EgoBruiser

An expansion will not turn this game into a true sequel to SC4. In order to do that, the expansion would have to change the basic premise of the original game, and expansions simply don't do that. This game is about building societies and any expansion that is released will merely augment that premise, not veer away from it. Anyone expecting something other than that is going to be very disappointed.

At the moment I have no intention of purchasing Societies, but I do want full 3D in future versions of SimCity and I would be willing to sacrifice some of the intricate building details in order to achieve full 3D. There have been many occasions when I've wished I had full 3D in SC4. Sometimes the four locked camera angles available in the game just aren't sufficient to get a good view of the city. When I have a city that has a number of tall buildings, some of the smaller buildings like bus stops and subway stations are almost impossible to see and locate. I'd like to have the freedom to view the city from a top-down perspective as well as other angles. If EA does produce a new SimCity in the mould of previous versions, it will be several years before it's released. By that time the typical home computer will be better able to handle highly-detailed 3D objects and graphical engines in games will continue to improve.

Maybe, just a theory, that is why they are making SimCity like this, they are trying to kill off the SimCity brand.quote> I highly doubt that. Why would EA deliberately sabotage one of their most successful and valuable properties? If they really wanted to end the SimCity brand, all they'd have to do is stop making games under the SimCity name. If SimCity: Societies turns out to be disappointing in terms of sales (and the game being a commercial flop is by no means a certainty), it will simply be due to poor judgment and execution on the part of EA and/or Tilted Mill. There's no reason to believe it would be due to anything other than that.

we're giving societies some big publicity though, EA and TM realize this. they love us for this. even if 90% of it is bashing the game, its making a buzz throughout the community. people will buy it still to see if its as bad as they thought, and EA and TM realize that the ball is in their court to change our minds..quote> I'd have to disagree with you on this one. If people expect a game to be bad, they're not going to be in a hurry to buy it and risk wasting their money. They'll wait around for some reviews to come out and then make a final decision. That's what I do when there's a game I'm interested in but I'm unsure if it's one I'd actually enjoy. Contrary to the old saying, there is such a thing as bad publicity. I can't see how the initial reaction to the game's announcement could in any way be seen as a positive for EA and Tilted Mill.

I never found SC4 to be too complex. Yes, I made a mountain out of a molehill when I first began the game, putting in every service there was. But then I realized that you have to manage your money above all else; therefore, I couldn't build a utopia right away. In other words, the game was difficult if you thought you were going to build a perfect city your first time...instead, you had to settle for some crime, imperfect education, gaps in health coverage, fires, etc., just like real cities have to make the same compromises.quote> Any complexity issues probably could've been resolved with a change to the difficulty settings. The only way to make things easier/harder in SC4 was the amount of cash you started your city with. If there had been some sort of difficulty setting for revenue-generation as well, that may have helped a lot of players just starting out.

There are positive comments, but for every positive comment, 20 of them rip the game to shreds. I can't think of a popular franchise with a strong fanbase that's been overwhelming against a project or game.quote> This is a new one for me as well. I recall there being some negative comments directed toward The Sims Online when it was announced, but that was really a different situation since it was just a spin-off rather than a replacement/sequel. In all my years of gaming, I can't recall a game getting this kind of overwhelmingly negative reception before its released. Usually the reaction to a newly-announced game from a major publisher is positive. Opinions may change after the game has been released, but the official announcement of a new game should generate excitement and anticipation even if the game turns out to be a dud. The announcement of SimCity: Societies has been a P.R. disaster for EA and Tilted Mill. I don't think it could be described in any other way.