SimCity: Transit and Roading Networks

[cyruskafaiwu 29]

I honestly think that Light Rail is a cool system to play with. It's much easier to visualize compared to a subway. It is much more versatile (i hope its the same in the game) where you can place in tunnels, elevated structures or at grade.

The most I would expect out of Light Rail is the ability to be elevated, at-grade and just some basic tunnelling (no stations or anything).

[nathanthemayor 1,263]

Don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but with the recent video, I noticed a Highway Interchange-An actual one, right here.

[Don Bananos 28]

Don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but with the recent video, I noticed a Highway Interchange-An actual one, right here.

There's also a highway running through one of the city tiles, which means we'll need to build an on/off ramp

[barnacleboy 13]

Don't know if anyone else has seen this yet, but with the recent video, I noticed a Highway Interchange-An actual one, right here.

There's also a highway running through one of the city tiles, which means we'll need to build an on/off ramp

I wish we could, but I don't think so. When you look at the video closely, you can see that the highway is downgraded to an avenue right after the highway enters the city limits (1:57)...

[Zulnex 1]

I cant wait to see more about the train system. If we will have elevated rail, see the models of heavy train, freight train and the kind of intersections the rail system can have with like airport and mainly seaports.

For example, some coal powerplants are stocked by coal wagons.

I agree as well.

[Morbx 16]

I can't say I'm mad at Maxis for removing the subway system, I personally believe it almost made the game too easy...

All you needed was a few extra bucks laying around, and then, you could solve all of your traffic problems forever. There was nothing you could run into with your subway track down there. I think that Maxis wants to make transit just a little more difficult, and eliminating all underground options is an excellent way.

[Moonraker0 193]

I can't say I'm mad at Maxis for removing the subway system, I personally believe it almost made the game too easy...

All you needed was a few extra bucks laying around, and then, you could solve all of your traffic problems forever. There was nothing you could run into with your subway track down there. I think that Maxis wants to make transit just a little more difficult, and eliminating all underground options is an excellent way.

Not really; they could do it right rather than eliminate it. There's nothing positive about eliminating the subway network, if they are even doing that, when they could just make it less easy without eliminating it instead. If I'm not mistaken, the way it is in real life is that they need to be built under streets because you usually can't tunnel through building foundations (pretty sure, haven't studied it much), but it SC4 and CiM you can build it just about anywhere. I've read about it a little; there is either the option of tunneling underground without disrupting street traffic, which is more expensive, or tearing/digging up the whole street and putting it in, then rebuilding the street. If they added subways that had to face these problems (traffic disruption or high expense), and needed to be built only under streets, that would take care of the easiness problem.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Seeing as there is no underground view for water, I doubt that subways will make it into the game.

--Ocram

[Cob92 360]

The other issue with subways was that they were way too cheap and simple. Just slap down a station on every corner and connect them. Cities XL did it better by preventing grid subways; you had to actually lay down subway lines instead of just lazily plopping stations.

[pyanodon 218]

I can't say I'm mad at Maxis for removing the subway system, I personally believe it almost made the game too easy(...)

MORE EASY? Each time i see a new video or screenshot i have more sure that the game will be far tooo easy. And now, after they said that you probably cant be negative in money, i bet the only difficulties we will face is the "great" challenges the servers will give to people who wanna play for achievements.

So..the subway system would be great with connected to elevated rail as we see in our sc4. Also it could be very expensive to bring more difficulties to the game.

[Skyrunner27 23]

I can't say I'm mad at Maxis for removing the subway system, I personally believe it almost made the game too easy(...)

MORE EASY? Each time i see a new video or screenshot i have more sure that the game will be far tooo easy. And now, after they said that you probably cant be negative in money, i bet the only difficulties we will face is the "great" challenges the servers will give to people who wanna play for achievements.

So..the subway system would be great with connected to elevated rail as we see in our sc4. Also it could be very expensive to bring more difficulties to the game.

just to clarify they never said you couldn't go into the red.Unless you have seen information I have not. If you look at the strategy vids you can see that certain things can make you o into the expense. The major ones we have seen are the dump and sewage.

[theBrad 25]

Here is a question - why is their so much traffic in such a small town? Is it because due to the small tile sizes the model overcompensates traffic in order to make the game more challenging?

I am not sure how I feel about this - I love to be challenged to handle traffic, that obviously is one of the great things about SimCity, but only when it makes sense. Even if those are dirt roads, I don't understand why their would be so many cars with so few houses.

[cyruskafaiwu 29]

Here is a question - why is their so much traffic in such a small town? Is it because due to the small tile sizes the model overcompensates traffic in order to make the game more challenging?

I am not sure how I feel about this - I love to be challenged to handle traffic, that obviously is one of the great things about SimCity, but only when it makes sense. Even if those are dirt roads, I don't understand why their would be so many cars with so few houses.

There is no horizontal crosstown routes that are not dirt roads. leading to congestion and there could be more beyond than this image.

[fatbuster 44]

Here is a question - why is their so much traffic in such a small town? Is it because due to the small tile sizes the model overcompensates traffic in order to make the game more challenging?

I am not sure how I feel about this - I love to be challenged to handle traffic, that obviously is one of the great things about SimCity, but only when it makes sense. Even if those are dirt roads, I don't understand why their would be so many cars with so few houses.

Doesn't really seem like there's that much traffic. I don't know what time of the day this was taken but it would make sense if it was during one of the work commutes. Unlike the real world, the sims in the game commute to work at the same time (you can see this in one of the glassbox videos). Having everyone take off at the same time could easy clog the streets of even a small town.

[Cob92 360]

Here is a question - why is their so much traffic in such a small town? Is it because due to the small tile sizes the model overcompensates traffic in order to make the game more challenging?

I am not sure how I feel about this - I love to be challenged to handle traffic, that obviously is one of the great things about SimCity, but only when it makes sense. Even if those are dirt roads, I don't understand why their would be so many cars with so few houses.

I've seen small towns with that much traffic before. You'd be surprised how clogged up the roads in a community of a few thousand can become at rush hour. It's also possible that a good chunk of those drivers don't live in the town, but instead only work there.

[Morbx 16]

Here is a question - why is their so much traffic in such a small town? Is it because due to the small tile sizes the model overcompensates traffic in order to make the game more challenging?

I am not sure how I feel about this - I love to be challenged to handle traffic, that obviously is one of the great things about SimCity, but only when it makes sense. Even if those are dirt roads, I don't understand why their would be so many cars with so few houses.

I've seen small towns with that much traffic before. You'd be surprised how clogged up the roads in a community of a few thousand can become at rush hour. It's also possible that a good chunk of those drivers don't live in the town, but instead only work there.

They're trying to show off features of the game, it doesn't necessarily mean that a city that small will have that much traffic. (Although in a real-life situation, it could, as stated above)

[F2CMaDMaXX 12]

One thing i like about the new SC is the fact they realised that traffic comes from other towns too, i mean, i drive to other towns i don't live in a lot, so i contribute to their traffic problems...

Also, who honestly looks at the picture and thinks it's the whole town!?!?

[ArtemL 14]

I've seen small towns with that much traffic before. You'd be surprised how clogged up the roads in a community of a few thousand can become at rush hour. It's also possible that a good chunk of those drivers don't live in the town, but instead only work there.

Just one picture says it all:

There are about forty cars on the most clogged street up front. That's people from just one or two blocks driving simultaneously, esp. if we assume two cars per family.

Definitely a realistic scenario; that's why mass transit and car-free ideology exist.

[theBrad 25]

Thanks for the responses folks - those are some excellent points.

[barnacleboy 13]

Q: Will there be roundabouts?

A: Yes, the road tool is quite powerful!

Source: http://www.reddit.co..._dev_team_amaa/ (Kip)

So is there a real European style one-way-roundabout or just the avenue roundabout depicted in Guillaume's screenshot from last week (https://twitter.com/...3801984/photo/1)?

[Urban Cartographer 601]

I've seen small towns with that much traffic before. You'd be surprised how clogged up the roads in a community of a few thousand can become at rush hour. It's also possible that a good chunk of those drivers don't live in the town, but instead only work there.

Just one picture says it all:

There are about forty cars on the most clogged street up front. That's people from just one or two blocks driving simultaneously, esp. if we assume two cars per family.

Definitely a realistic scenario; that's why mass transit and car-free ideology exist.

Toronto has a similar version:

[osse84 18]

^ I think we have drifted rather far afield from the topic title. What does simulating individuals have to do with Transit and Roading?

Might as well start early. Fellow Simtropolians, which do you value more: a few highly customizable transportation choices (e.g. roads, highways, and rails, with variable lanes, customizable intersections, changing speed limits, restricting traffic type choices available, etc.), or a large variety of relatively unchangeable transit options (e.g. walking paths, bike paths, streets, roads, country roads, avenues, boulevards (they're specifically tree-lined, if I remember correctly), one-ways, highways, elevated highways, trams, rails, elevated rails, and so on ad infinitum)?

Appears we will get neither. Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad. Have you guys seen the angle at which the rail snaps onto the intercity line? 90 degrees thereabout. Back to SC 2000 it seems. The devs doesn't care anything for the amazing work this community has done for SC4 apparently. I honestly don't know who they are making this game for, cause it's obviously not us.

No highways, no roundabouts, no over/underpasses, no suburbs, no urban stations, no subway, no metropolis... Just a toyish little square nobody town, next to an ocean full of square nobody towns. Filled with cute little factories and tacky little simulations of overtly exaggerated sims. Happyhappyhappyhappy

[mapboy 106]

Appears we will get neither. Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad. Have you guys seen the angle at which the rail snaps onto the intercity line? 90 degrees thereabout. Back to SC 2000 it seems. The devs doesn't care anything for the amazing work this community has done for SC4 apparently. I honestly don't know who they are making this game for, cause it's obviously not us.

We have dirt roads, 2 and 4 lane streets, 4 and 6 lane avenues, ground light rail, ground light rail within 6 lane avenues, rail, ferry, and air. To me that's not "Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad". That's the most roading and rail options every in a vanilla SimCity, even without the highways.

And you obviously missed that the 90 degree rail snap was not finished.

[osse84 18]

We have dirt roads, 2 and 4 lane streets, 4 and 6 lane avenues, ground light rail, ground light rail within 6 lane avenues, rail, ferry, and air. To me that's not "Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad". That's the most roading and rail options every in a vanilla SimCity, even without the highways.

And you obviously missed that the 90 degree rail snap was not finished.

Oh yeah? Sure about that? The intercity rail lies outside your jurisdiction, so either way it's gonna just snap on to it in a totally random and illogical manner, unless you're lucky. About the selection of roads, they're all the same, except different sizes. All quite unexciting actually. Air traffic you say? You mean the airport reward you have to share with four or more other minicities? The tram system is an interesting and welcomed addition I admit. But I must say that I will be astounded if they deliver a game which totally separates road and rail traffic like any modern, sensible city would do. But I sense that visual realism never was the top priority of this game. Trade and management is. I don't like it, but it is probably fun for some. I just feel that they've got enough games, and I don't get why Maxis acts as if there was something inherently wrong about SC4 to be ashamed of...

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Appears we will get neither. Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad. Have you guys seen the angle at which the rail snaps onto the intercity line? 90 degrees thereabout. Back to SC 2000 it seems. The devs doesn't care anything for the amazing work this community has done for SC4 apparently. I honestly don't know who they are making this game for, cause it's obviously not us.

We have dirt roads, 2 and 4 lane streets, 4 and 6 lane avenues, ground light rail, ground light rail within 6 lane avenues, rail, ferry, and air. To me that's not "Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad". That's the most roading and rail options every in a vanilla SimCity, even without the highways.

By vanilla, I hope you mean base game and are not comparing it to SimCity 4: Rush Hour because that has streets, roads, avenues, one way roads, elevated rail, subway, train, monorail, ground highway, elevated highway, passenger ferry, car ferry, and 3 types of airports (5 if you include the rewards). However, I believe that extra transport options will eventually be added though I am disappointed that one way roads are impossible. I was hoping that the Glass Box engine could be tweaked to make it so that one can upgrade roads (with the right conditions) to one way roads.

--Ocram

[Skyrunner27 23]

Appears we will get neither. Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad. Have you guys seen the angle at which the rail snaps onto the intercity line? 90 degrees thereabout. Back to SC 2000 it seems. The devs doesn't care anything for the amazing work this community has done for SC4 apparently. I honestly don't know who they are making this game for, cause it's obviously not us.

We have dirt roads, 2 and 4 lane streets, 4 and 6 lane avenues, ground light rail, ground light rail within 6 lane avenues, rail, ferry, and air. To me that's not "Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad". That's the most roading and rail options every in a vanilla SimCity, even without the highways.

By vanilla, I hope you mean base game and are not comparing it to SimCity 4: Rush Hour because that has streets, roads, avenues, one way roads, elevated rail, subway, train, monorail, ground highway, elevated highway, passenger ferry, car ferry, and 3 types of airports (5 if you include the rewards). However, I believe that extra transport options will eventually be added though I am disappointed that one way roads are impossible. I was hoping that the Glass Box engine could be tweaked to make it so that one can upgrade roads (with the right conditions) to one way roads.

--Ocram

Nobody from Maxis has said that One-way roads are impossible

We have dirt roads, 2 and 4 lane streets, 4 and 6 lane avenues, ground light rail, ground light rail within 6 lane avenues, rail, ferry, and air. To me that's not "Just roads, avenues and a crappy railroad". That's the most roading and rail options every in a vanilla SimCity, even without the highways.

And you obviously missed that the 90 degree rail snap was not finished.

Oh yeah? Sure about that? The intercity rail lies outside your jurisdiction, so either way it's gonna just snap on to it in a totally random and illogical manner, unless you're lucky. About the selection of roads, they're all the same, except different sizes. All quite unexciting actually. Air traffic you say? You mean the airport reward you have to share with four or more other minicities? The tram system is an interesting and welcomed addition I admit. But I must say that I will be astounded if they deliver a game which totally separates road and rail traffic like any modern, sensible city would do. But I sense that visual realism never was the top priority of this game. Trade and management is. I don't like it, but it is probably fun for some. I just feel that they've got enough games, and I don't get why Maxis acts as if there was something inherently wrong about SC4 to be ashamed of...

#1-Your right but it has nothing to do with how it will snap.

#2-How is that different from Simcity 4 in reality except for Highways but you can build elevated avenues that can be built anywhere

#3-There is a great works airport and a city based airport

#4-They did

#5-Have you seen Glassbox

#6-They aren't ashamed of Simcity 4 they are ashamed of Simcity societies.

#6B-Simcity 4 was released a decade ago

[mapboy 106]

Oh yeah? Sure about that? The intercity rail lies outside your jurisdiction, so either way it's gonna just snap on to it in a totally random and illogical manner, unless you're lucky. About the selection of roads, they're all the same, except different sizes. All quite unexciting actually. Air traffic you say? You mean the airport reward you have to share with four or more other minicities? The tram system is an interesting and welcomed addition I admit. But I must say that I will be astounded if they deliver a game which totally separates road and rail traffic like any modern, sensible city would do. But I sense that visual realism never was the top priority of this game. Trade and management is. I don't like it, but it is probably fun for some. I just feel that they've got enough games, and I don't get why Maxis acts as if there was something inherently wrong about SC4 to be ashamed of...

Rail: You're talking about something completely different now. Yes, the game may lead to an increase in spur lines, but I was talking about rail intersections not yet being complete.

Roads: So with that logic, the NWM is pointless?

Air traffic: Yes, there is a great work, but there is also an inner city airport yet to be shown. It has been confirmed though.

Separation of road and rail? I don't get what you mean. The road and rail networks are separate in the game... (if you are referring to light rail, we have been told that you can also lay it separately.)

By vanilla, I hope you mean base game and are not comparing it to SimCity 4: Rush Hour because that has streets, roads, avenues, one way roads, elevated rail, subway, train, monorail, ground highway, elevated highway, passenger ferry, car ferry, and 3 types of airports (5 if you include the rewards). However, I believe that extra transport options will eventually be added though I am disappointed that one way roads are impossible. I was hoping that the Glass Box engine could be tweaked to make it so that one can upgrade roads (with the right conditions) to one way roads.

--Ocram

Yes, vanilla equals the base game. If I meant Rush Hour, I wouldn't have said vanilla!

[barnacleboy 13]

#2-How is that different from Simcity 4 in reality except for Highways but you can build elevated avenues that can be built anywhere

Have you read Guillaume's post in the "New screenshots" thread ()? Seems there are no elevated roads as long as you are not starting the dragging of the road not from a hill...

So I guess the so called three level overpasses Dirk has told about have been cancelled...

[flyer2359 92]

#2-How is that different from Simcity 4 in reality except for Highways but you can build elevated avenues that can be built anywhere

Have you read Guillaume's post in the "New screenshots" thread ()? Seems there are no elevated roads as long as you are not starting the dragging of the road not from a hill...

So I guess the so called three level overpasses Dirk has told about have been cancelled...

I wouldn't be surprised to see it in an expansion pack. Just think of how much stuff was missing in the original SC4 when it originally came out (road wise). No avenues, one way streets or ground highways.

[Skyrunner27 23]

#2-How is that different from Simcity 4 in reality except for Highways but you can build elevated avenues that can be built anywhere

Have you read Guillaume's post in the "New screenshots" thread ()? Seems there are no elevated roads as long as you are not starting the dragging of the road not from a hill...

So I guess the so called three level overpasses Dirk has told about have been cancelled...

As I said over on that thread to the person who asked he was probably referring to the not able to create elevated intersections. This is the real reasons there are no subways. The station would have to deal with 3D paths. Also if you want visual proof check out the video

Ocean Quigley Producer Diary: SimCity Overview (coming March 5, 2013)

How would the road even be able to detect it was a hill.

Correct me if I'm wrong anyone at Maxis.