SimCity: Gameplay

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

^ Do you know where we can watch the GDC event? I can't find any live streaming.

[tSlater 134]

Movie theatre butter per favore.

I'm not sure if there will be a stream, isn't it most for media companies to attend? They want to pass the info on themselves and be a middleman rather than have you get it directly.

  Edited March 6, 2012 by tSlater  

[whrm33 2]

I honestly think that we should try to contact Maxis about why it'd be a very good thing to allow custom content in SimCity. Though it probably won't work, it's worth trying. I can already come up with two reasons:

-Without custom content, SimCity 4 would've been dead 6 years ago.

a. Mods to customize the game and make it different from others made it very fun, and made it live longer. Without them, all of the cities would look the same as the others and the game would grow tiresome.

-Maxis and EA technically do save money and have the games lifetime expanded with Custom content.

a. Though this one may sound odd, it's true. All of this custom content has made SimCity 4 so much fun, and has made the community live for 9 years. The massive amount of custom content saves the people at EA and Maxis time and money. It would take a very long time to have the Maxis team make all of the buildings that have been made by the BAT'ers, and EA didn't have to pay a damn dime for all of the their time and hard work. That sounds like a very good deal.

How about we wait until EA says SC5 won't have CC, before doing that?

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

I honestly think that we should try to contact Maxis about why it'd be a very good thing to allow custom content in SimCity. Though it probably won't work, it's worth trying. I can already come up with two reasons:

-Without custom content, SimCity 4 would've been dead 6 years ago.

a. Mods to customize the game and make it different from others made it very fun, and made it live longer. Without them, all of the cities would look the same as the others and the game would grow tiresome.

-Maxis and EA technically do save money and have the games lifetime expanded with Custom content.

a. Though this one may sound odd, it's true. All of this custom content has made SimCity 4 so much fun, and has made the community live for 9 years. The massive amount of custom content saves the people at EA and Maxis time and money. It would take a very long time to have the Maxis team make all of the buildings that have been made by the BAT'ers, and EA didn't have to pay a damn dime for all of the their time and hard work. That sounds like a very good deal.

How about we wait until EA says SC5 won't have CC, before doing that?

What if they don't even mention CC at all?

[whrm33 2]

Then I guess we'd have to wait closer to release to know for sure if CC is allowed...

  Edited March 6, 2012 by whrm33  

[jacksunny 741]

^ Do you know where we can watch the GDC event? I can't find any live streaming.

There will be a live stream here.

[City Planner 121]

The way that I see it, while I'd like for SC5 to allow users to create custom content, it's really not a big deal. If they don't support CC in SC5, then worst case we play it for a short while, put it away and come back to SC4 with all of our beloved custom content.

It's really only EA cutting their own throat if they won't have user created content for SC5, they won't be able to still sell the game 10 years down the road like they've been able to do with SC4. Hell, I still see SC4 on physical store shelves, that's pretty unheard of for a 8 to 10 year old game.

But nobody needs get worked up over it at this time, afterall, EA hasn't even said that they're working on a Simcity 5 and we won't see a post about what they've said at the GDC until tomorrow night anyway, so let's sheath our weapons, blow out the torches and put away the pitchforks (for now). lol

  Edited March 6, 2012 by City Planner  

[RipRap 4,400]

Well, I have my fingers crossed D:

[swimasb 0]

^ Do you know where we can watch the GDC event? I can't find any live streaming.

I believe that this page will have a live-stream too. Since it's straight from EA, it might be better than IGN's stream.

http://www.ea.com/1/gamechangers

[Shadow Assassin 336]

Just a note about live-streaming: IGN holds the rights to live-streaming all GDC conferences. This generally means that all GDC content will be on IGN's servers, at the link that jacksunny gave a few posts up.

[Jazzmaster 716]

The SC5 video on the front page got blocked on YouTube by EA...if that was their content then we know for sure that those were drafts from their upcoming game and not just fan-made...interesting...

[warrior 169]

What time does it start? I'm in GMT and I have a feeling it's at about 1am or something?

[mapboy 106]

I think its 2am GMT.

[KeanoManu 42]

Multiplayer has been expanded for SimCity. You and your regional friends can trade resources via land, sea and air, hopefully resulting in collaboration between partners to build more effeciently. Online play also means there leaderboards, where you can see how you rank in fields like finance or production.

What's currently unclear is how the price of raw materials are determined. The article in GameStar alludes that prices in single-player are affected by what goes on in the online world. However, they don't get too specific about whether it's affected by a player-based economy or by actual, real-world events.

This part scares me a little bit.

Please don't go down the CXL route on this one. It's okay as long as EVERYTHING is possible in single player too (regional gameplay, trade) but if they want to force is into multiplayer by removing features like that, which was exactly what MonteCristo did with Cities XL, then i'll think the game will be a lackluster, just like CXL. Hopefully they've learned that lesson, but we can't be sure until they confirm it.

[Asheroo 53]

Hey KeanoManu (aka. Anti-PO)!

I'm quite sure that the multiplayer component in the next Sim City certainly will be no repeat of CXL's Planet Offer. EA/Maxis are a much more larger and more capable studio than Monte Cristo were and understand the real city building community better (as opposed to MC's original focus also being on the MMO building community).

And yes guys, I have started lurking these forums and may post here and there (I've been over at XL Nation with CXL stuff, but with the recent news of SC have come back here - may I say, it has been a massive surprise for me).

  Edited March 6, 2012 by Asheroo  

[CWLGAMER01 39]

I honestly think that we should try to contact Maxis about why it'd be a very good thing to allow custom content in SimCity. Though it probably won't work, it's worth trying. I can already come up with two reasons:

-Without custom content, SimCity 4 would've been dead 6 years ago.

a. Mods to customize the game and make it different from others made it very fun, and made it live longer. Without them, all of the cities would look the same as the others and the game would grow tiresome.

-Maxis and EA technically do save money and have the games lifetime expanded with Custom content.

a. Though this one may sound odd, it's true. All of this custom content has made SimCity 4 so much fun, and has made the community live for 9 years. The massive amount of custom content saves the people at EA and Maxis time and money. It would take a very long time to have the Maxis team make all of the buildings that have been made by the BAT'ers, and EA didn't have to pay a damn dime for all of the their time and hard work. That sounds like a very good deal.

How about we wait until EA says SC5 won't have CC, before doing that?

What if they don't even mention CC at all?

Let’s not forget that EA is a for profit business. For profit businesses are responsible to shareholders and stakeholders to make money. Bottom line. The game always has to be valuable enough to the publisher to get a return on investment; otherwise they will not make the game. The going trend now is to make an IP last as long as you can. This saves the publishers a lot of money and helps defray some development cost in the long term. As much as gamers "hate" EA... one thing is for certain. EA knows thier business and the industry.

EA understands completely the desire and need of the community and brand to allow custom content. I will be very surprised if they do not announce, “at some point in the future”, a SimCity shop with this addition that will showcase new user created content. I think it is premature to look at what has been leaked and assume they are not looking at user created content as a way to drive sales of the game. We have had the ability to create content from SimCity since 1993 when SimCity 2000 was released. In fact, I am 100% certain – looking back that you could have “probably” made user content for SimCity…. Had players really known what to do and had the tools to do it.

The video game industry has come full circle and you will see the tail end of this generation into next – user content will play a large role in the life of games (not to imply it already doesn't). Especially as development cost keeps rising. Look at it from the prospective, Maxis is giving us an engine to create the content we want.

Is this helpful?

- Self Proclaimed Video Game Industry Expert.... :-)

  Edited March 6, 2012 by CWLGAMER01  

[brynhyfryd 222]

OMG, GMT time is 2AM. Its going to be a long night.

Countdown timer here :-http://www.ea.com/1/gamechangers

Live stream here :- http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/121/1219897p1.html

Nice to see you again Ash. I so much enjoyed reading your posts on the old cities unlimited forum.

[SimEMS38 246]

I don't think I've been this psyched for a game since I laid eyes on the Sim City for the SNES console way back in 1992! When I bought SC4 in 2003, it was installed on a Dell laptop with a 5 GB HDD, 64 MB of RAM and a 32 MB video card. Fast forward 8 or so years, SC4 now runs like a champ for me but I feel this possible "SC5" will give me a valid excuse to the missus to "upgrade"!

With that being said, I believe this game will be much more then what has been leaked. With no doubt in my mind, EA & Maxis employees have been lurking here at Simtropolis since its birth and that with the complete and utter failure of Societies by devoted SC fans, this new SC is the end product of hard lesson learned....hopefully. I think we're gonna be in for a nice surprise later today when this thing goes official.

Everyone including those at EA and Maxis know all too well that they will have to make custom content a cornerstone to the game. Every PC based SC (except for the origonal) that came out had some form of BAT or lot editor. I have a sneaky feeling that a lot of our wishes will be answered as well as a few surprises. I'm sure that some things still can't be done even with today's technology, at least without seriously compromising gameplay. I just hope they find a happy medium between cartoony and realism which is the number one reason I didn't buy Societies.

Time will tell!

[Rokugatsu 126]

So what time will it start in GMT+1 (Paris/Amsterdam/Warsaw)? 3AM?

Or better, for how many hours will it start?

Also, Im so hyped for this game. I've been waiting for SC5 for so many years...

I really hope it will be Sim City 5, not Sim City Societies 2...

  Edited March 6, 2012 by Rokugatsu  

[GrimJr987 15]

I know you guys are worried as hell, but EA have acknowledged that SCS sucked ass.

They know full well, that we are watching them like Hawks, however i wouldn't expect this game to get a lot of support from EA themselves, Maxis will no doubt support it, but EA is trying to win over fans that cannot be won over (The CoD Fans and some of BF3's Fanbase)

[2farnorth 26]

2AM?!?!

I'n not THAT devoted to simcity to get up at that time!!

A painfully long night lies ahead.

[warrior 169]

Hopefully they will they will have learnt that custom content is the key to selling for a long time. SC4 almost got it right, not too complex and not too easy, so you get lots of good quality content, more than one game studio could ever create. Though it did tend to the complex side.

Multiplayer presents a problem though. If there's multiplayer hopefully theres the ability to only install approved content (while single player you can install anything), preferably with the approving process being community led rather than EA led.

Looking forward to 2am

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

I just heard a rumor that they aren't going to be announcing SimCity 5. They're actually going to announce SimAnt 2, the game we've really all been waiting for.

[Altus 111]

Sounds like a rumour possibly sent out by EA to piss us off right before they announce the actual game, SC5.

[CWLGAMER01 39]

I just heard a rumor that they aren't going to be announcing SimCity 5. They're actually going to announce SimAnt 2, the game we've really all been waiting for.

NO NO -- It is actually SimAnt I-2 .... similar to Final Fantasy X-2... only your Queen ant is now the main character who is searching for your character - but you are now in the nether world in some time wrap..... All other characters you play are female also.....

[brynhyfryd 222]

I just found this http://www.ea.com/simcity-deluxe-kindle-fire

Im fearing the worst and am a little annoyed right now.

[jabezscratch 159]

I just found this http://www.ea.com/simcity-deluxe-kindle-fire

Im fearing the worst and am a little annoyed right now.

I saw that too but I don't think that relates to the big announcement. That has been up for a few days (I think).

[Altus 111]

I wouldn't worry about that, just wait for the announcement.

[SimEMS38 246]

OK so what would SC4 for the Kindle Fire cause you to fear the worst and become "a little annoyed" right now? Also what relevancy does this have to do with SC5??? Just relax, a whole boat load of gadgets and devices have some form of SC made for it. I mean really, in a few long hours our biggest dreams or worst fears are going to present themselves. I'm feel good in thinking that it'll be more of our dreams and less of our nightmares this time around!

[brynhyfryd 222]

I just found this http://www.ea.com/simcity-deluxe-kindle-fire

Im fearing the worst and am a little annoyed right now.

I saw that too but I don't think that relates to the big announcement. That has been up for a few days (I think).

I hope so.

I am just really on edge at the moment. I am so looking forward to a new simcity.