Sim City V

[Komskies]

Stumbled upon some news this morning that there is a new Sim City in the works, slated for a 2013 release.

http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/02/29/i...s-multiplayer/

Leaked Screenshots:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...8&postcount=94

Google Translation from a German article by Game Star:

Almost a quarter century after SimCity Will Wright, Maxis is developing a new simulator cities.

Genre: Construction of cities.
Publisher: Electronic Arts.
Developer: Maxis (Darkspore, GS06/11: 60 points).
Date: 2013.
State: 30% of development.

PROS
New graphics engine and road round.
Multiplayer mode.
Buildings updatable.
The various cities.
Send infographics.
The positioning of the camera …

CONS
Do … can cost scenarios.
The Sims are sometimes shown without a head.

Mayor ¿? How boring! All day at the office, holding the complaints of citizens and controlling the deficit: Who can see this as funny? For a lot of people thanks to SimCity, and for over two decades. Surprisingly, the urban series consists of five parts, from classic SimCity (1989) to the most recent SimCity Societies (2007). In addition, all games except Societies were developed by Maxis and designer Will Wright, co-founder of the study, we also have The Sims and Spore. Will Wright, is now designing TV shows and toys, but Maxis still there are plenty of experienced people for the next installment, simply called SimCity. Kip Katsarelis Producer leader, says there are enough teachers in Maxis for all stages of development. We went with him and his team.

Pride leads us up to the news Katsarelis SimCity. Most surprising: the new graphics engine Glassbox. Unlike before, we write without viewing angle, but allows any idea of ​​our creation – either float on the city or read the signs of each store. But not enough: “We, the players, no tables saddest cut around the ears,” says Katsarelis. “Instead, have been inspired by modern computer graphics representing complex relationships attractive.”

SimCity always looks attractive and bustling city and is full of life anywhere. If you look at a shopping center, police station or a factory, the Sims leave home and go to work, meet for lunch or protest against the council if there are too few jobs. There are a few buildings that change their appearance and therefore its functions: “As you go through the game, you can customize your town and individual buildings,” promises Katsarelis. About every ten criminals caught, the police station, or a new fire station will help firefighters to reach fires faster.

Some 20 years after the first SimCity, now winding roads are a reality. Gone are the days when all cities were like any U.S. city with orthogonal road networks. What remains is the classification for residential, commercial and industrial, which has added the graphic detail with much love. As soon as you place a new residential area, the construction workers built the homes of bottom-up, followed by the arrival of the cars of the new owners moving so diligently to begin to save their belongings in their new home. All this is accompanied by live, work, and car noises. -Smooth interface, and a new soft melody, If you decrease the zoom of the camera and build a coal power plant on the outskirts of the city. After the workers complete their work, you’ll see that the delivered coal on a conveyor belt travels in the building. So we can see at a glance whether a power plant and all other buildings are fine.

Too good to be true: In these pages you will find images, but are concepts of art. Why Maxis prevents Glassbox show the new engine? The reason: The current video quality does not meet the requirements of internal – and there is open play as full a level of development. The graphics are polished only towards the end of a high quality development.

Reveals another click of the red color compensation, the current flowing through the generators. At dusk, the lights of the houses, and flashing neon lights of the shops. With the house, electricity and water, for now our Sims are satisfied, while we take care of creating jobs for the next morning. But not all Sims are equal, a trucker from listening to loud heavy metal music. “Because it has not yet been called the police, the city also prevents arsonists,” said Katsarelis. A little later a house on fire and Sims escape over the rooftops, some with their clothes on fire. These events we have reported the local newspaper “SimCity Wire” in the single player and multiplayer.

By the way, including SimCity 2000 Network Edition in 1996 offered a multiplayer mode to connect to the network and share materials with other mayors and cooperate in the development of cities or compete against each other. The new SimCity is based on this idea. We manage a region along with our friends, visit and share resources on land, sea or air. As in the solo mode, you can create a specialized city according to our wishes. We dream of an elegant residential, leisure and you need to find jobs and electricity? No problem, our friend might like to be the largest coal producer in the world.

The addition of “the world” is to be understood literally: “There’s global leaderboards, where everything relates to economic production or raw material players can compete with other players,” says Katsarelis. Anyone can climb in the rankings, unlock achievements. For example, visit the lobby of City Hall to the building campaign of mine. If we agree, the new industry provides more jobs. But decisions are always a downside: increased pollution produces coal mines, casinos attract crime. Interestingly, even in solo mode, the prices of commodities are determined online gaming – good idea?

Speaking of raw materials: When creating games in the Middle Ages or in the distant future, cares not always the reality of raw materials and technology trees. But SimCity is set at present, there are serious discrepancies in weight. Here is the Lead Designer Stone Librande. The development of complex issues more accessible and at the same time makes anyone before, but he has invented for his children in the last 15 years 15 table games. His philosophy, explains: “I have no idea what will SimCiy player, but I can give you pieces that get a lot of fun.”

Librande Stone is based on SimCity game systems that fit in spite of its complexity and statistical tables. Thus we see graphs that describe the relationship between population density and land value, other tables show the flows of population, industry and commerce, and other graphic illustrating two final scenarios: a city ecologically exemplary, but one step away from bankruptcy and a metropolis corroded by factories, as the population becomes extinct due to disease. Librande Stone talks about the importance of decisions: “What should be without a mayor? In his private helicopter, or some schools? Ignore the welfare of the people, to rich tourists go on holiday the night “?

Too, you should not ignore the needs of voters. “The Sims unemployed may become beggars in public parks, while new empty homes attract criminals, which increases the risk of fire and reduces the value of land in the district.” Only with Librandes designs, we could fill 10 full pages, which is why at this point say, SimCity has nothing to hide in terms of depth of play. Instead of deep theoretical lessons in the next visit we would like to grab the mouse and keyboard, because in the end what counts at the end of the day is practice. Even in urban planning.

Interview with Lucy Bradshaw

GameStar: It’s been a while since the fourth installment of SimCity …

Lucy Bradshaw: Because we were busy with The Sims and Spore, and SimCity wanted to make sure count on an excellent artificial intelligence, a decent multiplayer mode, and finally get road curves and 3D graphics with ease. So you can change the camera angle and the houses disappear automatically by reducing the zoom view.
—-
GameStar: Import your own houses in The Sims, would be a stroke of genius for players of SimCity.

Lucy Bradshaw: At present we have not expected, because the game is technically very different. However, customization is: you design a house in The Sims very detailed, and SimCity are improved buildings with new modules, has its own intelligence and gameplay.
—-
GameStar: With all the meetings, do you have time to play Lucy Bradshaw?

Play our own songs and sending feedback to the team. In travel, play with the iPhone and the iPad, and I usually spend my Christmas vacation in strategy games in real time.

Closing Comments by GameStar editor Roland Austinat

According to Maxis, still take approximately one year to SimCity is ready. But I like what I’ve seen so far: the online modes, new graphics, smarter Sims, upgradable buildings, with individual strengths and compelling cities, world rankings, send info-graphs and dynamic music. You can feel how much heart and blood have designers to develop the first delivery in the modern era. The fact that the creator of SimCity Will Wright does not work in this part, I do not worry: The fourth installment has already been created without their help. Just a shame that our practice was very short: I like to have seen ships and aircraft, or the disasters that have announced, explosions, snow storms, meteor impacts and other disasters do simulated physically correct to turn a city into a lot of Casino debris.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

The last one I played was SC3K, I enjoyed it.

[Hack&Lube]

One of my favorite games of all time was Sim City 2000 back in 1993. I remember buying it at Costco in Elementary school. It's hours spent in games like that that really fuelled my creativity and desire to create and fix things. These are great alternatives to Halo for your children probably.

[sclitheroe]

My favourite memory of Simcity was getting it running in Hercules mode, and getting glorious 720x348 resolution, when my friends were chugging along at 320x240 CGA.

When I brought printouts (from my dot matrix printer) showing them what it looked liked, they didn't believe me.

Monochrome for the win.

[Hack&Lube]

I never got to enjoy the original Sim City aside from on the SNES. That was horrible because I was already playing SC2000 in SVGA. I remember bragging about that in school, what a nerd.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

what a nerd.

Surely you've tried it in DosBOX?

[burn_this_city]

Looks amazing, I loved the original on SNES and 2000.

[Hemi-Cuda]

the original SimCity was great, but once you figured out the perfect science for creating the best city (railroads only, no regular roads, and 3x3 squares of commercial/residential with police, fire, schools, ect in the middle) it was a little too easy. i tried to get into SimCity 4, but it took things too far in the overcomplicated direction. hopefully V is able to balance the simplicity and easy learning curve of the older versions with the advanced features of the newer ones

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Surely you've tried it in DosBOX?

Oh wait, I think I did play the monochrome version on a Mac in Junior High. It was tough to play after getting my start with the more isometric view of Sim City 2000 that I was accustomed to. I still play SC2000 in DOSBox from time to time. Kept all my cities from back then.

[Tyler]

Hope this is available for Macs in the Mac App Store!

[Bill Bumface]

Well you just made my day!

[Old Yeller]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

i tried to get into SimCity 4, but it took things too far in the overcomplicated direction. hopefully V is able to balance the simplicity and easy learning curve of the older versions with the advanced features of the newer ones

This.

I loved the original (was ecstatic when I found out I could play it on my 286 with monochrome monitor) but by the time SC4 came along, I found you almost needed a degree in urban engineering and traffic planning to play the bloody game.

[Ozy_Flame]

Used to be a fan of Sim City, but now its CitiesXL 2011 which is, IMO the best urban planning game out there right now.

Perhaps Sim City V will top that.

[Notorious Honey Badger]

Cities XL seemed too clunky for me. Maybe I need to give it a better shot.

SC 4 ruined the series for me

[kirant]

Finally, I can once again re-create Edmonton, demolish Rextall Place, kill the fire department, and watch as a small housefire goes out of control.

So many wasted hours of my childhood were spent ruining cities on SC3k

[Hack&Lube]

How far we've come...

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by kirant

Finally, I can once again re-create Edmonton, demolish Rextall Place, kill the fire department, and watch as a small housefire goes out of control.

So many wasted hours of my childhood were spent ruining cities on SC3k

I would set up the city with full health, fire and police services, then hit them with everything at once. Earth Quake, volcanic erruptions, UFO attacks, riots. I'd also build what I called a power far of about 20 nuclear powerplants right in downtown Simopolis, then watch the countdown to the expiry of the plants that happened at about the same time.

Even with fire men and cops they got overwhelmed and the city would usually burn exept for the poor neighbourhoods, so I'd just plow them under and start over again.

It would almost be as fun as the hideous forced mating experiments and murders done in the Sims in the name of science.

Science demands sacrifice.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Gah I hated Sim City 3000. The engine itself was fine. It was the clouds that pissed me off. Sim City 4 in itself was a great upgrade because they eliminated the clouds.

I actually started playing 4 again recently, because I was playing 1 with an emulator on my phone, but got bored of it way too quick using the 3x3 squares with rail.

One thing I'd really like to have in 5 that they haven't had since 2000 is those bio-domes. Bring those back and I'll be sold.

[Hack&Lube]

Arcologies you mean? All I need is reticulated splines and I'm golden.

[TorqueDog]

I loved SimCity 4.

Cities XL2011 was okay but it seemed more realistic to have the city grow naturally versus Cities XL2011 where you could force massive skyscrapers.

I hope SimCity V is every bit as good as I envision it being.