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