Cities XL buildings from IRL

[top_dog 9]

So I'm aware that there are a lot of buildings in Cities XL that are landmarks and are given their respective names and titles (e.g San Francisco is a landmark but also acts as the townhall of your city when plopped).

However, I have noticed that there are several buildings that have been put in the game that are either exactly or closely modelled to buildings in the real world, like how they're not doing the job you think they would be doing (like how a townhall is actually working as a commercial building instead of...well...a townhall!)

Here are a few that I've found, I'm sure regular players of the game will immediatly recognise them =P

The first one is this one, an office found in the specialised section of the office department, simply named "office".

And I knew I'd seen it somewhere, one quick scan of San Francisco in Google Earth and I find this.

The Shell Building in San Fran, I came across it while walking through San Fran when I visited my friend back in February.

Staying in San Francisco, there is also this building in game, also called an office building.

But in real life, it's known as the Russ Building, also in the Bay City, and here it is!

(Notice that 3 pronged feature on the back)

And here's a front view too, I couldn't find a good one but here's a model of it I found.

Also, you know that one building with no actual name or origin that has lots of versions of it and costs 60,000 to run?

You know, this one.

Yep! Turns out this one exists in the real world too, and it's a little closer to home (for me anyway)

This is 20 Cabot Square on Canary Wharf, London. Turns out it's just a regular office building.

Next we have a favourite of mine, the Peace Hotel

Although it has a name, and the features on it's roof suggest Asian origin, it does not actually tell us where it's from.

Well search no longer, for I have found it...in Shanghai!

It even has the bell room and tables like in the game (Although I like it better in the photo!)

...Ok so we all know this one, it even says Bellagio on the front, but for those who may not know where it is, it's in Las Vegas and holds spectacular water shows at night!

And here's a good one, people in Canada will be happy to know a place of bureaucratic authority in one of their cities has been reduced to nothing more than a commercial center in Cities XL.

I'm talking about this building, known in the game as the 'Convention Center '

I actually first saw this building in the Movie 'Resident Evil', it's the building at the end that the main character

runs down. We also get to see it get nuked along with the rest of Raccoon City.

But after some hunting on Google, I found out this building is not in Raccoon City but is actually the City Hall in Toronto!

So that's all of them so far!

I hear you saying already "Top_dog, you stallion and perfect role model for men everywhere, I already knew about these places! And still, Monte Cristo had to model the buidlings from SOMEWHERE"

This is true, but I mean, come on...these are pretty much EXACT replicas, I certainly didn't know about them, and certainly it was a suprise when I did, so I'm sure there's lots of other people out there who thought the same!

I'm sure there's a lot of other buidlings in the game that you know exist in the real world, but have not been named or labelled where they're from IRL. So if you know of any, post them here and post a photo of its real life counterpart so we can all learn a bit more about geography and buildings

I do know this building also exists, but I can't remember where I've seen it, if you know, let me know!

  Edited April 18, 2012 by top_dog  

[Ocram's Razr 964]

Well yeah, most--if not all--buildings in Cities XL are based off real ones to a certain degree of faithfulness (real is brown besides).

[top_dog 9]

Well yeah, most--if not all--buildings in Cities XL are based off real ones to a certain degree of faithfulness (real is brown besides).

True, but these aren't 'based' they're pretty much just taken from the real world and put into the game, you'd usually try to mix it up, but they're so familiar I could pass these buildings in the street and instantly recognise them, it's not they're obscure buildings in obscure places, they're landmarks and notable buildings in well known areas.

I'm not saying it's bad, just interesting. It's always nice to know where there references come from

[AIX 270]

I know in some places, buildings are actually trademarked. For example, the Seattle Space Needle is trademarked. That means you must get written permission/pay royalties if you want to use the Space Needle's likeness in an image or other professional work. Did Maxis/EA do that when making landmarks in Sim City 3000/4? My knowledge on this is spotty at best, anyone more knowledgeable able to chime in?

Edit: Just found this brief explanation > http://www.photosecrets.com/photography-law-property-buildings-copyright-and-trademarks

The article is written for photographers, but I think could reasonably apply in the case of Sim City.

  Edited April 19, 2012 by AIX  

[top_dog 9]

Pictorial Representations Permitted

The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place.

>U.S. Copyright Office, Title 17 USC Section 120 (a)

I think that means EA was allowed to make it without infringing on any legal grounds. However I think the Space Needle in Sim City 4, the space needle in this case was actually from Berlin. (If my memory serves me right!)

[Ocram's Razr 964]

I think that means EA was allowed to make it without infringing on any legal grounds. However I think the Space Needle in Sim City 4, the space needle in this case was actually from Berlin. (If my memory serves me right!)

Um, no. The Space Needle in SimCity 4 resembled the SEATLLE Space Needle in the 1960's more than anything else (The Space Needle now has a new entrance)!