SimCity Closed Beta Impressions

I'm sorry but this game is a direct downgrade from SimCity 4 meant for casual/multiplayer gamers. I can live with the DRM, no subways, and always having to be online. But there has to be a point where you draw the line. It is unacceptable to not at least have a singleplayer mode where we can have large cities, no gaps between cities, mod support, terraforming, etc. These things were staples from previous Simcities and is what made them great. It allowed us to make the metropolises of our dreams. But the singleplayer is an exact replica of the multiplayer mode except without the obvious interaction with human players. I don't care if they "might" implement it later on because that's a faint assurance and I'm not paying for features that were already in the previous games. Besides what happens when EA decides to pull the plug and shut the servers down? This game wasn't made for traditional SimCity fans. It was made for pre-teen girls so that they could get their quick-fix from watching Martha Sim go to work in her car. What a travesty. By the way, did EA pay you to write that article? Because if you look around most traditional SimCity fans don't sound as optimistic about the game as you do.
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Live long and prosper.

Kythlyn posted...

I'll respond to the first half of what you wrote, since at least that part was constructive.

I agree with you about one thing at least. There should be an offline single player option. I can say that while the servers were up, I experienced no issues with lag or connectivity. The servers were down from time to time, but it was a Beta after all. We will have to see how they manage launch day. I would hope that they are adequately prepared... Hopefully it won't be Diablo III all over again.

And while I empathize with your hope that the new SimCity would have seamless region sized cities, mod support and terraforming like SimCity 4, I think the lack of these features does not necessarily make the new SimCity a "downgrade," nor do I believe it was those features that "made it great." They were great features to be sure, but like I mentioned in my article, I believe the heart of SimCity is starting from nothing and watching the city grow. In doing that, this new SimCity succeeds, and it does so with style. The city comes to life as it grows in ways that are interesting and fun. The visuals, the sounds, and the details that the player can manipulate are all very enjoyable. Compared to SimCity 4, it's just a different game altogether. Perhaps describing it as a sequel is less accurate than calling it a reboot.

I played SimCity 4 again recently, and I don't think it will ever be replaced to those in the modding community, or to the hardcore fans with their massive metropolises. But I do still think there will be plenty for them to enjoy in the new SimCity game. Perhaps if you look at it not so much as a replacement, but more as a companion, you'll come to enjoy the.....

There is a singleplayer mode but it's online and unfortunately is exactly the same as the multiplayer mode except without human players of course. And I have to disagree with you about what made SimCity 4 great. I think things like seamless regions, terraforming, modding, and large cities was core to what made it a lasting game and why there is still an active modding community for it today. Without these things I am 100% sure SimCity 4 would not even be being talked about today and sadly I don't think SC2013 will last nearly as long as SC4 because it lacks said core features. Simulation of course has been an underlying feature to the franchise since its beginning. SimCity 4 did it well too and with things like NAM it does some things just as well as SC2013. However things like terraforming and mods literally allowed you to make any type of city you wanted to. You could make your own version of New York, or a huge fictional region with a megalopolis at the center, or even a city on Mars because of the Sim Mars mod. However none of these things are even possible in SC2013 because of its numerous restrictions. SC2013 is purely a city/town simulator and has no city design components like Simcities of old. With such restrictions the game cannot have the lasting appeal that SimCity 4 did.

The thing is it's hard not to look at this game as a sequel when the franchise has been around for more than 20 years. Don't get me wrong. This game has some nice features like glassbox, agent simulation, and building modules. However in this case the negatives far outweigh the positives and EA won't be getting my money until they fix these things. At most I will only get it when the price drops remarkably to around the $20 mark because that's how much it is worth to me. If we could have SC4-like game on glassbox with amazing 3D graphics that would be great but instead EA has moved backwards. Each game from Simcity 1 to Simcity 4 built upon the previous release but even with 10 years to develop SC2013 a huge step backwards was taken in order to cater the game to a casual market.
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Live long and prosper.