Rob's Guide to SimCity 4 - Lesson 1 - Basic Concepts, Zoning and Utilities for Your First City

Follow Rob on Twitch: / rob_spot
This tutorial is designed to show new players building their first city or long-term players who want to brush up on their knowledge how to play SimCity 4 today on a modern computer.
SC4 is one of the best city simulators ever created -- certainly one of the most comprehensive and realistic.
SYLLABUS:
(click the timestamps below for specific sections)
Intro 00:00
Installation and Introduction 0:40
About this tutorial 3:00
Creating Your First City 5:48
Basic Zoning and Utilities 11:10
Sanitation (aka Garbage Disposal) 21:53
Key Concept #1: Desirability 23:29
Public Water Systems 27:21
Key Concept #2: RCI Demand 33:02
Key Concept #3: Demand Caps 35:46
Key Concept #4: Growth Stages 40:38
The Query and Route Query Tools 43:00
What you'll need to follow this guide (SCHOOL SUPPLIES):
1) A copy of SimCity 4 Deluxe for Windows or Mac (preferably from Steam)
2) The Network Addon Mod version 38 (NEW!) for Windows or Mac : community.simtropolis.com/fil...
OPTIONAL READINGS:
Downloading a ready-made region (better than terraforming IMHO): community.simtropolis.com/omn...
Naming your cities when you're out of ideas:
www.namegenerator2.com/city-n...
Renaming an already created city or its mayor using the cheat console: gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/9179...
Hotkeys for hot people: wiki.sc4devotion.com/index.ph...
More info on demand, demand caps and growth stages:
strategywiki.org/wiki/SimCity...

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Hey kids! Let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions on this 4-part series here! If I get enough questions, I'll do a "Questions and Corrections" vid!

[@frontlinesportscenter511]

Hi! Thank you for the thorough info. Very helpful how you broke it down in time stamps. is there a multi-player version? I have 3 kids who want to build a city together

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

@@frontlinesportscenter511 there's no multiplayer unfortunately! For multiplayer, you should look at SimCity (2013). It's not as good a game as SC4, but it is specifically designed around multiplay.

[@ericc.4104]

If you place the garbage burning plant, you can use the top question mark tool that's right of the mini map to lower its funding to $0 and it still burns trash but produces a LOT of pollution.

[@JamesHawkins54]

Exactly how do I install this mod? When I try, I get a box asking me to pick a location, I pick the folder, but the "Name" box is empty. The installation instructions are woefully lacking in details.

[@waroworld4817]

hi guy i can do all this ,but .. but my economy was wasted every time .Sorry for junk English :-(

[@Zaph501]

Had to wait 20 years for an in-depth SimCity 4 guide. xD

[@grungekookie3298]

Lol

[@raditeandiono3286]

Lol same here 😂

[@Altered-Beast]

lmaoo same here I was building farms for no reason and the entire map was pretty much that loll

[@Sobernic1982]

😂

[@grippenbube3432]

True haha

[@TheSimMan]

17 years later, and I STILL play this game and believe it is a masterpiece of Maxis’ renaissance of game making. If only they can capture that same charm, magic and spirit that is SimCity (4+RushHour) and apply it to a contemporary release.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I wouldn't hold my breath for another good game from EA/Maxis for the forseeable future. Sims 4 and SimCity 5 have been pretty wretched. Check out my New City videos if you want to see a game that captures some of the spirit of older SimCity games.

[@Aereto]

I played the Win95 and PS1 Simcity 2000, then 3000+Unlimited. Those were the days.

[@richarddutton1981]

i have probably 200 hours into cities skylines and i still keep coming back to SC4

[@TheSimMan]

@@RobsRedHotSpotI can’t believe I didn’t see your response until now 😂 I agree, apart for the lack of details and interruptions in performance, the current incarnations of The Sims and SimCity lack the spirit of good gaming and are incessantly trying too hard to be ‘now’ and ‘liked’.

[@7amoodOskar]

It just makes me happy whenever I see these videos about SimCity 4 on youtube. This game is truly one of a kind!

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad you enjoyed the video! And yes, it's truly a fantastic game!

[@IceDani09]

Exactly! It really makes me happy as well that SimCity 4 is still being played and modded, even though it is almost 20 years old. The game holds up really well and I just find myself coming back to it!

[@yeetgamersvk1399]

I like cities skylines better

[@tylerrichardson1963]

Agreed, I find myself continuously going back to Sim City 4 not only for nostalgia, but also because the gameplay is timeless.

[@raizox6134]

@@yeetgamersvk1399 not even close. cities skylines is a city painter that only allows you to make good looking cities, but beyond that there is no management aspect. SC4 is a truly city management game where the decision you make, matters

[@chippyonline001]

I played this game when I was in the third grade and paid little to no attention to the finer and more complex aspects of the game and just went on my merry way building roads and watching houses and shops grow. I never thought SC4 really is this complex. God, I'd better start playing this again soon. Thanks for the tutorial! Will take your lessons to heart.

[@jadepasqueno188]

Such a nicely organized video with lots of effort put into it. Super helpful!

[@holybell000]

I really appreciate the amount of detail and thought put into this series. You've got yourself a sub! I can't wait to learn more about this game.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I'm glad you appreciate the tutorial. Personally, I'm learning a lot about editing these videos and also trying to deliver the information as as clearly as possible (harder than I thought it would be!). I'll be done lesson 4 on regional play in the next day or two (hopefully). Enjoy the series and, above all, enjoy the game!

[@AlanEduardo]

Hey, this is the best tutorial I've ever seen, congratulations!!! I'm looking forward to seeing the other videos.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Thanks! I do have some more tutorial material I want to make soon!

[@andresvo7]

This is seriously like the best SC4 tutorial ever. I have been playing this game forever and YOU made me understand some basic mechanics I have always ignored. Very usefull, thanks a lot.

[@virtualatheist]

This is FANTASTIC! I've played simcity (original) when it first appeared, but not for many, many years. I decided to try this version and started it to utter confusion with no idea what I was doing. And as you can imagine my cities failed miserably. Now I'll be trying again with much more confidence and look forward to getting the most out of this game. So, thank you very much :-D

[@evilshiloh]

Great Tutorial! I used to play SimCity 2000 long time ago and loved it. When SimCity 4 came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It was different enough that my old SimCity 2000 strategies never worked and I didn't take enough time to learn. Now I see why. I'm looking forward to watching more and getting back into the game. Thanks for taking the time to explain.

[@bdrax2002]

Well done! I've played SC since 1.0 and have 2 books on the game, but there's like 4 or 5 things in your basic video i NEVER knew!

[@GuitarJam101]

I'm only 15 mins into this guide and I'm already loving this! Just got a new to me computer again just to play this game. Thanks for the time and this guide!!

[@shaycormac5766]

Your video is a life-savor for me. I've struggled so much in playing this game until I found this guide series. Thank you so much

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

That's great to hear!

[@DerHouy]

As short as possible, detailed and straight to the point. Very good content. Thumbs up people!

[@daveyy420]

Thanks for these guides! Ive played this game on and off for 15 years and never really paid much attention to the real details of it. Currently want to get back into it after my mixed relationship with Cities Skylines. Glad to see it alive and well in 2020.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad you're finding it useful. SC4 ain't going anywhere for the foreseeable future!

[@marnieansar4070]

Thanks for this! Loved this game, going to love it again

[@alexanderzacharczuk9382]

I'm revisiting this game and I found this awesome tutorial. You are the best. Greetings from Argentina, from one SimCity player to another!

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Cheers! Glad you enjoyed the tutorial.

[@CakeTopFrag]

I play this game on and off every few years and even though I've had some amazing cities, alooot of this information is completely new to me. Superb video my guy. Will be watching the rest of the playlist.

[@music-jj2pl]

I feel like I'm back in grad school and getting anxious because I'm not taking notes! Good stuff I'm going to watch the whole series. Thanks!

[@KonvoyChief]

I first played this game 15 years ago on my friends laptop when we were in college. Finally bought my own copy on the recent steam sale and just started playing it again. Thank you for your detailed yet straight to the point tutorial. Will follow your tips and watch your follow up videos too.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad you find the series useful!

[@ashleycrash8838]

I seriously love SC4, I still struggle with my cities even though I’ve been playing since it released, I get too impatient and over build too fast, your tutorials have helped me a lot

[@mrpersonguy3159]

Really good tutorial, can’t wait to get back into playing this game. Also you breathe really deeply after every sentence.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Lol I'll have to pay attention to the breathing. Glad you enjoyed the tutorial!

[@cdotsmite2952]

Redbull

[@EminorReal]

Thanks for this video, it was just right coming back to sc4 after years off it. Really glad I found this content.

[@ivehearditalibefore3721]

Thank you for the keyboard shortcut tips! shift and alt when laying down residential. Very helpful!

[@StatickyCat]

I agree about the graphics. They have that slight video game feel, but cities still look totally real in this game. It's amazing, let alone from a game that's over 15 years old.

[@yosotattoo]

Just Getting Back into the game after 20 years! Very Useful Indeed! Thank you!

[@lelomushi]

i grew up on 3000 unlimited and the jump to 4 was surprisingly hard for me, but this is really helpful! I appreciate you!

[@matthewtikka5133]

I remember playing the heck out of this game almost 20 years ago. recently re purchased it and remembered the traffic was something i was never able to overcome. thanks for these videos and the recommendations on how to play. super helpful! I'm downloading the mod you recommended and i cant wait to try it out. its to bad that they don't re visit old games and update them like new ones. oh well.

[@rolandpenhall4526]

Excellent video, which has rekindled the old flickering flame. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheStevenWhiting]

The best SimCity 4 guide, to the point and no fluff and nonsense. I haven't played in years but looking to start again. I like Cities Skylines but its just not detailed enough as SimCity. The other day playing Cities I was thinking "I want to make a clean industrial zone, a high tech one to get rid of the pollution. Can't seem to find the option". Googled it and realised that memory of that feature was actually from SimCity 4 and not Cities Skylines :)

[@CaidenTMG]

Amazing guide, this is helping me understand the game a lot more.

[@barelylucid]

I know I'm a bit late to the party but this video was extremely useful for a returning player ! Videos about what to do with sandbox games are very welcome, at least among those of us that are not that creative. Thanx a lot.

[@alexsmith-ob3lu]

Wow! Thank you for the tutorial! Now I understand that this game is mostly about Euclidean Zoning.

[@donaldlemoine3032]

Haven't played in years. I pulled out my CD and tried to play. Quickly I was just going bankrupt. Then I found these tutorials. My city is now growing and making money! Fabulous!

[@kidcombs]

Love the content. I’m literally going to fire up Sim City 4 again because of this video

[@1969cmp]

....l was looking for my disc when my youngest suggested Steam. And there it is. This was last night. I feel inspired by our visit to Sydney (Australia) over Easter.

[@rolandpenhall4526]

I have just done the same thing. I had the original boxed set, then I bought the Steam version in September 2016. I had only played it for 15 hours and had no mods. I believe I stopped playing it due to not having it modified for 1520x1080 {which I have now done}. I expect I will try some new maps and see if I play for a lot longer.

[@rugbyelite1361]

I just found this game, playing for the first time. I did my first city yesterday, went broke and failed miserably 😂. Did the tutorials today and started my 2nd city and its doing well. These videos have been super hpful, every sentence teaches me something, I love it

[@rikutamura4070]

Thank you for the guide this helped me a lot!

[@GenuineLolotov]

As someone who sunk countless hours into this game when I was younger, even I was able to learn new things by watching this first episode of your tutorial. For one thing, I had always believed that zoned buildings generated lower tax revenue on higher difficulty levels, but thanks for clarifying that wasn't the case. Though I am pretty sure that does happen in the Hard Mode setting for Cities: Skylines. Regarding demand caps, I sort of had an understanding that those were a thing that the game took into account, but having the principles that govern them laid out is definitely helpful. Growth stages, on the other hand, were a mechanic that was pretty well hidden.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad you enjoyed it. The growth stages are definitely "under the hood" of the game and it's mostly the modding/forum crowd that uncovered the mechanics over time. I do think there was some mention of them in the manuals though, but not in a way that made it easy to exploit them.

[@jackradford5563]

Best and most informative channel I have ever stumbled across. Instant sub.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Really glad these guides are still helpful!

[@Oshidashi]

Excellent series!

[@LDdrums20]

Excellent! Thank you sir!

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@nikitatyuryayev7538]

Nice video man. Subbed hoping for more content.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

More to come!

[@stifflermclovin]

I can't believe I've been playing it since 2005 and I just learn about those hotkeys!

[@RobtheRod]

I always used the small districts in a region for producing utilities. 1 for power, 1 for water, one for garbage. Then traded with them for my city’s needs at any given time. This cut down on maintenance in the future as well as pollution. You never have to do anything with utility districts, just build a bunch of power plants and connect to your neighboring districts.

[@nickmyers3065]

Nice video. Helped a lot. Breath :)

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Glad it helped!

[@youdontgetit387]

nice work man

[@jayc7008]

This game will never get old. I’m a Simcity 4 fan for life.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Yeah I think the newer 3D city builders will never quite be the same as SimCity 4. There's something about the orthogonal perspective that forces you to stick to city planning, rather than just looking at the scenery.

[@jayc7008]

@@RobsRedHotSpot pollution is all over in one of my cities.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

@@jayc7008 "all over" as in you got rid or it? Or "all over" as in "all over the place"? ;)

[@jayc7008]

@@RobsRedHotSpot I rebuilt my pipes and separated them from the residential and commercial zones. That seemed to raise the bar on pollution. It was time consuming but worth it. I'm just mad I lost the extra money I raised.

[@Aereto]

@@jayc7008 Compartmentalized water systems is initially costly and takes serious planning, but saves having to spend on many treatment plants cleaning up water pollution for the whole system and just need them for residential and commercial domains. Though if the water pumps are getting affected by pollution, then treatment plants are a must to keep it running optimal.

[@danielerlichofficial]

Amazing tutorial.

[@shayking2140]

I love you so much for making this

[@jackwaylock6985]

Same

[@Rikogunawan24]

thank you, now i understand this mechanism

[@gambarusso]

Thank you for the tutorial

[@TotallyMilkShakey]

awesome, thank you!

[@Mitchd03]

Played this game a ton as a kid when it was new, recently started again. I'm no pro, knew 90% of the things in this video and still learned a bunch, I didnt even know about the growth stages or demand caps! "love the graphics in this game" That's the main appeal for me. I uninstalled Cities Skylines and bought this (again, but on Steam). Can't stand mods, but I did use the capacity increase tool from NAM to help people actually use the public transport.

[@ThereWillBeCake]

So many deep breaths!

[@1969cmp]

....it's a fitness issue....😀

[@Thori45]

Great vid!

[@TimoDcTheLikelyLad]

tbh it is totally possible to layout a huge shunk of the infrastructure and public utilities like roads, waste, power, water, shools, libraries, fire dpt, museum, recycling etc right up the start... you just need to built more zones + parks etc while being in pause mode.. from there you can adjust and optimize the town but you will have your + in the budget!

[@filipalexandru3129]

Oh the memories....I miss the background music from this game. so relaxing.

[@stifflermclovin]

Many people don't seem to know this but you can rename the buildings, I just do so to the ones I mark historical but I think is a fun thing this game has that's very underapreciated.

[@CoasterMan13Official]

I downloaded mine from the internet archive. It's incredibly fun.

[@HazyJay]

The water tower confused me because water towers don't produce water irl, I was like why tf would I need a water tower.

[@whattheheck8979]

If you want to change the hotkey for the windows language popup (normally alt + shift) you search "advanced keyboard settings" in windows, click "language bar options" and then you can change the hotkey by clicking "Change Key Sequence" when Between input languages is highlighted.

[@Ziggy_Stark.]

Man.... I think I love you Cheers mate

[@Aereto]

I am considering getting that game for GOG, since I have multiple PCs in the fleet. Even one for multi-family use once the decommissioned desktop PC is given some cleaning and new parts.

[@Djebedji]

Seeing Sims City still playing makes me really happy

[@byron916mauck]

Awesome video...i will be watching all 4 of the tutorial videos...then watch how you create Plantation Bay...I'll sub now

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Thanks and welcome!

[@jamesmieczyslawkrynicki3700]

Great Video Thanks! How can I turn my buildings? I press the Home and N Key?

[@seanpatrick4950]

FYI, you CAN reduce the water budget. You go into your finances and click on your utilities. Adjust there. However, I still go by the “don’t adjust” policy and only get the pump when needed.

[@privateprivate575]

Gold mine. Thanks a lot.

[@Chris-wj6pn]

Watching the intro "this is going to be an intermediate tutorial" -- me: "this is exactly what I need!" Much appreciated, glad this video series is out there, thanks!

[@InfamousJBe]

The best sim IMO.. tho haven't tried Skyline yet.. can't say I'm rushing to it. SC4 gives me what I need.

[@InfamousJBe]

it also goes on sale for $5 a few times a year if your viewers are frugal like myself

[@InfamousJBe]

Might also want a video 'how to' about using a SC4 launcher to help with settings & auto save.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I prefer SC4 to Skyline because Skyline has a hard limit on actors in a city (ie. you can't get past a certain population). But they do different things. SC4 models poverty and wealth, while Skylines is more of a "city designer". Of course SC4 can do great city design too especially if you spend lots of time on the STEX. Will look into launchers for sure. Any mod I add has to be 100% safe for my save files though because of my ongoing Let's Play!

[@InfamousJBe]

@@RobsRedHotSpot haven't tried Skyline yet. Maybe some day but SC4 really gives me what I need in a sim. I'm currently about 4gb of plug-ins installed. Pretty much all grow lots or what I call fillers for around the lots. I enjoy a sort of organic growth with a side of realism. Not into the hyper grids, or magaopolisis. A little somewhere between rural and urban. Lol. Kust posted an overview of my region in the STEX forums. 👍

[@cyphr0]

Thank you so much for this Simcity 4 Guide series, Rob. This game is so old, there is just a ton of information scattered all over the internet and for beginners it gets very confusing. I get all the information I need from your guide without having to look elsewhere. :) I have one question. Is there like a limit to how far you can place the powerplant and industrial zone away from the residential zones, if they are still connected by roads? Like can we build the residential zone near one corner of the city block and the industrial zone closer to a diagonally opposite corner of the block? Surely, people will have to travel longer distances to get to work, but just curious if it affects the growth of the city and satisfaction of city dwellers. P.s. I see some people complaining about the breathing. Heck, we are humans. We breathe. I certainly didn't notice that until someone pointed out in the comments. Please continue doing what you're doing. And thanks again for these incredible videos. I subscribed within 5 minutes of watching the first video. :)

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I'm glad you find the guide useful! If you want to place industry and power plants far away from Sims, make sure to connect them using a faster transportation method. In terms of speed, highways/rail > one-way > road and avenue > streets. For the most part, Sims will travel anywhere on a given tile as long as your traffic isn't too bad, although streets may be too slow. Check out the episode on transportation for more details!

[@cyphr0]

@@RobsRedHotSpot Thank you so much, Rob. I just finished watching the episode on Transportation. Super helpful tips! Looking forward to more Simcity 4 videos by you! ☺️

[@huahuahua280]

will watch later

[@invoker7826]

So water provided to industry through pipes pollute water as welll? Did not know that, great video

[@JackNatti]

This game was ahead of its time

[@Cyrus992]

No wonder folks kept playing with it for years after it’s release

[@1969cmp]

I have play SC4 for quite a few years and just discovered yesterday that it's on Steam. I have Windows 10....so hopefully that won't be too much of an issue. I'm looking forward to building some Australian cities like Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast or Adelaide. Sydney in particular is a very interesting city.

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

The Steam version works fine with Windows 10, as does the GOG version. Enjoy the game!

[@1969cmp]

@@RobsRedHotSpot ....thank you. Do you have preferred recommendations for mods, I.e curved roads etc ?

[@ashura44444]

Hey Rob just saying that many of us are still watching your tutorials,but we do hope you make a tutorial of simcity 4 atleast once on every year, you see the modding community is changing because of the new dll mods that can literally change the way the game woroks

[@DjGrahnstettoOffical]

I have the game on an ISO image, attached to a fake drive. Works just as well as the steam version

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

Yeah it's an old game. I don't see why that wouldn't work.

[@cubicinfinity2]

To help in dispelling the misconception, in real life, modern nuclear power plants are extremely safe both to the city they are in and the people who work there. Nuclear waste is also handled with obsessive care and what doesn't get reused safely decays so it's no longer an issue.

[@spookd8700]

The graphics in Sim City 4 are something else. It may not look like the best you can get now, but it's got character.

[@AndreFavron]

Thanx for putting these together Rob. Any idea how I can get extras (I think that is what "mods" are, correct?) for a Mac system?

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I used to play on a Mac. The SimCity 4 plugins folder is in Documents/SimCity 4 on the Mac. You can install the NAM using the java installer. The bad news is many older mods are distributed in .exe archives. You would need to extract them using third party software, or on a Windows machine. Once they're extracted, the plugins and Data Files work the same on a Mac as they do on a PC.

[@AndreFavron]

@@RobsRedHotSpot well, I guess that this old truck driver will be waiting for the next time one of his kids comes to visit then. LOL You wouldn't happen to live near the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, would ya? :-)

[@jasontotalwar]

still the best looking city builder imo this game is the reason i got my 1st pc for my birthday in 2004 and ive never looked back lol

[@ion_force]

*inhales sharply*

[@Lb8068]

Any recommended mods for improving performance? I found that, when my city became particularly large, the fast forward button wouldn’t make the game much faster and I would have to wait for my income to catch up with what I wanted to build.

[@b.vanderv.5290]

Hi Rob, just got the game from Steam, installed and have an issue. The dialogue box shows errors (XXXXXXX.....) also the news window (bottum screen) shows just garbled text.....do you happen to know about this issue and if so do you know a fix for this? have a screenshot but cannot attach to this chat

[@BooleanDev]

i used to play SimCity 4 on my dad's old computer when i was in elementary/intermediate school, until the pc broke. I never knew the game was this complicated, but i would play for hours until i was forced to get off. e.g., I never knew that pollution could shut off water pumps (or if i did, i forgot lol) i went searching for disc 2 since it wasnt in the cd case, and found in the computer's cd drive. unfortunately it was corrupted/corroded and i wasnt able to make an backup (thankfully ISOs are available online)

[@nirasa]

super video

[@cems.3144]

12:52 all those years lol, I always build road then place because of this shit. Did you say Home and Tab key right? I will try this for sure

[@geofflandon499]

I myself also like the graphics in this game too.

[@mxplixic]

Can you have a separate water tower for industry and don't connect residential and industrial pipe systems together? Wouldn't that prevent industry from contaminating residential water supply?

[@break_the_floor_mother]

thanks

[@waylynnrossouw792]

I just want how to know use it to Mar a map template for the Sims 2 thnx u solo much for helping me

[@patmcmahon4214]

Since the release of this guide they appear to be up to version 40 of the NAM. Does that matter?

[@codydwaynefx]

Even the music is nostalgic 😭

[@myriad1973]

I still have my DVD copy of Sim City 4 Deluxe ; )

[@TriscuitBiscuit2000]

Can you do a tutorial of how to do the NAM, I cannot get it on mine

[@amac8318]

Can you use a separate water tower for industrial only ?

[@Vector_Ze]

Didja know, SimCity was originally developed for the Commodore 64, in 1985? But, its first releases were for the Amiga and Macintosh, followed by Commodore 64 and IBM PC, in 1989.

[@saddestchord7622]

I don't care about the age of the graphics. The art in this game is outstanding. I just wish you could curve roads and work with the terrain better. Imagine if you could merge this game with Cities Skylines, taking the best from both.

[@LucarioBlade]

what resolution settings do you have this game set to, and how do I do it?

[@RobsRedHotSpot]

I demonstrate the launch settings (including resolution) in my modding video in this series! Hope that helps.