Thinking about making a new game

[edwd 8]

So, I've just finished a completely unrelated project, and I'm looking for something to do. I REALLY love SimCity 3k and SimCity 4. I'd like to look into making a city builder.

I've got a few questions, and I'm open to suggestions.

1.) Do you guys prefer SimCity 3000 style isometric, or the off center style of SimCity 4? I tend toward the SimCity 3000 style, as I find it easier to understand depth and place things. My artist prefers the other style on aesthetic grounds.

2.) How important is multiplayer? How should that work?

3.) How do you guys feel about testing some alpha/beta software when I've got it?

Cheers

[CorinaMarie 29,569]

1.) I've played every version of SimCity up to SC4. (I didn't bother with the fiasco they released next.) And since SC4 is the only game I play it's the look and feel I prefer.

2.) @jmak created the Poppy Multiplayer Regions for SC4 thread and program and the peeps who have joined in on it seem to like it. You might want to pursue that to get a feel for what those peeps are doing and like and want.

3.) Personally (and being honest), I wouldn't. But, I'm dedicated to SC4 and I'm not the typical adventurous type with new software. However, many people are adventurous so my preference shouldn't discourage you.  Another thread you could peek into is the KotCity 0.49.3 (last updated 4/13/2018): an open source city simulator thread to see what someone else was working on. (I believe it's inactive now, but it shows that peeps can get excited about pitching in and helping with a new game idea.)

[edwd 8]

3 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

1.) I've played every version of SimCity up to SC4. (I didn't bother with the fiasco they released next.) And since SC4 is the only game I play it's the look and feel I prefer.

2.) @jmak created the Poppy Multiplayer Regions for SC4 thread and program and the peeps who have joined in on it seem to like it. You might want to pursue that to get a feel for what those peeps are doing and like and want.

3.) Personally (and being honest), I wouldn't. But, I'm dedicated to SC4 and I'm not the typical adventurous type with new software. However, many people are adventurous so my preference shouldn't discourage you.  Another thread you could peek into is the KotCity 0.49.3 (last updated 4/13/2018): an open source city simulator thread to see what someone else was working on. (I believe it's inactive now, but it shows that peeps can get excited about pitching in and helping with a new game idea.)

I've played every version up until SC4 too, though not in order. I went back to try SimCity and SimCity 2k. SimCity 4 is my favorite game as well at the moment. SimCity (2013) should have been a must buy for me, but the reviews were so bad that I never got around to it.

I really want to make changes to the formula. The game I'm thinking about making isn't just another SimCity clone. SimCity 4 is already too good to do that IMO. I don't want to go into what those changes are though until I've got something people can actually play and see whether they like it.

 

[SIM-ple Jack 17,444]

I've played every version too. Sim 2000 was kind of goofy in retrospect. The goal was to earn arcologies, if I remember right, which really looked horrible in your cities but had a boatload of Sims living in them. Once you got the city the way you wanted it, a flying saucer would come along and blow it all up. Sim 2013 wasn't all that bad. It had dazzling graphics and addressed a few issues S4 had. But there was the small region problem and "no terraforming" that turned most players off. Not enough custom content either, but there were a few good ones. Constant fires and homelessness were the main problems for me.

I always liked Panzer General and Railroad Tycoon. Combine those 2 with S4 and I'll be your first customer.