Misnomer -- could it be we are mistaken?

[schm0 27]

I started this thread because it just doesn't look or feel like a typical SimCity. It looks and has all the trademarks of a spinoff with social gameplay elements taking the place of some of the micro-managing aspects of SimCity. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not calling it SimCity 5. I've msg'd all the mods that regulate this discussion to change the title to SimCity: Societies Discussion, not SimCity 5 Discussion.

Why the anal-retentive clarification?

Because this new style and direction of gameplay does not fit the archetype for a fifth installment of the classic series. While I can't speculate on what these "social" attributes (see the 1up.com article) will actually add to the game, it seems to me to detract from the little details of each of our cities that makes our building style unique. Instead, it appears (and again, this is speculation) that our buildings styles will reflect the social choices we choose for our societies.

Do I like the new direction?

It's hard to tell. I'll wait to hear more about the actual gameplay. I'm currently wrestling to keep an open mind, but the barrage of daily news is disheartening. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually end up enjoying the game.

[edmonton_stinks 5]

I hope that EA comes out with two games (SC5 wouldn't be released at exactly the same time as SCS, probably).

One: Societies-What they say it will be. Not an urban simulation at all.

Two: SC5-The REAL Simcity sequel. It'll build off SC4 and add even more realism and better graphics. Keep the zoning!

[Voar Tok 4]

Originally posted by: dirk Here's the quote from 1up.com news release (linked on home page):

But what's the deal with the "Societies" bit? Is this or is it not the fifth installment of the series? The answer is a confounding "yes."quote>

So the impression I got was that it is the fifth SimCity, ie. SimCity 5.  Tilted Mill has not corrected this (to my knowledge)...

But the point is an interesting one. quote>

That's the impression I got.  My personal jury is still out on what to say about that.

Schm0, you beat me to making this thread.

[schm0 27]

I just don't like calling this SimCity 5 when it doesn't stick with the original game's core philosophy. Emphasis seems to be less on the realistic and micromanaged nature and more on a cultural or societal nature. This is the fundamental difference between the two games. It's a simplified (E for Everyone) version of a complex and difficult strategy game.

As far as the name, they called it Societies because it focuses on society, instead of the city management itself, from what I gathered.

[Ded 30]

Yeah, sounds very similar to the new franchise 'The Sims: Life Stories' - Same game on a basic level, very different when you actually start playing. Not a sequal or expansion, but rather, its own new franchise.

[BurroDiablo 222]

Yep, i'm not going to accept this is SC5 either... its not like a Sequel, a Sequel always builds on its predecessor, only takes 'unnessesary' things out of the game. I mean, SC2K MADE the franchise by adding Pipe laying, better graphics and a much better interface (compared to SC Classic), SC3K Added Better Graphics, Garbage disposal and the news ticker amoungst plenty of other things and SC4 added... emm... countless new things, but the point is, even with all that new stuff the game never became over complicated and always did the job of pleasing fans. Over the years it only took out the unnessesary things like Connecting each zone up to power, Newspapers (Ticker is much better), and zoning Airports/Seaports... it just seems Will Wrights call for 'simplification' has spun out of control... the next Sim City should have maybe went back to the simplicity of Sim City 2000 BUT never any further!

Besides... all recent simcities have had a number after the initial title, 'Societies' just clearly validates the point that this ISN'T a real Sim City its just a spinoff.

Roll on 2009...

[Cleaner475 150]

same here - or at least i don't want to

[aking88 7]

Yeah it feels like they use a different name than SC5 becouse they have gone on another path than the previous installations in the series, which dissapoints me. We mights see them return to the orginal simcityconcept later on but societies doesnt seem to be it

[aking88 7]

i dont think its been Under developement for that long and it is not an insult lol. The gamedevelopement has barely started! Anyhow we do have the right to be sceptic to their concept of course. But we should be so in a construtive and positive way. I think it can be great, we the community know what we want, we have played it, modded it all acording to what we want and we should use that devotion to help TM or help SC 1000.

I think we all have such high expectations that its hard for them to fulfill them this fast. To do the first 3D version of the SC franchise and do so with a better result than SC4RH, yeah, good enough so that we play it rather than SC4RH is quite a task for TM and if they decide they want to go for it (a true 3D version) we should help not bash them. On the other hand i think maybe the genre is not ready for full gameplay 3D, its such a realisticly based game. One again, look at football manager a good comparisson in another genre...

[Garek Maxwell 1]

Originally posted by: JanYpe

You don't make a Star Wars sequel & set it in Victorian England.quote>

I would totally watch that movie. Lt. Sharpe meets Chewbacca? It would get an Oscar for sure. quote>

Ask, and you shall receive...

http://ericpoulton.blogspot.com/search/label/steampunk%20star%20wars

Although, this isn't exactly Victorian England, but it's not like Star Wars was based exactly on the real world and the rules of the universe... Also, it's not a movie, just some art, but it gives you an idea of what it could look like.

Besides, it's got high tech gizmos of "the time"...sorta. Off-topicness done now.

[CitySeeker 0]

Well reading Dirk's post may prove my idea wrong but...

Looking at a historical viewpoint, The Sim City games have taken on titles of succession.  Sim City then Sim City 2000, then Sim City 3000, and now Sim City 4.

I assume they decided to go onto Sim City 4 because 4000 would be a bit much.  But basically the first thing out of the box we see is that this game is called Sim City Societies, Not Sim City 5 or another iteration to hint that the game is the sequel to 4.

Now another reason why this has my attention is that SCS seems very similar to canceled Maxis Projects like SimVille and Sim Mars.  Sim Ville was to borrow from the Sims in controlling a small neighborhood type area.  Sim Mars was a move to colonizing Mars in outer space.

Sim City Societies is a game where you focus on social engines that drive the city.  Not the roads of the city itself.  Which brings up another reason to suggest that this possibly isn't a change in direction for the series but an added direction.

From the interviews with Will Wright on SimCity.com, while old, Wright expresses interest in returning to the Sim City series someday.

So my theory is that this game is intended to be a side project.   Maxis already developed the prototype but decided to give it off to Tilted Mill.  Both SimVille and Sim Mars are similar in the form that they were both side projects, however unlike their fates, SCS has been transfered to another company rather than canceled.

[arcan 0]

I've just read a very short atricle on a french site stating that according to a EA declaration, SCS is not really the following of SC4 but rather a turn for another gameplay experience.

This lightens things up a bit...

[DanWalker8 3]

yeah, hey, SCS could become very popular amongst a crowd that wouldn't otherwise be interested in sim city. The added interest in the franchise could encourage EA / Maxis / whoever to do a really good job on a Real SC-V

[elle_driver 2]

I think after what has been done here at Simtropolis and all over the web by such dedicated fans of SC4, EA (who of course have the means to create a truly amazing city-building game) would rather put their eggs in The Sims' basket and so passed the Sim City game over to another developer to avoid responsibility for disappointing fans. Rather than stick with Maxis and produce a SC4 clone. I also feel that Tilted Mill have made the franchise 'look' simpler to appeal to a wider audience which is all well and good for them but they're going to lose a big audience here, 172,618 users to date! I'm not going to criticise the new game as it's far too early to make judgements but I am quite disappointed at this time and I hope it isn't too long before new (and improved) screens are released with more details.

I truly do believe, however, that this isn't the end for Sim City. I think EA is too busy on The Sims which is a more popular franchise but I hope they'll give us Sim City 5 before the inevitable Sims 3.

[Lambtropolis 0]

From the interviews with Will Wright on SimCity.com, while old, Wright expresses interest in returning to the Sim City series someday.

quote>

Uhh, Will Wright is 47, I wouldn't exactly consider that old. I'm pretty sure he could oversee the production of a few more SimCity sequels, if that's what he wanted to do. For the time being I'm sure he's busy with Spore, and then probably The Sims 3.

[JanYpe 17]

Since the interviews are on a website that hasn't been update in ages, could he have maybe meant that the interviews are old? Hmmm...

[Lambtropolis 0]

If that's the case, then my bad. Hopefully, though, Will Wright will return to do SimCity 5 when those other two things are out of the way.

[meowza 230]

@Arcan: could you please give us your reference?