SimCity BuildIt Tips

I've been playing BuildIt for quite a while now and have written out some strategies that I've been employing:

1. Rule #1: Keep producing items as continuously as possible. Sell extras at the Trade Depot. If no humans buy them, Daniel (the computer) will.

2. Replace what you use. If you use a factory full of plastic, start up another set. Just keep production flowing. If you don't need it when it's done, sell it. This helps keep an extra bit of cash coming your way.

3. Free up the bottleneck. The biggest bottleneck in the game is the Farmers Market. If you see Fruit & Berries, Beef, Cheese, Cream or Flour Bags in the Trade HQ, buy it. Eliminating one of those items from the equation can make production much easier for you.

4. Be Smart with money. If you receive an offer on items, check the Price Guide to see if it's worth taking the deal.  If you can receive more at the Trade Depot, do that instead. Remember, Daniel will eventually buy anything you list.

5. Plan ahead for the cargo ships and airport. Start production of those items as soon as it tells you what's coming. The long build time items usually require two or three of each. The raw goods and other short term items may take up to 10. Build more than you need and sell any excess. Try to minimize the time the cargo vehicles spend in your city. Pack them up and let the next shipment get started ASAP.

6. Harsh Reality. Do not be mistaken, this game is basically a slot machine: a finely tuned machine designed to separate you from your money. If you want to build a city, play SimCity, Cities:Skylines, or CitiesXXL on the PC. You'll get much more desirable results in a fraction of the time. However if you have tons of patience and don't mind taking the long way round, this can be a very enjoyable casual game.

7. You don't really need design skills. You don't need more than one cross street. Your entire city can be laid out like the letter E with streets leading to dead ends.

8. Stick to the basics. Early on, don't build more than what you can cover with the basic services: Sewer, Water, Fire and Health. Don't be afraid to demolish buildings you can't support.

9. Go Big. If you want skyscrapers, you'll need to have more than just the basics. You also need to have multiple specializations covering the area: Parks, Education, Transportation, Entertainment, Gambling, Landmarks or Worship.

10. Eureka! If searching for expansion or storage items, dig deep into the Trade HQ. It is rare to find one of those items listed on the main screen. I find most of my items by selecting cities selling other items, and discovering them in among the other items they're selling.

11. Don't Forget to Pop The Bubbles. When visiting cities at the Trade HQ, make sure to click on the blue bubbles found in the city. You'll often find Tokyo, storage or dozer items gifted to you by the game.

12. Buy! Buy! Buy! Buy every expansion item/storage item you see in the Trade HQ, even if you're not currently expanding. If you don't want them, list them in your Trade Depot (unadvertised) for your neighbors. If you're good to them, they'll be good back to you later down the line.

13. Sell! Sell! Sell! Never sell an item at less than full price, unless you're trading it to someone for $1.

14. Daniel sells at a discount. Daniel never sells at full price, so I buy everything he has. You can then use it, or list it at full price to make a profit. Remember, if no one buys it, Daniel will buy his own items back from you.

15. Be a good neighbor. If you see a valuable item listed for $1 by a neighbor, do not take it. Someone's probably trading it to a friend.

16. Be a good neighbor part two. I'll sometimes keep my trade depot stocked with rare goodies (or long term items) for my neighbors. If I see something good in the Trade HQ, but I don't need it, I'll often pick it up anyways and list it. Things that take a long time like Sugar and Spices, Glass, etc. Even if no one takes it, Daniel will eventually reimburse the cost by buying it from you. No harm, no foul, and yet you've given your neighbors opportunities to find stuff easier.

17. Campfires are best built at night.  Load up the factories with all the long term items before you go to bed so that when you wake up you'll have your fire pits, frozen yogurt, cream, electronics and other goodies ready and waiting for you. The simple items: metal, wood, plastic are better made during the day while you can babysit the game.

18. Can I get that on easy-pay? If faced with a large road upgrade, build a small section of cross street. It will break up the road into smaller, more reasonable payments. You'll still eventually need to upgrade but you can put the expense off for a while. It's like putting the upgrades on a payment plan.

A short segment of cross street can help break up the cost of road upgrades into more reasonable amounts.

19. Be Social!: Join one of the Facebook groups to find friends to play with. There's a bunch of them. Each has it's own personality and culture. When joining, I'd suggest being a fly on the wall for a bit to understand how each group interacts before jumping right in to the middle of things.

SimCity BuildIt Nation
SimCity BuildIt Community
SimCity BuildIt (not really) Official Group.