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Simcity 4 and Real Life

Started by Haljackey, January 23, 2010, 11:29:20 AM

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Haljackey

What has playing Simcity 4 done for you in real life?  Has it made you more aware of your surroundings?  Has it made you criticize every development in your town because its not to your specifications?  Has it generated conversations with your friends?  Has it been significant in another way?

For me, it has made me a more nitpicky person when it comes to road construction and infrastructure projects.  This is mainly because I would make these totally different if I was in charge (and had virtually infinite funds, a huge workforce and approval from city council all the time).  Before I played Simcity 4, I wasn't very interested in this sort of thing at all.

Playing Simcity also made me focus on urban geography as my academic study.  I am currently taking human geography and urban development courses in university.
-In addition, some people in the department of geography (both friends of mine and professors/instructors) have taken a liking of my Simcity 4 projects.  Just last week pictures of my CJ/MD were in a first year geography lecture promoting the urban development program to students.  The text read "like playing Simcity?  Major in urban development!"  (or something like that).  :P

It was interesting for me to see a real life application of Simcity and I am wondering if this has happened to others.  Feel free to share your experiences here!

canyonjumper

SimCity has made me criticize mostly every interchange along the TransCanada, especially when I'm stuck in traffic. I see exactly where a new interchange could go, or a new exit lane could fit.
That's a great use of your pics, Haljackey! Maybe I'll post some pics of exactly what my ideas are later :).

                -Jordan
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

wes.janson

Quote from: canyonjumper on January 23, 2010, 12:38:50 PM
SimCity has made me criticize mostly every interchange along the TransCanada, especially when I'm stuck in traffic. I see exactly where a new interchange could go, or a new exit lane could fit.
That's a great use of your pics, Haljackey! Maybe I'll post some pics of exactly what my ideas are later :).

                -Jordan

I concur with this statement. Trying to get anywhere on the #1 in Vancouver during rush hour is the equivilant of waiting in line to get into the Louvre.


Henrik Sedin: 82gp 29g 83a 112p - 2009/2010 Art Ross/Hart Trophy winner!

Haljackey

I thought they were fixing up the TC-1 and other roads in the region in preparation for the Olympic games.  The design of the routes in Vancouver look like not a lot of money was spent on the network and thus are obsolete and overcapacity nowadays.

Here in London, we're the largest city in North America not to have some sort of civic freeway or ring road to service local traffic.  Its sort of a mixed blessing because there are a lot of cons of civic freeways ripping through the city and whatnot, however the potential capacity it could provide would relieve a lot of congestion on city streets.

If I could, I would use the RHW in my city, but only in certain areas to help improve traffic flow and capacity.  There's no route the freeway could take nowadays because the city is so developed now.  Right now the focus is on LRT and HSR.  I want to just drag a line of HSR from here to Toronto and put GLR-in-Ave along all the major throughfares in the city.

canyonjumper

They are but they also chose this time to replace the Port Mann, Pattullo, and Pitt River Bridges, as well as build the Canada Line SkyTrain Extension. There's a link here detailing exactly what they are going to do in my area of Metro Vancouver.

The Gateway Project is expected to be finished in 2013, no where near in time for the Olympics. Right now, the TCH is anything but beautiful. Construction has already begun all along the highway, and I don't think they are going to cover it up for the Olympics in February.

So to answer your question Haljackey, the government is redesigning the infrastructure, but they would have done it anyway, Olympics or no. In fact, I don't see why they chose now, instead of waiting until after the Olympics are over to commence construction.

                 -Jordan
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

wes.janson

They are twinning the Port Mann. The Pattullo needs to be replaced so badly, as well does the Lions Gate.

The Alex Fraser is the only decent bridge in this whole city. Thanks Expo!


Henrik Sedin: 82gp 29g 83a 112p - 2009/2010 Art Ross/Hart Trophy winner!

jmdude1

being from london, ont. i also see what you mean haljackey. the only kind of highway that i know about is highbury ave south which i used often. highbury ave. north used to be good too, a long time ago. now, with all the new subdivisions there are traffic lights popping up at every entrance. it would be a huge expense to add any kind of freeway in london but i wish they would consider adding something as the city keeps expanding to help with future congestion.

MattyFo

#7
Great topic Haljackey! &apls  For me Sim City has made me more aware or urban planning and road development, like you guys had mentioned.  Hailing from Regina, which in my opinion is the most poorly planned city in Canada(maybe the world :P)  I have noticed that street, roads and avenues, end abruptly somewhere and resume somewhere else, where there is no direct connection.  A have rescently moved here from Winnipeg, and when I drive in a new city I try to remember familliar street names that can get me where I need to go.  But here I have to be weary because the street most likely won't go straight through to where i need it.  I'm posting a map to show exactly what i'm talkign about.  Upon looking at the map, I came to realise it is worse than I thought.  Notice the streets running north-south between 4th ave and 1st ave N(McIntosh, Royal, Forget etc), they are seprated by the rail junction but continue as the same street on the otherside.  also notethe streets running east-west, 1st ave , 2nd ave and 3rd ave and count how many times they end then start up again.  also there are 2 Pasqua streets, man this city is wrecked!!!!! THIS MAP HAS NOT BEEN ALTERED AT ALL AND THIS IS HOW IT IS HERE!



Much like real life changes how we view Sim City, Sim City changes the way we view real life :satisfied:

!!!!GO HABS GO!!!!

Battlecat

Interesting topic, particularly with all the BC locals coming out of the woodwork!   :)  Have to say that Simcity 4 makes me pay a lot of attention to the way infrastructure is put together, particularly at a local level.  It's also made me a lot more aware of the value of mass transit for a region. 

Actually there are two other really good quality bridges in the Metro Vancouver Region.  The new Pitt River and Golden Ears bridges are both well designed, and very valuable for the future of getting around our region.  Granted, the Golden Ears in particular carved half an hour off each direction of my commute so I might be a bit biased.  ;)

However, I have to say that all the planned improvements to the Port Mann still won't make up for the fact that transit out to the Fraser Valley still sucks.  I hope they've got future plans to improve that. 

canyonjumper

Hey, Battlecat, I read an article recently that an independent group has studied different methods of extending service to the Fraser Valley. One method was extending the SkyTrain to YXX (Abbotsford Int'l Airport). Another was having an EverGreen Line-like setup to Langley City. And the last was revamping the existing unused passenger lines to Chilliwack.

And MattyFo, they do that here in Vancouver too. We're on a grid system that used numbers. Streets go north-south and avenues go east-west. So even if a park interrupts a road, on the other side, it will be the same name.

               -Jordan
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

MattyFo

That is true, I haven't been to Vancouver recently but I have heard nothing but bad things, in terms or infastructure obviously :D  Vancouver is probly the most beautiful city I've ever seen, and I lived in Montreal for most my life!  But luckily you guys can attract the Olympics, In Regina we were lucky to get half the WJC this year, next biggest thing would be a Grey Cup with the Riders playing.  But Battlecat  it's good to hear you managed to get 30 mins cut from your commute, my commute is only 30 mins on a bad day, I'd hate to hear how long yours was before the Golden Ears.

!!!!GO HABS GO!!!!

MandelSoft

SimCity made me more interrested to study Civil Engineering at the University. I'm now running a pre-study project at the TU Delft in that subject.

By the way, by posting some of my signs on www.wegenforum.nl (a dutch road-geek site), I became more aware of signage designs, and now I critisize sign designs here. Funny enough, Zoetermeer (my home town) has one of the worst signage in the Netherlands; It's quite inconsistent, and some signs could be combined.

Anyway, my sign designs have changed over time. Here is my very first design:

Ugly, isn't it? Well after a few revisions, this was my sign design before critics at www.wegenforum.nl:
   
The biggest flaud in the above design is the use of the color red on the background. That's gone for a while. Here this is the current design:




I also apply RL designs to my cities, so the influence is also vice versa.

Best,
Maarten
Lurk mode: ACTIVE

FrankU

Hi Maarten,
It's not only the signage in Zoetermeer that is inconsistent and could be combined....

wes.janson

Quote from: MattyFo on January 23, 2010, 09:32:12 PM
That is true, I haven't been to Vancouver recently but I have heard nothing but bad things, in terms or infastructure obviously :D  Vancouver is probly the most beautiful city I've ever seen, and I lived in Montreal for most my life!  But luckily you guys can attract the Olympics, In Regina we were lucky to get half the WJC this year, next biggest thing would be a Grey Cup with the Riders playing.  But Battlecat  it's good to hear you managed to get 30 mins cut from your commute, my commute is only 30 mins on a bad day, I'd hate to hear how long yours was before the Golden Ears.

As a former resident of our flatest provinces capital city, I can understand why  :D

As for the Olympics in Vancouver.. silly idea. Winter Olympics in a temperate rainforest?


Henrik Sedin: 82gp 29g 83a 112p - 2009/2010 Art Ross/Hart Trophy winner!

sumwonyuno

Heh, I finished writing an essay on SimCity yesterday.  :P  The topic was on a design that changed your life.  I chose RCI zoning because now I have a better understanding of how development is managed on the island I call home.  Besides that essay, I certainly became aware of many issues that the State and City deal with because of countless hours of building in my old Capitalis region.


The City & County of Honolulu, a Mayor Diary based on Honolulu, Hawai'i.

mark's memory address - I've created a blog!

Haljackey

Quote from: sumwonyuno on January 25, 2010, 12:32:55 PM
Heh, I finished writing an essay on SimCity yesterday.  :P 

Very cool!  Its hard to find games these days that are both educational and fun at the same time.  SC4 does this very well I must say.

Might be a bit off topic but I found this picture about Simcity the other day on Collegehumor:


Be careful what you do in game... your citizens and police might charge you.  lol!   :D  (This can also apply to mayors in real life!)

dany10000


Orange_o_

Sc4 is a big revolution in my everyday life. It is not the game in it even, but what there is all around.
Today thanks to SC4, I know how to create of the 3D with 3dsmax and sketchup, what serves me in my daily work. And who will allow me maybe to create my own society.
Today thanks to SC4, I know how to create of Html and even a little more.
Today thanks to SC4, I enlarge my knowledge in Architecture.

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adroman

SimCity, for me, is an Artistic Platform.  :satisfied:

I enjoy Modding and playing, I do like to bring my day-to-day life into a different medium. I do enjoy these forums, I enjoy talking to the people on here and I enjoy working with them even more.

After a difficult or stressful day, I always enjoy sitting down infront of LE, BAT or SC4 itself and playing around. It's a hobby, really... one that changes my day, my attitude and is a great social platform.

To me, there's always a challenge, always a problem to work against... but having a great time.

How do I like my SC4? with a nice mug of coffee...  ;D

I always enjoy seeing other opinions about this game, I'll watch this thread with interest.
Adrian.
737s, Air Force, Australia... what next?