official SimCity (2013)

[PGHammer]

Sorry Pghammer, you're on the wrong side of that one.. I'm also seeing some fun issues with my playmates water supplies (I'm having to buy some water/sewerage) randomly going offline.. Always awesome because it completely ****s me -_-

I'm on the wrong side of PUBLIC OPINION; however, based on my digging and due dilligence - and the same data that all of you are contributing in your posts - I have a lot better understanding of the real issues behind the bungled launch.

I'm not saying that EA didn't bungle the launch; not even EA is saying that! However, due to my previous experience with databases (and that I didn't let myself get all wrapped up into rage-fuelled emotion - which does NOT permit an objective autopsy into such a massive failure) I was able to look at the issue objectively and pin down not only why the failure happened, but why the steps EA is taking to solve it are actually working.

[Pupik]

Traffic simulated on servers too. When I tried to play on a US server from Europe, I noticed that when the pick up trucks dropped their content to their destination (a power plant or a trading port), the confirmation about the receiving of the good weren't applied when the truck actually dropped it's load, but a few seconds after when the truck was already on the road to the next destination. Guessing that's the result of the server lag, as I didn't noticed that when playing on European servers.

[spaceelf]

Well I found my first major glitch...two processor factories, got an electronics hq down, trade hq down, trade port, killed my trade market cause I didn't know what I was doing obviously, the trade port (with shipyard) wasn't doing anything even for freight, added a trade market again and my processor factories no longer send anything anywhere. I don't have the cash to see if rebuilding the factory trucks would fix it so :p :)

The end.

[Pupik]

^ Take a loan if you don't have the cash to build something.

[Depicus]

You went right PAST my comment about extra computational power - instead, you are all het up on DRM.

Look at Amazon EC2 and what their PRIMARY reason for being is - on-demand cloud-based computational power. EC2 is basically the FOSS version of Microsoft's own Azure Services.

It is Amazon (via EC2) that is supplying the extra servers (and computational oomph) to EA.

Simulating a background marketplace (which is included in the Sandbox mode) locally is NOT a small task; doing so for just a single three-city region would bog down an i7 - let alone an i5 -turning the game into a hyperniche game (and that is with NO online at all). Do you want an unplayable game?

Wow I did not know Amazon had suddenly invented a supercomputer that you can rent for peanuts. Lets look at some basic common sense:

At the cost of $60 I would suspect about $10 of that, possibly less, would be set aside for infrastructure costs. Now lets say the servers remain on for a very conservative 3 years, or 5, then are you saying EA have managed to buy more computing power than an i5 for $0.17 per month. If so then I am sure there are many companies that would jump on those prices.

Now I have seen estimates of 500,000 pre sales so are EA really paying for 500,000 supercomputers that are more powerful than an i5 ? No

I can understand why EA made it depend on online and everything has to do with DRM and piracy prevention. In single player there is no logical reason to need an online connection. I would think that some info is kept online to stop people just bypassing the DRM check but again from what I am read it's simply JSON records passed backwards and forwards.

For anybody to say they cannot compute locally is pure rubbish, indeed the overheads for the network connection are probably more than what is computed on their servers.

[spaceelf]

^ Take a loan if you don't have the cash to build something.

I'm sure that would've worked fantastically if I hadn't already had three of them, since I was screwing around. At any rate, I did finally build another delivery truck and it still wasn't doing anything, so definitely a glitch.

[articuno1au]

I'm on the wrong side of PUBLIC OPINION; however, based on my digging and due dilligence - and the same data that all of you are contributing in your posts - I have a lot better understanding of the real issues behind the bungled launch.

I'm not saying that EA didn't bungle the launch; not even EA is saying that! However, due to my previous experience with databases (and that I didn't let myself get all wrapped up into rage-fuelled emotion - which does NOT permit an objective autopsy into such a massive failure) I was able to look at the issue objectively and pin down not only why the failure happened, but why the steps EA is taking to solve it are actually working.

You have no idea of what's going on behind the interface EA are presenting to the clients. You have no requirement such as to have "due" diligence, and you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

The servers merely pass information back and forward between clients and do calculations for available resources (which happen on a 5 minute timer btw). The computational requirements per region are negligible and could easily be handled by the average desktop machines many thousands of times over. I can't say that I know the resource is JSON, but that's the approach I'd take.

Also, congratulations on arbitrarily appointing yourself as an expert on bugled launches..

[neo1911]

^^ That is why I assumed this to be not DRM issue at first to support EA/Maxis apologists.

Even then their argument of server side computations does not hold any ground.

This whole fiasco has only DRM at its root.

Want to buy this game very badly. But not in its current state even for $27. They dont require that much computational power at backend otherwise they wouldn't have afforded to sell the game at the above price on Indian Origin store.

[articuno1au]

That and a failure to properly calculate the number of users their service was going to see..

The stupid thing is they had pre-order numbers, and couldn't even meet them..

Even more impressive is that they failed to release the pre-order CD keys to their auth servers, to enable pre-load (and indeed some people couldn't start loading until 3 hours AFTER release) and failure to auth DLC correctly.

All of those are DRM issues as well.

[HawkMan]

Wow I did not know Amazon had suddenly invented a supercomputer that you can rent for peanuts. Lets look at some basic common sense:

At the cost of $60 I would suspect about $10 of that, possibly less, would be set aside for infrastructure costs. Now lets say the servers remain on for a very conservative 3 years, or 5, then are you saying EA have managed to buy more computing power than an i5 for $0.17 per month. If so then I am sure there are many companies that would jump on those prices.

Now I have seen estimates of 500,000 pre sales so are EA really paying for 500,000 supercomputers that are more powerful than an i5 ? No

I can understand why EA made it depend on online and everything has to do with DRM and piracy prevention. In single player there is no logical reason to need an online connection. I would think that some info is kept online to stop people just bypassing the DRM check but again from what I am read it's simply JSON records passed backwards and forwards.

For anybody to say they cannot compute locally is pure rubbish, indeed the overheads for the network connection are probably more than what is computed on their servers.

The game has old a lot more than those pre orders, it also sold out the digital downloads and physical copies at amazon, ans the digital copies at nearly every other place I saw.

All of those are DRM issues as well.

No, they're not.

[TheLegendOfMart]

You have no idea of what's going on behind the interface EA are presenting to the clients. You have no requirement such as to have "due" diligence, and you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

The servers merely pass information back and forward between clients and do calculations for available resources (which happen on a 5 minute timer btw). The computational requirements per region are negligible and could easily be handled by the average desktop machines many thousands of times over. I can't say that I know the resource is JSON, but that's the approach I'd take.

Also, congratulations on arbitrarily appointing yourself as an expert on bugled launches..

Welcome to Neowin, I could list more people than I can count on fingers of my hands that have the arrogant, know it all attitude who talk down at people thinking they are better than you, its really getting tiresome to the point I am starting to go on other forums. I hate insufferable know it alls.

[articuno1au]

How do you figure failing to authorise content on their service isn't a DRM issue.

The point of content authorisation services is to restrict access to people who bought it.. /le what?

[neo1911]

No, they're not.

Yes they are. Come on mate!

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

So apparently the DRM in Sim City has already been broken, as it turns out (i.e. as everybody has been saying) there's no actual server side computation done, all it handles is saving the game (Which is done client side and uploaded to the server) and stuff like air pollution (Which is faked by EA anyway)

[HawkMan]

How do you figure failing to authorise content on their service isn't a DRM issue.

The point of content authorisation services is to restrict access to people who bought it.. /le what?

Because what you're talking about there is the delivery system not the drm system. It's as logical as saying it's a drm problem when your local store don't together your game because the delivery truck is late, their cash register system is down or they lost the key to the storeroom.

[neo1911]

The pirates have won.

It's on the bay.

[joker999]

Post from NZgames (uTired2)

Played in the beta and have been watching the streams for the last few days, decided to buy it despite all the problems. The gameplay itself looks pretty fun, despite all the server issues and the many bugs in the program.

If you are thinking of buying it, you can get it super cheap and quick from the Indian origin store, cost me $34.26 (NZD), got confirmation email and am now downloading in the Origin client within minutes of purchasing.

Instructions here:

Simcity Cheap - Reddit

Oh, if you don't want to play Simcity, then do what I did, downloaded Tropico 4 from Steam last night, on special for $10 for the next week, includes all the DLC. Fun wee game.

I got it as well :)

[neo1911]

You should get the code on email which can be redeemed using existing origin account.

Try logging in at the time of checkout.

PS : The crack was fake.

[joker999]

did you have to make a new origin account or use your existing one?

I use my existing account after I checkout.

[joker999]

I read other site

If you already have an Origin account, will this work?

I logged into my account when I bought mine, still all went through fine.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=2068599&p=44

[Pupik]

The pirates have won.

It's on the bay.

The **** are you talking about? It's just some kid that uploaded the game's directory that you can't do anything with, unless you have a valid account. skidrow doesn't release their **** on p2p and nothing was pred from them related to this game.

[.Markus]

Bought the game from the Indian Origin store as well finally. Had no interest splashing out EUR70 on a game that I won't have time to play that much anyways.

Currently at processing a large file... :)

[neo1911]

The **** are you talking about? It's just some kid that uploaded the game's directory that you can't do anything with, unless you have a valid account. skidrow doesn't release their **** on p2p and nothing was pred from them related to this game.

I already mentioned it was fake.

[Pupik]

I already mentioned it was fake.

You mentioned that the crack was fake. There was no crack. I commented on him saying that the pirates has won, because the game is on pb.

[HawkMan]

Well if anyone wants to play on the same server/region, I'll make one on the West Europe 1 server, called New Windonia. my Origin name is HawkMan79