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1<head><title>User Reference</title></head><body>
2
3<h1>User Reference Guide: Controlling Micropolis</h1>
4
5<h2>Getting Help</h2>
6
7If you wonder about a control or graphic in Micropolis, you can point at
8it with the cursor, hold down shift and click the left button,
9to bring up a helpwindow describing it. <p>
10
11<h2>Using the Mouse</h2>
12
13In Micropolis, you will primarily use the left mouse button to edit the city.
14The main function of the right mouse button is to select from pie menus.
15The middle button is used to scroll the view in the Edit Window. <p>
16
17Clicking a mouse button means to press and release it without moving.
18Dragging means to press and hold the button, move the mouse, then
19release the button. <p>
20
21<h2>Pie Menus</h2>
22
23Pie menus are designed to be very fast and efficient to use.
24You can pop up a pie menu by pressing and holding the right button,
25then select from it by moving in the direction of the item you want,
26then releasing the button. <p>
27
28Once you are familiar with the directions, you can use pie menus very
29quickly by smoothly pressing the right button down,
30moving in the direction you want, and releasing.
31If you do this without stopping,
32the pie menu will not even display on the screen --
33you will just hear the name of the item spoken,
34to remind you of the selection.
35The more you use pie menus, the easier they are to use.
36See how fast you can get!
37<p>
38
39<h2>Micropolis Chooser Window</h2>
40
41This window lets you select which city to simulate.
42You can see what the selected city looks like in the map window.
43Give your city a name by typing it into the Name text field. <p>
44
45Click on "New City" to generate a random map to start a city from scratch.
46Click on "Load City" to load a saved city from disk. <p>
47
48You can go back and forth between your previously selected cities
49with the "Previous Map" and "Next Map" buttons. <p>
50
51Click on any of the Scenario buttons to play any of the eight scenarios.
52When you click on any of those buttons, the city is displayed in the Micropolis Map Window.
53
54The Scenarios provide both real and hypothetical problems for you to
55deal with in seven famous (and one not-so-famous) cities. They present
56various levels of difficulty. Some problems are in the form of
57disasters which will occur some time after you start. Other problems
58are more long-term, such as crime. <p>
59
60Your task is to deal with the problem at hand as well as possible
61under the circumstances. After a certain amount of time the city
62residents will rate your performance in a special election. If you do
63very well you may be given the key to the city. However, if you do
64poorly, they just might run you out of town. <p>
65
66<ul>
67
68<li>Dullsville, USA 1900 -- Boredom
69<p>
70
71Things haven't changed much around here in the last hundred years and
72the residents are beginning to get bored. They think Dullsville could
73be the next great city with the right leader. It is your job to
74attract new growth and development, turning Dullsville into a
75Metropolis by the 21st century. <p>
76
77<ul>
78<li>Difficulty: Easy
79<li>Time Limit: 30 years
80<li>Win Condition: Metropolis
81</ul>
82
83<li>San Francisco, CA 1906 -- 8.0 Earthquake
84<p>
85
86Damage from the earthquake was minor compared to that of the ensuing
87fires, which took days to control. 1500 people died. Controlling the
88fires should be your initial concern here. Afterwards, clearing the
89remaining rubble will allow the city to start rebuilding. <p>
90
91<ul>
92<li>Difficulty: Very difficult
93<li>Time Limit: 5 years
94<li>Win Condition: Metropolis
95</ul>
96
97<li>Hamburg, Germany 1944 -- Fire
98<p>
99
100Allied fire-bombing of German cities in WWII caused tremendous damage
101and loss of life. People living in the inner cities were at greatest
102risk. You must control the firestorms during the bombing and then
103rebuild the city after the war. <p>
104
105<ul>
106<li>Difficulty: Very difficult
107<li>Time Limit: 5 years
108<li>Win Condition: Metropolis
109</ul>
110
111Bern, Switzerland 1965 -- Traffic
112<p>
113
114The roads here are becoming more congested every day, and the
115residents are upset. They demand that you do something about it. Some
116have suggested a mass transit system as the answer, but this would
117require major rezoning in the downtown area. <p>
118
119<ul>
120<li>Difficulty: Easy
121<li>Time Limit: 10 years
122<li>Win Condition: Low Average Traffic Density
123</ul>
124
125Tokyo, Japan 1957 -- Monster Attack
126<p>
127
128A large reptilian creature has been spotted heading for Tokyo bay. It
129seems to be attracted to the heavy levels of industrial pollution
130there. Try to control the fires, then rebuild the industrial center.
131<p>
132
133<ul>
134<li>Difficulty: Moderately difficult
135<li>Time Limit: 5 years
136<li>Win Condition: City Score above 500
137</ul>
138
139Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2047 -- Flood
140<p>
141
142In the mid-21st century, the greenhouse effect raised global
143temperatures 6 degrees F. Polar ice caps melted and raised sea levels
144worldwide. Coastal areas were devastated by flood and erosion.
145Unfortunately, some of the largest cities in the world are located on
146the coast. <p>
147
148<ul>
149<li>Difficulty: Moderately difficult
150<li>Time Limit: 10 years
151<li>Win Condition: City Score above 500
152</ul>
153
154Boston, MA 2010 -- Nuclear Meltdown
155<p>
156
157A major meltdown is about to occur at one of the new downtown nuclear
158reactors. The area in the vicinity of the reactor will be severely
159contaminated by radiation, forcing you to restructure the city around
160it. <p>
161
162<ul>
163<li>Difficulty: Very difficult
164<li>Time Limit: 5 years
165<li>Win Condition: City Score above 500
166</ul>
167
168Detroit, MI 1927 -- Crime
169<p>
170
171By 1970, competition from overseas and other economic factors pushed
172the once "automobile capital of the world" into recession. Plummeting
173land values and unemployment then increased crime in the inner-city to
174chronic levels. You have just been elected after promising to reduce
175crime and rebuild the industrial base of the city. <p>
176
177<ul>
178<li>Difficulty: Moderately difficult
179<li>Time Limit: 10 years
180<li>Win Condition: Low Average Crime Density
181</ul>
182
183You can select the Game Level from the radio buttons (Easy / Medium / Hard).
184Once a city is started, you cannot change the Game Level;
185it remains at your initial setting for the life of the city.
186The current Game Level is displayed in the evaluation window. <p>
187
188This level -- Easy, Medium, or Hard -- adjusts the simulation to your
189current abilities by altering several factors. A harder setting will
190increase the chance of disasters, make residents more intolerant of
191taxation, cause maintenance costs to grow, etc. <p>
192
193Once you have decided which city you want to play, press "Use This Map" and Micropolis will come to life!
194<p>
195
196<h2>Micropolis Controls Window</h2>
197
198This window contains the main controls to Micropolis, status displays, and a scrolling text message log.
199At the top is a row of menus that are enabled when the game is playing.
200Beneath that is a status display panel showing the date and the current funds on the left.
201In the middle is a graph and bar display of the Residential, Commercial and Industrial rates and demands.
202On the right is an icon of the Micropolis simulation machine,
203with a red screen when paused and green screen when running.
204The bottom half of the window is occupied by a scrolling text window,
205that Micropolis uses to display important messages.
206<ul>
207
208 <li>Menu Bar
209
210 <ul>
211
212 <li>Micropolis Menu
213
214 <ul>
215
216 <li>About...<br>
217Display fascinating and vital information about Micropolis.
218
219 <li>Save City<br>
220Write the city to a file.
221
222 <li>Save City As...<br>
223Save the city with a new file name.
224
225 <li>Choose City!<br>
226Generate a new city, select a scenario or load a pre-existing city.
227
228 <li>Quit Playing!<br>
229Exit Micropolis and go back to the real world.
230
231 </ul>
232
233 <li>Options Menu
234
235 <ul>
236 <li>Auto Budget<br>
237Keeps your budget at the same level (or fully funded)
238without asking for approval every year.
239If there isn't enough money to meet the budget,
240then funds will be allocated first to the Transit system,
241then to the Fire Department, then to the Police.
242If your city runs out of money,
243the budget window comes up at the end of
244the year anyway, and Auto Budget is turned off.
245 <li>Auto Bulldozer<br>
246Allows you to place zones, roadways, etc.,
247directly on top of trees, shoreline, power lines, and rubble,
248without manually bulldozing first.
249You will be charged the same amount as for manual bulldozing.
250 <li>Disasters<br>
251Enables or disables random disasters.
252If disasters are disabled, you can still select them manually
253from the Disasters Menu.
254 <li>Sound<br>
255Toggles the city sounds on and off.
256Preserves the sanity and good will of those who have to work in the same room.
257 <li>Animation<br>
258Toggles tile animations on and off.
259
260 </ul>
261
262 <li>Disasters Menu<br>
263The Disasters Menu allows you to set natural (and unnatural) disasters
264loose on your city. Use these disasters to test your ability to deal
265with emergencies in your city or just to release some aggression. More
266information on disasters, their causes, and dealing with them is
267presented later. <p>
268
269Disasters will randomly occur as you play Micropolis. At higher game
270levels the disasters will happen more often. Most disasters can be
271activated from the Disasters Menu. Random disasters can be eliminated
272by turing off the Disasters setting of the Options Menu. <p>
273
274<li>Shipwreck: Shipwrecks can occur once you have an operating
275seaport. They can cause fires where the ship crashes into a shore or
276bridge. Shipwrecks are not available on the Disasters Menu. <p>
277
278 <ul>
279 <li>Monster<br>
280Sets a monster loose on your city. <p>
281
282Monster Attacks are provoked by high levels of
283pollution. A monster destroys everything in its path, starts fires,
284and causes planes, helicopters, trains, and ships to crash. <p>
285
286 <li>Fire<br>
287Starts a fire somewhere on the map. <p>
288
289<li>Fires can start anywhere in the city. Fires spread fairly
290rapidly through forests and buildings, somewhat slower over roadways.
291Fire will not cross water or clear land. <p>
292
293The effectiveness of the fire department (which can be viewed in the
294Map Window) is based on how close it is to the fire, its funding
295level, and its transit access. Fires inside this effective radius will
296be extinguished automatically. If you have no operational fire
297departments in the area you can try to control the fire yourself.
298Since fire will not spread across clear terrain, you can build fire
299breaks with the bulldozer. Just surround the fire with clear areas and
300it will stop spreading and eventually burn itself out. You cannot
301directly bulldoze a fire. <p>
302
303 <li>Flood<br>
304Causes a flood to occur near the water. <p>
305
306Floods gradually spread and
307destroy buildings and utilities. After a while the flood waters
308recede, leaving behind cleared terrain. <p>
309
310 <li>Meltdown<br>
311If there's a nuclear power plant, this spills Irn-Bru
312in the control room, causing a meltdown. <p>
313
314Meltdowns are only possible if you are using a nuclear
315power plant. If a meltdown occurs, your nuclear plant will explode
316into flames. The surrounding area will be unusable for the remainder
317of the simulation due to radioactive contamination. <p>
318
319 <li>Tornado<br>
320Causes a tornado to appear somewhere on the map. <p>
321
322Tornados can occur anywhere on the map at any time. Very
323fast and unpredictable, they can appear and disappear at a moment's
324notice. Tornados destroy everything in their path, and can cause
325planes, helicopters, trains, and ships to crash.
326<p>
327
328 <li>Earthquake<br>
329Causes a MAJOR earthquake. <p>
330
331Earthquakes are the most devastating disaster. This is
332a Major earthquake -- between 8.0 and 9.0 on the Richter Scale. It
333will destroy buildings and start fires. The initial damage will vary
334with the severity of the earthquake, and the eventual fire damage
335depends on your fire-control efforts. <p>
336
337
338When an Earthquake occurs, the Edit Window will shake for a while.
339When it stops you will have to take charge and control the scattered
340fires. Use the bulldozer to contain the largest fires first and work
341your way down to the smaller ones. <p>
342
343 <li>Clipper<br>
344The Clipper disaster violates the privacy of your simulated citizens,
345and encrypts the city so only the NSA can decode it. <p>
346
347Do not use this unless you work for the National Security Agency,
348and routinely subvert the Constitution of the United States
349by spying on American citizens with the Echelon Surveillance System. <p>
350
351 </ul>
352 <li>Time Menu
353 <ul>
354 <li>Pause<br>
355Stops the passage of time entirely.
356 <li>Slow<br>
357Months pass by slowly.
358 <li>Medium<br>
359Months pass by normally.
360 <li>Fast<br>
361Months pass by fast.
362
363 </ul>
364 <li>Priority Menu
365 <ul>
366 <li>Flat Out!<br>
367Micropolis runs really fast, hogging the CPU.
368 <li>Zoom Zoom<br>
369Micropolis runs pretty fast, but leaves some time for other programs.
370 <li>Buzz Buzz<br>
371Micropolis runs fairly quickly.
372 <li>Putter Putter<br>
373Micropolis runs slower.
374 <li>Snore Snore<br>
375Micropolis runs very slowly.
376
377 </ul>
378 <li>Windows Menu
379 <ul>
380 <li>Budget<br>
381Open the Budget Window.
382The simulation is paused as long as the budget window is open.
383 <li>Evaluation<br>
384Open the Evaluation Window.
385 <li>Graph<br>
386Open the Graph Window.
387 <li>Map<br>
388Open the Map Window.
389 <li>Editor<br>
390Open the Editor Window.
391 <li>Frob<br>
392Open the Frob-O-Matic Window.
393 <li>Map Copy<br>
394Open another copy of the Map Window.
395 <li>Editor Copy<br>
396Open another copy of the Editor Window.
397
398 </ul>
399 </ul>
400
401 <li>Status Panel
402 <ul>
403 <li>License Owner Name<br>
404 <li>Date<br>
405 <li>Funds<br>
406 <li>Residential, Commercial, Industrial History Graph<br>
407 <li>Residential, Commercial, Industrial Demand Chart<br>
408The Demand Indicator shows the demand levels for Residential (green),
409Commercial (blue), and Industrial zones (yellow), and can be helpful
410in planning your city.
411 <li>Micropolis Simulator Icon<br>
412 <li>Scrolling Text Message Window<br>
413 <li>Text Input Field<br>
414 </ul>
415</ul>
416
417
418
419<h2>Micropolis Edit Window Window</h2>
420
421This is where all actual zoning and building takes place.
422<p>
423
424<h3>Terrain</h3>
425
426There are three types of terrain in the Edit Window: Open Land, Trees,
427and Water. <p>
428
429Open Land is where you can zone and build. It is shown as brown with
430dark brown speckles. <p>
431
432Trees and Forests are shown as green, with dark green speckles. You
433cannot zone or build on trees. You may bulldoze trees and forests to
434turn them into clear land. While some bulldozing is necessary,
435clearing away too much green area will result in lower property
436values. <p>
437
438Water is shown as blue, with dark blue speckles. You cannot zone or
439build on water. You must bulldoze coastlines to create landfills
440before you can build or zone there. <p>
441
442<h3>Edit Window Gadgets</h3>
443
444The Edit Window is where you will do the actual building and zoning.
445In the middle of the Edit Window is a detailed map showing part of the
446terrain. Around the edges are controls and fields displaying
447information about the city. <p>
448
449There is a row of Menu Buttons on the left below the title.
450The Display menu lets you select how often the display is drawn.
451The Options menu lets you turn on and off certain view specific features. <p>
452
453To the right of the menu buttons, important messages are displayed.
454Below the menu bar is a tool pallet.
455The palette displays the name and cost of the currently selected tool,
456above an menu of colorful icons,
457used for choosing the city editing mode.
458Click the mouse over an icon to select an editing tool.
459The currently selected tool is highlighted,
460and its name and cost is displayed at the top of the panel,
461and spoken. <p>
462
463You can use the selected tool by pressing the left mouse button over
464the map in the middle of the Edit Window. Also, you can pop up a Pie
465Menu to quickly switch between editing tools, by clicking the right
466mouse button over the map. <p>
467
468You can easily scroll the map by pressing the middle mouse button down
469over the map and dragging the view around. <p>
470
471<h3>Edit Window Icons</h3>
472
473You can select an icon from the Tool Icon pallet to use a city editing tool.
474When an icon is selected, a rectangle will accompany the cursor
475when it's over the map, to indicate the area the tool will effect.
476<p>
477
478<ul>
479
480<li>Query Tool (question mark)<br>
481Shows the Zone Status Window,
482describing the population density, value, crime rate, pollution,
483and growth rate of the zone under the cursor.
484It doesn't cost anything to use. <p>
485
486<li>Bulldozer<br>
487Clears trees and forests, creates landfill along the water,
488and levels developed, existing zones and clears rubble caused by disasters.
489The Auto Bulldoze option works on natural terrain, power
490lines and rubble, but not on zones, roads and rails. <p>
491
492It costs $1 for each square tile bulldozed. Knocking down a 3x3 zone
493costs $9 since it's made up of nine tiles. You're automatically
494charged $1 for each non-empty tile that you Auto Bulldoze. <p>
495
496<li>Road<br>
497Connect developed areas.
498Intersections and turns are automatically created.
499Lay continuous roads by pressing the left mouse button and dragging your cursor.
500Be careful -- if you accidentally lay a road in the wrong place,
501you will have to pay for bulldozing and rebuilding. <p>
502
503Roads may not be placed over zoned areas. They may be placed over
504trees, shrubbery, and shoreline only after bulldozing or activating
505the Auto Bulldoze function from the Options Menu. Roads can cross over
506power lines and rails only at right angles. <p>
507
508Holding down the Control key while laying roads will constrain them to
509a straight line. <p>
510
511Laying roads across water creates a bridge. Bridges can only be built
512in a straight line -- no curves, turns or intersections. Shorelines
513must be bulldozed prior to building a bridge, unless the Auto Bulldoze
514function from the Options Menu is active. <p>
515
516Roadways are maintained by the transit budget, and wear out if there
517is a lack of funding. The amount of yearly funding requested by the
518transportation department is $1 for each section of road, $4 for each
519section of bridge. <p>
520
521It costs $10 to lay one section of road and $50 to lay one section of
522bridge. <p>
523
524<li>Power Lines<br>
525Carry power from power plants to zoned land and between
526zones. All developed land needs power to function. Power is conducted
527through adjacent zones. Unpowered zones display the flashing lightning
528bolt symbol. There is a delay between the time you connect power to a
529zone and when the flashing symbol disappears. The delay grows longer
530as the city grows larger. <p>
531
532Power lines cannot cross zoned land. They can be built over trees,
533shrubbery, and shoreline only after bulldozing, or activating the Auto
534Bulldoze function from the Options Menu. <p>
535
536Junctions and corners are automatically created. Lay continuous power
537lines by pressing the left mouse button down and dragging your cursor.
538Power lines across water must be horizontal or vertical -- no turn,
539curves or intersections. Power lines consume some power due to
540transmission inefficiencies. <p>
541
542Holding down the Control key while laying power lines will constrain
543them to a straight line. <p>
544
545It costs $5 to lay one section of power line on land, $25 on water.
546<p>
547
548<li>Transit Lines<br>
549Create a railway system for intra-city mass transit.
550Place tracks in heavy traffic areas to help alleviate congestion. <p>
551
552Intersections and turns are created automatically. Lay continuous
553transit lines by pressing the left mouse button down and dragging with
554your cursor. Tracks laid under rivers will appear as dashed lines.
555These are underwater tunnels, and must be vertical or horizontal -- no
556turns, curves or intersections. <p>
557
558Holding down the Control key while laying tracks will constrain them
559to a straight line. <p>
560
561Transit lines are maintained by the transit budget. The level of
562funding affects the efficiency of the system. The amount of yearly
563funding requested by the transportation department is $4 for each
564section of rail, and $10 for each section of tunnel. <p>
565
566It costs $20 per section of track laid on land,
567$100 per section under water. <p>
568
569<li>Parks<br>
570Can be placed on clear land. Parks, like forests and water,
571raise the land value of surrounding zones. Parks can be bulldozed as
572fire breaks or reserve space for later mass transit expansion. <p>
573
574Holding down the Control key while building parks will constrain them
575to a straight line. <p>
576
577It costs $10 to zone one park. <p>
578
579<li>Residential Zones<br>
580Where the Sims live, build houses, apartments
581and community facilitieslike hospitals and churches. <p>
582
583Most residential zones develop into one of four classes: lower,
584middle, upper, and high. They can range in population density from
585single-family homes to high-rise apartments and condominiums. Some
586residential zones will automatically develop into churches and
587hospitals. <p>
588
589Factors influencing residential value and growth are pollution,
590traffic density, population density, surrounding terrain, roadway
591access, parks and utilities. <p>
592
593It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as residential. <p>
594
595<li>Commercial Zones<br>
596Used for many things, including retail stores,
597office buildings, parking garages and gas stations. <p>
598
599There are four values for commercial property, and five levels of
600growth, from the small general store to tall skyscrapers. Factors
601influencing the value and growth of commercial areas include internal
602markets, pollution, traffic density, residential access, labor supply,
603airports, crime rates, transit access and utilities. <p>
604
605It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as commercial. <p>
606
607<li>Industrial Zones<br>
608For heavy manufacturing and industrial services.
609There are four levels of industrial growth, from small pumping
610stations and warehouses to large factories. <p>
611
612Factors influencing industrial growth are external markets, seaports,
613transit access, residential access, labor supply and utilities. <p>
614
615It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as industrial. <p>
616
617<li>Police Departments<br>
618Lower the crime rate in the surrounding area.
619This in turn raises property values. Place these in high-density crime
620areas, as defined by your Crime Rate Map. The efficiency of a station
621depends on the level of police department funding and transit access.
622<p>
623
624It costs $500 to build a police station. Full yearly maintenance of
625each Police Station is $100. <p>
626
627<li>Fire Departments<br>
628Make surrounding areas less susceptible to fires.
629When fires do occur, they are put out sooner and do less damage if a
630station is near. The effectiveness of fire containment depends on the
631level of fire department funding and transit access. <p>
632
633It costs $500 to build a fire station. Full yearly maintenance of each
634fire station is $100. <p>
635
636<li>Stadiums<br>
637Encourage residential growth, once a city has become fairly
638large. You may build a stadium in a smaller city without negative (or
639positive) effect. Stadiums indirectly generate a lot of revenue, but
640create a lot of traffic. Properly maintaining a stadium requires a
641good road and transit network. <p>
642
643It costs $3000 to build a stadium. <p>
644
645<li>Power Plants<br>
646Can be Coal or Nuclear.
647The nuclear plant is more powerful but carries a slight risk of meltdown.
648The coal plant is less expensive, but less powerful and it pollutes.
649<p>
650
651All zoned land needs power to develop and grow. When developed land
652loses power, it will degenerate to an undeveloped zone unless power is
653restored. Connecting too many zones to a power plant causes brownouts.
654<p>
655
656Coal power plants cost $3000 to build, and supply enough energy for
657about 50 zones. Nuclear power plants cost $5000 and supply electricity
658for about 150 zones. <p>
659
660<li>Seaports<br>
661Increase the potential for industrial growth. They have
662little effect in a small city, but contribute a lot to
663industrialization in a large city. <p>
664
665Seaports should be placed on a shoreline. The shoreline must be
666bulldozed prior to zoning a Seaport, unless Auto Bulldoze is active.
667Once the port is operational you may see ships in the water. <p>
668
669It costs $5000 to zone land for use as a seaport. <p>
670
671<li>Airports<br>
672Increase the growth potential of your commercial markets.
673Once a city starts getting large, commercial growth will level off
674without an airport. Airports are large and expensive and should not be
675built unless your city can afford one. Position airports to keep
676flight paths over water whenever possible, lessening the impact of air
677disasters. <p>
678
679Once you build an airport you will see planes flying above your city
680to and from the airport. There is also a traffic helicopter that
681alerts you to heavy traffic areas. <p>
682
683It costs $10,000 to zone land for use as an airport. <p>
684
685</ul>
686
687<h2>Micropolis Budget Window</h2>
688
689When your first taxes are collected in a new city, and each year
690after, the Budget Window will appear (unless you select the Auto
691Budget option). You will be asked to set the funding levels for the
692fire, police, and transportation departments, and to set the property
693tax rate. <p>
694
695The Budget Window can be opened from the Windows Menu. When Auto
696Budget is active, all the funding levels will remain at full funding,
697or your last setting. If there is not enough money to completely fund
698the budget, money will go first to the Transit Department, then the
699Fire Department, then the Police Department. <p>
700
701You can raise and lower the tax rate and budget levels by
702dragging the sliders corresponding to each category.
703Press the button labeled "Continue With These Figures"
704to make the Budget Window disappear. <p>
705
706When the Budget Window opens up,
707a timer in the bottom button starts running.
708When it runs out, the Budget Window automatically goes
709with the currently selected figures and disappears.
710You can click on the timer button to cancel it,
711and the Budget Window will stay up for as long as you like. <p>
712
713<h3>Tax Rate</h3>
714
715The maximum tax rate you can set is 20%. <p>
716
717The minimum tax rate you can set is 0%. <p>
718
719The optimum tax rate for fast growth is between 5% and 7%. <p>
720
721To slow city growth without actually shrinking, set the tax rate to 8% or 9%. <p>
722
723<h3>Funding Levels</h3>
724
725The amount of yearly funding requested for the fire and police
726departments is $100 per station that you have placed. Until you
727actually build fire or police stations, you cannot fund them. You
728cannot allocate more than 100% of the requested funding for fire and
729police departments -- Micropolis police officers and fire inspectors are
730honest and will not accept your bribes. <p>
731
732Allocating less than the requested amount will decrease the effective
733coverage of the police or fire stations. <p>
734
735The amount of yearly funding requested for the transportation
736department is $1 for each section of road, $4 for each section of
737bridge (roads over water), $4 for each section of rail, and $10 for
738each section of tunnel (underwater rails). You cannot allocate more
739than 100% of the requested funds. <p>
740
741Transportation maintenance funding slightly below 100% will cause
742slow, minor deterioration of the transit system -- an occasional
743pothole or bad track section. Funding between 90% and 75% will cause
744noticeable damage -- many sections of road and rail will be unusable.
745Funding below 75% will cause rapid deterioration of your transit
746system. <p>
747
748<h3>Cash Flow</h3>
749
750The cash flow is calculated as follows:
751<p>
752<pre>CashFlow = TaxesCllected - TotalAllocatedFunds
753
754</pre>
755
756It will be a negative number if your yearly maintenance costs are
757greater than your yearly tax intake. <p>
758
759A major difference between Micropolis and a real city is that Micropolis
760does not allow budget deficits. If you don't have the money, you can't
761spend it. Try not to let your city run with a negative cash flow. <p>
762
763<h2>Micropolis Map Window</h2>
764
765The Map Window shows the entire area of your city. It has a pallet of
766icons down the left edge, for selecting between different map types.
767The maps show demographic information to help you comprehend the state
768of your city. <p>
769
770You can select between various views by pressing the left mouse button
771over any of the icons. Some of the icons have submenus, that pop up
772when you hold the button down, so you can select different aspects of
773the view. <p>
774
775One or more yellow rectangular outlines overlay the map, showing the
776location of the Edit Window and Surveyor Window views of the city. You
777can drag the rectangles around the map to pan the other views. You can
778also "throw" the view, by dragging with the left mouse button, and
779releasing the button while moving the mouse. The view keeps on panning
780and bounces off the edges of the map! Click on a moving rectangle to
781make it sit still, or on the map to stop all the bouncing rectangles.
782Use the middle button to avoid such behavior. <p>
783
784<h3>Using The Maps</h3>
785
786The Map Window should be constantly referred to in all stages of city
787planning, building and managing. <p>
788
789Before you build, use the map before beginning a new city to plan: <p>
790
791<ul>
792
793<li>Where you want your city center.
794
795<li>Where you want the high-class waterfront residential areas.
796
797<li>Where you will cross water with bridges, power lines and tunnels.
798
799<li>Where to place power plants.
800
801<li>Where to place large industrial sections away from the residential sections.
802
803<li>The general layout of your city.
804
805</ul>
806
807<p>
808
809Printing the map and sketching in your plan with pencil or pen can
810save a lot of bulldozing and re-zoning and rebuilding. <p>
811
812During city growth: <p>
813
814<ul>
815
816<li>Use the map to guide your city's growth around forest areas, to
817preserve the trees and improve property values.
818
819<li>Use the Transportation Map along with the Traffic Density map to
820plan traffic control and expansion.
821
822<li>Use the City Form Maps to make sure you have the proper ratio of
823residential to commercial to industrial zones.
824
825<li>Use the Pollution Map to detect problem areas, and disperse the
826industrial zones and/or replace roads with rails.
827
828<li>Printing out the map in various stages of development and doing
829some preliminary expansion planning with pencil can be useful.
830Printouts can also be used for city historical records.
831
832</ul>
833
834During city maintenance: <p>
835
836<ul>
837
838<li>Use the Power Grid Map to locate zones that have lost power.
839
840<li>Use the City Services Maps to evaluate the effective coverage of
841your police and fire departments.
842
843<li>Use the Crime Rate Map to locate problem areas that need more
844police protection.
845
846<li>Use the Pollution Map to locate problem areas.
847
848<li>Use the Transportation and Traffic Density Maps to determine where
849to replace roads with rails.
850
851<li>Use the Land Value Map to locate depressed areas for improvement
852or replacement.
853
854<li>Use the City Form Maps to maintain the proper ratio of residential
855to commercial to industrial zones.
856
857</ul>
858
859<h2>Micropolis Graph Window</h2>
860
861The Graph Window gives you time-based graphs of various city data. It
862can be opened through the Windows Menu. <p>
863
864Unlike the maps, which only show the current state of your city, the
865Graphs give you a record of the past so you can gauge trends and
866cycles. <p>
867
868You may view graphs for time periods of either the last 10 years or
869the last 120 years by clicking on the "10 YRS." or "120 YRS." button.
870<p>
871
872<ul>
873
874<li>The Residential Population Graph shows the total population in
875residential zones.
876
877<li>The Commercial Population Graph shows the total population in
878commercial zones.
879
880<li>The Industrial Population Graph shows the total population in
881industrial zones.
882
883<li>The Cash Flow Graph shows your city's cash flow: money collected
884in taxes minus money it took to maintain your city. The center of the
885Cash Flow Graph represents a cash flow of zero. Do not build more
886infrastructure (roads, rails, police departments, fire stations) than
887you can support with tax revenues.
888
889<li>The Crime Rate Graph shows the overall crime rate of the entire
890city.
891
892<li>The Pollution Graph shows the overall average pollution reading of
893the entire city.
894
895</ul>
896
897<h3>Using the Graphs</h3>
898
899The Graphs give information on many of the same factors as the maps,
900but show the information over time. Graphs are for locating trends in
901city life that won't be noticeable in a map. If you look at a map, for
902example the Crime Rate Map, a very slight rise in the crime rate will
903not be noticeable. But on the Crime Rate Graph, you would easily
904locate the upward trend in crime because you will be viewing the
905levels for a number of years at the same time. <p>
906
907Residential, commercial and industrial population growth and/or
908decline can be tracked and displayed. If you notice a downward trend
909in any of these, refer to the User Reference Card to locate potential
910problems and solutions. <p>
911
912Use the Cash Flow Graph to track your city's efficiency as it grows.
913If your maintenance costs are higher than your tax revenues, you will
914have a negative cash flow. <p>
915
916The Crime Rate Graph can be displayed, revealing slight but consistent
917upward or downward trends. <p>
918
919Use the Pollution Graph to catch rising levels of pollution before
920they reach a problem level. <p>
921
922<h2>Micropolis Evaluation Window</h2>
923
924The Evaluation Window gives you a performance rating. You can access
925it through the Windows Menu. <p>
926
927Public Opinion is presented in poll form, rating your overall job as
928Mayor and listing what the public regards as the city's most pressing
929problems. You are advised to keep your residents happy or they might
930migrate away, and you will be left with a "ghost town." <p>
931
932In general, if more than 55% of the populace thinks you are doing a
933good job, then you can feel secure of keeping your job. <p>
934
935If 10% or less of the people think something is a problem, then it's
936not too bad. <p>
937
938These are most of the problems that citizens complain about, and how
939to correct them: <p>
940
941<ul>
942
943<li>Traffic -- Replace dense sections of roads with rails.
944
945<li>Crime -- Add police stations and/or raise property values.
946
947<li>Pollution -- Replace roads with rails, disperse industrial zones.
948
949<li>Housing -- Zone more residences.
950
951<li>Housing Costs -- Zone more residences in low property value areas.
952
953<li>Fires -- Build more fire departments.
954
955<li>Taxes -- Lower taxes (if you can). Or lie through your lips.
956
957<li>Unemployment -- Zone more commercial and industrial areas.
958
959</ul>
960
961Statistics on Population, Net Migration, and Assessed Value are
962displayed, along with the city's Game Level and the Overall City
963Score. This data is calculated once a year at budget time. <p>
964
965Population is the number of residents in your city. <p>
966
967The Net Migration statistic provides a rating of the desirability of
968your city. If people are leaving in droves, then you know something is
969rotten in Micropolis. <p>
970
971The Assessed Value is the combined value of all city-owned property:
972roads, rails, power plants, police and fire stations, airports,
973seaports, parks, etc. It does not include residential, commercial and
974industrial zones. <p>
975
976The Categories are defined by population as follows: <p>
977
978<ul>
979
980<li>Village: 0 to 1,999
981
982<li>Town: 2,000 to 9,999
983
984<li>City: 10,000 to 49,999
985
986<li>Capital: 50,000 to 99,999
987
988<li>Metropolis: 100,000 to 499,999
989
990<li>Megalopolis: 500,000 and above
991
992</ul>
993
994Overall City Score is a composite score based on the following factors
995(some positive, some negative): <p>
996
997<ul>
998
999<li>Major Factors: Crime, pollution, housing costs, taxes, traffic,
1000unemployment, fire protection, unpowered zones, city growth rate.
1001
1002<li>Minor Factors: Stadium needed (but not built), seaport needed (but
1003not built), airport needed (but not built), road funding, police
1004funding, fire department funding, and fires.
1005
1006</ul>
1007
1008A large population is not necessarily a sign of a successful city.
1009Population size does not affect the overall city score, since low
1010population could indicate a new or growing city. <p>
1011
1012Since city growth rate does affect the overall city score, a city in
1013which growth has been intentionally stopped for environmental or
1014aesthetic reasons will have a slightly lower score. <p>
1015
1016<h2>City SimNotice Window</h2>
1017
1018The Notice Window is used to display important messages, and for
1019temporary control panels. When something important happens, it pops up
1020to the front.
1021Some times it displays a live view of events happening in the city,
1022that you can click on to scroll the editor window to the location of interest.
1023You can dismiss the Notice window by clicking the "Dismiss" button along the bottom edge. <p>
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031
1032
1033<h2>Growing a City</h2>
1034
1035While growing a city, refer often to the User Reference Card. It
1036provides a chart of City Dynamics; how all factors of city life and
1037growth are related. <p>
1038
1039The main points to keep in mind while growing a city are: <p>
1040
1041<ul>
1042
1043<li>Grow slowly. Watch your money.
1044
1045<li>All zones must be powered to develop.
1046
1047<li>Zones must be developed to generate tax money.
1048
1049<li>Roads or rails must provide access to and from each zone for it to
1050fully develop.
1051
1052<li>There is a yearly maintenance cost for each section of road, rail,
1053bridge and tunnel. This can add up. Don't build too many roads and
1054rails and generate high maintenance costs before your city can
1055generate enough tax revenues to support them.
1056
1057<li>Extra power plants and redundant power lines are expensive, but
1058can keep zones from losing power during a disaster or emergency and
1059deteriorating.
1060
1061<li>Rails can carry much more traffic than roads. While building and
1062zoning an area that you predict will generate heavy traffic, install
1063rails instead of roads in the early stages of development.
1064
1065<li>If you get a lot of heavy traffic warnings, replace roads with
1066rails. You can build an entirely roadless city, even if you're not a
1067train spotter!
1068
1069<li>Grouping zones together, four of five in a row touching each
1070other, can eliminate a lot of power line segments.
1071
1072<li>Airports, seaports and stadiums won't help a small city grow -- so
1073save your money until the city gets larger. The Sims will tell you
1074when they need these things.
1075
1076<li>Place zones, roads, etc. carefully -- they cannot be moved, and
1077you will have to pay to bulldoze them and rebuild.
1078
1079<li>As a rule of thumb, the number of residential zones should be
1080approximately equal to the sum of commercial and industrial zones.
1081When your city is small, you will need more industrial zones than
1082commercial, and when your city gets larger, you will need more
1083commercial zones than industrial.
1084
1085<li>Separate the residential areas from the industrial areas.
1086
1087<li>Proximity to forests, parks, and water increases land value, which
1088increases the taxes collected. Don't bulldoze any more forest than you
1089must. Natural shoreline increases property values more than landfill
1090shoreline.
1091
1092<li>Keep in mind that proximity to downtown raises property values.
1093The simulator defines the downtown areas as "the center of mass of the
1094population density." It calculates the average geographical center of
1095the population.
1096
1097<li>A bigger, more populous city is not necessarily better. Having a
1098self-supporting, profitable city with pleasant surroundings is better
1099than a huge city that is always broke and has no forest or shoreline.
1100
1101<li>Use the various maps and graphs to plan city growth, locate
1102problems, and track your progress. Look for areas that need police and
1103fire coverage as you go, so you don't have to go back and bulldoze
1104developed zones to make room for police and fire stations.
1105
1106<li>Save your city to disk before trying any major new policy so you
1107can go back if your plan doesn't work.
1108
1109<li>Print out your city in different stages of evolution to track and
1110plan growth.
1111
1112<li>Check the Evaluation Window often. The Sims will let you know how
1113you are doing. Also the statistics can be useful; if your population
1114is shrinking, don't go zoning new areas that may never develop. Look
1115for problems in the existing zoned areas, and spend your time and
1116money solving them.
1117
1118<li>Save your city to disk often!!!
1119
1120</ul>
1121
1122<p>
1123
1124<hr>
1125<p>
1126<h2>Micropolis, Unix Version.</h2>
1127This game was released for the Unix platform
1128in or about 1990 and has been modified for inclusion in the One Laptop
1129Per Child program. Copyright &copy; 1989 - 2007 Electronic Arts Inc. If
1130you need assistance with this program, you may contact:
1131<a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Micropolis">http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Micropolis</a> or email <a href="mailto:micropolis@laptop.org">micropolis@laptop.org</a>.
1132</p><p>
1133
1134This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
1135it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
1136the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at
1137your option) any later version.
1138</p><p>
1139
1140This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
1141WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
1142MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
1143General Public License for more details. You should have received a
1144copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If
1145not, see <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/">http://www.gnu.org/licenses/</a>.
1146</p><p>
1147
1148<h3 align="center">ADDITIONAL TERMS per GNU GPL Section 7</h3>
1149
1150</p><p>
1151No trademark or publicity rights are granted. This license does NOT
1152give you any right, title or interest in the trademark SimCity or any
1153other Electronic Arts trademark. You may not distribute any
1154modification of this program using the trademark SimCity or claim any
1155affliation or association with Electronic Arts Inc. or its employees.
1156</p><p>
1157
1158Any propagation or conveyance of this program must include this
1159copyright notice and these terms.
1160</p><p>
1161
1162If you convey this program (or any modifications of it) and assume
1163contractual liability for the program to recipients of it, you agree
1164to indemnify Electronic Arts for any liability that those contractual
1165assumptions impose on Electronic Arts.
1166</p><p>
1167
1168You may not misrepresent the origins of this program; modified
1169versions of the program must be marked as such and not identified as
1170the original program.
1171</p><p>
1172
1173This disclaimer supplements the one included in the General Public
1174License. <b>TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THIS
1175PROGRAM IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS," WITH ALL FAULTS, WITHOUT WARRANTY
1176OF ANY KIND, AND YOUR USE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE ENTIRE RISK OF
1177SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE RESIDES WITH YOU. ELECTRONIC ARTS
1178DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTIES,
1179INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY,
1180FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY
1181RIGHTS, AND WARRANTIES (IF ANY) ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING,
1182USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE. ELECTRONIC ARTS DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST
1183INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE PROGRAM; THAT THE PROGRAM WILL
1184MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE
1185UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT THE PROGRAM WILL BE COMPATIBLE
1186WITH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE OR THAT ANY ERRORS IN THE PROGRAM WILL BE
1187CORRECTED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN ADVICE PROVIDED BY ELECTRONIC ARTS OR
1188ANY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SOME
1189JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF OR LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED
1190WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATIONS ON THE APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A
1191CONSUMER, SO SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS MAY
1192NOT APPLY TO YOU.</b>
1193</p>
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