SimCity: Gameplay

[Rokugatsu 126]

Small screenshot from the video about SC5. Is it from the game? Or just tool for making buildings? Anyway, this is how more or less it's gonna looks like I guess

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg834/scaled.php?server=834&filename=sc5g.jpg&res=medium

[Altus 111]

Small screenshot from the video about SC5. Is it from the game? Or just tool for making buildings? Anyway, this is how more or less it's gonna looks like I guess

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg834/scaled.php?server=834&filename=sc5g.jpg&res=medium

Looks like both to me, in fact the screen on the right looks similar to BAT...

[Chris_12 1]

A message on simcity's twitter says: Maxis Dev team on Reddit 3/7 from 12 - 3 PM to answer your questions on SimCity and the revolutionary GlassBox engine!

https://twitter.com/#!/simcity

  Edited March 7, 2012 by Chris_12  

[Dublin Northsider 2]

So where is the catch ?

I read it will support modding. I read it supports multiplayer as well as offline solo player mode. I read it is not supposed to be a fancy basic game for beginners but a complex city building simulation. I hear regional interaction will be much more intense so you can even have a "university city", a "power city", a "bluecollar city" etc. I hear all citizens have a dedicated job somewhere so you can track them and they come to you with petitions. I read there is a German/French/UK styly architecture available separately. I hear so much good stuff so where is the catch with this ?

Typically as soon a new game is announced I have high hopes and the more details, screenshots, comments etc I hear/see the more disappointed I am. But here with each article I read I get more and more exited. The only drawback so far is that I still have to wait a year.

[waybig 35]

A message on simcity's twitter says: Maxis Dev team on Reddit 3/7 from 12 - 3 PM to answer your questions on SimCity and the revolutionary GlassBox engine!

https://twitter.com/#!/simcity

They updated it to say 3/8, which makes more sense seeing as they didn't even post the announcement until 2:30pm PST

[filss 2]

Hey !

The game announcement (21:30) :

http://fr.twitch.tv/ignlive/b/310865251

  Edited March 7, 2012 by filss  

[hamsterTK 93]

but my core i3 laptop with integrated graphics could actually play SC5? If so, that's a pleasant surprise.

No, unfortunately 4100 series or above means you need an Ivy Bridge generation Core i5 or better. On the bright side in 18 months when the game actually comes out you could probably buy a budget laptop with those specs.

Looks like both to me, in fact the screen on the right looks similar to BAT...

It could be any professional 3D modeling program like Max, with the artist having configured the UI to look they way they like it.

  Edited March 8, 2012 by hamsterTK  

[whrm33 2]

A message on simcity's twitter says: Maxis Dev team on Reddit 3/7 from 12 - 3 PM to answer your questions on SimCity and the revolutionary GlassBox engine!

https://twitter.com/#!/simcity

They updated it to say 3/8, which makes more sense seeing as they didn't even post the announcement until 2:30pm PST

Heh, reminds me of the live chats Maxis had in the Sims 1/Sims 2 days.

[BravoGreenONE 120]

but my core i3 laptop with integrated graphics could actually play SC5? If so, that's a pleasant surprise.

No, unfortunately 4100 series or above means you need an Ivy Bridge generation Core i5 or better. On the bright side in 18 months when the game actually comes out you could probably buy a budget laptop with those specs.

Looks like both to me, in fact the screen on the right looks similar to BAT...

It could be any professional 3D modeling program like Max, with the artist having configured the UI to look they way they like it.

Well ive got a beast of a portable gaming device (I dont call it a laptop because it is 27 plus lbs) that pushes an i7 950 3.07, 12 gigs ram with a 480m 2 gb card of gddr5 memory built by sager with about two years warranty left. only about a year old, but ive been nuetered by the fiance and gaming has been shortlisted for me. I paid about 3k, just wondering what kind of offer is out there.

I do plan on playing simcity5 but on my desktop while she's away on buisiness.

[Asheroo 53]

Just watched the videos posted on the Simtropolis news feed -

Zoning is confirmed! Pretty much like in SC4. Terraforming also confirmed as well as placing groups of trees, just like in SC4. The engine simulation seems realistic and complex which is great. And so far, it's still far from final graphics but it looks pretty good to me so far, will probably like much better as time goes by. Remember that Maxis haven't released any official media on what the game properly looks like, all we are seeing are EARLY LEAKS.

Anyway, lets keep waiting, we've got a full year to go. No one should make any conclusions yet.

  Edited March 8, 2012 by Asheroo  

[Charlie_Zane 963]

All these new videos look very nice! Can't wait for more information about simcity '5'!

[nashville nelson 51]

MAXIS is doing a "Ask me Anything" on reddit! Don´t know if this is legit but here is the link:

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/qmi0w/iama_maxis_development_team_on_simcity_amaa/

Hi we are the development team from Maxis. As you know, we announced the new SimCity game at GDC this week. We haven’t revealed all the details yet but we have shown off our new GlassBox engine. We’ll be answering your questions on Glass Box and SimCity on Thursday 3/8 from 12:00 - 3:00 PM PST. It’s still early days and there may be things we can’t talk about yet. But we will talk about as much as we can!

Our website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Kip Katsarelis = Lead Producer

Ocean Quigley = Creative Director

Dan Moskowitz = Senior Software Engineer

EDIT: Sorry, just saw it was mentioned before, im a little hyped

  Edited March 8, 2012 by nashville nelson  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Shhh! The design team is thinking.

[The_City_Builder 299]

This game will have proper zoning right? I got really bored with the plop-ness of SimCity Societies...

I did see zoning in the "Inside the Glassbox" series, but It looked very, very simple (even for it's early stage) and I just wanted to be sure...

Also, the graphics are scaring me. Even if it is a prototype they look way to enlarged and not miniturized at all.

  Edited March 8, 2012 by 1701adguru  

[KeanoManu 42]

The fact that they used zooning to illustrate in their presentation should be proof enough that zooning is on the list of features they plan to add.

I think it's good that the scaling are enlarged. Single-family homes in SC4 seemed way too small, but still way too large if you compared them to commercial skyscrapers.

[Superstar 69]

Wow, been a while since I posted here. Obviously I couldn't not drop by after hearing the news about Simcity.

Exciting to hear that a new Simcity is under way. It was only my biggest dream back in 2004-2005.

Who would believe after all these years it is actually coming!

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Dear Maxis

As you can see this thread now has nearly 15,000 views... in just over one week.

I think that it is safe to conclude that there is some interest in your new project.

Regards

The Simtropolis Fans

[Kube8 1]

I had all but given up hope that a new legit Simcity would be created BY MAXIS and ! I'd pop online to search for any news for years and years...My heart nearly stopped! I feel like I'm 8 years old right now i'm so exited! Please be good, please be good, please be good... O.M.G. YES!!!!

^{Edited profanity and ALL CAPS - /C}

[+Guest tickleonthetummy]

Small screenshot from the video about SC5. Is it from the game? Or just tool for making buildings? Anyway, this is how more or less it's gonna looks like I guess

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg834/scaled.php?server=834&filename=sc5g.jpg&res=medium

What video would this be? Any links?

[Simlock 3]

So where is the catch ?

I read it will support modding. I read it supports multiplayer as well as offline solo player mode. I read it is not supposed to be a fancy basic game for beginners but a complex city building simulation. I hear regional interaction will be much more intense so you can even have a "university city", a "power city", a "bluecollar city" etc. I hear all citizens have a dedicated job somewhere so you can track them and they come to you with petitions. I read there is a German/French/UK styly architecture available separately. I hear so much good stuff so where is the catch with this ?

Typically as soon a new game is announced I have high hopes and the more details, screenshots, comments etc I hear/see the more disappointed I am. But here with each article I read I get more and more exited. The only drawback so far is that I still have to wait a year.

I think the 'catch' is that soloplayer will not truly be solo player, Ocean Quigly said something about 'sharing resources'or something??

I'm afraid it will focus too much on micro-level simulation, also because citysizes will be 2KM max. How can you build a megapolis on a 2x2KM square?

The environmental issue is my biggest fear though, Too much emphasis on polution and limited resources. And 'working together?? Come on!

Sounds like they want to enforce some dumb environmental message on us that will limit the game's potential.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

^ Have faith. You can bet these guys are reading this forum. What I wonder about is that since the game will be strictly on-line, how much does the initial license fee cover and what will the maintenance fee be?

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Megalopolises are multiple cities and the preview demo videos show that adjacent cities are rendered at low resolution and have a simulation (dependent on the simulation of your active city) running. This means that you can indeed have a Megalopolis. About the environmental bent, I think that the way Ocean described it is better than Anno 2070 (having an Eco friendly satisfaction rival to an obviously corrupt looking energy monopoly where the Ecos love a good spa climate and will hate you for smog) because SimCity will have realistic pollution. You can go ahead an build a factory town with a coal power plant next to your residential town but the pollution will spread. So you can purposely (or negligently) build a crapsack world with realistic conditions. I doubt that a global Eco Balance (think climate change and disasters for all players) will come into play.

My biggest concern is the aforementioned pollution leak. In Anno 2070, you can build a factory island with a -100 Eco balance next to a farming and Eco residential island with +100 Eco balance without no seeping (and clouds of smog, gleaming sun rays, and healthy rain only extending to the immediate shoreline. In SimCity 4, you can have a high density ghetto with 1 hospital, full police coverage, and some local branch libraries next to a dirty factory town connected with rail and you get high tax dollars and satisfaction levels for both. You could even have a medium-low density upper-middle class town on the other side with water pumps in the corner surrounded by forests and parks (open grass areas with god mode trees) providing perfect water for your entire region. This will no longer be possible. I hope that only a fraction of the pollution seeps through so that a wealthy uptown can be 2 city tiles (2-4 km) away from the industrial wasteland (which is impissuable in Cities XL, you could have your wealthy residential area 9 km away from your factories with progressively poorer districts and cleaner industries (so large heavy industry to small manufacturing industry) with 4 km of parks between and you will have trouble getting many executives.

About resources: they are maps. Your city will eventually run out but neighbors cannot steal. The prices of the commodities, however, will be affected by market conditions (supply, demand, prices of agreement, and base value). Certain resources are depletable but renewable (water from rain for instance) and I hope that alternatives to fossil fuels will be possible (charcoal burning in coal power plants, biofuel running cars, bio polymer in consumer goods, methane being able to be produced at garbage dumps, sewage treatment plants, farms, and algae tanks) once our mines and wells run dry.

  Edited March 10, 2012 by OcramSeattle  

[semo 14]

I'm SO excited about this! Like others, I thought we'd never get another real Sim City game (I quickly got bored with SC:Societies). Everything I read about this new game makes me more and more excited. I like the option for online gameplay (as long as I could still get a full solo game experience, if that's what I wanted).

[Samuel Lavoie 5]

Watched and rewatched the trailers. Can't wait to get to 2013 for this game! finally a decent next SimCity with great simulator and modern graphics

[joeymozzer 0]

does anyone know if it will be on mac? i noticed the official site only has PC but wonder.......did CXL come out on mac

[Jahnri 21]

They stated it will be Mac and PC.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

If they are answering all questions on Reddit and only Reddit, I might need to register an account so I can ask about the economy, growth, and demand.

SimCity 4 had residents demanding jobs based on wealth and education and jobs demanding residents based on occupant type. Cities XL had demand for resources and things would grow or abandoned as needed to get to neutral token balances. In SimCity 4, you catered to your citizens and tried to coax your city to develop the way you want with careful planning, economic incentives, and mods if necessary (super demand mod, St. Ninja Teaching Hospital, money trees, plus taxes can pretty much make your city develop the way you want it to instantly) while in Cities XL, you mass place lots/zones and you can dictate exactly what would build there by zoning single occupant type lots and manipulating your resource balance through trade. The developer videos look like resources will affect supply and demand for industry and shops (raw materials and goods) so I hope that we can wield more influence but do not get complete micromanagement resource control.

[Carborundum 2]

If they are answering all questions on Reddit and only Reddit, I might need to register an account so I can ask about the economy, growth, and demand.

They've been answering questions on Reddit only for couple of hours, but I'm eager to see them do it again. Either on Reddit or anywhere else.

[jacksunny 741]

I'd like to see them do a Q & A on the ST chat.

[mightygoose 92]

well with news like this, i thought i'd poke my beak back in the door.