this will probably be a good game destroyed by dlc and microtransactions

10/7/2012 6:54:00 PM

meaning it will totally own after you pirate it and all the dlc.

10/7/2012 6:54:21 PM

i've seen some people mention concerns that this turns into another yearly EA title, with servers getting shut down forcing you to upgrade.

i agree on the pirating though

10/7/2012 9:11:57 PM

I gotta say that I agree with aaronburro on his comments, but will not completely say fuck it to the game. I am waiting to see how it all pans out. Here is my current likes and dislikes:

Likes:
Curved roads.
Zones contour to roads.
No need for water and power lines (they just run down the road).
Modules. Instead of building a new power plant, you can increase the capability of the one you already have.

Dislikes:
ALWAYS ON INTERNET CONNECTION BULLSHIT.
No straight up single player sandbox mode.
No terraforming.
No self-made regional connections.
No mod support at launch! Maxis has always been cool with that and even sold the Urban Renewal Kit, which I used the shit out of. They will support them later, which makes me think that once they put out all the $DLC they want, then they will sell a $DLC modding program.

Lot of things that make me wary, obviously. But we will see how it turns out. I do worry about EA pulling the plugs on the servers in 2 years and then you have a game that you cannot use at all. Meanwhile I still fire up Simcity 4 almost 10 years after it came out.

10/8/2012 7:50:14 AM

yeah i got excited when i saw this thread. but the fact that you have to play online and all that crap has made my decision to buy the game easy... I will not be purchasing this game.

10/8/2012 10:14:41 AM

^Well I have heard that it may only hit the server when you fire up the game, which would not be as bad, as losing your network connection would not mean your game stops you. That shit is ridiculous for a single-player game and I would refuse to support that. But I guess you could forget playing on your laptop while riding down the road or on a plane. That is one of the best times to just zone out and build and control something, but I guess you'd have to pay for internet.

10/8/2012 10:55:05 AM

i may buy just to put it on my work desktop to play in the morning and evenings

10/8/2012 11:02:39 AM

will definitely be playing this. they aren't forcing you to play a social game. there is still single player mode. i highly doubt the global economy will cause as much disruption as some have suggested. if its implemented well, it will add a nice dynamic to gameplay. i'm actually looking forward to creating a single player region and controlling multiple cities myself.

my only beef is that you can't play without a network connection, but i've started getting used to the notion that offline pc games are becoming a thing of the past.

10/9/2012 12:49:45 PM

I like sim city 4 a lot, but I would always run into a wall when developing my cities.

10/11/2012 2:56:58 PM

My opinion on DLC has changed now: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/10/op-ed-why-on-disc-downloadable-content-isnt-a-big-deal/

10/11/2012 8:32:32 PM

O you Ann wait a few months and get all that $DLC in a package when they release the GOTY edition. That is what I usually do.

10/12/2012 2:46:48 AM

Quote :

"No mod support at launch!"

People are freaking out about this, but SC4 didn't support mods at launch, either. Then again, the notion DLC$ didn't exist then, either, so we'll have to see if they try to make SC2013 follow a microtransaction model the way they have with everything else (they will)

10/12/2012 9:27:45 AM

^^^ thats bullshit though. release day dlc is always integrated directly into the story. its part of the original game. if you dont have it you're essentially missing part of the game as it was intended to be.

i dont think anyone has a problem with expansions (real ones, not contard map packs) that add new game mechanics. like if they had a sim city expansion that added underwater cities or something, i dont think anyone would gripe about paying for that.

but paying an additional $10 for a building pack (which is what its gonna be) is retarded.

10/12/2012 9:56:53 AM

i want more gameplay videos!

10/12/2012 10:19:05 AM

^^Exactly. Which is why I didn't pick up the horse shit $DLC for Civ V like the map packs or single additional Civs, but I was willing to pay up to get new Civs, maps, religion, espionage, etc. with Gods & Kings expansion pack.

10/12/2012 10:38:13 AM

i fully expect to be able to enjoy this game DLC-free. this is not a freemium game. there will be DLC of course, but you won't be bombarded with microtransactions and social interactions like in their facebook games.

10/12/2012 10:57:54 AM

its definitely gonna have microtransactions. it'll probably have some real money credit system like all those terrible treadmill phone games. you can buy those credits and then spend them on special buildings that will be too expensive to buy with in game money.

10/12/2012 11:37:54 AM

that would be terrible if that happened. They better figure out a way to make the game work on a mega large map otherwise I have no interest in this game. I want cities the size of states.

10/12/2012 1:16:45 PM

i haven't gone through the entire thread, but do they have videos of how multiplayer will end up working?

like if two people can work on a city at the same time? can you only connect your cities together and come up with exchanges?

10/12/2012 1:22:02 PM

Still hasn't been talked about in full detail, but from what we've gathered, I don't think its going to be two players playing in a single city. If it was, that would be something interesting and new. Coop city building would be a fantastic idea, but execution would be hard to do specially when EA seems to fuck simple ideas the most.

10/12/2012 1:39:43 PM

yeah, i figured that would be too much to hope for.

i'd even settle for being able to scroll into another players city area and look over what they have to propose trading or marketing.

this game has gotten me back into wanting to play more of simcity 4, but that game is about 8 years old

10/12/2012 1:42:18 PM

so... a great game is still a great game, no matter the age.

10/12/2012 1:47:42 PM

I haven't looked extensively into it, but it appears players can work cooperatively to help "build great works" that will benefit all players. I guess it involves making the right materials and having the right supporting industries and whatnot. And, as far as I can tell, the only "great work" at this point is an international airport. But, it appears that the players work in separate cities within the same region to do this. [/lame]

10/12/2012 2:45:31 PM

Quote :

"Was there a point in development where you considered a simultaneous multiplayer, like two people building the same city at once? We talked about it, but that’s not the core experience we felt players were after. We’ve done some research on that, it’s come up, but that didn’t seem like the primary motivator for players. "

http://www.gameinformer.com/games/simcity/b/pc/archive/2012/07/06/interview-a-new-multiplayer-focus.aspx

10/12/2012 3:31:50 PM

beta starts today. anyone else playing?

1/25/2013 9:42:34 PM

i got my beta invite this morning. looking forward to checking it out

1/26/2013 1:08:13 PM

K, just finished my hour, thoughts:

It felt really good to play. Familiar yet strangely not. I felt the same when I first started playing the most recent XCom remake. I was pissed when my hour was up, and I'll definitely pick it up to keep playing. I'll even buy the Deluxe edition to get the European textures.

In fact, the $$ making potential off this game is unreal. Think of the endless possibilities of texture packs, and unique buildings and map terrains you could implement. Wanna try building a city in a region like the Rocky mountains? BAM! Snow, ice, rocks, and lots of hills/mountains. Want Lucas Oil stadium in your city? BAM! Andrew Luck. This shit is RIDICULOUS. gg Activision/Maxis, you're going to make a killing off the micro-transactions.

I felt like an infant playing.. there are so many tools and ways to view the data and react to the changes. I learned so much in that hour, and by the time I started understand how certain systems interacted I was out of time. I freaking loved the modular buildings. Being able to upgrade a school or med clinic by building another module ON SITE is a great upgrade to the game mechanics.

I also like the small city size. I think it will keep people focused on the primary specialty of their individual cities, thereby encouraging managing a region rather than just one big city.

Lots to think about. It looks really good tho, so I'm very happy.

1/27/2013 2:43:13 PM

this guy has 9 different videos up of a few different beta playthroughs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6DvleqnyDU

2/11/2013 10:27:06 PM

To address a comment from a few months ago, there is in fact a sandbox mode. Also, you can control the entire region so you definitely are not forced to play with other people.

I loved the beta. They are opening it up again this weekend. I haven't been able to really get addicted to any Sim City games in the past even though I'm an urban planner and love this kind of stuff. With this one though I think I am going to.

Things that irritate me from a planning nerd perspective but won't necessarily impact how much fun I have:

-No mixed-use zoning (seriously WTF? It's 2013), though you can kind of spot zone to create mixed-use areas
-Density automatically tied to road width (in real life dense development and two lane roads can work just fine in the right context)
-No bicycle stuff as far as I can tell (not sure how a modern planning game could leave this stuff out; did they even consult any actual city planners?)
-The game is still way too auto-oriented, which isn't how all places are, and I wish the user had more control over what kind of city they wanted with regards to that

Game is gonna be fun as hell though.

2/12/2013 4:22:29 PM

Can you collaborate in the sandbox?

2/12/2013 4:52:29 PM

That I am not sure of. I suspect not.

2/12/2013 4:55:17 PM

as far as mixed use zoning, i wonder if you plop down residential and commercial back and forth along the road, if when they upgrade to higher density, this might be possible? or if its just gonna be some tiny houses alternating back and forth with tiny shops

2/12/2013 5:51:21 PM

There has always been a "sandbox" mode, but, unless they changed drastically something recently, you aren't entirely disconnected from other players. Other players ARE affecting your economy with regard to the price of goods you are making/buying/selling. So if some guy decides to start griefing on a particular product that you need and drive its price sky high (and he will), now you have a "standalone" part of the game that you basically can't play anymore until they fix the griefer's effects. To call that "standalone" is laughable, at best.

When I play a solo game of tiger woods, yeah, I can see other people's best shots for the day, but no one can come in and club my golfer in the kneecaps while he's putting. At the very least, I can unplug the damned network cable and still have the game function. Not so with SC2013. I think it'll drive off more people from the franchise, just like the complete and utter failure that is Societies did.

2/12/2013 6:35:58 PM

I'd like to have a city thats just one gigantic trash dumping ground...I might have about 2,000 residents that live in one corner of the city, and the remaining 98% of the land would be a big trash dump and some garbage facilities...all 2,000 residents would drive garbage trucks around to other cities, pick up the trash, and dump it back in my city...it wouldn't be a glamorous town, but it would fill a niche...once I have a steady deal with other cities where I pick up their trash for money, thats when the organized crime starts

2/12/2013 6:43:48 PM

Quote :

"Maxis has provided details on SimCity’s sandbox mode, a “gentler version” for mayors wishing to construct their budding burgs without the added stress of putting out a careless library fire or squeezing their citizenry for every stinkin’ Simoleon. In a blog post, Lead Gameplay Scripter Guillaume Pierre described the effects of switching on sandbox mode, including access to all buildings and disaster toggles via keyboard shortcuts. “Each city starts with a truck-load of Simoleons with the possibility to add more through a key press, and although the simulation functions just like in the regular game, certain ‘pushback’ systems can be toggled on and off at any time,” Pierre explains. “Say you don’t want fires to burn down your beautifully planned suburb? It’s as easy as hitting Alt-F on your keyboard to eliminate all fires. Don’t want earthquakes or meteors to strike in the middle of your downtown? Just press Alt-D, and you’ll be safe from all disasters!” Pierre also warned entering sandbox mode disqualifies you from achievements, leaderboard rankings, or affecting shared resource pricing on the global marketplace, but co-op region play stays available. I wonder: would the fun of working together on multi-city projects diminish without the extra challenge from recovering from disasters or pooling hard-earned funds? It appears sandbox mode is an ideal option for testing out strategies, creative experimentation, or easing new players into SimCity’s mechanics. I presume it’s also an attractive fantasy for real-life mayors yearning to line up skyscrapers like bowling pins before a tornado."

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/02/01/simcity-sandbox-mode/

Sounds to me like aaronburro went off the deep end for nothing? Specifically sandbox doesn't affect global resources?

2/12/2013 7:44:43 PM

Quote :

"I'd like to have a city thats just one gigantic trash dumping ground...I might have about 2,000 residents that live in one corner of the city, and the remaining 98% of the land would be a big trash dump and some garbage facilities...all 2,000 residents would drive garbage trucks around to other cities, pick up the trash, and dump it back in my city...it wouldn't be a glamorous town, but it would fill a niche...once I have a steady deal with other cities where I pick up their trash for money, thats when the organized crime starts"

nice. i've thought about making a city that's just a bunch of coal fired power plants and selling energy to my neighbors.

2/12/2013 9:10:34 PM

anyone playing the beta2, today?

2/16/2013 11:10:15 AM

i may pick this up when it comes out. i used to love some simcity 3000 back in the day.

simcity 4 wasn't as good, though.

2/16/2013 12:43:21 PM

Sim City 2000 is where it's at.

2/16/2013 2:09:53 PM

i have an extra beta key if anyone wants it

2/16/2013 3:21:28 PM

check those PMs

2/16/2013 4:46:47 PM

PM SENT

2/16/2013 4:50:26 PM

How does this compare to Cities XL 2012?

2/16/2013 9:26:08 PM

Never played that, unfortunately.

2/16/2013 10:33:07 PM

Received my code for the second beta about 2 hours after it ended.

2/17/2013 2:19:11 PM

puck_it hooked me up and just in 2-3 hours I'm hooked

2/18/2013 6:21:39 PM

so is it true you can't play offline? that would be a dealkiller for me as I was hoping to play this game while traveling.

2/18/2013 9:27:58 PM

^*13

2/18/2013 9:31:28 PM

How did the game run for you guys and what is your cpu/gpu/ram?

I was running on a 3mghz/atiradeon512mb/4gb and itwas almost unplayable at times.

Looking to upgrade to something with 1 gb dedicated and 8gb ram.

2/23/2013 1:25:05 PM

Quote :

"3 mega-gigahertz..."

2/24/2013 12:10:17 AM