Road and rail connection in SimCity 4
A connection is a connection between one's own city and others within a region.
In SimCity 4, when a player drags a road/track/water pipe/power lines to the edge of the map, and a connection prompt will appear, regardless of whether or not the adjacent tile has been developed or not. If it is developed, and there is an another city next to the city, it is possible to establish a neighbor deal with the adjacent city, which are useful especially with larger maps that can't fully sustain itself.
Neighbor deals will either provide additional income or expenses, depending on whether the player is importing or exporting an asset (e.g. water) or liability (e.g. trash). The player can gain income by selling assets, and lose money by importing them. Likewise, exporting trash will cost money and vice versa.
Not only that, once a neighbor connection is established and if there are jobs available in the neighboring city, Sims may choose to find a workplace in the neighboring city instead, if the commute is closer.
City connections have only made an appearance in SimCity 4, as it is the first of the SimCity games to feature a regional view, and the only game so far to not feature pre-built road connections.
Quotes[]
- Would you like to create a connection to <neighboring city name>/SimNation?
- Connections are the first step in creating neighbor deals with adjacent cities. Road and rail connections can improve the demand for industry in large cities by providing a means for freight to be transported to other cities as well as Sim Nation.
Types of connections[]
Highway/Avenue/Roads
- Relates to garbage neighbor deals
Elevated rail/subway tunnels/monorails
- No related neighbor deals. Link a city to another, increasing the commercial demand cap in the city.
Power lines/Water lines
- Grants power and water neighbor deals
Train/Rail line
- No related neighbor deals. These connections increases the industrial demand cap in the city.