I just wanted to address all the questions regarding "How to start your city?" that I see in discord.
At the moment ... there are a ton of "How to start your city" posts by numerous players. All of them helpful ... but I think I can add a bit more.
I believe the best way to make the most out of your dCity investment is to keep it simple and start where all of us dCity veteran's started ...
IN THE BEGINNING.
So ... that means all you have to do is this:
- Go to the "ALL CARDS LIST" (under the INFO tab) and start reading the FIRST EDITION cards.
- Read the information on the SECOND EDITON cards.
- Read the information on the TECHNOLOGY cards ... these cards were presented alongside (or at the same time) as the SECOND EDITION cards.
- Read the THIRD EDITION cards.
- Read the COMBINED BUILDING'S cards.
This is precisely the ORDER that everything was presented to us by Gerber.
So if you understand what each card does ... then you understand the game.
There are a few other things for the newbies to consider ...
- Taxes were installed into the game after the initial launch of dCity.
- These taxes were implemented to help with SIM inflation ... meaning that the more SIM that is given out during the pay-outs (every 24 hours) ... the more the price of SIM could potentially reduce (because people are selling what they have earned from that day).
- Thus ... we are at now at 100 percent taxes to prevent the price of SIM from going even lower.
- So now ... we must accumulate cards with a "TAX REFUND" to receive these SIM pay-outs (occuring every 24 hours).
- You must have the necessary income of SIM (for example ... the "Airport" gives 20 SIM) to receive a "TAX REFUND" of 20 SIM. So ... you must have the income ... before you can get the refund.
- The "Governance" mechanic (dCity mayor's deciding on the taxes in the game) is one of the best things about dCity (in my opinion) ... Why? ... because the players are ultimately in control (by voting) of the increase or decrease in SIM inflation or SIM price.
Currently, @Gungunkrishu (the President) is setting these strict tax perameters to keep the price of SIM stable.
Lastly ... I wouldn't expect anyone needing to take more than a couple hours (at most) to understand how everything works.
That being said ... I had to personally message Gerber (when the game first came out many years ago) regarding why I needed "Basic Homes" or an "Apartment" for the single "Airport" that I drew.
It was because I needed "Workers" to fill those 30 jobs (which is listed on the "Airport" card).
The "Airport" was my very first card that I received after paying 4 HIVE (which was the price for EACH card by the way ... when the game was first launched).
Lastly ... I can understand why it can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie to come across this game ... but I think people are making it more complicated than it has to be.
At the moment ... there are too many strategies to count ... and one is not necessarily better than another.
What I believe is most important is UNDERSTANDING THE GAME.
You also have the option to invest your money in "SIM Holding Rewards" for a COMPLETELY passive income.
After acquiring your basic understanding of the game ... then you will make the best decision FOR YOURSELF ... regarding which direction you would like to take.
A few of us veterans have invested in all corners of the game ... war shares, extra technology cards, SIM holding rewards (given in HIVE), acquiring low probability citizens, combining buildings, ect ...
Anyways ... I hope some of you found this helpful ... to put it simply ... you just have to read up on the basic card mechanics (located in the "ALL CARDS LIST").
Secondly, you have to understand that each SIM-earning building requires you to possess citizens to work at that building.
All the "Directions" that you need or "The Best Way to Start Your City" is found in that "INFO" section ... https://dcity.io/info
If you prefer the MOBILE version of dCity ... check out what 
Good luck, have fun, and invest wisely.