Computer Gaming: Advice on starting a city without going bankrupt

Here are my tips on how to start a city in the game without going bankrupt:

• Build SLOWLY! Don't cater to the sims every demands... You only really need one police station, fire station, hospital and school in the beginning. Don't worry about libraries or colleges yet.

• A young city will be dominated by industry so don't zone a bunch of commercial. It'll just stay undeveloped if you do.

• Until you reach 40,000 in population, set your tax rate to 9%. Once you go over 40,000, drop the tax rate to 7%. When you go over 160,000, drop the tax rate to 6%. Once you go over 320,000, drop the tax rate to 5% and leave it there.

• If you need the money, enact the parking fines and take the business deals if you are offered them but make sure they are watered and powered or you won't receive any money from the deals.

• This is debatable, but I say never take out more than 2 loans, regardless of their amount. The interest will kill you.

• If you are offered a reward, go ahead and accept it even if you don't have enough money to place it. You can always do that later.

• Keep the residential zones nice with some parks, pond, playgrounds and trees.

• Bus stops only work in residental and commercial zones so DON'T place them in industrial zones.

• Water pumping stations must be near fresh water in order to work; they will NOT pump salt water. Water pumping stations must be on a fairly low elevation. I find that placing them 2 deep back from the water works best. If you have a ocean and once you get the money, put in a desalinzation plant for a good source of lots of water.

• Don't worry about the land value in industrial zones; they favor low land value. Keep the land value high in residential and commercial zones by again placing parks, pond, playgrounds and trees. The higher the elevation or closer to water, the greater the land value.

Good luck!

Richard...