Simtropolis 1000

[+Guest]

So this project is actually in starting up and is in progress? This dream is a very real reality? Well that's freaking amazing. This community is one of the best gaming communities going around. Our loyalty and dedication is sublime.

Daryn07 my hat goes off to you guys.

[Daryn07 0]

I am going to start a topic portaining to SCS, SC4, CU/CL, Simtropolis 1000 and Urbs-Urbis. Looking to the past seems to be something all title should do when designing a future release but doing so without stepping backwards. Look for it and shed some light on the actual 'mis-hap.'

-Daryn

[JoshuaH 1]

Alright folks, for starters I want to go ahead and tell you that this is a GREAT plan. There are some major problems that are going to have to be addressed in spite of it's greatness; those are what I'm talking about. Before I go any further, I'm going to come right out and tell you that I have no programing experience-which makes me more or less useless to the programing community. What I do have is a passion for SimCity, and that is why I'm here.

We have more than just a clan of gamers here; we have people that build a sort of culture around SimCity and everything it stands for. The hardcore SimCity player doesn't look at himself or herself as a gamer; He or she looks at him/herself as a creator; a designer; an architect. This community has built a framework of intellectual respect that doesn't become just any gaming community. The building of cities is something that is of VITAL importance to the world; these are the places people live, grow, where they come together and learn, and ultimately where humans will continue to evolve. The SimCity community is more valuable than just a gamer's society. It is valuable as a world class group of thinkers that take pride in the science of urban planning. You guys have no idea how important you are! In third world countries we need people that have a passion for city building; all over the U.S. we need people that have a passion for making stagnant towns into cultural masterpieces! It's people like you, and people like us that can offer our passion for urban planning in future years, and that is WHY it's so important that we stick together as a community.

If we're going to create a new game, we need to know each other, to know what kind of resources we have, and to somehow get all of those resources together. Lodge brothers are always together in spirit, but if you take away their lodge meetings, what do they have? What I'm coming down to is that we need something more than a forum if we're going to make a world class work like this come to life.

Let's start with the plus side. We've got the manpower to do this, hands down. We have alot of programmers, BATers and great minds, and even more people such as myself who would be more than happy to put dedicated time into learning. What we don't have is a central organization system. A few problems pose themselves here, which I'll address. We can't all just go move to a complex in California or London tomorrow to start working together on this. We've got jobs, families, and home obligations that prevent that; this means that we couldn't really move globally to start working on something like this unless we could actually make the project a pay. Realistically, we can't pay ourselves, buy a complex, or anything. We've got the manpower but not the resources. I'm going to point out that resources have to come from somewhere; that somewhere could be another established company joining our bandwagon, or it could be another established corporation supporting us for other reasons. The latter is what I'm shooting at.

As I said, the kind of people that make up the SC fan world are great minds and thinkers; we can rally the support of any logical entity that is concerned with global economics and urban planning or renewal. It doesn't seem like something we can do tomorrow, and maybe it's not. What this community needs is one good supporter which could provide a complex for working on new projects and convening and would be willing to take the fan base under it's fiscal wing. That's probably a few years out, folks; but there is something that we CAN do and I believe NEED to do. We can go on and on about what we need, but what we should be talking about is what we NEED TO DO to get it. What we need to do is gain publicity and strength.

I bring forth the suggestion that we form a non-profit organization uniting all SimCity fans (much like the Trekker clubs out th

[SimRabbit 48]

bahh this project isn't going anywhere. Let's face it,

making a game fully 3d requires lots and lots of cash. it will probably take 20 years to fully complete this game.

[starrdarcy 4]

Originally posted by: fukuda Good luck with the programming part  quote>

Yeah i know what you mean, but hey anything is possible if we all put our energy and minds to it!

with the little extra cash and time too...

[Smarty218 2]

Has anyone considered the $$$ it would take? Where are we going to get that much?

[Hamish 1,369]

And also the fact that the thread was started in august last year and no one has even started any programing for it.

[Joetropian1 1]

Oh, c'mon, somebody has GOT to start this project. First off, though, it's going to take 1. money, 2. people, and 3. ideas (something we've got plenty of after the SCS accident/game by Maxis). I think this will be a great game when (I repeat, WHEN) it is finished, but to finish we have to start. I have no programming/modding/etc. experience, so I'm just a walking, posting, wish list, but there are people who can do this and should do this.

JT1

[Voar Tok 4]

Please remember that no one HAS to do anything. People do this in their own free time, and if they have the time to work on it, they will. If they don't, then it won't get worked on. No one here lives to serve the whims of any of the rest of the community, so please don't tell people what they have to do.

[joe2102001 19]

Originally posted by: Voar Tok Please remember that no one HAS to do anything. People do this in their own free time, and if they have the time to work on it, they will. If they don't, then it won't get worked on. No one here lives to serve the whims of any of the rest of the community, so please don't tell people what they have to do.quote>

 

In a nutshell, thats why as much as I would love to see this project come to fruition, I don't see it getting off the ground.  Its a noble idea though.

[Hamish 1,369]

Yes and also many people are just saying " I have no programming/modding/etc. experience..." like Joetropian1 just stated. Its a nice idea. But SCS will be allot better than this if it ever gets off the ground. This is because they have staff, money, time, computing power and knowledge of what is happening, not to mention the help / guidance from EA. Sad but true.

[mqsim 1]

what we should do is elect a fast typer/ reader who will write down all the ideas we have thought of. That is the first step and once we get this going everthing will come much faster

[Hamish 1,369]

Not necessarily, The first step would be getting the man power to do it. Then Changing your ideas to fit with what can be done by those people. Then seeing if it can be done for free. If not then a money drive. Then getting the computing power. Then starting. (In that order.) Not that this is a good idea, 'cause it is, its just its going to be a bit harder than most of you think.

[boon1234 9]

I cant see how anything could be improved since SC4. SC4 has the exact right mix of eyecandy and playability, meaning the visual aspects dont take away from the playing aspect (like SCS) and the playability doesn't take away from the visuals (like City life - sure, it's a good 3D game, but bugs from this affect the gameplay AND visuals).

Two, if this game was made it would lack alot of professionalism. A game at the level describe here would take a long (i mean LONG) time for a company to make, let alone a whole group of fans. Sorry, a pocketful of dreams doesn't shape the world.

Let's just enjoy SC4 and hope that whoever take the Simcity franchise doesn't screw up Sc5 (if there is one).

[xmike1991 2]

so basically this is never gonna get done and your all just wasting your time coming here because no one wants to put up their own money for something thats not ever gonna be as good as sc4 or cities unlimited and its just too expensive. thats basically it.

[Linda 0]

Originally posted by: Duper

If this worked out i think it would be amazing. People creating a game for people. Its crazy. No game has been made this way.

quote>

Um, what do you call NetHack?

[Patricius Maximus 236]

ST-1000 would be an interesting project to work on if SCS with 5 EPs or CU doesn't work. I personally look on this project as 'Plan C' in that respect.

[Daryn07 0]

I have to say from experience that first there are a lot of freee resources and utilities to utilize when create a game, no matter the genre. What differentiates the end product's(') 'professionalism is the amount of designers/co-workers working on the project at one time and the amount of skill they possess. I see two outcomes...

1) You create "Simtropolis 1000tm" and realize early on that the project you started is far too immense in nature to finish within any reasonable time comprehended by this community (I.E. You wouldn't even finish it in enough time to impact the community)

2) You lack the necessary skills and or resources to complete the project successfully.

Without people who can actually devote time to Simtropolis 1000tm constantly, this project has no direction to go to... positive or negative. Urbs-Urbis has only gotten as far as it has because we 'sifted' out the brainstormers from the designers and coders QUICKLY. So to start a 'wish list' project, you first need to sit down with some one who has the skills to direct a project of this magnitude and push that uniform image forward leading to the release of Simtropolis 1000tm. Those are my thoughts and understandings on "game design!"

---

I Propose the following:

1.) We the community 'audition' those who poses organizing skills to head the project. Those with the necessary interest and skills would need previous experience in/with non-profit organizations, Large Organizations, Commercial Organizations and any other similar positions that were/are held by the individual(s) being auditioned AND must comprehend MASS ORGANIZATION. This person DOES NOT make the game, but helps bring together the many areas of the game we would be creating. (IE the media dept., 3d dept., and so on)

2.) We then need to ensure a positive development environment by separating the "just brainstormers" from the designers and coders. The brainstormers will remain a part of the project, but keeping 'red out of blue prevents purple.' Following this, we would need an online community... SIMTROPOLIS to refer to the 'wish list' created by those interested in our pre-production game.

3) Finally we would then need a person(s) to find the necessary resources and utilities to develop the game... AS WELL as marketing the future product for funding and infamy (so future investments will not be so challenging for those involved with this product.)

3B) TO ENSURE A HEALTHY GAME ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND RELEASE- A contract that would bind those who sign/agree/acknowledge and so on- would need to be created, keeping those who join hard at work. THIS MAY SEEM harsh... but from this, only those with the greatest desire to create, help and design a game would join and continue working with one another.

---

This is what we need, how we do it and why it's very challenging to create a community based game. If every one agrees with the terms I listed above, lets get motivated!

-Daryn

[zontar6969 0]

I would love to see this become a reality. Does anyone know how many people are part of this idea so far? I know the stats on the forum say that 200,000 + people have registered but not all of them can be current. I ask because the idea of seeking donations to start this up might be in order.

In the mean time, some one should start compiling a plan for the game. Get all the ideas of everyone together and break them out into sections; zoning, traffic, government, etc. Then post the plan and start getting feedback or even voting on how these things should be implemented.

Once the master plan is up, then we take the money and hire some programmers or contract with an existing game or software company and then work out what we can do and what we can't do. Once the limits have been addressed and everyone agrees, we code the project.

If this game goes to market then the investors get a return based on what paid in. Not sure how that would work but what if 10,000 people each put up $100, produced the game and were able to sell it? We become share holders in essence.

Don't feel overwhelmed by this. If Linux and open source can thrive on donations then this can too.

[katamariguy 6]

I hope this actually gets started

[Daryn07 0]

The point of gathering people to organize the ideas of a MANY PEOPLE is pointless without some one who can look at everything and compile everything into a single vision for the future project (Simtropolis 1000tm) We need some one or a small group of talented individuals (3-4 people max) that can summarize everything we've imagined into several ideas, which later will change into ONE uniform idea, bringing fourth the back bone of the game's development. Without the people to ORGANIZE such ideas posted or made known by the many of us, it will be far to chaotic to create S1000tm for anyone. I am asking anyone with organization skills (commercial, non-profit and such) to step forward and give us resumes' for this exact reason. From there, we can judge who is best to organize these thoughts via community poll. Each person's resume' will be found in the topic I've posted in S.S.S. Forum. SO IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYONE WHO HAS THE SKILLS NEEDED TO HEAD THE PROJECT, HEAD A DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (such as animation, media, designers, coders and so fourth) OR ANYONE WHO CAN HELP IN GAME ANALYSIS, PLEASE TELL THEM TO STEP FORWARD- (I'm not yelling ) Let's do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GOLDfish.74 0]

Has anything come of this topic, or was it just hopes and dreams?

[Superchan 23]

i dont think this project will ever start, if people dont start to get work done, we need to be organized, all everyone here does is talk talk talk, but no work, and about the open source issue, apparently you dont know how much work it takes, do many of you have experience probably not, plus open source, sure its free, and easily modifiable, but i game is much better when your working side by side and not over the web, plus EVERY SINGLE OPEN SOURCE GAME IVE PLAYED SUCKS, i have never seen an open source game that is actualy decent, its cause its not by a big company, if we want this game to beat SimCity Societies, then we need to learn to ditch open source and have a pay version, pay version would be better cause the profits could go to paying coders, buying software, and making the game better, so i vote we all organize some sort of company, with experinced coders, we all invest some money and form the company, otherwise this project will never get off the ground.

[Daryn07 0]

Who here can become devoted enough AND has the skill and talent to contribute and/or help with the development of S1000tm? Step forward people! I worked over at Urbs Urbis, I will do so, anyone else, I can't do this by myself.

[Joetropian1 1]

Voar Tok: I wasn't saying, or at least wasn't trying to say people HAD to do it. I simply wanted to say that if there are people with experience who want to do this they should get a chance to do it.

Go Simtropolis 1000! Woohoo!

[DFO 0]

Hi all,

Just joined so bear with me on this. I've actually only registered to join this topic as I find the idea interesting. I think a few of you are underestimating the amount of coding effort that a game of even 1/100 of the complexity of SC4 requires. From my viewpoint (as a coder of web languages and VB, a little C++) you really need to start simple and modular. Start with a VERY simple game with simple lot rules etc... and expand on this step by step with new modules of code.

I don't think what you're asking is impossible or beyond the realms of members here, just that the coding (which is the majority of the work required at this point) is very complex. I'm happy to do what I can to help this get off the ground. If I may suggest, I would recommend starting with a program that just shows off some of the ideas you've got so far. Again, keep this very simple, 2D for example, just to get started. Once we have this, it will be that much easier to run with it and turn it into what you all want it to become

I'm going to do some more looking into what is involved, and see if I am able to do those things or if I'm getting out of my depth

[Patricius Maximus 236]

DFO: Very nice idea for the, uh, future developers of this game. Glad you want to help with this project and glad that you registered. 

You'll find the forums and STEX most helpful for your regions.

[doodlea21 31]

I have more confidence in Cities Unlimited than Simtropolis 1000. However I don't see why I can't expect the unexpected. I think that if this goes ahead then it will be very good.

[TV-VCR 14]

Wise advise...

Start out small. If you want to make a full, gigantic game right out of the gate like Crysis, Need for Speed, and among other things of that level, it will eat you up. It would be too difficult to comprehend and work with, and the end result would also be sloppy (if you could even get to an 'end result').

Once you have the basics put together, that's when you begin tweaking it until you can achieve your desired result. This also make the task at hand easier to manage.

Game creation is nothing like they show in those commercial ads on TV. It takes hours upon hours of hard workmanship, staring at monitors and TV screens. The process of making a highly complex and detailed game is not something you do in a few weeks. You need to already have in mind what you want. It's not exactly a good idea to start out of nothing. You also have to take into mind every aspect; it's easy to only look at the coding part. What about the 3D work, the graphics design, the audio design, etc.? Who will, and where will they get the resources for doing such things? Plus, rushing will only result in something like Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.

But in the end, if you put good TLC into your product, you should be very happy with it.

[SmartRoss1 0]

You may actually want to start out by, instead of starting from scratch, obtaining the source code for an Open Source City Builder and modifying it bit by bit so that eventually you get a fully ST game. I would suggest LinCity-NG, as with that you already get 3D models etc. I've tried to compile it but I'm having a few problems; I'll post back if I have any amendments to this idea.