Sid Meier sat quietly in front of the computer for a long time, but did not see any change in the image on the screen.
This is strange, incredibly strange.
Normally, a game will have a tutorial at the beginning.
Regardless of the form in which it is presented.
Just like in Super Mario, the very first few levels served as a crucial tool for teaching players how to play.
As a game developer, Sid Meier was well aware of the necessity of doing so.
It is a hook, an entry point that guides players into the game itself, and an essential component of immersion.
However, his first impression of this game was—no impression at all.
This is unlike what you'd expect from a game-nova.
"Uh... it's a city-building game?"
He looked at the bunch of icons on the left side of the screen and realized that this was not what he had imagined at all.
Demolition, roads, power grids, train tracks----
A quick glance was enough to guess what was going on.
The information provided is extensive and comprehensive.
But one thing is missing.
Target!
This is also the main reason why Sid Meier was stunned.
Even the epic flops "E. T." have a very clear main storyline of collecting parts to repair the spaceship.
The work said nothing, simply placing a blank map in front of him.
It's like telling him, "Hey, you can doodle on it however you want."
Sid Meier picked up the box and checked several times to make sure that the developer's name was indeed GAMENOVA.
This thing is incredibly crude.
After carefully studying the content on the screen, he suddenly noticed a sentence written next to the funds, "More residential areas are needed."
"Finally, a hint! Let's build one street and see how it goes?"
Sid Meier selected the "Roads" option and drew a road on the map.
It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't tried it yet; the moment he decided to give it a shot, the gears of fate had already begun to turn.
This is a Pandora's box that cannot be closed.
If residential areas need electricity, then build power plants.
Too high a crime rate and nobody lives here? Then we'll have to build a police station and a fire station.
As small houses began to rise from the residential area, demand from the industrial and commercial areas suddenly surged.
Then cover it!
What? No power? Build more power plants!
"Fine, fine, you built an industrial zone for you and now you think there aren't enough residents? I'll build more!"
"Something's not right. Should I not have started here in the first place? Why is the land area so small?!"
Sid Meier scratched his head, then suddenly had a brilliant idea: to try building a road on the water.
Sure enough, the original road automatically transformed into a bridge over the water.
If we continue to extend, we can expand the urban area to the other side of the river.
This immediately relieved the tension in the area.
But Sid Meier felt that something was off.
Where's my money?
I didn't pay much attention when I was covering it, but now I've stopped to take a look.
Before I knew it, I only had a few thousand dollars left in my budget.
"Is this right? This is definitely wrong, bro. How are we going to make money?"
At that moment, a window suddenly popped up on the screen.
[1904 Budget Proposal]
[Tax rate: ↑7%↓]
[Tax: $58]
[Budget Allocation]
[Shipping: $41]
[Police Station: $100]
[Firefighter: $100]
[Cash Flow: -$183]
[Funds: $6907]
"Not a buddy?"
Although Sid Meier didn't understand how to play the game, he knew very well that a negative cash flow was definitely wrong!
We're in the red!
No matter how you look at it, a deficit is definitely a bad thing!
"So you're saying I'll get my pay docked even if I just hang here doing nothing??"
This won't do! We must cut the budget!
"Fire safety—doesn't really need such a high budget? This thing only affects the occupancy rate, let's reduce it to 40% instead of 60%!"
"I'm making things difficult for you, my fellow villagers, but this is all out of my good intentions."
"The police station doesn't need that much money anymore; 40% is enough."
"Transportation? I haven't even built an airport, what do I need transportation for? Lower the rates!"
He quickly drafted next year's budget, and then his attention fell on the "tax" section.
"Oh, so that's how the money came about. That makes sense, everything makes sense now."
That's more like it; city management should rely on paying taxes to make money.
"This is an emergency, so we have no choice but to raise taxes. We'll have to make things difficult for everyone."
"His sins are for the present, but his merits will last for generations."
"How come the highest return is only 20%? This won't do; we'll still lose money."
Sid Meier thought about it; clearly, this was because his city had a small population.
Even if the tax rate is raised, the money earned will be minimal.
"Let's leave it at that for now. Submit the draft budget and use the remaining money to rapidly expand the North City New District."
But he was immediately dumbfounded after submitting his budget proposal for the new year.
The house collapsed.
It all collapsed!
First came the commercial area, then the residential area, and then the industrial area.
Like a chain reaction, it collapsed piece by piece.
Judging from the timeline, not even a month has passed, and only the power station and fire station, which he paid to maintain, remain standing in the entire city.
Oh, and there are two expensive villas built next to the park.
Sid Meier sat there quietly for a long time, looking at the message above that read, "[Residents believe the tax rate is too high!]", without saying a word.
"Okay, I've sent it."
We've spent all our money, and the city has completely collapsed. What's the point of staying here?
However, based on his experience, he learned at least one very important thing.
Pay attention to balancing the budget!
I initially thought this was a feature similar to a map editor, where all you had to do was cover things up to make them look nice.
But it seems this game is far more complex than I thought.
"That's true, GAMENOVA games will definitely have this style."
Sid Meier scratched his head and decided to simply delete the save file and start over.
"Building area is very important; it's best to find a large inland plain."
"Hmm... that's not right either. If we're going to build a dock, we still need to go near the river."
This time, he was exceptionally focused, immediately switching the game speed to "pause" in the options menu and carefully studying every detail.
He would have been better off not looking, because what he saw only made him more confused.
"Employment rate? Pollution index? What are these?"
Residents need a stable living environment and satisfactory jobs, but also shouldn't be subject to excessively high taxes.
"Industrial zones bring pollution, and if they are close to residential areas and cause problems, it can lead to protests and people moving out."
After playing for so long, I haven't even scratched the surface.
I haven't even left the starting village yet.
Two hours later.
Sid Meier slammed his fist on the table in anger and yelled.
"A bunch of troublemakers!"
They're so damn hard to please!
Don't be fooled by the fact that he has now covered a corner of the map completely; the residential area has been upgraded into high-rise buildings thanks to high-value structures such as parks.
But if the expansion goes even slightly against the wishes of these unruly people, they will immediately turn on him and cause him a lot of trouble.
"You bastard, you dare to call 11% tax too high? What will happen when the city develops?"
"I'm going to reform you all today."