Q: How do I start a player city?
A: At the bare minimum, you need a player-crafted City Hall relevant to the planet you wish to start a city on, you need a Politician to place the city hall (and to remain as Mayor of the city), you need an area of ground that can support a good-number of houses, and you also need at least 10 other players to place houses and declare residence within the initial 150m radius of your city within 24 hours of placing the city hall. Creating a successful city takes planning and dedication; don't think because it doesn't take skill points that there is no required commitment on the part of the player. An important thing to keep in mind is that you are creating a community, and that in order to do so you will need to rely on many individuals to make it happen. A Player City is not a solo venture.
*Please note that it takes 24 hours to process a change of residence for a player. If there was no previous residence, the declaration takes place immediately.
Q: Where can I find a Politician trainer?
A: Politician trainers are located at the capitol building for a planet. On Corellia, the Politician trainer is found in Coronet at -218, -4500. On Tatooine, the Politician trainer is found in Bestine at -1125, -3616. On Naboo, the Politician trainer is found in Dee'ja Peak at 4702, -1368. On Rori, the Politician trainer is found in Narmle at -5165, -2461. Politician trainers may also be placed in player cities by a Mayor with Civic Policy II.
Q: I want to start a city on Corellia/Tatooine/Naboo/Talus/Lok/Rori/Dantooine. Can I do that?
A: The number of player cities that can be placed is capped. The 3 main worlds of Corellia, Naboo, and Tatooine are able to hold 20 and the moons and adventure worlds of Talus, Rori, Dantooine, and Lok can hold up to 50 cities. It is important to note that there is also a cap on the number of cities that can achieve a certain rank. While the core worlds of Corellia, Naboo, and Tatooine can have a total of 20 cities, only 15 can be at rank 3 or above and only 10 can be at rank 4 or above. The moons/adventure planets of Talus, Rori, Dantooine, and Lok can have 30 cities at or above rank 3 and 20 at or above rank 4.
Q: How do I know if a planet is capped?
A: There is no way to know for certain the number of player cities on a world (it requires rank 3 to be visible on the map as a true city and not all are able to reach that rank) but a simple way to get a general idea is to open up your world map and select the mission terminal tab. That will show where all the mission terminals on the world are located at; ones sitting in the middle of nowhere are towns that take up one of those spots. The only certain way to know is to attempt to place a city hall on the planet; if it is capped you will receive a system message stating that the hall cannot be placed.
Q: The planet I want to build on is capped! What do I do now?
A: You have three options at this point. 1: Keep trying every day to place your city hall on the planet you originally selected. 2.: Pick a different planet/moon to build on. 3: Find an existing player city on the world you wish to live on and join them.
Q: How far do I have to be from another city hall/NPC city?
A: 1000m
Q: There are three different terminals in city hall. What are they for?
A: The three terminals in city hall are the structure terminal, the voting terminal, and the city maintenance terminal.
* The structure terminal is for the building itself; only the Mayor can be on admin for the city hall and use this terminal. **Note that you do not have an option to redeed a city hall--once it's placed, that's it.
* The voting terminal is available to all citizens in order to cast their vote or register to run for mayorship of the city. You can check the current standings of the race at any time from this terminal. Citizens may change their vote at any time during the three week voting process.
* The city maintenance terminal is accessible to anyone wanting to view basic information about the city. This is where you find out about the city treasury, make a donation to the treasury, see the current citizens, find out when the next update cycle is, see how big the city is, etc. The Mayor has additional options on this terminal and allows them to perform city functions such as adding/removing militia.
Q: What do the city titles mean?
A: Each rank of city has it's own classification. A rank 1 city is considered an Outpost and requires 10 citizens. Rank 2 is a Village requiring 20 citizens, Rank 3 a Township requiring 35 citizens, Rank 4 a City requiring 55 citizens, and Rank 5 is a Metropolis requiring 85 citizens.
Q: How does my city gain citizens?
A: A player becomes a citizen of a player city by placing a house within the city limits and declaring residence on the house terminal. The mayor is notified by e-mail when a new resident is added to the city. Players are allowed to be a resident of only one city at a time.
Q: Where do I get city buildings?
A: Player City buildings are purchased from Architects. There are three styles to every city building: Corellia, Tatooine, and Naboo. Corellian-style buildings can be placed on Corellia and Talus. Tatooine-style buildings can be placed on Tatooine, Lok, and Dantooine. Naboo-style buildings can be placed on Naboo, Rori and Dantooine.
An Architect with Construction I can make Bank deeds, Gungan statues (which is a multi-crafting schematic comprising the Gungan Head Statue, Strange Statue, Weird Statue, Tatooine Sun Symbol, Regal Battle Statue, and Sentinal Statue), and Streetlamps (which is also a multi-crafting schematic of four different types of streetlamps in multiple colors).
Architect Construction II has the schematics for Clone Facility deeds, Shuttleport deeds, Fountains (which is a multi-crafting schematic of the default fountain, the Round Brazier, the Square Brazier, the Circular Fountain, the Fountain of Contemplation, the Fountain of Heroism, and the Rectangular Fountain), and Small Garden deeds (another multi-crafting schematic with several types of small gardens that are planet-specific).
At Architect Construction III an architect gains the schematics for Cantina deeds, Hospital deeds, Theater deeds, and Medium Garden deeds (a multi-crafting schematic with several types of medium gardens that are planet-specific).
Architect Construction IV is where City Hall deeds are granted as well as the Large Garden deed (a multi-crafting schematic with several types of large gardens that are planet-specific.
Master Architects have the ability to make the Dantooine Meditation Area (a multi-crafting schematic for the small, medium and large Dantooine gardens), the Dathomir Obelisk Garden (a multi-crafting schematic for the small, medium and large Dathomir gardens), and the Endor Huts Garden (a multi-crafting schematic for the small, medium and large Endor gardens). These three exotic gardens may be placed on any planet.
Q: When can I place (insert desired structure or decoration here)?
A: Some Politician skills cannot be used until a city reaches a certain rank and some structures cannot be placed without a minimum rank.
At Rank 1 the city is allowed to have small gardens placed.
At Rank 2 the city is allowed to have a bank, a garage and medium gardens placed as well as player-placed Cantinas; you can also begin to set taxes at this level with the proper Politician skill.
At Rank 3 a Cloning Facility and large gardens may be placed as well as player-placed Hospital.
At Rank 4 a Shuttleport may be placed as well as player-placed Theaters.
Exotic gardens require the "Place Exotic Garden" Politician skill (granted at City Customization IV), but use the normal size requirements as regular gardens....i.e. the medium Dathomir Tree garden counts as a medium garden for the city, but requires a Politician to have City Customization IV in order to place it.
Q: Why doesn't my city show up on the planetary map? or When can I register my city on the planetary map?
A: In order for a player city to be registered on the planetary map, the city must be at least Rank 3. The Mayor gains the ability to register the city in Fiscal Policy I. Registration takes place at the City Maintenance Terminal located in City Hall.
Q: What is the difference between Civic Structures and Commercial Structures?
A: Civic Structures are city buildings that can be placed by the mayor only and take no lots. City Halls, Gardens, Garages, Banks, Cloning Facilities, Shuttleports, terminals and decorations are Civic Structures; the city rank and Politician skills determine how many/when a structure can be placed and all maintenance costs come from the city treasury. Only the current Mayor has admin to these structures.
Commercial Structures are player-placed structures that work the same as any player structure. These structures require a player to be of a certain skill in order to place the structure, but will remain if a player drops the required skill. They can only be transferred to players who have the required skill. A Cantina requires a Master Musician, a Master Dancer or a Master Chef to place and takes 5 lots (holds 400 items). A Hospital requires a Master Doctor or a Master Combat Medic to place and takes 3 lots (holds 300 items). A Theater requires a Master Musician or a Master Dancer to place and takes 3 lots (holds 300 items).
Q: How many items can a City Hall or a Cloning Center hold?
A: 400.
Q: What is the radius of my city?
A: This depends on your city rank. A rank 1 Outpost has a radius of 150m. A rank 2 Village has a radius of 200m. A rank 3 Township has a radius of 300m. A rank 4 city has a 400m radius. A rank 5 city has a 450m radius. The center point of your city is City Hall.
Q: How much does it cost to run a city?
A: The weekly maintenance on a city varies depending on your city's rank, what structures you have placed and what specializations you have in place. You can find a detailed read-out of your city's weekly maintenance on the city terminal in your city hall (not the structure terminal).
* City Hall -
o Outpost - 35k
o Village - 60k
o Township - 85k
o City - 110k
o Metropolis - 135k
* Bank - 1.5k
* Cloning Center - 20k
* Garage - 20k
* Shuttleport - 25k
* Large Garden - 30k
* Medium Garden - 20k
* Small Garden - 10k
* Trainer - 1.5k (1k to place)
* Terminal - 1.5k (1k to place)
* Fountain - 1.5k (1k to place)
* Statue - 1.5k (1k to place)
* Streetlamp - 1.5k (1k to place)
* Specializations -
o Clone Lab - 80k
o Entertainment District - 80k
o Improved Job Market - 80k
o Manufacturing Center - 50k
o Medical Center - 80k
o Research Center - 125k
o Sample Rich - 70k
o Stronghold - 150k
* Registration - 5k
Q: How does city maintenance work?
A: Player cities update once a week; the exact time for the city update can be determined from the City Maintenance Terminal located in City Hall. Prior to taxation and city maintenance, the city rank and citizenship is validated. If the city has enough citizens to advance, the city is promoted. If the city does not have enough citizens to maintain their current rank, they are demoted. The Mayor is notified of any changes in city rank.
Once the city's rank has been validated, the city's weekly maintenance fee is subtracted from the treasury. City Hall maintenance is paid first, then the rest of the structures. If the city can't pay for a structure, it becomes damaged and the mayor is notified of the structure status; the status of a civic structure can be checked from the City Maintenance Terminal. If a civic structure is damaged and reaches 0 condition, it is destroyed. **If City Hall is destroyed, all civic structures and decorations are destroyed and the city is disbanded; a city should take four weeks to decay if no maintenance is paid. If a city can't pay for mission terminals, skill trainers, or decorations they are destroyed and the Mayor is notified.
Q: How do I place a mission terminal or a skill trainer?
A: A Mayor with Civic Policy I can use the /installmissionterminal command to place a terminal within city limits; the Mayor stands in the location where the terminal is to be placed, types the command and places the desired terminal using the pop-up window. A Mayor with Martial Policy 4 gains the ability to place faction terminals. A Mayor with Civic Policy 2 can use the /recruitskilltrainer command to place a skill trainer within city limits in the same manner that a terminal is placed.
Q: How do I remove a structure, decoration, trainer, or terminal?
A: A Mayor can remove structures by using the "Destroy Structure" command from the Structure Management Terminal; all civic structures can be redeeded if they are in 100% condition except City Hall. A Mayor can remove decorations, trainers and terminals via the radial menu for the item; only Mayors can see the "Remove" option available on these items.
Q: I want to remove one of my city structures, but the Structure Terminal is buried! What do I do now?
A: In many cases, using the /destroystructure option while standing in or very near the structure will bring up the pop-up window for the structure you wish to remove. The window will give information on what structure the window is for so you can confirm the proper structure has been selected.
Q: The number of decorations/trainers I have in my city does not match what it says on the City Maintenance Terminal. How do I fix this so I am charged the proper amount in maintenance?
A: Occassionaly when a trainer or a decoration is removed by the Mayor, the City Maintenance Terminal does not update the information properly. Contact a CSR if you discover this as they can generally solve the problem for you.
Q: How does a Politician get experience?
A: Simply: by getting citizens to vote for them. For every vote, a Politician receives 300xp that is granted at the end of a city's three-week voting cycle (for example, if your election cycle ends in the first week of the month your next election will not end until the 4th week of the month). In addition, incumbent mayors recieve 750xp weekly. You can check the standings of the election at any time by using the voting terminal located in the main room of city hall.
Q: How does a mayor get elected?
A: Mayoral elections take place every three weeks, starting from the time a city hall is placed. For example, if your election ends in the first week of the month your next election will not end until the 4th week of the month. At the city voting terminal located inside city hall, citizens can vote for registered candidates. A citizen may change their vote at any time during the three week cycle or may choose to abstain. Any citizen with a minimum of Novice Politician may register to run during the first two weeks of the voting cycle only (an e-mail will be sent to all citizens informing them of a new candidate). Registered candidates may unregister as well to withdraw from the election. The existing Mayor must register in order to run in the election. At the end of the three week cycle, the candidate with the most votes wins the election and becomes Mayor. Uncast votes count as abstentions. When a new Mayor is elected, the old Mayor loses all mayoral powers.
Q: When does the election cycle end? How do I find out when my election cycle ends?
A: The election cycle ends every third week at the time of the city update. There is no way to tell from the terminal itself what week of the election you are in. The only real way to know is to keep track of when the last election ended and count forward three cycles from then. If it is the first election for the city, the election will take place during the third cycle after your city was founded.
Q: Can I e-mail all the citizens of my city?
A: The Mayor has the ability to mass-mail citizens by addressing an e-mail to "citizens" (without the quotation marks). Only the Mayor has this ability.
Q: Can I take money out of the city treasury? or Do I get paid?
A: A Mayor has the ability to take 50k out of the city treasury per day.
Q: If a Novice Politician is elected over a more skilled Politician, what happens to the city structures and specializations?
A: Absolutely nothing. Politician skill is used to place structures and is not required to maintain structures. Structures and specializations are reliant on the city rank to continue to operate.
Q: If my city falls below the rank required for a city structure, what happens to the structure?
A: Civic Structures (banks, cloning centers, garages, shuttleports, gardens) depend on the city rank in order to exist. If a city falls below that required rank at the time of the city update, the civic structure will be destroyed. Any civic structures outside of the demoted city's radius will be destroyed. Player-placed commercial structures (cantinas, hospitals, theaters) are not affected by city rank once they are placed. If you fall below 10 citizens at the time of your city update, your radius shrinks to Outpost size; you must have at least 10 citizens in 24 hours or the city hall will disappear along with the city treasury.
Q: There are structures in my city from players who have left the game/no longer active. How do I remove unwanted player structures from my city?
A: There is currently no way to remove player structures from a city if the structure was fairly placed (meaning with /grantzoningrights or with no zoning enabled and not due to a bug). Placing items that prevent a player from accessing their structures is considered griefing.
While a house with 0 maintenance will eventually become condemned, those structures will remain and not be destroyed due to lack of maintenance. According to Tiggs, "Condemned houses will stay until the time that the Character/House Purge system kicks in and clears out houses of inactive characters and cancelled accounts."
Q: What does /cityban do?
A: /cityban results in the banned player being unable to use civic structures: the shuttleport (in or out), garage, bank, and cannot enter civic structures such as city hall or the cloning facility. They may still enter privately owned structures unless they are added to the ban list for that structure. The Mayor or Militia may /cityban a player; the player remains banned unless they are granted /citypardon. /cityban and /citypardon may only be done in the city limits with the person targeted.
Q: What are the different specializations and how do I get them for my city?
A: A specialization gives the city a bonus in some area for an increased cost in city maintenance. As a Politician gains skills, different city specializations become available for the Mayor's city provided the city is of sufficient rank (minimum of Rank 3). A city can have only one specialization at a time and may only be changed once a week (to take effect with the next city update). Once a specialization is put into effect, it remains until the Mayor changes or removes it. There are eight city specializations currently available:
Clone Lab: Gained at Martial Policy II, 80k per week. The cost of clone insurance in a city with the Clone Lab specialization is reduced by 20%.
Entertainment District: Gained at Civic Policy III, 80k per week. Entertainer healing (battle fatigue only) is 10% more effective in a city with the Entertainment District specialization.
Improved Job Market: Gained at Civic Policy IV, 80k per week. Missions taken in a city with an Improved Job Market gain a 20% increase to their rewards.
Manufacturing Center: Gained at Fiscal Policy III, 50k per week. Crafting done in a Manufacturing Center earns a 10% bonus to prototype assembly results, reducing the chance of failure.
Medical Center: Gained at Civic Policy III, 80k per week. Medical healing is 10% more effective in a Medical Center. **This specialization does not currently work. The Medical healing mods were changed with the CURB and did not get applied to this specialization.**
Research Center: Gained at Fiscal Policy IV, 125k per week. Any experimentation done in a Research Center is enhanced. A 15% bonus is applied to the final result roll is added during the experimentation phase of crafting.
Sample Rich: Gained at Civic Policy IV, 70k per week. Sampling in the city provides 20% more resources and a 10% greater chance of finding resources.
Stronghold: Gained at Martial Policy III, 150k per week. Militia members in a Stronghold get a +50 bonus to all defense rolls against other players (PvP).
Q: What determines a city's factional affiliation?
A: Player Cities are neutral entities in and of themselves, designed for civilians. A Mayor with Martial Policy 4 may place factional mission terminals in their city, and players may place bases provided they have zoning to do so.
Q: Can you be a citizen in more than one player city?
A: Technically, yes, due to a bug in the game system. If a player is a citizen in city A and then picks up the house that he had declared residence in, he is still a resident of that city according to the city citizenship roll. The player could then place a house in another city and declare residence there and join it's citizen roll while still showing on the other. It is a bug, though, and to take advantage of that bug is an exploit of the system. The "revoke citizenship" option was put in so that a player could work around the bug and actually leave a city.
Q: What types of taxes can be placed in a Player City?
A: Taxes are managed from the city management terminal and all tax information is public and can be seen there. There are five types of tax the Mayor can collect:
1. Property Tax - Every player who owns a structure in the city pays a percentage of their maintenance as property tax. This amount is automatically added into the structure maintenance and is charged per hour in keeping with the scheduled maintenance payment of the structure. When a player examines a structure they can see the hourly maintenance rate and it will state on that dialog box what the city's taxes are.
2. Income Tax - A flat fee tax charged to every citizen of the city. The money is automatically removed from the player's bank and is charged to citizens on a weekly basis. This tax has a cap of 2000cr. If a player does not have the funds to pay the tax, the Mayor is notified of a delinquent payment.
3. Sales Tax - A sales tax is added to every item sold by a merchant in the city. The vendor owner sets a price for a given item, and the tax is calculated in when the item is listed on the vendor for viewing; this tax also applies to items offered to a vendor. Tax is collected at the time of purchase. (**This tax is currently bugged. It does not calculate into items being sold, nor does it put any money into the city treasury.**)
4. Travel Fee - An additional fee added onto the normal ticket price for traveling from the city. The maximum amount that can be added is 1k credits. (**This tax is currently bugged. The travel fee only goes to the city treasury on outgoing tickets bought at the ticket terminal inside the Player City.)
5. Garage Fee - A percentage tax added into the total repair fee at the city garage.
Q: What is the cap on Politician experience?
A: Politician experience caps at 20x the next level with a hard cap at 60k. So at Novice Politician the cap is 20k xp, and Tier 1 the cap is 50k xp, and 60k xp at all other levels.
Q: What happens if the current mayor's character is deleted?
A: If the current Mayor of a player city is deleted before a new Mayor is elected, the city hall will be destroyed and the city will cease to exist. All civic structures are considered to be owned by the current Mayor and is therefore tied to the player account of the Mayor.