I’ve been putting off extending the titanic grip of Finchtopia to other regional zones, but the time seems to have come. The oil fields of Finchburg are emptying, the ground is rife with pollution. What more is there to do to make ends meet?
Ore, of course!
I’ve decided to reward the wonderful proletariat oil pump workers by swapping their pumps for pickaxes and canaries. Much like the late Margaret Thatcher, I have annihilated the region’s mining unions, leaving them dismayed and helpless. Unlike the late Margaret Thatcher, I intend to open lots of mines and put these slav… uh, cherished miners, to work.
Unfortunately, my main city lacks the deposits, so expansion is a must. The golden era of industry (or Finchdustry, as local historians are citing) is here, and thank God – the little yellow bar for industrial demand has been staring me down like a twenty-four karat boner for weeks. Not wanting to upset my residents, however, I’ve kept the machine revolution to a minimum. Only the occasional asbestos factory here and there.
Industry is a very fickle business. My low-earning residents have been chewing my ear off to allocate factories for them to work, something which in doing so would bring my surrounding land value down – an action want to avoid when the only free space in your metropolis is adjacent to the equivalent of Rodeo Drive. My Department of Finance, which I recently installed after a population boom in Finchampton, allows me to tax different wealth groups in society separately. I upped the tax a smidgen on the heavy earners to keep me in the black, and I get the feeling a methane factory next to the Louis Vuitton outlet might make them get their tiaras in a twist.
The Finchdustrial District, as it has been christened, has officially opened for business. Providing acres of space for industrial expansion, a railway line to link up with and a connection to the local waterway, it seems pretty perfect. The wind breezes gently away from any surrounding cities, keeping the air crisp and fresh. A gentle stream glides through the landscape, nestling alongside a wonderous raised hilltop. Did I mention the trees? Everywhere, all different shades of maple and viridian.
Unfortunately, also atop the largest ore deposit in the district. Ah shit.
Any time I find something pretty in this game to gawp at, it seems to be right on top of something. This river, for example, is right next to a perfect spot for a sewage treatment plant. And we all know how that’s going to end.
The time has come to start amassing resources for a big works project. These works, which have specific places in the region set out for them, have different qualities. A massive solar farm, for example, can accumulate huge amounts of energy to be distributed to surrounding districts. A space program can draw in tourists, as well as educating the locals. These projects do require a dizzying amount of valuable materials such as alloys and the like, but they also seem worth it.
Besides, a space program? Who doesn’t want a space program?
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