Part 2/9:
The ambitious project kicked off with a hardcore difficulty setting, granting a starting sum of $100,000, which was immediately discarded to abide by the challenge's core principle: starting from nothing. Without any funds, the player faced a formidable question: How does one generate income without any initial investment?
SimCity’s usual methods of revenue—taxation from residents—were off the table since building homes required an upfront investment that the player could not afford. Banking a loan was considered against the spirit of the challenge, so the player turned to unconventional methods, such as city ordinances, to generate income from thin air.