SimCity 3000

SimCity 3000 (SC3K) is a city building simulation personal computer game released in 1999, and the third major installment in the SimCity series. It was published by Electronic Arts (EA) and developed by series creator Maxis, a wholly owned subsidiary of EA. It was released for Windows, Macintosh, and, through an arrangement with Loki Games, Linux. As of 2016 this is the only Windows based SimCity game that cannot be obtained through commercial online digital distribution.

Gameplay and changes from SimCity 2000

There are many changes between SimCity 3000 and its immediate predecessor SimCity 2000 (SC2K). These changes span both the integral city management aspects of the game, as well as its graphical and landscape aspects. More and newer city services are featured. These changes create a greatly different experience from that of SC2K.

The most notable change is the addition of the concept of waste management. In SC3K, garbage begins to accumulate when the city grows to a medium size, and must be disposed of at the expense of the city. Farms and agricultural structures are also introduced, appearing on large light industrial zones in a city with low land value and little pollution. A new zoning density was also added, totaling three densities, compared to SC2K's two. In addition to their limited life span, power plants and other utility buildings were also made vulnerable to decreasing maximum output due to age. All power plants have a life span compared to SimCity 2000, which has two power plants which never need to be replaced. The power plants now have to be manually replaced, even if the disaster setting is turned off. Additionally, the water facilities now have a life span.