While the Game Developers Conference isn't exactly a press event, it's become an acceptable venue to both announce games and reveal new information. EA and Maxis did just that yesterday with the official reveal of a new Sim City game for the PC, which is set to release in 2013. Alongside the announcement came tons of details about the game, including information on the modes and gameplay features.
Powered by the made-in-house Glass Box Engine, Sim City brings with it some very notable enhancements over its predecessors. Each and every facet of the game brings with it a domino effect that will ripple through your city's neighborhoods and change the face of the city itself. From the placement of different buildings to the manner in which you treat the inhabitants of the city, everything will shift and change, both statistically and visually.
This will allow the specialization of your city for very specific tasks. By placing a casino, you can begin to transform the areas around it into a tourist destination, while adding tons of factories can create a textile powerhouse. According to EA, part of the appeal of the game will be observing how these city design decisions help mould your space.
On a smaller scale, a variety of improvements have been made. Roads can be curved, areas can be zoned differently than they have in the past, and buildings can be augmented after being built. For example, if you have a school, you can build out a gymnasium or increase the number of classrooms with a general purpose addition. Cosmetic changes can be made to buildings to give them a degree of personality, a minor feature, but one that has the ability to truly change the visual appeal of your city.
While the inhabitants of the city have always played a major role in its operation, Maxis is kicking up their importance in a big way. Aside from providing them with the base necessities, they will make demands on you to help improve the city in different ways. You can choose to indulge them and receive rewards and achievements, or ignore them and rule with an iron fist. Either decision will have the same domino effect through your city, changing its look, feel, and function.
While not clear from EA's description, seemingly the game will also offer other types of missions, giving players something to work towards outside of general city management and building. Examples of the missions have yet to be made available, but players will be rewarded for accomplishing the outlined goals.
Perhaps the greatest addition to the upcoming title is its cooperative multiplayer capabilities. You can now build out a region with your friends and your cities will interact with one another. Just like with your Sim inhabitants, you can be both good and bad. If you decide to run your city poorly, with little regard for the environment and your residents, this can potentially create issues for your neighboring friends. Conversely, you can help friends by lending resources in tough situations, like more fire trucks when a big fire breaks out. You can also work together to accomplish major goals, like sending a shuttle into space.
Outside of the scope of your city and region, global events will be presented, like pollution and natural disasters. By working with your friends you can stave off these problems, creating better living conditions for your Sims.
As the game nears release, more concrete examples will likely become available, but for now the game appears to be making some large strides for improvement. Those excited for the title can pre-order it now on Origin and receive Sim City Heroes & Villains content, which pits Maxis Man against his longtime nemesis, Dr. Vu.
Be sure to check out the video below for a look at the game.
I really love Sim City and this seems to be including everything I've ever wanted from this series. Count me in.
I'm with you Nick, I really love Sim City and this is looking like the best one yet. I was telling Joaquim a couple days ago about how much I've played flight sims in the past. That was childs play compared to how much I've played Sim City. I put hundreds of hours into Sim City 3000 lol and built so many cities I couldn't keep track. Back in 7th grade I had a tech class and we spent a couple weeks in an older Sim City (pre-SC3K) as a school project, so I was I even playing Sim City in school! When I was at home I'd put on headphones, listen to music, and get lost in Sim City 3000 for hours in that game. I loved dealing with issues brought up by activists, combating pollution, managing ordinances, the budget, etc. I really loved managing the water and power supplies, as well as the traffic. I'd enjoy looking at the underground layer so I could plan out the pipe system and water tower placement, as well as set up power lines to conduct power to areas. It was a lot of fun analyzing the traffic chart, seeing where traffic is heaviest, planning expansions to areas, and finding solutions to problems that pop up. One day when I build a gaming PC some of the first games I'll get will be this new Sim City, Starcraft 2, and whatever Sid Meier has out at the time.
This vid was awesome. The Glass Box Engine looks really nice and I bet the game will be beautiful. I like how the neighboring cities are visible and can affect each other to such an extent. In SC3K neighboring cities were literally just a name on the map at the borders of your territory, and you hardly interacted with them (every once in a while to discuss a water or power deal of some kind). If you pay close attention around 1:30 to the lady typing at her workstation you'll notice she isn't typing at all. She's just pattering on the keyboard and playing up for the camera lol. It doesn't matter, but I thought it was really funny. I also thought it was funny their creative director's name is Ocean Quigley lol. I wonder how long he's been at Maxis, I should've heard about that guy! A guy named Ocean Quigley shouldn't ever slip through the cracks or go unnoticed. I need to do my research.
Back in the day I would put on some Chemical Brothers and play SimCity 2000 for hours too. I also played Colonization (to this day I'm miffed that they did not have Portugal as one of the nations to choose), and the first Civilization. Simplicity at its best. In this day I wouldn't have the time to invest in their modern iterations because there's so much more to do.