SimCity: Wishlists

[VeritaScientia 150]

I'm sure there's probably a few around the site, but being that this is a new forum and up at the top of the list now, there may be more of a chance that if someone at EA or Maxis is looking for ideas from the Sim City user community, they might see this thread.

My wishlist is rather long, so I'll start with general gameplay elements:

Design a world: instead of just a region, have it set up so we can play using an entire planet, and after there is enough high-technology industry in the world, allow trade with other planets. Including a terraforming feature for the region-view would be better too, so utilities like SC4Terraformer for Sim Ciy 4 isn’t necessary.

For the cities themselves: less emphasis on building enormous cities all the time, allow us to build lower population cities spread out across a wider area, or rural areas, if we want to build farmland, let us, especially for the "world" idea.

Now for specific elements of the game:

Buildings:

Allow for buildings to be rotated more than just at 90-degree angles to eliminate dead space on diagonal roads.

Mixed-use development in medium and high-density zones for more realism

Design the game itself in such a way that buildings for Sim City 4 can be either directly imported or easily converted to import into Sim City 5. This will instantly allow for a vast level of customization.

Transportation:

The biggest improvement ever would be having freeform transportation networks so they’re not confined to the grid, as well as having curves.

Allowing Elevated transportation networks to be built on top of roadways and low-density industrial or commercial lots, which would save space and also look more realistic.

More built-in highway interchange options, such as a built-in stack interchange.

Double-decked bridges, since bridges are expensive enough as it is, might as well allow a second form of transportation to use the span too.

For rail-based networks, allow for the ground-level rail, elevated rail, and subway to be one continuous network.

Upgradeable networks. For example, a city could only have a light rail system until the ridership gets above 100,000 riders in a given period, and then they can start operating heavy rail. After 500,000 riders a day, they can unlock improvements to upgrade to high-speed rail. For monorails, have them upgradeable to magnetic levitation monorails. This could be expanded to highways too, with the only highways available at first being small four-lane highways, then upgrading them to higher and higher capacity highways as the city grows.

An idea from Sim City 3000, having seaports being their own zone, frankly the Sim City 4 seaport is ugly and unrealistic.

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Well, here's a list of stuff I hope to see with the next SimCity game:

.Freecamera, just like in societies, and all 3D

2. U-Drive it

3.No more grid, except for police, fire,etc.

4.Supported by all drives-Vista,7,XP,etc, and no crashing.

5.Cities develop depending on building type selected(E.G:Japan,England,Germany, USA,etc.)

6. Zoneable custom airports WITH jetways and more aircraft then 707's

7.Ploppable HD highway signs, depending on #5

8.Highways be replaced with RHW(E.G:Multiple lane to 1-lane highways)

9.Custom terrian that could be edited

10.Underground highways, roads,etc, with on/off ramps for underground highways.

11.Underground walkways, shopping malls

12.More disasters, such as tsunamis, supervolcanic eruptions, and floods, and weather plugin

13.Passenger/frieght trains,depending on #5, and monorail, subway,GLR,and elevated rail.

14.Rail overpass and underpasses

15.Lot Editor

16. Diagonal bridges/road/rail/highway under bridges.

17.War, peace, etc

18.High-speed rail

19.Life-after-people scene(e.g:in case all power goes out)

20.Economic depressions,etc

21.Canals, both eyecandy and functinal

22.One-way roads and highways

23.Everything from the NAM

24.Installment of tourism(E.g:resort hotels, resort casinos, theme parks,etc)

25.Zones

26.GLR/Rail-in highway

27.Rail yards

28.Seaports with modern day crates,cranes, and ships

29.Language changes on buildings,etc depending on #5

30.Billboards

31.BAT compatable with google sketch-up, all rendering in HD,

32.Landmarks from real life

33.Easier way to transit-enable lots

34.Bridges over certain buidlings

35.Parks, and ponds, lakes, rivers, etc

[Ocram's Razr 964]

1. Full 3D with camera options (locked perspective, free rotation, vanishing point toggle).

2. Complex economy with supply and demand of jobs, workers, resources, and products simulated.

3. Complex but simple to use transportation including roads, limited access highways, trams, passenger rail, freight trains, and elevation tools that allow subways, elevated rail, bridges, tunnels, and viaducts at free angles and splines.

4. A reference grid that glows (like pressing G in SC4) when you press a certain key in order to ease with construction.

[tomfoolery_79 85]

I'll put out more generalities than specifics.

1. Full 3D and utilization of today's technology. How could you not want 3D?!?!

2. Official set of tools for modders AND for installation of mods. (akin to Skyrim's Steam tools)

3. Backwards compatibility for buildings made by community (I'd hate to give up SimPeg's current works of art) Probably not possible though :noway:

4. Stay clear of gimmicky crap. ("You can ride on the ferris wheel too!!" )

5. Don't gimp game to make it work on consoles.

6. More in-depth player housing.

7. Achievements

8. More in-depth regional play (planetary scale like CitiesXL)

9. Fantastic graphics and art style

UPDATE:

10: As someone mentioned in game video or picture capture tools for ease of City Journal making.

  Edited March 6, 2012 by tomfoolery_79  

[hamsterTK 93]

At least the depth of Simcity 2000 for classic Simcity gameplay. There must be freeways, water and power utilities, buses, and it MUST have some form of rail transportation. Disasters should really be part of the game, and emergency services to actively fight them should be available. Ideally the art direction/design of buildings and structures in the game will reflect a generic present-day cityscape so that with a little imagination a global audience of gamers can connect with the cities they build.

Keeping with the tradition of the Simcity series, gameplay should remain open ended. Cities XL had way too many locked reward items and technology chains/trees. Obviously you shouldn't be able to build a Launch Arco or the Empire State building landmark at the start of the game. Having to place a city hall on the only type of street available was a bit too much..

Terrain should be easily sculpt-able like in 2000. I miss the terrain editor that could generate random landscapes with a river or an ocean at the end.

Other than that, I'm game for new things. The article mentioned homeless sims and causes of crime, as well as sims that don't just commute to work but also go shopping and make other trips. That would add a huge new layer of depth. I want to be wowed by new simulated things and my inner sociologist or economist to run wild. The game shouldn't just be a sequel to 4. Honestly what made 4 was the BAT, custom content, and this site...honestly I've always felt the gameplay to be frustrating and aesthetics not my thing.

Finally for a wished-for thing, It would be cool if it was like Minecraft and the map was generated as chunks with procedurally generated terrain. The only limit on the size of your region or city and its shape would be your PC.

Oh yeah, "Reticulating Splines" and Llamas must appear somewhere in the game or its not Simcity.

  Edited March 1, 2012 by hamsterTK  

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

1. Full 3D

2. Amazing graphics that are realistic (Frostbite 2 like)

3. Allow Modding Community to make stuff for game

4. Tech support

5. Patches for bugs and glitches

6. No grid

7. Possibility of crossing over SimCity 4 mods to 5

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

2. Official set of tools for modders AND for installation of mods.

The ability for the user to customize, mod and create new content for the game themselves is absolutely essential.

Simcity 4 simply would not be here today if it were not for the vast contributions of custom content from the community. It keeps the game alive. While the game company does not profit directly from community custom content, it does benefit indirectly, because people still need to buy the game to provide the vanilla platform.

If they want to have their own 'official' expansion packs (like when they released RH for SC4) that we have to pay for fine... but they need to work with the community not against them (like Monte Cristo did with CXL.)

Please learn the lessons and mistakes from SCS and CXL.

[simlink 1,098]

I agree with what Craig-Abcvs said above - users need to be able to create custom content. Custom content always add great depth to the game. I would ideally just something that looks and run greats that keeps to the roots of the franchise - not the direction of societies.

[Azurespecter 506]

Sorry to burst bubbles, but the custom content from SC4 is not transferring over to SC5. Just not plausible. It'll all have to be remade, but hopefully they will have better/easier tools to make new content.

[Azurespecter 506]

Oh, and I do want to add one thing.

1) Customizable text on both buildings and signs. A simple text box editor that you can paste onto stuff would be perfect. Then you wouldn't have to have "sign packs" and you could re-name buildings with ease.

[squeaky024 14]

I really wish for this to never be left behind like SC4. I would love for SC5 to be in constant development with the community in mind. I am sure everyone would be more than happy to buy (reasonable) expansion packs like the rush hour expansion which added many new features, but I do not want anything to be a sloppy job. The higher quality product put out there, the better, and eventually people will continue to follow the series as it will support their interests too. I do not want this to be a profit machine with DLC content and no modability, nobody likes that kind of stuff, and I mean nobody. Sure if it's high quality i'm game, but the soul of sc4 lives on in the community and what it has achieved with additional content as seen on this very site.

As far as whishlist, i just want the game to be able to run on older computers decently (low graphic quality options and so on) and I would love to see a little more focus on realistic aspects. I do not have a single one of the default power plants from sc4 in my cities for example, they were absurdly small. The rest of my wishlist has already been covered from what I have seen, we're all looking for roughly the same things in SC5.

[simlink 1,098]

Oh, and I do want to add one thing.

1) Customizable text on both buildings and signs. A simple text box editor that you can paste onto stuff would be perfect. Then you wouldn't have to have "sign packs" and you could re-name buildings with ease.

Re Signs: I think that would be a really cool feature if plausible...

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Sorry to burst bubbles, but the custom content from SC4 is not transferring over to SC5. Just not plausible. It'll all have to be remade, but hopefully they will have better/easier tools to make new content.

I agree, a new game in 2013 will have a completely new graphic engine and all the stuff that has been made previously will simply not be compatible... and neither should we expect it to be.

I am not a computer software designer, but I would expect that a new simulation game will be vastly different beast 'under the hood', and the old 10 yr old software technology and ways of doing things simply wont cut it now.

So as much as we love the NAM and Pegprod, and all the stuff on the STEX and LEX... alas it will belong to another era.

[Wiimeiser 452]

Something like the RHW, that would probably be a wise move

[Jasoncw 11,949]

1. Good fundamental gameplay/simulation.

2. Open ended modding.

3. Ability to make non-orthogonal wall to wall environments.

4. Maxis humor and charm.

5. Overall attention to detail for making realistic cities.

[hyno111 0]

Mod support. Will to talk with modders. Built-in mod manager. More mod support.

Bug-free and well optimized.

At least Simcity4 level gameplay.

That's enough for me.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Did we mention custom content?

Yes I believe we have. I sure hope they are listening on this one.

[Pandemic 32]

I hope they make it that if their is a traffic jam, that cars don't disappear, and that they remain there until they reach their destination.

Like this, traffic is backed up, so I hope they don't vanish if it takes to long. I enjoy congested traffic, hah

[Forthwall 1,118]

1. Full 3d Utilization

2. Similar/better modding support like sc4

2.1 (Hoping we can access more hard to reach files)

2.2 3ds Max exporting

2.3 Gmax and Blender exporting

3. Better styled buildings and more of them

4. Special free DLC booster packs for Asia, Europe, Africa, etc. CJ's

5. Better Transportation Networks

5.1 Freeways, with RHW function-ability and maxis styled highway simplicity

5.2 Roads that have no collision boxes to make crazy intersections

5.3 Major Pedestrian Traffic (like Times Square)

5.4 Rail System (1, 2, 3 and 4 track systems)

5.4.1 High Speed Railways

5.4.2 Trams and Lightrail

5.4.3 Elevated Rail and Subway

5.4.4 Easier use of train skinning

5.4.5 Monorail and Hanging Monorail

5.5 Transit Movement is realistic and fluctuating

5.5.1 Rural vs Urban Pedestrian Traffic

6. Rural Areas

6.1 Better Farms

6.2 Economics within farms (No need to micromanage, just to look for fun like they make 50 barrels of wheat a month or something)

7. Better economy

7.1 Special Economies

7.2 Communist, Capitalist, Command, etc - Probably through a DLC

7.3 Economic Disasters like depressions - Probably through a DLC

8. Sandbox mode

9. Better Airports

9.1 Airports must be interchangeable (Or even better like a DIY puzzle)

9.2 Airports fluctuate traffic, can expand, airlines

9.3 Airline and Airport Management DLC (Probably need to pay though)

10. Scenarios and Disasters

10.1 On/off button

10.1.1 Selective on and off for like On on natural disasters but no aliens.

10.2 Most Natural Disasters (Earthquake, Cyclone, Tsunami)

10.2.1 Region based natural disasters

10.2.2 Geographic Mapping DLC (Fault lines, ocean trenches, movement of crust, sped up movement of crust, natural land movement, Volcanic Movements) :drool: (Probably need to pay though)

10.2.3 Famine and Advanced Natural Disaster DLC (Includes sc3000 favorite locusts)

10.2 Unnatural Disasters

10.2.1 Crime Wave, Riots

10.2.2 War DLC

10.2.3 Geopolitics Plugin + Addon to work with Sc4 Unions (Probably not so I will make if modding tools are present)

10.3 Unrealistic Disasters

10.3.1 Aliens, Classics like Robots and Autosaurus Rex

11. Regional/Main Menu with sleek styles with feeds and such

11.1 (Concept Art will go here)

12. Simtropolis Compatibility

12.1 Feeds from ST

12.2 Latest downloads etc.

13. Seaports

13.1 Puzzle pieces as well

14. Crime and Health

14.1 Realistic Systems

14.2 Crime Expansion DLC (With Mafia, police micromanagement)

14.3 Healthcare DLC (With hospital micromanagement)

15. Pollution realism

16. Larger land mass

17. Education System

17.1 Basic Tiers system, realistic, not everyone goes to college or not goes

17.2 Education Expansion DLC

18. NO FACEBOOK/TWITTER/GOOGLE+/SOCIAL MEDIA STUPID UPDATE FEED STUFF (unless you want its optional )

19. Regional Terraforming

19.1 Should be handled on a separate .exe then the main game, or make it seamless

20. Global DLC (one for earth, one custom)

21. Humor in the game

22. Advisors who do nothing right

22.1 Shut up Advisers button

22.2 3 versions of each Adviser so you can just fire them

22.3 Sims 3 Add-on so you can use them as Advisers

23. Loose grid based system (Some grid, but not overpowering like sc4)

24. Realism to graphics

24.1 Similar to real world, but not so exact (its a game not real life)

25. MySims mode DLC (Because unless your really want it its just a waste of your hard drive)

26. Power Grids

26.1 Realistic Power grids

26.2 3-4 Types of power lines (High Tension, Medium Tension, Low Tension, Local)

26.3 Converters, Power plants that connect to the power lines instead of just act like a entity of its own

27. Water Lines

27.1 Just make it good and not laggy like the subways in Sc4 after modding

27.2 Sewage and Waste Treatment DLC

28 Multilayer Threshold of resources and usable land, like layer one is surface, then it will go by every 50 feet down where you can lay out subways, multi-layered subways and multi-layered pipes

29. Better Zoning

29.1 Multi-Zone Type Basically, like residential + commercial lots and zones that can be fluctuated, like you can zone a commercial lot and its on a main street it becomes a shop with a house on the top for the owners

29.2 Set Zoning - Zones extra specific types like, right click the zone for advanced options like, two story only, high rise only, etc.

29.3 Zoning editor - Custimise Multi-zone types and normal zonetype factors like residents and products

30. Terraforming

30.1 Multilevel terraforming for water, like streams up a mountain (instead of a deep tool a river tool)

30.2 More terraforming options

31. One word. Llamas :read:

32. Funny loading texts along with shorter loading time

33. Grid References, customization with your own grid creation

34. Open end image customization

34.1 Folder with images of backgrounds, etc. which can be easily re textured

35. Allowance of customizing menu bars

35.1 Because having everything in parks and landmarks get annoying after a time

36. SC4 and Past Sc references like billboards advertising them or humor

37. Built in or less laggy Lot Editor :thumb:

That's all I have for now Will probably have more ideas and the concept art in the days ahead

[Cockatoo 2,257]

I think Jason nailed it.

Gameplay is probably the most important thing to get right. Without that you’ve got just another CXL. Maxis knows how to get that right, let's hope they do end up sticking to their tried and true principals.

As we all know, the only reason SC4 still has such a large following (and is still being sold to this day) is because of that never ending river of user generated content also known as the STEX. Without the ability to easily modd a city-builder, it’ll die prematurely. Maxis knows this... if they're in charge I can almost guarantee there'll be a new form of BAT tool. They wouldn't make a mistake as big as that.

The grid has had its day, it's time to take a CXL style full-3D approach. But beautiful graphics are just as important as gameplay though, they can't skimp on that. I think they should be aiming to do even better than CXL, which was that games strongest point IMO.

And yeah, if it doesn't have references to llama's or broccoli then it just isn't a Sim City game. I'd also be disappointed if they ended up calling it anything other than 'Sim City 5'. That name has been in our heads for the best part of a decade and I really don't think a lot of people will satisfied until we actually get a game called 'Sim City 5'. If it's called something like ‘Sim City Metropolis’ or ‘Sim City 2013’ I don't think it'll sell as well with the core fan base.

Those are my thoughts… can’t wait for the announcement.

[TowerDude 2,187]

Mastof, you've gone a long distance, although it is good ideas you have, I don't think you'll have that in the standard version, I think Jason's idea is great

I agree with craig on the name, It has to be the enigmatic "Sim City 5"

Personnaly I just don't wnat a cartoony SC and I'd like hte possibilty of modding/batting

[jdenm8 362]

For the Maxis devs to look at the modding tools that the community has made for SC4 and include official SC5 equivalents out of the box, as well as taking a look at what we've produced over the last seven years and replicating as much of it as possible. Enough said.

I don't give a rat's bottom about "full" 3D or gridless play, I want it to be easy to mod out of the box.

  Edited March 1, 2012 by jdenm8  

[gutterclub 2,729]

I agree with JasonCw and Cockatoo on most points, Wall to Wall in any enviroment is imperative for realism!

I'd like

full draggable transit system i.e GLR / El Rail over road

proper subway system, different lines/services etc

ability to hide buildings from view.

planning permission for tall buildings - can't just plop them in historic districts etc.

[MatlockMan 370]

I think custom content, underground highways, curved roads (which the SC4 boxart had just to remind everyone), a well-designed multiplayer service just about does it for me.

Oh, and may it please, PLEASE work on a 2010 laptop.

[pbmbfl 4]

Weather/Climate Selection: The climate you choose will effect the flora and fauna your city has available and real temps, Rain, Snow, Hail. A wide selection of flora too make your city look as amazing as possible.

Seamless regional gameplay where you can switch cities without loading times, The region will function like a county and you can govern that too.

Like somone else said, A sims 3 add-in where you can import characters and use them as your mayor, Not really a huge deal but more realistic people.

Special Economic Zones, Gated Communties with Homeowners associations.

Buildings change according to season, Holidays and festivals that you can organize. Lots more ordinances and the ability to make custom ordinances.

Disasters associated with the climate zone you live.

Real Restaurants and retail stores (i don't think it would be hard to get permission from the companies) I would love to have a taco bell and a wal-mart in my city without downloading something.

Things i don't want.

Constant facebook sharing crap. A little is fine but not like the sims 3 where your sim pees themselves and it ask if you want to share.

Huge tall apartment buildings being developed in the middle of single family areas or the middle of nowhere like cities XL.

Cartoony Graphics of any kind whatsoever.

European style buildings in an american suburban setting, Thats what i hated about cities XL, I could not make a realistic american city.

All of you have great ideas.

[Dr.Rockso 0]

I said it in the other thread. I want the next Sim city to look almost like Google Earth.

That means real world terrain.

Total 3-d gameplay and freedom of movement and angles.

Curved and angled roads that work properly.

The main thing for me is that it look alot like Google Earth.

There is no reason they cant have that level of detail and freedom of movement...

[pbmbfl 4]

I said it in the other thread. I want the next Sim city to look almost like Google Earth.

That means real world terrain.

Total 3-d gameplay and freedom of movement and angles.

Curved and angled roads that work properly.

The main thing for me is that it look alot like Google Earth.

There is no reason they cant have that level of detail and freedom of movement...

That sounds awesome, Like including a "sattelite" view mode or something.

[toberal7 3]

Unlimited territory (region play)

[Jazzmaster 716]

I'd like to see an expanded and improved regional play, one were the tiles exist more like counties or neighbourhoods than individual cities.

The whole several cities right next to each other with their own downtown, their own airport and their own seaport thing really bothered me...it's why I had to forgo playing the game properly and use mods and cheats to get what I desired (one large metro, as opposed to several independent 'mini metros').

Please keep architectural styles, but add more. There's definitely more than what the game had included (especially Asian and Middle Eastern architecture).

Really hope, pray and wish they've looked at the NAM components and will make things like High Speed Rail (that by the way, would function like high speed rail in moving Sims a long distance in a short time) and of course, hopefully a modular highway system like the RHW, which of course would function like an actual highway system as well.

They really should redo the old commute system, so the Sims are much smarter and not "lol the job is one tile too far, can't commute".

Absolutely needs to be moddable. The Plugins Suite should be saved IMHO.

Freely drawn roads...hopefully freely drawn EVERYTHING even though obviously the railroads would be a bit more linear. I really, really want to build cities that can conform to shores as they do in real life.

I pray, hope, and wish, that they address the concerns of all players and make a game that's both customize able and well done out of the box. If they can create a game that is AS GOOD as all SC games before SC:S I will be thoroughly pleased.

UDI is a great feature and I've love to have it..if it mean just casually cruising around and surveying the city I'd prefer that much to a lot of stupid missions that hog up programming time...

  Edited March 1, 2012 by Yoshiisland  

[jigsaw 227]

everyone has nailed it with the wishlist, but i want to add one more: it has to be less US-centric with tilesets.

the amount of CJ's with euro/med themes clearly show the world wants a 'global' settings theme. NY/Chicago/Houston/Euro just doesnt diversify enough and cut it with all we have done.