Sim City 2000 Tips and stratagies

Here's a few simple tips you might want to try.

In order to get inexpensive power, cut down on pollution and increase population density, try the hydrodam trick. Either (1), build a large mountain of waterfalls while editing the land, and then build hydro dams as needed, or (2), put waterfalls and hydrodams just along hilsides, especially in areas where high value is unimportant, as needed. Although the price of water plus the dam adds up to $500, it's still pretty cheap per mW as power plants go.

If you want high property value, go tree crazy. Since hillsides are virtually useless, put a tree on every one. In "downtown" areas, i.e. those with lots of built-up, adjacent commercial towers and little traffic, consider removing a few roads here and there and replacing them with trees. This all can take some time, but it will increase values.

Unless you're cheating and have unlimited funds, bus terminals are far superior to trains and subways to reduce traffic at cost. Trains are virtually useless, taking up a lot of space and only slightlty affecting traffic, and while subways take up less space and do more than trains, they cost huge amounts of money to build. In cities with unlimited funds, I usually use subways and bus terminals.

Light commercial zones are a waste of time and money. Unlike residential and industrial zones, the leap from light to dense commercial does not really increase traffic, pollution, or decrease values. Light commercial just has lower population density. Plus, those huge office buildings are really the best-looking part of your city. Why bother with rows of small, blocky bed-and breakfasts that do little more than take up space?

Highways suck. It seems to me that placing highways in most places generates more traffic out of nowhere. Plus, they're expensive, require multiple onramps at intersectons, and take up lots of space. The one benefit they have is when connecting to other cities; they help get rid of that annoying "industry needs connections" message. Unless you're using them to make you city look more realistic, there's no point in making highways that extend far from your city's borders.

Though true in the real world, in SimCity 2000 water does not increase property values. Believe it or not, I built several cities under this assumption before I noticed this little bit of trivia. So don't feel like you wasting pristine riverfront or beach on industry and water pumps... the sims don't seem to care.

And for god's sake, turn off disasters. Screw any "realism" that natural disasters may add to your experience as mayor (how realistic is the monster anyway?)... the real fun of SimCity 2000 is in building and managing a city. That 5x5 mile plot of tan territory is your canvass and zones, roads, and buildings are your brushes. No one spills paint on a portrait halfway through to make it more of a challenge.