]>
Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
6a5fa4e0 MG |
1 | <head><title>Inside The Simulator</title></head><body> |
2 | ||
3 | <h1>Inside The Simulator</h1> | |
4 | ||
5 | <h2>How the Simulator Works and Strategies for Using It</h2> | |
6 | ||
7 | Many factors influence the chance of your city's prospering or | |
8 | floundering: both internal factors (the structure and efficiency of | |
9 | your city) and external factors (the regional economy, disasters, | |
10 | etc.). <p> | |
11 | ||
12 | <h3>Zones</h3> | |
13 | ||
14 | Your city is divided up into three primary zones: residential, | |
15 | commercial and industrial. These zones symbolize the three basic | |
16 | pillars upon which a city is based: population, industry, and | |
17 | commerce. All three are necessary for your city to grow and thrive. | |
18 | <p> | |
19 | ||
20 | <ul> | |
21 | ||
22 | <li>Residential Zones are where the Sims live. Here they build houses, | |
23 | apartments and community facilities such as churches and schools. Sims | |
24 | are the work force for your city's commercial and industrial zones. | |
25 | <p> | |
26 | ||
27 | <li>Industrial Zones are used to site warehouses, factories, and other | |
28 | unsightly and polluting structures which have a negative impact on | |
29 | surrounding zones. One of the major goals of planning is to separate | |
30 | these "nuisances" from the areas where people live. In this | |
31 | simulation, industrial zones represent the "basic" production of your | |
32 | city. Things produced here are sold outside the city to an "external | |
33 | market," bringing money into the city for future growth. <p> | |
34 | ||
35 | <li>Commercial Zones represent the retail stores and services in your | |
36 | city, including gas stations, grocery stores, banks, and offices. | |
37 | Commercial areas are mainly dedicated to producing goods and services | |
38 | needed within your city. This is called "non-basic" production or | |
39 | production for the "internal market." <p> | |
40 | ||
41 | </ul> | |
42 | <p> | |
43 | ||
44 | <h3>Population -- Residential</h3> | |
45 | ||
46 | The major factors controlling residential population are birthrate, | |
47 | availability of jobs and housing, unemployment, and quality of life | |
48 | within the city. <p> | |
49 | ||
50 | Birthrate as used here, is actually a combination of the birthrate | |
51 | (positive) and the deathrate (negative). Within Micropolis there is | |
52 | always a positive birthrate. <p> | |
53 | ||
54 | Availability of jobs (the employment rate) is a ratio of the current | |
55 | commercial and industrial populations to the total residential | |
56 | population. As a rule of thumb, the number of commercial and | |
57 | industrial zones together should roughly equal the number of | |
58 | residential zones. <p> | |
59 | ||
60 | If there are more jobs in your city than residents, new settlers will | |
61 | be attracted. If the job market declines during a local recession, | |
62 | your people will migrate away in search of jobs. <p> | |
63 | ||
64 | Housing for your residents is built in the residential zones. These | |
65 | zones must be powered and connected to the places of employment by | |
66 | roads. The structures built in residential zones are influenced by | |
67 | land value and population density. <p> | |
68 | ||
69 | Quality of life is a measure of relative "attractiveness" assigned to | |
70 | different zone locations. It is affected by negative factors such as | |
71 | pollution and crime, and positive factors such as parks and | |
72 | accessibility. <p> | |
73 | ||
74 | <h3>External Market -- Industrial</h3> | |
75 | ||
76 | There are thousands of variables that influence your city. All these | |
77 | variables can be influenced by your actions with the exception of one. | |
78 | <p> | |
79 | ||
80 | The external market (the economic conditions that exist outside of | |
81 | your city) is controlled by the simulation -- there is nothing you can | |
82 | do to change it. In many ways, this external market is the original | |
83 | source of all city growth. Towns frequently begin as production | |
84 | centers (steel towns, refineries, etc.) that service a demand in the | |
85 | surrounding region. As time passes, the external market grows to | |
86 | reflect the regional growth going on around your city. <p> | |
87 | ||
88 | The industry in your city will attempt to grow as the external market | |
89 | grows. For this to happen there must be room for expansion (more | |
90 | industrial zones) and an adequate labor supply (more residential | |
91 | zones). <p> | |
92 | ||
93 | <h3>Internal Market -- Commercial</h3> | |
94 | ||
95 | The internal market is completely influenced by the conditions within | |
96 | your city. Internal production, created in the commercial zones, | |
97 | represents all the things which are purchased and consumed within the | |
98 | city. Food stores, gas stations, retail stores, financial services, | |
99 | medical care, etc. -- all depend on a nearby population to service. | |
100 | Within Micropolis, the size of the internal market determines the rate at | |
101 | which commercial zones will prosper. Commercial zones need enough | |
102 | zoned land to build on and an existent, sufficient work force to | |
103 | employ. The structures built in commercial zones are mainly influenced | |
104 | by land value and population density. <p> | |
105 | ||
106 | Commercial zones grow and develop to serve the expanding internal | |
107 | market. Commercial growth will usually be slow at first, when the | |
108 | population is small and needs very little. As your city grows, | |
109 | commercial growth will accelerate and the internal market will become | |
110 | a much larger consumer of your total city production. This | |
111 | accelerating effect, when the external/industrial production is | |
112 | overtaken by the accelerating internal/commercial sector, can turn a | |
113 | sleepy little town of 50,000 into a thriving capital of 200,000 in a | |
114 | few short years. <p> | |
115 | ||
116 | <h3>Tax Rate</h3> | |
117 | ||
118 | The tax rate you set controls the amount of income generated by your | |
119 | city. As taxes are collected each year (simulation time), the Budget | |
120 | Window will appear, giving you the fiscal details of your city and a | |
121 | chance to adjust rates. The simulation determines the amount of | |
122 | revenue collected by assessing each zone an amount based on its land | |
123 | value, current level of development and the current tax rate. <p> | |
124 | ||
125 | The tax rate has a global affect on your city's growth rate. If you | |
126 | set it low (0%-4%), growth will be brisk but the city income will be | |
127 | low. If you set it high (10%-20%), you will collect a lot in the short | |
128 | run but in the long run tax income will decrease along with the | |
129 | population. You must keep tax income high enough to invest in new | |
130 | development, but low enough not to scare off residents and businesses. | |
131 | A high tax rate is one way to control city growth, should you want to | |
132 | experiment with "growth control measures." <p> | |
133 | ||
134 | <h3>Budgeting</h3> | |
135 | ||
136 | City budgeting affects the way your city grows. City infrastructure | |
137 | cost is represented by three departments: police, fire, and | |
138 | transportation. You may set the funding levels separately for each. | |
139 | All three departments will request a certain level of funding each | |
140 | year. You may supply all or part of the requested funds, in the | |
141 | attempt to balance safety needs and budgetary concerns. <p> | |
142 | ||
143 | <ul> | |
144 | ||
145 | <li>Police Department: Police stations lower the crime rate around a | |
146 | territory. The effective radius of your police station is related to | |
147 | the amount of funding allocated to the police department. Police | |
148 | stations cost $100 per year to fund. | |
149 | ||
150 | <li>Fire Department: Fire stations prevent and extinguish fires. The | |
151 | level of funding determines the effective radius of a fire station. | |
152 | Fire stations put out fires within this radius much sooner than | |
153 | outside it, and decrease the chance that they will start in the first | |
154 | place. Fire stations cost $100 per year to fund. | |
155 | ||
156 | <li>Transportation Department:When you build roads and rail systems | |
157 | you are charged for construction and yearly maintenance. The larger | |
158 | your transportation network, the more it will cost for upkeep. If you | |
159 | decide not to or are unable to pay this maintenance cost, roads will | |
160 | slowly deteriorate and become unusable. The maintenance cost for each | |
161 | piece is: Road - $1, Bridge - $4, Rail - $4, Rail tunnel - $10. | |
162 | ||
163 | </ul> | |
164 | ||
165 | <h3>Power</h3> | |
166 | ||
167 | Electrical power makes modern cities possible. Efficient and reliable | |
168 | power transmission to all zones is the goal of good "power | |
169 | management." <p> | |
170 | ||
171 | The entire power grid of your city is periodically checked in the | |
172 | simulation for links to power. If a zone is connected (by other zones | |
173 | or power lines) to a power plant, the zone is considered powered. <p> | |
174 | ||
175 | Zones must be powered for development to occur. Many things (such as | |
176 | fires, tornadoes, earthquakes and bulldozers) can knock down power | |
177 | lines and cause blackouts in parts of your city. Development will stop | |
178 | in unpowered zones, and if power is not quickly restored, the zone | |
179 | will decline back to its original state of emptiness. <p> | |
180 | ||
181 | Redundant power plants and power connections can make your power grid | |
182 | more reliable, but running more line adds construction costs. <p> | |
183 | ||
184 | <h3>Transportation -- Traffic</h3> | |
185 | ||
186 | One of the most important elements of city structure is the | |
187 | transportation network. It moves Sims and good throughout your city. | |
188 | Roads typically occupy as much as 25%-40% of the land in urban areas. | |
189 | Traffic along these roads indicates which sections of your road system | |
190 | are used the most. <p> | |
191 | ||
192 | Traffic levels are simulated by a process known as "Trip Generation." | |
193 | Over time, each populated zone in the city will generate a number of | |
194 | trips, depending on the population. Each generated trip starts at the | |
195 | origin zone, travels down the road, and if a "proper destination" is | |
196 | reached, ends at the destination zone -- otherwise, the trip fails. | |
197 | Trip failure indicates inaccessibility of a zone and limits its | |
198 | growth. <p> | |
199 | ||
200 | The majority of generated trips represent people commuting to and from | |
201 | work. Additional traffic is generated by residents traveling to | |
202 | shopping, recreation, etc. When analyzing traffic, the simulator tests | |
203 | the following traffic routes: <p> | |
204 | ||
205 | <i>Traffic Patterns</i><p> | |
206 | ||
207 | <ul> | |
208 | ||
209 | <li>From Residential | |
210 | <ul> | |
211 | <li>To Commercial | |
212 | <li>To Industrial | |
213 | </ul> | |
214 | ||
215 | <li>From Commercial | |
216 | <ul> | |
217 | <li>To Residential | |
218 | <li>To Industrial | |
219 | </ul> | |
220 | ||
221 | <li>From Industrial | |
222 | <ul> | |
223 | <li>To Residential | |
224 | </ul> | |
225 | ||
226 | </ul> | |
227 | ||
228 | <p> | |
229 | ||
230 | When Sims drive away from an origin zone, they have a limited "trip | |
231 | range" in which to find a destination zone. Heavy traffic decreases | |
232 | the trip range. If the destination zone is too far away, the trip is | |
233 | unsuccessful. Repeated unsuccessful trips will cause the Sims to move | |
234 | out of the origin zone. <p> | |
235 | ||
236 | Each road has a limited capacity for traffic. When this capacity is | |
237 | exceeded traffic jams will form. Traffic jams drastically lower the | |
238 | capacity of a road, compounding the problem and frustrating drivers. | |
239 | <p> | |
240 | ||
241 | Traffic conditions fluctuate quickly. Avoid traffic problems by | |
242 | providing several routes for the traffic to take. <p> | |
243 | ||
244 | A road must be adjacent to a zone for the zone to be connected to the | |
245 | traffic pattern. Zones do not conduct traffic the way they conduct | |
246 | power. <p> | |
247 | ||
248 | <h3>Pollution</h3> | |
249 | ||
250 | Pollution levels are tracked in all areas of your city. This is a | |
251 | general "nuisance level" that includes air and water pollution, noise | |
252 | pollution, toxic wastes, etc. Pollution has a negative impact on the | |
253 | growth of residential areas. <p> | |
254 | ||
255 | The primary cause of pollution is industrialized zones. The level of | |
256 | pollution created by an industrial zone increases with its level of | |
257 | growth. <p> | |
258 | ||
259 | Traffic is another cause of pollution. There are limited means of | |
260 | combating the pollution level. Lowering traffic density, limiting | |
261 | industrial development, and separating the pollution from the | |
262 | residential areas will help. <p> | |
263 | ||
264 | <h3>Crime</h3> | |
265 | ||
266 | Crime rates are influenced by population density, local law | |
267 | enforcement, and land values. As population density increases in an | |
268 | area, the number of crimes committed increases. Crime will also | |
269 | increase in areas of low land value. <p> | |
270 | ||
271 | The most effective way to deal with high crime rates is to introduce a | |
272 | police station into the area. Based on its level of funding, the | |
273 | police station will reduce the rate of crime in its sphere of | |
274 | influence. A long-term approach to lowering crime is to raise the land | |
275 | value of the area. One way to do this is to demolish and rezone (urban | |
276 | renewal). <p> | |
277 | ||
278 | <h3>Land Value</h3> | |
279 | ||
280 | Land value is one of the most fundamental aspects of urban structure. | |
281 | The land value of an area affects how that area is used. In this | |
282 | simulation the land value of an area is based on terrain, | |
283 | accessibility, pollution, and distance to downtown. <p> | |
284 | ||
285 | The farther the residents have to go to work, the lower the land value | |
286 | where they live, due in part to transportation costs. The value of | |
287 | commercial zones depends greatly on accessibility by the populace. | |
288 | <p> | |
289 | ||
290 | Land value is also affected by surrounding terrain. If land is closer | |
291 | to water, trees, agricultural areas, or parks, its value will rise. | |
292 | Creative placement of zones within the terrain, with little | |
293 | bulldozing, can make good use of this natural advantage. <p> | |
294 | ||
295 | Land value and crime rate have a feedback effect on each other. Lower | |
296 | land values cause crime rates to rise. Higher crime rates cause land | |
297 | values to drop, and can cause "transition areas" near your central | |
298 | city to rapidly decline in value. <p> | |
299 | ||
300 | <p> | |
301 | ||
302 | <hr> | |
303 | <p> | |
304 | <h2>Micropolis, Unix Version.</h2> | |
305 | This game was released for the Unix platform | |
306 | in or about 1990 and has been modified for inclusion in the One Laptop | |
307 | Per Child program. Copyright © 1989 - 2007 Electronic Arts Inc. If | |
308 | you need assistance with this program, you may contact: | |
309 | <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>. | |
310 | </p><p> | |
311 | ||
312 | This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify | |
313 | it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by | |
314 | the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at | |
315 | your option) any later version. | |
316 | </p><p> | |
317 | ||
318 | This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but | |
319 | WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of | |
320 | MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU | |
321 | General Public License for more details. You should have received a | |
322 | copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program. If | |
323 | not, see <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/">http://www.gnu.org/licenses/</a>. | |
324 | </p><p> | |
325 | ||
326 | <h3 align="center">ADDITIONAL TERMS per GNU GPL Section 7</h3> | |
327 | ||
328 | </p><p> | |
329 | No trademark or publicity rights are granted. This license does NOT | |
330 | give you any right, title or interest in the trademark SimCity or any | |
331 | other Electronic Arts trademark. You may not distribute any | |
332 | modification of this program using the trademark SimCity or claim any | |
333 | affliation or association with Electronic Arts Inc. or its employees. | |
334 | </p><p> | |
335 | ||
336 | Any propagation or conveyance of this program must include this | |
337 | copyright notice and these terms. | |
338 | </p><p> | |
339 | ||
340 | If you convey this program (or any modifications of it) and assume | |
341 | contractual liability for the program to recipients of it, you agree | |
342 | to indemnify Electronic Arts for any liability that those contractual | |
343 | assumptions impose on Electronic Arts. | |
344 | </p><p> | |
345 | ||
346 | You may not misrepresent the origins of this program; modified | |
347 | versions of the program must be marked as such and not identified as | |
348 | the original program. | |
349 | </p><p> | |
350 | ||
351 | This disclaimer supplements the one included in the General Public | |
352 | License. <b>TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THIS | |
353 | PROGRAM IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS," WITH ALL FAULTS, WITHOUT WARRANTY | |
354 | OF ANY KIND, AND YOUR USE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE ENTIRE RISK OF | |
355 | SATISFACTORY QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE RESIDES WITH YOU. ELECTRONIC ARTS | |
356 | DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTIES, | |
357 | INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, | |
358 | FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY | |
359 | RIGHTS, AND WARRANTIES (IF ANY) ARISING FROM A COURSE OF DEALING, | |
360 | USAGE, OR TRADE PRACTICE. ELECTRONIC ARTS DOES NOT WARRANT AGAINST | |
361 | INTERFERENCE WITH YOUR ENJOYMENT OF THE PROGRAM; THAT THE PROGRAM WILL | |
362 | MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; THAT OPERATION OF THE PROGRAM WILL BE | |
363 | UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT THE PROGRAM WILL BE COMPATIBLE | |
364 | WITH THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE OR THAT ANY ERRORS IN THE PROGRAM WILL BE | |
365 | CORRECTED. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN ADVICE PROVIDED BY ELECTRONIC ARTS OR | |
366 | ANY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. SOME | |
367 | JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF OR LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED | |
368 | WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATIONS ON THE APPLICABLE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A | |
369 | CONSUMER, SO SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS MAY | |
370 | NOT APPLY TO YOU.</b> | |
371 | </p> | |
372 | </body> |