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 give the game a feel greatly different 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 were also made vulnerable to decreasing maximum output due to age.
Although the concept of neighbor cities was introduced in SC2K, it was greatly expanded upon in SC3K. New for players is interaction with neighbouring cities, negotiating rudimentary business deals with other mayors, such as the sale or purchase of water, electricity or waste management services. These generate a monthly charge which is either added to or deducted from the player's treasury, in accordance with the deal. Canceling a neighbor deal would incur a penalty.
Although not strictly a city management aspect, SimCity 3000 simulates the effect of land value on construction much more realistically than in SimCity 2000. In SC3K, land value creates very distinct neighborhoods which tend to contain narrow income bands, creating well-defined slums, middle class areas, and wealthy areas. Land value is also determined by the city center effect where buildings that are at the city center have higher land values and those buildings on the borders have lower land values.
Business deals were another new concept to SC3K; by allowing certain structures to be built within the city, the player can receive a substantial amount of funds from them. Business deal structures, however, have serious negative effects on a city.
There are several changes to the graphical interface in SC3K. Although the game retains the pseudo-isometric dimetric perspective of its predecessor, the actual landscape became more complex and colorful. In SimCity and SC2K, the playable landscape is mostly brown, while in SC3K, the playable landscape is a more realistic green color, along with other colors that progressively change by height, from beige (beach sand) to green to brown (bare ground) to white (snow). In SC2K, land could either be flat or sloped, and all slopes were of the same steepness. In SC3K, there are five distinct steepness of slope, creating more varied landscapes. Also, there are different types of trees which can appear on the playable map.
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