What are the resources that can be bought and sold on the global market, and how are the resources produced/consumed

simcity-2013

What are the resources that can be bought and sold on the global market, and how are the resources produced/consumed?

In other words, for each resource, how does it enter the "sim world", and what are the uses for the resource?

Best Answer

There are 10 commodities in Simcity, and I will address them each in kind:

With the exception of Coal and Ore, all commodities listed are also required in the creation of certain great works.

RAW COMMODITIES

All Raw Commodities are non-renewable resources.

Oil - You must drill for Oil where there are appropriate oil deposits. You must place an oil well directly above a source of oil to be able to pump any out. Oil can be sold or used in crude form, or refined into fuel and plastics which typically fetch a higher price. Crude oil can also be used in Oil power plants, providing a cheaper source of energy than buying from the world market.
Ore - You must mine Ore where there are appropriate ore deposits. You must place an Ore mine directly above a source of Ore to be able to extract it. Ore can be sold as a raw material, or refined into Alloy and Metal which typically fetch a higher price.
Coal - You must mine Coal where there are appropriate coal deposits. You must place a Coal mine directly above a source of Coal to be able to extract it. Coal can be sold as a raw material, or refined with Metal to create Alloy. Coal can also fuel Coal power plants, which can provide the city and region with a cheaper source of energy than buying Coal from the world market.

PROCESSED RAW COMMODITIES

With the exception of Fuel, all processed Commodities are a renewable resource, as they can be produced through a Recycling Center.

Fuel - Created through the refining process of crude oil. Requires an Oil refinery with a Fuel Distillation Unit. Outside of great works, Fuel is only used to sell for profit.
Plastic - Created through the refining process of crude oil. Requires an Oil refinery with a Plastic Polymizer. Can be sold on the world market, or further used to assemble more advanced items.
Metal - Created through the refining process of ore. Requires a Smelting Factory with a Metal Furnace. Can be sold on the world market, or further used to assemble more advanced items.
Alloy - Created through the refining process of ore. Requires a Smelting Factory with an Alloy Furnace and a source of coal. Can be sold on the world market, or further used to assemble more advanced items.

FINISHED COMMODITIES

All Finished Commodities are a renewable resources, as their components can be produced through a Recycling Center.

Processors - Processors are created inside a Processor Factory using the already refined materials plastic and alloy. These can either be produced locally via the manufacturing process, acquired as a byproduct of recycling centers, bought on the world market, or any combination of these. Processors can be sold for profit, traded, or further used to create consumer electronics such as TVs and Computers.
TV - TVs are created from manufactured processors inside a Consumer Electronics Factory containing a TV assembly line. Additionally, Plastic and Alloy are both required materials, however the player probably is already acquiring these in some way to create processors. TVs can either be sold for large profits, or put to use on great works.
Computer - Computers are created from manufactured processors inside a Consumer Electronics Factory containing a computer assembly line. Additionally, Plastic and Alloy are both required materials, however the player probably is already acquiring these in some way to create processors. Computers can either be sold for large profits, or put to use on great works.

Related Solutions

Does the capacity of the road influence how many agents can travel down it simultaneously

Does the capacity of the road influence how many agents can travel down it simultaneously?

No. Number of lanes and whether there are stop signs or traffic lights only affect traffic agents. They do not affect non-traffic agents.

Traffic agents include police, fire, ambulance, garbage trucks, delivery trucks, moving trucks and of course sims driving their cars.
Non-traffic agents include power, water, sewage and of course pedestrian sims.

Power and water agents are absorbed as they pass buildings with available capacity. While the agents aren't affected by road capacity, they can be depleted by passing many buildings. If you layout your city with a powerplant at position 1, it is unlikely that agents will reach buildings at position 2.

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Update: There was a sewage issue fixed in patch 1.8.

Fixed a clog in the pipes where sewage would sometimes get backed up and act jittery.

What type of resources should I consider for an initial city

Your first city in a region is likely most difficult to get started since you can't get any free help in the form of Fire, Police, Health and Garbage services from neighbors. You're going to have to build these items yourself.

To mitigate, give yourself a break on power generation. You first city should have abundant oil, coal or wind (and wind is a very distant third choice) to use in your primary respective power generator. This way you won't have to purchase power-generating raw materials on the global market, an expense which can quickly become a burden to a young city. If you're lucky enough to have quite a bit of your resources available, you can even sell the extra on the global market with a trade depot. Give up on the ideal of a clean power first city unless you want extra headache.

In addition, tourism and casino income is an easy first city moneymaker. Plop it early and add a police station nearby to handle any additional crime it generates. If you've got water or rail in your region, connect those up so you can get more tourists. Casinos are a great way to get a good deal of early money.