Everything to Know About SimCity BuildIt

I've always been a fan of the SimCity series (before EA bought Maxis). Even after the majorly botched release of the most recent SimCity 2013, I still have faith in city simulation games. So when I recently browsed and found SimCity BuildIt in the Android PlayStore, I put my addiction with Clash of Clans game on hold. SimCity BuildIt is a cross between every other SimCity game and manufacturing logistics. A more in-depth description means city planning residential properties for optimal coverage of fire, police, health, and educational coverage. Meanwhile, operate industrial buildings to earn additional Simoleans.

The Pros and Cons of SimCity BuildIt

1. The same building and road graphics as those in SimCity 2013 make for brilliant graphics for a mobile game.
2. Free Android game with in-game purchases, but completely playable without the in-game purchase. There is SimCash which can be purchased, but every aspect of the game can be played and traded.
3. A Trade Depot for you to trade raw resources and finished products with not just your friends, but anybody, for Simoleans. If you don’t want to spend time or SimCash, you can trade for it!
4. I like the feature to collect tax revenue (Simoleans) from a single building, the City Hall. This is drastically improved from other game apps that require a click to collect from every building.
5. I dislike the interface that is used to assign tasks to factories and stores. The current method requires swiping, and this can be frustrating on a small screen. An interface based on clicking instead of swiping would be far faster and less stressful.
6. Progress can be saved by logging into either Facebook and Google. That’s a huge feature that saves your progress in the case of switched phones or crashed phones.
7. You can play SimCity BuildIt offline. Though start up will be slow, because it tries to connect, you can still play. Your progress will be synchronized the next time you have internet. They key is to make sure you only play SimCity BuildIt on one device while playing offline.

Tips for SimCity BuildIt

1. Simoleans are difficult to earn. You get Simoleans when you upgrade residential housing or by trading. The Trade Depot allows you to set up the item you want the sell along with your own custom price. Trading via the Gold Coins in game randomly show up, but do not allow you to set the item or the price. Finally, trading via the Cargo Yard brings in some income, but you only get three trades per day. All in all, I suggest taking advantage of every Simolean earning chance.
2. SimCash can be earned by completing City Achievements. SimCash is even more rare than Simoleans. So use them on wise upgrades. Don’t use it for raw materials or speed-ups. Instead, use SimCash on permanent upgrades that improve efficiencies such as upgrading the number of items you can queue up at industrial stores.
3. Do everything to keep tax rate at 20% (90% or higher rating). If this means delaying a building upgrade to keep your happiness at 90%, I would instead sell the products for a building upgrade at the Trade Depot.

SimCity BuildIt Trade Depot Tips

1. Maximize Simolean income by keeping your Trade Depot full of items to be sold. As long as you keep items reasonably priced, they will sell eventually.
2. If you want more Simoleans without a specific timeline, charge more Simoleans for items in your Trade Depot.
3. If you need immediate Simoleans, charge less Simoleans for items in your Trade Depot.
4. Always leave on slot open to clear up space when City Storage becomes full. When it does become full, sell an item at a discount so you have the option to sell more product if necessary.
5. Never trade Storage Bars, Storage Cameras, and Storage Locks because you will need them to upgrade City Storage. These items cannot be built, but must be earned over time (or purchased at the Trade Depot).
6. In the same rule, never trade Dozer Exhaust, Dozer Wheel, and Dozer Blade because you will need these items for expanding city boundaries. These items also cannot be manufactured in factories, but must be earned over time (or purchased at the Trade Depot).

Building Placement Strategy

1. Place polluting buildings like Power, Sewage, and Waste Management in the corner of the map. This minimizes pollution by allowing 3/4 of the pollution outside of city boundaries.
2. When possible, I would strive to build Fire, Police, and Health buildings that cover the largest area. It will require more time to earn Simoleans, but is better for the long term strategy.
3. Your primary goal is to ensure residents are happy with full Fire, Police, and Health coverage as well as Power, Water, Sewage, and Waste Management. Afterwards, try to increase the population with parks and city specializations which will then increase your taxes.

Other Useful SimCity BuildIt Resources

1. SimCity BuildIt Official Site
2. SimCity BuildIt Price List

A SimCity BuildIt Cheat for Simoleans

This blog post here provides step-by-step instructions on how to get lots of Simoleans. It does require demolishing your entire city, so if that not interest you, then avoid this method. In my opinion, if you are taking this step, there is no real point in playing the game. It turns a perfectly good game into mindless busy work. I have not tried it, but the option is there for you!