Arcologies are futuristic self-contained cities where a huge population is all contained in one building. Arcologies are featured in SimCity 2000, SimCity Creator for Nintendo DS, and SimCity (2013).
SimCity 2000[]
SimCity 2000 features 4 arcologies. They are available once the player reaches a population of 120,000 Sims and once the player is in the year when they are invented. They have a rating from F to A+.
Plymouth Arcology[]
Plymouth arcology
- "The Plymouth Arco is "Solid as a Rock", or so claims Plymouth Arcologies, Inc. It is known that they have stood through several earthquakes, notably in the NeoRepublic of Mexico and the Taiwan CoProsperity Region. Plymouth Arcologies are designed primarily to support heavy industries, as witness Greenland Motors, maker of the Narwhal 3000. This might not be such a good choice if you are overly concerned about pollution."
- — in-game info
Available at around the year 2000. Price §100,000. Holds 55,000 residents. The only arcology to emit mild pollution into the atmosphere.
Forest Arcology[]
Forest arcology
- "The Forest Arcology is named for its attractive forest setting on the top level. Throughout the structure, citizens utilize recycling, operate ecologically sound industries, and maintain a rich verbal heritage that replaces television and radio. Unfortunately, the youth of Forest Arcos are bored silly and roam out into your city where they stare mindlessly at soap operas and sports programs displayed in the electronics department at local malls."
- — in-game info
Available at around the year 2050. Price §120,000. Holds 30,000 residents.
Darco Arcology[]
Darco arcology
- "'Darco' is slang for "De-Urbanized Arcological Construct". Originally designed by the twisted genius of Dante McCallavre, the artist/architect proclaimed it a reactionary response to the rigid, archetypal Arcologies of his day. No one really knows what this means, and many engineers are frankly baffled at how the thing stays standing. Inside, the ill-lit corridor's twist into odd, meandering corkscrews that mysteriously turn back on themselves. There are rumors that a strange sub-species of man inhabits the air ducts."
- — in-game info
Available at around the year 2100. Darcos cost §150,000 and can attract up to 45,000 brave souls.
Launch Arcology[]
A launch arco, the most expensive and populous arcology design in SimCity 2000.
- "'Launch' Arcologies were nicknamed for their resemblance to modern orbital launchers. The resemblance is not entirely coincidental, as sophisticated methods of biological support were necessary to oxygenate and feed the thousands of inhabitants. While never tested, the manufacturers claim the occupants could stay self-contained for up to two decades. The sides of the Arcology are equipped with vernier jets to stabilize the structure during storms and earthquakes. A small nuclear facility independently powers the building; spare energy is stored by electrolyzing water into two tanks for oxygen and hydrogen."
- — in-game info
Available at around the year 2150. The 'Launch Arco' is the largest, costing §200,000 and holding 65,000 inhabitants.
On video:
Launch Arco Trick[]
The Launch arco trick can be done in the DOS & Mac v1.1 and also Window version of SimCity 2000. After building 301 launch arcos, and after the year 2051, a message will appear saying, "The exodus has begun." The arcos will appear to explode one by one, taking over two minutes to complete, and the game will show another message, "Your launch arcos have departed into space to find new worlds. You have been compensated for the construction."
Source:
On video:
- SimCity 2000 (SNES) - Rocket Pad and Exodus Event (5min)
- SimCity 2000 (PC) - Exodus Event - demonstration (4min)
- SimCity 2000 (PC) - Exodus Event - full playthrough (35min HD)
SimCity 3000[]
Concept art of the SimCity 3000 version of the Plymouth Arco.
SimCity 3000 originally planned to feature arcologies, but they were cut at some point in development. The only confirmed traces of their existence is an unused audio file found in the sounds folder and two pieces of concept art for the Plymouth and Darco arcologies.
Based off what little information there is, they likely would have been similar to their SimCity 2000 counterparts, based on footprint and capacity, but the effects on the cities they are built in would have had much wider range considering SimCity 3000 is a more advanced simulation.
Arcologies were likely cut in favor of dense 4x4 zoned buildings and more specialized reward buildings like the Spaceport.
SimCity Creator (DS)[]
In SimCity Creator for Nintendo DS, arcologies will appear in the post global warming age. They are similar to the ones in SimCity 2000.
SimCity (2013)[]
The SimCity reboot sees a return to arcologies in the form of a great work, landmark, and iterated as apartment structures.
Arcology Great Work[]
Arcology in SimCity (2013)
Once a city in the region reaches 58,000 residents, the construction of the Arcology is unlocked. The region needs to collect §1,000,000, 2,800 tons of metal, 1,000 tons of alloy, and 60,000 crates of televisions to complete construction. Like other great works, multiple cities in a region can work together to build the structure.
Upkeep is §300/hr.
On video:
Launch Arcology[]
A Launch Arcology prepping for take-off.
Launch tourists into space and receive a one-time payment for all ticket sales. Criminals and homeless can also board, but do not buy tickets. After the arcology is launched, the center remains as a space museum/memorial, until you add another launch arcology.—in-game text
Only available by pre-ordering the SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow expansion.
The Launch Arcology returned as a landmark in Cities of Tomorrow, and is found under the Tourism tab of City Specializations. Upon plopping down the structure, tourists, prisoners, and homeless can begin boarding as colonists. There is a capacity of 10,000 colonists, and the player can enable/disable tourists and prisoners boarding, though cannot choose if homeless board. After 5,000 spots are filled, the player is given the option to launch the Arcology into deep space. Upon launch, the player can be rewarded a maximum launch payout of §500,000 from the 'ticket sales' of the landmark. Still, it costs §200,000 to prep a new arcology for launch. The Arcology Launch Center also includes a Tourist Visitor Center with a capacity of 300 tourists.
Each launch mission can collect data, and its success depends on the crew's composition. The player may make contact with friendly or hostile aliens and potentially land on Simulon.
Price §500,000. Upkeep §800/hr (§400/hr for launch center, §400/hr for arcology itself). It is a high tourist attraction.
MegaTowers[]
Available through the SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow expansion.
A MegaTower and Elite MegaTower.
MegaTower and Elite MegaTower can be considered miniature arcologies, providing most of the function of individual buildings. For example, a MegaTower with 8 low wealth Apartment Levels holds a maximum of 9,600 residents. Further, each MegaTower Apartment Level adds far more people to the population than the resident number claims, making this feature key for reaching populations of 600,000 or more.