Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

[Dec 22, 2012, 12:22 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

The SimCity Blog has a follow-up to recent outcry over plans to require an internet connection to play the upcoming SimCity revival (thanks GameSpot). Lucy Bradshaw explains to players how this will make the game "even more fun." Here's a bit:

Running the regional simulation on our servers is something we also use to support features that will make this SimCity even more fun. We use the Sim data to update worldwide leaderboards, where you get to see your city or mayoral standings as compared to the other cities in your region and between all of the regions in the world. And since SimCity is a live service, we're also using the data to create weekly global and local challenges for our players that keep the gameplay fresh and surprising.

We think this is the best SimCity ever and it wouldn’t be possible without the technology that powers our game. SimCity was designed to be connected from the ground up. We built the game around GlassBox, which takes the game to another level. And, we’ve given the player control over how to play. You can set your region to private and never interact with other people, or you can play exclusively with friends or join a public region.

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93 Replies. 5 pages. Viewing page 4.
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33.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 15:10

SirKnight

SimCity 4 Deluxe has been bought for 5 dolla. Downloading now...

32.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 14:59

jdreyer

Cutter wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 14:11:
One can only hope this will fail miserably and the assholes who thought this was a good idea will get run out of the industry on a rail!

That must be the reason they left subways out of the game: so there would be no rails on which to run them out of town with.




Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed.

31.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 14:58

Buckermann

I own (usually more than once) SimCity (and 2 expansions, SimCity 2000, SimCity 3000, and SimCity 4 with Rush-hour. I think it's safe to say that I like SimCity. But they lost me as a customer for the next installment.

30.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 14:55

jdreyer

SirKnight wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:18:
SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it?

$5 is a steal for the amount of game play you get out of it. And when I got tired of it, I showed the kids how to do it, and they love building highways and buildings and stuff. For parents, it's like a giant Lego set without the mess to clean up afterward (coincidentally, they're playing right now, together, constantly talking to each other about what to build and where. Beats the pants off TV where they sit and veg).




Man is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness from which he emerges and the infinity in which he is engulfed.

29.

Re: More Big Picture Details

Dec 22, 2012, 14:30

HorrorScope

Cutter wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 14:11: One can only hope this will fail miserably I hope it is great, I'm all for MP sim games, grossly under developed genre.

28.

Re: More Big Picture Details

Dec 22, 2012, 14:26

HorrorScope

jacobvandy wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:31: You're missing the point. Yes, it has single-player mode (which is really just like passwording a multiplayer match so that nobody else can join), but the game as a whole has been warped into a bullshit socialization-oriented, Facebook-hybrid, bastardization of its predecessors. It's a shame that they develop this new tech, yet don't bother using it to its full potential. I really don't think it's too much to ask of them to deliver a bigger and better version of Sim City 4 after ten damn years. What they've shown of the game's scope so far makes it look like it was designed for consoles. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's released for Xbox and PS3 later, meaning the initial PC exclusivity was sheer lip service so that the angry mob doesn't progress past internet hate speech into burning their fucking offices down. Am I really missing the point? I'm not sure the point here is about if the game is good or not. But always online DRM. I've stated the DRM doesn't bother me because I haven't been bitten. All that said, the game still has to be good, I personally don't know that yet. Yes it may suck and blow at the same time.

27.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 14:11

Cutter

One can only hope this will fail miserably and the assholes who thought this was a good idea will get run out of the industry on a rail! Those people are the scum of the earth. Taking away your rights and dis-empowering you as a consumer is good for you is it? It's in your best interest and not theirs, right?




"Peter, breakfast for dinner is anarchy!" - Lois

26.

Re: More Big Picture Details

Dec 22, 2012, 14:11

RollinThundr

HorrorScope wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 12:59: I get the complaints but there has to be a phobia for the consistent and repetitive nature of DRM/Online/Piracy complaints the repeatedly happen at Blue's. Sure EA blended two things MP w/DRM Piracy prevention cleverly, to your dismay. But luckily I seemingly never have DRM related issues, even though I'm no real fan of it, I just can't join this brigade without really having been bit to any noticeable means. I've had more problems with Wal-Mart plastic bags giving way. MP Sim games have been grossly overlooked, hopefully this will actually be good. Transport Tycoon Deluxe anyone? Same, and 99.9% of those complaining about "always on" are "always on" to begin with. Haters gonna hate.

25.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 14:02

DangerDog

Just to be clear, are they going the Diablo 3 route and having all the game AI up on servers?

24.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:52

PHJF

ASeven wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:34:
SirKnight wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:18:
SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it?

IMO best SimCity title ever. Even better with mods.

Except large cities run like fuckin shit. Supposedly there was some fanpatch to fix this? And Rush Hour was pretty bad.




Steam + PSN: PHJF

23.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:45

eRe4s3r

They say they are really running simulations on regional "passive" cities on their own servers which I have to admit is one of these things that piss me off to no end in Sim City 4 (namely, cities are only very very barebone'ish interacting, if at ALL) then that would be at least an interesting concept. But I don't buy it for 1 second that my 6core high end gaming PC has less computational power than their servers. And certainly not if 1 update cycle is 3 minutes per city... (and why 3 minutes, even if the local PC is slow, it could be 5, 10, 15 or 30) Or basically, the technical facts they state are interesting, but they are still selling bullshit. There is no way their servers can calculate whatever they calculate faster than my PC sends it there and receives it back and 3 minutes.. holy hell, there is not a lot of things a PC can't calculate in 3 minutes.... It will be hilarious if the final game only uses 2 cores though. Because that would mean they intentionally gimped it. Also, this whole thing screams "server emulation" to me. Even if they are not down, but I would want a server emulator just so I could tweak and mod the game. It's like they are asking not to be bought. Well at least for me it's a no-sale. No Subway is the death sentence imo. Subways are what makes cities work. This is not sim city. It is sim-ville. Sure 16 villages kinda make a city, but in the end it's not what Sim City is about.

22.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:41

zombiefan

SirKnight wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:18: SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it? Easily. You can't even get a value meal at McDonald's for $5 and I know you'll get more satisfaction out of SC4. Buy it already!

21.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:40

zombiefan

Hey Lucy, What if I don't give a fuck about other people's cities? Ever think about that?

20.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:40

nin

Lucy Bradshaw can stuff her origin/always online/social gaming in her hole of choice.

Merry Christmas!




RollinThundr Apr 17, 2013, 12:25: Eh really tossing stuff like that in there only to get your panties all bunched up. If you really want to call that trolling sure. Mr. Tact Apr 17, 2013, 12:33: Pretty sure that's the definition of trolling...

19.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:34

ASeven

SirKnight wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:18: SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it? IMO best SimCity title ever. Even better with mods.

18.

Re: More Big Picture Details

Dec 22, 2012, 13:31

jacobvandy

HorrorScope wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:17: It does sound like it can be single player only, just that you still need to be online, thus back to the DRM phobia. I get that it's not ideal, but I really believe very few really struggle being online consistently. You're missing the point. Yes, it has single-player mode (which is really just like passwording a multiplayer match so that nobody else can join), but the game as a whole has been warped into a bullshit socialization-oriented, Facebook-hybrid, bastardization of its predecessors. It's a shame that they develop this new tech, yet don't bother using it to its full potential. I really don't think it's too much to ask of them to deliver a bigger and better version of Sim City 4 after ten damn years. What they've shown of the game's scope so far makes it look like it was designed for consoles. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised at all if it's released for Xbox and PS3 later, meaning the initial PC exclusivity was sheer lip service so that the angry mob doesn't progress past internet hate speech into burning their fucking offices down. SirKnight wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:18: SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it? Dude, it was worth full price when it came out, and then buying again on Steam so that I don't have to dig up my CDs anymore, lol.

17.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:29

PHJF

I'm not worried about MY connection. EA is the last fucking company on the PLANET to get the benefit of the doubt. I'm fairly confident Valve isn't going to fuck with me when I buy a Steamworks game, which is why Steamworks is the only online DRM scheme I subscribe to.




Steam + PSN: PHJF

16.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:18

SirKnight

SimCity 4 Deluxe edition is $5 on steam right now. Worth it?

15.

Re: More Big Picture Details

Dec 22, 2012, 13:17

HorrorScope

jacobvandy wrote on Dec 22, 2012, 13:08: Having online features is fine. Having multiplayer is fine. But when that's ALL YOU HAVE, and the entire game's design revolves around it, the traditional offline, single-player qualities of the series suffer (if they're even left at all). That is why we don't like it. It does sound like it can be single player only, just that you still need to be online, thus back to the DRM phobia. I get that it's not ideal, but I really believe very few really struggle being online consistently.

14.

Re: Maxis: That's Rain on Your Leg

Dec 22, 2012, 13:14

Tanto Edge

Maxis? Who the fuck is that?
No Maxis here...

Love the GlassBox tech demo videos.
See how things happen in our game?
See them happening? They're happening! Watch as we give these things names! Do you care yet?
Watch as we show you a bunch of retarded cars driving the wrong way on our streets!
See our labeling animations? Those took hours.

Yeesh.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=705LEH3j2g0&t=0m24s

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