AnnArbor

Argh, that last pic would look so great if it wasn't for that sudden shift to prairie in the background. I shouldn't bother looking at the game anymore, but I keep imagining what could have been... oh well.

This is true, but it would have been possible to stem much of the comparisons by actually divorcing this from the original SimCity series. Calling it something like "SimCity Online" or "SimWorld" would have helped. I think the fact that they waited about a month after announcing the game to confirm that it would be online only left a bad taste in the criticizers' mouths -- it certainly did for me. I wouldn't have bothered paying much attention to the game if they were honest from the beginning.

I can see why disasters would be forced on. If they aren't forced on, one can gain a lot of money by getting the city to a state where it's running by itself and letting the money flow in. This would have other ramifications such as causing inflation in the SC World. Random disasters would render that strategy useless. Just one more reason why I'm not buying the game. =P

I can't speak for anyone but myself. Yes, I would prefer an updated SimCity 4 over what is being presented now. However, if this new online-only SimCity, well, weren't online-only, then terraforming and adjacent city tiles would have been included. I would have pre-ordered the limited edition. Now I'm not even going to buy the game at a discounted price.

It should have been called SimCity Online. Then I wouldn't have wasted my time hoping that there would be any good news.

Originally posted by: ASheroo Hey guys, I have asked community manager Philippe if I can post screens from some of my cities I created during the beta, and he has given me the all go. My 4th city - New Rooley... Hope you like them.quote> I visited New Rooley a few days before the beta closed and I was impressed. It was one of the most realistic cities I've come across. Most of the area was low-density residential and there was even a highway perimeter looping downtown. Cities XL's graphics are definitely nice.

Originally posted by: zwr100 From a gaming perspective I am very dissatifsied with SC4. By definition, games have rules - but it seems you can break all the rules pertinent to gameplay in SC4. SC4 has no gaming integrity, it's more like painting a picture than playing a game. quote> This is the only reason I've played SC4 for as long as I have. With every region that I create and populate, I feel that I have once again gotten my money's worth. Cities XL can recreate this experience by allowing maps to actually be edited, custom maps to be created, and not leave roads/wealth levels locked due to population. When I played the Beta, I felt like I was playing a game, not actually creating something, due to the restrictrions and I got bored extremely quickly. Why do I have to wait until the population reaches a certain level before I can use a large avenue? I plan on buying Cities XL, but I won't be using the PO. There should be an "unlock everything" cheat available, so the restrictions shouldn't be an issue.

I love looking at these threads. I've gotten great inspiration from looking at others' layouts. Here's an older suburban area of mine. It's technically not suburban (pretty close to the downtown area) but it's full of R$$$ housing so those living here definitely live like suburbanites. The following pics are as old as the first one. The passenger train running through ithe neighborhood probably ruins the typical American suburban image, but otherwise the housing is typically suburban. ... I was trying to pull off the "older suburb" look with this one; the street layout is griddy but the housing stock looks quite similar.

Here are some of the higher wealth subdivisions and neighborhoods in the greater "Atlanta" area: Cavanaugh Heights La Grange Rauscher Lakes

Zoning 1X1s is the easiest way to make a little ghetto. I zoned it, went to the other side of the map, came back in a few sim months and got this. The shanties put the finishing touch on this little slum. Here's a little block that looks menacing enough: Here are two hoods close to downtown Atlanta: