Time and Money

Learn how to manage your starting year and cash in SimCity 2000. Decide between early tech or a financial head start to build your dream city.

Alright, so you're ready to kick off your SimCity 2000 adventure and actually build something! When you first start, you get to pick a few key things: your city's name, the year it's founded, and how much cash you're rolling with. This is your first big decision, so let's break it down.

First up, the year. If you decide to start way back in 1900, you're going to be pretty limited on the tech front. Think of it like starting with a flip phone in the age of smartphones. As time ticks by in the game and your city grows, you'll constantly need to upgrade things like your power plants and how people get around. On the flip side, if you jump straight to 2050, you'll have almost all the cool gadgets and gizmos available from day one. You can basically build a fully loaded city with all the bells and whistles right out of the gate.

Now, let's talk money. This choice really just boils down to how much of a challenge you're looking for. Starting with $20,000 is definitely the chillest way to go. With that kind of starting cash, you'll have a pretty easy time building pretty much anything you want without breaking too much of a sweat. But, if you're feeling brave and opt for $10,000, or even worse, the bond, get ready for some tough times. That bond, in particular, is a real drain – those interest payments can gobble up your city's budget faster than you can say 'budget deficit'. If you go the bond route, your main goal needs to be growing your city like crazy so you can get enough cash flow to finally pay it off and be free!