New Screenshots

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I love these screenshots! It is too bad that none of these are large enough to look good as replacement desktop wallpapers.

--Ocram

[semo 14]

I'm loving these new screenshots. To me, things look much more interesting in the new simcity at this close, zoomed in level. In SC4, I mostly play the game zoomed almost all the way out (unless the game auto zooms me in to deal w/ a fire or crowded street) b/c, though the buildings look fine, there doesn't seem to be any reason to get closer (since cars appear and disappear randomly and I know what I'm seeing is just a statistical representation).

I might be the only one, but I feel like I'd spend much more time zoomed in close on the new simcity, just watching the city move around (ex. following sims, follwing garbage trucks, monitoring usage of bus stops, traffic jams at different times of day, etc.). B/c what I'd see zoomed in would have actual meaning and would merit paying attention to.

And the buildings look fine to me. I don't think they look cartoony or bad. Many seem to think these buildings look worse than the ones in SC4. I disagree. But like I said, I've never, in all the years I've been playing the game, spent that much time studying the building details.

On another note, I did enjoy running the query over building grounds and getting little pieces of info. about what was on the property (ex. grand swimming pool, modest swimming pool, signs, clotheslines, etc.). I hope the new game has fun details like this.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I don't understand why some people think that the buildings in SimCity 2013 are better or worse than those in SimCity 4 where at least half of them use the same models, only optimized for 3D instead of 2D.

--Ocram

[guitarmatt99 27]

This is off topic but does anybody know when a strategy video 3 may be coming?

[F2CMaDMaXX 12]

Hmm, nothing has been hinted at so far as the time frame, though i'd imagine fairly soon into the new year. They have said there will be another one, just not when.

[Cob92 360]

That picture looks surprisingly good. They've gotten the colour's down, and those streets look really nice. Maybe a little empty though, since there are skyscrapers right next to it...

Yes, liking the detail on the buildings and the trees look much improved. Also the shadows and contrast between light and shade is more defined.

What concerns me, as The_City_Builder said, is the overall level of traffic and commuters, which is unusually low. Since this seems like the central business district of the city, you'd except a densely populated area like this to have high levels of traffic congestion. Maybe this isn't a full representation of inner-city traffic. We have seen that high congestion is possible from earlier screenshots in this thread.

Also, its a bit strange how it suddenly goes blurred in the distance, after the skyscrapers. Though this is probably due to graphical rendering limitations.

Overall, the graphical side to the game does look better, although there is still room for improvement (e.g. textures). But of course, solid gameplay is much more important than graphics.

Looks like downtown Houston on a typical day. Dead and deserted.

[fiver 306]

I don't understand why some people think that the buildings in SimCity 2013 are better or worse than those in SimCity 4 where at least half of them use the same models, only optimized for 3D instead of 2D.

Are you sure? I haven't seen all the new game's pics and vids, of course, but from what I have seen I don't remember ever thinking, 'oh that's definitely the SC4 stuff'. I don't say you're wrong. Maybe I wasn't attentive enough.

[Ohadi195 30]

Posted in http://simcity.capitalsim.net

Is it just me thinking that the cars take too much of the lane's width? there should be much larger space between the cars!! (in Cities XL it is realistic)

I'd suggest Maxis of fixing this issue as this is quite imature to happen in the first place...

that how it should be:

and from Cities XL:

[Kiiroitori 55]

^ Haha gets me thinking of that 2 seconds follow rule (well atleast here in Australia) about not following a car to closely and and leaving 2 seconds of space from behind the car so that it is just enough to make an emergency stop.

Posted in http://simcity.capitalsim.net

Is it just me thinking that the cars take too much of the lane's width? there should be much larger space between the cars!! (in Cities XL it is realistic)

I'd suggest Maxis of fixing this issue as this is quite imature to happen in the first place...

that how it should be:

and from Cities XL:

[T Wrecks 10,209]

Nope, you're not alone. I mentioned exactly the same observation a few pages ago, when the picture was posted first. The cars are definitely too big, or the lanes too narrow.

Since scale inconsistency was historically based on technical restrictions (either Sims would have been too small to be visible, or cities too big to be handled), I was hoping that hardware development would lead to a more uniform scale, but apparently that was not the priority.

[rbscott23 8]

Wrecks,

I'm lovin' what Maxis has done so far...5 March we'll really see what the Glassbox engine is worth.

[pyanodon 218]

From facebook. University shot.

I dunno what all that people are doing in a place like that..but.. Somehow..it´s remember me a RCT3 peeps when they are in a line.

[The_City_Builder 299]

That's a nice picture but there are WAY too many sims walking on the road. I bet if you zoomed in you'd see sims inside of sims!

[macvirt 361]

That's a nice picture but there are WAY too many sims walking on the road. I bet if you zoomed in you'd see sims inside of sims!

Now that would get wierd, pregnancies and such ....

[grugor 60]

[RyanMorgan95 144]

Awesome screenshot! Really like the autumnal tree colours, and the reflection on the solar panels. I'm also guessing we have the ability to visit cities that we do not control, which is cool.

[Vampirovibrio 43]

It seems like an odd place to put a solar panel. I assume the building in front is a city hall/ town hall? But I agree that the reflection is a nice touch.

[pyanodon 218]

The solar powerplant is over the ground..like the ground was "pushed up" by some kind of..... terrain tool?

[guitarmatt99 27]

The solar powerplant is over the ground..like the ground was "pushed up" by some kind of..... terrain tool?

There is a tool to change terrain but it comes at a price i think.

[Wiimeiser 444]

I don't see it joining any road, so it's probably leveling the terrain from whatever road it's on.

[macvirt 361]

That elevation could also just be part of the model. It reminds me of a civil solar initiative in france, where the local community council lets citizens rent panels and thus "recoup" energy costs, it's a relatively flat structure - they just raised the height of the ground and built on top of that.

The solar powerplant is over the ground..like the ground was "pushed up" by some kind of..... terrain tool?

There is a tool to change terrain but it comes at a price i think.

As in DLC? Now that would be less than healthy, from my perspective. I can't imagine such basic terrain tools would be part of such an angle.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

What about solar farms or are those solely "Great Works"?

That looks like a bunch of photovoltaic panels.

--Ocram

[Hoipus 292]

That elevation could also just be part of the model. It reminds me of a civil solar initiative in france, where the local community council lets citizens rent panels and thus "recoup" energy costs, it's a relatively flat structure - they just raised the height of the ground and built on top of that.

The solar powerplant is over the ground..like the ground was "pushed up" by some kind of..... terrain tool?

There is a tool to change terrain but it comes at a price i think.

As in DLC? Now that would be less than healthy, from my perspective. I can't imagine such basic terrain tools would be part of such an angle.

I recall the developers saying that terraforming would be at the civil engineering scale. Perhaps he meant a tool that would cost simoleons to raise/lower terrain a little.

[macvirt 361]

Simoleons would be healthier indeed. I am curious though what the options will be to actually generate those ...

Do we know if simoleons are strictly an in game enablement, or tied to purchases of DLC / special offers, or the in game exchange and/or market? Somehow I can't see it being just a virtual currency without any monetisation attached to it, considering the strong multi/online focus.

[Hoipus 292]

By simoleons I meant the currency that is typically used to do anything in SimCity games.

...I'd imagine that customers with even the largest wallets wouldn't bother to pay real money to build a virtual road.

[macvirt 361]

By simoleons I meant the currency that is typically used to do anything in SimCity games.

...I'd imagine that customers with even the largest wallets wouldn't bother to pay real money to build a virtual road.

Industry research shows differently. You'd be amazed what people will pay for. Bit of a sad statement, in some ways, but accurate. Let me put it this way, look at the "pay to win" debate that reigns these days around so many other titles. Maxis, I do not think they would take SC down that road, EA however is a different case. Depends really on who decides such strategic matters for the project scope.

Since people will be able to engage in deals, and there is a transaction system present (in the shape of the market), there is at minimum a basic ability to exchange content as well as data for virtual currency. It would be trivial to feature an in game exchange for features tied to that as well, especially since it would present an enormous range of attractive DLC options. Again, I'm not saying that will be the road chosen, but it is a growing trend in the industry.

Personally I don't think an angle like that should be pursued. It would take away a hell of a lot of the fun from immersion for me. I would be fine though with a system where you earn, through in game actions / decisions, further means of influencing your game. That is basic, but could be quite an interesting challenge to engage in. Potentially even realistic.

[ArtemL 14]

Another statistical view: the population map.

(I can't insert the larger version for some technical reasons)

Not very intuitive and easy-to-read, IMO, though it's more informative than standard density "heat" map.

[Vampirovibrio 43]

The sentence "Petition to build ore mind is approved" does this mean that ore mines are shared resources in a region and would require approval from players in the region?

[grugor 60]

The sentence "Petition to build ore mind is approved" does this mean that ore mines are shared resources in a region and would require approval from players in the region?

It just means that the ore mine is unlocked. this happens when you build certain civic buildings.

[guitarmatt99 27]

That elevation could also just be part of the model. It reminds me of a civil solar initiative in france, where the local community council lets citizens rent panels and thus "recoup" energy costs, it's a relatively flat structure - they just raised the height of the ground and built on top of that.

The solar powerplant is over the ground..like the ground was "pushed up" by some kind of..... terrain tool?

There is a tool to change terrain but it comes at a price i think.

As in DLC? Now that would be less than healthy, from my perspective. I can't imagine such basic terrain tools would be part of such an angle.

noo, i mean while your in the game it costs you simoleons to change the terrain, sorry for the confusion!