nedal2001

[quote name='Schulmanator' timestamp='1346012657'] Cool! I like the distinctive landscape. [/quote] Thanks! Hopefully, you'll like the story and the direction I go with it

LOL I love this! I cant wait to see what you got in store for us

I must say, that is one of the most impressive region shots I have ever seen

[quote name='TekindusT' timestamp='1345994149'] I remember some of your work at SC4D and I already know this is CJ is called to be an epic one! [/quote] Thanks! Its great to know that my previous work is still remembered - hopefully this will live up to the likes of Qumma and Cedar

I love the mixture of Soviet Block era buildings with the newer, modern ones Your pictures are of a very high quality - I love the contrast in colours!

[quote name='TheHaso2011' timestamp='1345989934'] Nice, Where did you get those houses from? They look rather interesting [/quote] Thanks! They are actually taken from Frogface's MEB Slum set

Good luck and keep updating!

A mix of American and European buildings - and I must say, you have mixed them well I especially liked how the train tracks just flow through the farmland - makes for some pleasant scenery

Fantastic update! The American suburban feel is very present in this update - I love how you took us on a tour of the road, showing us the construction coming up

Lovely update How did you get those diagonal runways!

Those are some great nature pics! I especially liked the way you have the camp site set up - very nicely done

Fantastic update Schulmania! I took a break from SC4, but its great to see you still updating and building Truly a legend!

Great update! I love the billboard in the first picture, and the station in the 3rd picture was a great shot

I love the region - looks like a blast to work with Im assuming Sherman will be the focus of the city?

Great stuff - I love the African theme! Im starting up my own CJ with that theme as well I recommend you download the new MMP Palm Trees on the STEX - they are fantastic!

I just felt like voicing my opinion - I hope no one minds! Maxis is doing a new SimCity - that's great! I'm sure we can all agree, regardless of what we personally think of the new game, that we're all excited about it. Some of us have loved what we have seen so far - others, not so much. Personally, I've starting fearing their press releases, screen shots, and new videos. Instead of making me want the game more, its like with every release, we get told what's NOT going to be in the game. Am I the only one that feels like this? My issue is not that they are making a new SimCity game in their vision. Any game developer has a right to do so - they are, afterall, putting their own money up to design a game that reflects their image for it. I have no place to sit here and be mad or angry, simply because its not my money or effort that has been put into it. As an owner of several businesses, I can tell you that while setting them up, in the end, they were finalized in the image I wanted. At the same time, however, my ear was ALWAYS listening to my core client base, because at the end of the day, I am catering to them. Every game, like a business, has a risk of failing. SimCity Societies was an epic failure. It was also a representative of taking the SimCity franchise away from its roots and giving it us a more casual, user friendly (etc.) in hopes of attracting the "casual" fanbase. As we all know, it was a miserable attempt, and accomplished absolutely none of its goals. Having been through that experience, why do I get the feeling that its a slow repeat of what happened the first time around, with every new press release seemingly taking us further and further away from previous SimCity titles? Anyway, again, since its not my money, I can personally be frustrated with the direction they have taken, but I have no place to get mad and shake my fist at Maxis - It is my choice, afterall, to pay or not to pay for the game. No, my issue is this: Why claim, over and over again, in countless interviews, blogs, etc, that you've really "listened to your core fanbase?" This, I have a problem with - I AM your core fan base, and you have NOT listened to me. I wanted more, not less. More freedom, bigger city tiles, more data, a more realistic feel, an intricite (Is that how its spelt?) transportation system, more God-Mode terraforming options. I wanted realistic rivers and waterways, realistic airport construction, different tilesets, more control over my budget. I wanted seaport construction, billboards/advertising ploppables, smoother region terraforming. These are things I, and hundred of thousands of other loyal SimCity players from its "core fanbase" wanted. Multiplayer? Could be a nice touch, but a neccessity - I dont think Ive spoken to anyone who would take that over some of the things I listed above. To me, and I assume to most other players (I could be wrong here), multiplayer could add another dimension to the game, but in no way would I consider it as a core of it. If you listened to your "core fanbase", the very people that will either cause this game to succeed or fail, you would know that. You would know that we don't want to build Cityville type of towns where my downtown area is going to be half my city, surrounded by three cartoony residential neighborhoods with 10 houses in them. I read somewhere that terraforming was a no-go...seriously? If Maxis were paying attention AT ALL, they would realize that quite a few of us spend hours upon hours terraforming and plopping, making the perfect rural/forest areas. I read somewhere that there won't be any modding? Are you kidding me? As its core fanbase will tell you, the only REASON must of us still play this game is because of the modding that has been done by the SimCity community. I personally do not care how many achievements I get to unlock. Again, however, its not my place to tell Maxis how to develop their game. I do take offense, however, when you tell me you're listening to me, but everytime you say something about the game, its to tell me what I won't get to do. As far as I'm concerned, Glassbox can be the greatest innovation ever, but its not going to mean anything if you implement it in a glorified Simcity Societies. You have not listened to me, and dont tell me that you have. Release whatever game you like, in the end, it is Maxis that will feel the reward or failure from it, not me. Just dont rub it in my face, having waited 10 years for this, and tell me this is the game I wanted when it wasnt. As an ending to this incredibly long rant, I hope it does end up being the game we all want. These are all based on first impressions - I want it to succeed. I really do. I want to enjoy it. The release date is still a reasonably long way from now. Here's hoping that the final product will be worth it.

So most of my previous fears from my OP were founded - Simply put, they have forsaken most of the people that grew up with this game for lighter type of game that you play for a month and then get bored of. Get that $70 and thank you very much. From the looks of it, this game has zero longetivity. Make whatever game you want Maxis, but you paid almost zero attention to what we wanted. Shame.

$70 for a better looking, more complex Simcity Social - Im pretty sure that pretty much goes against every part of the Maxis corebase. Just because we get curvy roads doesnt mean you listened. Take away your curvy roads and give me back my ability to control where and how my transportation connects to neighboring cities. So frustrated right now.

After the personal frustration of seeing the new SC go a different direction that I would have hoped (I am speaking on a personal level), I decided to install CXL2012, a game I had bought a while back but barely ever played. I was very pleasantly surprised - this is what I came up with after a few hours of playing along!

After being frustrated at the recent developments involving SC5, I re-downloaded my CXL2012 (a game which I basically never played.) With a few new mods downloaded from XLnation, I was shocked at how much better the game looked. It still felt a bit dead, but graphically, it was fantastic. If Focus cares (Im not sure if they do or dont), I think they have a decent basic premise in their hands. If they worked on a new totally new game, utilizing more than one processor, and just did some tweaks to the graphics while enhancing the gameplay a touch, they could have a monster of a game. The way it looks now, SC5 will be a better game than CXL2012, but not neccessarily the game some (or most) are hoping for. If it does indeed turn out to be a disappointment (and I pray to god that it doesnt, I really want to enjoy SC5), Focus could have a relatively large niche market to take advantage of, and they are already more than half way there.

Looks pretty good to me, considering it is probably not the final version But one big thing is missing - terraforming tools!

To me, its seems pretty logical: Listen to both sides! You have your hardcore fans, who have supported the game through thick and thin and made bought every copy, etc - this should be the people whose opinions, as a company ready to sell a game, should value. Its obvious some of us arent after the modding, realism, etc, and some of us are. Both sides need to be considered, otherwise it is just a shame and failure to maximize profit, if you are looking at it in a business sense. I can understand the people here who are basically stating that they are part of the core audience and they are happy with what Maxis has given us so far - they are not neccessarily going after what more technical players are after, and feel offended that the "core base" should only be considered as the latter. They are just as much part of the core base as the former, but at the same time, those players need to consider that without the other part of that core base (the more technical, mod-oriented, realism seeking, transportation geek part), this game will likely not be a success. You need both. When I opened up this thread, it was out of personal frustration, as I felt that second part of the core base was just not being listened to whatsoever. What is wrong with something that pleases both? Afterall, it this core base, both sides, that will be making up the bulk of the purchases, retail or DLCs.