8 Images Showing How SimCity Has Grown

[DrStrangelove]

8 Images Showing How SimCity Has Grown

To start your week we're giving you a glimpse into the history of one of the greatest series of all time, SimCity.

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[oldtaku]

Or, in the case of the most recent entry, shrank drastically.

Two oh snaps up for the comment on the last slide.

 

[BrownGaijin]

The latest installment in the Sim City series, the simply named SimCity, delighted everyone.

Whaaa?

Well, actually, it delighted people who love seeing EA fail

Oh, I see what you did there...

Anywho, I played up to Sim City 2000, on account that my PC couldn't keep up with the demands afterwards, that and I began my passion for The Sims.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

It's kind of funny that SimCity got worse over time and more restricted.

You'd think that a god-game should get more expansive and more complex over time so it uses all of the current technology and turn up the scale to 11.

But then again the same thing happened and is still happening to the FPS genre.

 

[bdcjacko]

3000 was the best

 

[Canadamus Prime]

The first Sim City game I ever played was on a Mac Classic back when I was in Grade 4. Man, that was a looooong time ago.
Sim City 4 was hard as hell.

3000 was the best

I concur. I loved Sim City 3000.

 

[bdcjacko]

The first Sim City game I ever played was on a Mac Classic back when I was in Grade 4. Man, that was a looooong time ago.
Sim City 4 was hard as hell.

3000 was the best

I concur. I loved Sim City 3000.

I am playing 4 again, and it is a lot easier now that I am an adult. I have grown a city to 10,000 people with out using most than 50k of the starting 400k.

 

[Cowabungaa]

3000 was the best

If only for the soundtrack:

The thing that got me into jazz, Simcity 3000. Still have to hear a better Simcity OST.

I am playing 4 again, and it is a lot easier now that I am an adult. I have grown a city to 10,000 people with out using most than 50k of the starting 400k.

How the hell did you do that?! I always crapped out after maybe a couple thousand, micro-managing every individual thing to scrounge together a few dollars every month so I didn't end up in the red. Simcity 3000 was a cakewalk compared to that game.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

The first Sim City game I ever played was on a Mac Classic back when I was in Grade 4. Man, that was a looooong time ago.
Sim City 4 was hard as hell.

3000 was the best

I concur. I loved Sim City 3000.

I am playing 4 again, and it is a lot easier now that I am an adult. I have grown a city to 10,000 people with out using most than 50k of the starting 400k.

Well it certainly was a lot more complex than previous Sim Cities.

 

[bdcjacko]

The first Sim City game I ever played was on a Mac Classic back when I was in Grade 4. Man, that was a looooong time ago.
Sim City 4 was hard as hell.

3000 was the best

I concur. I loved Sim City 3000.

I am playing 4 again, and it is a lot easier now that I am an adult. I have grown a city to 10,000 people with out using most than 50k of the starting 400k.

Well it certainly was a lot more complex than previous Sim Cities.

This is true, and I used that complexity to my advantage.

 

[bdcjacko]

3000 was the best

If only for the soundtrack:

The thing that got me into jazz, Simcity 3000. Still have to hear a better Simcity OST.

I am playing 4 again, and it is a lot easier now that I am an adult. I have grown a city to 10,000 people with out using most than 50k of the starting 400k.

How the hell did you do that?! I always crapped out after maybe a couple thousand, micro-managing every individual thing to scrounge together a few dollars every month so I didn't end up in the red. Simcity 3000 was a cakewalk compared to that game.

The music is amazing.

As far as the keeping ahead money wise, I ran spreadsheets to see what is the most cost effective power plant, figured out a grid system to use water pipes the most effectively. Figured out streets always need zones on either side. I treat it like my job basically, and my job is accounting.

 

[blackrave]

Anyone else would like to see a mash-up between SimCity, The Sims and X-Com?
Hell, my perverted imagination even made possible to add visual novel elements to such game.
.
.
.
A man can dream.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The first four panels show growth in complexity, difficulty, mechanics and graphics (though I still prefer the charm of Sim City 3000's style to what followed). Good times.

The last four panels show EA's attempts at exploitation; ending in the disaster that was SimCity (2013).
A sad end to what was the forerunner of the City Building genre, and to any hope that Maxis retained any of their humanity, let alone autonomy.

Anyone else would like to see a mash-up between SimCity, The Sims and X-Com?
Hell, my perverted imagination even made possible to add visual novel elements to such game.
.
.
.
A man can dream.

The closest thing would be Dwarf Fortress.
Well, if it could lose the awful UI and confusing ASCII graphics.

So...basically the closest thing is Gnomoria...I'd say there's lots of work to there.

It would be cool to see a city builder that transitions into an X-COM like entity where your ability to plan around the needs of the social civilian life butts with the later need for military efficiency in repelling the threat.
A complex game to design, to be sure.

 

[schmulki]

Otoh, while yes, the last 4 slides showed a drastic decline, without the decline, I don't know if we'd have some other entries into that market by competitors trying to take over the giant gap Sim City left.

I mean I have about 60 hrs sunk into Prison Architect right now, which does an AMAZING job of scratching that itch, right down to the "oh god oh god" feel of trying to keep everything in balance without everything going to crap and a riot starting.....or, hitting save, starting a riot just for fun and to see how my guards can handle it, and then reloading the game to keep playing.

 

[TheMadDoctorsCat]

3000 was the best

Seriously?

I was about to make the following quip:

Definition of sincerity: "Thanks for reminding me that Sim City 2000 exists! I love that game!"

Definition of sarcasm: "Thanks for reminding me that Sim City 3000 exists! I love that game!"

But now I see there are people who actually, genuinely liked that game? Or am I misreading this and you actually did mean it sarcastically?

I got through about six hours of SC3 before giving up in disgust. Maybe if I'd have given it more of a chance I would've at least liked it in terms of the gameplay... maybe if it had told me ANYTHING I was doing right (I'm sure there must've been something, somewhere)... but I can only take so much abuse from animated characters.

I also remember it being horribly buggy - I installed it on my gaming PC (which could later play "Oblivion" on "high" settings at a fairly constant 50 fps) and the game would just stop and start like it was being played on a ten-year-old Windows 98 machine. It would crash to the desktop so frequently that it would be almost impossible to play. It was just a mess.

 

[Single Shot]

Anyone else would like to see a mash-up between SimCity, The Sims and X-Com?
Hell, my perverted imagination even made possible to add visual novel elements to such game.
.
.
.
A man can dream.

Have you heard of Rimworld? It's a society sim where you build a base with limited resources, and defend it from raiders.

Only in pre-alpha release at the moment to backers.

It's sort of a mix between Firefly and Dwarf Fortress.

I have lost so many hours to it in the last week it's not even funny anymore.

Anyway, I suggest you look it up.

http://rimworldgame.com/

EDIT: it's in pre-alpha, not beta. I'm thinking of the wrong kickstarter.

 

[blackrave]

Anyone else would like to see a mash-up between SimCity, The Sims and X-Com?
Hell, my perverted imagination even made possible to add visual novel elements to such game.
.
.
.
A man can dream.

Have you heard of Rimworld? It's a society sim where you build a base with limited resources, and defend it from raiders.

Only in pre-alpha release at the moment to backers.

It's sort of a mix between Firefly and Dwarf Fortress.

I have lost so many hours to it in the last week it's not even funny anymore.

Anyway, I suggest you look it up.

http://rimworldgame.com/

EDIT: it's in pre-alpha, not beta. I'm thinking of the wrong kickstarter.

Thank you, will check it out, because it seems like my cup of hot cocoa

 

[bdcjacko]

3000 was the best

Seriously?

I was about to make the following quip:

Definition of sincerity: "Thanks for reminding me that Sim City 2000 exists! I love that game!"

Definition of sarcasm: "Thanks for reminding me that Sim City 3000 exists! I love that game!"

But now I see there are people who actually, genuinely liked that game? Or am I misreading this and you actually did mean it sarcastically?

I got through about six hours of SC3 before giving up in disgust. Maybe if I'd have given it more of a chance I would've at least liked it in terms of the gameplay... maybe if it had told me ANYTHING I was doing right (I'm sure there must've been something, somewhere)... but I can only take so much abuse from animated characters.

I also remember it being horribly buggy - I installed it on my gaming PC (which could later play "Oblivion" on "high" settings at a fairly constant 50 fps) and the game would just stop and start like it was being played on a ten-year-old Windows 98 machine. It would crash to the desktop so frequently that it would be almost impossible to play. It was just a mess.

Completely serious, Sim City 3000 was my favorite of the series. And I am a bit of an old school Maxis fan boy. Loved Sim City, Sim Ant, Sim Earth and Sim Life. Sim Tower was ok and the Sims well that is complicated.