Cities: Skylines vs SimCity 2013

[mutton noir 170]

Will Cities Skylines deliver a fatal blow to SimCity? The SC4 community is fiercely loyal and holed up in their bunker,  unlikely ever to be weaned over to SimCity and may see Cities Skylines as the saviour of city builders, taking the plunge. The comparatively small SimCity2013 devotees have invested a great deal of time effort and creativity into fixing what was a poorly designed and executed product- (a textbook example for Harvard Business School of how not to design/launch a product). After a near still birth it now has some great mods and is almost unrecognisable but has it developed a solid enough or broad enough foundation to withstand the imminent assault from Skylines? Does the stylish Cities of Tomorrow expansion provide enough of an imaginative futuristic experience (lacking in Skylines) to sustain interest in SimCity? Interesting times lie ahead. Which is your money on? Do we have to take sides or can we love both- warts and all!

[Xenocity 343]

Neither will kill the other, well maybe Skylines will help do Cities XL/XXL in for good.

 

The general market will aid the EA investors in killing the Simcity brand or prevent it from returning to consoles and PCs.

The general market isn't into simulators of any sort and PC market hasn't recovered to the 2004 levels yet.

 

EA is currenlty undergoing an investor takeover and restructuring of the company along profit lines.

Right now the investors are trying to maximize profits and are axing anything that doesn't pull huge sales numbers fast like EA sports, Call of Duty, GTA, The Sims.

 

I fully expect the new management at EA to turn Maxis into The Sims only studio and barring them from making any other simulation games (or games in general), due to Maxis games being highly unprofitable or being modestly profitable.

Though what EA is going through is happening across the board in the industry as companies are becoming extremely focused on the most profitable titles as development costs rise out of control.

 

Though with that said Simcity Buildt is rapidly becoming the most profitable Simcity title in history thanks to it being F2P with tons Microtransactions. (Read EA's latest financial report).

I truly believe Simcity Buildt is the future for the Simcity franchise.

 

Will Simcity 4 fans move on...? I don't see them moving on until they are forced to do so.

I don't see anything meeting their expectations.

 

They will probably end up doing a fan HD remake of Simcity 4, like many fans have done for other games.

 

I plan to move on from Simcity 4 for good to Skylines.

Right now I've been mainly playing Simcity 2013 and 2000!

I will just add Skylines to the list.

[Mr Saturn64 742]

I haven't played SC13 since it  came out way back when, and I was disgusted and turned it off in 15 minutes.  I've heard that it's better than it used to be, so that may be a reason to start playing it again.  However, I won't.  I'm a busy person, and I've no interest in getting that back out again.  I've been playing Sim City 4 (city journal(s)), Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 for the hell of it, Super Mario Sunshine (also for the hell of it), and Majora's Mask (remake...).  I also have real life academics, my own website, and my future BATs (yes, I'm working on it).  There's no way I'm going to start playing SC13. 

 

Anyway, SC13 had a terrible release among city building enthusiasts like us, so Skylines may very well be the gold at the end of the rainbow.  Cities XXL bombed, so Skylines is the game to play.  Skylines may drive people away from SC13, but no way it's going to wipe the other into obscurity. 

 

Also, why must Skylines come out two days after my birthday!?!

[Xenocity 343]

Also, why must Skylines come out two days after my birthday!?!

The same reason why Canada steals my Birthday every year

[mutton noir 170]

Neither will kill the other, well maybe Skylines will help do Cities XL/XXL in for good.

 

The general market will aid the EA investors in killing the Simcity brand or prevent it from returning to consoles and PCs.

The general market isn't into simulators of any sort and PC market hasn't recovered to the 2004 levels yet.

 

EA is currenlty undergoing an investor takeover and restructuring of the company along profit lines.

Right now the investors are trying to maximize profits and are axing anything that doesn't pull huge sales numbers fast like EA sports, Call of Duty, GTA, The Sims.

 

I fully expect the new management at EA to turn Maxis into The Sims only studio and barring them from making any other simulation games (or games in general), due to Maxis games being highly unprofitable or being modestly profitable.

Though what EA is going through is happening across the board in the industry as companies are becoming extremely focused on the most profitable titles as development costs rise out of control.

 

Though with that said Simcity Buildt is rapidly becoming the most profitable Simcity title in history thanks to it being F2P with tons Microtransactions. (Read EA's latest financial report).

I truly believe Simcity Buildt is the future for the Simcity franchise.

 

Will Simcity 4 fans move on...? I don't see them moving on until they are forced to do so.

I don't see anything meeting their expectations.

 

They will probably end up doing a fan HD remake of Simcity 4, like many fans have done for other games.

 

I plan to move on from Simcity 4 for good to Skylines.

Right now I've been mainly playing Simcity 2013 and 2000!

I will just add Skylines to the list.

SC4 is still a good game- I still play although less often. City sims are a niche market yet allow for so much creativity and immersion. You make a lot of excellent points in your post. 

[Xenocity 343]

SC4 is still a good game- I still play although less often. City sims are a niche market yet allow for so much creativity and immersion. You make a lot of excellent points in your post. 

I never said Simcity 4 was a bad game in my post.

I don't play it much due the simulation or lack there of.

 

I haven't played any simulator outside of Animal Crossing: New Leaf in two months.

 

The problem with City Sims and Sims genre in general are costly to make due to the development resources and time needed.

They don't get enough sales in many cases to make noticable profita nd in most cases the profits are modest, which makes it an unattractive market for companies and investors.

[mutton noir 170]

I haven't played SC13 since it  came out way back when, and I was disgusted and turned it off in 15 minutes.  I've heard that it's better than it used to be, so that may be a reason to start playing it again.  However, I won't.  I'm a busy person, and I've no interest in getting that back out again.  I've been playing Sim City 4 (city journal(s)), Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 for the hell of it, Super Mario Sunshine (also for the hell of it), and Majora's Mask (remake...).  I also have real life academics, my own website, and my future BATs (yes, I'm working on it).  There's no way I'm going to start playing SC13. 

 

Anyway, SC13 had a terrible release among city building enthusiasts like us, so Skylines may very well be the gold at the end of the rainbow.  Cities XXL bombed, so Skylines is the game to play.  Skylines may drive people away from SC13, but no way it's going to wipe the other into obscurity. 

 

Also, why must Skylines come out two days after my birthday!?!

Agree that XXL is dead in the water. Like you I struggle to fit all interests family and work commitments into an ever shrinking time frame. I have an ever increasing  stack of games bought in various sales that I just couldn't resist and haven't got round to playing. SC2013 was one of them! I clung onto SC4 having invested so much time and hard graft developing my perfect alternate world-( I still visit). Bad reviews made me avoid SimCity but I was pleasantly surprised by it although it took some time and a heck of a lot of mods! Cities Skylines is top of my "must have" list and Universim is a fascinating project that has caught my eye too

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Cities: Skylines is very likely to become my favorite game. Cities XL and Banished are the games I am interested in currently but C:S has almost everything I want and most of the other things I want can be modded in. To me, SimCity 4 is pasé and SimCity 2013 never fully met my expectations. Cities XL and its sequels is only good for making big and realistically beautiful cities.

--Ocram

[mutton noir 170]

Cities: Skylines is very likely to become my favorite game. Cities XL and Banished are the games I am interested in currently but C:S has almost everything I want and most of the other things I want can be modded in. To me, SimCity 4 is pasé and SimCity 2013 never fully met my expectations. Cities XL and its sequels is only good for making big and realistically beautiful cities.

--Ocram

Total agreement. SC4 was fantastic "back in the day" but looks and feels its age. Lots of happy memories though! Cities Skylines is my most anticipated game for ages

[AdoxxBE 289]

Cities: Skylines can become a very interesting game, will it kill SC4? No.

 

It won't take away all SC4 players because they get screwed over so many times before. (SC2013, XXL, .. ) They will be waiting for some decent reviews regarding to not only the game play but also the freedom you will/don't have in SS.

 

The dev diaries I've seen so far are looking really great, the cities don't look too cartoon'isch and the the way a city lives looks really stunning.

 

The only thing that concerns me is how the interaction with the game will be, isn't there way too much that affects your city?

I really like playing city builders, but I want to make a city look how I want and if any objective needs to be obtained I will give it a shot. However when this becomes too hard or too repetitive I will be turned off.

 

I hope you guys know what I mean. In the dev diaries we've seen tons and tons of informative layouts, all these will affect your city and I just hope they didn't make this extremely hard too obtain a metropolis.

 

On the bright side, modders kick in and if SS is bad or under expectations they can do an immense job in saving the game.

 

My thoughts: SC4 will survive, will still be popular and SS will run side by side.

[mutton noir 170]

Cities: Skylines can become a very interesting game, will it kill SC4? No.

 

It won't take away all SC4 players because they get screwed over so many times before. (SC2013, XXL, .. ) They will be waiting for some decent reviews regarding to not only the game play but also the freedom you will/don't have in SS.

 

The dev diaries I've seen so far are looking really great, the cities don't look too cartoon'isch and the the way a city lives looks really stunning.

 

The only thing that concerns me is how the interaction with the game will be, isn't there way too much that affects your city?

I really like playing city builders, but I want to make a city look how I want and if any objective needs to be obtained I will give it a shot. However when this becomes too hard or too repetitive I will be turned off.

 

I hope you guys know what I mean. In the dev diaries we've seen tons and tons of informative layouts, all these will affect your city and I just hope they didn't make this extremely hard too obtain a metropolis.

 

On the bright side, modders kick in and if SS is bad or under expectations they can do an immense job in saving the game.

 

My thoughts: SC4 will survive, will still be popular and SS will run side by side.

Agree with the points you make. Once bitten twice shy for many city sim devotees when it comes to "the next big thing" A wait and see approach adopted by many who have been fooled by the PR/Marketing hype so often in the past. A healthy dose of cynicism! There does seem to be a different kind of buzz around Skylines with the developers listening and responding to potential players ideas and concerns almost immediately on fan sites/forums (apart from the recent daft "blue tweeter bird gate" hullabaloo). Here's hoping! 

[CapTon 592]

I don't think there's any chance SC4 will be blown out of the water. Not only does it have multiple sites completely dedicated to that game only (such as SC4Devotion and SimPeg), but it has so many people backing it that there's no way every single one of them can be turned away by another game that doesn't share all of the same qualities as SC4.

However, with SC2013, I'm not sure. SC2013 modding has definitely died down quite a bit, and discussion within the SC2013 forums has died down a tad as well. The recent modding guide released by SUGC, I hope, will spark some life in the community, but I'm starting to doubt it.

[mutton noir 170]

I don't think there's any chance SC4 will be blown out of the water. Not only does it have multiple sites completely dedicated to that game only (such as SC4Devotion and SimPeg), but it has so many people backing it that there's no way every single one of them can be turned away by another game that doesn't share all of the same qualities as SC4.

However, with SC2013, I'm not sure. SC2013 modding has definitely died down quite a bit, and discussion within the SC2013 forums has died down a tad as well. The recent modding guide released by SUGC, I hope, will spark some life in the community, but I'm starting to doubt it.

Your observations on SC2013 modding are interesting. I was surprised at the small number available and noticed a tailing off since the end of 2014. SC4 fans (and I'm one) are really committed to the game and have grown up with it- easy to see why, with such an emotional attachment and sentimentality, they will cling on. You're most probably right about SC2013 which isn't loved and hasn't had time to recover and become truly established. That is a pity, I wish i had taken the plunge & bought it a few months earlier as it is so much better than I expected. I bought it on sale initially as a stop gap to scratch my itch until Cities Skylines was released but I really do like it- warts and all. 

[Xenocity 343]

 

The only thing that concerns me is how the interaction with the game will be, isn't there way too much that affects your city?

I really like playing city builders, but I want to make a city look how I want and if any objective needs to be obtained I will give it a shot. However when this becomes too hard or too repetitive I will be turned off.

Well Skylines is a City Simulator at heart, not a City Builder.

The difference being the City and all the activity in it are simulated down to the movement of the citizens.

 

Simcity 2013 put the Simulation back into Simcity.

Though it stills needs to be tweaked.

 

Simcity 4 on the other hand focused to hard being a builder while neglecting the core simulation which ran the game.

This where most of the problems come from that affect Simcity 4.

 

If you want a city game with a robust working simulation then Skylines will be a good match or you.

If you want a decent simulation then Simcity 2013 will be good for you.

If you want to just build stuff then stick with Simcity 4 and Cities XL.

 

Just remember Skylines requires decent specs to run the game.

[Panos 29]

I will agree with Xenocity.

Even Skylines has it's drawbacks like lack of online game, and day-night circles.

Must admit of all SimCity games, the SC2013 is by far the one I played the most. Why? Because simply is a simulator. It could have been better true, but thats what we have.

Is the only game of it's "general genre of building a city", where the city/town/you name it, is not "draw plop and forget". It needs constant attention or you fail to pick that small traffic issue on one corner, that destroys the whole economy.

And I like that. I like interacting with the city.

Also I like online regions. The other night when we were 4-5 people online on the 1920s theme region, was a lot of fun. Especially when we were picking on LawnPhysics about his crime rates

Shame that is on NA East 1, and I believe I am the only European and logging when everyone else is at work.

I have pre-ordered Skylines, so going to see how it goes. I am not going to complain about the game, because I make a concious choice, however I might play it less than SC2013 I am afraid.

As for SC2013.
I believe we should petition to EA/Maxis if they do not plan to do anything with the game, to provide us with the tools to modify it. Create our own servers, so they can close theirs and save some money, make enough modifications to allow bigger cities or single traffic roads even for online play.
Because actually only few bits and bobs are needed to make it perfect city simulator.
 

[iviaarten 533]

I just can't play SC2013. I'm used to making big cities (area wise). I'm not much for all the skyscrapre jungles. I like medium density cities with large low density suburbs or farmlands with tiny hamlets. At least that's what I do most in SC4. Doesn't look like this will ever be really possible in 2013, so I'm looking forwards to Skylines. With modding support from the start, and a basic game that already fits my needs/wants better than SC2013 ever did, I think it'll work out great.

We'll have to wait until release and maybe a few months of development to be sure though

[mutton noir 170]

I will agree with Xenocity.

Even Skylines has it's drawbacks like lack of online game, and day-night circles.

Must admit of all SimCity games, the SC2013 is by far the one I played the most. Why? Because simply is a simulator. It could have been better true, but thats what we have.

Is the only game of it's "general genre of building a city", where the city/town/you name it, is not "draw plop and forget". It needs constant attention or you fail to pick that small traffic issue on one corner, that destroys the whole economy.

And I like that. I like interacting with the city.

Also I like online regions. The other night when we were 4-5 people online on the 1920s theme region, was a lot of fun. Especially when we were picking on LawnPhysics about his crime rates

Shame that is on NA East 1, and I believe I am the only European and logging when everyone else is at work.

I have pre-ordered Skylines, so going to see how it goes. I am not going to complain about the game, because I make a concious choice, however I might play it less than SC2013 I am afraid.

As for SC2013.

I believe we should petition to EA/Maxis if they do not plan to do anything with the game, to provide us with the tools to modify it. Create our own servers, so they can close theirs and save some money, make enough modifications to allow bigger cities or single traffic roads even for online play.

Because actually only few bits and bobs are needed to make it perfect city simulator.

 

You make lots of sense! I'm late to the SC2013 party and while checking out mods for the game I was amazed that there wasn't a lot more. Also noticed that there was a flurry of activity with mods being posted from around spring 2014 until Christmas and suddenly things have ground to a halt. Hopeful that there will be more! I also like the Cities of Tomorrow aspect which introduces a whole new imaginative direction that is lacking in other city building sims. 

[Turjan 1,048]

Cities: Skylines is very likely to become my favorite game. Cities XL and Banished are the games I am interested in currently but C:S has almost everything I want and most of the other things I want can be modded in. To me, SimCity 4 is pasé and SimCity 2013 never fully met my expectations. Cities XL and its sequels is only good for making big and realistically beautiful cities.

 

I really hope your optimism will turn out to be a true prediction, as I preordered the game. However, at the moment, the game looks pretty much like a carbon copy of SC2013, with exception of the online component and with the ability to extend your initial plot 8 times. Then there's Unity as a red flag. Let's hope the game runs halfway decently and doesn't fry your computer.

 

As to SC4, I'm still playing this. It will be years until any mods for Skylines will come even close to what we have for SC4. There's still new content coming out every week for this old game. That's hard to beat, and nobody knows yet, how difficult modding Skylines will be. I mentioned Unity, which isn't exactly mod friendly.

 

So, I preordered and hope for the best, but I'm still a bit skeptical as for this game's ability to dethrone SC4.

[CapTon 592]

I'm working on mods of my own. I need assistance from a Maxis dev for one of them, which is a huge project (meaning I've been working on it for months).

[mutton noir 170]

I'm working on mods of my own. I need assistance from a Maxis dev for one of them, which is a huge project (meaning I've been working on it for months).

My ears just picked up! More mods? When?

[simcityplayer15 33]

When I first viewed CS from videos, gameplays, and dev diaries, it reminded me some much of sc4. It's like CS is another version of sc4 when it was being made. Can't really explain it, but CS is reminding me how sc4 use to be before I started using mods, but more advance (because you couldn't make curve roads in sc4 without the NAM mod or mods). In other words, CS is my only hope for another awesome city builder  .... Simcity3102? Ooo what's that  ?.....

[CapTon 592]

 

I'm working on mods of my own. I need assistance from a Maxis dev for one of them, which is a huge project (meaning I've been working on it for months).

My ears just picked up! More mods? When?

 

This thread probably isn't the proper place to discuss them, but it all depends on when I can get help from a Maxis dev.

[mutton noir 170]

When I first viewed CS from videos, gameplays, and dev diaries, it reminded me some much of sc4. It's like CS is another version of sc4 when it was being made. Can't really explain it, but CS is reminding me how sc4 use to be before I started using mods, but more advance (because you couldn't make curve roads in sc4 without the NAM mod or mods). In other words, CS is my only hope for another awesome city builder  .... Simcity3102? Ooo what's that  ?.....

Yes a lot of people are expecting great things form Cities Skylines. Just hope those PCs/Laptops are able to cope!

[lew1984 231]

Strangely I find that Skylines has actually made me play Simcity 2013! Mainly because I want to play Cities Skylines so badly that I have delved back into Simcity 2013 as I feel its the closest I can get to it in the interim... I'm to impatient to wait the two weeks... For me despite its problems Simcity has come quite along way and maxis/EA have given a few free extras/updates that where not there when I first played it, patches have improved the game also.

 

Unfortunately I can't get into Simcity 4 like I used to... I still think the game is the best in terms of diversity, freedom, mods, and map sizes. But the game is getting old and is difficult to get running reliably on new systems. The mods and extras I have exasperate this problem making it complex and time consuming to get running (10+yrs of mods to sort+dependencies). I recently upgraded my PC and cannot get it to run as well as I did before :-(.

 

I'm optimistic for Skylines and think it will be a successful game, to varying degrees I think all the games even Cities XXL have their fan base and their will always be people who prefer one aspect of a game over another, but because of Skylines I have found a new appreciation for Simcity 2013. 

[CapTon 592]

I love the latest SimCity and everything it has to offer, but when people blame Maxis for its flaws, I get upset because it wasn't their fault. EA restricted them and limited what they could do. Trust me, they wanted to give us a quality game. I don't think Paradox is looking like EA, so hopefully, it'll be different with Skylines.

[simcityplayer15 33]

 

When I first viewed CS from videos, gameplays, and dev diaries, it reminded me some much of sc4. It's like CS is another version of sc4 when it was being made. Can't really explain it, but CS is reminding me how sc4 use to be before I started using mods, but more advance (because you couldn't make curve roads in sc4 without the NAM mod or mods). In other words, CS is my only hope for another awesome city builder  .... Simcity3102? Ooo what's that  ?.....

Yes a lot of people are expecting great things form Cities Skylines. Just hope those PCs/Laptops are able to cope!

 

Yea I hope so too. It looks so good, my pc betta take all of it.....in the processor >.>....no pun intended.

[mutton noir 170]

Strangely I find that Skylines has actually made me play Simcity 2013! Mainly because I want to play Cities Skylines so badly that I have delved back into Simcity 2013 as I feel its the closest I can get to it in the interim... I'm to impatient to wait the two weeks... For me despite its problems Simcity has come quite along way and maxis/EA have given a few free extras/updates that where not there when I first played it, patches have improved the game also.

 

Unfortunately I can't get into Simcity 4 like I used to... I still think the game is the best in terms of diversity, freedom, mods, and map sizes. But the game is getting old and is difficult to get running reliably on new systems. The mods and extras I have exasperate this problem making it complex and time consuming to get running (10+yrs of mods to sort+dependencies). I recently upgraded my PC and cannot get it to run as well as I did before :-(.

 

I'm optimistic for Skylines and think it will be a successful game, to varying degrees I think all the games even Cities XXL have their fan base and their will always be people who prefer one aspect of a game over another, but because of Skylines I have found a new appreciation for Simcity 2013. 

I bought SimCity2013 for exactly that reason too. It was on sale last week and I thought what the heck it's only a few quid- nothing to loose and it'll scratch my itch until CS is launched. I'm really enjoying SimCity so much I may actually delay buying Cities Skylines for a bit, let the early adopters find the bugs and get the wrinkles ironed out before parting with my cash. I wouldn't have thought that way last week! Agree that going back to SC4 it is really looking old now. SC4 will be around for a while but if CS is as good as expected then it might see a lot of devotees abandon ship- more & quicker than expected! 

[Xenocity 343]

I will agree with Xenocity.

Even Skylines has it's drawbacks like lack of online game, and day-night circles.

Must admit of all SimCity games, the SC2013 is by far the one I played the most. Why? Because simply is a simulator. It could have been better true, but thats what we have.

Is the only game of it's "general genre of building a city", where the city/town/you name it, is not "draw plop and forget". It needs constant attention or you fail to pick that small traffic issue on one corner, that destroys the whole economy.

And I like that. I like interacting with the city.

Also I like online regions. The other night when we were 4-5 people online on the 1920s theme region, was a lot of fun. Especially when we were picking on LawnPhysics about his crime rates

Shame that is on NA East 1, and I believe I am the only European and logging when everyone else is at work.

I have pre-ordered Skylines, so going to see how it goes. I am not going to complain about the game, because I make a concious choice, however I might play it less than SC2013 I am afraid.

As for SC2013.

I believe we should petition to EA/Maxis if they do not plan to do anything with the game, to provide us with the tools to modify it. Create our own servers, so they can close theirs and save some money, make enough modifications to allow bigger cities or single traffic roads even for online play.

Because actually only few bits and bobs are needed to make it perfect city simulator.

 

Did anyone use the Day/Night cycle in Simcity 4?

I liked the idea, but when ever I turned it on it would slow the game to creep and/or cause the game to be buggy on medium and large cities.

This was on every PC I used including my current laptop...

I mean a Late 2011 laptop that blows passed the required specs of a 2003 game, shouldn't be having an issue running a day/night cycle!!

 

Also people tend to forget that the first 3 Simcities required you to fine tune your city or face problems like in real life.

Simcity 1 (SNES) had Dr. Wright take over the screen with whatever the new problem is as your zones near it would level down (Top was the highest level while abandoned/undeveloped was the lowest).

You'd end up watching you R-C-I meter become unstable, while your population would start to fluctuate massively.

 

Then you all realized it was all caused by a massive traffic issue!

 

Simcity 2000 was the most difficult of the Simcitys because every slight issue would cause something negative to happen.

Then there was that stupid city council that would regularly enact or repeal ordiances in the Sega Saturn version (best version of the game) behind your back.

Also there was the City Credit Rating that would effect your borrowing power, interest rate on bonds, and the repayment.

There was also weather that would impact your city and economy.

DAMN those Blizzards, cold snaps, and hurricanes!!

The weather could cause your income to go negative if you were barely getting by!!

It would really hurt commerical...!

 

Simcity 3000/3000U was a very forgiving game, so it ended up being quite easy to make very profitable city.

 

Simcity 4 simulation wasn't fleshed out and didn't really impact the game much.

I'd get bored playing the cities in SC4 because of this.

The bugs and regular crashing also put me off (yes it still has bugs when I play).

 

Simcity 2013 as Panos said was very interactive simulator.

It brought back weather and it's impact on the city and economy.

It brought many of the small issues what would impact your city forcing it to fine tune your city and constantly redevelop to keep it running smoothly.

Traffic hurting a zone, weather disrupting commercial or causing a drought or a flood (or both in the same year).

The change in traffic and/or visitors hurting your tourism.

Etc...

 

 

The simulation aspect is the most important part to me in City simulators.

It keeps me glued for hours on end trying to create the perfect city and forcing redevelopment.

 

@Meowza

The Day/Night cycle is ony present in Simcity 4.

No other Simcity game has it present without modding.

[CapTon 592]

 

I will agree with Xenocity.

Even Skylines has it's drawbacks like lack of online game, and day-night circles.

Must admit of all SimCity games, the SC2013 is by far the one I played the most. Why? Because simply is a simulator. It could have been better true, but thats what we have.

Is the only game of it's "general genre of building a city", where the city/town/you name it, is not "draw plop and forget". It needs constant attention or you fail to pick that small traffic issue on one corner, that destroys the whole economy.

And I like that. I like interacting with the city.

Also I like online regions. The other night when we were 4-5 people online on the 1920s theme region, was a lot of fun. Especially when we were picking on LawnPhysics about his crime rates

Shame that is on NA East 1, and I believe I am the only European and logging when everyone else is at work.

I have pre-ordered Skylines, so going to see how it goes. I am not going to complain about the game, because I make a concious choice, however I might play it less than SC2013 I am afraid.

As for SC2013.

I believe we should petition to EA/Maxis if they do not plan to do anything with the game, to provide us with the tools to modify it. Create our own servers, so they can close theirs and save some money, make enough modifications to allow bigger cities or single traffic roads even for online play.

Because actually only few bits and bobs are needed to make it perfect city simulator.

Simcity 2013 as Panos said was very interactive simulator.

It brought back weather and it's impact on the city and economy.

It brought many of the small issues what would impact your city forcing it to fine tune your city and constantly redevelop to keep it running smoothly.

Traffic hurting a zone, weather disrupting commercial or causing a drought or a flood (or both in the same year).

 

I couldn't help but notice this part of your reply.

 

I don't recall there being weather in SC2013 in which it caused floods or droughts. Are we talking about the same game?

[Xenocity 343]

 

 

I will agree with Xenocity.

Even Skylines has it's drawbacks like lack of online game, and day-night circles.

Must admit of all SimCity games, the SC2013 is by far the one I played the most. Why? Because simply is a simulator. It could have been better true, but thats what we have.

Is the only game of it's "general genre of building a city", where the city/town/you name it, is not "draw plop and forget". It needs constant attention or you fail to pick that small traffic issue on one corner, that destroys the whole economy.

And I like that. I like interacting with the city.

Also I like online regions. The other night when we were 4-5 people online on the 1920s theme region, was a lot of fun. Especially when we were picking on LawnPhysics about his crime rates

Shame that is on NA East 1, and I believe I am the only European and logging when everyone else is at work.

I have pre-ordered Skylines, so going to see how it goes. I am not going to complain about the game, because I make a concious choice, however I might play it less than SC2013 I am afraid.

As for SC2013.

I believe we should petition to EA/Maxis if they do not plan to do anything with the game, to provide us with the tools to modify it. Create our own servers, so they can close theirs and save some money, make enough modifications to allow bigger cities or single traffic roads even for online play.

Because actually only few bits and bobs are needed to make it perfect city simulator.

Simcity 2013 as Panos said was very interactive simulator.

It brought back weather and it's impact on the city and economy.

It brought many of the small issues what would impact your city forcing it to fine tune your city and constantly redevelop to keep it running smoothly.

Traffic hurting a zone, weather disrupting commercial or causing a drought or a flood (or both in the same year).

 

I couldn't help but notice this part of your reply.

 

I don't recall there being weather in SC2013 in which it caused floods or droughts. Are we talking about the same game?

 

Yes, it really was random issue, possibly a map issue.

 

I had cities in a region run out of ground water due to a prolonged drought, thus causing them to run out of water (no bodies of water to draw from).

I had to use the sewage treatment/water pumping station next to each other to solve the issue once my other cities ran out of water to export.

Though the drought took a few years to fully play out.

 

I had city once that rained constantly causing the water level to rise effecting costal zones.

 

I had the wind change directions in many cities causing the air pollution to be blown over the city.