Speculation & Discussion

[Hoipus 292]

I feel that they do not necessarily have to compete with modders. They could even try to profit from them. Provide tools and institute a donations system, like valve.

 

If modders wish to do so, they could submit mods to Maxis' modding system. Maxis could then give the mods approval or disapproval (due to being inappropriate). Beside each mod could be a "buy some badges" button. This would be completely optional for both the modder and the player (modders could release on an independent site). Each badge could cost $1, and people could buy as many as they like. For each badge, the modder could get 50c and Maxis/EA could get 50c. The modder is rewarded for providing more content, and Maxis/EA are rewarded for supporting modders and they still get some money if modders manage to outdo them.

[pderuiter 75]

Modding for multiplayer has been done before: leaderboards are for unmodded regions only. The region creator decides the mods used. Anyone entering that region needs to download the mods (version) first.

That system has been done before i.e. Arma 2 (modded servers) and battlefield 3 (official ranked servers and unranked private servers).

Ea want to compete? Make the unofficial mods lower res. Only 'licensed' modders would get full resolution

[macvirt 361]

I feel that they do not necessarily have to compete with modders. They could even try to profit from them. Provide tools and institute a donations system, like valve.

 

If modders wish to do so, they could submit mods to Maxis' modding system. Maxis could then give the mods approval or disaproval (due to being inappropriate). Beside each mod could be a "buy some badges" button. This would be completely optional for both the modder and the player (modders could release on an independent site). Each badge could cost $1, and people could buy as many as they like. For each badge, the modder could get 50c and Maxis/EA could get 50c. The modder is rewarded for providing more content, and Maxis/EA are rewarded for supporting modders and they still get some money if modders manage to outdo them.

 

You are essentially asking EA, who after all remain in control of strategic direction, to be an enterprise aimed at excelling through innovation and best practices. 

 

The folks at Maxis, now those I do not doubt to be quite capable of this. But it comes down to the guys who show their slides to EA to make that elevator pitch. After all, this is really averse to EA's strategic orientation. It misses the elements of control, profiling, data mining, in that format.

[DazzaDazza 29]

I've been reading lot of pots concerning modding in the game, from what I can tell people believe that's it is going to be the white night that will save the game(or attest make it grater then SC4) my question is what do other people think?

I really won't to get a perspective, sc4f mods are good but mostly visual,

[pderuiter 75]

Nam, cam and spam are not just visual, they truly enhance the game.

[tomfoolery_79 85]

Knowing EA, it's possible they won't release modding tools, so that they themselves can push out small incremental DLC packs you need to buy, like The Sims.  Although, they just need to look at Skyrim, to know a game can be super successful with both.

[TheMentalist 9]

I would loose my trust for EA, if this scenario will became real. Modding is so important for this game and for the community. I hope that they are aware of that, but wonder how modding can be combined with multiplayer.

[tomfoolery_79 85]

I don't know if SimPeg is here, but I'd LOVE to see what he could do in this new game.  Can't wait for modding tools if he can work his magic with it!!

[AkemiAzula 280]

I'd like to see official modding tools like a new 'BAT' 'lot editor' etc, and also advances into new areas, like transportation system modding and simulation modding. I think EA could work with the cmmunity and build a public site for this, with competitions, recommended downloads, etc. I don't think they need charge for these downloads to make it worthwhile. The interest it sustains in the game is enough of a profit. But modders themselves could charge a fee if they wished to. For instance a 3D modeller could charge a pound to download a building, or a transportation system designer to download a new streetcar. A portion of this amount could be taken by EA to manage the site, but it wouldn't require much upkeep if it was made sturdy enough.

[mk11232 105]

I'd like to see official modding tools like a new 'BAT' 'lot editor' etc, and also advances into new areas, like transportation system modding and simulation modding. I think EA could work with the cmmunity and build a public site for this, with competitions, recommended downloads, etc. I don't think they need charge for these downloads to make it worthwhile. The interest it sustains in the game is enough of a profit. But modders themselves could charge a fee if they wished to. For instance a 3D modeller could charge a pound to download a building, or a transportation system designer to download a new streetcar. A portion of this amount could be taken by EA to manage the site, but it wouldn't require much upkeep if it was made sturdy enough.

I think this attitude is naive in the extreme regarding EA.  Look at the Sims, it's a game that could have been made even better with community modding but they went with the $$ path and released their own mods and charged for it.  They will do the same here.  Remember, EA doesn't care about the community or the game, their only concern is the bottom line and what they can give back to the stock holder.  If this game folds but they made their investment back after release then it was a win for EA.  It all comes down to the bottom line, EA is in financial distress and must do everything to maximize profit which means anything that they can provide as a DLC that entices you to purchase they'll keep to themselves and release it themselves.

 

I can also see EA opening up certain aspects of modding and allow modders to sell the content through their store and take a skim, aka Itunes store.  Either way, don't expect EA promote a simcity community out of the goodness of their hearts.  If it isn't helping the bottom line or even hurting it (bandwitch, server stroage, etc for free stuff) then they will eliminate or minimize it.  

[nhgriffith 179]

You do realize how much custom content is out the for the Sims, right?

[AkemiAzula 280]

Well let's hope they find a better business model. I suggested a long time ago that there was nothing too intrusive with a billboard advertising Pepsi in my city.

[kylewilley 1]

I'd like to see official modding tools like a new 'BAT' 'lot editor' etc, and also advances into new areas, like transportation system modding and simulation modding. I think EA could work with the cmmunity and build a public site for this, with competitions, recommended downloads, etc. I don't think they need charge for these downloads to make it worthwhile. The interest it sustains in the game is enough of a profit. But modders themselves could charge a fee if they wished to. For instance a 3D modeller could charge a pound to download a building, or a transportation system designer to download a new streetcar. A portion of this amount could be taken by EA to manage the site, but it wouldn't require much upkeep if it was made sturdy enough.

I think this attitude is naive in the extreme regarding EA.  Look at the Sims, it's a game that could have been made even better with community modding but they went with the $$ path and released their own mods and charged for it.  They will do the same here.  Remember, EA doesn't care about the community or the game, their only concern is the bottom line and what they can give back to the stock holder.  If this game folds but they made their investment back after release then it was a win for EA.  It all comes down to the bottom line, EA is in financial distress and must do everything to maximize profit which means anything that they can provide as a DLC that entices you to purchase they'll keep to themselves and release it themselves.

 

I can also see EA opening up certain aspects of modding and allow modders to sell the content through their store and take a skim, aka Itunes store.  Either way, don't expect EA promote a simcity community out of the goodness of their hearts.  If it isn't helping the bottom line or even hurting it (bandwitch, server stroage, etc for free stuff) then they will eliminate or minimize it.  

We can't all be so naive to think that this won't turn into another micropay system.  We just have to hope that we will be able to add our own custom content (like BAT) instead of having to create content and basically sell it to EA so that they can turn around and sell a new highway type for $1.99 to each end user.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I would like to see the following added into modifications to the game:

Functional Offices (no shoppers, sell no goods, hire wealthier sims than comparable shops and malls, consume paper and maybe a small amount of computers, generating mostly recyclable paper waste)

Paper (made in paper mills fed by tree plantations, also magically appears from being recycled, much like plastic, alloy, and ore)

Food (produced in farms, greenhouses, community gardens, and certain factories consumed by restaurants, grocers, and housing) Eco-tourism and tourism desirability layer/data view.

--Ocram

[jeremyp1223 8]

Here's three brand new buildings, only 99 cents each. Thats where i see this going.

[nhgriffith 179]

I would like to see the following added into modifications to the game:

Functional Offices (no shoppers, sell no goods, hire wealthier sims than comparable shops and malls, consume paper and maybe a small amount of computers, generating mostly recyclable paper waste)

Paper (made in paper mills fed by tree plantations, also magically appears from being recycled, much like plastic, alloy, and ore)

Food (produced in farms, greenhouses, community gardens, and certain factories consumed by restaurants, grocers, and housing) Eco-tourism and tourism desirability layer/data view.

--Ocram

So, out of curiosity, what impact would the offices have on the cities? The way the new game is currently set up, residential zones provide workers for the other two zones and shoppers for commercial zones. Industrial zones provide jobs for residential zones and goods for commercial zones. Commercial zones provide a place for industrial zones to sell their goods, and a place for residential zones to shop.

An office building can provide a place for a residential Sim to work, but what can it provide to industry? I just don't see how offices quite work into the RCI model this new game is using.

[Hoipus 292]

I would like to see the following added into modifications to the game:

Functional Offices (no shoppers, sell no goods, hire wealthier sims than comparable shops and malls, consume paper and maybe a small amount of computers, generating mostly recyclable paper waste)

Paper (made in paper mills fed by tree plantations, also magically appears from being recycled, much like plastic, alloy, and ore)

Food (produced in farms, greenhouses, community gardens, and certain factories consumed by restaurants, grocers, and housing) Eco-tourism and tourism desirability layer/data view.

--Ocram

So, out of curiosity, what impact would the offices have on the cities? The way the new game is currently set up, residential zones provide workers for the other two zones and shoppers for commercial zones. Industrial zones provide jobs for residential zones and goods for commercial zones. Commercial zones provide a place for industrial zones to sell their goods, and a place for residential zones to shop.

An office building can provide a place for a residential Sim to work, but what can it provide to industry? I just don't see how offices quite work into the RCI model this new game is using.

They could provide an invisible good known as office services.

[City Planner 121]

Knowing EA, it's possible they won't release modding tools, so that they themselves can push out small incremental DLC packs you need to buy, like The Sims.  Although, they just need to look at Skyrim, to know a game can be super successful with both.

I think it more likely that EA / Maxis will put out some basic modding tools, but they'll be modding tools along the lines of an easy way for people to reskin buildings and do other basic visual modding. I seriously doubt that Maxis will be putting out any modding tools that allow for some serious / heavy modding to the game. Maybe some plugins, exporters and or importers to work with a 3D modeling software and stuff like that. They'll hold out long enough so that the modders get fed up with waiting (like in that other EA game we all know) for tools and just create their own, then they (EA/Maxis) won't have to bother with it.

I had that real sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when EA / Maxis said that no modding tools would be released with the game, I think that basically said, "we're not really going to put out modding tools, if you want to create your own, go ahead" and as time goes by their will be even less of a chance that they put out anything.

Honestly, I would not be surprised at all if in 6 months we find some strange building in our city that none of us have ever seen before, and when we click on it, it turns out to be the SimCity 2013 "DLC Store" where just like in the Sims 3, people can buy all sorts of stuff for their game for absolutely absurd prices.

EA / Maxis see the cash cow with SC13 DLC and their own store. Why bother giving the players the tools to create the same mods that Maxis can create and charge for. No business reason at all unless you firmly believe that it will keep SC13 selling for the next 10 years as has SC4.

When all they need to do is put out DLC every so often to keep things new and fresh that will keep the game and or extras selling for years to come, no need to get modders involved (UNFORTUNATELY).

[crashx 18]

Knowing EA, it's possible they won't release modding tools, so that they themselves can push out small incremental DLC packs you need to buy, like The Sims.  Although, they just need to look at Skyrim, to know a game can be super successful with both.

I think it more likely that EA / Maxis will put out some basic modding tools, but they'll be modding tools along the lines of an easy way for people to reskin buildings and do other basic visual modding. I seriously doubt that Maxis will be putting out any modding tools that allow for some serious / heavy modding to the game. Maybe some plugins, exporters and or importers to work with a 3D modeling software and stuff like that. They'll hold out long enough so that the modders get fed up with waiting (like in that other EA game we all know) for tools and just create their own, then they (EA/Maxis) won't have to bother with it.

I had that real sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach when EA / Maxis said that no modding tools would be released with the game, I think that basically said, "we're not really going to put out modding tools, if you want to create your own, go ahead" and as time goes by their will be even less of a chance that they put out anything.

Honestly, I would not be surprised at all if in 6 months we find some strange building in our city that none of us have ever seen before, and when we click on it, it turns out to be the SimCity 2013 "DLC Store" where just like in the Sims 3, people can buy all sorts of stuff for their game for absolutely absurd prices.

EA / Maxis see the cash cow with SC13 DLC and their own store. Why bother giving the players the tools to create the same mods that Maxis can create and charge for. No business reason at all unless you firmly believe that it will keep SC13 selling for the next 10 years as has SC4.

When all they need to do is put out DLC every so often to keep things new and fresh that will keep the game and or extras selling for years to come, no need to get modders involved (UNFORTUNATELY).

 

This is what Sims gamers thought and made a big fuss about too.

 

For a while it seemed that way, that they were trying to herd everyone to the store and make it as difficult as possilbe to Mod. Eventually though they eased up and now there are as many mods for TS3 as there are any other game.

 

The game even tells you if your mods are not updated and it lets you turn off EA Story Progression...a feature in TS3 that is usually replaced by a mod...so they've come to accept modding and I think it will be the same here. You are right though that it is unlikely they will give out the tools for it, but the Modding community and their store can co-exist. It just means that EA/Maxis will have to make their DLC worth the price.

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

Why spend countless hours making 3D masterpieces for a game that might and might not be alive on a server in the foreseeable future. It takes tremendous amounts of hours to make quality models well textured. I think it would be wise to wait to see if this title would even survive before considering making mods. No local saves is one thing, multilayer another issue on top of it. Would this game even be worth modding as it is right now?

 

As far as DLC goes, I find it a bit unbalanced in a competitive environment because then we are talking about pay to win scenarios. I watched my wife play a couple of facebook games and saw the disappointment on her face when she couldn't get the stuff she really wanted to enhance her restaurant because it costs real money. Even if she did shell out money at least the game didn't cost her anything at first to play.

 

IMO, mods should be free. This way if someone wants to join a certain region, they would get an automatic download for the mods being used where they are loading like they do with the COD servers.

[loerelau 5]

So, out of curiosity, what impact would the offices have on the cities? The way the new game is currently set up, residential zones provide workers for the other two zones and shoppers for commercial zones. Industrial zones provide jobs for residential zones and goods for commercial zones. Commercial zones provide a place for industrial zones to sell their goods, and a place for residential zones to shop.

An office building can provide a place for a residential Sim to work, but what can it provide to industry? I just don't see how offices quite work into the RCI model this new game is using.

 

Like in city xl. Industry needs administration/offices and offices need hi-tech industry.

[MiamiHurricane 2]

Its pretty obvious that mods will only be allowed in sandbox mode where leaderboards and the like don't count

[SirChick 184]

Thank you EA/Maxis!

Too soon dude, too soon!

[mrmike1979 6]

I hope for modding to be close to the levels capable in SimCity4. Personally I am waiting to purchase SimCity to see what really will be capable. I like to think Maxis sees how the modding community has extended the life of SimCity4 far beyond what it would have been. 

[Jasoncw 11,840]

Every SimCity game published by EA has had modding, and every game from SC2K on has had modding.

 

Maxis has also said over and over and over and over again that they love modding, that they designed the game with modding in mind, that there wouldn't be modding at launch, but maybe in the future, and that the other modding tools were not released at launch either, and that they love modding, but that they have nothing to announce.  Which is basically game developer speak for "everyone wants to do it but it hasn't been rubber stamped yet so I can't explicitly say that we're doing it".

 

The reason there's not modding at launch is because so far their energies have been devoted to finishing the game itself, and there are deadlines and budgets for these things.  Modding also means that there's that much extra stuff to support.

 

My prediction is that their next project will be some expansions/dlc, modding tools, and the in-game content distribution programming.

 

My hope is that creators will be able to set the price of their creations, including the ability to make them free.

[pderuiter 75]

I love it that when EA says "We are thinking about it", everyone starts cheering. There is as of yet no proof if and to what extent they will allow modding. Maybe they only mean skins? That's modding in a way.

I'm not saying they won't allow modding, but don't throw a party just yet.

[Violator31 13]

Part of the fun of SimCity, for me, has been cteating my own regions. Using the skills learned here, I have been using Photoshop to create whole regions the way I want them to be (hills, rivers, etc).

I hope that eventually this will be an option.

[Tito85037 2]

I don't understand how this will work since the game is mainly multiplayer. Will you be able to see the mod or will you have to download the mod to see it?

[syszone 2]

Part of the fun of SimCity, for me, has been cteating my own regions. Using the skills learned here, I have been using Photoshop to create whole regions the way I want them to be (hills, rivers, etc).

I hope that eventually this will be an option.

no offence... you just arrive to this world? or you are messing with us?

[Violator31 13]

Part of the fun of SimCity, for me, has been cteating my own regions. Using the skills learned here, I have been using Photoshop to create whole regions the way I want them to be (hills, rivers, etc).

I hope that eventually this will be an option.

no offence... you just arrive to this world? or you are messing with us?

I'm not exactly sure what you are getting at, but just to clarify...... I am not talking about opening up a new region and starting new cities. I am saying that I like to import my own jpeg design from photoshop. Not like using "God mode" to create the region.

So instead of just making such a vague reply, even tho prefaced with "no offense", please explain what you mean by your comments.