SimCity: also a disaster on *game* level...

[Callate]

Yes, because we need another thread about SimCity.

I have the good fortune to not be a player of SimCity, a position which affords me the ability to look on at the unfolding horrorshow regarding bad networking decisions and worse PR decisions to provide cover for same with more amusement than outrage.

But I happened upon this: [link]http://bgr.com/2013/03/13/simcity-pr-nightmare-analysis-372284/[/link], which did a nice job enlightening me about how terrible decisions were made on a game level as well. (For the TLR crowd, the article essentially mentions how bad pathfinding and some regrettable decisions about "people" in SimCity not having specific houses or jobs leads to a need to use peculiar and counterintuitve city designs if one wants traffic to flow efficiently.)

Wow. Just... wow. It's starting to look as though they've flubbed nearly everything they advertised as a "feature", from the interconnection of multiplayer city-spaces to the "realistic" individual people inhabiting the SimCities. Is there no one in the works with the ability to pull the emergency brake on bad ideas any more?

 

[BoogieManFL]

Pathfinding for traffic/jobs was the main failing point of what I believe is the best of the series, Sim City 4. Unless you put down public transportation in ridiculously high densities commute time almost always seems to be a problem. Building and planning virtually everything ahead is the best (but least fun) way to play it. I'm not surprised they failed to fix those sorts of issues.

I knew they were making bad calls the moment I loaded up the beta and saw how comparatively downright tiny the buildable area is compared to the previous game.


This industry need for one size fits all has to go. Chopping your game off at the knees so it'll run on shit PCs is just idiotic. Make OPTIONS for area size - don't force it on everyone.

 

[Dryk]

This industry need for one size fits all has to go. Chopping your game off at the knees so it'll run on shit PCs is just idiotic. Make OPTIONS for area size - don't force it on everyone.

At this rate we'll be seeing the high settings cut out in some games just in case someone's dad tries to use them and it makes it chug

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

I have a strong suspicion a lot of the game was rushed, with "placeholder" calculations being left in for the time being until patched, smaller city sizes, even the fact that the calculations are (as have now been demonstrated) client rather than server-side, in order to get it out on shelves before the financial year.

I have a feeling that may turn out to have been a monumentally stupid decision.

 

[veloper]

Thanks again for another warning.
SC was already steep decline when SC Societies happenend, so I'll just stick with SimCity 4.

 

[GonvilleBromhead]

I have a strong suspicion a lot of the game was rushed, with "placeholder" calculations being left in for the time being until patched, smaller city sizes, even the fact that the calculations are (as have now been demonstrated) client rather than server-side, in order to get it out on shelves before the financial year.

I have a feeling that may turn out to have been a monumentally stupid decision.

its started to drop their share price apparently. lots of pissed off customers tend to make shareholders nervous

Yep. And some legitimate investment advice websites are advocating short selling EA stock in advance of the yearly report.