Cjdamon042
Member
If you've activated your copy of the game before March 18th, you'll be able to download a game from EA's portfolio for free due to all the server
issues with the game's launch.
OT Version: 1.5 March 17th
- Added a timeline of all the events that followed the launch of SimCity
- A few small alterations and updates here and there
Want to keep track of all the latest news regarding the launch of SimCity and the breakdown that ensued? Check out this ongoing timeline of all that occurred assembled
by MadD4mon.
After a 10 year break, a mainline SimCity is back in an all new title developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Gone is the isometric view and instead comes
a lavish fully 3D world designed to look like your very own model city, free to do as you please. Not only that but the world of SimCity is brought online for the first time,
giving players the opportunity to work with each other (or against) to build the cities of their dreams.
And then destroy them...
"This is SimCity, where planning out an efficient, unique design for your city is an important part of gameplay, not an option! No longer can you mindlessly build a "jack
of all trades" city without restrictions - Traffic, Resource sharing, Commuting, all this now needs to be taken into consideration. Your space will be limited, so take the
challenge and create your unique cities! Let different cities in your region share responsibilities AND bonuses."
- Smiley90, 2013
The GlassBox Engine is the pillar of this new SimCity entry in the franchise. From the Sims that occupy your city to the behaviour of your buildings and resources,
GlassBox simulates everything to make your city feel and act just as you would expect it to, reacting to every decision that you make. It looks pretty, too.
Intelligent Sims Matter
The Sims in SimCity aren’t shy about letting you know how you’re doing as mayor. Whether you are meeting their basic needs, building them the best parks and schools,
or ignoring them completely, you can see the consequences of your actions reflected in the look of your city. Happy Sims might earn a high Mayor rating, while
disapproval may trigger a protest in front of city hall. Failing to meet the demands of your citizens can cause abandoned homes and graffiti-riddled slums, but improved
conditions will bring a string of moving vans as Sims flock back to your town!
GlassBox Simulation Engine
GlassBox is the revolutionary simulation technology that gives you the power to impact Sims lives, manage city-level simulation, and balance multiple cities at once.
Every Sim, every car, every building has a purpose in SimCity. Sims go to work, purchase items, consume goods and live in a home (unless they’re homeless).
GlassBox simulates real city behavior: Cars exhibit authentic traffic patterns, water actually travels down pipes, and fire spreads in realistic radiuses. What you see,
is what we Sim. Your decisions affect the future of the city and the Sims living in it
Data Visualization
With new data visualization layers, you can look under the surface for deeper clues about how your city is functioning. Click the power layer for an instant snapshot
of how electricity is distributed throughout your city. Access the water layer to find the best location to plop a water tower. Discover where your criminals cause crime
by clicking on the crime layer, then plop a police station to protect your Sims! All of this is done through a unique graphic interface, which replaces charts and numbers
with the experience of actually manipulating the city itself and seeing how it responds in real time.
In this SimCity you are not alone. Well, unless you choose to be. Multiplayer is an important part of the gameplay this time around and the game is designed with
players helping (or hindering) each other in mind. Share resources with your friends, visit their cities with a click of a button and work on Great Works together as you
build cities in an ever changing environment.
SimCity World
SimCity World is a bundle of integrated features that allows you to connect, compare and compete with your friends in SimCity, giving you new ways to play! Citylog
will provide updates on your cities and recommendations based on your friend’s gameplay experiences so there’s always something new to do! View your achievements
and access global leaderboards from the Citylog hub. Buy and sell resources on the global market with true supply and demand simulated prices influenced by everyone
playing. Complete in global challenges and earn exclusive achievements and content unlocks!
Multi-City Play
With multi-city play you can interact and influence an entire region of cities! SimCity is played on a much larger scale as your city is part of a much larger region. You
can control one or multiple cities in an open region, play in a private region shared with your friends’ cities, or in your own personal region. Each city within a given
region will affect the others around it, so your decisions have an impact not only on your own city, but on your friends’ as well. Choose to be a good neighbor and send
fire and police resources to other cities in need, or specialize in industries that create pollution and then watch as the Sims in your region become sick. Everything is
connected!
Great Works
Team up with friends or go solo to build great works in your region. Great works are huge undertakings that require Sim workers, lots of materials, and funding. You can
plan a fusion reactor, build an international airport, or send a shuttle into space. Working together with other cities in your region will help ease the burden on your city
and the finished projects benefit everyone! Building a solar farm will provide large quantities of clean energy to your region. Team up with your friends to build Great
Works and create a super region!
More videos over at the SimCity YouTube page!
SimCity comes in three flavours; Limited Edition (the normal version), Deluxe Edition and the region/retailer specific Collector's Editions. The following is what you can
get with each:
Limited Edition
SimCity
Heroes & Villains Set
Plumbob Park (Origin exclusive)
Deluxe Edition
SimCity
Heroes & Villains Set
Plumbob Park (Origin exclusive)
British, German and French Sets
Collector's Edition
SimCity
Heroes & Villains Set
One of the British, German and French sets depending on your region
3D lenticular sleeved steelbook box
The Collector's Edition is exclusive to the United Kingom, Germany and France and a specific retailer from each will be the only ones carrying this version of the game.
If you're outside of these regions you can get all three sets from the Deluxe Edition.
You can however upgrade your Limited Edition version to a Deluxe Edition for only $20 through Origin if you so wish.
Here are the region sets in question:
You can pre-order your copy of the game at your preferred retailer or Origin. You can find trailers for the sets found in these versions at the SimCity YouTube page too!
SimCity is no stranger to amazing music and this entry into the franchise is no different. Taking the helm for this SimCity's soundtrack is TV and video game composer
Chris Tilton, best known for his work on Fringe and other J.J Abrams productions, as well as the video game Black. The complete soundtrack consists of 28 tracks.
Listen at Spotify | Download on iTunes
Ars Technica - No Score
Destructoid - 4/10
Eurogamer - 4/10
GameSpot - 5/10
GamesRadar - 3/5
GameTrailers - 8/10
Giant Bomb - 3/5
IGN - 7/10
Joystiq - 2.5/5
Kotaku - Not Yet
PC Gamer - 69/100
Polygon - 4/10
VentureBeat - 90/100
PM Cjdamon042 with your NeoGAF username, Origin username and region (real life that is) and I'll add you to the below list as soon as possible. Looking for
collaborators on this, PM me!
To see a list of the regions in the game that allow for 16 cities, see this awesome registration system that Metalmurphy has set up. Register your interest in one of the
cities available. One city per region per player for now!
The game utilises Origin at its core and therefore is unlikely to appear on other digital distribution platforms such as Steam. As such, Origin is required in order to play
(which will most likely come packaged with the retail version of the game). You are also required to be online in order to access the game, but disconnecting during
gameplay shouldn't interfere with your gaming session for at least 10 minutes.
PC System Requirements:
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better or Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0GHz or better
Operating System: Windows XP/Vista/7
RAM: 2GB RAM
Hard Drive: 10GB HD Space
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 2×00 or better*
nVidia 7800 or better*
Intel Series 4 integrated graphics or better*
Broadband Internet: Minimum 256 kbps download, 64 kbps upload
*Minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM and Shader 3.0 or better support.
PC Recommended Requirements:
Processor: Intel Core i5 or faster
Operating System: Windows 7
RAM: 4GB RAM
Graphics Card: nVidia GTX 275 or better, or ATI 5850 or Better
Mac System Requirements:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 2.0GHz or better
Operating System: Snow Leopard 10.6.4
RAM: 4GB RAM
Hard Drive: 10GB HD Space
Graphics Card: NVIDIA 9400M/ Intel HD3000
Broadband Internet: Minimum 256 kbps download, 64 kbps upload
Let's all be Mayor is a 4 hour long live stream each day until the game arrives on March 5th. Viewers can interact with the live stream by voting on polls to decide
what disasters tear the city apart and what all the treasury should be wasted on. Each day will also focus on a different city specialisation such as a casino city or
university town. Not only that but special guests will join each day and answer your questions through Twitter and more!
You can find the live stream here.
You can also watch previous livestreams from other days on the OfficialMaxis page on Livestream, or watch these short summary videos:
Day One Recap - Disaster City
Day Two Recap - Casino City
Day Three Recap - Going Green
Day Four Recap - City in the Shape of a Simoleon
Day Five Recap - Burn Some Coal
Special Thanks
I would like to thank Metalmurphy for setting up GAF's regional registrations. It's a great idea and has helped organise GAF's very own regions much easier than I
could have hoped for. I would also like to thank Smiley90 for their ideas and continued presence throughout this thread.
