Video games - SimCity 3000

Home > Listing Index > Video games > SimCity 3000

	Video games - SimCity 3000

SimCity 3000 (SC3K) is a simulation/city building computer game and the third installment in the SimCity
series of games. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by series creator Maxis, a wholly-owned subsidiary of EA. While some users have managed to run SimCity 4
on Linux, 3000 was the first and only version to be specifically released for the operating system through an arrangement with Loki Games.

Gameplay and changes from SimCity 2000

There were many changes between SimCity 3000, and its immediate predecessor, SimCity 2000 (SC2K). These changes spanned both the integral city management aspects of the game, as well as its graphical and landscape aspects. These changes gave the game a feel greatly different from that of SC2K.

In a pattern which has continued throughout the SimCity franchise, the number and complexity of city services increased between SC2K and SC3K. The most notable change was that the concept of waste management was introduced in SC3K. In previous versions of SimCity, this aspect had been ignored. However, in SC3K, once a city had a population greater than 1,000, garbage would begin to accumulate and would have to be disposed of at the expense of the city. Another notable change was in the way the game handles education. In SC2K, a school could be placed in a neighborhood, and the school would serve the number of children in that neighborhood, regardless of how many there were. In SC3K, each school had a set capacity of students, after which additional schools would have to be constructed. The same principle was applied with hospitals. Farms and agriculture structures were also introduced, appearing on large light industrial zones in a city with low land value, little pollution and a small citywide population.

Although the concept of neighbor cities was introduced in SC2K, it was greatly expanded upon in SC3K. For the first time, the player could interact with his or her neighbor cities, negotiating rudimentary business deals with other mayors, such as the sale of water, electricity, or waste management services. These generate a monthly charge which is either added or subtracted from the player's treasury, in accordance with the deal. From time to time, the simulated mayors of neighboring cities will call meetings to renegotiate the terms or price of these deals.

Although not strictly a city management aspect, SimCity 3000 simulated the effect of land value on construction much more realistically than in SimCity 2000. In the latter, most buildings fell into a wide stratum that did not reflect land value very effectively; every building was more or less suited to neighborhoods of every economic disposition. In SC3K, land value created very distinct neighborhoods which tended to contain narrow income bands, creating well-defined slums, middle class areas, and wealthy areas. However, over time, land value "inflation" would cause almost every area of a city to become expensive, so that wealthy neighborhoods covered most if not all of the map.

There were several changes to the graphical interface in SC3K. Although the game retained the pseudo-isometric dimetric perspective of its predecessor, the actual landscape became more complex and colorful. In SimCity and SC2K, the playable landscape was brown, not unlike the color of bare dirt. In SC3K, the playable landscape was a more realistic green color, simulating grassland. In SC2K, land could either be flat or sloped, and all slopes were of the same steepness. In SC3K, there were five distinct steepness of slope, creating more varied landscapes. However, in SC3K, there are no waterfalls, which are common in SC2K. Also, for the first time, there were different types of trees which could appear on the playable map. In SC2K, there were only pine trees, while in SC3K, oak trees prevail, but other types of tree exist, depending on the elevation of the terrain.

Advisors and petitioners

SimCity 3000 and its expansion pack, Unlimited feature seven advisors, each covering a specific issue, who help players makes proper decisions in the game by providing recommendations and advice. As opposed to previous versions of SimCity, the advisors actually give in-depth advice which is helpful from the player. In SimCity 2000, the advisors' advice usually consisted of the advisor shouting down the player for even considering budget cuts to that advisor's department. The names and departments of the advisors are as follows:

Mortimer Green - Financial
Moe Biehl - Transportation
Constance Lee - City planning
Karen Frawl - Environmental
Maria Montoya - Public safety
Randall Shoop - Health, education, and aura
Gus Oddman - Utilities

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for SimCity 3000 ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article SimCity 3000; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Video games - SimCity 3000

Gameplay and changes from SimCity 2000

Advisors and petitioners

Searches on eBay

Related searches on eBay