new "real" Sim City in 2013

[NCGAIO]

Alex ... What I said was in response to a specific question about the graphic part of the new game and keep saying that there will be nowhere near close to what you can do today in Simcity4. It is enough to make an attentive reading of the material and it is clear that the main objective is the simulation. So all the evasive answers made ​​in this direction and in the same way the reservations made in any graphic material to me leave no doubt.

As for the story about moding SC4 would be good to remember that without the participation of people who made possible what was done ... As DarkMatter creating Datagen or also as the editor Ilive Reader (Things I doubt very much that from happening again) and all that at that time endeavored to discover and reveal the format of the game as Karybdis; sawtooth; Tropod; Teirusu ; Redlotus; Gourou; Kwackwack; GoaSkin; Daeley etc .... that made possible the tools and many of whom are no longer active or who have been here since 2003 as Cogeo. Who knows maybe even the NAM does not exist without them.

All this happened in another time and do not honestly believe that nowadays it repeat itself. What we have in the years following the launch of the game will be what was released by Maxis (EA) and in this case what I said in response to Lora still my opnion!

[packersfan]

Here are my thoughts on the NEW SimCity:

1) Really excited for Glassbox and the agents that will make the city simulation much more realistic (reflective of what is ACTUALLY happening in your city) and fun.

2) In response to a post I saw about how many of the great MDs here are played on PAUSE and cheats because simulation would ruin the ART: I never play on pause, but I do use a little money cheat and I do plop businesses and industries to get a realistic look.  Mostly, this is due to the SC4s outdated simulation.  The game just doesn't always reflect what is ACTUALLY happening and the money situation is really messed up (I mean, really I have to PAY for all these private things?  Of course, if I think about it, real cities really do have to do a lot of stretching and cutting).  So going back to point 1...can't wait to really dive into Glassbox.

3) Graphics: At this point, the game graphics ARE NOT final, but what we have seen has just been for the purpose of showing off glassbox.  However, I am concerned that the final graphics will be a little to gamey...it just seems that SC4 era graphics were so realistic (at least compared to subsequent 3D releases of games)...remember Roller Coaster Tycoon?  That game had incredible graphics and very real feeling.  I am very worried about getting a cartoony feeling again.  Obviously SimCity was very simple, 2000 was pixelated, 3000 really was a nice leap but a little fake looking...4 seemed to really start getting close and if you look at some of that ART that people make with their MDs, the cities start to actually look real and some of the custom REAL life buildings are really spot on.  So hopefully Maxis doesn't make it too gamey looking.  I saw that they wanted to bring back some gamey fun...why???  Games like Madden, sports games, etc are still fun and games but every year they try to make the graphics more and more realistic.  I just feel in this age of quick internet flash games and facebook games that a game that will come out and cost in the neighborhood of $50 to $60 should try to be a more serious and rich experience graphically.

4) Internet access necessary for game startup and saving!  This is a potential killer.  For me, SimCity and ANY game I can play without having to be online are lifesavers.  I am totally fine with having to connect to register the game the first time and requiring registration to play (of course I am wary of glitches and the failure and eventually outdating of servers and sites making it impossible to re-register the game in the future when I inevitably have to reinstall on a new computer), but making it necessary to connect to start the game really hurts the mobility of this game.  What I love about SimCity4 is that anywhere I have my laptop with me I can play and expand my region regardless of internet access (for two weeks I had no access in my apartment in China and besides a few books, SimCity was the only game I could play.  If I had this NEW SimCity and been without access for two weeks I would have gone out of my mind...think about it, no access to the internet so you can't stream videos, new, facebook, or look at great SimCity content PLUS you can't even play single-player SimCity!!)  For all the great things happening in game development there is an equal amount of awful stuff.

5) Continuing with the online subject: I think the resources and interaction with the rest of the "world" of players struggle for resources and pollution, etc., is a cool aspect, but is an aspect that I don't think should be forced and required.  Here is what I mean:  Right now it seems the game will have two options - "single-player" and "multiplayer".  However, ALL cities, regardless of how you play your region will be tied to the global economy: cool, this will make the single-player game more fun and social without letting other people directly build in your sandbox.  However, again, what about people who lack internet access or reliable access?  Or what about those people who want a purely single-player game and would rather just struggle for resources against the game?  I think there should be a third option - "TRUE single-player".  No online interaction, no access needed.  I suppose for the game to still have the function of resources and everything, a little more code would have to be written making the game mimic other cities on your own private world.  This just popped to mind: the way the game is set up, a lot of storylines are really limited to being on a populated world...but what about those people that play like they are setting up a brand new world fresh from any human/sim intervention.  Obviously in their case they are only struggling against nature for their resources and not other cities (unless of course there is an alien civilization on this new world).  Well anyways, in conclusion, I wish there were THREE options for gameplay: SINGLE PLAYER, SINGLE PLAYER REGION with global economy, MULTIPLAYER REGION obviously with global economy.

6) Modding.  Everytime I see that modding won't be supported right away I cringe at first, but then I realize (and there is a timeline of modding events in this thread) that we didn't have modding right out of the box with SC4.  I suppose this will make SC"5" struggle in the eyes of us veteran players.  We have grown accustomed to a game so heavily customized with real buildings and mods, etc.  We forget there was a time when we all built VANILLA cities and loved them.  The great hope is that SC"5" out of the box will correct many of things early mods did, such as the bridge slope...NAM...ugh can't really think of those other early and now pretty much essential mods any serious MDer must download before presenting pictures.  MAXIS has made it sound like they understand that modding is what has kept their previous game alive and created this solid community.  So, I assume they will release modding tools a few months after release.

7) Related to the modding subject: Already speculating/wondering?  If this game is wildly successful, will the developers quickly turn around and develop another version in a year or two?  How will that affect modding?  What will happen to us?  Will SimCity become more game than hobby?  It is that Catch-22 that many of us are contemplating.  We want a new game, better road systems, better simulation...but the cost is we must START OVER.  Think of this great dream:  What if we could import our SC"5" into SC"6" and beyond?

Well, there are a few of MY thoughts.  I have mixed feelings about next year's SimCity.  I am super excited to play with glassbox.  I am apprehensive about graphics (I remember a time when a new game meant my eyes would melt out with amazement at the new graphics).  I am concerned about the internet requirement.  I am interested in the resource economy.  I am a little sad to have to move on from my District of Wenzel project (though it will always still be there if SC"5" proves a flop.) ::::::  And there is the silver lining everybody: if SC"5" doesn't move us, doesn't capture our attention and hopes, we always have our SC4 projects and community, so don't go wiping your harddrive clean of SC4 when SC"5" comes out, but heres to hoping SC"5" provides a new base for us to go SimCity crazy!

[Shark7]

Alex ... What I said was in response to a specific question about the graphic part of the new game and keep saying that there will be nowhere near close to what you can do today in Simcity4. It is enough to make an attentive reading of the material and it is clear that the main objective is the simulation. So all the evasive answers made ​​in this direction and in the same way the reservations made in any graphic material to me leave no doubt.

As for the story about moding SC4 would be good to remember that without the participation of people who made possible what was done ... As DarkMatter creating Datagen or also as the editor Ilive Reader (Things I doubt very much that from happening again) and all that at that time endeavored to discover and reveal the format of the game as Karybdis; sawtooth; Tropod; Teirusu ; Redlotus; Gourou; Kwackwack; GoaSkin; Daeley etc .... that made possible the tools and many of whom are no longer active or who have been here since 2003 as Cogeo. Who knows maybe even the NAM does not exist without them.

All this happened in another time and do not honestly believe that nowadays it repeat itself. What we have in the years following the launch of the game will be what was released by Maxis (EA) and in this case what I said in response to Lora still my opnion!

Unfortunately I believe you are right.  As it stands, Indie developers are fairly agreeable with making their games moddable, but the big corporations...no, not so much.  After all, they don't make money off the freebies modders release.  Its the whole mindset behind 'downloadable content' on consoles, etc.

And its been 10 years since SC4 was released.  We'va all changed since then, people move on, lives have to be lived.

Just be glad we have what we have with SC4 and SC4Devotion.

[NCGAIO]

For curiosity I'll post this just to ask if I was just me or has anyone else would not find it funny at the point of laughing?

"" shacknews : Besides polluting the region, what are some other things players can do to screw over other players?""

"" Kip Katsarelis's : [Laughs] There are lots of ways, as we're finding out. The more integrated cities become, the more you can screw with one another. Once you're sharing water, power, things like that, you can always cut those things off, cut off workers, or cut off jobs. Crime's another example of something that one city can create—that casino city created all this crime, and it will start spilling over into neighbors' cities. Pollution in many forms—-air pollution, water pollution, things like that--are a couple of obvious ones.""

( Kip Katsarelis's - SimCity Lead Producer Electronic Arts )

Source: http://www.shacknews.com/article/73061/one-on-one-with-simcitys-mayor - by Jason Wilson

If this is the kind of multiplayer that will have the new game so I guess I'm not very interested in it!
Anyone else ...?

[Lowkee33]

Other parts of the interview:

KK: ...But we understand that some people don't always play games online, and especially with SimCity, you're used to playing by yourself for long periods of time. You can set your game to private and you can play by yourself however you like...

KK: I don't want to go too much into offline, but since we're asynchronous, you pull your plug out, it's not catastrophic.

Though they don't seem to be going the moisture route.

[Shark7]

For curiosity I'll post this just to ask if I was just me or has anyone else would not find it funny at the point of laughing?

"" shacknews : Besides polluting the region, what are some other things players can do to screw over other players?""

"" Kip Katsarelis's : [Laughs] There are lots of ways, as we're finding out. The more integrated cities become, the more you can screw with one another. Once you're sharing water, power, things like that, you can always cut those things off, cut off workers, or cut off jobs. Crime's another example of something that one city can create—that casino city created all this crime, and it will start spilling over into neighbors' cities. Pollution in many forms—-air pollution, water pollution, things like that--are a couple of obvious ones.""

( Kip Katsarelis's - SimCity Lead Producer Electronic Arts )

Source: http://www.shacknews.com/article/73061/one-on-one-with-simcitys-mayor - by Jason Wilson

If this is the kind of multiplayer that will have the new game so I guess I'm not very interested in it!
Anyone else ...?

I gotta agree.  I'll stick with SC4, it does everything I want, without other people dumping their problems on me.

[vortext]

New article today more or less confirms what we already knew.

SimCity will require an internet connection each time you boot it up via Origin but, according to Jason, the restriction isn't about DRM. Not even a little bit.

In fact, Tom asked whether the online-only restriction was an anti-piracy measure last week. "That's not why we put it in," said the producer. "It was really a developer decision. It was a design decision to do that from the ground up."

He's referring to SimCity's online component where each city is part of a wider region. Individual cities can help or hinder their neighbours' development. Even when playing alone, you'll get the option to control a landmass of metropolises.

So if for any reason your internet connection is down, or don't have acces to one anyway, no simcity for you 
On the bright side, the last sentence seems to imply you'll also have the option to not control, or be controlled, by 'a landmass of metropolises'.

[mike3775]

New article today more or less confirms what we already knew.

SimCity will require an internet connection each time you boot it up via Origin but, according to Jason, the restriction isn't about DRM. Not even a little bit.

In fact, Tom asked whether the online-only restriction was an anti-piracy measure last week. "That's not why we put it in," said the producer. "It was really a developer decision. It was a design decision to do that from the ground up."

He's referring to SimCity's online component where each city is part of a wider region. Individual cities can help or hinder their neighbours' development. Even when playing alone, you'll get the option to control a landmass of metropolises.

So if for any reason your internet connection is down, or don't have acces to one anyway, no simcity for you 
On the bright side, the last sentence seems to imply you'll also have the option to not control, or be controlled, by 'a landmass of metropolises'.

But I can see them making it where you can't play multiple city tiles with each other as well if you do not play "live" as well.  Right now, I like playing 4 large city tiles(1 farming/low Residential), 1 All Residential(Low, Medium, High), 1 Commercial(low, medium, high) and 1 industrial(medium, high) and the all Residential city feeds the Commercial, Industrial, and assists the farming town with the sims needed to make a large city tile be 90% farm with the rest low density Res(my farm cities usually hover between 20-30K while all Residential tends to go over 1 million within 100 game years).  And when the all Res, Com, and Industrial gets filled, I simply start yet another city like it caddy corner to the other and feed into it as well.

[catty]

Interesting link about the new SimCity   http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/6800989/Preview-SimCity-for-PC

[vortext]

Interesting indeed Catty.

Singleplayer is an option too, and those with an appetite for massive builds can even manage their own satellite towns that would otherwise be occupied by online gamers, explains Haber.

Finally 

Though it would be nice to see some actual gameplay footage.

[mike3775]

Interesting indeed Catty.

Singleplayer is an option too, and those with an appetite for massive builds can even manage their own satellite towns that would otherwise be occupied by online gamers, explains Haber.

Finally 

Though it would be nice to see some actual gameplay footage.

I have seen that above quote so many times now from so many different people, yet no expanding on the answer at all.  They keep getting asked about that, so you would think they would just come out and say whether or not it is fully possible to play without it and how many "satellite" towns are possible without "occupied by others". 

I really hope they make it like Westwood Studio's did with Command And Conquer, and make it online as well as offline, but there is zero chance I will ever play a game where I have to be connected to their servers just to play a game though.  I do not even allow my electronic devices to remain connected to the internet when I am done using them

[NCGAIO]

...  I do not even allow my electronic devices to remain connected to the internet when I am done using them

It is the advice being given to all.

A short time ago even asked permission to share their data ... soon after began to share them and then warned ... now begin to share without saying anything, just hiding the fact so obscure in EULAs to make it difficult to understand.

All this is done with the promise that they are making it easier for the user because they know what is best.

We got to the point of a distributor of games start to say that will change the world.!

Crazy .. crazy world we're living.

[fedorr]

I came across this image on the interwebs. Looks like the graphics are coming along. It looks promising.


source: gamespot http://www.gamespot.com/simcity-2013/images/1686243/?full_size=1

[mike3775]

graphics wise, the game looks great.  I do like that it seems they are going back to the 2000 days where you can zone various sized seaports/airports and the game will then fill in every zoned area with a portion of that zoning(I used to love zoning the airports on a hill and have all the tunnels running underneath it), and I love the curving roads.  But if its like the 3000 way where you zone and then *voila* instant building and no variety, its gonna get boring real quick

[Kitsune]

emm... some kind of odd double deck bridge with a intersection on the underside on the mid right side... interesting.

[jdenm8]

That's one of the Artists Impressions from the first article about the game that surfaced.

Also: It's got multiple errors and the most fleshed out models you see there are so because they're the original models used to make SC4's buildings.

[TJ1]

Here is the official gameplay trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SObs9KnK0Ng&hd=1

[xannepan]

Okay, that gameplay trailer convinced me, I am going to pre-order.

While some buildings look too cartoonish for my personal taste, others look much better. And most of the cartoonishness is a result of relatively bland textures. I am very happy that the proportions of all buildings seem to fit.

Another feature I love is the tilt shift view!

If MAXIS keeps promise and make this as moddable as SC4, I think this community can do wonders with the new game! I am already teaching myself the basics of how to create low poly building models with uvw texture unwraping..

-alex

[mave94]

This is another nice video, where you can already see some in-game play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7T_03Jh5WWU

It looks very very promising and I am eager to see how this further develops. I like the way you can drag the roads and plop the buildings. I hope that they will improve the graphics, though.
Keep it up Maxis!

-Matthijs

[xannepan]

Good news "you can either play with your friends, or control an entire region by yourslef".