Sim City Storm Clouds

[lobsterav 91]

Storm Clouds:

Today I was playing, and I went to region mode. There were a few planes flying around and a few scattered clouds here and there. Then suddenly out of the east I noticed what looked like a coldfront. There was a huge mass of clouds that I've never seen before. It became so massive at one point it completely blocked the region out. After about five minutes the last of the clouds vanished and everything retured back to normal.... Okay. what the heck was this about. Does anyone know? here are some pictures I snapped of the event.

Here it comes!

If anyone knows what this is or why it happened please let me know so that I don't freak out again. Thanks!

[emperordaniel 1,281]

I think that that's Maxis' take on "storm clouds" as you put it, though I could be wrong.

[CaptCity 4,753]

I don't know if it was by design, but it happens when you focus the computer on something else while the game is running in region view. It's been my experience that the longer the focus is away from the game, the larger the cloud bank. For what it's worth...

[CheshireDragon 13]

Wow, either it is a good Photoshop/GIMP edit ....or real. I have been playing SC4(and then later DE) I have NEVER seen this and I play with ALL the GFX on MAX/HIGH. Of course I never really left it on the region view for longer than a min or two.

[CoastRunner 24]

Yeah based on what's happened to me, if you just sit there not moving anything you can actually watch the clouds roll in and begin to cover the screen. Of course, I haven't seen it recently since I've turned clouds/fog off to help with frame rate, but typically that's what happens. I freaked out the first time too.

  Edited December 19, 2011 by nickie  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I've played for many years and I have never seen that happen. Of course I never just let the game sit idle and run something else on windows. On Linux, the game is not aware that you've changed desktops so it doesn't lose focus. I also normally run with clouds and waves off because they are, frankly, just a nuisance.

[Mootilda 76]

I've seen this before, but I just found it annoying, since you can't really see anything until the clouds pass.

[Dizastrow 4]

Yes, when I leave the game in region view, and go and check my email or something, when I return there is extensive cloud cover. Good idea to shut it off.

[Cobraroll 138]

I know what it is! There was a thread on it some time ago.

Basically, the clouds in the region view are all "spawned" on the left side of the screen, outside the boundaries of view, and then moved nicely across the screen, "despawning" on the other end. However, sometimes clouds are spawned without being moved (say, when you close the region window and let SimCity run in the background), and when the game opens again, all the generated clouds move across the screen in their designated pattern. The "storm front" is just an unusual amount of ordinary clouds.

[emperordaniel 1,281]

I love it whenever I unintentionally trigger that (it's only happened once to me)

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I love it whenever I unintentionally trigger that (it's only happened once to me)

OK, let me give it a try. Running on an alternate desktop now. I just have to turn on the clouds. Just took focus away on the other desktop by opening a console.

Later: Y'know, it doesn't happen on Linux. The game is not suspended when you grab focus away from it on Linux desktops. I guess there is a problem with windows being, as usual, selfishly programmed.

[Alejandro24 575]

I've never seen that stormfront, including I leaved the computer with the game in region view for about 2 hours.

Interesting, but I'll not wait for that.

[CaptCity 4,753]

I've never seen that stormfront, including I leaved the computer with the game in region view for about 2 hours.

Interesting, but I'll not wait for that.

You do need to have clouds turned on. Also, in my experience the game needs to be minimized, or at least in the background. Simply leaving the game run in region view doesn't do it for me, anyway.

[Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ 273]

I'm pretty sure while I was searching iLives Reader the other day that I found a "Storm Clouds" exemplar. Maybe this is it, I don't know.

[cjwillis96 318]

yea that's happen to me before .