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Thank you for the fun times, Maxis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqHUS1eBMF4
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Hey guys,I'm doing a SimCity Cities of Tomorrow Let's Play on Youtube while waiting for The Sims 4 to come out. I started of with 2 videos today of the tutorial, so if you wanna check it out the link to the playlist is below. And if you like it please like, comment, subscribe and perhaps share it with a friend. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAHrGou3TwqQYmqJyHKGyZYMqP_9wjFDD
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Who's buying in? Remember you still need XBL Gold!
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I don't usually make topics or comments, but I was suggested. So here it is... Yesterday, I bought SimCity. The New SimCity. I've played SimCity Games in the past. The first one I played was SNES version of SimCity. Then i went on to SimCity Creator. Then bought the SimCity Box. I got to play SimCity 4 and SimCity Societies. I even made my own paper version of SimCity. Mostly I had good experiences on all. I liked all of them. Then at E3 2011, I heard EA was making a new SimCity. I was excited to see another Game. My Grandma was afraid that it wouldn't run good on her pc. But I got it and it ran PERFECTLY. I had really no problem with it. Though Origin it said that I needed atleast 12 GB of HD space. I downloaded roughly 275mb. I was surprised. BUT then came updating. I had to restart the process at least 3 times. Then opened the game. I was surprised. I just didn't need a tutorial... that took a long time for me to get out of a tutorial. I enjoyed designing. the thing that turned me off from the beginning was online. But I saw the vision EA wanted it. I think when I knew why, I enjoyed it but I wish that there would be separate modes like "Online Play" and "Single Play." I made a town. I liked upgrading. It took me several moments how buildings upgrade, how to roads upgrade roads. That should of been more easier. In the past, I'm so used to having a low-wealth, med-wealth, and high-wealth zones. I guess i'll miss that. Then I created 2 new towns in my private region. I'm doing well. I wish that transferring Electricity, water, and Garbage were easier. Overall, my first experience were a 6/10. It could of been better. The game is good. I just wish that it'll get an awesome expansion pack like SC4's RushHour. The expansion with Cities of the Future has no interest with me. I'm not a futuristic person. I like modern things.
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Hello, SimCity players and welcome to: Upcoming Updates/Patches: What Do You Want To See? About: I came up with the idea a couple hours ago, so I decided to create this thread. I noticed that on the official SimCity forums, they have something like this, but no one really uses it, so I decided to create something like it here. *****Note: Please tell me if someone has done this already. I checked the forum but I just want to be sure. So right now, I'm asking you: What do you want to see in Update/Patch 8.0? Just vote in the poll! You can only vote once, but you're allowed to have multiple choices. Didn't see anything you liked up there or want to have another idea in mind? Vote "Other" and then tell me what you want in a reply/post. This thread will be updated regularly or new threads may be created. It will be updated when everyone gets information on what's to come for Update 8.0. Enjoy! -
Hello, SimCity 4 players. I encountered this bug while trying to record a test video for my Let's Play of SimCity 4. All residential zones are connected to roads, yet it says they're not. Can anyone tell me what's going on? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBxa4VcwJhk&feature=youtu.be Thanks!
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We Can Do Better - Open Letter From Simsville Mayor Peter Less
DVDGuy posted a City Journal entry in Simsville (SC2013)
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY OF SIMSVILLE PETER LESS, MAYOR May 6, 2013 To the citizens of Simsville, in response to our "win" in the Worst City in America poll The tallest windmill kills the most birds. That’s an expression I frequently use when asked to defend Simsville place amongst America's most successful cities. And it comes to mind again this week as we get deeper into the brackets of an annual Web poll to name the “Worst City in America.” This is the same poll that last year judged us as worse than cities that have more serial killers per capita than honor students, cities that consists of nothing more than blocks after blocks of low wealth buildings, cities that don't even have industry. The complaints against us last year were our support of inhumane treatment of llamas (not true), and that our city was somehow responsible for ruining the ending to Mass Effect 3 (only partially true). This year’s contest started in March with Simsville outpolling a city whose greatest export is crime, and (gulp) allegedly responsible for Simsville's recent crime wave. Their city emblem is an Internet friendly cute kitten, ours is a smelly llama. So no surprise that we drew more votes there. Let me cut to the chase: it appears Simsville has “won.” Like the Yankees, Lakers and EA, Simsville is one of those organizations that is defined by both a legacy of success, and a legion of critics (especially me regarding all three of those organisations). Are we really the “Worst City in America?” I’ll be the first to admit that we’ve made plenty of mistakes. These include unexplained sewer shut downs, bridges that didn’t meet the other side of the river, missteps on new tax models and most recently, severely fumbling the launch of the Simsville Streetcar system. We owe our citizens better performance than this. Some of these complaints are 100 percent legitimate – like all large organisations we are not perfect. But others just don’t hold water: Many continue to claim the Always-On street light system in SimCity is a waste of money. It's not. People still want to argue about it. We can’t be any clearer – it’s not. Period. Some claim there’s no room for a streetcar system as a competitor to buses. 19,000 confirmed passengers are proving that wrong. We’ve seen mailing lists that direct people to vote for Simsville because they disagree with the winner of Simsville's Best Looking Llama of the year award. Yes, really ... In the past year, we have received thousands of emails and postcards protesting against Simsville for allowing our LGBT citizens to own more than two cheetahs as pets. This week, we’re seeing posts on conservative web sites urging people to protest our LGBT/llama policy by voting Simsville the Worst City in America. That last one is particularly telling. If that’s what makes us the worst city, bring it on. Because we're not caving on that. We are committed to fixing our mistakes. Over the last three weeks, 90,000 Simsvillians took us up on a free turtle offer for their troubles. We owed them that. We’re constantly listening to feedback from our citizens, through our Residents Complaints hotline, Twitter, this journal, or other sites. The feedback is vital, and impacts the decisions we make. I expect the debate will include a lot of comments under this post. But here’s the truth: each year Simsville interacts with more than 35 million residents and non-residents; Our city is breaking records for revenue and new citizens; The Simsville City mobile app, Simsvigram, is at the top of the (local) app sale charts; Our streetcar system and tourist attractions are stunning achievements with millions of visitors every year; and the Simsville Facebook build your own city social game, SimCity, is being enjoyed by millions of passionate fans all over the world. Every day, thousands of people across the country visit and love our city - literally, thousands more than will vote in this contest. So here’s my response to this poll: We can do better. We will do better. But I am damn proud of this city, the people from around the region that work at city hall, the success we create and the people that get to enjoy them. The tallest windmill kills the most birds. At Simsville we remain proud and unbowed. I leave you with a response to an even earlier criticism aimed at our "Simsville 2.0" plan. The Simsville Bugle mocked our forward looking vision of the city as "drastic" and "controversial", but the proof is in the pudding. Our plans have succeeded in improving the city's traffic problems, improved the city's ability to support more population, and fixed many issues that citizens have been struggling with. So far from the disaster that The Simsville Bugle tried to paint, Simsville 2.0 is a huge success. And I leave you with before and after photos of how the new Simsville compares to the old. A picture tells a thousand words, and we'll let these pictures tell them to you. Before "Simsville 2.0" After "Simsville 2.0" -
any update about creating your own buildings and other stuf
joostpas94 posted a topic in SimCity (2013) Modding - Open Discussion
hello all, are there any updates from ea about creating your own building's with a tool or something? -
I'm sorry if this was posted somewhere else already. For all the people who had to endure the horrible launch of SimCity, I guess this is one bit of good news: EA was voted to be the worst company in America by Consumerist. http://www.gamespot.com/news/ea-named-worst-company-in-america-by-consumerist-6406640 http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/electronic-arts-named-worst-company-america-again-170932002.html I'm not going to lie, I hate Comcast and some other companies just as much as I hate EA, but it's nice to see EA get the kick in the rump that they deserve. They have a lot of potential and have some of the greatest titles under their name, I hope they get their act together soon. Anyone else have any thoughts?
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My friend posted this on YouTube like an hour ago and I'm asking the same question. Please answer!!!
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I know that I cannot be the only person who feels this way, so I am going to express my concerns over the current state of SimCity (2013) discussion. This has gone on long enough. Since approximately a year ago, we Simtropolites have been given news about the new SimCity, and members have expressed their concerns regarding the game. There is nothing wrong with this; everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but now that the game has been released, haven't they been expressed enough? The same concerns have been repeatedly stated hundreds of times throughout the months in many topics and posts. Topics echo the same complaints from different people: DRM, Tile size, graphics, etc. Over time, these complaints have escalated into arguments, in which people have resorted to name-calling and insults, even insulting SimCity supporters' intelligence. "Anyone who like SimVilleTownSims is a traitor! Ban them all! Go SC4!" Of course, that's an exaggeration, and not all members act that way, but I feel it accurately summarizes how some people have acted. In addition, topics remotely related to SimCIty have been hijacked to complain and rant about the game, resulting in the topic having to be locked by a moderator or admin. This leads me to my next point: the admins and mods are often having to delete or edit posts and close topics because of how members have acted. For all the site staff does for us, we give them more work to do. I think it's time we all have a good long look at the Finally, there is no productivity to repeating complaints and arguments. The game has already been released, and if you hate it, there is not much you can do about it. EA is the third-largest game company by revenue (Wikipedia), and complaining about SimCity, no matter how much, is probably not going to do much. Honestly, they have showed no indication of listening; what makes you think they will now? It is highly unlikely that any of the major (and most disliked) aspects of the game will be changed. In closing, if you dislike the game, that's fine; you have all the reason to dislike, and you are entitled to your own opinions, but express them politely, if you feel they have not been expressed already in the thousands of posts and hundreds of topics in this forum. Do not hijack threads just to rant about everything you despise about EA and SimCity. Be nice to others, even if you disagree with them. Let's stop arguing and the repeated complaining, and have productive and positive discussion; all we're doing now is beating a dead horse. What is the point? I would expect this behavior from comments anywhere else, but not Simtropolis. I have been on this website for only a year or so, but from what I have experienced, it is a great website run by hard-working people who are devoted to the SimCity series, with overall kind, helpful members. I, and I'm sure many others, do not want to see discussion degrade into petty arguments in which members flame one another. So let's keep Simtropolis the polite, productive, and great SimCity (not just SC4) community that it is.
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- simcity 2013
- complaints
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I was wondering if I should get the new SimCity. - I don't care about online only. - I'm over the city size limit. - I don't care about server issues (it'll be resolved eventually) - I don't care about teraforming (I found it a little too time consuming SimCity 4) Is there anything else wrong with it? I actually have the game in my hands but I was wondering if I should install it or get a refund. I'm asking this because of the low ratings on Amazon (It's the same as SimCity Societes!). Update: This topic seemed to get more responses than I expected. I think I'll install the game (Probably one of the last games I'll ever buy from EA). Really the only thing holding me back was the small city sizes, but I think I can deal with it (Eventually). Update 2: I really enjoyed the game (Took me forever to get to play though) Although I still feel the city sizes are too small. One thing that I didn't like was that it seems impossible for me to get a airport (And a lot of other things) because of the small city sizes. I really don't think I can fit much stuff in one city (Unless I make a city and transfer loads of money over there). The city sizes restrict me in more than one way. Everything else is great though (Except the servers).
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SC4 vs. SC2013: A Direct, In-Depth Comparison
The Avatar posted a topic in SimCity (2013) General Discussion
Ever since the official announcement of "SC5," we have been barraged with information and speculation about the new SimCity, dubbed SC2013. I created this topic to clear up confusion about SC2013 and help people decide if they think Maxis can pull off another SimCity with a side-by-side comparison of SC4 and SC2013. For this comparison, I will use confirmed information found on ST, various websites and articles, and the SimCity website, as well as speculation on un-confirmed aspects from the community. The comparison will be broken up into main features or aspects of both SC4 and SC2013. 1. Graphics SC4: SC4's graphics are primarily rendered with a 3D engine; however, the camera is restricted to a fixed trimetric orthographic projection. Some of the buildings are flat drawings, while larger buildings are models with textures as details. Either way, the buildings are still sprites.The graphics of SC4 allow for highly-detailed buildings, but the camera/view cannot be moved, making the graphics a hybrid of sorts, combining 2D and 3D. The scaling in SC4 is off to make the graphics look right. For instance, Sims are three meters tall; if they were properly in scale, they wouldn't be visible. SC2013: SC (I am going to refer to it as just SC) uses up-to-date 3D graphics, allowing the player to change the position of the camera/view of the city. The graphics of SC were inspired by Tilt-Shift photography, a type of photography designed to emulate miniature model photography, which makes an image of real-life objects look like a smaller model object. Ocean Quigley stated in this article "We think that tilt-shift is enchanting. And it’s a major inspiration for the new SimCity." The Tilt-Shift inspired graphics of SC capture the essence of model cities by "making a realistic caricature of the building. Realistic, because it needs to look plausible - people shouldn't notice anything fake about it - but a caricature because what's important about the building has been highlighted and what's irrelevant has been suppressed." This could be a possible reason for the scaling of buildings, Sims, etc. In the screenshot posted below, the Sims walking on the sidewalk are significantly taller than the cars. Also seen in the screenshot, the "Amethyst Inn & Suites" billboard is large in comparison to other objects around it. Ocean Quigley also states that "I’ve personally always thought of SimCity as a model city that you create and bring to life. It's like an elaborate model train layout, but alive and dynamic." In current pictures that have been released by Maxis, the buildings shown have bright, saturated textures with vibrant colors and the scenes shown have many details that Maxis wants to give the graphics the Tilt-Shift effect. This recently released image clearly shows this. is the discussion topic on ST for SC's graphics. 2. Simulation SC4: SC4's engine gives "immediate feedback" of the state of a city. The simulation is affected by actions and reactions, including zoning, providing utilities and civics, etc. The engine "gives a broad approximation of what was going on and [Maxis] did [their] best to make it look plausible, but there [isn't] a tight connection between actions and the simulation’s behavior." Information is presented through charts and simple data views, but the visual aspects relating to the information (such as traffic) aren't directly related to the information and the simulation elements involved. Despite this, the simulation engine is more advanced than previous engines used in previous SimCity titles. SC: "GlassBox is the revolutionary simulation technology behind SimCity." The GlassBox engine allows for a direct and dynamic relation between actions, recations, data, and visual representations of data, through several main aspects: Resources (such as coal), Units (buildings, agents, etc.), Maps (depletable resources), and Globals (the amount of resources). As mayor, you can "impact individual Sims lives, manage city-level simulation, and balance multiple cities at once, all done through a unique graphic interface, which replaces charts and numbers with the experience of actually manipulating the city itself and seeing how it responds in real time." GlassBox is largely based on agents, which are units of information in the simulation. Agents can be resources, Sims, power, water, etc. which move through a city using pathways defined by roads. Each agent has a purpose and can be affected by the decisions you make, allowing for the direct relation between actions/reactions and data/visual representation that I mentioned earlier. This means that actions such as zoning, providing utilities, etc. affects the simulation, in turn affecting the visuals you see. "What you see is what you Sim." Zoning, another aspect of GlassBox, has changed from SC4. The density of what grows, as well as where and when it grows are all affected by the simulation. In order to be constructed, buildings need people to build them. The traffic in an area affects what density of buildings grow there. Another main aspect of GlassBox is data visualization. Data visualization layers allow you to see the resources and agents, such as power and water, that are moving though your city. This is a dynamic change from previous data visualization methods in other SimCity titles. This article on the SimCity website has more information, as well as videos explaining the different aspects of GlassBox. This article breaks down GlassBox in detail. is the official discussion topic on ST for GlassBox. 3. UI SC4: SC4's UI includes the following tools, views, menus, etc. in Mayor-Mode: SC: In a screenshot recently released, a version, possibly the final version but most likely a work-in-progress, of SC's UI was shown. The version shown is sleek and minimalistic in design, with different features than the SC4 UI. Many people are skeptical about what the different icons are, but these are what the icons most likely are, in my opinion. Different than SC4's UI, SC's current UI does not have a minimap, which could be due to Maxis wanting to show data through "what you see is what you Sim." It also does not currently have a God Mode section or any terraforming tools, which could be because they are used before one creates a city. However, Maxis has not confirmed nor denied terraforming or given out any information on how it would work in multiplayer or with the focus on resources, so it is still up in the air, but on the SimCity (2013) Wiki, this was written: "There is no re-shaping of land in this game," and in an article it was written that there would be no terraforming, although this could be a mistake. Another main difference from SC4 is the lack of the My Sims Mode. This is most likely because the game is already focused on induvidual Sims, resources, etc.; all agents. Yet another main difference is the lack of a RCI demand graph. This could be because it is in a sub-menu as a graph, or that the Zoning menu is actually a graph. (I'll elaborate on this later.) Either way, it is a large change from SC4. Another missing icon is the Query Tool, which could be removed from the game due to the "what you see is what you Sim" principle, and the Emergency Tools. Disasters been confirmed ("Disasters will continue to be a big part of SimCity and with this SimCity being truly 3D with a real physics engine. Disasters are going to be more epic than ever."), but not the type of disasters which can occur. We can assume that they will include a giant lizard, fire, meltdowns, etc. as these have been shown or hinted about in the game's official trailers. Floods and drought could also be options, because of the new physics engine. Based on the multiplayer aspect, and Maxis's focus on data, I assume the disasters will not be centered around giant creatures destroying things but more on social and economic disasters. An icon for Parks/Rec also seems to be missing, but it could be an icon that has been labeled as something else. Suspected new additions to the UI in SC include the Resources icon, the Chat icon, City Mood, SCWire (which could simply be a rename of the news ticker), Time in hours and minutes, Simoleons/Hour, and the last menu icon I labeled "13." This icon could be a "Great Works" menu, or something altogether different. Maxis has stated that "In older games, the data was grouped into one panel almost like an afterthought. By contrast, if you place a fire station in the new game, you will get some unobtrusive fire data that helps you decide where best to place the station. If you need more information, you’ll see a "heavy" data layer with additional fire system information." They also stated that seperate data charts/graphs are not necessary because of the new data layers: "No charts or graphs necessary!" The way in which the menus are grouped in SC's current UI is different then in SC4. Instead of grouping (suspected) menus for Resources (wasn't in SC4), Water, Power, and Garbage together as sub-menus in a Utilities menu, and Fire, Police, and Health, Education, and Parks (icon for parks has not been identified in SC) in a Civics Menu, they are single menu icons, grouped closer together. Transportation and Zoning are grouped together, most likely because of the new relation between road traffic and zone density. Also, in this quote: "Drag again to designate industrial, commercial or residential zones and watch your Sims construct buildings then move in" and seen in the official game trailer released as E3, Maxis hints that zoning will be controlled by placing roads. (Drag once to place road; drag again to zone.) (This possibility could explain the absence of an RCI graph, as it could be the Zoning icon.) Utilities: Power, Water, Resources, and Garbage are grouped together. Fire, Police, and Health are grouped together. Education, Civics (which could include parks as a sub-menu), and a third icon which could be for Great Works, Building Editor, etc. are grouped together, as well. [NOTE: Remember, none of these icons have yet been confirmed as what I suspect they are, or anything else. The UI has not been confirmed as in its final version, either. The UI can still change, and most likely will.] Here is the article on the SimCity website. topic on ST has a discussion about SC's UI. 4. Zoning SC4: SC4, like previous SimCity games, has zoning as a main aspect of the game; the driving force behind growth. There are three main types of zones: Residential, Commercial, and Industrial. The ability to choose the density of the zone type was also included: Low-density, medium-density, and high-density Commercial and Residential, and Agriculture (LD), medium-density, and high-density Industrial. Although the player can control the density of the zone type, the wealth level of the building that grows there cannot be chosen, but can be influenced by demand and desirability. When provided with power and given road/street access, zones will develop with enough demand. As one wealth level develops, the demand decreases. Taxes and neighboring cities can also influence demand, and fire, police, health, and education coverage, as well as parks and other YIMBY's can influence desirability. SC: SC also has zoning, but it is different from SC4. In SC, zoning and transportation have a new relationship. It has been stated by Maxis that the player zones by dragging and placing a road, then dragging again to zone: "Just click and drag to draw new roads including fan requested curvy roads. Drag again to designate industrial, commercial or residential zones and watch your Sims construct buildings then move in." However, video shows what looks like zoning normally, as you would in SC4. Even if this is not true, the relationship between zones and transportation has still changed. In this article, Kip states that "In this version, players will have only one zone type for Residential, Commercial, and Industrial. Density will be driven by the types of roads and general traffic around these zones." This is a dynamic change for players used to the control of zone density in SC4. The development of zones in SC is also linked to the specialization of a city, among other things. 5. Modding SC4: Ever since the release of modding tools after SC4's release, the community of SC4 players have made a vast amount of mods for SC4. These mods have been the main reason why most players still play the game. Although some bugs were fixed in updates, SC4 still had bugs and apsects of the game player wanted to alter. For this reason, members of online communities, such as our dear beloved ST, have created many modifications to the game. These include the addition of custom buildings, flora, terrain, civics, landmarks, and mods that change functions of the game. Tools for modding include the BAT, Lot Editor, and Plugin Manager, which have been used by many. SC: It has been confirmed by Maxis that SC will be moddable, but not at its release, like SC4. Ocean Quigley has stated "We're huge fans of our modding community; we've designed all this stuff to be moddable." He also stated "We know modding is hugely important to our community; we know the reason why people are still playing SimCity 4 ten years later is because the modding community has kept it alive. GlassBox is built to be moddable, but beyond that we haven't announced anything" What tools will be available to create mods is unknown, as is how mods will work with multiplayer. Most likely, restrictions will have to be set in some way or another. Here's the full article. is the official discussion topic on ST for modding SC. 6. Data Maps/Views SC4: Data Maps in SC4 consisted of graphs and charts, as well as a 3D overlay, displaying the same information as the corresponding chart. This combines several elements of data into one map view. The Data Maps and Views are Fire, Crime, Education, Desirability, Water, Power, Traffic, Zones, Land Value, Mayor Rating, Resident Average Age, Health, Air Pollution, Water Pollution, Garbage, and Radiation. These views show the amount/levels of the types of data both in an overlay on top of the city and on a map of the city. Views showing civic/utility coverage highlight the buildings and show their coverage radius, as well. The data is accurate, but static. Similar to other aspects of SC4, the relation between simulation and visuals is not dynamic. SC: Data Maps and Views in SC follow the principle of "what you see is what you Sim." Instead of seeing a layer of "static" data overlayed on top of the city, as in SC4, you see induvidual resources, such as power or water, move along the defined paths under the city. Data is no longer shown as the radius of coverage from a source, but as agents. In this article, Christian Stratton states "Every Sim, car and building is a piece of the simulation and has some autonomy in the larger system. The data layers bring that out and expose the relationships between the different elements." The data layers of SC are directly related to the simulation and the source of the data. By placing a source of data (a fire station, for instance), "you will get some unobtrusive fire data that helps you decide where best to place the station. If you need more information, you’ll see a "heavy" data layer with additional fire system information." This hints that there will not be a menu for Data Maps, and that data will be displayed when placing data sources. Maxis has stated in this quote: "No charts or graphs necessary!" that there will be no need for graphs or charts, as in previous SimCity titles. Here is part one of the full article on the SimCity website. 7. Terraforming SC4: Terraforming plays a large role in SC4. Both In God Mode and Mayor Mode, tools are available to shape a city tile, add oceans or rivers, and plant trees. This allows for the creation of landscapes for scenery and for a challenge. Before creating a city, the amount of tools and the extent of what is possible to create is larger in God Mode than in Mayor Mode, but it is still possible to alter a city tile in Mayor Mode. Tools included in both modes are raising land, lowering land, flattening land, and planting trees. God Mode also gives the player the ability to "plop" fauna, erode and smoothen the landscape, and raise/lower the entire city tile before creating a city and create disasters and reconcile edges both before and after creating a city. After creating a city, in God Mode, the player has the ability to obliterate the city. SC: So far, Maxis has not confirmed nor denied terraforming, but there has been evidence both supporting the idea that it has been implemented in the game and opposing it. In this article, as well as on the SimCity (2013) Wiki page, it is stated that "there's no re-shaping of land in this game." This is plausable, as SC focuses on the environmental impace of choices made as mayor, and terraforming could affect the system of finite resources and the multiplayer aspect of SC. However, in video (at around 1:00), the landscape is being terraformed; trees are planted and the land level is altered. The game was in debug mode, so we cannot necessarily rely on this as valid information. is the discussion topic on ST for Terraforming in SC. 8. City Tile Size SC4: SC4 has three tile sizes: 1x1 km (small), 2x2 km (medium), and 4x4 km (large). SC: Currently, the only tile size SC will have is 2x2 km, the equivalent of a medium SC4 tile. This is most likely due to the advanced simulation engine, 3D graphics, and multiplayer capability. 9. Regions SC4: SC4 is based on regional gameplay, a concept that was new to the SC series at the time of its release. A region is made up of city tiles of any of the three sizes: small, medium, and large. Cities are founded on city tiles, and affect other cities in the region. Neighboring cities play a large role in how a region develops. They affect demand, and can establish neighbor deals with adjacent cities. Multiplayer is not available for SC4, but a single player can create and develop a region by him/herself. SC: With the addition of multiplayer in SC, regions take on a new purpose. In SC, a player can play by him/herself in their own private region, (granted, you still need a connection to The Internet) in a private region with friends, or in a public "MMO" region on the Web. The social aspects of working together to create Great Works (airport, fusion reactor, space shuttle) and decisions making a region-wide impact on cities apply to all three available options. SC is largely based on the environmental and economical impact of choices on other regional cities, and how the cities in a region can solve problems that occur. Cities within a region can trade resources, work together, or attempt to damage each other through economic and environmental disasters. The cities in a region make up a region-wide economy, and each city can affect others and itself through the choices made. Each city can have its own specialization; specific specializations stated by Maxis are industry, science, business/tourism, and education. These specializationa each have their own induvidual consequences, as well. This concept video for SC shows the relationship between cities in a region. There is a lot of speculation on how cities will be connected and how the regional coexistance will function. In video, it seems as if there will be (or, at least the option of) space between cities (leading me to believe that a city tile is meant to hold one induvidual city, meaning the scale of the size of cities will be much smaller than in SC4). In the same video, the player is seen connecting a road to a highway and a highway system connecting cities in the region. This leads me to believe pre-constructed highways might exist in the region, connecting city tiles. Highways might also be a Great Work that can be constructed, like the airport. [This is SPECULATION, not fact.] The picture below also leads me to believe this, but it has not been confirmed. Highways are used to connect these separated cities and a regional airport can be collaboratively built, as well. Here is the article on multiplayer on the SimCity website, and is the discussion topic on ST. 10. Plopping/Modular Buildings SC4: In SC4, the player has the ability to plop landmarks, utilities, civics, parks, rewards and transportation stations/stops, in contrast to having RCI buildings grow naturally by zoning. These ploppables each have different effects on cities. Besides adding a real-world touch to cities, landmarks also have a "landmark effect" that raises commercial desirability. Utilities buildings provide power, water, or waste removal. Civics provide education, fire protection, police coverage, or health coverage. Parks raise desirability for high-wealth residents and businesses. Rewards have various functions. Transportation stops/stations allow Sims to get on/off bus, train, and subway, and elavated rail lines at different points in cities. SC: SC expands on the concept of ploppables with modular buildings. Maxis describes the revamped ploppables as "incredibly detailed 3D buildings you can upgrade with modules to extend the functionally of your city." Examples included are a fire station, manufacturing plant, colleges, and police stations, a smelting plant, Most likely, because of the new addition of resources and the focus on the environment, in SC, ploppable buildings will not only be to provide utility and civic coverage, but will also provide resources. Modular ploppables will also probably play a role in city specialization, as hinted in various game trailers. Here is the article at the SimCity website. 11. Transportation SC4: SC4 (with Rush Hour) contains the following land transportation networks: road, one-way road, avenue, street, ground highway, elevated highway, rail, monorail, elavated rail, and subway. Since SC4 is based on a grid, orthogonal and diagonal (for some networks) lines are the only way these networks can by placed. SC: Maxis has not announced "officially" the types of transportation networks that will be available in SC, but several land networks have been shown in trailers for the game. Perhaps the most important addition in SC's transportation is the addition of curved/free-form roads. Other additions include networks that are available through the NAM for SC4, including: tram-in-avenue*, train, the NWM equivalent of MAVE-4* (what looks to be the main road network used, as it is seen in many of the screenshots), AVE-6*, road, and highway (RHW equivalent of RHW-6; no interchanges shown yet). The transportation networks and curved roads leads to interesting possibilities in intersections, as seen in a screenshot posted below. [* - Included in NWM/NAM] From what has been shown in the game trailers, highways seem to be simplified, being used to transport Sims between cities on regions, which have been shown spaced far apart. Also seen in the trailers, a player is seen connecting a highway (RHW-6) to another highway (RHW-6) in an intersection. This also makes highways seem to be dumbed down, in a way, to only connect cities in multiplayer (and singleplayer?). In the screenshot below, the highway looks to be pre-constructed, leaving a tile open for an airport. The connection of cities far away from each other by a pre-constructed highway (?) leads me to believe city tiles in SC are meant to hold entire cities, and not different sections of one city, as could be done in SC4. [NOTE: SPECULATION, not confirmed or even mentioned by Maxis.] After searching through almost all of the images and videos released by Maxis, these are the only transportation networks I have seen. Others may be added or shown at a later time, but currently, these are the only networks that have been shown. is the official discussion topic on ST for SC's Transit Netowrks. 2nd screenshot: 12. Soundtrack (Yes, music. Although you may consoder it an insignificant part of SC4, I consider it one of the best things about the game.) SC4: SC4's soundtrack, largely composed by Jerry Martin, includes music, most with a jazzy feel, from different genres. Sounds are played based on the relative amount of a certain type of data in that area. SC: Not much has been revealed about SC's soundtrack, but in this article, a small snippet of a song from SC was revealed. The snippet has a modern orchestrated feel, and will probably be similar to other music from the game, as Maxis is trying to bring an old eseries into the modern world, and music is one way to do this. Different from SC4, due to GlassBox's dymanic simulation, sounds are played directly relating to the data source of the sound. For instance, sounds are played when induvidual cars stop and go at intersections. Another new feature is the interactivity of the music. Audio director for SC, Kent Jolly, states that "An example of this is when you are zoomed out, you’ll hear a fuller version of the score, but when you zoom in, we take away certain elements off the tracks. This also brings down the music in general. We did this is to help make room for all the activity going on in your city." Here is the discussion topic on ST for SC's music. My Opinions: Graphics - I think that SC4's graphics are equal to SC's graphics, at this point. I like the look of SC's graphics; I think there is a lot of detail included in the lots and buildings, and I like the 3D engine and Tilt-Shift effect, but SC4's graphics allowed for much more detail, and the textures were more realistic. Although the textures/saturation for SC's graphics could still change, I doubt they will. Either way, I still like SC's graphics, and whether they improve or not is not a deal-breaker for me. Simulation - GlassBox is great! The thought that went into the simulation is amazing, and the direct relationship between visuals, sound, data, and the simulation blows me away. By far, GlassBox is better than SC4's simulation, or, at least it is in theory. We'll see how it is in the real game once it is released. UI - Not much has been revealed about SC's UI, so at this point, it is hard to make a call. All I can say is that I don't like the minimalistic look of it, and the way the menus are organized is odd. Zoning - I can make a decision on this one regardless of the conflicting info/media and un-confirmed information on how we will zone. I'll put it into mathematical terms: No control over density = bad. SC4's zoning > SC's zoning, by far. Modding - Well, both games have modding, which is great. I know nothing of the tools which will be used to mod SC, so I cannot judge based on that. I'm simply excited that we can mod SC! Data Maps/Views - I think a lot of thought has been put into SC's Data Layers, and I like how it is very directly related to the simulation, like other aspects of SC. I think the whole concept is very ingenuitive. I don't really mind not being able to Terraform in SC, as I'm sure it would conflict with other aspects of the game that I look forward to seeing, like resources. I never spent much time Terraforming in SC4, anyway. I'm sure Maxis's decision of having only a 2x2 km tile size is justified. With the advanced simulation and 3D engine, as well as multiplayer, I doubt many people's computers could handle any larger. Of course there are exceptions, but the average gamer doesn't have a high-powered computer. (I certainly don't.) However, I don't like how, if I'm correct in my speculation, the tiles are separated and are meant to hold only one city each. [sPECULATION] Anywho, I don't think there is enough info that has been confirmed to really make a decision. Same as ^, Maxis has been vague about regions and how cities will be connected and how multiplayer will be implemented. All I know is that I don't like the look or regions from the trailer. I like the idea of modular ploppables, although I hope Maxis makes it a minor part of the game. There seemed to be a lot of plopping in the trailer. I'd prefer more info on zoning. I'm sure Maxis has more up their sleeves in transportation, so I won't make a decision here. (I mean, c'mon! They have been lurking over us for nine years, spying on SC4 mods, like the NAM.) But if this is really it for transit, I'm really disappointed, and will have to wait for the NAM for SC. I love SC4's music with a passion, and I think the music really fits the genre. Based on the music snippet from the article, I think SC's music will do this, as well. The snippet of SC music has a more modern feel than SC4's music, and I like it, but it will take a really good soundtrack on SC's part to beat SC4's, in my opinion. I can't make a decision yet. Wow. Now that's a lot of info to take in. NOTE: I tried to create this comparison based on factual information as much as I could; however, many aspects of SC are still up-in-the-air and not confirmed nor denied officially by Maxis/EA. For this reason, I had to base parts of this comparison on speculation by the community. Regardless, all information should have some root in info/media released by Maxis or in a secondary source reporting on Maxis. If I have missed any important information or have any incorrect information, please notify me and I will try to change/add it A.S.A.P. The community clearly wants Maxis to meet and exceed the standards set by SC4, but based on this comparison and the information we have been provided, do you think they can? After nine years from their last big hit, SC4, can Maxis pull it off? I think so, but what about you? -
ORIGINE3 - How can we rectify this issue as a community?
Bipin posted a topic in SimCity (2013) General Discussion
For those of you who are unaware, Maxis explicitly stated that a promo code would be given out for pre-ordering the new Sim City, during the June 5th, 2012 chat Q/A session. When the Q/A session rolled around, the code was given out several times. The issue lies not in there being no promo code, but rather there being no promo code for Sim City 2013. All users I had spoken to who had attempted to pre-order Sim City 2013 through Origin were unsuccessful when attempting to use the promo code. They were able to use the promo code on currently released games, but not pre-orders. This lead many to believe a "Bait and Switch", so to speak, was the case. Considering EA's bumpy track record, a "Bait and Switch" is not out of the question. Of course, it could also be a simple error with the code. I personally have witnessed similar issues with other companies. Regardless of intent or not, the issue must be rectified, but how are we to go about doing that as a community? We were promised 25% off in clear text (which I have screenshotted and recorded with Fraps) so what will we do collectively to get the 25% off we deserve? -
EA has filed a trademark application for "SimOcean". Any ideas as to what this may be? Some ideas are a Sims expansion pack, Simcity expansion pack, or even an entirely new game. Thoughts?
