Pause the game immediately and destroy all the nuclear power stations in order to cheese the nuclear meltdown scenario?

Repeatedly click on the helicopter until it flew into a plane?

Keep planting the same patch of grass until RNG finally gives you a tree?

Only ever play on map #061 because it had the least amount of water tiles?

I'm only just now finding out about certain other tricks like the railway line one u/Benevolentdictator/ mentions, as well as what other maps were often considered the best for min/maxing. In my defense I was like 5 when the game came out.