How to play Buck City

A beginner's guide. Ten minutes of reading saves an hour of guessing.

1. Start a city

On the title screen choose New City. Name it, then pick a difficulty. Easy is a good first city: every tool is unlocked and disasters are rare and mild. Choose an architectural style and an economy preset (Balanced is the neutral one). Then either shape the land first, which costs nothing before founding, or found the city right away.

2. The first five minutes

The game shows a short checklist. Follow it:

1. Lay some road. Buildings only grow next to roads.
2. Zone residential along the road. People need somewhere to live first.
3. Build a power plant. Nothing grows without power. It does not need wires; the grid is city-wide.
4. Watch your first building grow. Then add commercial and industrial zones so residents have jobs.

3. Read the demand meter

The R, C and I bars show what the city wants next: homes, shops or factories. If a bar is low, tap it: the "Why?" ledger tells you what is holding it back, such as no jobs, high taxes or missing services. Zone what is in demand, not what looks nice.

4. Keep the budget positive

Each zone type has its own tax rate. Higher taxes bring money in and push demand down; lower taxes do the opposite. Watch the cash flow line after every change. Municipal bonds pay for a big project now, with monthly interest until you repay them. If the treasury runs dry, the city goes bankrupt.

5. Keep people happy

• Cover the city with police, fire stations, schools, hospitals and parks. The Coverage layer shows the gaps.
• Keep industry away from homes; the Pollution layer shows why.
• Read residents' complaints. Each points at the tile that caused it.
• Answer Town Hall requests, and keep the promises you make.
• Watch your approval. If it falls too far, you are recalled.

6. Grow

New tools unlock as the population grows: fire stations at 500, bus stops at 900, schools at 1,000, transit at 1,500, hospitals at 2,500, subways at 4,000 and airports at 6,000. Landmarks arrive from 750 residents (the Mayor's Residence) to 30,000 (The Buck Monument). At 1,000, 2,500, 6,000 and 15,000 residents a City Charter asks you to choose a direction for good, and ordinances unlock along the way.

7. Fires and earthquakes

Fire stations put out fires within their coverage, so build one early once it unlocks. Burned buildings stay as ruins until you rebuild. On Easy, disasters are rare and mild.

8. Try Today's City

Once you know the basics, try Today's City from the title screen: the same map for everyone today, and a goal of 1,000 residents within five game years while staying in office. It is a good way to compare with friends: send them the link.

9. Regions

When one city feels finished, start a region. Up to nine cities share demand with their neighbors and connect by highway, then rail.

Controls

Tips

• Zone a little at a time and let demand catch up.
• Put commercial zones between homes and industry as a buffer.
• Check a tile's "Why?" before you bulldoze anything expensive.
• Pause before big changes; there is no penalty for thinking.