If you had SimCity 2000 for Mac, Dos, Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, you would notice that the music is slightly different for each platform. It's the same music, but it sounds like it's been re-recorded with a slightly different emphasis, timing, beat ... whatever. I can't explain it in musical terms, all I know is that they actually went to the trouble of making the music slightly different with each new platform. Strange.

SimCity 2000 has some short music pieces that you will rarely hear. The following describes how to hear them for DOS, Win 3.1 and Win 95. (if you have a Mac, please try the instructions shown below and let us know it works or not).

Basically, if you have music turned on but there is no music playing at the moment and you open a newspaper (Picayune, Times, Chronicle, Journal, Herald, Courier) you will probably hear music you've never heard before.

If you have Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, you'll have to wait until the music stops, then open up a newspaper.

If you have DOS, waiting until the music stops won't work. You have to artifically get the music to stop while it is still on. To do this, just turn it off then back on again from the options pulldown menu. Repeat until you don't hear any music, then open up any newspaper. This technique won't work in Win 3.1 or Win 95 because when you turn the music on, it always starts.

Try this over and over and you'll hear atleast three different lost music pieces.

Sometimes you'll hear your population cheer and you'll see the following sign:
The people of your city love you so dearly that they have thrown a spontaneous parade in your honor.
Wait a few seconds and the newspaper will pop up and play some lost music for you.

Don't get discouraged if you it doesn't work the first time. If you can't get it to work, send mail to Graydon Armstrong.

Say you installed SimCity 2000 for Windows 3.1 in C:\SC2K4WIN you will find the sound files in C:\SC2K4WIN\SOUNDS .

SimCity 2000 for Windows 95 installs by default in C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 2000 and you'll find the sound files in C:\Program Files\Maxis\SimCity 2000\Sounds

The *.MID files are MIDI files. They are the music.
The *.WAV files are Wave files. They are the sound files.

Feel free to replace the .MID files with your own .MID files so you can listen to music you want to hear. The same goes for the .WAV files. Make sure you make a backup copy before you copy over them in case you change your mind and want to put things back the way they were.

Below is a chart of which each of the wave files stands for:

• 500.WAV - construction sound (jack hammer)
• 501.WAV - beep! you did something wrong
• 502.WAV - wind (tornado?)
• 503.WAV - the sound trees make when you paint them across the landscape
• 504.WAV - blam! explosion version 1
• 505.WAV - click
• 506.WAV - siren (police)
• 507.WAV - flames crackling
• 508.WAV - bulldozer chopping down trees
• 509.WAV - siren (fire truck)
• 510.WAV - "SimCopter reporting heavy traffic"
• 511.WAV - the sound water makes when you paint it across the landscape
• 512.WAV - crowd booing
• 513.WAV - crowd cheering
• 514.WAV - zzzt! the sound power lines make when you build them
• 515.WAV - "May Day!" copter guy yelling for help
• 516.WAV - "I'm Hit!" copter guy yelling for help
• 517.WAV - ship fog horn
• 518.WAV - plane flying by
• 519.WAV - plane landing at airport
• 520.WAV - emergency siren
• 521.WAV - beep! beep! (car horn)
• 522.WAV - prison door closing shut
• 523.WAV - school bell
• 524.WAV - toot! toot! ship horn
• 525.WAV - blam! explosion version 2
• 526.WAV - arco sound
• 527.WAV - roar! either the bull moose or nessie
• 528.WAV - chopping down trees
• 529.WAV - "Reticulating Splines" (what are Reticulating Splines?)
• 530.WAV - 1/4 second of silence