How many of you actually would/will play multiplayer?

[§haÅ--Ñ€ §hÅŽo 370]

City building games aren't much of a multiplayer genre. There are very small things that can be done that involve the two players working together (Business deals, anything else?) that prevents trolls or kids from ruining your city.

[Jasoncw 11,949]

Oh yeah, I would probably try out multiplayer with random people on the internet, random kids and trolls doesn't appeal.

I play Starcraft online, and I think the worst part about it is the people you play with. In fact I mainly play against the computer!

Even if everyone playing SimCity was friendly, I want to build my city a certain way and I don't want it next to someone else's ugly city, lol

[The Avatar 1,089]

I will only play with people from this site, and I will most likely play single-player only. I don't trust random people on the internet.

[Jack³ 291]

^Same with me. Maybe Simtopolis can get really creative and help with this...

[~Dee~ 215]

I have been gaming for about 20 years and I must have close to 100 games which I all have played in solo mode.

Not because I'm antisocial, far from it, I just don't like my friends game style.

I like to play on my own without anybodys influence....solo all the way for me.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Well, if the game has to be one or the other, it seems the solo players have it. I think the multi-player thing should be totally optional and otherwise no connection after registration, and no snooping during registration.

[Mark Waybill 242]

Agreed

[starbar61 0]

man i would play online with my brother if there is any way to private games.

[jacksunny 741]

^There will be. EA/Maxis is not going to force you to play with people you don't know, even they aren't stupid enough to do that.

[Zargrim 3]

Are you crazy? This entire game should be structured for online. See Age of Empires Online and Settlers Online as perfect examples of both models. The real problem is not getting people to play online. It's what platform will the game be available on at release. If it's Origin only you can bet the game will see dismal results at first. Nobody wants to use that software. If it ships on STEAM and Impulse and basically everywhere then you might see an explosion of players online. Assuming the software is developed with multiplayer from the ground up. Cities XL was a good idea it just failed to deliver on so many levels. Looking at some of the newer games and using a simular approach albeit a bit different, Sim City 5 could potentially be an amazing online game that you could even play itself when your offline.

I'm really enjoying Settlers online. It's not Sim City but the way it's designed and the time it takes to build stuff and produce resources and population is just perfect. Log in every day maybe a few times and play for 10-15 minutes or sit there for hours redesigning everything. To be honest the free to play or free to pay model actually works wonders for this genre just don't give EA too many ideas or we'll end up with an extra year in development as they retool and try and catch up to the rest of the industry =) Anyways I hope it's good and yes I will be playing online entirely if given the chance. I want to trade resources with cities and broker deals with other players for goods and services. Of course I also want to visit your cities. Perhaps you need more police for that Stanley Cup hockey game? =) If anything I want to just be able to trade resources to build stuff.

Again I hope the Sim City developers are paying attention to the games out there now and getting some newer ideas and not just rehashing the old ones. In real life it takes resources to build stuff just like it should in the game. Building things should take time so that the value for the time and effort is higher. In Settlers Online I'm now level 20 and all my road technology has upgraded allowing me to construct nice brick curbs and stone roads instead of Medeival cobble. It also gives the Mayor rpg elements and progression system that can tie into adventures for 1 or more player. All kinds of stuff has been extrapolated for free to play and it's incredibly addicting. If Sim City 5 was simular but included the tradition Sim City elements it would be just amazing. Especially all rolled into one seemless multiplayer online/oflline experience.

BTW anyone who thinks City Building games are not for online just hasn't played a good one yet. One word...Persistent... When I log out of Settlers Online my city keeps working. When I log back in things have changed. It's such a brilliant concept and nobody but a free to play game is doing it. Being an online game doesn't just imply you will have someone on your region building or getting in your way. You might not be connected to any players in any way at all yet can still facilitate the need for trade with players via resources and building limtations based on time and resources. Being able to visit someones city could be as easy as adding them to your friends list. You don't need a massive world map with people all connected via regions or anything like that. Sure you could offer that as an option or game mode but being online doesnt just mean playing with someone in your region. It could be as simple as DRM itself with friends list and persistent cities, the ability to trade with other players, and or visit their cities. I don't want Sim City 4 with better graphics.

To be honest I want the depth and complexity but in a much better package and layout. I for one did not like region play. I never liked the maps I was building on and the way it showed the entire world with different regions connected just didn't do anything for me. I dont mind connecting cities so much but using one for dity industry and another for tech etc was kind of lame in some ways. I prefered the old school single map with more realistic balanced cities. I would like to see that again only built into a server inostrcture with persistence and resources etc. I remember playign Settlers Online for the first time and being mad I could not cancel an action I made. I dropped a building down that took resources to build but I put it in the wrong spot. I could cancel it but I would still lose resources. There is no undo button in that sense. You have to plan careful and if you make a mistake you have to work with it for a while to correct it. So eventually I tore the building down and replaced it when I had stockpiles of extra resources. Most buildings build fairly quickly once you have the resources. However lets say building a 100 story sky scraper... Well in Settlers Online that would probably take a few days realtime. When you think about it, it really should since it's such a long process in reality and the end result is you apreciate your city MUCH more. You grow it and shape it continuously with resources you sometimes have to just sit back and wait for. So I really hope we get something a bit different for Sim City 5 but still with all the good stuff. Hopefully travel times will be much more realistic.. Hell people drive 3 hours to work and back these days. I hope the simulation is as good as the design.

  Edited April 19, 2012 by Zargrim  

[Ocram's Razr 964]

To be honest, I agree with you Zargrim though I have never played Settlers online.

[BurroDiablo 222]

I'm willing to play online with randoms, simply because I like some unpredictable fun. Even if they choose to troll with pollution or crime waves, i'm up for the challenge. That said, I'll probably be spending most of my time soloing in my own region, trying to create some unique cities not plagued by the misdeeds of it's neighbors.

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

We keep talking about online or not but there is no explanation of how the game will be designed in detail. What are the mechanics? What will we actually be doing? What does the average multiplayer session consist of? All we know is that the way most fans of SC play, online sharing resources just is not appealing. But really it depends on what we would actually be doing. Is it all about trading resources or will there be more to it. I hope that we will get a clear idea with the E3 presentation.

SimCity is unique and I would love to see it stay that way. I don't want to be heartbroken seeing SC following a Cityville style of play just because its popular with facebook junkies. those games have many people playing because they are free and many facebook junkies can't even install a PC game from a disc. Wii was only popular because of the soccer mom appeal but most of the games for it sucked. I would not compare SimCity with any persistant MMO because SC was never enjoyed in such a way....ever.

[Silur 3,308]

I don't want Online everytime when I want play the game ...

And I would not play with other people ... I work everyday with other people and I want some rest ... This is an excellent game for jobless ...

  Edited April 20, 2012 by Silur  

[Andravius 2]

Voted no. Rather play the Simcity CCG for co-op play.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

If someone builds a bad city, I will double their woes and lessen their impact on me (they send pollution with all industries? I build casinoes on the edge of town and keep a 1-8% underemployment rate in my city with tons of green areas and police on the opposite side, they get crime added to their pollution, little-to-no employees, and go bankrupt, leaving their city up for grabs).

[Shark7 118]

To me, SimCity always has been and always will be a single player game. I'm not interested in interacting with other people when I am playing SC, I just want to build and create with my imagination being the only limitation. I would be much more likely to buy a SimCity game that shipped with no multiplayer component at all, but that is just me.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Then again, if my neighbor has a thriving but dirty heavy industry town, I could put clean(er) manufacturing plants on his side of my city and low wealth sims everywhere else.

[croxis 150]

So far a 8 point percentage split with the "no"s in favor.

Remember that the sandbox engine's multiplayer system is data driven and asynchronous (GDC) so players can play their cities at their leasure and not require everyone to be on to play. So far it sounds like only one player per city (they only been advertizing multiplayer regions, not multiplayer cities). We also know that a player can abandon their multiplayer city, other players can pick it up. Think of it as a unique scenario.

I am personally interested in both playing with friends and fam, and I think random play would be a lot of fun - maximizing the faults of other cities to my advantage.

[Ocram's Razr 964]

With the voting going this way, I think the online function is going to be more favorable than a vocal minority shout.

[jacksunny 741]

I agree that it would be both fun and challenging to play with random people, which is something I plan on doing providing there is no fee or it is very little.

[Mark Waybill 242]

I will experiment with public regions. If you don't have to pay any extra to join more regions I would do a bit of experimenting with public regions, although I doubt many will become a success story.

Naturally I will play some regions solo.

I would be interested in playing with friends but 1. all my friends are always busy and 2. they are not busy playing city simulation games.

[Kavaeric 50]

To be fair if I even ever used the multiplayer I'd just use it to screw everyone else's cities by polluting them or building massive eyesores everywhere. I prefer it when it's my region where I can do what I like and nobody can stop me...and the multiplayer will just add a new dimension to greifing as it is.

That is the most messed up idea I ever heard from you.

I'll be joining you in ten minutes.

[Terring 6,476]

Only with friends, but I haven't any friend playing Simcity

[jacksunny 741]

^Surely there are people on this site that would be willing to play on a region with you I would.

[croxis 150]

There is an option not in the poll: Setting up regions with other community members for rping or planned/themed development.

[Moskva 75]

Only with friends, but I haven't any friend playing Simcity

Wanna be friends?

[Mark Waybill 242]

I'd gladly play with fellow Simtropolitans in a region. As long as we don't have to pay for extra regions, or have a good amount to start with, I will experiment with various social structures. Howerver I imagine solo regions will make up the majority of my time.

[poshbakerloo 186]

I would play with friends, although being 22 and having friends either 22 or a bit older, not many play PC games anymore. I wouldn't really play with random people though. I have learnt that lesson with Minecraft! Full of people who just want to wreck other peoples work!

[simcity4deluxe 95]

I would want to play multiplayer, as long as it's worth it, which it should be and I think there will be ads or something so they keep it going otherwise the same thing will happen to it as did cities XL.