree on the square you click. Sims like trees, and
they slightly reduce pollution.
Water: $100: Fills a single square with water. Sims like to build houses near
water, but this feature is expensive. Build Residential Zones near natural
rivers and lakes at first, then use this when you have some spare cash.
Siren: This only is available when disasters strike. You can deploy the
Military, Police Station or Fire Department, provided you have the right
buildings.
Police: Useful for stopping riots.
Firemen: Good for stopping fires (obviously) and chemical spills.
Military: Useful against monsters and riots. They're also fairly useful for
fires. An all-purpose unit.
I'll go more into details about the disasters later.
Lightning
Power Lines: $2 per square. Lets you connect powered areas with unpowered
areas. Sims won't build without power. You can also raise the wires to make
them go over water. The cost will vary depending on the length.
Power Plant: You can build one of several types of power plants.
Coal: $4000 The most basic Power Plant. It pollutes a lot but gives a good
amount of power if you're just starting out. It's also relatively cheap
compared to some other power plants.
Hydro Electric: $400: It has the advantage of never breaking down, which means
that you don't have to replace them ever 50 years. But you DO need to build on
waterfalls and have a LOT of these to power a city. Use the map editor and put
water on hills to make waterfalls before you begin if you want to use Hydro
Electric, as dropping down squares of water can get very expensive.
Oil Power- $6600: It gives off slightly more power than Coal, and is also
cleaner. A good choice once you gain some more money.
Gas Power- $2000: It's cheap to build, but expensive to maintain. It also
doesn't give off as much power or pollute as much as Oil or Coal. I've never
found this one very useful. After I'm done with Oil, I skip straight to
Microwave.
Nuclear-$15000: This is a very efficient power source, but you run the risk of
having a meltdown, which is pretty much a ton of fires and chemical spills
everywhere- VERY dangerous. It also costs a lot of money to build. Be sure to
have adequate fire support before you try to build one of these.
Wind Power- $100: They're weak but inexpensive. Put them on top of tall hills
to get maximum power from them. The other bad thing about them is that they
are unreliable. During the less windy months, your sims will complain about
not getting power. Solar Power combined with Wind is a pretty good choice, as
one will usually be getting power when the other is not. Just be prepared to
buy tons of power plants.
Solar Power- $1300: This is a fairly cheap power plant, but don't rely on it
to power an entire city. During the winter months, these will do you little
good. Don't use them as your primary power plant. It's best used as a "backup"
when your old power plants aren't giving off enough power.
Microwave- $28,000: These are also a very good energy source, but very
expensive. You may also have a Microwave disaster, which causes several fires,
often in the vicinity of your plant. Needless to say, don't build a ton of
important things next to your Microwave plant.
Fusion- $40,000- The ultimate power plant. It will never start a disaster, is
cheap to maintain, and a single one is powerful enough to run almost an entire
city. But they break down every 50 years and are very expensive to build.
Faucet
Pipes: $3- Unlike the original Simcity, you have to supply water to your Sims.
Connect Water Towers and Water Pumps with these. You can even make them go
under lakes and mountains.
Water Pump: $100- Build these next to water to increase the water they supply.
I like to build them in straight rows, then put water down between the rows
with the Water tool. If they touch water on two, three or even four sides,
they'll get even more. They take up a single square.
Water Tower: $250- These are best used during the Summer, when water shortages
are prone to happen. Build two or three of these. They take up a 2x2 square.
Water Treatment: $500- These reduce pollution in your city, making for happier
sims. They take up a 2x2 square. I reccomend building two or three of these
side by side your Water Pumps to maximize the effect.
Desalinization: $1000- If you have salt water in your city, this building will
filter out the salt. It's very expensive to maintain these, though. This one
takes up a 3x3 square.
Town Hall
This is where you recieve Rewards. Rewards are free and will be rebuilt for
free if they get destroyed (except Arcos).
Mayor's House- This is where you live. Put it near your city to improve land
value nearby. I recommend putting it between a Residential and Commercial
zone. You'll get this when you gain 2,000 citizens. It takes up a 2x2 square.
Town Hall- It's quite self explanatory. No city is complete without one. You
need to have 1,0000 citizens first, though. This one takes up 3x3 square.
Statue- A statue of...you! You'll have to have 30,000 citizens first, though.
This one takes a single square. You can run power and water to it if you wish,
but it won't do anything for you in return other than look nice.
Military Base- You'll need 60,000 Sims to get one of these. They'll help
defend your city against Monsters if you allow them to build in your city. I
give them land, but they never seem to build anything (except maybe a runway
and that's it, but they still provide support against Monsters and such). I
supply them power and water and they never build. A glitch, perhaps? Or maybe
those military guys are just lazy?
Braun Llama Dome- A big building that provides a lot of entertainment for your
sims. You need to have 80,000 citizens (I think). This one takes up a 4x4
square and is VERY tall.
Arcologies- You need to have over 120,000 Sims to get one. They're hella
expensive, but they bring in the sims like nothing else. They tend to lower
land value greatly and vastly increase crime though, so build Parks and Police
Stations nearby, leaving an opening (for Power Lines and Water). Each one
takes up a 4x4 square.
Plymouth Arco: $100,000- This one holds up to 55,000 Sims, but creates a lot
of pollution.
Forest Arco: $130,000- This one holds up to 30,000 Sims and pollutes much less
than the Plymouth Arco, but requires you to provide more entertainment (the
description explains why) to keep your sims happy.
Darco: $150,000- This Arco carries 45,000 Sims, but creates a good amount of
pollution. Not as much as a Plymouth Arco, though. The joke about the mutated
men living in the air shafts was funny.
Launch Arco: $200,000- This is the most expensive Arco, but it barely pollutes
and carries up to 65,000 Sims. If you build a LOT (like over 340), they'll
launch. Don't believe me? Go to the pre-created city "349arco" and watch as
every single one blasts off! I haven't had the patience to build 340+ Launch
Arcos, though, so I can't really say I've made some that launch.
Road
Road: $10- Well, your Sims can get around much easier with these. Keep in mind
that Sims never build more than three squares away from roads. If sims are
complaining about traffic, just build some side-roads to reduce traffic. You
can also connect to other nearby towns to keep your commerce happy.
Highway: $100- It can carry much more traffic than a normal road, but costs
more and it's useless without an Onramp. Create onramps on either end of the
highway. These are also good for connecting to other cities when normal roads
won't cut it. Each block is 3x3 square.
Tunnel: $150- Instead of going over a mountain, you go through it. These are
pretty expensive, and you may not be able to build them if the terrain is
unstable at the exit. It's often cheaper to just go over the mountain.
Onramp: $25- You build these to get onto highways. To build them, create a
road leading up to the Highway (or under it), then click a space left or right
of the road AND to the side of the Highway to create an Onramp. If it doesn't
work, try extending the road one more square or building somewhere else. They
take a single square each.
I'll try to show it in ASCII art (I never was good at it, so bear with me)
Bus Depot: $250- The Sims like these. they reduce traffic. I like to build
them between two Onramps leading onto the highway. 2x2 squares.
Railroad
Rail: $25- This is a good way for Sims to get around when traffic is heavy.
Just be sure you build a Rail depot at each end of the track, otherwise
they'll be useless. Takes up a 2x2 square. I can't seem to convince my Sims to
use them, but that's just me.
Subway: $100- Yes, you can build Subway tunnels. You can even make them go
underwater. This is useful when you have barely any room left in your city and
you still need ways to get around (they also provide a cheap way to get
between islands without messy raised roads or rails). Be sure you have a
Subway tunnel at each end. Costly, but effective.
Rail Depot: $500- This is where they send out trains. Put tracks leading into
these. Takes up a 2x2 square.
Sub Station: $250- This is where the subways make stops. Put subway tunnels
leading into these. One square is needed for one of these.
Sub<-->Rail: $250- You can connect Railroad to Subway with these. Put these
around if you need to go under buildings or mountains (or water...hehe). Take
up one square each.
Boat/Plane
This allows you to zone Air and Seaports. Airports cost $250 per square and
Seaports cost $150 per square. Airports are good for increasing population and
Seaports are good for industry. Be sure you build Airports a long way away
from tall buildings or at least put them on top of a hill to reduce the
likelihood of a crash. Also be sure that they are a good 6x6 squares each, as
this is the only way Sims will build on them. Of course, you should zone
Seaports near water.
House
This allows you to zone Residential areas. Light residential costs $5 per
square and Heavy residential costs $10 per square. Build when Residential is
in demand (the green bar on the RCI bar is above the RCI bar).
Building
This allows you to build Commercial zones. They too can be put in Light and
Heavy zones at the cost of $5 per light square and $10 for each heavy square.
Build this when the blue bar is above the RCI bar.
Factory
Similar to the two above. These provide work for your sims, but they also
pollute. $5 per Light square, $10 per Heavy square.
Scholar's Hat
School $250- This makes your young Sims smarter. Put them near Residential
zones. These take up 3x3 squares.
College $1000- These make your Sims smarter too. Put them near Commercial and
Residental zones. These take up a 4x4 square.
Library $500- Umm...same as above, except it takes a 2x2 square.
Museum $1000- Ditto, except 3x3.
Badge
Police $500- Allows you to send out Police units. Plant them in the middle of
high crime areas to drastically reduce crime. This takes up a 3x3 square.
Fire Department $500- Allows you to send out Firefighter units. Keeps your
Sims happy. 3x3 Square.
Hospital $500- Increases health in the city. Another 3x3 square building.
Prison $3000- Helps keep crime down. Build them next to a police station or on
an island for best results. This one is a 4x4.
Balloons
Small Park $20- They improve land value a little. 1 square each.
Big Park $150- They drastically improve land value. Put them near Residential
or Arcos. 3x3 square.
Zoo $3000- These provide entertainment for your sims, but may lower land
value. Surround them with Small Parks to prevent this. 4x4 square.
Stadium $5000- Provides entertainment for your Sims. You can even choose the
team sport and name! 4x4 square again.
Marina $1000- Yet another way of entertaining the Sims. 3x3 square, but at
least one must be in water. Build as much of it in the water as possible to
save space.
Getting your city started
First, pick a nice flat section of land (hopefully near water). First of all,
build a power plant. If there's waterfalls nearby, build some Hydro Electric.
If there isn't, just use Coal for now. Build a road and a good 6x3 square
(remember, Sims don't build more than 3 squares away from roads) of Industrial
zoning. Be sure to put it fairly close to your Residential, otherwise your
sims will not build.
Then wait until they build some buildings, then zone out a 3x3 of Commercial
and a 8x3 of Residential (make your road longer if you need to). Be sure to
provide power to the zones, and then build some Water pumps near the water (if
there's no water nearby, they'll still work, but not as well). This is a good
start. Expand the zones as you need to and build when the citizens request you
build. Take bonds to get more money.
Disasters- You can start these using the Disasters window.
Fire- A small fire breaks out in your city. These blow up buildings and
multiply as the fire spreads. Send out the Fire Department. If it gets out of
control, surround it with rubble (knock buildings down) so that it has nowhere
to go.
Flood- Water floods your city and destroys your buildings. Build important
buildings farther away from the coast line to prevent major disasters (or just
build them on higher ground).
Air Crash- A plane crash. Send in the Fire Department to stop the fires that
it starts.
Monster- A big monster. It may start buildings on fire, make small spots of
water, or create Windmills (!). Send in the military to get the robotic freak
out of your city.
Riot- They randomly start fires and blow up buildings. Send in the Police to
stop them.
Tornado- It rips through town and blows up buildings. You can't do much about
it except hope that it doesn't blow down anything expensive.
Hurricane- It floods and blows up buildings. You can't do much to stop it,
though.
Earthquake- This is pretty bad. It starts fires and makes buildings blow
apart. Send in the Fire department to stop the fires.
REALLY bad disasters (luckily, they rarely happen)
Nuclear Meltdown- The worst possible disaster. Tons of fires and toxic clouds
appear, and toxic waste areas appear all over the place (and you can't build
them or get rid of them). You'd better surround the fires as quickly as
possible and send in the Fire Department.
Toxic Spill- Big clouds of toxic gas destroy your buildings.This occurs if you
have high pollution. Send in the Fire department to stop them.
Microwave Beam- This occurs only when you have a Microwave power plant. A
solar beam misses the collection
dish and starts fires. Send in the Fire Department to clean it up.
Fire Storm- This is similar to a fire, only MUCH bigger. Create a bunch of
rubble around the fire if possible to keep it from spreading (knock down some
buildings), and then send in the Fire Department.
Volcano- The terrain raises greatly and knocks out a bunch of buildings, and
then a bunch of toxic gas and fires start everywhere. Hope you have a lot of
Fire Departments.
Mass Riot- Like a Riot but much worse. Send in the Military and Police to stop
those goons!
Major Flood- It's like a flood but worse. You can't do much to stop it except
to build your city higher up (or raise the terrain near the water).
Graph Kludge- Your ratings start dropping drastically. If you're a really
crappy mayor, you might get this. Only way to fix it is to clean up your act.
Ordinances
Finance
1% Sales Tax- You gain money from Commercial Zones, but the sims tend to
complain. Use this when Commerce is in high demand, and cancel it when it's
not.
1% Income Tax- You gain money from Residential Zones, but the sims won't be
happy if Residential is in low demand. Turn it off when Residential is below
the RCI bar.
Legalized Gambling- A great source of income, but boosts crime. Build a Police
Station or two in the high-crime areas to take care of this.
Parking Fines- Issue this one the first chance you get. It's a good way to
earn a few bucks, and the sims don't complain.
Public Smoking Ban- Increases health, but also increases crime.
Free Clinics- Increases health. Very expensive. Only use it if you have a lot
of cash or are desperate for popularity.
Junior Sports- Provides entertainment for your sims.
Promotional
Tourist Advertising- Good for Residential zones.
Business Advertising- Good for Commercial and Industrial zones.
City Beautification- Reduces pollution.
Annual carnival- Entertains your sims.
Other
Energy conservation- Makes your power plants more efficient. Price grows at a
major rate as your city does.
Nuclear Free Zone- This one is free, but it keeps your sims happy.
Homeless Shelter- Not entirely sure what this one does.
Pollution controls- Reduces pollution, but is very costly.
Cheats (NOTE: I only have the Windows 95 Version, so I cannot confirm if the
other codes work).
Windows 95 Version
Bond- A bond at 25% interest will be issued.
Iamacheat-$500,000 and all Rewards and Buildings available.
Priscilla- Debug menu that lets you set off the REALLY bad disasters or get
more money or all Rewards/buildings.
Noah- Starts a flood (of course, there's always the cheat menu, too).
Gilmartin- Military offers to build in your city.
DOS Version
Darn- Sims build lots of Churches.
Heck- Sims build lots of Churches.
Memy- Memory Test.
Vers- Version Number.
Mac Version
Ardo- $500,000.
Porntipsguzzardo- ????
Vers- Shows version number.
Windows 3.1 (or 3.11)
Gomorrah- Nuclear meltdown.
Buddamus- $500,000, all rewards and buildings.
Gilmartin- Military Base.
Noah- Starts flood.
Moses- Stops flood.
Secrets and Tricks
Keep an eye on pollution, traffic and crime. Sims really hate those.
Crime tends to appear in Industrial Zones. Knock down a few buildings and
plant a Police Station in the middle of high-crime areas. That will
drastically reduce crime.
Sometimes you may see a blue creature in the water that looks like a dinosaur.
It seems to be harmless and appears at random. Does anyone know a trick to
getting it to appear?
Sometimes a little Superman-looking guy flies around when you have heavy
pollution or there are rioters running amok. He helps you out, though.
Click on a helicopter with the Centering tool to make it crash (and start
fires). This gets rid of the annoying "Simcopter reporting heavy traffic" guy
for a while.
Send in the Military to deal with riots and you'll become more popular with
the sims.
Keep Taxes at 7% unless you desperately need money. Any less and you'll lose
money, any more and the sims will complain.
Create a map with lots of waterfalls in the Map Editor, and then create lots
of Hydro Power plants to power your city.
Islands tend to be much more manageable than a huge city. If you're having
trouble creating a huge metropolis, try for a managable-sized island.
If you want to reduce pollution and you don't have enough money to use an
Ordinance, then try increasing Industry taxes as a temporary fix.
Be careful with Bonds. Don't spend too much after you issue one, or they'll
bury you in debt. Try to pay them off as soon as you can.
Don't bother with Light zones. Heavy zones may be more expensive, but they do
twice the job of Light zones (including Crime and Pollution). Overall, Heavy
Zones are better.
Other stuff
Read the newspapers. They're so incredibly random that it's funny.
