What about transportation infrastructure?

[Random_82 3]

From all the SCS screenshots I've seen so far, all I have seen is the same boring road/street surface.

This game seems to have the same amount of variety or less concerning transportation infrastructure as did Simcity 2000 (which, don't get me wrong, was a great game), but first of all that was the early-mid 90's, and second, although available in the game, buses, trains, boats and planes really had no qualitative effect on a given city. 

Now, based on the screenshots, I am deeply concerned: Show me one measly bus, one stretch of railroad track, one bit of elevated traintrack, an airport, a boat on the water, heck even a futuristic pneumatic tube conveyance system for peetsake.  Even a screenshot of a road running diagonally would tide me over for awhile.  just a small sign of sophistication and appreciation for realistic city simulation is all I ask, I'm worried guys

No matter what all the buildings look like and what they do, that's secondary to me.  If what they've been showing, this dull, squarish Simcity2000esque road is all there is, if that's all they got, then this game is gonna suck.  Furthermore, if in fact thats all there is as far as transportation infrastructure, that will be very disappointing because it will show that these Tilted Mill folks (who've been subcontracted by EA to make this game instead of the time honored and proven in-house team Maxis), really didn't take the time to understand what Simcity is all about and what people who play it want.  This game is obviously geared toward the "Sims" crowd (The Sims being the product that EA was really buying when they aquired Maxis, not Simcity), and not toward anybody whose ever had the attention span required to play more than a half hour of SC4.  Buncha dupes

Hey I'm not bitter nor vindictive, I just want to build a mass transit system in my SCS city, that's all

[Robstersfive 0]

Yeah i see your point, I suspect there still working on rail system, highways and airports, we know buses and subways do exist now. 

however I really don't believe it will have all the extra transport from rush hour because that was kinda exclusive to simcity 4 in a way. mayb in further mods and addons but on release very doubtful.

as long as it has all the main parts of transport i won't be to bothered, think what people have to understand is what do you do with a franchise this old? the maxis team and will wright wanna do new things such as spores which to me looks way better than all simcity games and sim games, I rather see new creactions.

as for simcity sadly best can do just start again with it unless just let it end? I think just changing times anyway if this game does badly i suspect will correct it but then makes me think probably shoulda left it at 4 if really was no where else to go with it.

[Spinmaster 75]

Crucial: more than one type of surface road; highway; rail. Without, I wouldn't even waste my time with it. I'm speaking solely for myself here, I just wouldn't even give it a look without rails or highways, or with only one type of "street" ... and no, asphalt vs. brick vs. candy-cane light poles isn't what I mean. I really wish they'd come clean about it if they're doing these items. I speak only for myself as to whether or not I'd "waste my time" but I'm pretty sure a LOT of folks are eagerly curious at least, about whether or not there will BE rails and/or highways.

Can live without ... for now.. but would be nice: airport, elevated <something> (rail/monorail/turbo teacups/whatever), seaport/ferry/water taxi. Same here, would be nice if they'd at least say "yes" or "maybe not at first but available" or "the fans can make these themselves if they want" or... something. By being silent about the transportation options, I'm forced to believe there simply won't be many. Am I wrong? Good - then PLEASE say some things on this subject, TM!!!!

Moot: "Oooooo... what are my people building there where I zoned and placed a new recipe of amenities? Ahhhh.... nice!" (aka zoning, and for better or worse letting my people decide what kind of residential, commercial, or industrial building belongs where based on what I've given them). Eh well. This is still the missing part that has me believing "not until it's in the bargain bin, for me" regardless of the above. 

[Albatross Domain 2]

The thing I worry about the new version of SC, is the simple fact we are facing is:how much extra are we going to have to pay, just to have "a diagonal road"? Even if the game comes out swinging at $40 or $50... do I really want to shell out another $30 or $40, for a "few" extras? .. ala the entire "SIMs series", for the same price as some of the SIMs editions, you can now buy the SIMs Complete Series, which is kinda harsh considering, a 'new' SIMs add-on comes out almost as soon as you buy the next one. Sounds a bit Capitalistic to me.

We'll find out for sure in October...

Combined double post. ~ VT

[Robstersfive 0]

yeah i loved the sims until the addon idea became outta hand, sims2 disapointed me more though because least number 1 had a reason to keep adding to it as 2 should have had everything sims 1 had not the same bloody addons again, or least just 1 big addon similar to sc4

[rctshack 182]

Yah, a lot of Sims fans are upset about the the Sims 2 haveing the exact same expansions, instead of having those in the initial game and then adding more.

Truthfully SC:S is going too far backwards and if they are truely going to go backwards... so should the price, so unless societies is like $19.99, it isn't worth it to me. It lacks what I call "Fun" and "Realism"... EA and TM may not understand what those words mean...

And really... I understand looking back at the original sim city to help out with the new game.... but really... taking away alllll the new features we grew to love? Really?

[Robstersfive 0]

im glad to hear sim fans are annoyed with same addons, i stop loving the sims when number 2 came out was such a piss take really. 

anyway to be honest I think the days of maxis and sim games are long gone and we should all just move on really the EA Empire is here now

we should just all play simcity 2000 again and get our kids to as well. Before the dark times before the EA empire...your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough it what known as a real computer game

[John-SJ 13]

So, Robertsfive,  you see no value or potential from Spore at all?  I mention Spore because it is a Maxis/Will Wright game.  Sorry to hear that you have written it off already.

[Robstersfive 0]

Originally posted by: John-SJ So, Robertsfive,  you see no value or potential from Spore at all?  I mention Spore because it is a Maxis/Will Wright game.  Sorry to hear that you have written it off already.quote>

 

HUH!!!!!!!! Spore is one game i can not wait for!! what hell are you on about? that game will beat them all! my last post was a quote from star wars i was joking and i didn't even mention spores?

SPORES GONNA ROCK!!!! can't believe you said that to me of all people lol!!!!!

[John-SJ 13]

Originally posted by: Robstersfive anyway to be honest I think the days of maxis and sim games are long gone and we should all just move on really the EA Empire is here now

quote>

 

I guess I'm not the Star Wars fan I thought I was, because for the life of me I can't remember this line in any of the movies.

[rctshack 182]

He meant sims and sim city... and if Will abandoned both those lines, we will get a great game called spore... and then Spore 2 will come out a few years later and will be the dumbest thing ever. Maybe 10 expansion packs will be released for spore... something like Spore/H&M expansion. Where all the creations can evolve cute outfits from H&M.... it's gonna happen... watch... i just jinxed it.

[japamala 0]

Originally posted by: John-SJ

Originally posted by: Robstersfive anyway to be honest I think the days of maxis and sim games are long gone and we should all just move on really the EA Empire is here now

quote>

 

I guess I'm not the Star Wars fan I thought I was, because for the life of me I can't remember this line in any of the movies.quote>

that's in the new hope, when luke get's his light-saber

[Gridlock 9]

I can see you all now crying blasphema , but i for one prolly wont enjoy spore .

1 , Its a bit to futuristic for my taste

2, I dont like controling bugs

3, I have no desire to play with slime .

 Back to topic , i dont think SCS needs a dedicated transport infastructure , its not that kind of game .Ok maybe subways for across town journeys , but i dont think transport plays as important a role in SCS as it did in SC4.

[rctshack 182]

Originally posted by: Gridlock i dont think SCS needs a dedicated transport infastructure , its not that kind of game .Ok maybe subways for across town journeys , but i dont think transport plays as important a role in SCS as it did in SC4.quote>

What city does transport not play a major role? This game shouldn't be solely based on one road type and the invisable busses and subways that they keep taling about. Jeff Fiske (the lead programmer guy) told us that with this game you can create and city you want... but with one road type and maybe a subway, this seems impossible. Cities around the world can be shaped by their transport structure. Europe has a lot of mass transit and rail service, whereas the United states uses a lot of roads and air travel for intercity traveling. Inside the city you have busses, light rail, highways, avenues, pedestrain walkways, subways, commuter rails, taxis, and so much more... and it's funny that on the last game they realized that fans wanted transport options so bad that they based a whole expansion around just that. It's a very important part of cities. The real issue here is that they didn't want to spend extra time/work on making other transportation methods. God knows a highway would make people way too confused and may not want to work at trying to build a great city. Maybe we can just have the city grow on its own... no need to plop anything, you can just sit back and watch... or we could put a gun in the game and make it a shoot-em-up game... that sounds like it could have mass market appeal... perfect. (That last part was not intended towards you Gridlock, it was geared towards EA)

Originally posted by: Gridlock I can see you all now crying blasphema , but i for one prolly wont enjoy spore .

1 , Its a bit to futuristic for my taste

2, I dont like controling bugs

3, I have no desire to play with slime .quote>

I see where you are going. Most of his work in the past has been with real life type game, REAL cities, real people, and so on, this was a slight shock to me when I fist heard about it. On that note though, I am really excited for this game, I think it's the ONLY breathe of fresh air in the gaming world. It's also very intriguing the way it works, and you only play a cell/bug in the very beggining, after that it looks mighty interesting. Way more than Societies... god.

[AspieGamer13 11]

After reading the above posts, I have my own 2 cents to add...

I'm a road geek and I love coming up with interesting road designs in SC4...

I'm having a gut feeling that this is going to bomb with a big portion of the SC community (moreso the road geeks)...

IMO the biggest upgrade/save for SCS (or, if it bombs and they go for a traditional approach, SC5) would be (at minimum) roads of all kinds at 0/45/90/etc degree angles that can expand towards the building (which, either plopable or zonable to a much tighter grid system) wouldn't destroy the building/lot until the expansion crossed the building (which wouldn't happen very quickly due to minimum distance from front of zone type of deal if zonable or wherever the building is plopped)

also, either way (SCS/SC5) a much greater train (one track + options) AND highway (don't even get me started on what THIS should be) system... oh... and one-lane (which would be, duh, one-way) roads...

even sidewalk and parking lot control...

a tighter grid system is probably the best way... one that also rotates (at least to 45 degree angles) to allow easier grid placement for diagonals...

maybe the cars are just shy of 2 grids in size...

however they go, TRANSIT NETWORKS ARE A HUGE PART and, as such, should be a more centered theme in any future SimCity

....I just don't see Societies fulfilling the transit needs... BUT only time will tell...

[JSNK000 1]

I agree. This is the #1 thing that completely killed City Life for me. No elevated highways,no interchanges,no rail. Just killed it dead. I paid $30 for that game and I've played it for maybe 3 hours. No matter what it CAN do it's what it can't that ruins it. he editor and all of those 'tools' are just junk.

You would think we'd have shots of highways and whatnot by now. I'm so disgusted with City Life and so uninspired by SC:S that I reinstalled Sc4 and spent hours searching 4 or 5 sites redownloading all of my old favorite bats,mods and lots. It was a tedius process and I know I'll never reaquire everything I had when I got rid of everything back in Feb. but I can't not have a city builder to play and right now there are just no other reasonable options and based greatly on this road debacle it looks like SC:s won't be changing anything anytime soon.

[Jazzmaster 716]

Yes, I believe the transportation infastructure was a huge part of SC4, and still is. I mean, just look at the NAM! I'm a little relieved to hear they're working on it a little more, I originally thought we'd be stuck with those 2 lane roads and candy-cane streetlights.

[Gridlock 9]

Im collecting a few clues here and there , and maybe some of my worst fears regarding the hole transport issue of SCs appear to maybe be true , Soon as i heard TM was making Sim city my first reaction was , how can they , they dont know how. My first visit to the tm site confirmed this several months ago , it looks very probably , most commuting will be done by foot , TM have walkers ,instead of pathfinding if a walker passes a building that building gets service , vice versa walkers from an industrial unit , should they pass residential homes , the unit will get service . It reduces commute distances traveled in sc4 considerably , so in theory the random walker from the market passes the homes and the homes get food, its a very shrude way of doing things , but it does work to some degree in a roman city game like caesar. So you plop something it produces walkers that serve the building s the walker passes on its random journey , the walker then returns to the start piont and heads in a differant direction , this can result in the over plopping of a building to ensure the effected building dont devolve due to lack of service. SCS regardless of the tales of being simpler ,SCS has been produced within the parameters of what TM can make happen.They cant ,its not that they wont , but they dont have the ability to produce the transport network that one would expect from the fifth edition of the sim city series. I then presume Ea are trying to get this game made on the cheap , to increase profits from the franchise even more. So its looks like all the transport you will be needing in SCS is a good pair of sneakers.Walkers , dont get on buses , travel to the trainstation , then head out of town to work ,only in tm wildest dreams. Ive also seen walkers get stuck aswell within tm games , to cure this you must demolish the effected building , to destroy the walkers.

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

To me it seems SCS is geared more towards social structure, not city infrastructure. It strikes me as a spinoff of Sim City, not a sequel. Maybe it's best to view it as a whole new game with SC flavor. I'm still looking down the road for a new Sim City. But truthfully, with all the modders in this community, Sim City 4 seems to be an ever evolving game anyway. Everytime I look in the city journals, I see a new sim city as I discover new things to play with.

It's not Maxis, or EA that owns this game anymore...It's this community. I cannot go back to vanilla SC4.

For me, SC4 Rush hour will never die as long as this community keep up the good work!

[_MostlyHarmless 17]

I really hoped that the next gen simcity would develop the transportation aspect much more, sad to find the complete opposite so far.

[The_sanderson 6]

Hmmm...Add intersections.They are very pretty and cool.+ this in societies.

[The_Dalai_Llama 15]

I think the lack of transportation features is really turning us away from SCS more than anything else, not so much the social aspects or the simpler gameplay. Other than the buildings themselves and the fauna, roads and rails stand out the most from a visual aspect, and a SimCity without many transportation options is bland and boring.

[rct3twins 14]

Did you see the new shots? I saw a subway station!

[toddwhit 0]

what is up with STOP signs at 4-lane roads!?!?! I cant even get a traffic signal?!? NO FUN

[J-Dub 6]

Yeah there is, but on a different block. The TRAFFIC LIGHTS are New York City style.

[Bluebeard 0]

These threads are a bang to read seeing how the hardcore SC players are missing the point of this new SC.

    The point is we are not invited to the party it's geared towards the younger crowd that can reach into there parents pocket anytime for $$$.

    As to the Sims players getting upset well I really doubt it seeing they keep making 1 expansion after another which means someone must be buying the expansions.

    Bottom line  this is the hand that SC got dealt so we either accept it or fold.

[crazyyaya 4]

Originally posted by: Bluebeard 

    Bottom line  this is the hand that SC got dealt so we either accept it or fold.quote>

 

I fold.

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Meh, there's always Cities Unlimited. Or Urbs Urbis. We'll see.

They did say that SCS might be moddable--maybe some ST-ish people could tinker with it a little and produce MORE THAN ONE ROAD

All we really have is undivided avenues. That doesn't work.

For now I'm stalling. Leaning towards fold.

[Asuran 0]

Yeah I agree. If simcity societies has less transportations than rush hour then I will be really disappointed.

[akinkhoo 0]

they should just hire the NAM people to make the transportation network.