SimCity (2013)
| SimCity | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Studio |
 Maxis
|
||
| Publisher |
Electronic Arts
|
||
| Senior Developer |
Ocean Quigley Stone Librande |
||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
Windows March 5, 2013 March 7, 2013 March 8, 2013 Mac OS August 29, 2013     |
||
| platform | Windows , macOS | ||
| Game engine | GlassBox | ||
| genre | Simulation game | ||
| Subject | urban planning | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard , mouse | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
|
||
| medium | Download , DVD | ||
| language | English , German | ||
| Current version | 10.3 | ||
| copy protection | Origin | ||
| Age rating |
|
||
SimCity is an urban development - Simulation of the development studio Maxis . The publisher is Electronic Arts . It is the fifth major version of the SimCity series. The title is on 7 March 2013 Windows published and on August 29 for OS X .
development
The game was officially announced on March 6, 2012 at the Game Developers Conference . The game is available for Windows and is intended for OS X to be available.
According to the developer Maxis, the game is a new edition of the series and is therefore only called SimCity .
Engine
SimCity uses the new GLASSBOX - Engine . This uses the tilt-shift effect and makes cities look like miniature landscapes.
GlassBox differs from other engines in that it uses simulation units called agents , which represent objects such as water, electricity and workers. For example, instead of simply displaying a traffic jam animation, traffic jams are dynamically simulated by crowds of traveling agents. A four-part video series on the subject has been published on YouTube .
Audio
Compared to its predecessors, the entire audio system has been revised. In different zones, the clay is characterized by different properties (in residential areas by cars, in industrial areas by trucks). The sound changes according to the game speed.
The music in the game was composed by Chris Tilton. This changes according to current events in the game.
publication
In Germany, the game was officially released on March 7, 2013 for Windows and was originally supposed to be released in June 2013 for macOS - but the date was postponed to August 2013 at short notice. In the US , the Windows version has been available since March 5, 2013. It was originally announced for February 2013, but has been postponed.
Closed beta
Players could register for a closed beta . This took place between January 25 and 28, 2013 with the aim of tracking down existing errors. A second beta event took place between February 16 and 17, 2013, which was intended to test the server capacity, among other things. A third beta test was also used to test the server capacities.
Editions
Pre-orderers receive the limited edition of SimCity , which contains some bonus content. There is also a Deluxe Edition, which contains three city sets in addition to the contents of the Limited Edition.
Gameplay
In SimCity the development of several cities is simulated, involving various factors such as crime, the environment, congestion and education. The player can build on an undeveloped landscape at the start with the help of various buildings and zones. There are three different types of zones in the game, including residential, commercial and industrial zones.
Changes to the predecessors
- SimCity can be played in single and multiplayer mode with up to 15 other players.
- Another new feature is the finiteness of individual resources.
- Cities in a region are connected to one another via predefined regional networks such as highways, railways and waterways. Elements like traffic and air pollution affect all nearby cities.
- EAs Origin is integrated into the game and therefore a permanent internet connection is required to play. A brief interruption of the internet connection is no problem. An Origin account is required to activate SimCity .
- Since the update 10.0 it is possible to play the game offline (without permanent internet connection).
Multiplayer
SimCity is the first part of the series, since 2000, that has a multiplayer mode. Up to 16 players can play together in a region and build several cities together or alone. With the help of friends, "large structures" can be built.
Alternatively, regions can be marked as private and played in single player mode.
Visualization of the data
Inspired by Google Maps and GIS applications , data such as air pollution or water supply are displayed on certain maps that change in color. For example, when a water tower is selected, a map is immediately displayed showing the density of the water supply.
Modules
Buildings can be expanded with various modules. It is possible to expand a police station with a helicopter landing pad and thus reduce crime in the city without having to build a second police station.
DLCs
Since the release on March 5, 2013, six commercially available and three free DLCs (downloadable content) have been released. All three free extensions represent product placement .
Chargeable
Cities of Tomorrow
Cities of Tomorrow is the first major add-on to Sim City. Due to the numerous bugs that occurred with it, the ratings of many game magazines were rather negative.
British city set
- This DLC changes the look of residential , commercial and industrial areas and gives them a British feel .
- It adds Big Ben as an exclusive landmark to the game .
- The London double-decker bus is added to the bus station .
French city set
- This DLC changes the look of residential, commercial and industrial areas and gives them a French feel.
- It adds the Eiffel Tower as an exclusive landmark to the game .
- A French police station and French patrol car are added.
German city set
- This DLC changes the look of residential, commercial and industrial areas and gives them a German feel.
- It adds the Brandenburg Gate as an exclusive landmark to the game .
- A German train station and high-speed trains will be added.
German Red Cross Disaster Relief Set
- This DLC adds the aid center, tents and vehicles of the German Red Cross .
"Airships" set
- This DLC adds the airship hangar and airships .
- It adds hot air balloon parks to the game .
- Event airships will be added.
Amusement park set
- This DLC adds theme parks including park entrances, (classic) theme park rides and attractions.
Free
Progressive Insurance package
- Adds insurance and office building from US insurance company Progressive Corporation to the game.
Media Markt
- Adds a Media Markt to the game .
Nissan LEAF
reception
| ||||||||||||||
Sales
EA announced that SimCity had sold 1.1 million copies in the first two weeks. 54% of these were digital versions.
Award
At E3 2012 , the game was nominated for 24 E3 awards, of which it won 8. It also won the gamescom award in 2012.
criticism
General criticism
On Metacritic, the game has a Metascore of 64 based on 74 ratings from trade magazines and a player rating of 2.0 based on over 3500 ratings from users. It was praised for its new convenience functions and beautiful graphics. The lack of detailed functions of the predecessor as well as the greatly reduced construction area compared to these and a lack of long-term motivation for players were criticized. It was criticized that, contrary to the spirit of the game, malicious players were for the first time able to deliberately damage neighboring cities with the help of cross-city properties as well as air and water pollution.
The clear discrepancy between the performance of the glass box engine announced by Maxis and the implementation was also criticized. For example, the PC Games wrote : “In the run-up, Maxis placed the Sim City glass box engine in the foreground, as this was supposed to give the series a level of realism never seen before. In the test, however, the simulation foundation proves to be incomprehensible and illogical in places. " GameStar expresses itself similarly : " Contrary to the statement by Maxis boss Lucy Bradshaw, there are no individual Sims in SimCity. Instead, the inhabitants are generated again and again. ” In the long-term test, the game was subsequently devalued by the Gamestar due to major weaknesses with the AI . The poor way of finding the way of the vehicles leads to massive traffic problems up to irreparable traffic collapse. In addition, modders were able to prove that only a fraction of the residents are included in the simulation.
Major deficiencies such as the compulsive multiplayer mode and online compulsory as well as various bugs have been fixed in the meantime (June 2014), but in terms of detail and stability, it does not match the predecessor SimCity 4, which was a decade old at the time SimCity was released.
Criticism of the publication
On the US release date, the long-term internet connection required by the game and previously criticized caused problems. Activating the game was initially impossible, but later it took up to three hours. Players who succeeded in activation had to wait up to 30 minutes afterwards to enter the actual game.
The start of sales in Germany was also accompanied by massive server failures, which resulted in negative customer criticism, as the game was not playable for some customers for longer periods of time. In response to the negative feedback from the botched start of SimCity , Electronic Arts offered the opportunity to receive a game for free from a selection of games. This promotion only applies to players who activated SimCity on their Origin account by March 25, 2013.
Web links
- Official website
- Sim City at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b SimCity (PC) - test, download, system requirements, release date, demo - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b c Maxis: Sim City appears in mid-June 2013 for Mac OS - Golem.de. In: golem.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b SimCity Mac Update and Beyond. (No longer available online.) In: simcity.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013 ; accessed on October 20, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Simcity Updates Retrieved on May 27, 2014 (German).
- ↑ Sim City - Officially announced, first pictures and trailer - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Build a SimCity with friends, challenges keep game moving along - Joystiq. (No longer available online.) In: joystiq.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013 ; accessed on October 20, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ SimCity Insider's Look GLASSBOX Game Engine Introduction (coming March 5, 2013) - YouTube. In: youtube.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity - Date for the closed beta, registration now possible - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity - Date for the second beta event - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity - Up to 16 player cities in one region - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity - Requires permanent internet connection to play - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity - A short break in the Internet connection should not be a problem - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Interview: A New Multiplayer Focus - SimCity - PC - www.GameInformer.com. In: gameinformer.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Look around SimCity, don't get bogged down in charts - Joystiq. (No longer available online.) In: joystiq.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013 ; accessed on October 20, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Build a SimCity with friends, challenges keep game moving along. (No longer available online.) In: www.joystiq.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2013 ; accessed on December 13, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Simcity in the Origin Store. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
- ↑ gamestar.de
- ↑ Meta evaluation "Sim City". In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed March 31, 2015 .
- ↑ Meta-evaluation "Skylines". In: GameRankings . CBS Corporation , accessed March 31, 2015 .
- ^ Dan Stapleton: Build your own Big Buggy Apple. In: IGN Entertainment . Ziff Davis , March 10, 2015, accessed March 13, 2013 .
- ↑ Jochen Gebauer: Sim Darmstadt. In: GameStar . International Data Group , March 7, 2013, accessed March 31, 2015 .
- ↑ a b SimCity Sells More Than 1 Million at Launch - Business Wire. In: businesswire.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ E3 Redux. (No longer available online.) In: simcity.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016 ; accessed on October 20, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Page not found - EA Gamescom 2013. In: ea.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ^ SimCity for PC Reviews - Metacritic. In: metacritic.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ a b Sim City in the test: Unfinished town planning simulation with a beautiful facade - Sim City in the test: We didn't like that - Rating and opinion. In: pcgames.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ^ SimCity Won (and Broke) My Heart in Just Three Days. In: kotaku.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Game Special: Chaos in the simulation - This is how SimCity cheats - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ SimCity (PC) in the test - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Sim City: Online compulsory and city limits leveraged by mod - Golem.de. In: golem.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ http://www.pcgames.de/Sim-City-PC-84820/Specials/Sim-City-Offline-Patch-Kommentar-1114311/ In: pcgames.de, accessed on June 15, 2014 (German)
- ↑ Why "SimCity" can only be played online and which anger the fans - Games - derStandard.at ›Web. In: derstandard.at. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Origin Errors Affect SimCity Release and Digital Deluxe Editions (Updated). In: news.softpedia.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ PSA: SimCitys launch - YouTube. In: youtube.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
- ↑ Server failure: Angry fans curse "SimCity". In: Spiegel Online . March 9, 2013, accessed June 10, 2018 .
- ↑ SimCity - Electronic Arts offers free game as compensation - News - GameStar.de. In: gamestar.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 .
