SimCity 5 English Preview [Gamestar]

[Pandemic 32]

Hi, so here's a translation on the recent, and probably the first preview for SimCity 5 by Gamestar magazine.

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Almost a quarter century after SimCity Will Wright, Maxis is developing a new simulator cities.

Genre: Construction of cities.

Publisher: Electronic Arts.

Developer: Maxis (Darkspore, GS06/11: 60 points).

Date: 2013.

State: 30% of development.

PROS

New graphics engine and road round.

Multiplayer mode.

Buildings updatable.

The various cities.

Send infographics.

The positioning of the camera …

CONS

Do … can cost scenarios.

The Sims are sometimes shown without a head.

Mayor ¿? How boring! All day at the office, holding the complaints of citizens and controlling the deficit: Who can see this as funny? For a lot of people thanks to SimCity, and for over two decades. Surprisingly, the urban series consists of five parts, from classic SimCity (1989) to the most recent SimCity Societies (2007). In addition, all games except Societies were developed by Maxis and designer Will Wright, co-founder of the study, we also have The Sims and Spore. Will Wright, is now designing TV shows and toys, but Maxis still there are plenty of experienced people for the next installment, simply called SimCity. Kip Katsarelis Producer leader, says there are enough teachers in Maxis for all stages of development. We went with him and his team.

Pride leads us up to the news Katsarelis SimCity. Most surprising: the new graphics engine Glassbox. Unlike before, we write without viewing angle, but allows any idea of ​​our creation – either float on the city or read the signs of each store. But not enough: “We, the players, no tables saddest cut around the ears,” says Katsarelis. “Instead, have been inspired by modern computer graphics representing complex relationships attractive.”

SimCity always looks attractive and bustling city and is full of life anywhere. If you look at a shopping center, police station or a factory, the Sims leave home and go to work, meet for lunch or protest against the council if there are too few jobs. There are a few buildings that change their appearance and therefore its functions: “As you go through the game, you can customize your town and individual buildings,” promises Katsarelis. About every ten criminals caught, the police station, or a new fire station will help firefighters to reach fires faster.

Some 20 years after the first SimCity, now winding roads are a reality. Gone are the days when all cities were like any U.S. city with orthogonal road networks. What remains is the classification for residential, commercial and industrial, which has added the graphic detail with much love. As soon as you place a new residential area, the construction workers built the homes of bottom-up, followed by the arrival of the cars of the new owners moving so diligently to begin to save their belongings in their new home. All this is accompanied by live, work, and car noises. -Smooth interface, and a new soft melody, If you decrease the zoom of the camera and build a coal power plant on the outskirts of the city. After the workers complete their work, you’ll see that the delivered coal on a conveyor belt travels in the building. So we can see at a glance whether a power plant and all other buildings are fine.

Too good to be true: In these pages you will find images, but are concepts of art. Why Maxis prevents Glassbox show the new engine? The reason: The current video quality does not meet the requirements of internal – and there is open play as full a level of development. The graphics are polished only towards the end of a high quality development.

Reveals another click of the red color compensation, the current flowing through the generators. At dusk, the lights of the houses, and flashing neon lights of the shops. With the house, electricity and water, for now our Sims are satisfied, while we take care of creating jobs for the next morning. But not all Sims are equal, a trucker from listening to loud heavy metal music. “Because it has not yet been called the police, the city also prevents arsonists,” said Katsarelis. A little later a house on fire and Sims escape over the rooftops, some with their clothes on fire. These events we have reported the local newspaper “SimCity Wire” in the single player and multiplayer.

By the way, including SimCity 2000 Network Edition in 1996 offered a multiplayer mode to connect to the network and share materials with other mayors and cooperate in the development of cities or compete against each other. The new SimCity is based on this idea. We manage a region along with our friends, visit and share resources on land, sea or air. As in the solo mode, you can create a specialized city according to our wishes. We dream of an elegant residential, leisure and you need to find jobs and electricity? No problem, our friend might like to be the largest coal producer in the world.

The addition of “the world” is to be understood literally: “There’s global leaderboards, where everything relates to economic production or raw material players can compete with other players,” says Katsarelis. Anyone can climb in the rankings, unlock achievements. For example, visit the lobby of City Hall to the building campaign of mine. If we agree, the new industry provides more jobs. But decisions are always a downside: increased pollution produces coal mines, casinos attract crime. Interestingly, even in solo mode, the prices of commodities are determined online gaming – good idea?

Speaking of raw materials: When creating games in the Middle Ages or in the distant future, cares not always the reality of raw materials and technology trees. But SimCity is set at present, there are serious discrepancies in weight. Here is the Lead Designer Stone Librande. The development of complex issues more accessible and at the same time makes anyone before, but he has invented for his children in the last 15 years 15 table games. His philosophy, explains: “I have no idea what will SimCiy player, but I can give you pieces that get a lot of fun.”

Librande Stone is based on SimCity game systems that fit in spite of its complexity and statistical tables. Thus we see graphs that describe the relationship between population density and land value, other tables show the flows of population, industry and commerce, and other graphic illustrating two final scenarios: a city ecologically exemplary, but one step away from bankruptcy and a metropolis corroded by factories, as the population becomes extinct due to disease. Librande Stone talks about the importance of decisions: “What should be without a mayor? In his private helicopter, or some schools? Ignore the welfare of the people, to rich tourists go on holiday the night “?

Too, you should not ignore the needs of voters. “The Sims unemployed may become beggars in public parks, while new empty homes attract criminals, which increases the risk of fire and reduces the value of land in the district.” Only with Librandes designs, we could fill 10 full pages, which is why at this point say, SimCity has nothing to hide in terms of depth of play. Instead of deep theoretical lessons in the next visit we would like to grab the mouse and keyboard, because in the end what counts at the end of the day is practice. Even in urban planning.

Interview with Lucy Bradshaw

GameStar: It’s been a while since the fourth installment of SimCity …

Lucy Bradshaw: Because we were busy with The Sims and Spore, and SimCity wanted to make sure count on an excellent artificial intelligence, a decent multiplayer mode, and finally get road curves and 3D graphics with ease. So you can change the camera angle and the houses disappear automatically by reducing the zoom view.

—-

GameStar: Import your own houses in The Sims, would be a stroke of genius for players of SimCity.

Lucy Bradshaw: At present we have not expected, because the game is technically very different. However, customization is: you design a house in The Sims very detailed, and SimCity are improved buildings with new modules, has its own intelligence and gameplay.

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GameStar: With all the meetings, do you have time to play Lucy Bradshaw?

Play our own songs and sending feedback to the team. In travel, play with the iPhone and the iPad, and I usually spend my Christmas vacation in strategy games in real time.

Closing Comments by GameStar editor Roland Austinat

According to Maxis, still take approximately one year to SimCity is ready. But I like what I’ve seen so far: the online modes, new graphics, smarter Sims, upgradable buildings, with individual strengths and compelling cities, world rankings, send info-graphs and dynamic music. You can feel how much heart and blood have designers to develop the first delivery in the modern era. The fact that the creator of SimCity Will Wright does not work in this part, I do not worry: The fourth installment has already been created without their help. Just a shame that our practice was very short: I like to have seen ships and aircraft, or the disasters that have announced, explosions, snow storms, meteor impacts and other disasters do simulated physically correct to turn a city into a lot of Casino debris.

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Images from the magazine,

[nashville nelson 51]

The source:

[rweather5 22]

Wow, looks actually like a new simcity, not a societies. I can't wait for this to come out.

[AnorexicPickle 13]

The art style is back in SC3k territory, is it not?

[Jahnri 21]

The art style is back in SC3k territory, is it not?

The realism shot is a fair bit ahead. Especially with the reflections and such. T

hat being said, hans't anyone noticed none of the shots have related styles?

In fact many of them are blaring in blaring contradiction of styles. Ranging from realism, to stylized realism and even old style Sim style.

Its pretty obvious evidence these are as the article stated concept art and proof of engine shots perhaps.

Personally I like the first. It reminds me a bit of a model city set.

  Edited March 1, 2012 by Jahnri  

[whrm33 2]

The art style is back in SC3k territory, is it not?

The realism shot is a fair bit ahead. Especially with the reflections and such. T

hat being said, hans't anyone noticed none of the shots have related styles?

In fact many of them are blaring in blaring contradiction of styles. Ranging from realism, to stylized realism and even old style Sim style.

Its pretty obvious evidence these are as the article stated concept art and proof of engine shots perhaps.

Personally I like the first. It reminds me a bit of a model city set.

Well, the article also noted how they couldn't show actual screenshots. The graphics were still rough and glitchy (the Sims are sometimes shown without heads).

[Skimbo 304]

Let's see if there is more to come than bad photoshopped previews.

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

I'm working on a better translation than that awful German to Spanish to English translation so this article is easier to read an makes more sense.

I've translated the body paragraphs on the first page, I'll be working on the other parts later today:

"Mayor? Boring! Holed up in the office all day, dealing with citizen complaints and budget deficits: Who can make fun out of that? As SimCity shows, a whole lot of people – and already for over two decades. It is surprising then that the city-building series comprises only five games, from the classic Sim City (1989) to the grown up Sim City Societies (2007). All of the games except Societies were developed by Maxis, the studio founded by super designer Will Wright, who also came up with The Sims and Spore. Today though,Will Wright is concerned with television and toys; however, at Maxis there are plenty of experienced designers working on the next installment, simply called SimCity. Something Kip Katsarelis ensures as lead producer is that Maxis masters each stage of the development process. We visited him and his team.

Proudly Katsarelis shows us the new features of SimCity. The most striking: the new Glassbox engine. Unlike before there is no strict viewing angle, rather we are allowed to see each part of our creation – whether we are high above the city or want to read individual store signs. But that’s not enough: “We didn’t want to throw dreary tables in the player’s faces anymore,” explains Katsarelis. “Instead, we have been inspired by modern infographics to make complex information appealing.”

And all of SimCity looks appealing, everywhere the city is bustling – whether we are looking at a shopping center, police station or a factory. Sims leave their houses and drive to work, meet somewhere to eat or protest in front of city hall when there aren’t any jobs. Several buildings change their appearance, indicating how they’re functioning: “During the game, you can unlock upgrades, with which you can individualize your city and buildings,” promises Katsarelis. A larger police station can be obtained after ten criminals are caught, or a new fire control center which helps firefighters reach fires more quickly in the future.

Over 20 years after the first SimCity, curved roads are also possible now – gone are the days in which every city is reminiscent of a US metropolis with rectangular street networks. Remaining are the divisions into residential, commercial and industrial, where the designers put a lot of love into every detail. As soon as we have zoned a new residentialarea, construction workers roll in, the apartments rise up, followed by the new owner's jam-packed moving trucks , who diligently begin to put away their belongings. All of this is accompanied by music and work, as well as car noise. This softly fades out and a new repeating melody plays when we zoom out and erect a coal power plant on the edge of the city. After its completion, power plant workers come in for their shift and we see how coal is delivered into the building via a conveyor belt. So we can see at a glance, whether with a power plant or other buildings, that everything is working properly."

  Edited March 4, 2012 by alcarcalimo2364  

[tSlater 134]

But that’s enough: “We didn’t want to throw dreary tables in the player’s faces anymore,” explains Katsarelis. “Instead, we have been inspired by modern infographics to make complex information appealing.”

I hope that doesn't mean the graphs are gone.. I like the graphs.

[whrm33 2]

But that’s enough: “We didn’t want to throw dreary tables in the player’s faces anymore,” explains Katsarelis. “Instead, we have been inspired by modern infographics to make complex information appealing.”

I hope that doesn't mean the graphs are gone.. I like the graphs.

The graphs are still there, they were just beautified (i.e made more visually appealing).

[nathanthemayor 1,261]

In my opinion, looks like a combo of SimCity 3, 4, and socieites.

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

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1330886036' post='1228879']

But that’s enough: “We didn’t want to throw dreary tables in the player’s faces anymore,” explains Katsarelis. “Instead, we have been inspired by modern infographics to make complex information appealing.”

I hope that doesn't mean the graphs are gone.. I like the graphs.

Since they say they're using modern infographics, I'm sure theirs going to be some graphical display of the information...they're just going to implement it in a new way...we'll find out on Tuesday hopefully

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

In my opinion, looks like a combo of SimCity 3, 4, and socieites.

Makes sense... take the best bits from the previous games, whip them all up in the Loteditorbetamaximiser^TM... and presto chango...

Simcity 1000-5000K Societies Unlimited 3D V

Does that cover it?

[tSlater 134]

Add "Streets of" to the beginning of that and I'm good.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Streets of SimCity 5000 V Societies Unlimited/Deluxe sounds like a racing game, drop 'streets of' and you have a mishmash title.

[tSlater 134]

Streets of Sim City -was- a racing game (of sorts) where you could drive in your Sim City 2000 cities. (Also was Sim Copter, where you could fly a helicopter in your saved Sim City 2000 cities.) The appeal here was you could take the cities you created and actually experience them as a civilian living in the city to a very basic degree (but pretty cool for the technology of the day.) Give a UDI-like option in a full 3d environment and you've essentially got a merger of the two titles.

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

Here's the translation of the second page. I'll have the third page up tomorrow, as well as the interview and the boxes. Also, as i'm doing this translation, this game is sounding more and more like CitiesXL, especially with the online play they're planning. Let's hope they can implement it better (it's Maxis so I'm sure they will):

A further mouse click reveals the reddish electric grid, through which power flows to the consumers. At dusk, the lights turn on in the apartments, as well as the flickering neon signs of shops. With a home, electricty and water our Sims are happy for now, while we worry about jobs for the sims to go to the next morning. But not all Sims are well-behaved in the end, some blaring heavy metal music out of a van. "Since there are no police, the city attracts miscreants like these arsonists," explains Katsarelis. A little later a house is flames, out of which the Sims flee - some in burning clothes. We are informed of these events via the local newspaper "Sim City Wire" in single - and multiplayer mode.

On that subject: The Sim City 2000 Network Edition in 1996 already offered a multiplayer mode, in which through a network connected mayors could use common stocks of raw materials and raise their cities together or against each other. SimCity is now based on this idea. With friends, we can "fill" a region together, visit each other, and trade commodities from the land, sea or air. As in the solo mode, we set up a specialized city according to our wishes. We dream of chic living and recreational areas, but what about jobs and power requirements? No problem, our friend would maybe like to be the largest coal producer in the world.

The addition of "the world" is to be understood literally: "There are worldwide leaderboards, where you can compete with other players financially or in commodities production," says Katsarelis. Climbing up the ranks unlocks achievements.For example, lobbyists visit the city hall to promote the construction of mines. If we agree to do it, the new industry brings more jobs. But decisions are always accompanied by consequences: Coal mines raise polution, casinos attract criminals. Interestingly, in the solo mode, the online game still determines the commodity prices - a good idea? <<<<<A note about this paragraph - in German it says that you unlock achievements by climbing up rankings on the worldwide leaderboard...it then goes straight into saying that citizens will petition you to do certain things, which has occurred in previous SimCity games. I don't understand how this connects to achievements, but maybe citizens won't ask for certain things unless you perform a specific action or reach a specific ranking on the leaderboard. I think this sounds really interesting and/or annoying depending on how it's implemented. I'm surprised IGN or another gaming site who analyzed this article didn't pick up on this <<<<<

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

Also, looking at the concept art, it seems Maxis may have solved the problem that so many had with CitiesXL and the way rounded roads made it difficult to place buildings. If you look at the Stadium in that one shot, you can see that the "parking lot" of the stadium conforms to the curved road next to it, but the stadium doesn't actually sit against the road. Maybe they have an algorithm that if the building is an x distance from a road it is still considered "connected" and then just fills in the space between the road and the building automatically. I know you could do this manually in CitiesXL, but it was mainly to fill in spaces between buildings, and the building still had to be touching a road, making placing a wider road such as an avenue a nightmare. Curved roads were always a wish, but I think CitiesXL proved that its gonna take some more thought to get it to work right. Maybe Maxis figured it out.

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

Here is the third page. I'll be adding translations of the interview and the text accompanying the pictures next:

Speaking of commodities: In building simulations, whether in the middle ages or the distant future, it is not always important that the commodity cycles or technology trees correspond to reality. However, SimCity is set in the present - therefore serious incongruities are of greater importance. That's where lead designer Stone Librande steps in. In the development of complex, and at the same time accessible, situations, nobody can fool him,as he has invented 15 board games for his children in the last 15 years. He explains his philosophy as such: "I have no idea why players are so engaged with SimCity, but I can give them give them building blocks in their hands, and hopefully they can have a lot of fun with it."

Stone Librande is trusting in the gameplay of SimCity, despite its complexity on a mid-sized diagram. We see diagrams describing the relationship between population density and land value, diagrams that show the population, industry and trade flow, and diagrams illustrating the final two scenarios: an exemplary environmentally friendly, but bankrupt, city and the other a metropolis corroded by mines and the population dying out because of illness. Stone Librande likes those kinds of decisions: "What would a mayor rather give up? His private helicopter or a school?" Or: " Do you neglect the welfare of the population because the city is mainly for tourists, who leave the city in the evening?"

You should not ignore the needs of the voters too much: "Jobless Sims become homeless under these circumstances and populate public parks, the now vacant apartment houses attracting criminals who pose a fire risk and decreasing the land value of the district." We could fill ten pages alone with Librande's remarks, but we will simply say: SimCity is not lacking for gameplay depth. Instead of more theory at the next visit, we would like to get a keyboard and mouse in our hands, because what counts at the end of the day is practice, even in urban planning.

[alcarcalimo2364 4]

And here are all the translations of the little boxes on the pages, as well as the interview with Lucy Bradshaw. I'm not going to translate the editor's comments at the end. He basically just sums up the article. He does comment that Will Wright is not involved in the development of this game, but he's not worried, as Will Wright wasn't really all that involved in SimCity 4 either.

-Zu Schön section:

To good to be true: The pictures on these pages are not screenshots, but concept art. Why is Maxis playing hard to get in regards to showing the new Glassbox engine? The reason: the current quality of the graphics do not meet the in-house standards - and since there is such an open game with no levels that could be completed individually, the graphics will only be polished in the last stages of development.

-Kohle mit Kohle section:

Coal with coal: Mines and the mine headquarters bring quick jobs, money and power - but pollute the environment and make citizens sick.

-Demo vor dem Rathaus section:

Demonstration in front of city hall: Also, if you like building chic Kassnos, mines and power plants bring in the jobs.

-Unfall mit Grossbrand section:

An accident with major fire downtown: Blessed is he who has a ready fire department - and empty detour roads.

-Zukuntsmusik section:

Dreams of the future: Soccer players don't compete in this stadium, rather it's robots against each other. Clearly visible: the new curved roads.

-Schlaue infografiken:

Clever infographics instead of boring floods of tables.

-Die Bewohner section:

The residents of the luxury quarter are pleased with the recreational park and marina.

-Interview with Lucy Bradshaw:

Gamestar: You left a long amount of time after the fourth SimCity...

Lucy: ...because we were busy with the Sims and Spore - and we wanted to ensure that SimCity had a smarter AI, a reasonable multiplayer mode and finally get comfortable with curved roads and 3D graphics. Thus you can adjust the camera angle, and houses, which obscure your view when you zoom in, disappear automatically.

Gamestar: Importing your own houses from The Sims would really be a stroke of genius, and make SimCity even more desirable to players.

Lucy: We don't really have this in our sights right now, as the game is technically very different. But the customizability remains: In The Sims you can make an extremely detailed house, and in SimCity you can updgrade your buildings with new modules, which bring their own intelligence and game mechanics.

Gamestar: With all of the meetings Lucy Bradshaw has, does she have time to play?

Lucy: And how! I play our own titles and give more feedback than the team would probably like. I play on my iPhone and iPad when traveling, and during my Christmas break I play real time strategy games.