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1.1 root 1: <head><title>User Reference</title></head><body>
2:
3: <h1>User Reference Guide: Controlling Micropolis</h1>
4:
5: <h2>Getting Help</h2>
6:
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>
10:
11: <h2>Using the Mouse</h2>
12:
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>
16:
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>
20:
21: <h2>Pie Menus</h2>
22:
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>
27:
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!
37: <p>
38:
39: <h2>Micropolis Chooser Window</h2>
40:
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>
44:
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>
47:
48: You can go back and forth between your previously selected cities
49: with the "Previous Map" and "Next Map" buttons. <p>
50:
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.
53:
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>
59:
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>
65:
66: <ul>
67:
68: <li>Dullsville, USA 1900 -- Boredom
69: <p>
70:
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>
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:
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>
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:
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>
104:
105: <ul>
106: <li>Difficulty: Very difficult
107: <li>Time Limit: 5 years
108: <li>Win Condition: Metropolis
109: </ul>
110:
111: Bern, Switzerland 1965 -- Traffic
112: <p>
113:
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>
118:
119: <ul>
120: <li>Difficulty: Easy
121: <li>Time Limit: 10 years
122: <li>Win Condition: Low Average Traffic Density
123: </ul>
124:
125: Tokyo, Japan 1957 -- Monster Attack
126: <p>
127:
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.
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:
139: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2047 -- Flood
140: <p>
141:
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
146: the 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:
154: Boston, MA 2010 -- Nuclear Meltdown
155: <p>
156:
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
160: it. <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:
168: Detroit, MI 1927 -- Crime
169: <p>
170:
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>
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:
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>
187:
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>
192:
193: Once 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:
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.
206: <ul>
207:
208: <li>Menu Bar
209:
210: <ul>
211:
212: <li>Micropolis Menu
213:
214: <ul>
215:
216: <li>About...<br>
217: Display fascinating and vital information about Micropolis.
218:
219: <li>Save City<br>
220: Write the city to a file.
221:
222: <li>Save City As...<br>
223: Save the city with a new file name.
224:
225: <li>Choose City!<br>
226: Generate a new city, select a scenario or load a pre-existing city.
227:
228: <li>Quit Playing!<br>
229: Exit Micropolis and go back to the real world.
230:
231: </ul>
232:
233: <li>Options Menu
234:
235: <ul>
236: <li>Auto Budget<br>
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.
250: <li>Disasters<br>
251: Enables or disables random disasters.
252: If disasters are disabled, you can still select them manually
253: from the Disasters Menu.
254: <li>Sound<br>
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.
257: <li>Animation<br>
258: Toggles tile animations on and off.
259:
260: </ul>
261:
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
267: presented later. <p>
268:
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>
273:
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>
277:
278: <ul>
279: <li>Monster<br>
280: Sets a monster loose on your city. <p>
281:
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>
285:
286: <li>Fire<br>
287: Starts a fire somewhere on the map. <p>
288:
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>
292:
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>
302:
303: <li>Flood<br>
304: Causes a flood to occur near the water. <p>
305:
306: Floods gradually spread and
307: destroy buildings and utilities. After a while the flood waters
308: recede, leaving behind cleared terrain. <p>
309:
310: <li>Meltdown<br>
311: If there's a nuclear power plant, this spills Irn-Bru
312: in the control room, causing a meltdown. <p>
313:
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>
318:
319: <li>Tornado<br>
320: Causes a tornado to appear somewhere on the map. <p>
321:
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.
326: <p>
327:
328: <li>Earthquake<br>
329: Causes a MAJOR earthquake. <p>
330:
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>
336:
337:
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>
342:
343: <li>Clipper<br>
344: The Clipper disaster violates the privacy of your simulated citizens,
345: and encrypts the city so only the NSA can decode it. <p>
346:
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>
350:
351: </ul>
352: <li>Time Menu
353: <ul>
354: <li>Pause<br>
355: Stops the passage of time entirely.
356: <li>Slow<br>
357: Months pass by slowly.
358: <li>Medium<br>
359: Months pass by normally.
360: <li>Fast<br>
361: Months pass by fast.
362:
363: </ul>
364: <li>Priority Menu
365: <ul>
366: <li>Flat Out!<br>
367: Micropolis runs really fast, hogging the CPU.
368: <li>Zoom Zoom<br>
369: Micropolis runs pretty fast, but leaves some time for other programs.
370: <li>Buzz Buzz<br>
371: Micropolis runs fairly quickly.
372: <li>Putter Putter<br>
373: Micropolis runs slower.
374: <li>Snore Snore<br>
375: Micropolis runs very slowly.
376:
377: </ul>
378: <li>Windows Menu
379: <ul>
380: <li>Budget<br>
381: Open the Budget Window.
382: The simulation is paused as long as the budget window is open.
383: <li>Evaluation<br>
384: Open the Evaluation Window.
385: <li>Graph<br>
386: Open the Graph Window.
387: <li>Map<br>
388: Open the Map Window.
389: <li>Editor<br>
390: Open the Editor Window.
391: <li>Frob<br>
392: Open the Frob-O-Matic Window.
393: <li>Map Copy<br>
394: Open another copy of the Map Window.
395: <li>Editor Copy<br>
396: Open 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>
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>
414: </ul>
415: </ul>
416:
417:
418:
419: <h2>Micropolis Edit Window Window</h2>
420:
421: This is where all actual zoning and building takes place.
422: <p>
423:
424: <h3>Terrain</h3>
425:
426: There are three types of terrain in the Edit Window: Open Land, Trees,
427: and Water. <p>
428:
429: Open Land is where you can zone and build. It is shown as brown with
430: dark brown speckles. <p>
431:
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
436: values. <p>
437:
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>
441:
442: <h3>Edit Window Gadgets</h3>
443:
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>
448:
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>
452:
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,
461: and spoken. <p>
462:
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>
467:
468: You can easily scroll the map by pressing the middle mouse button down
469: over the map and dragging the view around. <p>
470:
471: <h3>Edit Window Icons</h3>
472:
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.
476: <p>
477:
478: <ul>
479:
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>
485:
486: <li>Bulldozer<br>
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>
491:
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>
495:
496: <li>Road<br>
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>
502:
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>
507:
508: Holding down the Control key while laying roads will constrain them to
509: a straight line. <p>
510:
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>
515:
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>
520:
521: It costs $10 to lay one section of road and $50 to lay one section of
522: bridge. <p>
523:
524: <li>Power Lines<br>
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>
531:
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>
535:
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>
541:
542: Holding down the Control key while laying power lines will constrain
543: them to a straight line. <p>
544:
545: It costs $5 to lay one section of power line on land, $25 on water.
546: <p>
547:
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>
551:
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>
557:
558: Holding down the Control key while laying tracks will constrain them
559: to a straight line. <p>
560:
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>
565:
566: It costs $20 per section of track laid on land,
567: $100 per section under water. <p>
568:
569: <li>Parks<br>
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>
573:
574: Holding down the Control key while building parks will constrain them
575: to a straight line. <p>
576:
577: It costs $10 to zone one park. <p>
578:
579: <li>Residential Zones<br>
580: Where the Sims live, build houses, apartments
581: and community facilitieslike hospitals and churches. <p>
582:
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
587: hospitals. <p>
588:
589: Factors influencing residential value and growth are pollution,
590: traffic density, population density, surrounding terrain, roadway
591: access, parks and utilities. <p>
592:
593: It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as residential. <p>
594:
595: <li>Commercial Zones<br>
596: Used for many things, including retail stores,
597: office buildings, parking garages and gas stations. <p>
598:
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>
604:
605: It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as commercial. <p>
606:
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>
611:
612: Factors influencing industrial growth are external markets, seaports,
613: transit access, residential access, labor supply and utilities. <p>
614:
615: It costs $100 to zone one plot of land as industrial. <p>
616:
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.
622: <p>
623:
624: It costs $500 to build a police station. Full yearly maintenance of
625: each Police Station is $100. <p>
626:
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>
632:
633: It costs $500 to build a fire station. Full yearly maintenance of each
634: fire station is $100. <p>
635:
636: <li>Stadiums<br>
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>
642:
643: It costs $3000 to build a stadium. <p>
644:
645: <li>Power Plants<br>
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.
649: <p>
650:
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.
654: <p>
655:
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>
659:
660: <li>Seaports<br>
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>
664:
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>
668:
669: It costs $5000 to zone land for use as a seaport. <p>
670:
671: <li>Airports<br>
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
677: disasters. <p>
678:
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>
682:
683: It costs $10,000 to zone land for use as an airport. <p>
684:
685: </ul>
686:
687: <h2>Micropolis Budget Window</h2>
688:
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
693: tax rate. <p>
694:
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>
700:
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>
705:
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>
712:
713: <h3>Tax Rate</h3>
714:
715: The maximum tax rate you can set is 20%. <p>
716:
717: The minimum tax rate you can set is 0%. <p>
718:
719: The optimum tax rate for fast growth is between 5% and 7%. <p>
720:
721: To slow city growth without actually shrinking, set the tax rate to 8% or 9%. <p>
722:
723: <h3>Funding Levels</h3>
724:
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>
731:
732: Allocating less than the requested amount will decrease the effective
733: coverage of the police or fire stations. <p>
734:
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>
740:
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
746: system. <p>
747:
748: <h3>Cash Flow</h3>
749:
750: The cash flow is calculated as follows:
751: <p>
752: <pre>CashFlow = TaxesCllected - TotalAllocatedFunds
753:
754: </pre>
755:
756: It will be a negative number if your yearly maintenance costs are
757: greater than your yearly tax intake. <p>
758:
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>
762:
763: <h2>Micropolis Map Window</h2>
764:
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
768: of your city. <p>
769:
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
773: the view. <p>
774:
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>
783:
784: <h3>Using The Maps</h3>
785:
786: The Map Window should be constantly referred to in all stages of city
787: planning, building and managing. <p>
788:
789: Before 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:
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>
811:
812: During city growth: <p>
813:
814: <ul>
815:
816: <li>Use the map to guide your city's growth around forest areas, to
817: preserve the trees and improve property values.
818:
819: <li>Use the Transportation Map along with the Traffic Density map to
820: plan traffic control and expansion.
821:
822: <li>Use the City Form Maps to make sure you have the proper ratio of
823: residential to commercial to industrial zones.
824:
825: <li>Use the Pollution Map to detect problem areas, and disperse the
826: industrial zones and/or replace roads with rails.
827:
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.
831:
832: </ul>
833:
834: During 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
841: your police and fire departments.
842:
843: <li>Use the Crime Rate Map to locate problem areas that need more
844: police 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
849: to replace roads with rails.
850:
851: <li>Use the Land Value Map to locate depressed areas for improvement
852: or replacement.
853:
854: <li>Use the City Form Maps to maintain the proper ratio of residential
855: to commercial to industrial zones.
856:
857: </ul>
858:
859: <h2>Micropolis Graph Window</h2>
860:
861: The Graph Window gives you time-based graphs of various city data. It
862: can be opened through the Windows Menu. <p>
863:
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
866: cycles. <p>
867:
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.
870: <p>
871:
872: <ul>
873:
874: <li>The Residential Population Graph shows the total population in
875: residential zones.
876:
877: <li>The Commercial Population Graph shows the total population in
878: commercial zones.
879:
880: <li>The Industrial Population Graph shows the total population in
881: industrial zones.
882:
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.
888:
889: <li>The Crime Rate Graph shows the overall crime rate of the entire
890: city.
891:
892: <li>The Pollution Graph shows the overall average pollution reading of
893: the entire city.
894:
895: </ul>
896:
897: <h3>Using the Graphs</h3>
898:
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>
906:
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>
911:
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>
915:
916: The Crime Rate Graph can be displayed, revealing slight but consistent
917: upward or downward trends. <p>
918:
919: Use the Pollution Graph to catch rising levels of pollution before
920: they reach a problem level. <p>
921:
922: <h2>Micropolis Evaluation Window</h2>
923:
924: The Evaluation Window gives you a performance rating. You can access
925: it through the Windows Menu. <p>
926:
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>
931:
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>
934:
935: If 10% or less of the people think something is a problem, then it's
936: not too bad. <p>
937:
938: These are most of the problems that citizens complain about, and how
939: to 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:
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>
964:
965: Population is the number of residents in your city. <p>
966:
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>
970:
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>
975:
976: The 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:
994: Overall 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,
1000: unemployment, fire protection, unpowered zones, city growth rate.
1001:
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.
1005:
1006: </ul>
1007:
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>
1011:
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>
1015:
1016: <h2>City SimNotice Window</h2>
1017:
1018: The Notice Window is used to display important messages, and for
1019: temporary control panels. When something important happens, it pops up
1020: to the front.
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>
1024:
1025:
1026:
1027:
1028:
1029:
1030:
1031:
1032:
1033: <h2>Growing a City</h2>
1034:
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>
1038:
1039: The 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
1050: fully develop.
1051:
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.
1056:
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
1059: deteriorating.
1060:
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.
1064:
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
1067: train spotter!
1068:
1069: <li>Grouping zones together, four of five in a row touching each
1070: other, can eliminate a lot of power line segments.
1071:
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.
1075:
1076: <li>Place zones, roads, etc. carefully -- they cannot be moved, and
1077: you will have to pay to bulldoze them and rebuild.
1078:
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.
1084:
1085: <li>Separate the residential areas from the industrial areas.
1086:
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
1090: shoreline.
1091:
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
1095: the population.
1096:
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.
1100:
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.
1105:
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.
1108:
1109: <li>Print out your city in different stages of evolution to track and
1110: plan growth.
1111:
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
1116: money 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>
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:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.
1132: </p><p>
1133:
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.
1138: </p><p>
1139:
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>.
1146: </p><p>
1147:
1148: <h3 align="center">ADDITIONAL TERMS per GNU GPL Section 7</h3>
1149:
1150: </p><p>
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.
1156: </p><p>
1157:
1158: Any propagation or conveyance of this program must include this
1159: copyright notice and these terms.
1160: </p><p>
1161:
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.
1166: </p><p>
1167:
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.
1171: </p><p>
1172:
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>
1193: </p>
1194: </body>
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