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Maxis certainly knows how to make a best-seller. According to statistics from PC Data, SimCity 3000 was the second-best-selling and the highest-grossing PC game in North America in 1999. And if last year's figures are any indication, the Walnut Creek, California-based company looks to have hit another home run with the release of The Sims, which is so far the highest-grossing PC game this year. Now, Maxis is readying the official follow-up to SimCity 3000, called SimCity 3000 Unlimited. Judging from the feature-complete build we have, it's a safe bet to assume that Maxis will pull off a hat trick with this game.

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SimCity 3000 Unlimited is not an expansion pack for the original SimCity 3000, but rather a complete stand-alone game that features new additions requested by vocal SimCity fans. The game's core remains unchanged from the first SimCity 3000: It's using the same interface, the same graphics engine, and the same play mechanics as the original. But the new features SimCity 3000 Unlimited boasts are enough to justify the game's stand-alone nature. The game sets itself apart from its predecessor by coming bundled with an enhanced version of Maxis' Building Architect tool, a new scenario creator, weather effects, Asian and European tilesets, and 13 new scenarios.

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Hard-core fans of SimCity 3000 will remember downloading the free Building Architect tool from Maxis' web site shortly after the game's release. The utility gave you the ability to create, customize, and trade your own buildings for use in SimCity 3000. The Building Architect's interface was very simple to use, and designing the various buildings was as simple as piecing together blocks of Lego. SimCity 3000 Unlimited's Building Architect Plus is essentially the same as SimCity 3000's editor, but it now includes the ability to add a variety of props to any building, a feature that was in high demand by users, according to Maxis. Props include awnings, cupolas, flagpoles, and signs that can be placed on, around, or on top of buildings, giving them a distinct look that wasn't possible with the original game's editor.

Next: Other new features