msl_007

"We are hitting CPU power that is simply reaching the limits of Silicon thats the real problem! Note the graphene development is going 10 times faster than silicon did in its day for computers! So fingers crossed for graphene in computers, in i would say maybe 5 years time They already have working prototypes... samsung has one running at 300GHz" Wow! Now imagine glassbox working in that kind of environment. Of course, those computers are probably a long way off. Gamers will rejoice, though, when it happens.

First of all, I never truly realized how they came up with the min system requirements. Makes sense but I just never thought about it. Second, I have a question. Are expansion packs or DLC required to have the same settings? Here's my thinking. If an update later down the line includes a feature that most people can't utilize, offering it wouldn't hurt the average user from buying the game. So, larger cities might be offered as an update or DLC. That is, if the marketability of the first release is the reason for not including them in the first place, which it seems to be.

I'm glad to see discussion on both ends of the spectrum. The new game definitely isn't what everyone was hoping for, but I think the game that everyone wants is either too processor heavy to be viable or too technical to be marketable. Either way Maxis had to compromise. Listening to interviews from the designers and listening to the live Let's All Be Mayor events, I think it's safe to say that the designers would love to design a game that everyone wants to play. The problem is simple. EA has to make money (sell a lot of copies). I think that if SC (2013) was more technical in nature—a direct, updated version of SC4—it wouldn't sell. Sure, everyone who likes SC4 would probably give it a try. But not all the new customers EA is betting on. Will SC (2013) have a ten year run like SC4? Tough to call. Of course, if the game sells well, there will be another one, not to mention DLC and other expanded content. If it were up to the designers, I think they would have modding open right now. Maxis loves modders. EA doesn't. But if Maxis was owned by someone else, Sim City may not have had such a long run. It's a love-hate relationship. The fact that so many more people are willing to try or see the value in the new model is a good sign that this game will be successful, opening up the way for more. There were few sticking up for Societies. I waited until that game was on sale. It was fun, but I was done with it after a weekend. I might pick it up again. I've done that with other games I own. But I agree that it wasn't the right direction for the next Sim City. SC 2013 may not have everything, but I think it's heading in the right direction.

"So why can't we wait till that day?" Because there wouldn't be a new SimCity until 2025 or later and the average gamer (not the SC4 modded fan) wouldn't be happy with a SC4 clone that is waiting for innovation. However, I do wish they would find a way to scale Glassbox so that larger cities were possible. Instead of simulating each and every sim, 1 sim could represent 5 or 10. So, numbers would show a higher population and graphics would simulate a smaller amount—simple multiplication But I doubt they will do that since the designers are happy with what they've done. If it doesn't sell well, there won't be another version anytime soon I think. Hopefully I'm wrong even there.

A lot of games are similar to the game before it. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. The key to successful games is to keep the things people like, and change some other things to attract new customers. Yeah, they could have done a slight upgrade, but I don't think they would have been able to do half of the things they did. For starters, to move the graphics into full 3D, a completely new system may have been needed. That's a new wheel that needed inventing. I'm just guessing, though. I'm not a game designer. But if going into 3D meant a new system, why not start thinking about the next innovation for the genre? If that's the case, then creating a SC4 upgraded clone might have been working in the opposite direction. They might have had to stumble along with each new game. To me the leap from SC4 to 2013 is as big a gap as from classic SimCity to SC4, maybe even more. That big of a leap probably requires sacrifices (due to the limits of computer power). I didn't get to play the beta, but from the videos I've watched on YouTube, the upgrades are obvious. It will only get better from here as computers get better. And I disagree that computers aren't getting better. Speeds have reached a plateau but chips continue to improve. Games like SimCity and high end FPS need better computers, and I'm sure Intel and AMD (as well as others) are working to make computers more efficient. So, the current system is poised to upgrade to the game that everyone wants, even the designers. All that is needed is time and better computers. Clock speeds won't go up according the research I've done, but there are other ways to make computers more efficient. Once that happens, you'll be able to build the metropolis you want and those that want to watch individual sims will be able to do that as well. It's unfortunate that innovation is frowned upon.