How do you feel about the SCS announcement?

[Dirktator 2,326]

Well, I'd like to hear what people think about the new announcement.  I'm dedicating this thread to just knee-jerks, which is really all we have to go by right now. 

My knee-jerk reaction is a bit of disappointment.   I really really wanted Maxis to develop this game.   But we know things don't always work out that way.  I'm sure Maxis has all resources behind Spore and the Sims.  Which is a shame for us SimCity fans.

I've also played Tilted Mill games, so that's the other factor.  I was a big Caeasar and Pharoah player, and Sierra Studies did a really great job making these games.  However, the Tilted Mill revamp-updated versions of these games, Children of the Nile and Caesar IV, did not hold up for me. 

I want to be optimistic that the third Tilted Mill game will be stunning, and that they will not abandon all the elements that SimCity players hold dear when they develop this game.  What do you guys think?

[Sirris 1]

I thought, man this looks like roller coaster tycoon, and after looking at it a bit further, it seemed that all buildings were very old style, which means no sprawling downtown.

And on top of that, no landscape, all flat, which takes away the fun of building coasts or in the mountains

and finally, the graphics look cartoony, which probably means no user made content. (besides, if there was, it would horrible [sharp against light and cartoony])

i also hope that it does not turn into a mere society simulator.

And my final wish it that someone give will wright a cold slap in the face for giving the game TM, which, if it goes through, will probably drop a nuke on the Sim City fanbase

[MrCinatit 30]

The initial and soul picture we have seen is very disappointing - but I am not entirely convinced it is actually from the game (at least I hope it is not). It does look entirely too simplistic - but it seems to be a very small sample size. A lot more pictures will need to be shown before I reserve any judgment.

Yes, there are many questions I have about the game - but those will get answered eventually. There is still a very good chance (95 percent) I will buy the game - at least out of faithfulness.

[Superstar 69]

I also felt a great feeling of dissapontment.

Ever since I started playing SC4, I encountered it's drawbacks. That didn't stop me from playing the game, but it caused some strong feelings and hopes to develop. I realized that SC4 was an awesome game, but it lacked some aspects of realism and freedom. Honostly, I believed SC5 would overcome all of SC4's faults and become an innovative game.

Unfortunately, the recent development regarding SC5 has proven otherwise. Instead of taking the series one step forward as I expected, they took it two steps back. Firstly, the game isn't  being developed by Maxis which is extremely unsatisfactory. Secondly, the game itself seems to be focusing on something other than city designing and constructing. Moreover, games in the industry are developing. Many games are now seizing control of DX10 and next gen graphics. The pic we have seen is a complete joke. It looks far from being considered an achievment.

Realism and freedom were my main hopes for SC5. The grids in SC4 were horrible.  The pics of SC Societies confirm that we will still have grids in this release. That means the desiging freedom I had longed for, will not appear any time soon. Waiting so long for something that probably isn't coming hurts. I can only hope that Tilted Milk suprises us

[Jerebannus XVI 7]

I'm really disappointed by what I saw but I remain optimistic. I hope this is just the initial phase of what the game will ultimately look like however if I continue to be disappointed I don't think I'll be buying this game.

Something tells me that this game will be playable online, seems to be a growing trend. If so that would be great but that's another story...

[Jersey_17011 0]

i dont like the graphics...they look very erm.. cartoonish? it almost seems like some sort of remake of SimTown... :/

[mayormommy 8]

First off, thank you to Dirk for the new forum! 

I was out of the country when the news broke, so my first reaction was pleasant surprise at the early release date and then a touch of consternation at the screenshot. For someone who really likes to watch their cities in motion like an ant farm, the minimal street traffic is ominous. However, I would like to see a moving demo - perhaps better animations might relieve some of my concerns. I've not played any of these "society" type games - perhaps someone could explain how they differ from the Sim City concept?

[vilbe 6]

i want to go postal for EA's utter defiance and stupidity in not using Maxis for this project. while granted yes there are plenty of brilliant other minds out in the industry, Maxis is one of the few developers that have kept a series like Sim City alive for almost 20 years!!! [18 to be exact!] i'm not taking anything i see in the screenshot as what's to come, because well, think about it, the games yet to be developed. so lets hope this one is playable outside of the box for the average Joe, otherwise EA really screwed up...

[Sim shady 12]

i have a gut feeling in my stomach this game is going to turn out aweful It looks to me as if the developers have never hopped over to this site to hear our suggestions. I really am not happy with those graphics....i pray they look much better in the next press release.

[Jersey_17011 0]

i think the only thing we can hope for is that these screens are fake

[JanYpe 17]

My first thought when I saw the picture was "Caesar 4 clone". I'm reserving judgement on it till I see some more information and screenshots though.

[kaka 4]

it looks like there will be limited buildings, since many of the same buildings repeat in the screenshot.

My first impression was, "Citylife looks better than this"

I want Maxis to do this; wait for them to finish Spore so they can work on the real 'Sim City 5'. I don't mind waiting. Or I will never play computer games again...

[Silur 3,308]

Simtropolis today - site about SC5 - this is very sad ...

May be more about SC4 - this is real, and SC5 now great myth and Big Brown Box for me .... 

More than half year ago I sad about finish SimCity with 3d graphic ....

I see this with Rail Road Tycoon ..... 

[schooner2 2]

The picture, if real, is disappointing. Whta type of building style is depicted there? It looks like something from a Disney cartoon. I am goingto reserve judgement until the game actually comes out. Yet, my feeling is not positive about it right now.

[simcity4crazyguy 24]

My knee-jerk reaction was "how disappointing", but now that I take a look at the cover of the magazine again, I think the graphics so far looks pretty good. But it's a cover, it's bound to be exaggerated. We'll see when one of the subscribers to the magazine actually get it today.

sc

[TheOneThird 1]

The screenshot almost looks like City Life running on a low end system. Here's hoping this is only an alpha screenshot and the game will look better in the final version.

[Sim shady 12]

exactly simcity4crazyguy, the graphics on covers of magazines are always 100 times better than what really shows up in the game, lets just hope this is an anomoly

[Pixelrage 34]

The magazine cover might have just been created by their digital artists for that particular magazine..

[Micah 16]

Thanks so much for the new forum, Dirk!!

Anyway, I'm saving my judgement because I feel it's premature to base everything on that first image alone. Sure, it was a horrible first impression, but let's wait for the next images and the magazine with the preview of Simcity Societies.

[GingerBlokey 30]

Knee-jerk? Crap

[Scaley McSlither 1,714]

I am so scared right now. If that screenshot is the best they can come up with, then Simcity Societies will be the final installment of the series.

[nofunk 1,933]

Originally posted by: Superstar

Unfortunately, the recent development regarding SC5 has proven otherwise. Instead of taking the series one step forward as I expected, they took it two steps back.

quote>

 

It isn't even a "step back." It is a step in a completely different direction. From all the speculation and the one screen shot, it appears as though the only common factor between the new game and previous versions will be the name.

My knee-jerk reaction: I'll stick to SimCity 4.

[ILL Tonkso 1,239]

Im sticking with 4. Maybe now (yeah right) they will let us have it open source.

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

yeah, i'm sticking with simcity 4, but when i saw that first shot of the game....i cried.

[flame1396 9]

Its been said it wont be a city simulator.

[cogeo 960]

I'm against assigning development of SC5 to a subcontractor that has not proven itself.
Furthermore, they should also take into account the loss of continuity and know-how occuring when changing a subcontractor. The old guys knew what the game was, why certain things happen, how to solve problems or how to avoid them; finally, they know better what players want. The new guys, keen on establishing themselves, will be quick to discontinue large parts of current simcity (they will claim that it was badly implemented, wrong ideas/concepts etc) and replace them with their own "new" stuff. I bet that it will not only perform worse, it will also look very unfamiliar (and consequently unappealing) to curent SC players.
This alone should be enough to deter EA from changing the subcontractor - they should only do so if they were really very bad. But is Maxis really bad?

[Spinmaster 75]

My first impression was, "Citylife looks better than this"

I want Maxis to do this; wait for them to finish Spore so they can work on the real 'Sim City 5'. I don't mind waiting. Or I will never play computer games again...quote>

You took the words right outta my mouth (fingers). I would add, at-a-glance based on that one screen shot (which in all fairness isn't ... umm... fair, but...), it appears EA is basically saying "screw the existing fan base, we want new blood." I agree they need new blood, SC4 has lasted so long solely on the backs of veteran addicts like us. If the franchise is to thrive, it needs a new generation of "I never played it before" addicts. But I hope I'm wrong about EA sacrificing us for it.

My knee-jerk reaction: I'll stick to SimCity 4.quote>

The best thing that could happen: SC5 surprises us all, and gives us everything we ever dreamed of and then some, and SC4 will fast become just another fond SimCity memory. So far, I severely doubt this.

Next best thing: SC5 sucks so bad that enough people stick to SC4 as to keep it alive, as well as Simtropilis and various other almost-symbiotic sites. So far, this looks very likely.

Maybe there'll be hope for SC6....

[flame1396 9]

Unappealing.... how about appalling?

[bigshow8891 0]

i might buy spore, and just stick with sc4.

[ssfsx17 0]

It's exactly how I thought SC5 would probably end up. EA wants to go for quantity of sales and to appeal to The Sims players. Something like this is how they'd have to do it. I'm sure that EA got a lot of e-mails from people who thought SimCity 1 was complex enough complaining about the complexity of SC4. Very sad and unfortunate, but that's what happens. With that said, I really hope that it will at least keep the SimCity style of being focused on placing zones, as opposed to plots. I really hope that, at the very least, the game mechanics will not be based on "walkers" (or, in this case, sims), but rather, based on the classic SimCity style of calculation. But we'll probably just get yet another walker-based game.