SimCity 5 Disappointment-All

I got a beta key this morning, but won't have a chance to use it. So - if anyone wants in:

A64L-ZH3B-2GLQ-CJ8P-UEQ3

I played through the beta twice this morning. I'm really impressed. My biggest problem is the nature of the beta, which limits the player to an hour and limits a lot of the build options. I want to slow things down and build a couple cities and try to get them working together. I think the regions could work out well. Getting different cities to work together adds another layer of planning. The game looks great and the interface is intuitive. I was able to greatly improve the success of my city from the first attempt to the second. Really looking forward to this now. I'm almost tempted to get the deluxe addition, but couldn't pass up the $20 credit from amazon amazon for buying the physical copy of the basic game.

billt721 wrote:

I got a beta key this morning, but won't have a chance to use it. So - if anyone wants in:

A64L-ZH3B-2GLQ-CJ8P-UEQ3

Thanks!

So, how is the beta so far for everyone who got in?

Given that the "weekend" beta ended at 6am PST on a Sunday, it didn't go nearly as well as I'd hoped. I did manage to play the tutorial yesterday. It was an ok intro but I didn't get enough time to form an actual opinion.

Manach wrote:

So, how is the beta so far for everyone who got in?

A few more impressions to add to the ones above:

1. The beta was to show some of the new systems and interface and not replicate the actual experience of playing the full game. You could only build in one city (as opposed to the multiple cities in a region), so your city was a combination of commercial, residential, and industrial and it filled up quickly. You can tell from the beta that the relationship between the cities is going to be essential. Since it was limited to an hour, a lot of the planning wasn't necessary. You could slap down zones where ever and it didn't matter because they wouldn't develop enough for the big problems (pollution, crime, etc) to really create an impact. Money wasn't an issue because you didn't have to plan past an hour, so I would just take out all the loans I could. Also, a lot of the buildings and transportation options were not accessible.

2. I really like the new interface and the need to connect everything to roads. It appears they are taking away the stuff that was overly complex without sacrificing the need for strategy and good planning. Feels similar to the jump between Civ 4 and Civ 5. That's not to say the complexity isn't there. I started messing with all the different information filters and it was impressive. They aren't just graphs, they are overlays placed on the city. So I wanted to see what zones might jump up in density, I clicks the button and the city map goes white and bar graph info shoots to the sky for each zone, color codes and height indicating how close they are to improving. There were at least 20 different filters. Plenty to dig deep into if you want to min-max, but not necessary to just enjoy the game.

3. Obviously, much of my impressions are based on speculation, but after the beta, I'm super excited. Just re-installed SimCity 4. I can understand people's concern about the need to be online all the time. It's not something I like, but it's also not something that's a deal breaker for me. I do have a few concerns. The first is that your zone density is based on the road connected to it. You can upgrade your roads, but I still think that will take some time to get used to. Also, in the beta you couldn't see how far back each zone would go. You would just see a small color strip next to the road. I believe that is not the case in the final game, based on the gameplay videos shown, but if it is that will be a huge pain. Obsessive types will get frustrated because you can't fill in every little piece of real estate. No plopping in blocks of trees or park to fill in gaps.

Hmmm. That road density thing will help create park-like residential areas in the midst of a city (as is common in some older cities), or keeping some areas light industrial as a more dense area surrounds it, stuff like that. Very cool idea.

Oh man, oh man.....sometimes I love internet diction. Check out this comment from the Maxis forums:

What amuses me even more is the fact that this business model they have for Sim City is destined to fail.

Just like what EA did to Bioware and The Old Republic, only on a much smaller scale.

Its a failboat, in this case Simtanic. Servers going down in a year like all other games with an EA stamp

I've got my pre-order in via amazon. Maybe there'll be an open beta as well?

So, mostly in the middle for opinions as I can see. Anti-DRM (Always Online)/Small city VS hype for a new city builder from Maxis?

Well, I am now used to a "Sim" games to have DLCs, and gimmick to trick me into give them money.

Guess I'll wait for an official demo. (Not without an hour limit)

And Anno 2070 is doing that job already. Always on DRM, not too shabby I guess. Got DLCs available as well. And was surprise by it, I'm tempted to buy the dlcs now.

I know I'm a fool, and I'll eventualy buy SimCity5, heck , I bought Simcity1 two times, bought Simcity2 two times and Simcity4 three times (And those are only on PC, as I bought as well for SNES and iOS recently). But this, so far doesn't look like a day-one purchase for for me. :S

Anno doesn't have always on DRM. It requires an internet connection to authenticate the first time and an online connection for the meta game portions, but you can play offline and while playing it doesn't require a constant connection. So, there's that.

Keithustus wrote:

Oh man, oh man.....sometimes I love internet diction. Check out this comment from the Maxis forums:

*snip*

In the list of things that annoy me behind DRM is people who argue against DRM badly. Sure, someone might be upset about the topic, but sit back and think for a minute before you start hammering your rage into the keyboard.

Manach wrote:

I bought Simcity1 two times, bought Simcity2 two times and Simcity4 three times (And those are only on PC, as I bought as well for SNES and iOS recently).

You're doing it wrong man! How dare you actually buy games on PC? And multiple times too! Didn't you know you are horrible pirate that is supposed to steal games?!

This thread might break the record for repeated "I'm not going to buy the game and here is why!" posts.

TheGameguru wrote:

This thread might break the record for repeated "I'm not going to buy the game and here is why!" posts.

I'm not buying the game because of this. :p

Still going to buy it.

TheGameguru wrote:

This thread might break the record for repeated "I'm not going to buy the game and here is why!" posts.

I can't wait to buy it. My issue right now is if I want to pony up for the deluxe edition.

I went back to Simcity 4 last night. I haven't played it in a few years at least. After playing the beta, it felt so antiquated. It's still a good game, but the interface and laying down zones was such a pain. I'll still be playing it until the new one though.

I just got a beta code from Amazon for the expired beta as a pre-order bonus. Thanks Amazon.

TheGameguru wrote:

This thread might break the record for repeated "I'm not going to buy the game and here is why!" posts.

Well I'm not buying this game and here is why, spoon. You can have super heroes in this game but you can't make them scream SPOOOOOOOON. F this game.

I'm not going to buy this game because I'm going to buy this game.

GameGuru, are you going to buy SimCity?

Scratched wrote:

GameGuru, are you going to buy SimCity?

And if not, why?

Scratched wrote:

GameGuru, are you going to buy SimCity?

I buy most everything..so yes.

dejanzie wrote:
Scratched wrote:

GameGuru, are you going to buy SimCity?

And if not, why?

lol.. I'm pretty sure no one gives a rats ass what I buy or don't buy.

TheGameguru wrote:

lol.. I'm pretty sure no one gives a rats ass what I buy or don't buy.

Shouldn't you?

I decided to cancel my pre-order. I can't justify paying full price for the game with my current pile.

Wow. This thread died faster than a Mayfly.

MoonDragon wrote:

Wow. This thread died faster than a Mayfly.

I suspect it will pick up soon

Thanks for your thoughts, Mogg. I am interested in the game, but really quite wary of the DRM.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Well I'm not buying this game and here is why, spoon. You can have super heroes in this game but you can't make them scream SPOOOOOOOON. F this game.

IUMogg wrote:
MoonDragon wrote:

Wow. This thread died faster than a Mayfly.

I suspect it will pick up spoon

ftfy