SimCity: Getting Started

1. SimCity: Getting Started • The simulation software is located on the computer’s hard drive. To start the program, click on the windows key, all programs, Maxis, SimCity 4 Deluxe, SimCity 4 Deluxe. A student can also type in SimCity in the “Search programs and files” box.

2. Picking a Place • When the game starts, pick any of the places shown to start a city. Edit the terrain if desired. Then click on the mayor’s hat to start Mayor Mode. It is a good idea to make the land somewhat level. Spend only a little time on this screen before going to Mayor Mode.

3. Zoning • The city will need zones and a power plant before citizens will move in. Add any power plant shown by choosing from the information given. Add zones marked residential, commercial and industrial (green, blue, yellow). More area needs to be zoned for residential than the others. Only a little area is needed for commercial.

4. Budget • On the bottom of the screen there is an option to monitor the budget. Mayors who watch the budget will be more successful. If a mayor goes too far into debt, the game ends as the city is bankrupt. This actually happens in some places (see Greece) and will hopefully never happen in the U.S. Be sure the city makes more money than it spends each month.

5. Summary • Getting Started • Picking a Place • Zoning • Budget

6. Water Department • Mayors who want larger buildings to move into dense residential zones will need to provide simulated citizens with water. Click on the icon that shows electricity and pipes and select the middle icon for water options. Add a water pump to an area that does not have pollution (away from industrial and power plants). Build pipes to connect the water to other areas.

7. Sanitation Department • In the same menu as the water in power, there is an option for sanitation. This department will remove garbage from the city. If a city does not have sanitation, piles of garbage will make the city a mess. Start by zoning a small landfill. Keep it away from residential zones since people won’t want to live there. Be sure that the dump has road access so the garbage trucks have a way to get there.

8. Police and fire • Mayors can make their citizens safe by putting police and fire stations in the city. Under the “Civic Tools” icon options are shown to create different sizes of protection. Be very careful when adding these as more protection costs a LOT more money. It is a good idea to watch how the monthly budget gets changed while adding protection.

9. Education • Simulation citizens will get smarter and work at better jobs if they have more education. If the citizens make more money, that means they can pay more taxes to the mayor. Add some schools to help the education citizens. Be careful to add only the number of schools that are needed. Be careful to watch as the budget increases so that the city won’t be spending too much.

10. Summary • Water Department • Sanitation Department • Police and fire • Education

11. City Growth • The key to having a big city is to think big when setting up zones. Plan to use the whole map instead of just a small part of it. Don’t try to make a perfect city, make a large city and then improve it as time goes on. Always watch the budget so that more money is being made then spent. If the budget gets out of control, the game ends and the mayor gets fired.

12. Creating the Publisher document • The city its self can not be submitted for credit. The project will create an election poster that could be used for the mayor to run for office in a 2nd term. The poster should follow the rubric and complete ALL sections. Be sure to add up possible points before submitting.

13. Poster Rubric Part 1 (10 pts each) • The document should be created in publisher on a paper sized at about 8.5 by 11 inches. • Use Insert -> Picture -> Word Art to add a title. • Add a picture that is zoomed in to show off some local buildings in the city created by editing and selecting a portion using the pbrush program. • Add a full screen shot that shows a large part of the city, the budget and the population. • Organize the pictures in an aesthetically pleasing way.

14. Poster Rubric part 2 (10 Points each) • Add a picture to show the mayor by drawing in pbrush or using webcam effects under http://pizap.com/. • Create a paragraph describing how the mayor has run the city. • Create a paragraph describing the city. • Create a paragraph describing the population of the city and the budget. • Show the city population of 100000 people.

15. Summary • City Growth • Starting Publisher • Rubric 1 • Rubric 2

16. City Population • The success of the city can be shown by how many people want to live there. The more people that live in the city, the more successful the mayor is. Larger populations have more money and will pay more taxes. The taxes collected, the more power a mayor has. Try to get the population as high as possible.

17. Look at some of the posters that politicians have made in the past. It is always a good idea to see how some one else has solved a problem. We don’t do this to copy off of them. We do this to get ideas and then create something that is our own. After seeing how some one else has solved this problem, students can more easily do it them selves. Example Posters

18. Adding yourself • Some times it is a good idea to add your own picture to the poster so voters can see who you are. On http://pizap.com/ a student can click start and webcam effects. By clicking on the windows key and running pbrush, a student can draw something to represent themselves. Get a screenshot from the web site or copy and paste from the pbrush editing window to place it on the publisher document.

19. Winning The Race on Issues • When writing the text for the publisher document, let the people know why they should vote for you. You can tell the people that you will have a better economy. You can tell the people you will reduce pollution. You can tell the people any way that their lives might be better if you win. Be sure to explain what it is that makes your mayor abilities great.

20. Summary • City Population • Example Posters • Adding Word Art • Adding Yourself

21. City Population • To see how successful a city is, look at the number of people that live there. Each aspect of the city deterimines how happy and sucessfful the simulation citizens are. The people will “vote with their feet”. That means that if the mayor does a good job, more people will enter the city than leave. If the mayor does a bad job, everyone will leave the city. Be sure to add a screenshot with the population shown to the publisher document.

22. Future Design • SimCity 4 has been out for a long time. Advances in simulation software have been accumulating. Fortunately, SimCity 5 is going to be available some time in 2013. The new program will enable mayors to create even better cities with more options and more realistic simulated events.

23. Simulation and Design • To create programs like SimCity 4, a lot of talents are required. Computer Artists have to create all the things that are seen on the screen. Musicians have to compose all the sounds and songs that play. Programmers need to perfect the math and mechanics of the virtual world. Students who enjoy this kind of computer interaction will find a lot of work available in the future.

24. College/Careers • Students can choose paths that enable them to function in the real world the way they are successful in the virtual world. If some one can design a virtual city very well, they can probably design a real city. The concepts here have been simplified so that mayors can look at a lot of things. Just like the virtual experts in the game, real life experts are needed in transportation, pollution, electricity, sanitation and budgeting. The next expert could be you.

25. Summary • City Population • Future Developement • Simulation and Design • College Careers