SimCity 4

Deluxe Tutorial
Future City Competition
2008-2009
 Tutorial Outline
1. Getting Started
2. Using SimCity 4 Deluxe Tutorial
3. Building Regions
4. Develop Your Strategy
5. Create Your City
• Understanding the Toolbars
6. Mayor Mode
• SIMS
7. Using Graphs and Data
8. Scoresheet Updates
9. Resources
SimCity 4 Deluxe
Getting Started
Code on the
• Load the software
top back of
the User
Manual
• 20 character code
* location (PC Version
only)

• Files will
automatically be
stored in you’re “My
Document” File
Future City Competition
2008-2009
 SimCity 4 Deluxe
Getting Started
• Utilize Your
Resources (click the links below)

– Teacher Handbook
Section B

– SimiCity 4 Deluxe
Tutorial Video

– SimiCity4 Deluxe
Screen Shots
 Tutorial Regions
• Take a Tour of the
Five Tutorial Regions
– Use the Tutorial to
Learn How to Build
Your Cities:
• Terrain
• Streets and Highways
• Power Stations
• Water Supplies
• And Other Facilities

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Create Your Own Region

• A collection of cities that can work together – you can have a suburban
(city), a shopping city, or an industrial city
• For the first year we recommend that you build a medium city. A small
city may not grow fast enough, while a large city may be to much.
• You can Plug Cities into a predefined Region

• NOTE: Reconciling the edges between cities can destroy parts of your city.
When joining cities make sure that terrain is similar.

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 OR Select a Starter Region

• Choose from pre-built

Cities and Terrains
from different times and
areas of the world
Future City Competition
2008-2009
SimCity 4 Deluxe Strategy

– THINK LOCALLY
– More refined desirability
factors guide the game.
– Encourage a focus on
individual Sims point of
view in your city
– Encourage the Mayor to
understand the interaction
effects of neighboring
cities on your city through
the “Region View”
– The budget is more
sensitive and remember
that everything has a cost

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 SimCity 4 Deluxe
Creating Your City
USE THIS MODE TO:

• Sculpt mountains, gouge

valleys, level terrain, and seed
Use This Mode forests to lay the groundwork
to for your creation.
Terraform Your
City • Create rivers and coastlines.

• Populate your terrain with

animals that graze and roam
… and sometimes stampede
into your city!

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 SimCity 4 Deluxe
Creating Your City
USE THE MAYOR MODE TO:

• Use for building Infrastructure

Use
the
• Landscaping Tools will help
Mayor
develop your Terrain
Mode
• Designate Different zones in
your city – Residential,
Industrial, Agricultural and
Commercial

• Build Highways, Roads,

Railways and Airports using
the Transportation tools

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Mayor Mode
• Create, build and run the most
realistic city you can imagine.
• Connect your metropolis with
other cities you've created to
form a massive region of
SimCities, each sharing and
competing for resources.
• Deploy police cruisers and fire
trucks to the scene--you’re up
close and part of the action as
they deal with fires, striking
mobs, crime, and more.
Courtesy simcity.ea.com website

Future City Competition

2008-2009
Confused about the Toolbars and
How To Best Use Them?

#Click Here

Future City Competition

2008-2009
SIM Mode
• Place your Sims in your
city--they'll give you
valuable feedback.
• Follow your Sims to work
and home.
• Experience life in the big
city, from mellow traffic to
major traffic jams,
noontime crowds to
nighttime calm.
• Please Note: SIM MODE is not
important to Future City
competition outcomes. Nor is SC4
Rush Hour

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Good Button/Bad Button
Good Button: The
Query Button helps
you and allows you
to find out critical
information about
your City and its WARNING!!!
Sims. This button
BAD BUTTONS:
allows you to be
These buttons
Proactive not
represent disaster
Reactive.
and will destroy
ALL YOUR HARD
WORK… NEVER
PRESS!!!!

Future City Competition

2008-2009
Graphs and Data Views
Your Graph and
Data Buttons

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Graphs and Data Views
• Graphs give detailed information
on different aspects of life in
your city
• Query tool identifies all
buildings and landmarks
• Data views are available
for all major infrastructure
systems (Color Coded)

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Graphs and Data Views Cont.

• City Opinion polls help with major Sim Concerns

• Advisors give critical information about your City

Future City Competition

2008-2009
 Graphs and Data Views Cont.

• Get detailed budget information

to keep track of City expenses

• Take out loans, increase

taxes or create deals to
increase revenue streams
Budget Information Examples

Future City Competition

2008-2009
Updates to Score Sheets
 Score Sheets and Scoring System

• 80 point Computer City Design score sheet

(Handbook page A33)

• 80 point Rubric score guide (Handbook page A35)

• 20 point Computer City Design score sheet

(Handbook page A31)

• Map Inventory report (Handbook page A39)

 Updates to 20 Point
Self Score Sheet
• Revised Questions:
– City Time Span (Question 1)
• Changing from 2150 to 150 due to SimCity 4
– Tax Rates (Question 4)
• 8% Maximum for all levels and have them list the maximum tax rate
– Pollution (Question 9)
• Focusing on Water Pollution, deleting question related to Air
• Using Color Coded system of Pollution Data View
• New Questions:
– (Question 7) Are the Sims happy with your performance as
Mayor of your City
– (Question 10) Do you have connections to two or more
neighboring cities in your region?
 Update on 80
Point Score Sheet
• Using Color Coded Scoring System
– Property Values
– Police and Fire Coverage
– Garbage / Recycling
– Pollution
– Transportation
Volume / Congestion
 Update on 80
Point Score Sheet (Cont.)
• High Tech Factories will have new buildings
• Energy, Item 3 Air pollution removed.
• Garbage handling will be adjusted to use count of
recycling centers / landfills / Waste to Energy facilities /
Neighbor deals
• Agricultural Areas do not automatically develop into
factories, will have to be rezoned.
• Transportation System has several new options
– Subway (Underground, Monorail and Elevated) and
Buses
– Freight Train and Truck
 Update to 80
Point Score Sheet (Cont.)
• Recreation Facilities (lot more options)
– Playgrounds, Plazas, Flower Gardens, Community
Gardens, Baseball Diamond, Soccer Field, Basketball
Court, Tennis Court, Skate Park
– Can not count acreage, will need to look at counting
number of facilities
– Stadiums – earned rewards
– Special Attractions – have costs in SimCity 4
 Update to 80
Point Score Sheet (Cont.)
• City Layout
– SimCity 4 Deluxe allows for terraforming for free
before you start playing city; once you go into Mayor
Mode, terraforming costs money
– Layout options are more robust; airports and seaports
are now locations versus zones
– Query tool now allows you to query locations and you
can also query route usage of your transportation
system
 CONCLUSION
• Observe Interrelationship Between:
– Demographics
– Economics
– City Planning
– Engineering

Good Luck and Enjoy Creating Your Future City

 Additional Resources on SimCity 4
(Click the Links Below)

• EA Website

• Sample Simcity 4 Region

• SimCity 4 Strategy Guide

– Physical Book

– Electronic Copy
Future City Competition
2008-2009