Cities Unlimited

[Dirktator 2,320]

Hey gang, this is the official discussion thread for the Simtropolis interview with Monte Cristo Games about Cities Unlimited.

I know information is sparse right now, still let us know your initial thoughts so far.  Has anyone played City Life and what did you think of it?  Where do you hope they will go with it?  How does it look so far, based only on the two screenshots?

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

Wow Dirk! Awesome interview! This game looks much better than societies and I will def. be checking it and most likely buying it. Reading the interview, I can tell Monte Cristo will be making the game very realistically so I'm sure many members will like it! He mentioned how pedestrians might yell after a bus, stopping to talk to other pedestrians, almost getting hit by cars, this seems very cool! I do hope they add disasters and weather because that would be very awesome aswell!

[gml_josea 2]

Hehe, it seems like they're actually learning from their past and going forward, instead of SCS: going backwards.

It is definitely something interesting, I'll probably buy it.

[GreekMan 246]

It seems prety cool and all

I think it's better that societies

The graphics look better too

[kev5873 0]

The game looks great, all the new things that pedestrians can do I agree sounds cool. I hope they add all the transit options that we see in SimCity 4 like a highway system rather than a "bridge" that goes through land (yea I've played City Life) I do hope they fix the minor problem of the sides the people drive on. Otherwise it's looking cool, that orange car on the second picture looks like its gonna flip or is simply tilting on one side.

[Glenni 1,444]

Oh man, that game is seeeeexy!

[spa 968]

Now this is one I'm excited about. I thought City Life had a lot of promise but fell just a little short. I liked the social classes and realism that they added, the 3d was fun and I really liked that you could completely abandon the grid. What I didn't like was the lack of transportation options and the constant repetition of buildings. I found some of the budgeting and interface rather counter intitutive at times as well. It sounds like they're going after their weakness and stepping it up for #2 so I'm really hopeful about this. Cities Unlimited very well might replace Sim City on my computer one day.

[topcliff 1]

This is awesome! And now, it's time for TopCliff's Terrible Comparisons! This really reminds me of Star Wars. EA/Maxis start out good, but then are lured to the dark side (profits v. people). Out of the ashes, however, a New Hope arrives on the scene (Monte Cristo). Slowly but surely working its way up to defeating EA, it battles the public's speculations, questions, and criticism while gaining ever-more powerful. EA is still in control, by destroying/buying out its competitors, producing numerous games at low quality, the New Hope has successfully dealt its first major blow to EA: it releases an entire 3-D city simulation game. It appears skeptical at first, but gains popularity (where it can be found). Afterward, EA enrages the public by previewing such a horrible game, it actually made me vomit a little in my mouth! Soon, though, the New Hope will rise to the occasion and deal the last, deadly blow to EA! Only time can tell, Padowan . . . TopCliff

[Melkor 0]

Some healthy competition may breathe some new life into the genre. From the graphics standpoint it certainly looks better than SC:S. It's too soon to decide which will be better overall at this point.

[MrCinatit 30]

Originally posted by: Melkor Some healthy competition may breathe some new life into the genre. From the graphics standpoint it certainly looks better than SC:S. It's too soon to decide which will be better overall at this point.quote>

Great point. This could help pushed Tilted Mill a bit more in the right direction.

Great interview, Dirk. This is making me want to get Cities even more.

[newy2 0]

Wow im impressed at what phillipe Da Silva says about Cities Unlimited, sounds like its heading in a solid direction. Lookin forward to updates in his blog.

[Creathir 3]

I have been playing CL for about a week now...

The game is difficult, but easy? It is just very different than SC4. Only plopables, and the cities tend to look the same. (Not enought buildings yet...)

I have found that the cities, at least in my inexperience, can turn on you quite quickly. The information charts (pollution, crime, etc.) need SERIOUS work. They are just not informative enough. (I thought SC4s were too limiting... boy, was I in for a surprise.)

Overall, the game is fun, not QUITE as addicting as SC4, and needs a LOT more content. The 3D views are really neat, and I would say they def. are headed in the right direction. For a first shot, it certainly is alright. The social aspects get kind of annoying, but do make some sense. My biggest beef would be that it is hard to FORCE a neighborhood to develop a certain way. For instance, if you want rich people, you need to plop rich activities, high end schools, high end police, and high end shopping. All of these things are not clearly marked as being "high end", accept for their monthly cost.

Fun nonetheless.

- Creathir

[DuskTrooper 314]

Count me into the Cities Unlimited BAT team!

[Mayor Abe 3]

Humn... interesting. But the pictures are too British- I want something more American- cars on the Right side of the road.

[Glenni 1,444]

Originally posted by: DuskTrooper Count me into the Cities Unlimited BAT team! quote>

I second that!

[topcliff 1]

Originally posted by: DuskTrooper Count me into the Cities Unlimited BAT team! quote>

 

Hm, there's a song that reminds me of this EXACT situation . . . Oh yeah!

"The boys are back in to-ow-ow-own! dun-dun-duh . . . Well just who got back to-oo-day . . . Our boys have been away . . ." I believe Thin Lizzie eloquently greeted THE MOST FREAKIN' AWESOME RETURN OF LIKE THE GREATEST BATTER EVER!!!!! TopCliff

[ilikehotdogsalot 308]

if the bat is easy to learn then count me in too!

[njdevi66 12]

Very informative thread dirk, and grade A interview as well, good job bud. As many have said i to have to agree, this game looks 10x better then EA/TM SC:S. Count me in on looking forward to this title, but i dont think it will replace SC4, not with all this content we have here that continues to make my SC4 experience better and better every new bat i try.

[LBraden 14]

Okay, I tend to agree with the concensus here, Roll on Cities Unlimited, I have City Life here, only the original, I will look for the Deluxe Ed here in stores tomorrow, all I can say is sweet, I will definatly play, and I will definatly use mods and that, as long as people here make them, my SC4 is closer to CL because of the mods and that all made and downloaded from here.

[Alakazam 3]

For now, it looks pretty promising.

At least, I've got a whole lot more hope in this than SCS.

[6underground 11]

Oh, that is a sexy British City picture:

Ths game looks more and more promising. At the very least graphically

[Haljackey 17,302]

So far, it looks and feels much different than Simcity Societies.  There is obviously  a lot more texture detail shown in the two screenshots than the screenshots in SCS.

[patriots_1228 51]

i will definetely buy this game, it looks much more realistic than SCS. aka you can tell these pics were takin on earth......

[gadgetfreak84 0]

Very nice! There's not much to go on, but I'm certainly more excited about this than SCS. I hope they include some American-style buildings, in addition to the European ones.

[Spinmaster 75]

Eh I'm not sure one will necessarily be better than another, assuming CL stays true to "building cities" unlike SC:S. They appear to be going in two different directions now. CL's direction, however, definitely seems better for me. SC:S might be fun in its own way, and I might even try it, but to call it a "realistic city building simulation" almost makes me laugh... or hurl, not sure which.

The only thing I might be worried about, was he did mention "50% say it's too difficult." I pray they don't make the same mistake, imo, that EA made, and take away the "complexity" most long-time fans call "features" and enjoy, but instead simply add options to make it easier for some. For example, add options to let the game take care of some things for you if you want.... but that can be turned off, for the more hardcore players. In some cities, yes, the mayor is king and makes all the decisions. In most others, he's little more than a figurehead, with his subordinates handling most mundane management tasks. It's not unthinkable to provide a similar context in a city simulation, with advisers who optionally do things for you (instead of just yelling at you when you screw up), and it would solve the "too hard for some, too easy for others" syndrome of a good, realistic simulation that's also supposed to be a fun game. I wish EA had considered this. Well guess what I found in that hand? Hopefully CL can fill this void now.

Thank you, Dirk, for bringing CL into the discussion. And thank you, Philippe, for joining it.

I wonder... is it possible to push Simtropolis "up the tree" so-to-speak, to incorporate SC and CL? Maybe "Simtropolis" doesn't so much have to be about Sim City specifically (even if that is its roots), but simulating a metropolis ... using whichever game/tool suits you best, be it SC4, SC:S, City Life, ... or any other popular city builder i.e. with enough fans to contribute donations to the site to make it worth supporting, of course.

[villagemayor 0]

This is crazy!! Interviews about two totally different games in the same genre over a span of days!! Just by the graphics the game looks more smooth and real.

With regards to the comments about it being too British: OK, stop complaining. Its definitely a lot better than gingerbread houses candy cane street lights. Agree? And if Monte Cristo sold a World Edition (US) of City Life, then MC is trying to make everyone happy.

[NYM1980 3]

This is pretty impressive looking for a city building game. The first City Life I got bored with quick, but it looks like they are learning from their mistakes and making it better.  Im excited!

[Hanson784 165]

Great interview, Dirk. Thanks for posting it.

After reading it I'm excited to see more and my initial response is positive. The graphics are also very nice. I'm also signing up for that BAT team too.

I'm excitedly waiting for more.

[BarbulaM1 38]

The comments in his blog seem to sum up reactions towards SCS, as well as adding that he understands the frustration. Given that it is not called City Life, it seems like they are going to try and create a 3d game more similar to SC4 with aspects of the former City Life.

[Raxter 1]

I never played City Life, but rather I read up on it and previewed it. From what I'm seeing this game is a very nice improvement over City Life, which is more than can be said about SCS. If I only have 50 bucks this holiday season, SCS doesn't stand a chance.