No more pipelines ?

[Mark Waybill 242]

This is a bit off topic but I agree that if we can't control zone density I'm cancelling my pre order when/if this is confirmed.

To keep this post on topic, I'll just say that tbh I think laying down individual pipes, at least in areas already zoned with streets, is as logical as going back to laying down individual power lines between blocks. Not a Mayor's job, and takes up time that could be spent doing something rewarding. If we lay individual pipes we might as well turf individual lawns, do bricklaying for all buildings, get a certificate in roofing so as we can finish them, study a bachelor of natural science so we can plant every tree individually, and why not also make each licence plate for each Sim car just to be on the safe side. After all we don't want a dumbed down game where all we do is manage a city!

[The_City_Builder 299]

I think the "No more density" post was just one of those pretend-to-know-more-then-we've-been-told posts.

If you recall from the glassbox videos, the Residential zones were light green. Light green was low density zoning in other sim city's.

Also on the menu to the right was a density choice box.

Sorry for off-topic.

[croxis 150]

I'm happy for no more pipes. The interesting choice to the player for water is placement of the wells/pumps in relation to distance (infrastructure cost), pollution, and the water table. Placing all the pipes isn't interesting gameplay and it is a shoddy mechanic to control housing density. Linking the road system with an automatic pipe is a fantastic sollution. Those wells and pumps need service roads anyways, right players where realism always wins?

[Thetford 22]

Well, according to this article, there are power cables, so who knows?

http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/games/896949-simcity-preview-and-interview-mayoral-candidate?ITO=socialnet-twitter-button

[Mark Waybill 242]

Please don't bring back having to place every power line between every block... unless this game is truly amazing and has to be played in positive real time to be enjoyed... Having to lay every line... Distracts one from greater plans

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Power and water will be layed under roads but if you have vast swaths of area with nothing, then you would need power lines, dur!

[meowza 230]

Well, according to this article, there are power cables, so who knows?

http://www.metro.co....-twitter-button

Precisely.

Both automatic and manual pipe-laying should be readily available options. If you hate pipe-laying, set it to automatic. But if you want to be more detailed about it, you can always choose to lay the pipes by yourself.

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

I have just spent a happy evening playing a new simcity 4 tile...

...I have come to the conclusion that I like water pipes. After all this is supposed to be a city building game, not a everything done for you already, pre-made, pre-laid game.

[T Wrecks 10,209]

And did you miss connecting every single building to the power net manually, just like in the first SimCity?

[Vahr 341]

As long as there's a field-of-effect type thing going on (ie SC4) and I have the option of laying down extensions/remote utilities, I'm ok with that. It'd be as if SC4 automatically laid a pipe (the kind that you would normally have to draw manually) under roads, streets, avenues, and OWR while still allowing you to use the manual tool.

[jonas3333 3]

I will be much happier not having to make the water grid and was tempted to post this as a suggestion from the get-go. However, I know there are those who enjoy it, and would be fine if it was an option, but not a requirement.

I enjoyed the video and I like the "glass box" effects - but, I can see how the sick sims from pollution would get VERY old, VERY quickly and I'd be grabbing a "no pollution" mod from somewhere in the first week of play.

There HAS to be zoning density. It's a major part of the game. I'll be quite disgusted(no surprise, given EA's track record) if they take that away.

[croxis 150]

I am sure the videos we see are not balanced, they are extream to show how the mechanic works.

[MINIggy03 227]

Yeah, I don't think we'll have to worry too much about how fast Sims get sick, I also believe they are speeding up the process for demonstration purposes.

I'm really happy to know that pipes travel below roads(no more counting to 7 tiles out and laying pipes!), but I hope for expansive purposes, pipes are still around and treated in the same way power lines were treated in SC4.

  Edited May 3, 2012 by MINIggy03  

[zuesian 4]

I do not think they are getting rid of pipes completely, but I think when you place roads a sewer/water system will be automatically placed under them. I think it would be great if instead of making a confusing grid of random pipes, sometimes one or two squares long, the water reached everyone on the street or road.

[Dewm 177]

-Snip-

Which is fairly accurate; I've never heard of developers putting up apartment buildings and office parks in places where there is no public water.

you've never lived in Alaska.

I can think of dozens of apartment buildings that are on a private well, Infact I have a cousin who owns 3 different 4plexes (not as big as an apartment) and they are all on well/septic.

But I'm sure this is only for rural areas (like where I live)

[jacksunny 741]

The vast majority of farms, at least in our area, run on our own private wells as the nearest towns are too far away to run off of.

[Mark Waybill 242]

I think like with 4 there should be a 'Well Stage' for new towns, and also for outlying farms like the ones you are referring to could have water tanks ro wells or dams if they were large enough.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

How about dirt roads not supplying water and farms not needing water from pipes? Of course water pollution would then hurt farms.

[Mark Waybill 242]

Farmers could set up their own miniature filtering system, and with rain tanks this wouldn't be an issue.

[Supertask 29]

From one of the videos, this appears to be part of a larger change in how water supply works, with water now treated as a resource with rain replenishing it. It certainly doesn't seem like dumbing down, just cutting out a tedious element that rarely required any thought. Now management of water may require some more interesting planning and challenges, as opposed to just remembering to extend your pipe network with your city and add a new pumping station when usage gets close to capacity.

[Eastwinn 6]

Automatic pipes could be an option, I suppose. But I'd prefer to put them down myself. I'd also like consequences for a bad piping system and benefits for a good one.

[BlackPanther74 2]

It would be pointless to cut out pipes altogether, not everywhere is connected to a road. I assume (hope) they'll deal with this as they did with powerlines... you want to connect remote areas or neighbors? Then lay a pipe. Otherwise, let the roads handle it.

And by what I've read, the new Simcity will only have three different types of zones, R C and I, no zoning for density. This makes control over water supply even more important.

Where have you heard/seen this? I hope to hell it's not true.

I heard it on the simcity live chat interview on the second day of E3. The guy from Maxis said something to the effect that what you place in the area affects the density.

http://www.origin.com/simcity-chat

The question comes at the 6:00 mark

[meowza 230]

My assumption based on what I've seen so far:

Roads = paths for traffic, power and water agents

Powerlines = paths for power agents only

Water Pipes = paths for water agents only

All 3 types of paths are manually laid out.

[jumbz55 7]

I'm pretty sure I've seen SC5 clips of powerlines being laid down so pipes will probably still be there but it will probably work in the same way as power was in SC4. You only use them if there's a great distance between buildings. So yeah much better IMO - having to put pipes down for all the buildings is tedious

[Sandis_van_Great 346]

funny how everyone is saying that laying down pipes is time consuming. This isnt any kind of race game against the time, and it really donst take hours to lay down pipes.

[mattyriddy 12]

In the Machinima interview they mention that you can lay your own pipes and that as well as water there will sewerage pipes that you can lay.

[Mark Waybill 242]

Oh good so I can finally have a bad sewage system infested with crocs and aliens. But seriously, I think the way they are taking the laying of infrastructure is in the right direction. I like the GB way of actually being able to see breakages in current so one can locate the affected zone.

[Azurespecter 506]

Just as a second witness here... no density zoning. Sorry. But they haven't really explained how their new system will work yet, so don't be afraid of it! It might turn out great.

Also, I just wanted to add that one interview specifically stated that you can choose where you want your sewage pipes to dump out. This seems pretty incredible to me!

[squidgeny 2]

I'm not sure I've seen all these interviews. Are they linked on the main site? I couldn't find them.