Will we ever get another game as realistic and complex as SimCity 4?

[Daeris 1,116]

After 20 years, I still view SimCity 4 to be the best city builder ever created. I'll try to give some bullet points why:
 

• It is more than just a traffic simulation
• In my opinion it's the most artistic representation of city building
• Graphically it holds up amazingly well even today (mods help with this of course)
• Speaking of that, it's highly moddable allowing a very custom experience (though let's be honest modding this game isn't easy, it's moderate to hard)
• It has a never-ending amount of plot variety considering the moddable nature
• It allows for a variety of gameplay approaches. As I've outlines in some of my earlier forum posts, many can choose to design an amazing metropolis quickly, or you can pour months & years into building up a region slowly and naturally
• Regions are ahead of their time in a way, and promote the concept of interconnected cities. I'm not sure any other city builder has captured this same level of interconnection.
• The maxis vibes are strong: the music, the subtle humor, the sims
• City tile sizes are great!
• I'm sure I'm missing plenty of reasons why it's the best...

 

Sometimes I find it to be quite wild that in 20+ years we haven't really seen a city builder as good as SimCity 4, in my opinion. Cities Skylines is "ok", but to me it's more of a city painter, and a traffic simulator. It lacks the same quirky maxis vibes that make SimCity 4 so special. Cities skylines 2 has shown that IP isn't going to be the one to topple the king, SimCity 4.

I'm curious if anyone else finds SimCity 4 to be the best city builder even made, and why? Please add to my bullet-points why this game is so special to you. Also, do any of you think we'll get another city builder that ever comes close to what SimCity 4 gave/gives us? I wish Maxis was still around, and I wish this IP was still moving forward. Unfortunately SimCity 2013 was a disappointment in my book.

[TheMurderousCricket 5,117]

No steps to make any SC-like city builder will ever be taken due to the specific gaming culture that was popularized in the early 2010s, still persists and will remain well into the future.

Contemporary gamers, except for us, are a very demanding bunch. The games that are popular are flashy multiplayers, filled with action, microtransactions and various "collectibles" and reward systems. All of this is calculated to keep a player hooked on the game and ensure that they are entertained 99% of the time they play it.

I have to admit that in terms of entertainment value on the present-day gaming market, city builders simply cannot compete with titles like GTAV:O or Fortnite. Contemporary gamer prefers to be in the middle of the action rather than stare into computer and witness some processes to unfold. This is, mind you, not a problem with the game but with what people want. Companies know that and cater to the demands of the majority of gamers (make no mistake, our numbers here are scarce in the monetary sense).

There is more however. If you know what Ubisoft is, you are probably familiar with one old fart philly tremble and his statement that "gamers should start to feel comfortable with not owning their games".

In other words, if there was any company that somehow would develop a new SimCity, I can bet my pants that you'd only have some basic content available and would have to pay for the DLC that feature additional buildings / options (just like Paradox did and boy, they are not cheap).

What's that you say? "We can create additional content ourselves like we always did"?

Wrong! The company would make sure to build all content with their proprietary tools, you would have no access to (what Kalypso Media did with Tropico 6). Just to ensure that you keep spending your money on the extras.

So to sum up, on one hand, there is an issue that the number of people interested in city builders is simply no longer "profitable". On the other hand, perhaps it is best not to expect any new SimCity game because it will probably become a DRM, pay-to-play nightmare.

[Daeris 1,116]

Thanks for sharing all those thoughts @TheMurderousCricket.

What's funny is I'm a gamer who actually does want both type of games. I play Overwatch, Diablo 4, and pretty much any "flashy" game you can think of, and enjoy them. They have their place. But as a kid growing up, I was most mesmerized by games like SimCity 4, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Civ games, other simulation style games, or tycoon simulation games. There certainly isn't a shortage of flashy games nowadays, but I do wish there were more city builders like SimCity. Other simulations games exist, but sometimes you need to search around for the best. I know Civ 7 is incoming, and Planet Coaster 2 (though this might lean more into flashy, still I think it does a better job of capturing the old-school simulation of Rollercoaster Tycoon than Cities Skylines captures that of SimCity), but with Maxis gone there really has never been someone to adapt city builders into the "flashy" games era. I think they tried with SimCity 2013, but unfortunately that game just wasn't it. I think if Maxis were still around and had funding, they would probably keep trying, but alas they were dissolved. Technically, aren't they part of Microsoft now after that big deal? I wonder if Microsoft would ever resurrect Maxis in some way...

Sadly, I think you are right though, a city builder can't really compete and exist in today's gaming market.

[Ulisse Wolf 4,469]

15 minutes ago, Daeris said:

Thanks for sharing all those thoughts @TheMurderousCricket.

What's funny is I'm a gamer who actually does want both type of games. I play Overwatch, Diablo 4, and pretty much any "flashy" game you can think of, and enjoy them. They have their place. But as a kid growing up, I was most mesmerized by games like SimCity 4, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Civ games, other simulation style games, or tycoon simulation games. There certainly isn't a shortage of flashy games nowadays, but I do wish there were more city builders like SimCity. Other simulations games exist, but sometimes you need to search around for the best. I know Civ 7 is incoming, and Planet Coaster 2 (though this might lean more into flashy, still I think it does a better job of capturing the old-school simulation of Rollercoaster Tycoon than Cities Skylines captures that of SimCity), but with Maxis gone there really has never been someone to adapt city builders into the "flashy" games era. I think they tried with SimCity 2013, but unfortunately that game just wasn't it. I think if Maxis were still around and had funding, they would probably keep trying, but alas they were dissolved. Technically, aren't they part of Microsoft now after that big deal? I wonder if Microsoft would ever resurrect Maxis in some way...

Sadly, I think you are right though, a city builder can't really compete and exist in today's gaming market.

Maxis is part of EA.  So Microsoft has to buy EA if it wants to produce a new SimCity. There have been many rumors but it never materialized

[aqwind 6]

@TheMurderousCricket, I totally agree.  I am sad to see the day of geeks being a larger portion of the gaming market.  So many of the new games these days feel dumbed down and obnoxiously innodated with pay to play and clickity clickity, tappity tappity manipulative tactics to keep players hooked instead of developing creative engaging games.  My hopes have dwindled to the point that I wonder if I will be playing old games the rest of my life when looking for simulations and creative world builders.

[kschmidt 6,244]

On 16-9-2024 at 12:05 AM, Daeris said:

After 20 years, I still view SimCity 4 to be the best city builder ever created. I'll try to give some bullet points why:
 

• It is more than just a traffic simulation
• In my opinion it's the most artistic representation of city building
• Graphically it holds up amazingly well even today (mods help with this of course)
• Speaking of that, it's highly moddable allowing a very custom experience (though let's be honest modding this game isn't easy, it's moderate to hard)
• It has a never-ending amount of plot variety considering the moddable nature
• It allows for a variety of gameplay approaches. As I've outlines in some of my earlier forum posts, many can choose to design an amazing metropolis quickly, or you can pour months & years into building up a region slowly and naturally
• Regions are ahead of their time in a way, and promote the concept of interconnected cities. I'm not sure any other city builder has captured this same level of interconnection.
• The maxis vibes are strong: the music, the subtle humor, the sims
• City tile sizes are great!
• I'm sure I'm missing plenty of reasons why it's the best...

 

Sometimes I find it to be quite wild that in 20+ years we haven't really seen a city builder as good as SimCity 4, in my opinion. Cities Skylines is "ok", but to me it's more of a city painter, and a traffic simulator. It lacks the same quirky maxis vibes that make SimCity 4 so special. Cities skylines 2 has shown that IP isn't going to be the one to topple the king, SimCity 4.

I'm curious if anyone else finds SimCity 4 to be the best city builder even made, and why? Please add to my bullet-points why this game is so special to you. Also, do any of you think we'll get another city builder that ever comes close to what SimCity 4 gave/gives us? I wish Maxis was still around, and I wish this IP was still moving forward. Unfortunately SimCity 2013 was a disappointment in my book.

True SimCity 5, EA making a mess of it ! Hope they optimize SimCity 4 like the 25th anniversary of The Sims with optimized Sims 1 - 2 for multiprocessoers like divide game and graphics so faster loads and better gameplay ?

Sincerely yours,

Kschmidt