SimCity (2013) seems very complicated!

[Elliot B.]

I got a good deal on this game yesterday, so I bought, downloaded and ran it.

 

I have finished the tutorial and I already feel like this game is going to be complicated. I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data the game displays in all the various screens and that's only from what I could glimpse from the tutorial!

 

Is it worth pursuing? (I don't mind skipping it, it only cost ?7)

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Nah, it's not complicated, it's broken.

The trick to all the data displays is to remember that they're basically meaningless. Basically just don't have residential/commercial next to industrial stuff and put water pumps as far away from industrial and garbage as possible. Planting trees clears up ground pollution too.

Not sure how AI pathing is these days (That's important to schools, public transport, police, etc.), last time I played it was basically non-existent. If it works then just put near high value stuff, people like schools, hospitals, etc.

[MikeChipshop Member]

I've not played it yet (due all the outcry, bad reviews etc) however a good friend of mine was disappointed by it claiming it was far to simplistic compared to 4.

 

I'm not sure what to believe now!

[spaceelf]

Schools and services will enhance local land value, but to really keep a cash flow it's good to mine stuff from your city or stuff like that.  And you need to be sure traffic isn't getting jammed up and so on.

 

The game can be fairly time heavy, but it's not that complicated overall.

[spaceelf]

it's broken

Hasn't been in a long time.

[HawkMan]

Nah, it's not complicated, it's broken.

The trick to all the data displays is to remember that they're basically meaningless. Basically just don't have residential/commercial next to industrial stuff and put water pumps as far away from industrial and garbage as possible. Planting trees clears up ground pollution too.

Not sure how AI pathing is these days (That's important to schools, public transport, police, etc.), last time I played it was basically non-existent. If it works then just put near high value stuff, people like schools, hospitals, etc.

 

Well most of that isn't true.

 

firstly it's not broken, it had some issues at launch but was perfectly playable. But that was a LONG time ago and it's almost a different game now. but even then the data wasn't meaningless, sure your strategy will work if you just want a basic functioning city. But if you want to truly expand and build and optimize, especially if you want to focus the city or rather "burrough"(I think that's the term Americans use) Then you need to pay attention to all or at least some of those numbers(depending on the specialization you're going for) 

 

other than that, you basically descibe how to play Sim City since the very original first game, it's how it works. but again it can get a lot more complicated than that. 

[spaceelf]

burrough?  I've only heard of that being used in New York heh.

[neufuse Veteran]

burrough?  I've only heard of that being used in New York heh.

 

Where I live in western pennsylvania (a town of about 40,000) we have a borough and townships all the same town in the end just political divides 

[MikeChipshop Member]

burrough?  I've only heard of that being used in New York heh.

 

London is also divided in to 'Boroughs'

[PGHammer]

Well most of that isn't true.

 

firstly it's not broken, it had some issues at launch but was perfectly playable. But that was a LONG time ago and it's almost a different game now. but even then the data wasn't meaningless, sure your strategy will work if you just want a basic functioning city. But if you want to truly expand and build and optimize, especially if you want to focus the city or rather "burrough"(I think that's the term Americans use) Then you need to pay attention to all or at least some of those numbers(depending on the specialization you're going for) 

 

other than that, you basically descibe how to play Sim City since the very original first game, it's how it works. but again it can get a lot more complicated than that. 

"Borough" is the correct term - London (both in the UK and Ontario province in Canada) has them, as does New York City. New York City's boroughs (with the exception of Kings) were once separate cities (Kings was a full county before becoming a borough).  You start as the equivalent of a borough president (or county executive).  You can have a whole region to your lonesome - with up to eight counties/boroughs to manage.  Still, that is asking for trouble - no mayor - not even Jim DiBlassio (the current mayor of New York City) would want the headaches of trying to manage all five boroughs of NYC without a net.  (And he doesn't - the Office of the Mayor of New York handles central/citywide stuff - items restricted to a single borough are handled at the Borough Hall level, by the Borough President (equivalent to a county executive or city mayor). Look up the Borough Hall administration for any of New York City's boroughs - or any of London's boroughs, for that matter.  Remember - you don't really have ANY of that - it all lands on YOUR desk.)

 

I have played, and own, in fact, every version of Sim City except the first one - this one is the first one that really puts my brain to real work.  I also get a real appreciation of exactly how tough a small-town mayor actually has it.  (Small towns - especially small INCORPORATED towns that have a full compliment of services, can be a GPB to run - why do you think Stockton, California went broke?  You think running a SimCity city/borough is hard?  Read the notes of the first mayor of Stockton since it filed Chapter 9.  (She was interviewed - extensively - by CNN;  she also refused to stand for re-election.)

[sundayx Veteran]

Once you get the hang of it it's not hard, but it's not easy if you set objectives for yourself.

[Matthew S.]

I got a good deal on this game yesterday, so I bought, downloaded and ran it.

 

I have finished the tutorial and I already feel like this game is going to be complicated. I felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of data the game displays in all the various screens and that's only from what I could glimpse from the tutorial!

 

Is it worth pursuing? (I don't mind skipping it, it only cost ?7)

Sure you didn't pick up the wrong game? Simcity 5 (I don't consider sim city societies a true sim city title) is not where near complicated 

[Elliot B.]

Sure you didn't pick up the wrong game? Simcity 5 (I don't consider sim city societies a true sim city title) is not where near complicated

Smart answer, well done :)

[Matthew S.]

I'm just stating a fact, I don't even have to try, actually i don't try and I still have a successful city and never look at any of this additional data besides where the pollution is and where my ores/oils/water tables are.

[Zoom7000]

I miss the good old days of Theme Park and Theme Hospital! Nowhere near as complicated, but just so much more fun! I couldn't really get in to Sim City.

[HawkMan]

I'm just stating a fact, I don't even have to try, actually i don't try and I still have a successful city and never look at any of this additional data besides where the pollution is and where my ores/oils/water tables are.

 

What's you measure of a successfull city ? I suspect you might mean a working city.

[MikeChipshop Member]

I'm just stating a fact,

 

That applies to yourself.

 

I can see how the new SimCity could appear complicated to someone who maybe hasn't played a prior title.

 

The SimCity is indeed less complicated than previous editions, however to new players it may seem like a lot of data at once.

[Elliot B.]

I miss the good old days of Theme Park and Theme Hospital! Nowhere near as complicated, but just so much more fun! I couldn't really get in to Sim City.

I've recently been re-playing RollerCoaster Tycoon. What a fantastic game.

 

Though it and RCT2 are rather unstable in Windows 7 and above, unfortunately :(

[MikeChipshop Member]

I've recently been re-playing RollerCoaster Tycoon. What a fantastic game.

 

Though it and RCT2 are rather unstable in Windows 7 and above, unfortunately :(

 

Ah man, that was such a great game.

[HawkMan]

That applies to yourself.

 

I can see how the new SimCity could appear complicated to someone who maybe hasn't played a prior title.

 

The SimCity is indeed less complicated than previous editions, however to new players it may seem like a lot of data at once.

 

It's not less complicated than previous titles. it is in fact more complicated. Again, if you just want to make a single simple decently working multi purpose city then it's about equal to the old cities. 

 

but if you want to optimize the city and get it as big as possible and optimize income and production and population. then it's in fact quite a bit more complicated and all those stats become very important. 

[red.]

Things like the traffic management is much less complicated than in Simcity 4 Rush Hour. No more one way streets, toll booths or even highways unless you use mods.

[Draconian Guppy]

Things like the traffic management is much less complicated than in Simcity 4 Rush Hour. No more one way streets, toll booths or even highways unless you use mods.

Really? That was the fun part for me! traffic managing, commute times, etc.

[HawkMan]

Things like the traffic management is much less complicated than in Simcity 4 Rush Hour. No more one way streets, toll booths or even highways unless you use mods.

 

that's sorta true, but it's also one single element of a very massive game. 

 

however you can do a lot yourself to make traffic more efficient. I've made cities that are basically concentric circles of roads with one fairly large roundabout at the center connected by 4 bridge roads to the next circle, and probably 8 form that to the next. 

 

This basically allowed me to almost have zero issues with traffic clogging up, even in the early days before the traffic patches. There's also the less elegant only right turns and straight option, but it doesn't work as well, doesn't look as good and can be a real bitch to do. but you can do square cities with that.. But I find the circle cities looks a lot cooler, more futuristic to :)

[TDT]

I would recommend Tropico 5, much more fun than SimCity, even if they're a little different. :)

[Draconian Guppy]

that's sorta true, but it's also one single element of a very massive game. 

 

however you can do a lot yourself to make traffic more efficient. I've made cities that are basically concentric circles of roads with one fairly large roundabout at the center connected by 4 bridge roads to the next circle, and probably 8 form that to the next. 

 

This basically allowed me to almost have zero issues with traffic clogging up, even in the early days before the traffic patches. There's also the less elegant only right turns and straight option, but it doesn't work as well, doesn't look as good and can be a real bitch to do. but you can do square cities with that.. But I find the circle cities looks a lot cooler, more futuristic to :)

like this ? 

 

I would recommend Tropico 5, much more fun than SimCity, even if they're a little different. :)

does tropico have traffic?