Power Lines

Learn how to effectively build and manage power lines in SimCity 2000. Understand costs, terrain limitations, and connection requirements for a successful city.

Alright, let's talk about power lines in SimCity 2000. These are super important because, well, your Sims need electricity to do anything! Think of them as the veins of your city, carrying that vital juice from your power plants to every home and business.

The way you build them is pretty neat – it's called a 'rubber-banding' tool. You click once to start one end of the line, then you hold the mouse button down and drag it to where you want the other end. As you drag, you'll see a dollar amount pop up, showing you exactly how much that stretch of power line is going to cost. If you decide you don't want to build it after all, just hold down the Shift key before you release the mouse button, and poof! It'll cancel.

Now, power lines are pretty versatile. They can stretch over flat ground without any issues. They can even go over water! When you try to build over water, a little box will pop up asking if you're sure you want to proceed, and it'll tell you the cost. Just be aware that building over water is more expensive – it's $10 per tile compared to $2 per tile over land.

Things get a little trickier on slopes. You can build power lines straight up or down a hill, but you can't 'rubber-band' them across the slope itself. What you *can* do, though, is place individual power line tiles on adjacent slopes. The game will treat it as one continuous line, which is great for functionality, but I gotta be honest, it doesn't always look the best.

There's a cool note in the game about building over mountains with waterfalls – apparently, you can do it just like crossing a river. If you want the nitty-gritty on that, check out Section 8 (T T C).

You can also run power lines over streets, railroads, and highways. Just remember, the ultimate goal is to make sure all your Sims have power. If even one neighborhood is in the dark, your city won't be considered successful.

Here's a visual cue to keep an eye on: if your power lines aren't connected to a power plant, you'll see little flashing lightning bolts on each section of the line. This is your signal that something's not right. Once everything is properly connected and the power is flowing, these lightning bolts will disappear at the end of the in-game month.

Cost Breakdown:

• Over land: $2 per tile
• Over water: $10 per tile