SimCity

This article covers the game series. For the part published in 2013, see SimCity (2013) .

SimCity
developer	Maxis
Publisher	Maxis Electronic Arts
Designer	Will Wright
First title	SimCity (1989)
Last title	Sim City Buildit (2014)
Platform (s)	u. a. Amiga , DOS , Windows , Mac OS Classic , SNES , iOS
Genre (s)	Economic simulations

SimCity is a video game series by Maxis , which has been a subsidiary of Electronic Arts (EA) since 1997 . It belongs to the business simulation genre . The game principle is developed by Maxis co-founder Will Wright .

Game flow

The content of the game is the simulation of a city and its development, taking into account various factors such as crime, the environment, traffic flow and education. On an initially undeveloped landscape, the player can build infrastructure such as electricity and water supply, roads and rails. He can also designate residential, industrial and commercial areas for development. Special buildings such as harbors, parks, schools, police and fire stations influence various parameters in their environment (a police station leads to lower crime, which increases the attractiveness and land value of the properties in the area) that affect the designated building areas and their development .

The respective successor version of SimCity usually had more and more sophisticated criteria as to the circumstances under which properties develop. Since SimCity 3000 , a distinction is also made according to the degree of prosperity . If the infrastructure as well as the attractiveness and land value of a property are too low, buildings with low standards emerge, for example caravan estates, small huts and prefabricated buildings in residential areas, snack bars, workshops, used car dealers and supermarkets in commercial areas, environmentally harmful heavy industry in the industrial sector. If the conditions are good, on the other hand, chic buildings and areas of medium prosperity develop - recognizable in the residential area through multi-family houses or ornate brick high-rise buildings, in the commercial sector through retail shops and in the industrial area through not so environmentally harmful manufacturing industry and sometimes not at all polluting high-tech industry . When the conditions are optimal, villa districts and luxury residential buildings and increasingly high-tech industry and boutiques arise. Skyscrapers are only possible with "very high" property prices, whereby the property prices are calculated individually for each field and the building value depends on the average price of all property units.

Factors for the positive or negative development of prosperity in a city are also various prescribed ordinances that can be issued or withdrawn. Furthermore, pollution , traffic, safety, health and education, and the presence of natural areas such as lakes, hills and parks all play a role in the demand of wealthier Sims and businesses.

There is no predetermined goal of the game to be achieved, although the player's efforts are directed towards increasing the number of residents, which is then also motivated by rewards such as a mayor's villa, town hall or monument. However, it is up to the player whether he strives to create a rural area or a functioning metropolis. SimCity gives the player great freedom in urban planning and in SimCity 4 even in regional planning .

history

SimCity was first published in 1989 for Amiga , C64 , Atari ST , PC and Mac , and later ported to game consoles such as the SNES . A nearly completed version for the Nintendo Entertainment System no longer appeared. An extended version and the successors SimCity 2000 , SimCity 3000 and SimCity 4 followed along with an extension .

With the steady development of the game, the latest version was also ported by Loki Software from SimCity 3000 Unlimited / Germany to Linux . SimCity 4 including the extension are certified for operation under Linux with the DirectX emulator Cedega . SimCity has also been available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad since 2008, and SimCity Deluxe was released in 2010 and ported to Android in 2011. SimCity Buildit is available for Android and iOS.

Versions

The following games have been published in the SimCity series so far (year of publication in brackets):

• SimCity (1989)
  • SimCity Ancient Cities (1991)
  • SimCity Future Cities (1991)

• SimCity 2000 (1993)
  • SimCity 2000 (1992)
  • SimCity 2000 Special Edition (1995)
  • SimCity 2000 Network Edition (1996)

• SimCity 3000 (1999)
  • SimCity 3000 Germany (2000)
  • SimCity 3000 Unlimited (2000)
  • SimCity (December 2008 for iPhone and iPod touch, based on SimCity 3000 )

• SimCity 64 (2000)
• SimCity 4 (2003)
  • SimCity 4: Rush Hour Expansion Pack (2003)
  • SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition (2005)

• SimCity DS (June 20, 2007)

• SimCity Societies (November 15, 2007)
  • SimCity Societies Travel Worlds Expansion (June 2008)
  • SimCity Societies Deluxe Edition (June 2008)

• SimCity Creator (March 19, 2008 initially in Japan as SimCity DS 2 for DS and September 19, 2008 for Wii)

• SimCity Deluxe (December 2010 for iPad, November 2011 for Android, based on SimCity 4 )
• SimCity Social (June 25, 2012)

• SimCity (March 7, 2013)
  • SimCity: German City Set (2013)
  • SimCity: English City Set (2013)
  • SimCity: French City Set (2013)
  • SimCity: Airship Set (2013)
  • SimCity: Amusement Park Set (2013)
  • SimCity: Media Markt Building (2013)
  • SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow (English SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow ; November 12, 2013)
  • SimCity: Package Progressive (2013)

• SimCity BuildIt (2014)

Differences between the versions

SimCity

This first version is different from the next in the point that only in the top view is played. The game allows the creation and opening of saved cities. There are scenarios in which the player must complete a mission in order to win. The catastrophes are already available in this version, but they can also be deactivated via a menu item. It is interesting that the areas (residential, commercial and industrial) can only be identified in 3 × 3 sections. This is no longer available in later versions, since the size is determined there by dragging the mouse.

The graphics are kept very simple in this version. However, for example, cars can already be seen on busy roads and ships at sea or on rivers when a port has been built. Several scenarios also made it possible to solve problems in six specified cities: Detroit (economic crisis), Boston (GAU), San Francisco (earthquake), Bern (traffic blackout), Rio de Janeiro (flood), Tokyo (monster attack due to environmental pollution) and on some platforms Hamburg (bombing raids) and Dullsville. If all scenarios were successfully solved, there were two more scenarios as a bonus: Las Vegas, which is attacked by aliens, and Freeland, in which no water is available.

The name of the city changes with the number of inhabitants. So you start with a village and go through a city, city, capital or metropolis to a mega-metropolis. This was the unofficial goal in the endless game and was rewarded with a Super Mario statue in the SNES version. For a mega-metropolis, almost every free space on the map had to be built on. In addition, the SNES version also differed in numerous details from the original version: There were more rewards for achieving various game objectives, such as the police headquarters after a certain number of police stations had been built or the EXPO when an airport was built.

As an expansion there were two "Expansion Packs" from Maxis in 1991, SimCity Ancient Cities and SimCity Future Cities. With these extensions it was possible to give your city either a medieval touch or a very futuristic look and to solve problems that existed or might exist at the appropriate times. The graphics, however, were very similar to a comic.

In 1993 a graphically and multimedia extended version with the title "SimCity Enhanced" appeared.

SimCity 2000

Cartridge from SimCity 2000 for the Game Boy Advance

In contrast to SimCity, there is an isometric view instead of a top view. For the first time, underground water pipes can also be laid, and the terrain is no longer just flat. The graphics have been significantly improved by SVGA . Due to the possibility of choosing the entry year, various technical options are only added in the course of the game. Depending on the level of difficulty, unforeseen events such as B. earthquakes , floods or large fires. As the number of inhabitants increases, certain special buildings such as a town hall , a statue or arcologies are possible from time to time . In addition, a player has the option of manually triggering disasters. For example, a tornado can be unleashed on the city or fires can be started in the city by demonstrators.

SimCity 2000 also offered a network variant for the first time - the SimCity 2000 Network Edition (SC2000N), which made it possible to build a city either against or with other players. For this purpose, the individual areas on the game board first had to be bought by the player before they could be built on. Unfortunately, technical errors often occurred in this version, e.g. B. when creating contracts with other players. For example, the terms “money” and “electricity” were reversed in relation to their actual function.

SimCity 2000 was released for DOS , Windows 3.0 , Windows 9x , OS / 2 , Mac OS Classic , RISC OS and Amiga . It has also been ported to PDA ( Windows Mobile 2000 or higher) and game consoles such as the Sega Saturn , PlayStation , PlayStation Portable , the SNES , the Game Boy Advance and the N64. The original game is also available on the GoG sales platform in a version that can run on modern systems.

On November 29, 2012, the Museum of Modern Art announced the purchase of 14 computer games, including SimCity 2000 , for a new permanent design exhibition in the Philip Johnson Galleries from March 2013. The announcement identified the titles as outstanding representatives in the field of interaction design. In addition to the visual quality and the aesthetic experience, criteria were therefore all aspects that contribute to the design of the interaction, such as the elegance of the program code or the design of the player behavior.

SimCity 3000

A news ticker at the bottom of the screen provides information about the state of the city and - if there is no significant information to report - a series of humorous requests to speak. If the player did not recognize hidden indications of an impending catastrophe , they could assume devastating proportions. The game also contained some scenarios in which the player was entrusted with a finished city and had to achieve predetermined goals (e.g. lowering crime , reducing environmental pollution or solving traffic problems).

In an additional version of SimCity 3000 it is possible to construct buildings yourself and then use them in the cityscape by replacing existing buildings. However, differences between the self-constructed and other buildings were always recognizable.

SimCity 3000 players could log into the Internet with the registration codes contained in the game and upload and download files on the SimCity website in the "Exchange" area. Statistics about e.g. B. the best rated specimens were created and thus spurred the players on. Entire cities could also be swapped on this platform.

One year after SimCity 3000 the extended version SimCity Germany appeared . In this there were also many well-known German buildings that you could now add to your own city. There were also German (European), American and Japanese (Asian) building sets. This gave the cities a typical regional appearance. You chose the type at the beginning of each game, but it could be exchanged at any time.

SimCity 3000 runs on Windows, Linux , Mac OS 9 and under the name "SimCity" on iPhone and iPod touch .

SimCity 4

→ Main article : SimCity 4

In SimCity 4, every new city is started in "year 0". The activation of new buildings does not depend, as with the predecessor, on the age of the city, but on various other factors such as the number of inhabitants, number of certain jobs, mayor's rating or the use of existing buildings. For example, a fusion power plant is only activated when the city has an energy requirement of 30,000 and 4,000 jobs in the high-tech industry.

The most obvious innovation compared to the previous versions is the so-called “regional concept”: The built city no longer stands on its own, or has fictional, not self-created neighboring cities, but is now part of a region of self-created cities that interact with each other. This makes it possible to build cities for specific needs and to outsource negative influences from heavy industry , power plants and waste disposal to other cities.

Since SimCity 4 is the only game from the SimCity series to offer the possibility of uncomplicated modding without changing the game files, fans still create many mods and plug-ins .

SimCity 4 is available for Windows and Mac OS X .

Rush hour

In addition, the expansion "Rush Hour" was released, which introduced new means of transport such as monorail and elevated train into the game. The expansion also made it possible to drive individual vehicles yourself. In this way, the player can complete various missions, some of which unlock buildings without the requirements for unlocking being met.

Furthermore, you can now choose between four different building epochs. Residential and commercial buildings in Chicago from 1890, New York 1940, Houston 1990 and contemporary Frankfurt am Main are now available.

The import of individual Sims who go about their daily life from the game The Sims in SimCity is possible for the first time in this version. You can create additional Sims. Except for the gender, the zodiac sign and the head, no further character settings are possible.

In addition, the "Deluxe" expansion was released in 2005, which, however, is nothing more than the Rush Hour expansion and the most important patches at the time.

SimCity Creator

• For the first time, construction will take place over different ages from primeval times to the future.
• In the Middle Ages you can choose between two times (European Renaissance or "Open Asia" era)
• In modern times the player can choose between three times (American boom, European industrial age or Asian development era).
• The game has four game modes: "Challenge", "Free Play", "Random Encounter" and "Gallery"
• SimCity Creator has been released for the Nintendo DS and Wii game consoles .

SimCity Societies

SimCity Societies was released on November 15, 2007. This time the developer was not Maxis , but Tilted Mill . The 3D game engine used was also used in Caesar IV . The game was completed in just a year.

In terms of play, this game is fundamentally different from the other parts. The most important change is the introduction of social energies - knowledge, creativity, belief, authority, wealth and productivity. Every building produces or uses a certain amount of this energy. In contrast to the other parts, each building is built individually by the player. By selecting the buildings, the player gives the city its appearance, so that the cityscape can be dominated in different ways. For example, cities with the themes of cyberpunk , Orwell's surveillance state , “ fun house ”, industrial or capitalist, are possible, but normal cities are also possible.

The game is aimed primarily at casual gamers. This met with criticism from experienced players who criticize the low level of difficulty and the low depth of the game. Economic aspects are in the background in the game, as the buildings do not develop any further and hardly interact with one another.

In June 2008 the first expansion pack with the theme of travel worlds was released, but it is only available on the EA website. A deluxe edition has also been released, with the base game and the “Travel Worlds” expansion pack.

In contrast to its predecessors, many economic functions have been removed, for example supplying the city with electricity, water, schools, the police, etc. has been reduced to an interaction between electricity production and electricity consumption. That means there are no more hydroelectric plants unless they produce social energy. There is of course also the possibility of building schools, these have little effect on the supply of the Sims, but rather provide the social energy "knowledge" . Police stations consume “authority” which, in the simplest version of an authoritarian city, is provided by the “bank” building and so on. Since there is less income on the weekend, the moment of truth always comes on Sunday at midnight. The game is more like a kind of abstract puzzle than an economic simulation, as the SimCity series was originally designed.

SimCity (2013)

→ Main article : SimCity (2013)

Sim City logo

In March 2012 the new SimCity was shown at the Game Developers Conference . The game was developed by Maxis on the basis of the new Glassbox Engine and was released on March 7, 2013 as Windows and Mac versions. In the US, the game was released on March 5, 2013. Since developer Maxis calls the game a reboot of the series, it is officially called SimCity . It is the first in the series that requires an account with EA's Origin distribution platform and a permanent internet connection to play. The game has a single and multiplayer mode . Between August 2012 and January 2013 it was possible to register for the closed beta phase. SimCity won the gamescom award in 2012.

The game requires a permanent internet connection and cannot be played offline - not even in single player mode. The publisher EA justified this limitation with calculations that could only be done quickly enough on servers. This turned out to be untrue after the game was released, so playing without an internet connection is already possible by changing two lines of code. In the course of the start of delivery of the game, there were sometimes considerable problems with the reliability of the game servers, so that many buyers could not play the game for days, which resulted in a large number of negative customer reviews. Amazon has temporarily taken the game off the shelf. Update 10 was finally announced in January 2014, with which the game can also be played offline.

SimCity Social

In June 2012 Electronic Arts announced the appearance of SimCity Social , which is a version for the social network Facebook . This should enable players, for example, to let friends move into their city or to enter into city partnerships with them. In April 2013, Electronic Arts announced that it would discontinue the game on June 14, 2013.

SimCity as free software

Micropolis

For the One-Laptop-per-Child project, rights holder Electronic Arts approved a release of the original SimCity under the GPL on November 12, 2007 . The SimCity code is now freely available under the name Micropolis . Micropolis is developed by Don Hopkins. The game is based on the X11 version of SimCity for Unix . The old user interface was replaced by Python code, the old C core was restructured and reimplemented in C ++. The game runs on any Linux system and as a port on OpenBSD .

Soundtrack

The complete soundtrack of SimCity 3000 - predominantly jazz-oriented orchestral and electro compositions - was composed by Jerry Martin and Marc Russo and published on the Sim City website.

Free SimCity alternatives

• 

  LinCity looks like Original SimCity (English)

• 

  Lincity-NG successor to LinCity (English)

• 

  OpenCity, in 3D graphics, still in the early beta stage (English)

• 

  VirtuCity, isometric (English)

reception

In addition to positive reception and prices, the game was also received critically. The Jacobin wrote that "[the] game [...] follows the rules of neoliberal urban development". Its algorithm favored social oppression and totalitarian control. The game creates a perspective on urban development as a political technology that influences beyond the game:

“Though your designer probably wanted to breathe more life into the game with The Sims, its creation is scary: a never-ending loop of nameless and faceless work. The really frightening thing about the 'selfless stand-up men' is not their strangeness, but their familiarity. The nightmare of a world in which we are all just unqualified and interchangeable temporary workers who hire a new boss every day is already a reality for many. "

- Ava Kofman : Jacobin 2020

Web links

Commons : SimCity  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official EA website for SimCity
• Official website for SimCity Societies ( Memento of November 16, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
• SimCity at MobyGames (English)
• SimCity at OLPC
• Micropolis on GitHub

Individual evidence

1. ^ Recovering Nintendo's Lost SimCity for the NES - Video Game History Foundation. Retrieved January 27, 2019 . 
2. ↑ SimCity Societies - Confirmed and Named - Rebell.at. (No longer available online.) In: rebell.at. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008 ; Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
3. ↑ SimCityPlaza . SimCityPlaza
4. ^ MoMA - Video Games: 14 in the Collection, for Starters. In: moma.org. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
5. ↑ SimCity Creator: Description of the game at Electronic Arts ( Memento from June 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
6. ↑ SimCity Creator: Game description at Nintendo  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
7. ↑ SimCity: Return officially confirmed for 2013 Winfuture.de, March 7, 2012, accessed on March 8, 2012.
8. ↑ SimCity Official Website. In: simcity.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
9. ↑ Why "SimCity" can only be played online and which anger the fans - Games - derStandard.at ›Web. In: derstandard.at. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
10. ↑ ^{a b} SimCity wins the gamescom award for the best PC game - Simway. (No longer available online.) In: simway.net. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013 ; Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
11. ↑ Maxis Insider Tells RPS: SimCity Servers Not Necessary - Rock, Paper, Shotgun. In: rockpapershotgun.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
12. ^ SimCity Offline Mode Now Available To The General Public. In: cinemablend.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
13. ↑ Spiegel Online: "Server failure: Angry fans curse SimCity"
14. ↑ Patrick Buechner: The offline mode for SimCity is coming. In: simcity.com. January 13, 2014, accessed January 18, 2014 . 
15. ↑ SimCity Social announced for Facebook - NETZWELT. In: netzwelt.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
16. ↑ SimCity Social is shutting down on June 14th ( Memento April 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), playfish.com, accessed April 22, 2013
17. ↑ Too few players: EA discontinues SimCity Social and other Facebook games - Golem.de. In: golem.de. Retrieved October 20, 2013 . 
18. ↑ Andreas Wilkens: SimCity source code is placed under the GPL. In: Heise online . November 13, 2007 . Retrieved October 20, 2013.
19. ↑ SimCity.com: Music Downloads ( Memento of March 24, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
20. ↑ ^{a b} Ava Kofman: Urban planning for megalomaniacs. Translation by Erik Schmitt. In: Jacobin .de. July 21, 2020, accessed July 31, 2020 .