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1.1 root 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:[email protected]">[email protected]</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>
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