SimCity: Transit and Roading Networks

[Haljackey 17,385]

Please don't call it SimCity 5. This is a reboot of the series, not a successor to SC4.

And consider what SC4 had 'out of the box'. No trams or canals or anything like that... but it did have the basics: road, highway, rail, subway. Rush Hour expanded on it with ferry, el-rail and monorail.

If SimCity (2013) provides a solid base out of the box that will be fine with me. It should work wonders combined with their traffic simulation software and GlassBox.

[1962boon 1]

I am still hoping [...] side streets make it into the game.

Yeah that's the two-lane street (one lane on each side), or are you talking about something even smaller?

Or importantly, will the park and ride option only work with bus stops what about trams?

Mmmh good suggestion, I'll see what I can do.

maxisguillaume,

another question, from what i have seen so far in official presentations and also on the internet, is that the whole game is moving too fast (or is it shown in 'fast(er) forward' mode during those presentations ?), i mean all sims are speedwalking, cars (and even trucks) move at (super)highway speed once they re not in a trafficjam , including in downtown streets, also rounding the sharpest streetcorners way too fast; what we ve been shown in formentioned official presentations and on the internet, is that the game at its slowest possible speed ?

if so you guys really should be doing something about that much to high a speed of the whole game (wich otherwise looks great apart from this, that s why it would be such a missed opportunity) in order to make it look even more realistic. if you take real life speed and scale it down to simcity 2013, everything really should be moving much slower in the game (at standard/normal gamespeed that is, ofcourse not when you click the 'fast(er) forward' button in the game)

the only things/vehicles that move at a proper scale speed seem to be the new streetcars/trams!

i can t imagine that i m the first one to start up this speed to scale issue!

looking forward to your reaction

We're shooting for this aesthetic:

thanks for your reaction maxisguillaume, but this real life video doesn t answer the speed (to scale) question i posted, even more, this real life video shows everything on fast forward (like in that 80s movie 'Koyaanisqatsi')

[grugor 60]

thanks for your reaction maxisguillaume, but this real life video doesn t answer the speed (to scale) question i posted, even more, this real life video shows everything on fast forward (like in that 80s movie 'Koyaanisqatsi')

most of the gameplay vids show the game speeded up to show you skyscrapers going up etc. The original E3 shows both fast and normal speeds.

[VeritaScientia 150]

One thing I just noticed and am concerned about: the lack of interchanges in a (possible) screenshot

Allow me to draw your attention to the aircraft at the lower right of the picture, the two highway interchanges: at the aircraft's 11 o'clock, and again at around the aircraft's 8 o'clock position, the two highways do not appear to have interchange ramps, so unless there's something else going on, there's no way to get onto the intersecting highways.

[grugor 60]

One thing I just noticed and am concerned about: the lack of interchanges in a (possible) screenshot

Allow me to draw your attention to the aircraft at the lower right of the picture, the two highway interchanges: at the aircraft's 11 o'clock, and again at around the aircraft's 8 o'clock position, the two highways do not appear to have interchange ramps, so unless there's something else going on, there's no way to get onto the intersecting highways.

Traffic lights on the highway i reakon .

Also in the distance, you can see the airport. What do ye think the structure to the right is with the 3 large towers? Its not just another city and must be a great works of some kind

[VeritaScientia 150]

One thing I just noticed and am concerned about: the lack of interchanges in a (possible) screenshot

Allow me to draw your attention to the aircraft at the lower right of the picture, the two highway interchanges: at the aircraft's 11 o'clock, and again at around the aircraft's 8 o'clock position, the two highways do not appear to have interchange ramps, so unless there's something else going on, there's no way to get onto the intersecting highways.

Traffic lights on the highway i reakon .

Also in the distance, you can see the airport. What do ye think the structure to the right is with the 3 large towers? Its not just another city and must be a great works of some kind

Traffic lights on a highway? I hope not

[Haljackey 17,385]

We don't even know if there are any highways in SimCity (2013). They could just be road connections at this point for all we know.

[VeritaScientia 150]

We don't even know if there are any highways in SimCity (2013). They could just be road connections at this point for all we know.

They've mentioned highways in the region.

[fatbuster 44]

If you watch the E3 trailer you could see that the highways seem to intersect with regular intersections. You'll also notice that the texture used was just the regular road/avenue texture, complete with crosswalks! I'm assuming that at least at the time, they were using this setup as a dirty workaround as they worked on other aspects of the game. The new non-grid based road & pathing system should make adding things like interchanges and ramps pretty trivial.

[Haljackey 17,385]

They've mentioned highways in the region.

Define highway. The term differs all around the world. If your referring to a 'controlled access highway' (AKA freeway) we have yet to see them in any way shape or form in this game.

Maxis might be stating these 'highways' are more like rural country roads between towns with little or no development. They could also be limited access roads (so traffic lights are justified) but again there is no confirmation.

If you're hoping to see an adaptation of the MHW/RHW of SC4 in this game I wouldn't completely give your hopes up, but the chances of it appearing 'out of the box' decreases with every passing day.

[Mithrik 562]

One thing I just noticed and am concerned about: the lack of interchanges in a (possible) screenshot

Allow me to draw your attention to the aircraft at the lower right of the picture, the two highway interchanges: at the aircraft's 11 o'clock, and again at around the aircraft's 8 o'clock position, the two highways do not appear to have interchange ramps, so unless there's something else going on, there's no way to get onto the intersecting highways.

Traffic lights on the highway i reakon .

Also in the distance, you can see the airport. What do ye think the structure to the right is with the 3 large towers? Its not just another city and must be a great works of some kind

Perhaps it's an arcology?

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Those three towers in the background are solar farms.

--Ocram

[pyanodon 218]

One thing I just noticed and am concerned about: the lack of interchanges in a (possible) screenshot

Allow me to draw your attention to the aircraft at the lower right of the picture, the two highway interchanges: at the aircraft's 11 o'clock, and again at around the aircraft's 8 o'clock position, the two highways do not appear to have interchange ramps, so unless there's something else going on, there's no way to get onto the intersecting highways.

Traffic lights on the highway i reakon .

Also in the distance, you can see the airport. What do ye think the structure to the right is with the 3 large towers? Its not just another city and must be a great works of some kind

Perhaps it's an arcology?

no no..it´s Solar farms...one of the big projects is solar farm. I have that picture in a bigger resolution here in some place...but while i search lemme tell you something..

LOOK THE SIZE OF THAT CITIES ahhhhahaa

Edit:

Ah i found, enjoy: (click for a huge image)

  Edited September 29, 2012 by pyanodon  

[Greyflame 54]

This isn't a screenshot folks, it's concept art =P It even says so in the corner. You can tell by the texturing, perspective, etc too.

Solar farms make some sense for a great works, mostly since they take up a lot more space than SimCity 4 suggested and are usually found in large open expanses of land.

--

In regards to the speed/scale issue. There's actually a legitimate reason for faster speeds besides aesthetics, one I'd agree with. I'd assume that "Days" in simcity aren't real time; IE, they may be only half an hour or a few minutes long or something. If this is the case, people are going to be spending a lot of time going to/from work compared to how long they'll be AT work, since they "do their work" super fast but travel on the roads in real time. So it makes sense to speed the cars up some. Otherwise you'll get very unrealistic levels of traffic congestion. In other words, don't just consider the scale of the simulation, but the time scale; since the days are probably sped up, the simulation agents will have to be sped up some too.

Maybe.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

If they use The Sims' scale for "slow" speed as a real second for an in-game minute (each day lasting 24 real time minutes), then cars would go pretty fast.

[vietnam67 7]

I really hope that simcity 5 has a wide range of transport options, road and public transport. I never liked how in simcity 4 roads were always congested and avenues were just to big. I hope it has a variety of roads like in cities xl. I also hope that it will have public transport systems such as ferries and trams. I also hope you can create the routes for the buses to run along, instead of just placing bus stops which to me never seemed to work. I also hope that bus stops don't take up area and just go alongside roads like in real life.

[baertooth 330]

I hope it has a variety of roads like in cities xl. I also hope that it will have public transport systems such as ferries and trams. I also hope you can create the routes for the buses to run along, instead of just placing bus stops which to me never seemed to work. I also hope that bus stops don't take up area and just go alongside roads like in real life.

There are trams, unsure about ferries, but there is more transport options such as adding tram to avenues. The did see that busstops needed to be on the side of the road instead of having it's own space. But it's been confirmed that it's still the same system of placing bus stops and the engine works out the routing.

[vietnam67 7]

The think that annoys me about cities xl and i hope this game doesn't do is that all the roads, even the small roads make intersections with traffic lights, where cars have to stop for it.

[grugor 60]

The think that annoys me about cities xl and i hope this game doesn't do is that all the roads, even the small roads make intersections with traffic lights, where cars have to stop for it.

Yep. hence the need for overpasses, oneway roads and a yield option. I have an bad feeling though that every road is on the ground and maxisgull said that a road has to have two way traffic + sidewalks for the engine to work (garbage and emergency vehicles).

we shoud know more on the 9th

  Edited October 3, 2012 by grugor  

[durkie 0]

The think that annoys me about cities xl and i hope this game doesn't do is that all the roads, even the small roads make intersections with traffic lights, where cars have to stop for it.

The game figures it out for you. Street & street intersection is all stops, road & street has lights (longer green for the road than it is for the street), road & road has lights, etc...

[newyorka 26]

Will we have subways, train to subway, el road, el rail over rail, and train to el rail?

  Edited October 4, 2012 by newyorka  

[aereus 106]

Not at release. Only surface transport, boats, and planes.

[MTLT_17 27]

I have read on here that maxis said they would "drop complexity and realism, to make the game more fun!???" WTF Isn't that why you buy Simcity? For the complexity and realism?

"Oh this game is so easy I have no challenge, next game please?"

That statement proves that they have sold out to EA and their own values as proper game designers. This disgusts me more and more everytime information comes out about this game, I was excited to hear about it then appauled by the scope of changes, and drop of overall philosophy.

I believe, and I am sure I have a bit of support on this. That SC4 was a great start. It combined expanability with nice realistic value and challenges that were accomplishable with computer hardware and software of the day. Now that we have come forward 11 years. One might expect that instead of redoing a game that has been puchased and built upon for the last decade, they would take the basic philosohy and add the stuff modders have been attempting to add over the last 11 years. Sure make it more pretty, use the more advanced technology, improve on your platform by any means nessecary! All for that. Heck even add a multiplayer function, but for them to impose an all encompassing online aspect, where the "global market" even while in their "single player" mode still affects you is not right.

I will be waiting for a non-online version that either by EA and Maxis' own admission will admit that online was a direction that was "un-wanted" and "unaccepted" by users. Which happened two years ago "Cities XL." Or if not them, by modders leveraging the game dynamics and engine to make a game that is more to the liking of the core SC users.

Either way until it happens I will not be puchasing this game. As I know full well a lot of you will not as well.

Maxis EA thanks for ruining the most epic game that we core SC fans have been waiting for, I hope you fail and eat a MASSIVE piece of humble pie.

Regards,

REAL Simcity Player

[Haljackey 17,385]

Making a realistic game is now the norm as it is now possible with modern PCs. This is not 1989.

Speaking of realism, did anyone notice the 1 tile 90 degree rail curve in the newest SimCity 2013 gameplay video? Even SC4 didn't have that. IMO designs like these should be improved, such as using the 9x9 90 degree rail curve produced by the NAM Team as a source of inspiration.

[Moonraker0 193]

Yeah, I noticed the unrealistic rail turn in the video. I hope they don't have it like that in the final game. If they have curved roads, I assume they also have curved railways, so there wouldn't need to be a problem there; just curve the rail switch however you like. That would make the most sense.

[MaxisGuillaume 289]

Making a realistic game is now the norm as it is now possible with modern PCs. This is not 1989.

Speaking of realism, did anyone notice the 1 tile 90 degree rail curve in the newest SimCity 2013 gameplay video? Even SC4 didn't have that. IMO designs like these should be improved, such as using the 9x9 90 degree rail curve produced by the NAM Team as a source of inspiration.

Yes, we know, we're working on it.

[cirugo 1,889]

Making a realistic game is now the norm as it is now possible with modern PCs. This is not 1989.

Speaking of realism, did anyone notice the 1 tile 90 degree rail curve in the newest SimCity 2013 gameplay video? Even SC4 didn't have that. IMO designs like these should be improved, such as using the 9x9 90 degree rail curve produced by the NAM Team as a source of inspiration.

Yes, we know, we're working on it.

with all the input you're getting this unimportant little detail is what you say you're working on...

[Hellken 1,658]

Yes, we know, we're working on it.

Good luck.

You should drop by the NAM Team's threads some time: https://community.simtropolis.com/forum/30-modding-transit-networks/

[K-os 30]

Just saw this CiM2 preview video:

The curved roads are perfectly smooth!

In comparison with new SC:

You can still see the jagged polygon edge style in the curves. Hopefully that can be fixed up.

[Greyflame 54]

Yes, we know, we're working on it.

Woo! That's reassuring. In the next video, I recommend mentioning as much as possible what's not a final product; it helps calm (my) nerves xD

with all the input you're getting this unimportant little detail is what you say you're working on...

I assume they're working on other things a well. But this should be a relatively easy fix, and the more easy fixes they can hammer out the better IMHO. Things like the regional-highway connections (overpasses plox!), some of the scaling issues (large office buildings in a city of 358), etc. There are some bigger issues too, of course (no terraforming D:), but I feel like they really do have a strong engine, and most of the problems right now are in design and development of the features. So the fact that they're still working on those features (even if it's more detail oriented work at this point) is encouraging to me.