SmGny

The City Simulator

User Documentation

DOS Version
for
IBM/Tandy
& Compatibles

EE.
ae
ee ——————
CREDITS
Concept and Design: Will Wright
Contributions 1o Design: Jet Braun, Robert Sobel
18M Programming: Danie Goldman
Graphic Artwork: Don Bayes, Wil Wright, Scott Martindale
‘Sounds: Wil Wright, Steve Hales
‘Documentation: Michael Bremer, Cli Elis
Contributions to Documentation: Tom Bentley
Package and Documentation Design: Richard Bagel DESIGN!
Package lustation: Kurt West for Richard Bagel DESIGN!
‘Special thanks to: Jet Braun, Brian Hale, Bruce Jote,Joell Jones, Edward Klham, Kazue Osuai,
‘Ala Rede, and Broderbund Software
Dedicated to Cassidy

Maxis
‘Two Theatre Square, Suite 230
Orinda, CA 94563-3041
(510) 254-9700
FAX: (510) 253-9736
Softwareandmanual copyright 1989, 1981, Maxis and Will Wright,
all rights reserved worldwide.
(SBN # 0-929750-01-2
Limited Warranty
SimCity fs povided “as is" without waranty of any kind, Maxis warrants fo the orginal purchaser of
‘SimCity thatthe diskette wl bere rom defects in materia’ and workmanshipforninety days from the
dale of purchase,
Replacement of Media
SimCity has no disk-based copy protection, You ate free to make backup copies for personal use
Defective media returned ninety days from date of purchase wil be replaced without charge
License
‘Astheoriginal purchaser youhavetherighttouseSimCity onlyanasinglecomputer,Youray physically
transfer the program from one computer to another provided thatthe program is used only on one
Computeratatime. You maynol distribute copiesof SimCityor accompanying documentation to other,
THIS MANUAL IS COPYRIGHTED, NO PORTION OF THIS MANUAL MAY BE
COPIED, REPRODUCED, TRANSLATED OR REDUCED TO ANY ELECTRONIC
MEDIUM OR MACHINEREADABLE FORM WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN
CONSENT OFMAXIS.
SSSSScnitOty Simulator
te
LE
OF CONTENTS
TAB
1. Introduction 4
Foreword. 4
About System Simulations 4
TheGoalsofSinCity 5
I, Getting Started 6
Copy Protection 6
SimCity Graphics Ses — 6
Sound 4 6
Printing 6
Keyboard, Mouse, and Joystick. 6
Installing SimCity... 6
UL, Tutorial —AWalkThrough YourCity 9
IV. User Reference 6
Contain Sncy 16
(Menus .. 19
The Edit Window B
The Budget Window 2
The Maps Window 5 20
The Graphs Window... 3
The Evaluation Window 5
Disasters 36
Scenarios a7
Game Play Level. 39
Growing a City 39
User Reference Card 0
List of Files on the Disks. 4
V. InsideSimCity; How the Simulator Works 42
Zones 2
Population—Residential 2
External Maret—industrial 4%
Internal Market Commercial 8
Tax Rate 43
Budgeting 8
Power. 4
Transportation ‘andTrafic 44
Pollution. 45
CFM n 5 45
Land Value a
Vi. TheHistory ofCitiesandCityPlanning 48
Vil. Troubleshooting 54
Vill. Bibliography 5
eee | SS
SE
INTRODUCTION
FOREWORD
Eater Sicily and take contol. Be the undisputed ruler ofa sophisticated realtime Cty Simulation
Becomethe maslerof existingeissuch as San Francisco, Tokyo,and Ro de Jano,orreteyout
‘on ream city (or dream sum) rom the ground up,
‘Whether youtakeoveran existingcilyorbulld your own,youare the Mayorand CtyPlannerwith complete
author,
Yourcity is populated by Sims—Simulatd Citizens. Like their human counterparts, they buildhouses,
condos, churches, slores and factories, And, aso like humans, they complain about things like taxes,
mayors, taxes city planners, and taxes. hey gel too unhappy, they move out; you collec ewer tare,
the city deteriorates.
‘The next ew sections will explain theoverallconcept of Simity and give information thal wil hep you
win Scenarios and design and build beter cites,
ABOUT SYSTEM SIMULATIONS
SimCity isthe first ofa newtypeof enetainment/education software, called SYSTEM SIMULATIONS.
‘We provide you witha setof RULES and TOOLS that describe, ceate and contro a system In he case
of SimCiy the system is acy
The challenge of playing a SYSTEM SIMULATION game iso igure out how the system works and take
contol ofit As master of he system, you ae free to use the TOOLS te create and control an unimited
‘umber of systems (in this case, ities) within the tramework and limits provided bythe RULES.
‘n SimCity, the RULES to learn are based on ety planning and management, including:
Human factors — residential space and amenities, avaliaiityo obs, and quality of ie;
Economic factors—land value, industrial and commercial space, unemployment, internal and
evlrnal markefs, elec paver, taxation, and funding for city serves,
Survival factors ~siralegies lor dealing wih disasters, crime, and pollution; and
Political factors —public opinion, zoning, and keeping residents and businesses satisied with
your city and your performance.
‘TheTOOLSprovide ouwiththe ability opal, ayou,zone, bull, bulldoze, e-z0ne, and manage sity
Plan —Mapping systems give pysical and demographic avrviews o the entre city
Layout — Design living and working areas, road and iransil systems, and eoreatiqnal aveas,
‘Zone —Sel zoning boundaries for parks, residential, commercial and dustrial aes
Build —Place roads,alls,airports, seaports ire and policestations,sports stadiums,and power
plants
Bulldoze — Cleartoresstorciy growth build andl along waterways,clearandre-zone developed
areas,
‘Manage — Using the mapping and graphing systems, gather up-o-dale information on trafic
density, populationtrends, power ridstatus, pollution,crime,andvaluepoliceand ire department
bffciency, and cash low. Sethe takrte and funding levels for city srvies
BSSThe City Simulator
Butthe most important TOOLotalsheSimulatoritselt. Testyourplans andideasasyou watch thecity
(groworstrinkthrough hemigration andemigaton ofindustrious SimulatedCitizens,Sims willmave
in and build homes, hospitals, churches, stores and facores in the znesyouprovide, or move out
searchofjobsoratettrIitelsewhere.Thesuccess ofthecitysbasedonhequai ofthecy youdesign
and manage.
SIMULATOR REACTION TIME
Te simulatorisa verycomplexmullfaskingpieceofsoftware.Nisconstantyperioming anychecks,
calcaltions, ad updates, as wel asKeeping watch onthe mouse and keyboard to respon to yout
demands. When you fod in city, gv the simulator ew mines to compl its daa and update the
‘maps, graphs, population lvls, ec. Some the oter mes when te simulaor as behind you are
wen powering zones and updating thecyservices map ater intaling policeandfe stains.
clockspeedand ypeof micropoces-
‘Simulator reactiontimesalso greataietedbyyourcomputer's
‘or, lyouhaveanXT-compaibierenningt 4.77 MHz, in SimCitywillbemuchslowerthan on a 386
runningal 33 MH2.Tospeed uptimeonaslowmachine,seeFREQUENT ANIMATION andANIMATEALL
inthe OPTIONS MENU.
THE GOALS
OF SimCity
‘Therearemany goalstobepursuedandreachedinSimCity,

ach ol the eight included Scenarios is actually agame initself, with anunlimited number ofways to
win-—oF lose
ach Scenariosacitywhich isetherthevictimothorribl planning or about tobe the victim
ofnatural
dlisaser. Alter you load in 2 Scenario, you will havealimitedamountof timetocorrector repair the
‘problems. youre successtul, youwillbegiver thekeytothecity. not, you maybe ridden outoftown
ona il
fone strategy doesn’ work, ty another There ae milion stories in each city, and you writ them.
YOUR DREAM CITY
Perhaps the main goal of SimCity is for you to design, manage and maintain the city of your dreams,
‘Your ideal placetoivemaybe a bustling megalopolis ats of people, lots o cars, tl buildings: high
energy,high-densily ving.Ortmaybeasmall ruralcommunity oflinked groupofsmallcommunities
providing slow-paced county living
‘As long
asyour citycanprovide
placesforpeople
tove,work, shopandplay, wil trac residents
‘ndas angst, polsion overcrowding, crimeortaxesdontrivethemaway,yourciy wl ive

a6 SS
ew ————————————
GETTING
COPY PROTECTION
STARTED
SimCity i copy-proteted. We are using aform of protection that snot onthe disk,You can easly run
the program from aharddisk and make backup copies,
NOTE: Itis « good idea to make and use copies of the SimCity disk(s),and keep
the originals in a safe place.
‘During the game you will nedto look up information tromare sheet of pape tha is included wih the
game, The Red Sheet cannot bephotocopied. DON'T LOSE IT!
SIMCITY GRAPHICS
SimCity for IBM, Tandy, and compatibles supportsmany graphics standards, including
CGA in the high-res monochrome mode ~ 640200
MCGA in high-tes monochrome mode only ~ 640x480
Hercules monochrome — 7201348,
Tandy graphies ~320%200 in 16 colors
EGA higt-esand VGA ~ 640x350 in 16 colors(requires 256K video RAM and 640K system RAM)
EGA low-tes —3201200 in 16 colors (it you have only 128K video RAM or 512K system RAM)
EGA hih-ies monochrome ~ 640x 350 (i youhave only 128K video RAM or 512KsystemRAM)
SOUND
SimCity includes digitized sounds that support the Tandy sound chp. also supports anew low-cost
soundboard for IBM and compatibi computers—tne SOUNDMASTER board rom COVOX.Theeisan
information sheet and order form for his board included withthe game. SimCity can also send tha
lgtized sounds ou trough th speaker built ino most computes, but the sound quay nt very
good
SimCity supports only Epson-compaibe printers hooked toa paallet port. You can print your city on
‘ne page, o asa si-page poste.
KEYBOARD, MOUSE, AND JOYSTICK
SimCity canbeplayed without mouseor joystick butits much easier ta conto wih one. T hep you
find your way around SimCity, there is @ KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART, inclued onthe USER
REFERENCE CARO thal comes wit the game
‘you have @ mouse driver installed, the joystick wil be ignored

Before you can run SimCity, you mus install ito fet itknow, among other things, wha kindof monitor
you are using, You will notice thalvehave included both 51/4” and 31/2" disks. Grab the ona() that
fit your computer and pu the others) away.
FLOPPY DISK INSTALLATION
ifyou want fo run SimCity rom a floppy disk, you wll need two (2) blank, formated Hlopoy disks. One
will become your working copy of SimCity, the other wil od the cities you build
————
SaThe Clty Simulator
NOTE: If you have a 5 1/4” 360Kdiskdrive, not allthefiles you need to run
‘SimCity will fit on one disk. You may from time to time be asked to put in one
bfthe original disks during theplay ofthegame. Keep copies ofbothoriginal
disks handy during play.
HARD DISK INSTALLATION
‘Youvwllneedapproximately 580KtreespaceonyourharddiskinstallSimCity, and morespacetostore
the cites you create.
Theinstalprogram mus berun romfloppydisk will cat2 SimCitysb-iecory onyourhard
drive, and wilcopyte programandscenariofilesaswelastheproper graphicsandsound filestothal
sub-iesoy.
RUNNING THE INSTALL PROGRAM
Boot your computer.
Putthe3 1/2" disk or 5 1/4" Disk#1 in your floppy drive.
ALthe prompl, type INSTALL, and hit RETURN.
Youwill beasked:Installfromdrive:[*] A, [ 1B:
UsetheRIGHTandLEFTCURSOR KEYStomovetheasterisktotheriveyouareinstallingfrom,and
hit RETURN,
The programwill then askor confirmation, Hit" or RETURNtoconfirm, “WM”togo back and change
your selection,
‘Youwilthenbeaskec:Install
todrive: [] As, [ ] B:,{*]
G:,[]D:
Use theRIGHTandLEFTCURSOR KEYSfomoveheaseiskothe diveyouarinstalling to, anit
RETURN.
Ityou are installing fo floppy, you wil be reminded to put your floppy inthe drive.
Ate prompl: Destination Directory -> CASIMCITY,
or >BA,
hit RETURN, oF change the directoryname,then hit RETURN.
NOTE:IfyouonlyhaveoneNoppydiskdrice,and noharddrive, youmustinstall
from theA:drivetotheA:drive.Theprogram willprompt youwhen tochange
disks.
‘The programwilthenaskor conrmation. Hit "Yor RETURM foconfirm, “to goback and change
yout selection
"Net,youwillbeaskedwhichgraphicsdisplayyouhave.UsetheRIGHTandLEFTCURSOR KEYSto
‘mave the asterisk tothe proper graphics set,andhitRETURN.
‘Myouhave CGA, MCGA, Hercules, or Tandy graphics,youhaveonlyonechoice you have anEGA(or
VGA) card, you have three:
{640x350 in 16 colors — requires G40K RAM and 56K videoRAM,and a color monitor.
320X200 in 16 colors — requires 12K RAM and 128K videoRAM.and a color monitor.
640x360 monochrome requires 512K RAM and 128K video RAM, and a color or monochrome
SS ‘monitor. | SS
Se —————————
Theprogram will then askor confirmation Hil *¥* orRETURN toconfi, logobackand change
your selection,
Nest you willbe asked what typeof JOYSTICK (i any) you will be using. Use the RIGHT and LEFT
(CURSOR KEYS to move the asterisk tothe propersetting,and hit RETURN,
NOTE: You cannot have both a mouse and joystick installed at the same time.
Iyou have a mouse driver installed, the computer will ignore the joystick.
The program will then asorconfirmation, Hit “Y" or RETURN to confirm, “A” to go backandchange
your selection,
‘Newt youwill be asked about SOUND. Use te RIGHT and LEFT CURSOR KEYStomove the asterisk
tothe proper seting, and hit RETURN. I you wish no sound, choose None. I you want the digitized
soundssentthrough your bul-n speaker (low-quality choose IBM; ifyouhavea Tandy computerwith
‘@DAC chip, choose Tandy Digital. you have aCOVOX Sound Master board installed, choose that
YYouwill beaske to confirmyoursound installation, then you will basket reconitmall yourchoices
‘nce more
Now the SimCity program, scenarios, andthe proper sound and graphics files willbe coped tothe
destination disk. H you aeinstalingromthe51/4" Disk1, youwill beasked to pu in Disk2sothat more
files can be copied
Now you're ready to enter SimCity.

ms
f
Nee The Clty Stator

TUTORIAL —
ABoot WALK THRO UGH YOUR CITY
your computer, and instal a mause driver if you are using a mouse.
lt you haveinstalledSimCity to floppy disk, pulthe diskin driveA:Ae A> prompt, ype SIMCITY
and hit RETURN.
\tyou havenstalleditto hard disk, make sure thatthe SimCity sub-directory isthe CURRENT
DIRECTORY. Type SIMCITY a the prom, and hit RETURN.
NOTE: If you are running SimCity with only one loppy diskdrive and no hard
drive, you must keep the installed copy in the A: drive until the program is
completely loaded. When you want to save your city, then take outthe SimCity
disk and putinthe data disk. and when you needtoput the SimCity diskback,
the program will prompt you.
‘Soon you wlsethe rad sign giving you the following choices: START NEW CITY,LOAD A CITY,
and SELECT SCENARIO. Somewhere on the soreen wil be apointer
NOTE: The pointer is controlled by a mouse, a joystick, or by the cursor keys.
When this tutorial instructsyouto "CLICK"onsomething, it means to move the
pointertothat spot, and either clickthe left mouse button, the joystick button,
tor the space bar. There are many keyboard shorteuts mentioned later in this
‘manual. See the included KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART.
‘Move the pointer to “START A NEW CITY,"and CLICK the mouse button, the joystick button or it the
space bat
Now you will choose your city’s name, and selthe BAME PLAY LEVEL.
‘Thedefaultnames “Heresville,” tyou wish to change it, CLICKon
BSINCTTT
cityrane’) tie nane Heesvil. The pom wi dsappex.Tyoeinyour nw
fam, and it RETURN, For hs tov wl use te rae
HERESUILLE ‘OurTown,” Youmayuse upto 17fetlrs, but when you saveyour
ily to Gisk itwill be cutoff al eight eters, and have the extansion
-cly” added to the end af the city name,

COnoe you have named your city, you can set the GAME PLAY
LEVEL. To do ths, just CLICK on the box tothe fet of Easy,
Medium, or Hard. The GAME PLAY LEVELchangesmany factors,
imcludinghow muchmoney youstart with,how manydisasters you
will ave, and how tolerant
yourSims.are. Fornow, leave tat Easy
CCLICK on the “OK” box.
 NOTE: Everysooften,while playing SimCity, youwillbepresented withasmall
box with threesymbols,and you will beasked for theName or Population ofa
city. When this happens, you willneedthe RedSheetthat came with the game.
Thefirstsymbolislike apage number. Findthepagethat hasthe samesymbol
in the upperright corner.

Enter mane of city Enter population of city

G OB G 60

Next, go down thecolumns on thatpage,lookingatthe twosymbols to the left

ofeachcityname,until they match the other twosymbols on thescreen. Then
enter the City Name, or Population, and hit RETURN.
You will have three chances to get it right. is very important—the lives and
welfare ofmany Simsdepend on you gett
‘Nowyouwill seeamessagetatetsyouknowtha
‘anew landform is being generated.
You ae now in SimCity
‘Along the top ofthe scree is the MENU BAR. Below that isthe EDIT WINDOW.
Edit Window = te
ci City Date

eon Tile Box

TheEDITWINDOW iswhereyouwildotheactual building andzoning. A thelopofthe EDIT WINDOW
istheTITLEBAR.Thiscispaysthe nameothecity,andthedate On thelefsideotheTITLEBARthe
(CLOSE BUTTON. I youCLICK onthisbution, newindowwilcise, or goway, Goahead andtryi

ee
SSSThe City Simulator
iow let's gtit hack. Mave thepointer totheWINDOWS MIEN in he upper-right comesofthe screen,
CCLICK on thewordWINDOWS, andthemenuwilappear. youhavea mouseor joystick, movethe
Dinterdownto EDIT,andclicktheleftbuon.i youareusingthekeyboard, usetheCURSOR KEYSto
Highlight EDIT,and hit the SPACE BAR. The windowcomesback.
NOTE:TheBUDGET WINDOW willpopuponcea yearincitytime.Forbottom. now,when
it doespopup, justclicktheGOWITH THESEFIGURES baxatthe
BelowtheTITLE BAR isthe MESSAGE BAR.Thelftside alwaysdisplaysyour available FUNDS, The
fest ofthe bar wil occasionally display messages to you from the Sims.
‘Not theICONS (pictures)belowtheMESSAGE BARonthelet.Theyaebuttonsthatworkjustikeicons
in various draw and paint programs. These aeyour zoning and building functions. Somewhere inthe
‘middle ofthe windowis Ue pointer. Tis will change size and shape depending onthe active icon.
Below the ICONS isthe DEMAND INDICATOR. Thisgives the demand levels for Commercial, Resi~
ental, and Indusval zones, and can behelpul in planning your city.
Below the DEMAND INDICATOR and tothe right isthe ICOM TITLE BOX, giving the name and cost of
the active CON,
‘Athe bottom right corn ofthewindow i the RESIZE BOX. You can point to this, clickand hold, and
(ragito stretchthesieoftheEDITWINDOW.
The main potion of thewindowisthe land. Youravaiableand ismade oftree types of trai, which
wilappeardiferen ty Thebrows(orlightes-
dependingonyourmontor, areCLEARLAND,
shaded)
areas
thegreen (or medium-shadareas ed)areforestsandTREES,andheblue(ot dakest-shaded) areas are
WATER. You can build oniyonCLEAR LAND. Youcanclear forest and extend coastlines wih your
‘BULLDOZ YouER.
canrunroads,risandpowetlinesacrosswatt
‘To scroll he terrain under the EDIT WINDOW, move thepointer tothe tp, botom, sides or cornersyouof
the scren, UsetheMOUSE,JOYSTICKorCURSORKEYS.fit wontgoin onedirection thatmeans
are at a boundary of your tertitory
NOTE: Fornow,keep the Scroll Lock off.
‘Anather way tosora is to hold down theCTRLKEYwhileusingthe CURSOR KEYS. Holding down the
CCTRL KEY whileoperatinga JOYSTICK wil alsocausescrolling
Togetan overvie ofyourentirecitywlimits,lookattheMAPWINDOW. YoucanopentheMAP WINDOW
by going tothe WINDOWS MENU and clicking on “MAPS,” buthete isalso a shortcut: hit RETURN.
‘Youcanseemanydiferentdemographic viewsofthecity,chosenbytheionsonthelft.Theypeof
‘mapis shownathetopofthewindow.in theTITLEBAR.AttheletttheTITLEBARistheCLOSE.
BUTTO N
forthiswindow,

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 se,

‘Somewhere intheMAP WINDOW is@large RECTANGLE. This RECTANGLE outlines the close-up view
inthe EDIT WINDOW. CLICK and holdonthe RECTANGLEandDRAG ito.covera placeonthemap with
‘open land, lees, and water, and release. The EDIT WINDOWwilredrawatthenew location
‘Nowwellgo back o the EDIT WINDOW and bully. The easiestwayo ge here'stojust CLICK on
any exposedpartofthe EDITWINDOW. il be brought ot o, covering mast ol theMAPS WINDOW.
‘When you have more than one window onthe screen ta time, tsa goo idea to leave a pat each
‘ne showing, so you can easly bring it othe lop by clickingonit
To begin a city we need: places for Sims to live, places for Sims to work, and power.
Yu can only build on clear land, so use the BULLDOZER to clear away some tees. CLICK on the
BULLOOZER ICON, fox the pointer overt and. is now smallsquare, oulining the rea
thal wil be bulldozed |Soy |evry time you CLICK. Move your BULLDOZER pointer aver some rees
and CLIGK. The forest ection under your pointerisnowCLEAR LAND, Now, hold the button(or
SPACE BAR) dawn and move the pointer slowly across the forest. Mass destruction, Clear large ares
of land to prepareforbuilding
CLICK the RESIDENTIAL ICON, [AHZI then move back to your terrain. Your poiner is nowalarger
square outline Thisoullineindicateshow much clear space you wil neetocreate Residential Zone—
aplacetorSimstolive, Clicking incleaterrin ‘zones’theland.The'R” inthe centerfthezoneindicates
Thali is a Residential Zone. The lashing lighting symibol indicates that the zone has no power, Place
2few more Residential Zones adjacent to the frst one
NOTE: If you have trouble placingazone, make sure it is on open land. You
‘cannot zone on waterorover other zones, You cannot zone over trees, unless
‘you have AutoBulldoze activated.
aS The City Simulator
‘Nowdecidewnereto position aPOWER PLANT in your cit. Point tothe POWER PLANTICON|
and CLICK. Asmall menuwil appear,giving You the optionof choosing acoal or nuclear pant
For now, CLICK on the COAL POWER PLANT. The outline fra PowerPlant is even lager than
foy the Residential Zone, lace the Power Plant in some open space near your residential zones. tf your
PowerPlant isnot directlyadjacentoa residential zone, you willneedto run aPOWER LINE from your
powerplantto the residentialzones. Fr
q
Todbottis, CLICKth=POWERLINEICON LL using your poimter and buton or space ba, lay
POWER LINES fom your Power Pinto your Residential Zones. Adjacent powerline Section wil
automatically connec to each oler. Roadways and Transit Lines connec inthe same manner. In a
‘moment, heflashing symbol nthe esidena zoneswil disappeat ndcalingthal your zoneshavebeen
powered, Any zones thal ate axjacent oa powered one do not need sparta power ines run totem.
‘Soon you wil eesmal houses stato appear. The Sims hae stated to move in
NOTE: When you zone land, you designate where building is allowed. It is the
Sims who actually build.
Now that you havea few residential zones, you ready for COMMERCIAL and INDUSTRIAL||
areas; places forthe Sisto workshop.anansactbusnes. Sel he COMMERCIAL ICON
and plaeafewCOMMERCIAL ZONES nar your Residentialone.Thenselect theINDUSTRIAL [==
OW and place some INDUSTRIAL ZONES. Connect al necessarypor lines hog
NOTE: There is a delay between the time you connect power to a zone and the
time the flashing lightning symbol disappears. This delay gets longer as your
citygetslarger.

ore tte,
i
eae tap c Lae
OF rmifngmmnajemolel Sd
Natice hat as you selec iterent cons, the con'sdescriptionand ts associated cost wl be displayed
inthebox near the loweret corer ofthewindow.TheMESSAGE BAR displaysyour otal iunds avaliable
you donothave enough moneyin your treasuryo payfor certainfunctiontal icon willbe ghosted™
on your screen and fs unavailable for use
= I-E—_—E
Now, CLICK on the ROAD ICON|f:3¢3i{and addROADS ftomyout residential housing tothecommer-
ialand dustareastoallow the {= Simstocommte towork. ROAD sections connectthemselves
lke Power Line sections. Onceyouhave ROADS, afc wil begenerated

Toti
Now move the pointer othe MENU BAR, CLICK onthe WINDOWS MENU, and selec! BUDGET. This
iswhereyousettheevel of funding for you fie, police, and transportation departments. CLICK theUP
or DOWNARROWS 0 change the unding level, Youcanalsoadjus hecurrentpropertytaxat. you
have no policeofre departments, you car undthem,You cannot fund more than100%.Sinceyour
cityis sonew, you can domuch here now,but comebckltr. CLICKthe GOWITHTHESEFIGURES
box when you are done
‘NowCLICK ony showing pat ofthe MAPSWINDOW. Novyoucan getan idea ofthe sizeofyourciy,
and how much room you Kave let Try he diferent map views by clicking onthe icons atthe Te. You
wil ned this information to build and adjust condtins inyourcity, For example, you can pinpoint the
areas withthe highest crime to determine location fr new police stations.
‘Aditiona information canbegainedthrough he avaiable BRAPHS.Unie themaps, whichony show
‘hecurrentstateof your iy, th graphs give yourecor o the past so you can gaugerend and cycles.
‘Another waytogatherinformationaboutyour city sby usinghe
‘QUERY FUNCTION. To use tis, nove he pointer to any area
‘ot youriy n the EDIT WINDOW, hold down the “0” ey,and
press the left mouse buton, joystick button, or spacebar,You
‘willbeshownasmalwindowfilledwith information onthe area
under the pointe. }
Now, les SAVEthe citytodisk. you are using atwo-loppy}] arenuiLL.cry
‘system, make sure you have a formatted disk in drive B:, If you] ete ee
are using
aone floppy system, take tneSimCity disk outol the Hltaemunecre
‘Ac drive, and put in your data disk. CLICK on the SYSTEMS} ena
(MENU. Highlight Save City, andCLICK.Youwillsee the “File} erence
Saving Ser Sane civ
SSSR Tie City Simulator
‘Neat the lop isa box withthe name olyour cy you wish fo change it now, CLICK on the name, and
‘ype ina naw one
Below thats thelist of drives. CLICK on the chive to which you want to save the city
Below that is the Fites Box. itis your hard driv, you may see your sub-directories, n parentheses,
listed intheFilesBox. CLICK on the sub-directory name to open it, and CLICK on (.) lomove up on
level of
directory, Wal he files or directories donotshow, CLICKonthe UP and DOWN ARROWS tothe
right ofthe files.
Whenyounavechosen yourctynameanddtive, andsub-ditecor (fan),then CLICK onhe SaveBox.
Your ity will now be preserve for Tule use,
Toloadacity, open the SYSTEM MENU, and CLICK on Load
‘aGity. You wil se he File Loading Screen: It looks and
works almost ik he File Saving Screen.
CLICK onthe ive fromwhichyou wanttooad.Then find the
tight sub-iretory (any) and GLICK onthe name ofthecty
You want to load The nam will appear inthe box atthe top of
the soreen,
NowCLICK ontheite boxthetsaysLOAD, andyourcitywill
be back inaction
THERE CTY
This i al the basic information you nae to run Simity, but we suggest reading on. The User Ref=
‘erence sectionexplainsin detail nowto useeach program unction. insideSimGityexpinsthe nner
‘workings ofthesimulator, andgivessumehintsandiips farusingt. ThereisalsoanessayonTThe History
‘of Gities and City Planning, and 2 Bibliography {or serious Ciy Planners.

SS —_§-_x_———
SS —————
USER REFERENCE
CONTROLLING SIMCITY
IN GENERAL
Abigpatof controlling SimCity
iscontrolling the windows. Youcan selectwhich windowsaredisplayed
Windows can be moved around the screcn, They can be brought tothe ron, or iden by selecting the
appropriate WINDOWS MENU function. We suggest tht you arrange the windows so there is always
pat of each one showing, To bringawindow tothe fon, just CLICK on any par of

In SimCity, you wil primarily usthele mouse button. The mainfunction ofthe right mouse butlon is
to activate the bulldozer function. I you haveariddlebutton, SimCity ignores i,
Toactvate menus withamouse, move the mouse pointer tothe menu you wish to view, and press and
hold the let mouse buton. The menu wil beGisplayed. Move the poinier downthe menuto theitem you
‘want toactivate, and release themousebutton The menuitem wilbeactivated, Some mena ites will
bing up a sub-menu, When this occus, just move the pointe othe selection you want, and press and
release the left mause butlon
Jeonsare selected by moving the mouse pointerto the icon youwat, and clickinghelef buon. Building
and zoning funtions ar performed bymaving the pointer to the desied location, andclicking the let
‘mouse button.
‘Therearesamefunctionsin SimCitytat are only activatedthrough thekeyboard. TherearealsoKeyboard
shortcutsthat can be used along wihthe mouseto speedup operation of SimCity. Theseareal explained
blow, and in he KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART,
WITH A JOYSTICK joystick
Tha otic s usedjustikethe mouse, TheJoystick Buttonemulates the let mouse button The
will wokfamouse s
crivetiinstalled, Holding downthe Gtelkey whileoperatin g
theJostickcauses
the sereen to scroll without the cursor moving
WITH A KEYBOARD
There re many Keyboard functions in SimCity. Keep the KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART handy
Note: When running SimCity, the NumLock should be off
CURSOR KEYS AND NUMERIC KEYPAD
The CURSOR KEYS move he pointer around the screen.
‘The INSERT and SPACE keys emulate the lft mouse button,
ies the right mouse button.
“3” moves the pointer tothe center ofthe screen,
HOME moves the pointer tothe let side ofthe screen.
END moves the pointer to the right side ofthe screen,
PgUp moves the pointer tothe top of the screen.
PgDn moves the pointer to the bottom of the screen
Te The Clty Simulator
‘When used with the Ctrlkey, the CURSOR KEYS and NUMERIC KEYPAD scroll the terrain
arcity under
‘the EDIT WINDOW.
Ctri-Left Arrow (4) scrolls the city to the (elt,
{te-Right Arrow (6) cals the ci othe igh
Ctrl-Up Arrow (8) scrolls the city up.
Ctri-Down Arrow (2) scrolls the cily down,
(Ctrl-Home (7) scrolis the city angularly up and to the left.
Ctrl-End (1) scrolls the city angularly down and to the left.
Ctrl-PgUp (9) scrolls the city angularly up and to the right.
Ctrl-PgDn (3) scrolls the city angularly down and to the right

+ and —
1 you are nol using a mouse, then + and ~ onthe NUMERIC KEYPAD are vey helpful. They cycle the
point around the HOT SPOTS of anywindow or messagebox.HOT SPOTSareplaces whereclicking
‘he pointer wil ether activate an icon, oF change
asetting. For example, nthe EDIT WINDOW, instead
ol using the CURSOR KEYS to move the pointe fo an icon and clicking, you can ht the +oF—Keys to
‘ole through and activate the icons. nthe BUDGET WINDOW, whee there are many small arows to
clickontochangethesettings, tan be dificul toaccurately locatehepointer using the CURSOR KEYS.
Use the + and — keysto cycle tothe spot you want
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
ESCAPE will cancel any menu and many funetions: When in dou, hit ESCAPE
InPOP-UP MESSAGES thatasktora YES or NOanswer, Hil "¥" or RETURN or YES,and" or ESCAPE
{or NO.
Holding down the ALT ko wi iting the fs! eter ofa menu name wil open the meno,
‘AM-S opens the SYSTEM MENU
‘At-O. opens tne OPTIONS MENU
‘AND opens the DISASTERS MENU
‘AL-W. opens the WINDOWS MENU
SimCity also follows the Tandy Deskmate interface for opening menus
F2_ brings up te fst menu ~ SYSTEM
F3_ bringsup the nex!- OPTIONS
F4_bings up thenext — DISASTERS, and
5 brings up the last ~ WINDOWS.
Once amenu isdisplayed, you mayusetheUPand DOWN CURSOR KEYStohighligh the menu choice,
and hit SPACEorINSERT to activate it. You mayalsa highlight menuchoice by iting the keywith the
first eter of the choice there is more than one menu choice beginning with the same lter, then
repeatedly hing the key wil cycle the highlight trough al the choices beginning wit that eter, For
‘example, oe theSYSTEM MENU is open, i youhitthe L" key, “LOAD SCENARIO" wil be highlighted.
Hitthe °L” ey again, and "LOADCITY"wil behighlighted. Hitt again and “LOAD SCENARIO" willbe
highlighted again, ee
To closeamenu without choosing @function, hit the ESCAPE te,
Ed
‘Many menu items can be activated directly, without displaying the menu. Ths is done through the
following GTAL-Key combinations.
Activate Load Gity menu funtion
‘Adtvae Save City menu function
sit SimCiy, and return to DOS
Toggles Autc-Bulldaze madeonand off
Bringsup theMAPWINDOW(alsotheENTERorRETURNkey)
Brings up the GRAPHS WINDOW
‘Brings up the BUDGET WINDOW
Brings up the EDIT WINDOW
Brings up the EVALUATION WINDOW
(Closes the frontwindow
Hides the front window (raves it othe boom)
ities
erttiet Position the ron window
Resize the EDIT WINDOW
OTHER SPECIAL KEYS
Temporarily activatesthePOWER LINEiconaslongasfishelddown
Temporarily activatestheTRANSITLINEiconasJongsit ishelddown
Temporary activatesthe ROAD icon s ong 2s its held down
Temporarily activates the BULLDOZER icon 2 long 2s it is held down
Pauses the Simulator
Sets Simulator o Siow speed
Sets Simulator to Average speed
Sets SimulatortoFast speed
Sats Simulator o Fastest speed
+ ActivatestheQUERYfunction— Thisgivesyouinformation ontemsorareaintheiy,While
inthe EDITWINDOW, pointtoantemorareawthhepointer,holddownthe "Okey, andclick
the lft mouse button or hit SPACE or INSERT.
TABHingTABishesamees clickingonheGOTObuon.HitingTABagainwllretumyoutowhere
you were,
FAOHidesthetrontwindow.
SCROLL LOCK visables EDITWINDOW scrolling by moving thepointer to heedges ofthe screen,
Scroling can sil be performed by using the Cir! hey with the NUMERIC KEYPAD.
‘TheSHIFTkeysconstrain roadaying, rail aying, ullazing, and parkbuldingtoa straight line.

oo
 Ihe Lity Simulator
Sass
MENUS
SYSTEM MENU andMaxis,
[ABOUTSIMCITY bringsup 2 sreengivingfscialingandvitainformation aboutSimCity
PRINT bringsup 2window givingyouhe choiceofprintingoutyour cityona single page,or onamu
‘page poster. SimCily printing only supportsEpson-compatible printers.
‘LOAD SCENARIO brings up 2 menu of available SCENARIOS to load and run.
START NEWCITYgenerates a new,emplytrain.Clearsexistingcity(any)frommemory. You will
beaskedit you aresue,lo giveyouachanceo gobackad savetheod cityist.You willnextbegiven
a chanceloseltheGAMEPLAYLEVELandnameyoucil.
‘LOAD CITYbrings uphe“File LoadingScreen,” allowing youtoloada previouslysavedcity.youhave
‘aneexist ing SimCity
cityinprogress, wilirstasil youwanttosavechan to ges
youoldcitybefore loading
another, and allow you to cance the function i you wish.
‘Once the File Loading Screen is open, choose thediveyou want to foad from, by moving the cusor to
thecriveeterand pressingthelft mousebutton,theSPACEkey,orthe INSERT key. Ony citydatafiles
willbe displayed. Sub-irectories are shown in parentheses. Toviewthefiesina sub-directory, CLICK
‘nitsname,To moveupasub-dir ecory
levelCLICKonthe doubledo.) therearemorefilsthan
canbedisplayed in he window,CLICKontheupanddow arrowsotheight ofthe ile res toscroll
through the list.
‘You may also ene he name of hele you wish to oad by clicking on the le name box and ying i
in. fyou decide nat load cil this time, you may CLICK on CANCEL or hit ESCAPE.
Usethe¢ and— keystomovethepointeothevariousHOTSPOTSin theFileLoading Screen.
SAVECITY AS...bringsupthe FileSavingScreen,allowingyoutosavethesoenariorcityinprogress
to.iskor ateruse,Usehisoptiontosaveaiyforthefirstime,orfyouwanttosaveitunder adiferent
‘ame, of toa diferentdiskorsub-directory,
(OncetneFileSavingScreenisopen,chonsethe driveyouwanttosavetoby movingthecursorto the
chiveleeandpressingtheftmousebutton,theSPACEkey,otheINSERTkey.Onlycitydatails will
bedisplayed. Sub-drectoriesaeshowninparentheses. To view thefilsin sub-directory, CLICK on
itsname. To moveupa sub-directorylevelCLICKon thedoubledot. therearemarefilesthancan
becisplayed in thewindow, CLICKon theup anddownarrowstotherightofthefilenamesto scroll
through thelist
(Onceyuhaveactedtheplaceyouwis saveyourcity,entertheraeunderwhichyouwisho save
thect byclickingon helenameboxandtypingitn. ThenCLICK ontheSAVEbutton. youdecide
‘otosaveacitya thistime,youmayCLICKonCANCELorhitESCAPE
Usethe+ and- keysto movethepointeothevariousHOTSPOTSintheFileSavingSereen.
NOTE: Onceyouhaveloaded ascenario, itcan besavedand reloaded, likeany
city, without the impending disaster.

‘SAVE CITYsavesthescenario orcityin progress todisk.Usethisoption tosavea cityunderthesame

‘name andto thesame placethatithasalready beensaved. Ifyouwishtochange thenameorlocation
faci,
usetheSAVECITY AS...ption. youchooseSAVECTY andyourcy hasnoelbensaved
‘youwillbeaskedtoname
thiecityandindicate
wheretosaveit

EXITendsSimCity, and returns you to DOS.

a 9)
SSS The Hity Simulator
OPTIONS MENU tere willbean arrow
"Mostote optionssein thismenuaresaved withthecity,Whenan option isaciv,
head to the tt oftheoption
‘AUTO-BULLDOZE allows you to place zones, roadways, et. direlly on top of trees and shoreline
without manually bulldozing fits, You wil becharged the sameasfor manual bulldzing
AUTO-BUDGET keaps your budgetalhe same percentage settings without asking for approval every
year. Iihereisntenoughmoney tomeetthe budgel,then fundswillbeallacatedfrsttothe Tansitsystem,
then to the Fie Department, then the Police,
AUTO-GOTO aulomatically ransports you to the scene ofa aisasteror major event. AUTO-GOTO is
rotactiv, and there isadisastero event, you wil be given a message in the EDITWINDOW MESSAGE
‘BARandyouwilbesuppliedwitha GOTO buton, Fz]To gotothedisasterorevent,clickanthebuton,
orhitthe TAB key Hit he TAB key again to return L224to where you were.
‘SOUNDtogglesthe citysoundsanandaf.wilsaySOUNDONwhen itisacive, andSOUND OFF when
itis not, The simulation runs slighty faster with the sound of,
‘SPEED brings up 2 sub-menu allowing you to set the simulation speed. FASTEST sets ciy time to
‘maximum speed possible on your machine. FAST i alighlly slower, AVERAGE isthe dtaulsetting,
‘SLOW s he slowest setting, PAUSE stops lime, Zoning and building ar possibie in paused time, but
‘here willbe no growth ot evolution,
Ht You haveacomputerbased onan8088 running at 4.77 MHz (XT-compatibe) you wil probably want
to bealthe Fastest salting most ofthe time
[ANIMATE ALLctvales animationandupdating inall windows. When iis not ative then only thefont
‘window wilbe animated or updated. When his option i ff, the simulation, and hereore time, wil run
faster. Ths option isnot saved witha city,
FREQUENT ANIMATI ONthalthe simulationstopscrunching numbersandanimales
sesterequency
the sereen.When tis option is of, the simulation, and therfore ime, wil run faster, This option isnot
saved with acity,

eeSe
Se rr
DISASTERS MENU
The DISASTERS MENU allows you to setnatural disasters loosen yourily,Use these disaster to test
yourabilityto deal with emergencies in your iyorjst 1 release some aggression, More information|
‘ondisasters, their causes, and dealing with them is presented later,
*WARNING**Itis.a goodideato saveyou ity diskbeforeyouseta disaster
loose — just in case.
FIRE stars afre somewhere onthe map,
FLOOD causes a tlond o occu near the water.
‘AIR DISASTER causes aplane o crash. here ae no planes in the ait, one wil be generated
‘TORNADO causes a ornai 1o appear somewhere on the map,
EARTHQUAKE causes a MAJOR earthquake,
MONSTER sets a monster oose in your city
DISABLE eliminates the random disasters
WINDOWS MENU
MAPSopensthe MAP WINDOW.
[GRAPHS opens he GRAPHS WINDOW.
BUDGET openshe BUDGET WINDOW,
EDIT opens the EDT WINDOW.
EVAL opens the EVALUATION WINDOW.
CLOSE closes the top window.
HIDE moves the top window tothe batom,
POSITION activates he cursor Keys to move the atv window.
RESIZE activates the cursor keys to resize the EDIT WINDOW.
SS Theelity Simulator
THE EDIT WINDOW
Title Bar
Close CityName CityDate
Button -
Funds

loons

Demand —|
Indicator

" on Tile Box

sucoozen Bat 333]) ROADS

power nes [FTEEE]) sransirunes
vas Ee IES] sesormin zones
commenciat zones ||] [del] inousrmal zones
POLICE DEPARTMENTS | ffl] re oepartwents
sown |SHf@&]} roves pur
sexeont |MEIB neon

———=
Le ———
THE EDIT WINDOW
This s where all actual zoning and building takes place,

‘There are three types of eran in the EDIT WINDOW: Open Land, Trees, and Water,
‘OPENLANDis whereyou canzoneand build Depending on thetype of monitor and graphics card you
have it wil be shown as brown, asa vty light shade with speckles,
‘TREES and FORESTS 2 shown as green, or asa medium shade. You cannot zone or build on tees,
You may BULLDOZE tres and forests to turn it into clear land, While some bulldozing is necessary,
‘clearing away foo much green ara wil result lower property values.
‘WATER is shown 2s blue, of as a dark shade. You cannot zone o build on wale. You must bulldoze
‘coastlines o real landfils before you can build or zone ther,
Roads, rails and power lines canbe laid across water, wih no turns or intersections,

TheTITLEBAR displaysthectynameand dateClickinganddraging the TitleBarallonsyoutoreocate

the EDIT WINDOW. On thereof theTiteBar istheCLOSE BUTTON. Clicking onhisbutton wilclose
the window.
‘The MESSAGE BAR,loca diectlybelowtheTite Bar,displaysyourcurrnt FUNDS, satusmessages.
to you fom he simulator, and demand messages from he Sims themselves, Clicking onthe message
bar wil bring back the lst message.
‘AGOTO BUTTON will appear in he Message Ba along with a messageabout disasteror event
somewhereinthecity.Clicking on theGOTObuon takesyoutothesceneol he disasterorevent,
The TAB key activates the GOTO bution, Hiting TAB again wil return you fo where you were.
{ICONS along te lt side ofthe window are for selecting he editing functions, ICONS ae activatedby
‘pointing to them and clicking nee! mouse buiton, You canalso use the + and keysto cele through
‘he icons, and activate them. See the KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART or the Keyboard section of
CONTROLLING SIMCITY above,
The ION TITLE BOX. located near he lowe-l corner ofthe window, gives the nameand cost ofthe
selected leon,
aca INDICATOR, oct justbelowhe ons, you knowhow manyCommercial
ResidontalandIndusta zonesheSinseed eta point up, heels postivedemand—
they need moe. the bars pont down, hte negative demand—they have too man.
TheRESIZE BOX, locate thelowe-rght coreroftheEDIT WINDOW alowsyoutoresizethe window
‘Move te pointero the resize box, and pressanhold ne mouse button the SPACE barr the INSERT
key, Then crag he mouse orusethe CURSOR KEYS to resize the window. When you et goo the button
or ky, the window wil era ais new size
a
SSS ine City Simulator
EDIT WINDOW ICONS
Activeiconsare highlighted. Ghost iconsareunavailable duet lackoffunds.Whenaniconis selected,
rectangle wll accompany the pointeoindicate the size and area of land that wll bealcted.
‘BULLDOZER clearsre2sandforests creates landfill along hewater, levels developed existing
zonesand clearsrubblecausedby disasters. TheAuto-Bulidze optionworks on naturaleran,
‘ote lines, roads and rails, but not on zones.
Note: Bulldozing the center of azone will destroy the whole zone.
Bulldozing one section of and costs $1
ROADS connect developed areas, Intersections and tums are automatically created. Lay
E2831] continuous roads by clicking and dragging your pointer. Be careful—it you accidentally lay &
‘oad inte wrong place you wil have To py for bulldozing and rebuilding,
Fads maynoteplaced ovezonedareas,They maybeplaned overees,shrubbery. andshorlinéonly
after buldoingoractivating tne Auto-Bulldzeunctionfrom the OPTIONS MENU,Roadcanrossover
poe ines and ras only a right angi
Holding down the SHIFT keywhile laying roads will constrain them to a straight line.
Laying roadacross walecreatesabridge Bridges can only bebul ia straightline—no curves, turns
or intersections. Shorefines must be bulldozed prio 1 building a bridge, unless the Auto-Bulldoe
function trom the OPTIONS MENU is activa,
Roadwaysaremaintained by the wansitbudget, and wear out there slack of funding. The amount
yeary funding requested by the transportation department is $1 for each section of road, $4 fr each
seetion of bridge,
I costs$10 to lay one section of road and $50to lay one section of bridge.
FE] POWERLINEScarypeo poner larszone lnand betweenons doped
Trl ant neetspowero uncon. Power's conducted theugh adjacentzones.Unpowered zones
display ashing poresymboTeeisadlay event youconetpower02200
and when shin yo sae. The delay gas loge 3 the ly gow ler
Powter lines cannot cross zoned land. They canbe bull over trees, shrubbery, and shoreline ony after
‘bulldozing, or activating the Auto-Bulldaze function trom the OPTIONS MENU,
Junctionsandcomers are automaticaly created,Lay continuous powerlines byclicking and dragging
‘yourpointer.Power inesacross watermustbehorizontal or etical—no urns curves or intersections,
Power lines consume some power due fo raniission inefficiencies.
Holding down the SHIFT key while laying power lines wil constrain them to straight ne
It costs$5tolay onesection of powerline on land,$25on water,

ee
fj ES
 TRANSIT LINEScreateailaysystemorintra-ciymasstransitPlacetacksin heavytrafic
‘areastohelpalleviatecongestion.

Inlesections andturnsaecreated automatically. Laycontinuoustransitines byclicking and dragging

yourpointer,Trackslaidunder riverswillappearasdashedlines.Theseareunderwater tunnels,andmust
be vertical or horizontal—notums, cures a intersections.
Holding down the SHIFT key while laying trackswilconstrain them toa straight ine
Teansitlinesremaintained byhevansbudgeThele!funding affectstheefciency ofhesystem,
‘The amount of yearly funding requested by thetanspartation depariment is $4 for each section of all,
‘and $10 foreach section of tunnel
Noosts$20persectionoftracklaidonand,$100persectionunderwater.
[PARKS canbeplacedonclearland.Parks,likeforestsandwateraisethelandvalueof
‘surrounding zones.Parkscanbebulldazedasfirebreaksorreservespacefotarmas ransit
expansion
Holding down the SHIFT keywhile building parkswilconstrain them toa straight ine
Insts$10 tozoneonePark,

[q] castcceescecaomee
RESIDENTIAL ‘are where the Sims live, build houses, aparlments and community

‘Mos! residential zones develoo intooneof four values: slums, lower middleclass,upper middie class,
andupper clas.They
canange in populationdensityromsingle-‘amilyhomestohigh-ise apartments
and condominiums. Some residential zones will auiometically develop intochurchesand hospital.
Factors influencing residential value and growth are pollution, trafic density, population density,
surrounding train roadnayaccess,parks and utilities
Hoos $100tozoneoneplotofandasResidential,
COMMERCIAL ZONES are used for many things, including retail stores, office buildings,
[Bal]vata oxoasses
‘There arefourvalues for commercial property, andveeelsofgrowth,rom thesmal general sorefo
tl skysorapes.Factrsinfvencing thevaluendgromtholcommercial areasincludeinternalmarkets,
pollton,trafiedensity, residentialaccess,aborsupp arprts,crimerates,ansitaccess andutilites
{costs$100to zoneonepotoflandasCommercial,
INDUSTRIAL ZONESaeforheavy manutacturingandindustrial services.Therearefourlevels
of industrial growth, romsmallpumpingstationsandwarehouses to large actris.
Factors influencing industrial growth
aseexternal markets, seaports, transl aocess, residential ancess,
Tabor supply and utilities.
SSS The City Simulater
Iteosts $100tozone one plot of land as Industrial.

POLICE DEPARTMENTS lower the crime rate in the surrounding area, This in turn raises
property values. lace these in high-density crime areas, a defined by your Crime Rate map.
Theeetfciency ofa station depends onthe level of police department funding,
I costs $600 fo build aPolice Station, Full yearly maintenance of each Police Station is $100.
FIRE DEPARTMENTS nak surounding rss ss susceptibletoes When es do oocur,
ffi eye ut cu sooner nd do ess damage i station is reat, The eletveress ore
conlainment depend on he evel ol re department nding
‘costs $500 to build a Fire Department. Full yearly maintenance ofeach ire station is $100.
STADIUMS encourage residential growth, once acity has become fairly larg, You may bull
a stadium ina smaller city without negative (or positive) effec. Stadiums indirectly generate@
lotof revenue butcrelea lotof trafic,Properly maintaining stadium requiresagoodroad and
transit network
Ht costs $3000 to build a Stadium,
POWER PLANTS can be coal or nuclear, chosen roma sub-menu provided when you activate
Sat] the Power Pant con.The nuclearplant is more powertul butcaresaslightriskof
tad meltdown. The coal plat is ss expensive but ss power and it poles.
‘Allzonedland needs power to develop and grow, When developed land loses power, it willdegenerate
fo barten ground unless power is restored. Connecting too many zones to a Power Plant causes
brownouts
Coalpowerplantscost$3000 to build, and supplyenoughenergylorabout 50 zones, Nuclear plants cost
$5000 and supply electricity for about 150 zones.
a ‘SEAPORTS increasethe potentialfr industrialgrowthThey havelitellect
inasmallcity,but
contribute alt to industraizaton ina large cil.
‘Seaport should be placed on a shoreline. The shoreline must bebulldozed prior to zoning a seaport
‘unless Auto-Bulldoz iactive, Once the ports operational you may seeships in the water,
Ikcosts $5000 to zone land for use as a Seaport.
[AIRPORTS increasethe growth tet ol your commercialmarkets. Oncecitys gating
[ap ac. commercialarom weve of witout an portAiporta largeand expensive
and
should not bebul unless your city can afford one. Psion airports to keep fight pas over
water whenever possible, lessening the impact of ar disasters.
(Onceyoubuild an airport you wil seeplans fying above your city to androm theairport,There also
atric helicopter that alerts you to heavy trafic areas.
I.costs $10,000 to zone land for use asanAiport
2
THE BUDGET WINDOW
‘When your fist taxes are collected in anew city,and each yerater,the BUDGET WINDOW will appear
(unlessyouselectne Auto-Budge function) Youwilbeaskedto sehefundinglevelsforthei police,
and transportation departments, and to set he property tx ale
‘The BUDGET WINDOW can be opened from the WINDOWS MENU, or by hitting Ci-B
‘WhenAuto-Budget i active, alhefunding levels wilremain at ul funding,or yourlastseting, there
is not enough money to completely fund he budget, money wil go ist fo the TransitDepartment, then
the Fire Deparment, hen the Police Department
You can raise and lower budget levels by clicking onthe litle arrows that correspond fo each category.
‘Apercentage indicator will display the eve of funding that willbe maintained i you lun on the Auto
Budget unction. You mayadust yourtaxratebyclickingon hearrows nextiothe txrateindicator.CLICK
on "GO WITH THESE FIGURES,” or hit RETURN to exit the BUDGET WINDOW.
Use the + and — keys to ole te pointer around fll the HOT SPOTS. When adjusting funding or tax
‘evel, clicking on an arrow withthe left mouse buon, SPACE, or INSERT will move the amount up oF
‘down by 1%. Clicking onanarrowwith the right mouse button or the DELETE keywill move the amount
‘up or down by 10%,
NOTE: When you first load in a city, all the Budget amounts will be zeroed out
until the next January. Thisfirstyearisa“grace period,"and all CityServices
will be considered completely funded.

Cash Flou (665).

Previous Fund $22,088
Current Tunds 19,335
Go with theee Figures:
SSS Tie City Simulator
TAX RATE
‘The maximumtaxrae youcansetis20%
‘Theminimumtaxrateyoucansetis O%.
‘Theoptimum taxa or fastgrowthis betweenSand7%.
To slow city growth withoutactuallyshrinking
sathetaxratetoBor9%,
The taxes collected from each zoe i based onte following format:
Tax = Population x LandValex TaxRatex a ScalingConstant
‘Thescalingconstantchangeswththedificlylevelofthegame.
The amaunt of yearly funding requested forthe fie and policedepartments is $100perstation that you
have placed. Until you actually bul fireorpolice stations, you cannot tund them. You cannot allocate
‘more than 100% oftherequested funding fo freandpoliceGeparments—SimCity policeofficers and
fire inspector are honest and will nat aocept your bribes.
‘Allocating lessthanherequestedamountwildecreasetheeflctvecoverageofthepoliceo fire station.
‘Theamountofyearlytundingrequestedforthetransportation department is$1 foreachsection of road,
‘$4for eachsectionofbridge (roads over water), $4foreach section ofrail,and $10 for each section af
{unnel (underwater rails). Youcannatallocate morethan100%oftherequested funds.
“Transporation maintenance funding slightly below 100% will cause slow, minor deterioration ofthe
transitsystem—an occasional potholeoxbadtracksection.Funding between 90and75%will cause
‘noticeable damage—many sections of road and rail will be unusable. Funding below 75% will cause
‘apid deterioration of yourransitsystem.

Cash Flow = Taxes Collected ~ Total Allocated Funds. it will be anegative number it your yearly
‘maintenance costsaregratethanyouryearlytaxintake.
‘Armorciference betweenSimCityandarealcityis thatSimCitydoesnotallowbudget deficits. you
‘doithavethemoney,youcanspendit.ry noto letyourcityrunwitha negativecashflow,
SmOny
MAPS WINDOW Tet
Close |Map View
Suton Fay

Map
eons

Rectangle

EAE cry Foam

[Fr] Power Grio
TRANSPORTATION
ad |]PopuLation
fesp]| TRAFFIC DENSITY
POLLUTION
DENSITY KEY
Al CRIME
LAND VALUE
fal) cv services

a
SSS Thelity Sineiator
MAPS WINDOW
The MAPS WINDOW, whichcanbeopened romtheWINDOWS MENU, by hitting Ctr-M, or hitting
RETURN, gives you various overviews of your city. In the main portion of MAPS WINDOW is a
RECTANGLE tat outlines theareashowninthe EDIT WINDOW. You can movetherectanglearoundthe
‘map wit the mouse or cursor keys to change the area displayed in the EDIT WINDOW.
For demographic maps thalshowdensity,rate or comparative levels, a Density Key wl be shown in the
lower-eftcorer of the window. Dependingonyourmonitorandgraphics cardthiswilleiherbe in color
in shades.
‘You may also notice letters onthe map. These are markers to let you know where moveable objects ae.
‘An “S" mas the location ofa ship. An “R marks the locaton oa railroad train, An “H™" marks the
‘ocation of a helicopter. An “A” marks the location of an airplane. An “MI” marks the location of a
‘Monster, and a“T" marks the location ofa Torna

TheCITYFORM MAPshowsthephysicalshapeofyourcity,showing developed and non-

developed areas. Use tis map fo plan city expansion
ThePOWER GRID MAPshowsthepowernetworkof yourcity.Usethismap1 locate
lunpowered zones and breaks in the power lines.
‘TheTRANSPORTATION MAPis road andrailmapolthecity Use thismapoexaminetratic
accessto alpartso thecityandplanfurtherexpansion ofthenetwork.
‘ThePOPULATION MAPSiconbringsup2 sub-menu oferingtwomapviews.
The POPULATION DENSITY viwcisplays theaverage numberof people occupying anarea
ach day. Use tis map to loca under-utilized areas and overpopulated areas,
Fapalation DenaTty] TheRATEOFGROWTH viewshowsthemost recentgrowth(posiliveor
the ory eeissue
‘TheTRAFFICDENSITY MAPshows theamountolraticon the rads. Spottracproblems
3 and determine where new roadways ae needed.
The POLLUTION INDEX MAP shows levels ol pollution throughout the city, Pollution is
(generated primarily by industry, afc, and coal Power Pants,
The CRIME RATEMAPshowstelevel and location ofcrime inyourcity,Crimescalculated
from population density, lad value, and proximity of police station.
‘TheLANDVALUE MAPshowstherelativevalueof landwithinthecitylimits. Land valuesare
usedlo establishtheamountofrevenue generatedbytaxes.
TheCITYSERVICES iconbrings upa sub-menu ofering viewsofpolice oie services.
Fest The FIRE PROTECTION MAP dispaystheeffective radius of Fire Stations
based on thei location, power, and funding levels, andaccess.
‘The POLICE INFLUENCE MAP cisplays tneetlecve radius of Police Sta
tionsbasedon ther location, power, and funding levels, and anotss,
—————————_
22 =
USING THE MAPSconstant rleredtoinal stages itypanning, building
The MAPWINDOW shouldbe andmanaging
BEFORE YOU BUILD
Use the map beore beginning & new cyto plan
where you wan your city center
where you want the high-iasswalrront residential areas,
hereyouwil crosswaterwith ridge, power fines and tunnels,
Where to place power ian,
\where to place large industial sections away om te residental sections, and
the general tyout of theiy.
Printing themapandsketching in your plan with pencilorpencansave lot
ofbulldozing andre-zoning
and rebuilding,
DURING CITY GROWTH
Usethemap io guideyourcitygrowharoundtovestareas, preservethetreesand improveproperty
values,
Use the irasporttion map along wit the trafic density map to plan trafic control and expansion,
Use thecitymaps to make suteyouhave the proper rato of residential to commercial to industrial
ones.
Usethepollutionmaptodetectproblem areas,anddisperse theindustrial anesand/orreplaceroads
with ais
Printing out the map in various stages of development and doing some preliminary expansion
planning with pencil canbe useful Printous can also be used for ct historical records.
DURING
CITY MAINTENANCE
Use thepowergridmapto locatezonesthathavelostpower,
Use the city services maps to evaluate the ettective coverage of your police and fre departments,
Use thecrime ratemaptolocaleproblem areasthatneedmotepoliceprotection,
Use the pollution map to locate problem areas
Use the transportation and traficdensitymap to determine where to replace roads with ails
Use the land value map to locate depressed areas for improvement or replacement
Use the city maps to mainain theproperratio of residential to commercial o industrial zones.

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SSS Teefity Simulator
GRAPHS WINDOW
Title Bar
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{ ]
Clase
tote ast, 120 wears
loons

RESIDENTIAL POPULATION CRIME RATE

COMMERCIAL POPULATION EDC CASHFLOW
INDUSTRIAL POPULATION POLLUTION
ro-vearoseray (AB) 120-YEAR DISPLAY

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GRAPHS WINDOW
The GRAPHS WINDOW givesyou time-based graphs of various city data Ican be opened through the
WINDOWS MENU or by hitting Cr-6. Click and drag the TITLE BAR to relocate the window,
fou may viewgraphs for time periods ol either the fst 10 yearsorhe last 120 years by
licking onthe "40-YEAR/120-YEAR” button
The RESIDENTIAL POPULATION GRAPH shows the otal population in residential zones
‘The COMMERCIAL POPULATION GRAPH shows the flal population in commercial zones.
falThe INDUSTRIAL POPULATION GRAPH shows the total population in industrial zones
‘The GRIME RATE GRAPH shows the overall crime rae ofthe entire city
‘The CASH FLOW GRAPH shows your cly’scashflow: mone collected in taxes minus money
{took to maintain your city. The line inthe center ofthe CASH FLOW graph represents acash
‘low ofzero. Do not build more infrastructure(roadsails, policedepartments,firesfations than youcan
support wih tax revenues,
Note: Cashflowhas lite todo with yourcurrent funds, orhhow much youspend
in building and soning (except that city expansion will increase both taxes
collected andmaintenance costs).
Fal‘The POLLUTION GRAPH shows the overall average pollution reading ofthe entire city

USING THE GRAPHS

Th Graphsgiveinformaon tion
mayothesamefactorsas temas,butshowteinformation overtime,
Graphsarefor locati endsicityng ifthalwon't noticeablenmap. I youlookatamap,forexample
the crime rae map, every year, avery slightrisen the crime rat wil ot be noticeable But on a Graph
you would easily locate the upward red in crime because you wil be viewing he levels fora number
of years a the same time
Residential, commercial and industial population growth and/or decline canberacked and displayed.
younotcea downwardtrendinany ofthese,refer totheUsereterenceCada locatepotentialproblems
and solutions.
Crime rate canbe displayed, revealing slight but consistent upward or downdard tends
Use the Cash Flow graph to track your citys etficency asi rows. your maintenance costs are higher
than your tax revenues, you wil haveanegative cash flow.
Use the pollution graph to calc rising levels of pollution before they reachapi level
Ss Theefity sinuiator
THE EVALUATION WINDOW
The EVALUATION WINDOW gives youa performance rating. You can access it through theWINDOWS
MENU, or by hitting Ct-U,

PUBLIC OPINION ispresented in polo, ating youroverl

obasmayorandsingwhatthepublic
regardsas
hecity’most pressingproblems.Youareacsed
tokeepyou residentshappy
orthey might
migra nay, and you wil be lef with“ahosttown.”
In general, ifmare than 55% of the populacethinksyou are doing a good job, then you can feel secure
‘of Keeping your job
11103 or less of he people think something is a problem, then ifs nol too bad
These are mast ofthe problems that cilizens complain about. and how to correct them:
Tratfic ~ Replace densesectionsofroadswithrails.
Crime — ‘Addpolicestationsand/orraisepropertyvalues.
Pollution — Replace roads wih rails, cisperse industrial zones.
Housing ~ one more residences.
Housing costs Zone more residences in ow propety value areas,
Fires- Build morefre departments
Taxes- Lower taxes (you can).
Unemployment ~ Zone more commercial and industrial areas
‘STATISTICS on POPULATION, NET MIGRATION, and ASSESSED VALUE aecisplayed alongwith the
ciy's GAME LEVELandthe OVERALL CITY SCORE. This data is calculated ance a yeratbudget tim
POPULATION isthe number of residents in your city.
The NET MIGRATION sitistic provides arating ofthe desirability of your ct. people are leaving in
roves, thenyou know something i rotten in SimCity

ae
 ‘The ASSESSED VALUE js the combined value olliy-owned property: roads, rails, powerplants,
police and fire stations, airports, seaports parks, eI does not include residential, commercial and
Industrial zones
The CATEGORIESaredefined by population 25 follows:
Village 010 1.999
Town 2,000 109.999
City 10,000 to 49,999
Capital 50.0000 99,999
Metropolis 100,000 to 409.909
Megalopolis 500,000 and above
OVERALL CITYSCOREs 2 composite scorebasedonthefollowingfcr (somepositive,sme
negative:
[MAJOR FACTORS —Crire,polition, housing costs,tes,ic, unemployment, ire protection,
Lnpoweed ones, citygrowth ae
‘MINOR FACTORS Stadium needed(butnot built),seaportneeded(butnol
bul),ipo needed
(but not built), oadfunding,police funding fiedepartmentfunding,andies
‘largepopulationis nt necessarily asignof asuocesstul iy. Population sizedesnoaect theoverall
iy score,since low population could indicate 2 neworgrowing city,
Since city growth rate does afect the overall ty score, a city in which growth has been intentionally
lopped for environmental or esthetic reasonswillhave a slghly lower score.

Disasterswll randomlyoccurasyouplaySimCity.Athigher gamelevelsthedisasters wll happen mare

‘often, Most disasterscanbeactivatedfromtheDISASTERS MENU,Randomdisasterscanbeeliminaled
by the DISABLE option onthe DISASTERS MENU,
FIREScansatanywhere in thecy.Firespreadtailrapilythroughforests and building,somewhat
sloweroverroadways. Firewilotcrosswaterof clearland.
‘The efectiveness ofthe fre department (which can beviewed inthe MAPS WINDOW) is based on how
Close itis to the fie, and is funding levels. Fires inside this elective radius will be extinguished
‘automaticaly. Hyouhaveno operationalfirdepartmentsintheareayoucantrto convoheireyourset
Since fie willnot spreadacrossclearterrain,you canbuildfirebreakswiththe bulldozer. Just surround
the fre wit clear areas andi will top spreading and eventually bum itself ut.
Note: You cannot directly bulldoze a fire.
[FLOODING occurs neat hewate,Floods gradually spreadanddestroy buildings and ules. After a
while the flood waters recede, leaving behind cleared lain.
‘AIRCRASHES canhappenanywhere in thecityitanairportisoperational. Thishappens whenever
aireat colide with things, such as toads or anther aicraft. When a crash occurs, a fire wl ta,
‘unlessthecrashsonwater. goodstrategystolocaletheairportawayromthecentralcitto minimize
thefre damage
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eS The City Simulator
‘TORNADOS can occur anywhere onthe map at any time, Very fst and unpredictable, they can appear
and disappear al a moment's notice. Tornados destroy everything in their path, and can cause planes,
helicopters, trans, and ships to crash
EARTHQUAKES arethe most devastating disaster.Thisisa MAJOR Earthquake—between 8.0and9.0
‘nthe Richter Scale, wil destroybuildings andsat fires. Theinitialdamage will varywth the severity
‘ofthe earthquake, and the eventualiredamage depends on yourfie-contol effort.
‘When an Earthquake occurs,youwilseethe EDITWINDOW shakeforawhile,When stops youvilhave
{take charge and conto the scaled fires. Use the bulldozer to containthelargest fires fist and work
yout way down fo the smaller ones
MONSTER ATTACKS ateprovokedbyhigh evelsof pollution Amonsterdestoyseverytinginitspat,
slats res, and causes plans, helicopts, trains, and shipstocrash
(MELTDOWNS areonlypossibleiyouareusinganuclear paverplant.amelidown occurs,your nuclear
plant wil explodeintlames. The surrounding area wl beunusableorhe remainder of the simulation
‘ue to radioactive contamination. Meltdowns are not avilable onthe DISASTERS MENU.
SHIPWRECKS can occur once you have an operating seaport. They can cause tes where the ship
crashes ino
ashare or bridge. Shiprecks ar nt avaliable onthe DISASTERS MEN.

The Scenarios providebot eal andhypothetical problemsforyou to deal wth in sevenfamous(and one
nol-so-famous) cities. They present various levels of dilly. Some problems are inthe for of
disasters which will occu sometime alter you start, Othe problems are more long-erm, suchascrime.
Your asks to deal withthe problem a hand aswel aspossibleunder he circumstances itera certain
amountof imethe cityresidentswl ale your performance ina specialelection. it you do verywellyou
may be given the key to he city, However, i you do poorly, ey ust might run you out of town,
NOTE: To avoidthe disaster which tiedtoa scenario,saveittodiskand reload
the city fromthe saved file.
DULLSVILLE, USA 1900 — BOREDOM
Things haven’changedmuch around herein thelast hundred yeasor sandtheresidensarebeginning
togel bored. Theytink Dullsville could
bethenext oreatcitywith righ leader. is your obtoatrac ew
row and development, turning Dulsvie intoaMetropolis by the 21stcentury.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Limit: 30 years
Win Condition: Metropolis
‘SAN FRANCISCO,CA1906 — 8.0EARTHQUAKE
‘Damage from the earthquake wasminor comparedto thatofthe ensuingfires,whichtook daystocontro
+1500 people died. Controlling the fies should be your initial concer here, Afterwards, clearing the
Temaining rubble wil allow the city to star rebuilding
Dificully: Very Difficult
Time Limit: 5 years
‘WinCondition: Metropolis
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HAMBURG, GERMANY 1944—FIRE
‘Aled fie-bomiing of German cies in WN caused emendous devastation and lasso ite. People
ving inthe inner cites were at gees risk, You must contol he fiestorms during the bombing and
‘hen ebuild the ety atte war.
Dificlty: Vey Difcut
TimeLimit: 5 yeas
‘WinCondition:Metropolis
BERN, SWITZERLAND 1965 — TRAFFIC
The roa bete are becoming more congested with automobile afc every day, and the residents are
upset. Theyderand a you do somethingaboutit Somehave suggestedamasstransitystemasthe
answer, but his may require major ezning inthe downiown te,
Dificuly: Easy
Time Limit: 10yeas
Win Condition: Low Average Trac Density
TOKYO, JAPAN 1957 — MONSTER ATTACK
‘large reptilian creature rose from Tokyo Bay and rampaged through the city, destroying much of he
industry along the bay
Difficulty: Moderately iticlt
Time Limit: 5 years
‘Win Contition: Cty Score above 500
DETROIT, MI 1972 — CRIME
By 1970, competition romoverseas and othe economicfactors pushed the once “automoile capital of
the word” into recession Plummeting land values and unemployment increased crime inthe inner-city
tochroniclevels,Youhavejust been elected aterpromisingo reducehe crimeand rebuildhe industrial
base ofthe cy.
Dificuly: Moderately Dict
Time Limit: 10 years
Win Gondition; Low Average Crime Density
BOSTON, MA 2010 — NUCLEAR MELTDOWN
‘Ammajor meltdown is about to occur atoneofthe new downtown nuclear reactors, Theaeain the vicinity
‘of the reactor will beseverely contaminated byradiation, forcing you to restructure the city around i
Dificuty: Very Difficult
Time Limit: 5 years
‘Win Condition: Gity Scare above 500
RIO de JANEIRO, BRAZIL 2047 ~ FLOOD
‘Inthe mid-21st century, the greenhouse effet raised global temperatures 6 degrees F. Polar ioecaps
melted and raisedsealevelsworldwide, Coastal areasweredevastated by flood and erosion, Unfartu-
nately, Some of the largest cites in the world ae located onthe coast,
Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
Time Limit: 10 years
Win Condition: City Score above 500
SSS Teelity Simulator
GAME PLAY LEVEL
‘When you fist start anew city you must pick dificlly level Oncecityis started you cannot change
the game ply lve it remains at your ital sting forthe life ofthe ily. The game eve ating is
clsplayed inthe evaluation window.
This evel Easy,Medium, or Hard—adjusts the simulation to your current abies by altering several
factors harder setting wl increasethe chanceof disasters, make residents
moreintolerant of taxation,
‘cause maintenance cost fo grow, ee
GROWING A CITY
‘Wile growingact, refer oftentothe USER REFERENCE CARD.I providesachartofCITY DYNAMICS;
haw all factors of city life and growth are related.
‘The main points to keep in mind while growing a city are:
Grow slow, Watch your money.
‘All zones must be powered to develop.
Zones must be developed to generate lax money.
Roads oF rails must provide access to and from each zone orto fully develop
‘Theresa yearlymaintenance cost for each section of road, all, bridge and tunnel, This can add up
Dont build too many roads and rails and generate high maintenance costs before your city can
(generale enough tx revenues to suppor them,
Extra power plants and redundant power ines are expensive, but can Keep zones from losing power
during a disaster or emergency and deteriorating
Rallscancary much move traficthan roads. While building and zaning an areathat you predic will
‘generate heavy afi, instal rail instead of roads inthe early stages of development.
Ht you get alot of he tac warnings, replace roads wit ris. You can even bulé an entirely
roadless cy
‘Grouping zones together, four orfve ina rowtouching each other, can eliminatefatof powerline
segments.
Arports,seaportsand stadiumswonthelpa smallcitygrow —sosaveyour money untilheciy gels
Farger. The Simswil tel you when they need these tings
Place zones, roa,tc.carefuly—they cannot be maved, and you wll have to pay to bulldoze hem
and rebuild

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 ed
‘As @ rule of thumb, the numberof residential zones should be approximately equal tothe sum of
commercial and industrial zones. When your itis small, you will ned more industrial zones than
commercial, and when your city ges larger, you wil ned morecommercial zonesthanindustrial
Separatetheresidential areas from the industrial areas
Proximity to forest,parks,andwaterincreases landvalue, whichincreases thetaxescollected, Dont
bulldazeany moreforesthan yourmust.Naturalshorelineincreasespropertyvaluesmorethan landfill
shoreline
Keepin mind thaproximity to downtown risespropertyvalves.Thesimulaor definesthedowntown
area as he centrof mass ofthepopulationdensity" calculates the average gzonraphical center
‘ofthe population
‘Abigger, mare populous citys not necessarily beter, Having 2sell-supportng, profitable citywith
‘pleasant surroundings is beter than a hugecitythalisalways brokeand has no forest or shoreline.
Usethevariousmapsan graphsto planty growth,localeproblemsandrackyourprogress. Look
{orareasthatneedpoliceandfiecoverageasyougo,$0youdothaveto go backand bulldoze
developed zones to make room fr policeandire sation.
‘Saveyourilyto diskbetoreyinganymajornewpolicy so youcan gobackit your plandoesnt work.
Printout your city in ditrentstagesof evolution to rack and plan growth,
CCheck the EVALUATION WINDOW offen. The Sims wil lt you know how you ae doing. Also the
staticcanbeuselul i your population isshrinking, dont gozoning new areas thal maynever
{evelon, lok or problemsintheexitingzonedareasandspendyourtimeandmoneysolvingthem,
‘SAVE YOURCITYTODISKOFTEN!!!
NOTE: There is onlyoneanimated train car at a time in SimCity. It will not
necessarily caverevery section oftrack. Thisdoesnolmean thatthetracks are
‘not working. Don'tworry,everything isOK.

THE USER REFERENCE CARD

Included in the SimCity Bor isthe USER REFERENCE CAD, which includes the ZONE EVOLUTION
CCHART, THE CITY DYNAMICS CHART, ANDTHEKEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART.
TONE EVOLUTION CHART
‘TheZone Evolution Chartshowsthevariouslevelsofdevelopment anddeclineofresidential, commercial
‘and industrial zones. The level of development dependsonthe land value and population density, The
{raphics setshown on theZoneEvolution ChartisiromtheHerculesgraphicsset.Otheroraphicsmodes
will ciffr, but they are very similar.
Use this chart along withthe Query function 1o identity, and gaher information on, individual zones.
 Ihe City Simulator
S252
CITY DYNAMICS CHART
TheCty Dynamics Charlists thefactors of iit and growth and shows howtheyinterrelate Use tis
chart o guide you in designing your city. It wil help you find solutions to the Sims’complains, and to
problems you discover rom the maps and graphs.
KEYBOARD REFERENCE CHART
‘The Keyboard Relerence Chart givesavisual summary of al the keyboard controlled functions and
shortcuts,
LIST OF FILES ON THE DISKS
51/4" DISK#1
SIMCITY EXE The SimCity executable program
INSTALL EXE The Insaltation program
BERN PSN Scenario File
BOSTON PSN Scenato File
DETROMT PSN Scenario File
DULLSVIL, PSN ‘Scenario File
HAMBURG PSN Scenario File
RIO PSN Scenario File
SANFRAN PSN Scenario File
TOKYO PSN Scenato Fle
SOUNDDAT V4 Sound Data File
5 1/4" DISK #2
‘CEGADAT Por EGA High-Res Color Graphics File
CEGANTRO [EGAHigh-Res Colo nro Soren
CEGASCEN EGA High-Res Color Sceraso Menu Screen
SEGADAT EGA Low-Res Color Graphics File
SEGANTRO EGA Low-Res Color Ito Screen
SEGASCEN EGA Low-Res Color Scenario Nenu Screen
CGADAT (CBA Graphics Fle
OGANTRO CGA intro Soeen
CGASCEN CCGA Scenario Menu Screen
MONODAT PGF Monochrome Graphics File (for HerculesandEGA Mon)
MONONTRO PPF Monochrome Intro Screen (for Hercules and EGA Mono)
MONOSCEN PPE Monoctrome ScenarioMenu Sree(forHerculesandEBA Mono)
TDYDAT PGF Tandy Color Graphics File
TDYNTRO PPF Tandy Color Inro Soren
TOYSCEN PPE Tandy Color Senario Mena Screen
The 3 1/2" disk contains all the files on both the above disks.

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INSIDE SimCity
HOW THE SIMULATOR WORKS AND
STRATEGIES FOR USING IT
‘Many factors influence the chance of your city's prospering of floundering: bot inlemal factors (the
Structure and eficiency ofyourcity) and external factors (the regional economy, disasters, et.)

Your city is divided into three primary zones: residential, commercial and industrial, These zones
symbolize thethreebasicpillarsupon which cityisbased: population, industry, and commerce. Al hee
are necessary for your cyto grow and thrive,
RESIDENTIAL ZONES are where the Sims lve. Hee they bulld houses, apartments and community
facies suchaschurchesandschools. Sims are the workore or your ciyscommeti andindustrial
al
zones,
INDUSTRIAL ZONESae used tosite warehouses, factories, and other unsightly andpallutingstructures
‘which haveanegative impact on surrounding zones. One ofthe major goals of planning is o separate
these “nuisances from the areas where people ive, i this simulation, ndustal zones represent the
“basic” production of your cy. Things producedhere are sold outside the city to an “external market”
bringing money into the city for future growth
COMMERCIAL ZONES represent the fetal sores and services in your city, including gas stations,
grocery stores, bank, and ofces. Commercial areas are manly dedicated fo producing goods and
Series ned within you city. Ths i called “non-basic" production or production forth “internal
market”
POPULATION — RESIDENTIAL
‘The major factors controling residential population are bitrate, availablity of jobs and housing,
unemployment, and quality of ite within the city,
Birthrate as used hee, is actualy acombination othe birthrate (+) and thedeathate(~). Within SimCity
‘hare is aways a postive bnhvate
‘Avalability of jobs (he employment rate) i ratio ofthe current commercial and industrial populations
to the total residential population, As a rule of thumb, the numberof commercial and industrial zones
together should roughly equal the number of residential zones,
there ae mare obs in your city than residents, new setlers wl beatracte. the job market declines
‘uring @ local recession, your people wil migrate away in seach of jobs.
Housing for your residents is builtin thresidential zones. Thesezonesmust be powered andconnected
tote places of employment by rads. Thestucturesbulin residentialzanesareinfluencedbylndvalue
and population density
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SSS he City Simulator
Cualtyof fe isameasureoflative “atractveness” assigned to diferent zone locations. Is affected
by negative factors suchas pollution and crime, and peste favors such as parks and acess
EXTERNAL MARKET — INDUSTRIAL
There re thousands of variables that influence your city, Al these variablescanbe influenced byyour
actions with the exception of one.
‘The extemal mathe (he exonomic conditions that exist outside of your city) is contolled by the
‘inulation—there fs nolhing you can dofochangeit. In manyway,this enteral markets theorigina
soutce ofall cty growth, Towns frequently begin asproduction center steeltowns, refineries, eth
Service ademand in the surounding region. As time passes, he external market grows to rellect the
regional growth going on around your cy
The industry inyour cty wilallem to growasthe external marketgrows,Fortistohappen there must
bi room for expansion {more industrial zones) and an adequate labor supply (more residential zones).
INTERNAL MARKET — COMMERCIAL
‘The internal market is completly influenced by the conditions within your cy. Internal production,
cated inthecommercial zones,represent al he things which ae purcha sed
andconsumed withinthe
city, Foodstores,gasstation s, nancialservices,meicalcare,et—alldependonaneatty
ealstores,
‘population to service, Within SimCity, thesize of the internal market determines the rate at which
‘comimes cial
zoneswil prosper,Commercial zs needenough zonediand to buildon and an existent,
byland
sulficient work force to employ. The structures builtin commercial zanes are mainly influenced
value and population density
Commercial zones grow and develop to servethe expanding internal marke, Comercial growth wll
‘usuallybeslowatist, when he populations smal ardneeds eile Asyourcty grows, commercial
‘rowth wil accelerate and the interal markel wil becomeamuch lager consumeris overtaken of your total iy
production. This aoceeaing eft, when the eema/ndutial production by the
_2ocelealngntrna l/conmercial sector, can tu asleep litle town of 50,000 ino ativing capt of
200,000 ina ew shot years
TAX RATE each
“The tax ate yu el controls the amount of income generated by you city. As taxes are ofcollected yourety and
year (simulation time), he BUDGET WINDOW wil appar giving you te fiscal dais assessing each
§}chanc oat rales, The simulation determines the amount of revenue colled by
{one an amount basedoni land vale, current evel of developmen andthe current axa
‘The tax rate has a global tec on your citys growth a you sett ow (0~4%), growth wil be brisk
butte city income wil be low. you set thigh (10-20%), you wil collet lot inthe short run but in
the long un taxincomewlldecrease alongwith the population You mustkeptax income highenough
to invest in new development, but low enough not to scare of residents and businesses. A high ax ale
isone waytoconta cy growth, should you want to experiment with growth control measures.”
BUDGETING is represented by the
Cy budgeting afets the way your city grows, Ciy inrastuctue costseparaely Ait
parents: pole. ean ranspotation. Yourmay et he funding levels al opr foreach. othe requested
‘eparents wil equestacetaievel n of funding each year,Youray supply
funds in he temp to balance safely needs and budgetary conoes
a
‘Sng ryes
POLICE DEPARTMENTS
Policestationslower tecrime ratewithin ateritory. Theetective radius ofyour policestationi related
to the amount of funding allocated to thepolicedepartment.
‘FIRE DEPARTMENTS
Fire departments prevent and extinguish fires. The level of funding determines the effective radius of
fire department. Fire departments put out fires within this radius much sooner than outside i, anda
decreasethechance thattheywillstartinthefistplace.FireDepar cost
tment
$100peryeato sfund,
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
‘When you build roads and rail systems you are charged for construction andyearly
{ager your transportation network, the moreitwill cast for upkeep. lM you decide not tomaintenance. The
or areunable to
‘paythismaintenance cost,roadswilslowlydeterioratand e become unusable. The maintenance costfor
achpieoeis:Road~$1, Bridge— $4,Rail—$4,ailtunnel ~$10,

Electrical power makesmademncities possible. Efcient and reliablepowertransmission tol zones is

the goal af good “power management”
The entire power grid of you city is periodically checkedin he simulation fr fnks power. la zone
isconnected (byotherzonesorpowerlines) to 2 powerplant,hezonei consideredto powered,
Zones must bepowered for development to occur. Many things (such as fires, tomadoes, earthquakes
and bulldzers)canknockdownpowe' inesandcauseblackous in parts olyour city, Development wll
stop in unpowered zones, and ifpower isnot quicklyrestore,the zonewildecline back toils orginal
Slate of emptiness.
Redundant Power Plants and power connections can make your power aid more reliable, but running
‘mare line adds construction costs

One ofthemastimportantelements ofitystructureisthetransportation network.

‘goods throughout yourcity.Roads typicallyoccupyas mach 2s 25%—40% of the landmoves in
Simsand
urban areas.
Trafic along ese roads indicates which sections of your road system ae used the most
Traffic levelsaresimulatebya processknownas “TripGeneration ” Overtime, each
the city will generate @ numberof rips, depending onthe population, Each geneatedpopulatedtrip starts
zone in
a the
‘riginzone,travelsdowntheroad,and fa“ properdestination”is reached, endsalhe destinatio zone—n
otherwise, the rp fils. Trip failure indicates inaccessibility ofa zane and limits its growth,
‘The majority of generated trios represent people commuting to and from work.
‘generated by residents traveling to shopping, recreation tc. When aralyzing trafic, Additional trac is
the simulator tests
the following trac routes:
From: To: DESTINATION
Residential zones ‘Commercial zones and Industrial zines
‘Commercial zones ‘ResidentialzonesandIndustrial zones,
Industrial zones Residential zones
SS|
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BSSihe City Simulator
‘WhenSimsdriveawayramanoriginzone,theyhavealimi “rprange"in wichonda destination
zone. Heayracdecteasestherp range.thedestinationzane oo a nay,theripsunsuccesstl
Repeatedunsucessiul rip willcausetheSimso moveouotheoriginzone
ach roadhaslimited capacforWai. Whenhiscapaci exceededtraficjams wilform, Trafic
jams crasticaly lowerhecapacity farad,compounding teproblemandfrustratingdivers.
Trallc conditions fluctuatequickly,Avoid trafic problems by providing several routs forthe atic to
take
‘Aroadmustbeatjacenttoazonefor thezoneto beconnectedtothetracpattem.Zonesdonotconduct
trafic the way they conduct power.

Pollution levels ae tracked inal areas of yourcity.This i a general “nuisance level” tha includesair
and water pollution, noise pollution toricwastes,ec, Pollution has@negative impact onthe growthof
residential areas
‘Theprimary causeofpollutionisindustrialized zones.Thelevelof pollutioncreatedbyanindustrialzone
increases with its level of growth
Trafic is anothercauseof pollution. Therearelimited means otcombating thepollution level Lowering
trafficdensitylimiting industrialdevelopment, andseparatingthepollution romitheresidentialareas will
help

(Crime ratesae influenc density,local lwenforcement,andland values. As population

bypopulationed
density increases inanare, thenumberof crimescommittedincreases,Crimewilalso increase nareas
‘of low and value
‘Themasteffectivewaytodealwithhighcrimeratesi to introduce2 policestationito thearea. Based
on ts level of funding, the policetationwil educe the rae of crime initssphere of influence. A long
tex approach to lowering rimeistoraisehelandvalueofthearea.Onewaytodothisis fo demolish
and rezone (utban renewal)

Land valueisoneothemostfundamentalaspectsof urbanstructure.Thelandvalveof anareaaflcts

tow that area is used, In this simulationtheland valueofanarea is based on train, acessibility,
pollution, and distance to downtown,
‘The farther the residentshaveto go towork, the lowertheland value where they lve, due in part to
transportation costs. The value ofcommercial zones depends greatlyon accessibility by the populace,
Land value is also affected by surrounding terrain. land is cioser towate, tres, agricultural areas, or
pats, isvalue wil rise. Cretveplacementofaneswithinhetain wih tle bulliozng, canmake
ood Use ofthis natural advantage

a EEE
 ee]
HISTORY OF CITIES AND
CITY PLANNING
by Clift Eis
INTRODUCTION
Thebuilding ofitieshasalongandcomplex history, Althoughcityplanning asanorganize profession
hasexisted forlessthana century,alcits displayvariousdegreesofforetho andconscious
ught design
in their layout and functioning,
Early humans led @nomatic existence, relying on hunting and gathering for sustenance. Between 8.000
‘and 10,000 yearsago,systematiccultivationofplans andthe domestication ot animalsallowedfor more
petmanent setlements. During the lout milleniumB..,the requirements forthe “urban revalution”
‘wer finallymetthe production ofa surplusostorablefood,asystem of witng, a more complexsocial
‘organization, and technological advances such asthe plough, potter'swheel,loom, and melalurgy.
Citesexstfor many reasons,andthediversity ofurbanforms canbetracedto thecomple functions that
Gites perform, Cities serves centers of storage, trad, and manufacture, The agricultural surplus from
the surrounding countyside is processed and distributed in cities. Cities also grew up around
markeiplaces, where goods fom distant places could be exchanged for local products. Throughout
history, cites have been founded atthe intersections of transportation routes, o at points where goods
‘must shi rom one mode of transportation to another, as at river and ocean ports,
Religiouselementshave beencrucialthroughout urbanhistory,Ancient peopleshadsacred places, often
associatd withcemeteriesor shrines, around whichcities grew. Ancient citesusually had large temple
precincts with monumental religious buildings. Many medieval cles were bult near monasteries and
cathedrals.
Cities ttnprovided protect inaprecarious
ionworld.During attacks,he ruralpopulace couldfeebehind
Citywalls, wheredefenseforcesassembledto reelheenemy, Thewallservadthispurposefor millennia,
Luni th invention of heavyartilleryrendered alls useless in warfare, With the advent of modern aerial
warfare, citieshavebecome rime targets for destruction rather than safe havens,
Cities serve ascenters of government. In paticular, the emergence of the great nation-states of Europe
between 1400 and 1800 led to the creation of new capital cities or the investing of exstng cli with
expanded governmental functions,
Washington,.C.,torexample, displaysthe monumental buildings,radialsret pattern,and large public
spaces iypical of capita cites.
Cities, with theirconcentration oftalent,mixture of peoples,and economicsurplus,haveprovideda erie
gtound for the evolution of human culture: hears, scientific researc, an technical innovation. They
‘serve 28 cenlers of communication, where new ideas and information are spreadta the surrounding
tertory and to foreign lands,

afl Se
LSS The City Simulator
CONSTRAINTS
ON CITY FORM
Cites are physical arttcts inserted intoa preening tural world, and natural constraints must be
‘respected ifa sftlement i to Survive and prosper. Cities mustconform fo thelandscape in which they
ar locale, although technologies havegraduallybeen developed to reorganizeteland o suit human
‘purposes, Moderately sloping land provides the best urban st, but spectacular eects have been
achieved on hilly Stes such as San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, and Athens.
Climateinfivences cityform,Forexample, streetshavebeenalignedo takeadvantapeof coolingbreezes,
‘and arcades designed to shield pedestrians from sun and ran. Thearchitecture of individual build
en reflects adaptations to lemperatue, rainfall,snow,windandotherclimaticcharacteristics,
Cities must have2healthy water supply, and lations along rivers and streams, or near underground
walercourses, have always been favored. Many large modern ciies have oulgrowm thei local water
supplies and rely upon distant water sources diverted by elaborate systems of pipes and canals,
City locaton and internal tuctre have ben profoundly influenced by raul transportation routes.
Gites have olen been sited nea natural harbors, on navigable rivers, of along tan routes determined
by regional topography.
Finally, cis have had to surviveperiodicnaturaldisasterssuchas earthquakes, hurricanes, torados,
‘and flods. The San Francisco earthquake of 1905 demonstrated hownatural forces can undo decades
cof human labor ina very short tim.

City planners must weave a complex, ever-changing arayofeements intoaworking whole: thal isthe
perennialchallengeotcityplanning Thephysicalelementsofthecity cnbedividedintothreecategories
‘networks, buildings, and open spaces. Many alternative arrangements ofthese components have been
tried throughout history, butnoideal cityformhaseverbeenagreedupon. Livelydebatesabouthe best
wayto arrangeurbananatomies continuetorage,andshownosignsofabating,
NETWORKS
Everymodem citycontainsanamazing array f pathways cattyflowsofpeople, goods, vate, nergy,
and information. Transporation networks aethelrgestandmost visible ofthese. Ancient cits relied
1nstreets, mostof themquitenarowbymodemstandards.to catfolral andcats.Themodern
ily contains @ complex hierarchy of transportation channels, ranging from ter-lane freeways 10
sidewalks. Inthe United Sates, thebulkof trips are carried bythe privateautomobile,with mass transit
a distant second. American ctsdisplaythe low-density spraw characerisc of auto-centered wan
‘evelopment. nconiras, manyEuropeanities hvethehighdensitiesnecessary osupport rail ansit
sysems,
Moder ities rely on complex networksofits. Whenctsweesmallclaning purewaterand
cisosing of wasteswasotamajor problem,butctswilargepopulations andhighdensitieseauire
expensive public infastucure. Dunnhenineteenthcentury,pidurbangrowthadindustalzation
‘caused overcrowding, pollution, and diseaseinurbanaeasAe theconection between impurewater
and disease was established, American andEuropean citesbegantoinstal adequatesewetandwater
systems, Since theaerneeentn century, citeshaeasobeenlacewihwiresandconduits carrying
electri, o2s, andcommunications signals.

SSeS) EES
|
BUILDINGS
Buliding ae the most visibleelementsofthe city, the features that give each ct its unique character,
Residentialstructuresoccupyalmosthalf of ll urban tan, with the buildingtypesranging from scattered
single-family homes to dense high-riseapartments,Commercial buildings ae clustered downtownand
at variussubcentrs, wth skyscrapers packed into the central businessdistilandlow-risestructures
prevailing elsewhere, although tal buildings are becoming more common inthe suburbs. Industrial
buildings come in many forms ranging from lage factory complexes in industal distil to small
workshops,
Cityplannersengage na constant searchforthe proper rangementotheseferentypesofland use,
paying particular attention to the compatibility of dierent actives, population densities, traffic
generation, economic efcieny, social relationships, and the height and bulk of buildings.
‘OPEN SPACES
‘Open spaceissometi treatedmes
as.letiover,butt contri greatlyothe
butesqualityofurbanlife. “Hard”
‘spaces such asplazas, malls, and couttyards provide settings for public activities ofall kinds. “Soft”
‘Spaces such as parks, gardens, lawns, and nature preserves provide essential rll trom harsh urban
Conditions and serves spaceforrecreational ativilies.These “amenities” increasingly influence which
‘ities willbe perceivedasdesirable places to live
EVOLUTION OF URBAN FORM
Thefirstt setlements
rueurban
appearedaround 30008 C.ina cientMesopotamia, Egypt,andthelndus
Valley. Ancient cites displayed both “organic” and “planned” types of urban form. These societies had
elaborate religious, political,
andmilitaryhierarchies,Precincts devoted to theactives ofheelitewere
‘ten highly planned and regula inform. In contas, residential areas often grew bya slow process of
accretion, producing the comple, regular patterns that weterm "organic." Two typical features ofthe
ancientcityare the wallandthe citadel: thewallfor delensein regions periodically sweptby conquering
armies, and the citadel—a large, elevated precinct within the city—dovoted fo religious and state
functions
Greekciies didnot fllowa singlepater, ites growing stow fomoldvilages oftenhadanregular,
organic frm, adapting gradually to the accidents of topographyandhistory. Colonial cies, however,
\wee planned pio fo settlement using the rid system. The gris easy olay out, 35) to comprehend
and divides urban land int uniform rectangular os suitable or development
‘The Romans engaged in extensivecly-bullding activit astheyconsolidated
es ther empire. Rome itself
Asplayedtheinformal complet createdby centurieso organic growth although particularempleand
public lsticts werehighly planned n contrast, the Romanmilitary and colonial owns were laid out in
a vailion ofthe rid. Many European cities, including London and Pais, sprang from these Roman
ovigins,
‘We usuallyassociatemedieval citieswith narrow winding streets converging ona market squarewith a
cathedral and city hall. Many cities ofthis period display this pater, the product of thousands of
incremental additions lo the urbanfabri However, new townsseeded throughout undeveloped regions
‘of Europe were based upon te familiar grid. nether case, large encircling wallswerebull for defense
against marauding armies; new valls enclosing move lad were bull s the cy expanded and outgrew
its former container

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aaa The City Simulator
DuringtheRenaissance, architectsbeganto systematically studytheshapingofurban space as though
theciy itselfwereapieceof architecturethat couldbegivenan aesthetically pleasing andfunctonal order,
"Many ofthe greatpublispacesof Rom andotheralincts daterom his er.Pats ool cites were
rebuiltcrateelegantsquares,longstreetvistas,and symmetrical building arrangements. Responding
toadvances in fears duringthe fiteentcentury,ect wallsweredesigned with arg erthworks
to delet artery, and star-shaped poins to provide defenders with sweeping lines of fire. Spanish
colonial cies inthe NewWord werebulaccording to rules cid in the Las ofthe Indiesof1573,
specitying an orderly arid ofstreets with central plaza defensive wallanduniform building sy.
We associate the baroque city withthe emergence of great nation-states between 1600 and 1750.
‘Ambitious monarchs constructed new palaces, courts, and bureaucratic offices. The grand scalewas
sought in uban public spaces: long avenues, radial seat networks, manumental squares, geometric
parksand gardens, Versailles isa clearexpression ofthis city-building model Washington, D.C. isan
‘example from the United Staes. Baroque principles of urban design were used byBaron Haussmann in
his celebrated restructuring of Pais between 1853 and 1870. Haussmann carved broad new thorough-
fares through te tangled webofold Parisiantreet,linking major subcenters ofthecitywihane another
{na pater which has served asamodel for many other modernization plans.
Towa the ater halfofthe eighteenthcentury,particulary inAmerica, heciy as asainforcomerce
assumed primacy. The buildings ofthe bourgeoisieexpandedlong wither owners’prosper: banks,
‘ofce buildings, warehouses, hotels, and smalfactories.New towns founded during this period were
‘conceived ascommercial enterprises, andthe neutral grid was the mast efectve means to divide and
Up into parcels or sale. The city became acheckerboard on which plays speculated onshifting land
values, No longer would religious, political, and cultural imperaives shapeurbandevelopment; rahe,
themaket wouldbeallowedto determinethepaternofubangrowth. New Vor,Philadelphia andBaston
around 1820exerplly thecommercial cto thiserawih theirbusting, mixed-usewaterfrontdiss.
TRANSITION TO THE INDUSTRIAL CITY
Cities have changed more since the Indust Revoluion than in all he previous centuries of heir
existence. New York had a population of about 313,000 in 1840 but had cached 4,767,000 in 1910.
Chicagoexplodedfrom 4.00002,185,000during thesae period. Milion furl dwells no longer
needed on farmstackedothe ces, were new factories churned out products for new matketsmade
accessiblebyaloads andstamstipsInthe United Slats,lions limmigrans romEuropese
the urban populations, Inceasingy, urban economies were being woven more tigi int he national
and interatonal economies.
Technological innovations pouredtarth, manywithprofound impacts onurbantorm, Railroad tackswere
clrven int the heartofthecity.Interna rll transpotation systems greatly expanded the radius ofurban
stlement:horsecars beginning in the1890s,cablecarsin the1870s, andelectric trolleys inthe 1880.
In he 1880s, the fist central powerplants began providing electrical power to urban areas. The rapid
‘communication provided by the telegraph and the telephone allowed formerly concentrated urban
activities to disperse across a wide field
The industrial city stil focused on the city center, which contained both the cenral business district,
defined by lage otce buildings, and substantial numbers of actor and warehouse structures. Both
trolleysandrairoad systemsconvergedonthecenterofthect, which boastedthepremierenetainment
and shopping establishmenls. The working classlivedin orowded dss closet thecl canter, near
their places of employment
SS
|| Se
EarlyAmericanfactorieswerelocatedoutsideofmajortesalongriverswhichprovidedwaterpower for
machinery. Aftersteampowerbecamewidelyavailabeinthe1830s,factoriescouldbelocatedwithinthe
city in proximitytoportfacilites, ailines,andtheuranzborforce.Largemanufacturing zonesemerged
within the major northeast and midwesternciessuchas Pitsburgh, Dero,andCleveland Bu by
the ate ninetenth century factory decentralization nad alreadybegun,as manutacturers soughtlarger
parcelsoflandawayromfhecongestionof thecity,Gary, Indiana,orexample, wasfounded in1906on
thesouthernshoreofLakeMichiganbytheUnitedStatesStelCompany.
The increasing crowding, pollution, anddisease in thecentraletyproduceda growingdesiretoescape
toa healthierenvironment inthesuburbs.Theupperclasseshadalwaysbeenablefo retreatfo homes
{nthe countryside. Beginning in the 1830s, commuter railroads enabled the upper midale clas to
‘commute intothecitycenter,Horsecarineswerebuiltn mayciesbetween the1830sand1880s,
allowing themiddleclass tomoveoutiromthecentralcitiesintomorespacioussuburbs.Finally, during
the 1890s eletic trolleys and elevated rapidtransitinsproliferated,providing cheap urban ranspor-
tation forthe majority ofthe population.
The central businessdistrictofthe cityunderwent a radical ransformation with the development ofthe
‘skyscraper between1870 and1900. Thesealbuildingsweenotechnicallyfeasibleuntthe invention
oftheelevatorandstel-trame construction methods.Skyscrapers reelthedynamicsoftherealestale
‘markt;theal buildingextractsthemaximum economic valuefromaliited parcel land, Thesefice
buildings housedthegrowing numbersofwhite-collaremployeesin banking,finance,management and
business services,allmanifestations oftheshitfromaneconomy ofsmallfis tooneoflarge
corporations.
‘THEFORM OFTHE MODERN CITYINTHEAGE OFTHEAUTOMOBILE
‘Thecityof todaymaybedividedintotwoparts:(1) aninnerzone,coextensive withthe boundaries ofthe
‘ld industrial city,nd(2) suburban areas,datingfrom the 1920s, which
havebeen designed forthe
automobile fromthebeginning
‘ThecentralbusinessdistrictsofAmericancitieshavebecomecentersof information processing finance,
and administration rather than manufacturing. White-collar employees in these economic sectors
‘commutein fromthesuburbsonanetworkof urbanfreewaysbulltduringthe 1950sand 1960s, this “hub-
and-whe!” freewaypattemcanbeobserved onmanycitymaps.Newbridgeshavespannedriversand
bays, as in New York and San Francisco, linking together formerly separate cites into vast urbanized
regions.
‘Wavesof demolitionandrebuildinghaveproduced"Manhattanzed” downtownsacossthe land, During
the1950sand1950s,urbanrenewalprogramsclearedanaylargeareasotheoldiy,releasing theand
{or new ofice buildings, convention centers, hotels, and sports compleyes. Building surges have
converted the downtowns ot American cities into forests ofall oficebuldins. Mare reer, office
{unctions not requiring @ downtown location have been moved to hugeofficparks inthe suburbs.
‘Surrounding thecentral businessarealiesalarge bandofoldmixed-use andresidential buildingswhich
hhouse the urban poor. High crime, low income, deteriorating services, inadequate housing, and
intractable social problems plague theseneglected areasofurban America. The manufacturing jobs
{ormertyavailabletoinnercy residentsaenolongerthere,andresourceshavenotbeencommited 10
replace them.

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SSS The City Simulator
These ner city areas havebeenff behind byamassive migration to the suburbs, which began inthe
late nineteenth century but accelerated inthe 1920swiththespreadofthe automobile. Freewaytuliding
alter World War Il opened up even lager areas of suburban land, which were quickly fled by people
fleeingental ilydecline, Today, morepeoplelve in suburbs thanincitiesproper, Manufacturers have
also moved ther production facies to suburban locations which have freeway and rail aocessiilly
Indeed, we have reached a new stage of urbanization beyond the metropolis. Most major cities are no
‘ongerfocusedexclusivelyon heaton downtown, Newsuboeteshavearsen roundtheperghery,
and these subcenters supply most ofthe daily needs of theradjacentpopulations. The old metropolis
hasbecome amut-centered urban region. n turn, manyoftheseurban regions have expanded tthe
point where they have coalesced into vast belts of urbanization —nat the geographer Jean Gottman
fexmed “megalopolis” The prime example isthe easter seaboard othe United States from Boston to
‘Washington, The planner C.A. Doxiads has speculated tha similar vast corridors of urbanization wil
appear throughout the word during the next century. Thus far, American planners have not had much
success in imposingarational form on his process. However, NewTownand greenbelt programs in
Britainand the Scandinavian counties have, to some extent, prevented formless sprawl rom engulfing
the countryside
‘THE ECONOMICS OF URBAN AREAS
Sinos the 1950s, city planners have increasingly paid attention to the economics of urban areas. When
‘manyAmerican citiesexperienced fiscalcrisesduringthe 1970s, urbanfinancial management assumed
event greater importance. Today, planners routinely assess the economic consequences ofall major
‘changes inthe form ofthe city.
‘Several basic concepts underlie urban and regional economicanalysis.Fis, cies cannot grow if theit
residents simplyprovide servicesorone another.Thecity must createproductswhichcanbe soldtoan
external purchase, bringing in money which canbe reinvested in new production facilities and raw
materials. This “economic base of productionforextemal markets is crucial Without, he economic
engine of he city grinds toahal
COnce the economicbasisestablished, an elaboratenternal marketcanevolve.Thismarktincluds the
production of goods and services for businessesandesidentswithin the cy.Obviousy, a trge partof
the citys physical plant is devoted to facilities for these internal transactions: retail stores ofl kinds,
resturants oal profesional services, and soon
Modern cities are increasinaly engaged in a compelition for economic resources such as industrial
plants, corporate headquarters, high-lechnology firms, and government facilites. Cities try to lure
investment with an array of features: ow tax rales, improved transportation and utility infrastructure,
‘cheap land,anda skilledlaborforce.Amenitiessuchas climate,proximityto recreation, parks,elegant
architecture, and culturalactivitiesinfluencethelocation decisionsofbusinessesandindividuals, Many
colderctieshavehad dificullysurvivingin thisneweconomicgame. Abandoned bytraditional industries,
they are now trying to createanew economic baseinvolving growth sectors such as high technology.
Today cies no longercompetein mere regional r national markets: he martes an iteration one
‘Mutational fms close plants in Chicago or Detroit and build replacements in Asia or Latin America
Foreignproductsdominatewholesectors he Americanconsumes
goodsmarke. Hugesums ofmoney
shi around the globe in instantaneous electronic transactions, Cities must struggle or survival in a
‘olaile envionment in which the ues are alway changing. This makes city planning even more
hllenging than befor
eS |
 MODERN CITY PLANNING
‘Modern city planning can be divided into two distinct but related types of planning Visionary city
planning proposes radical changes inthe frm ofthe cy, often in conjunction with sweeping changes
inthe social and economic order. Instiuionalized cy planning is lodgedwithin theexstng structures
of government, and modifies urban growth processes in moderate pragmatic ways. I is constrained by
the prevaling alignment of poltical and economic forces within the city,
‘VISIONARY OR UTOPIAN CITY PLANNING
People haveimagined idea ites for milena, Plato'sRepublicwasandeat, although lacking in
thespatialdeal of ltr schemes.Renaissance architectsdesignednumerousgeometriccies,and ever
‘sioeafhitects have been the chief source of imaginative urban proposals. nthe twentieth century, Le
‘Corbusier Frank LoydWright,Paolo Sole,and dozensof otherarchitectshavedesigned citieson paper,
‘Although few have been realized in pure frm, they have influenced the layout of many new towns and
utban redevelopment project,
‘nhis “Contemporary Cit for Thee Million People" of1922 and “Radiant Cy" of 1995, Le Corbusier
advocated a high-density urban alternative, with skyscraper office buildings and mid-ise apartments
‘lacedwithin park-like openspaoes. Different and useswerelocated in separatedistricts,formingaigid
‘geometric pater wih a sophisticated system of superhighway and rll transi
FrankLloyd Wright envisioned deoentraizedlow-densiy cyin keeping wthisdltast fr largeciies
and bei in ronteringividuaism. The Broadacre City plan ol 1935 isa large rid ofarterials spread
arossthecountyide, withmostofheintealspace devotea singe-amityhomesonlargelos, Areas
are also carlully setaside for smal farms, light industry, orchards, recreation areas, and othe urban
facies, A network of superhighways knits the region together, so spatially dispersed facilities are
actully vet close in terms of rave time. In manyways,Wright's Brcadacre City resembles American
Suburban and erurban developments ol the post-WWII perio.
‘Manyotherlopianplanscouldbecatalogued, butthepointstha plannersand architectshave generated
‘acomplexaray of urbanpatternsfrom which iodrawideasandinspiration. Mostcityplannets, however,
‘donotworkanablankcanvas; heycanonlymaeincremental changestoanurbansoenealreadyshaped
bya complicated historical process,
INSTITUTIONALIZED CITY PLANNING
‘Theform of the ciy is determined primarily by thousands of private decisions to construct buildings,
within a framework of public infrastructure and regulations administered by city, stale, and federal
‘governments. Cityplanningactionscanhaveenormous impacts onland values. From the point of view
‘of land economics, thecity isan enormous playing field on which thousands of competitors struggleto
‘capture value by constructing or trading land and buildings. The goal ofcity planning isto intervenein
‘his game in order to protect widely shared public values such as heath, safety, environmental quality,
Social equity, and aesthetics.
‘Theroots ofAmericancityplanninglienanarrayofeformeffots ofthelatenineteenth century:the Parks
‘maverent, theCityBeauiful movement, campaigns forhousing regulation,theProgressive movement
for government relorm,and etlorsto improve publicheath through the provision ofsanitary sewersand
clean water supplies. The Fist National Conference on City Panning occurred in 1909, the sameyear
a DanielBurnham'sfamous Plan of Chicago. Thatdatemaybe usedfomarktheinauguration ofthenew
profession. The early city planners actually came ftom diverse backgrounds such as landscape
sf) Ses
a The City Simulator
@common desite to produce @ more
architecture, architecture, engineering, and tw, but hay shared
ordety urban pate
‘Te zoning of land became, and stil is, the mast potent instrument avaiableto American city planners
{orcantrlling urban development. Zoning is basicaly tnedividing of he ct into discrete areas within
which only certain land uses and types of buildingscanbe constructed. The rationale is that certain
activities or building types don't mix wel factories and homes, fr example. illogical mixtures create
ruisances forthepartis involvedandlower land values. ter several decades of gradual development,
land-use zoning recelved legal approval ftom the Supreme Court in 1926,
Zoning isn the same as planing: itis legal tot forthe implementation of plans. Zoning should be
closely integrated wit a Master Plan or Comprehensive Pan that spells outalogical path for the city’s
future in areas such aland use, ensportation, parks and recreation, environmental quality, and pubic
‘works construction, Inthe early days of zoning thiswasolen neglected, but this lack of cocriation
between zoning and planning is less common naw.
Two oer important elementsofexisting city planning are subdivision regulations and environmental
‘regulations Subdivision regulationsrequiethatland beingsubdividedfor developmentbe providedwith
adequate stees, sewers, war, schools, uliies, and various design features. The goal isto prevent
shabby, deficient developments thal produce headachesforboth ther residents and the ct. Since the
Tate 1960s,environmental regulations have exerted astronger influence on pater of urban growthby
restricting development in loodplains, unstable stones,
on on earthquake faults,or nearsensitivenatural
ateas, Businesses have been forced to reduce smoke emissions and the disposal of wastes have been
‘more closely monitored, Overall, the pace of environmental degradation has been slowed, but certainly
not slopped, and dismaying backlogof environmental hazards remains tobecleaned up. ity planners
have plenty of work to das wemove into te twenty-first century.
CONCLUSION: GOOD CITY FORM
‘Whals the goed iy?Weaeunltely to ativealanunequivocal answer; the diversity of human neds
and lasts fuss al atoms to provide recipes or instruction manuals forthe bungwayofc inich
However, andspent the many
we canidentiyhecrucia dimensions ofcilypertance,
tities can achieve sucess along these dimensions.
‘Amostuseul quidein this entepriseis Kevin Lynch’ A TheoryofGoodCityFormCambridge,MA, MIT
Press, 1981), Lynch offers five basic dimensions of cit performance: via, sense fit, access, and
comil, To these headds two “meta-riteria" efficiency and justice.
For Lynch, vital city succesfull full the biological needs ofits inhabitants, and provides asae
environment fr thet actives. A sensible city is organized so tat its residents can perceive and
Understa ndformand function. citywithgod fit
hecity's provides thebuildings, spaces,and networks
require d o pursuehei projectssuovesstlly,An access
fortsresidents peopleofal ages
ible
allows
and backgrounds to gain the actives, resources, services, and information that they need city wih
‘good control is arranged so thal its caens haveasayinthe management of the spaces in which hey
Work and reside.
 See 0ery es
Finally, anecient city achieves the goals listed above atthe least cos, and balances the achievement
ofthe goalswith one another. Theycannotall be maximized at the same Anda jus city distributes
benefitsamong is ctizens accordingta somefairstandard,Clearly, theseime.
{issues which will continue to spark debates forte foreseeable future, twometa-criteriaraise dificult
‘Thesecieiatllaspiring citybuilderswhereto aim, whileacknowedgi thediverse
ngwaysof achieving
‘Good cityform. Citiesareendlesslyfascinbecauseating eachis unique, theproductof decades,centuries,
OF even millennia of historical evolution. AS we walk through city streets, we walkthrough time.
‘encountering thecity-building legacy of past generation. Paris, Venice, Rome, New York,Chicago,an
Francisco—each hats glorandi ies allure. Inth we eory
should beabletolear
, nthe lessonsofhisory
‘andbud cites thatour descendants will admireand wish tapreserveTat remains aconstantchallenge
forall who undertake the task of city planning,

TROUBLESHOOTING
you are having problems running SimCity, try the following
4, Youmust run the INSTALL program—even to run Simtity from a floppy disk, See the User
Documentation fr instructions.
2. _For51/4 opp instalation,you must installane,lan, formattedtloppydisk You cannot
instal to the orginal disks. You caninsalthe312° disk ile, When istaling oa lloppy,and
YOU ae asked for he sub-directory, don’ put one in, Just insal
5. When running SimCity trom a harddisk, make sure thal youotherunrotit rom
directory: AN orB\,
the SimCity sub-
rectory, ot wl ot beable fo oad the araphis sels. To et othe SimCity sub-director y, type
CCDISIMCITY, then hit RETURN, then sar the game.
4. Remove ALL memory-reident programs! This includes SideKick, PC Tools, Norton Com
‘ander, graphics devices that put your vdeo ROM into RAM, and al ules and shells—even
Expanded Memory Manages, The easiestway boot oly clean system isto boo fromiafopny-
isk ofyour
oop orignalDOS
ydisk.Youcan bahilstorecotig
and CONFIG SYS fies. Consult yout DOS manual or local lso set
hacer for hep
ue yourup AUTOEXEC BAT
5. _ltSimCityruns buttheanimatedcharacters(ship, monster, plane, ec.)areinvisible, henyou
have something running memiry-fesident. Remove
6. lLyouaremissingthe small characterset,of arehavingtroublerunningona laptop,ry sunning
the DOS program GRAFTABL,
7. The SimCitygraphicsset for CGA isin thei-res monochrome mode.doesnot showin color
8, Try turning of the sound. Try taking your machine out of turbo" made,
9, _Thecopy potetioncanaskforthe NAME othe POPULATION. Besureyouareenteringtheright
information
10. you have done al ofthe above, andi stil wont run, and you havea math coprocessor,ty
‘isabling the coprocessor bylyping SET NOB7 =DISABLE onthe DOS commandline, then iting
RETURN before running SimCity.
11. SimCity only supports IBM ProPrntr, Epson MX, RX, FX pines and compatibles.
12. Hyouare running DOS4,0or 4.01,makesureyou the sheltunedft
13, falelse fallsreadthe manual, ha als, callus frhave technicalsupport Whenyoucal,please
have the following information ready
© Make and model of your computer Make and model of your graphicscard
* 00S version ‘= How mach RAM you have
‘= ROM BIOS make and version
‘A printout of your AUTOEXEC BAT and CONFIG SYS files
' possible, beal your computer when you clland have your SimCity manual and box handy
sj Se
SaaS az The City Simulator
BIBLIOGRAPH Y
Boyer Rand, Savage. Plas ateAmara Cicgo Rnd Maly&Co,1886
Calle, res. Ector: Banyan Tee Books 175.
Chay, Francoise TheModerCityPing inte1th Cota New York George Baile, 1969,
Chak, David, Utan Gert, atmo: Te JohnsHplins Unies Press, 198.
ay, Gaty, Close-Up, Hewa a he American iy Chicago: The UniveolChicago Pres, 190.
Gaon, Aan. et, Thtanate New Yor: Van Nostrand iol Company, 188
Greenburg, M.D. Krveckeberg, an C,Michelson, LocalPaputon an Employment ProjectionTechniques
New Brunswick Cee fx Urtan Policy Research, 1967
Hoskin, FrankP.TneLanguage ofCites.Camdge: Schenkman PublishingCompany,nc, 1972.
cat, Jan. Me DeathandLieofGeaAmericanCites New York: VintageBook,1961,
‘ueekaberg, Donald Utan PlaningAnalysis:Methods andModels New York. John Wiley & Sons, 1974,
Le Corbusier, Je City of Tomarowands Planing. NewYork:Dover Pubiatons, I, 1987.
Regist, Richard, Ecol Berkeley.Berkley: Noh Alte Books,1987,
Planing(The maga fhe American Panning Association)
4313. Bh St. Chicago, IL 60637
RELATED READING FOR CHILDREN
FICTION
Bron Vigna Lee. TheLite House.Boston Houghon Mitin, 1342(issued1959),
‘Murphy, Shite, and Murphy, al Ms. Trio’ tun totheSun Shepard Books, 1980
1s. Seuss, TheLor NewYork:Random House, 1971
NONFICTION
Baar, Abe.FramSetlemen 0Ciy,NewYork:Julian Messner, 1978
che, JamesATheFst BookofLoca!Government.NewYorkFranklinWatts,1976.
Macaulay, Davi. City. A Stoy/ofRomanPlanningand Constuction, Boston: Houghon Min, 1974
Macaulay, David, Underground. Boston: Houghton Min, 1976,
Monte, Roxie. Aretitects MakeZigzag Lookingat Aciecure tomAtoZ.WashinglonOC:National Trust
for HistoricPreservation, 1986,
odes, Dory, Howto Rada Cy Map.Chicago: ERGrove Press, 1967
For more information oncityplanning andrelated subjects, contact:
‘Anatcan Planning Assoition
Planers Bookstore 1313 60th St.Chicago IL 60637 (312) 956-9100
et
002-07-101-A