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SimCity |OT| It's not the simulation or city that matter, it's <parameter: string>

I am in the UK guys and for some weird inexplicable reason, I have managed to play Simcity for 2 hours without a problem. I am completely gobsmacked.
 

LegoDad

Member
So WTF, when I start SimCity now, my monitor loses video from the video card and the computer is locked up.. It screwed up my boot process and now the game won't even load up. All because of a server disconnect while I was playing...

Any fix?
 

Tmac

Member
Is they had to remove chetah speed to relieve server load, it's pretty obvious that the reason for small cities is a server side limitation not users pc like they wanted us to believe.

F* great.
 

Lingitiz

Member
Gamespot Review

I'm enjoying the game when I can actually play it, but I agree with every point.

I'm actually really interested in how sites handle the reviews for the game. Its pretty damn fun but there's nothing worse than a broken game. Some would say to wait till next week or whenever these issues are fixed for a more accurate view, but I feel like the role for reviews is to deliver a timely assessment of a game. If reviewers bomb the game now while its quite literally broken, will those reviews still hold up a week or two from now when/if things are rectified? Not really, but I guess I understand why Polygon is trying to take an active stance with changing scores.
 
Ouch. Completely deserved. Anything much higher than a 5/10 is a reviewer you shouldn't trust. What is more important than being able to play a game?

Love the new SimCity, but yeah, that score is completely justified, and should probably be even lower.

That's unfair considering the reviewers played the game with 0 server problems. At least for the ones who got an early copy. They played a different game.
 

Hanzou

Member
That's unfair considering the reviewers played the game with 0 server problems. At least for the ones who got an early copy. They played a different game.

Exactly, they should have waited until the game was live to see how things went. s you said , they played a different game, they reviewed a game that ceased existing the moment the game went live.
 
That's unfair considering the reviewers played the game with 0 server problems. At least for the ones who got an early copy. They played a different game.

Instead of trying to get hits by getting their reviews out sooner, they should have played the game (especially one that required active Internet connection to play) at the same time as the general public. How is reviewing an online game on a press-only server comparable to what consumers are going to play at release? All about the hits, and I'm glad to see so many gaming publications/websites get exposed on this. Polygon's constant review updates are priceless. At least we can't say nothing of value came of this!
 
Just started a new region on NA East 2. If anyone would like to join you can add me on origin my ID is Banderk, or just join from the game browser because its a open region. Region name is Lonely Island.
 

macewank

Member
Instead of trying to get hits by getting their reviews out sooner, they should have played the game (especially one that required active Internet connection to play) at the same time as the general public. How is reviewing an online game on a press-only server comparable to what consumers are going to play at release? All about the hits, and I'm glad to see so many gaming publications/websites get exposed on this. Polygon's constant review updates are priceless. At least we can't say nothing of value came of this!

because in a perfect world, the server is a moot point. game reviewers are reviewing the game itself, not it's backend or delivery mechanism.
 

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
Just started a new region on NA East 2. If anyone would like to join you can add me on origin my ID is Banderk, or just join from the game browser because its a open region. Region name is Lonely Island.

Sent friend request. I'm Simbadook77

edit: oop, still 'authenticating'
 

Lingitiz

Member
because in a perfect world, the server is a moot point. game reviewers are reviewing the game itself, not it's backend or delivery mechanism.

The question then becomes what is the purpose of a review? They can't be something that is timeless because a service based game won't be the same from launch. So really the only thing they can do is review the launch product at hand, which as of now is broken.
 

Fixed1979

Member
Ouch. Completely deserved. Anything much higher than a 5/10 is a reviewer you shouldn't trust. What is more important than being able to play a game?

Love the new SimCity, but yeah, that score is completely justified, and should probably be even lower.

I disagree. This is no better than reviewing the game when Polygon did. It's not (at least I really hope not) an accurate representation of what the game will be next week and for the next year, it's a representation of the game at it's absolute lowest.
 

Hanzou

Member
I disagree. This is no better than reviewing the game when Polygon did. It's not (at least I really hope not) an accurate representation of what the game will be next week and for the next year, it's a representation of the game at it's absolute lowest.

Fair enough, so what the hell do you do in this situation?
 

Megasoum

Banned
I disagree. This is no better than reviewing the game when Polygon did. It's not (at least I really hope not) an accurate representation of what the game will be next week and for the next year, it's a representation of the game at it's absolute lowest.

It's just like any other reviews. It represent the state of the game when it hit store shelves. What you're talking about would mean that every website should review games everytime there's a new patch. You say it's not how the game will be next year, that's true, but it's impossible to know what will happen between now and next year. The reviewers have to review the game "as is".
 

N-Bomb

Member
because in a perfect world, the server is a moot point. game reviewers are reviewing the game itself, not it's backend or delivery mechanism.

How are the delivery and the game a separate issue in this case? You can't have one without the other, so tied together are they, in this case. If you bought a great couch but the delivery people were complete dicks, would that not be relevant to a review of the furniture store?
 

macewank

Member
How are the delivery and the game a separate issue in this case? You can't have one without the other, so tied together are they, in this case. If you bought a great couch but the delivery people were complete dicks, would that not be relevant to a review of the furniture store?

yes. but as the SimCity reviews relate to your example, we're not reviewing the furniture store, we're reviewing the couch.
 
I disagree. This is no better than reviewing the game when Polygon did. It's not (at least I really hope not) an accurate representation of what the game will be next week and for the next year, it's a representation of the game at it's absolute lowest.

You and I both hope it's not a representation of things to come. I love the game.

Reviewers should not be expected by publishers to keep revisiting their games as they slowly get their shit together. These guys play and write game reviews for a living, and especially right now they are pressed for time with the end of quarter flood of releases.
 
Amazingly, the servers were stable enough for me to create a new city. It needs some work, but so far it's pretty solid. I've been digging the circular road layout, but I had to deviate from this a bit more than I wanted just due to the size restrictions.

Spark_2013-03-07_21-52-26.png
 

MisterNoisy

Member
Just spent some time at a friend's house doing the LAN party thing (yes, I know that a Sim City LAN party may be the nerdiest thing ever). I got in for all of five minutes of tutorial while he was simply unable to connect at all. Aside from that, we spent the better part of four hours trying to play this unmitigated clusterfuck of a game.

EA has officially lost my business from this point forward, and the Gamespot review is actually far too kind.
 
Amazingly, the servers were stable enough for me to create a new city. It needs some work, but so far it's pretty solid. I've been digging the circular road layout, but I had to deviate from this a bit more than I wanted just due to the size restrictions.

SCREEN

Nice layout! Can't wait to get started on a new server this weekend with Cheetah speed back on. Here's one of my favorite shots of my city:

Standoff with a murderer from a nearby city

 

Fumoffu

Neo Member
Just spent some time at a friend's house doing the LAN party thing (yes, I know that a Sim City LAN party may be the nerdiest thing ever). I got in for all of five minutes of tutorial while he was simply unable to connect at all. Aside from that, we spent the better part of four hours trying to play this unmitigated clusterfuck of a game.

EA has officially lost my business from this point forward, and the Gamespot review is actually far too kind.


That just sucks, as for the SimCity Lan party, that sounds pretty damn awesome!
 

Fixed1979

Member
It's just like any other reviews. It represent the state of the game when it hit store shelves. What you're talking about would mean that every website should review games everytime there's a new patch. You say it's not how the game will be next year, that's true, but it's impossible to know what will happen between now and next year. The reviewers have to review the game "as is".

Totally get what you're saying, and I agree. Constantly updating reviews is nonsense and I'm embarrassed for Polygon. I just think that choosing to review a game when it is quite clearly at it's lowest point is probably not fair to anyone (the reader or the publisher/developer), in extreme cases like this wouldn't it make more sense to review 1 week after release? I would think that next week will be provide a more realistic impression of what the game will be over time than a review published prior to release or immediately after release.

You and I both hope it's not a representation of things to come. I love the game.

Reviewers should not be expected by publishers to keep revisiting their games as they slowly get their shit together. These guys play and write game reviews for a living, and especially right now they are pressed for time with the end of quarter flood of releases.

Absolutely agree. This is why I don't follow reviews, (besides the fact that there's really not a lot of reviewers that I actually enjoy reading) lots of video games are an evolving and changing product, not like a movie or a couch which remain static and are easily reviewed at any point in it's life. The system is flawed as it is.

EDIT: If anyone cares I did tweet the GS reviewer Kevin Van Ord on it.

Thoughts on review timing? Polygon at the high point, GS at the low point. Neither will represent the game in a week/month.

All we can hope is that a review provide an accurate snapshot of a game as it exists at the time the review is published. Every site seeks ways to cover games that evolve over time; we have a system called "After the Fact" that lets us annotate. But for now (and I suspect for a long time to come), we won't change scores based on a game's progression (or regression).


Back on topic!

I managed to get as far as seeing my cities icon for the first time in two days. So that's something. I really hope I can play this weekend, I've been looking forward to chilling out and playing this for an extended session for awhile.
 

N-Bomb

Member
yes. but as the SimCity reviews relate to your example, we're not reviewing the furniture store, we're reviewing the couch.

Except you can't sit on the couch, and when you can, sometimes the store throws you off because they didn't make it strong enough to handle your weight.
 
Back on topic!

I managed to get as far as seeing my cities icon for the first time in two days. So that's something. I really hope I can play this weekend, I've been looking forward to chilling out and playing this for an extended session for awhile.

Yep. We should all get a new GAF region going this weekend because the few randoms that I've played with have had no idea what to do. I like my single player region, but it'd be fun to work together and communicate.

EDIT: How about cheetah speed, DMPrince?
 

bedlamite

Member
Is there any way to turn off monsters? Shit's hard enough in this game as it is, don't need twisters, UFO invasions, or any of that crap to add to it
 

Shane86

Member
Is there any point in leaving the headquarters of trade, metals, petroleum etc. turned on or am I missing something? They don't do anything but cost you upkeep
 

RoKKeR

Member
Is there any point in leaving the headquarters of trade, metals, petroleum etc. turned on or am I missing something? They don't do anything but cost you upkeep
How did you get enought profit/day to be able to get them? I can't break the 100,000/day mark.
 

Uthred

Member
Was dreading what was going to happen, but got in first try, completed tutorial and then played for an hour or so, exited the game and went back in and progress saved. Maybe they got those extra servers online? On the other hand I get the feeling I've made a total balls of my first city.
 
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