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Sim City 5: an accomplishment, or a let down?

[GAME] Official Sim City MEGATHREAD (aka Sim City 5)

372K views 928 replies 105 participants last post by  Biscus 
G
#1 ·
Might as well be the first. I want to hear some brand new, original ideas for the next incarnation of simcity, which doesnt just limit to disasters, buildings and the like. Any techies with insights into how the game could be better developed would be greatly appreciated.

I just read something that would be a cool addition to the same basic power plants that have been used since the beginning: Solar ponds. Theyd have to be pretty big, maybe an eight by eight square, but from what ive read about them, they generate alot of power. For more information, go to http://www.cerm.utep.edu/solarpond/2epsp.html
 
#77 ·
Thanks for the comments guys.:) I think Sim City 5 will sort of, hopefully, be like my requests and everyone else's ideas. You see tons of forums out there with many Sim City 5 ideas from many gamers and I think Maxis really does get down to the core of their fans to see what they want. And in turn, they may try to take the ideas to heart to make a game that would be based on what we all want to see.

I bet you EA is working on Sim City 5 plans right now and are most likely looking through Sim City fan sites to get ideas. Sim City 4 was both a huge step forward and a step backward. They should take what they introduced in SC4 and 3000 and go back to old ideas that were left behind in 2000 (like the futuristic and historic buildings.) Pre-made cities...that is another thing I really wish they added in Sim City . Yeah, I guess towns of 12,000 people qualify, but that's not really a good model compared to a full grown city to give new gamers ideas.
 
#79 ·
Buildings and cities should be in 3D completely...

the fact that the Building Architect Tool is actually a 3d engine but makes a 2d graphic of the buildings is dull: create a wonderfull fast engine and make SC5 3d!

then besides that there should also be the possibility for users to create and really set all the parameters and values for that buildings they make:

AND share them in a even better building exchange then there is now. (buildings could be rated so good they instantaneously appear in a user's city when he switched on the " auto-update-exchange " in his copy of SC5).
 
#80 ·
Toadman said:
Yeah, it could sort of be like the old Streets of SimCity


That would be sweet. :)
 
#81 ·
SimCity 5 must include the following transport options:

Trams
Monorail
Ferries - already available in the new version of SimCity 4 I think..
Bus network that doesn't need bus stops which take up a whole tile!! Crikey!!
Roundabouts (British thing I know - but they do work!)

Also I want to be able to name everything!! Streets, districts, buildings, etc. Makes things more personal. :)
 
#86 ·
We've got round-abouts in Australia. Some country towns don't even have any traffic lights, just round-abouts.

Monorail and Ferries are both available with the Rush Hour Expansion.

But I think you should be able to connect you ground level rail to Elevated and subway. I find it stupid that you can only connect Subway and Elevated rail.
 
#87 ·
I think they should also give you the option of putting a highway underground, in a tunnel. I hate having my cities 'divided' by a huge highway. They should just have possible limits on the density that can be built above so it's realistic, and then have exits from the tunnel that take up 2 tiles.
 
#90 ·
Oh I forgot how lame I was!

Oh ahhaha! I forgot... I feel guilty because I barely bought simcity 4, yes I knoe I have been missing out, but I am keeping my dreamcast alive alright!..., but I am still playing sim city 3k... I'll submit my latest city with pix and stuff... hgope you guys like it.
 
#91 ·
Yeah.
I like the idea of an historical city that grows in time.

I'd build a medievel city and wall it.When the industrial revolution arrives I'd make the whole area historical so all new developement would occur outside the walls.

That brings me to another point.The historical button should be a drag and click option.It would be a pain in the arse clicking every building
 
#93 ·
heavyzakura334 said:
I think it would be so cool if the city you had could Host:
-The olympics
-The Workd Cup (Soccer)
or other things... that would be really cool though almost impossible -_-...
but hey, dare to dream right
Yeah, I totally agree. Aren't those things trademark or copyrighted though, Maxis would have to alter the names????
There should be scenarios like there was in SimCity 3000 Unlimited.
To predict what there'll be in SC5, take a look at teh differences between SC3000 & SC4. I think that this would give you a good idea. :cheers:
 
G
#94 ·
I have some ideas

hey there---i have 3 ideas ----

they are rushed sorry

1--disasters,have tidle waves,upgrade building destruction and fuk the ufo out

2--city,have a building artutect tool but have 1 that is easy to use

3--improve ya mam in bed mates but i mean th 1st 1

bye
 
#96 ·
I also think that some of the house of worships should look different.
 
G
#98 · (Edited)
Many things to discuss:

So far, excellent ideas!

I am overflowing with new ideas, as well:

Let me break them down into sections starting with Infrastructure and Zoning.

1) General
All infrastructure should be placed not only on a 2-dimensional grid as is the case now, but on a 3-dimensional one. This means that, in addition to defining the location of something North, S, E or W, you also define it by elevation. So, as someone has already pointed out, highways can be underground or at ground-level or above ground level. I suggest a 4-level scheme. This would allow you, for instance, to setup your downtown as such: Ground Level are city streets, sub level 1 are power lines, sub level 2 are highways, sub level 3 are subways and sub level 4 are pipes. These are net set in stone, you decide where you want things. For example, a subway can emerge from sub level 3 to sub level 1 and then go 2 levels ABOVE ground.

2) Subway and other Rail
To begin, let's use the destinction of Local Transit and Long-Distance transit instead of Subway and Elevated rail and ground rail etc. As discussed above, a subway could start underground then move to ground level then the elevated. Similarly, as in NY, the main rail lines start out at ground level and then move underground. So, there should be one tool for local-rail and one tool for distance-rail. Also, no two stations are alike. They vary in size depending on demand and number of tracks. Therefore, I think instead of a station object, there should be a platform object. You build one station building, and add platforms and tracks to it. Furthermore, trains don't just randomly choose tracks. We should be able to design lines and routes and name them. Check out the New York subway map . So how in Sim City? Start with the track tool and pick a level or sublevel. Lay your track and add platforms and stations at major intersections. Then select the Route tool. Click on a track, it becomes red. Want it to switch tracks and head downtown? then select an adjacent track that later heads into the city. Sim city adds a switch to the track and the line now follows that track. Trains will then follow that route, making stops whenever there is a platform connected with that track. Confused? OK, now you can add another line, that crosses UNDER your exsisting line. ALSO, you can make express and local lines, because trains only stop where there are platforms. Setup 4 tracks and the middle two are express, and only have platforms at major stops. Then you should be able to look at a transit map and see all your lines! Just like New York! Ha.. IM me at CMation201 on AIM if you are completely confused. I also think that what rail is elevated above ground level, you should be able to build directly on top of streets.

3) Busses, too, can have routes. Stops shouldn't take up an entire square, though. Instead, you select a part of a road and the bus stop tool will add little shelters on the sidewalks there. Then you can use the "Bus Terminal" building for a larger station. Oh, which reminds me, if a local transit train is underground, the subway station should be like a bus stop and only make a stairway on the sidewalk, rather than an entire square.

4) Highways and Roads
Someone pointed out that highways in either directions can be quasi-independant. So instead of laying highway in both directions at the same time, lay lanes individually. Same with roads. A road can be 1,2,3,4 lanes in either direction then. On ramps should then be nothing more than roads that merge onto Highways. Here: Lay a road (i.e. Main st.) at ground level that crosses under a highway at level +1. This highway is 2 lanes in each direction. Then lay another road that splits off Main st. and rises up to Level +1 and connects to the highway. Then you can add a lane to the highway at that point. Later, do the opposite, making that new lane an "exit only lane". Why? Because highways usually become congested when the go through big cities, but you don't always 4 lanes do you? Again IM me if I'm being unclear, or email me (CMation201@yahoo.de).

5) Power and Plumbing
You should consider laying power underground in cities. Also, what about a difference between Gas and Water pipes? Maybe that's just too rediculous, I dunno. I don't wanna go overboard.

6) Sea and Water
OK I suppose, with the exception of subs and flying boats (why not?) boats just stay at one level. But let us design or own ferry routes just as rail. Also, someone mentioned industry at sea, such as fishing. GREAT idea. Also, what about cruises... And I also liked older versions of sim city where seaports (and airports) were zones instead of objects. That way, you decide how large it is, and each seaport can be a little more unique.

7) Airports
Like I said, zone them. But maybe with the exception of terminals; setup 4 terminals in your zone for instance, and then you have a place to make subway stops or parking lots etc. Again probably too much detail... but just writing my thoughts down... forgive me

OK, so these were my thoughts on infrastructure. More to come on Zoning.

Love,
Clayton
 
G
#99 · (Edited)
More yet...

OK, Zones.

1) General
As with infrastructure, zoning should occur on many levels as well. This means, as one person pointed out, a building can have shops, bedrooms AND offices. How? Click down to sub level 1. Zone parking here. Ground level, zone Commercial-Shopping. Level +1, zone residential. Level +2 or +3, zone Commercial-Financial. The result: a high-rise that provides parking underneath, shops facing the street, second story apartments and then offices above that.

2)This leads me to my next point; Commercial zoning distinctions.
As someone brought up, there ought to be a difference between Shopping commercial and Office commercial.

3) Parking
Yes, parking should be zoned as well I think. In any major city I think you'll find most parking is underground. In a smaller city, above ground in parking garages. In smaller towns, ground level. You should also be able to make a parking fare for the city, much like you would taxes for other zones. As the city grows, so does the demand for parking (which can now be represented on the graph with the other demanded zones). Another last minute thought is about on-street parking. I think you ought to be able to designate streets as parking or No-parking streets. Thoughts?

4) Whoever said marriculure or whatever you call fishing is a friekin genious.

5) City-type
What if there was an option to catagorize your city? This would mean identifying your city as a town vs. a metropolis. Why? I guess to separate types of zones. You probably wouldn't see a big apartment building in a small villiage, nor a house in a big city. I guess what that would entail is simply limiting how densly populated a city can get. In my home town, every house legally must have 1 acre of land. In most cities, you're lucky with a 2-room apartment. Not a big deal though, I don't think.

Now about the region play:

1) I think we should be able to draw our own regions, mapping city size and whatnot. For some computers, the large cities are too large. For others with big bucks, even the largest cities availible now are not realistically large enough. So we should draw our own borders.

2) It would also make sense if we had the "God" tools availble to us from the region view. So we could carve valleys and make mountains without having to go into each city.

3) Lastly, the borders should be able to bend and curve. For instance, a river could be a city's border. (which reminds me I forgot to mention curved roads, too, in my last post.)
 
#100 ·
You have some very interesting ideas in your reply.

Most of them are taken care of by all the modding going on right now in Simtropolis.

The one thing that I havent seen in a mod is your 4 level proposal.Very sensible and realistic in my opinion.A great idea.

I would really like to sink alot of my suburban rail and highways below the surface and above or below the subway.The idea is makes so much sense.Ive played a few Japanese city simulation games that allow you to build different trainlines on different levels all through the city.This particular game,titled A5,allowed 10 different levels with 4 underground and 6 above.Which is about the same intensity of Tokyo,the cloesest city in the world in appearence to Corrisant(the city in Star Wars)
 
#101 ·
Canary Wharf said:
SimCity 5 must include the following transport options:

Trams
Monorail
Ferries - already available in the new version of SimCity 4 I think..
Bus network that doesn't need bus stops which take up a whole tile!! Crikey!!
Roundabouts (British thing I know - but they do work!)

Also I want to be able to name everything!! Streets, districts, buildings, etc. Makes things more personal. :)

In SimCity 4 Rush Hour are Ferries indeed already available.
Monorail is also available in Rush Hour....... it is also possible to name streets.

It would be nice in SC 5 if you could just walk through all the streets and look up to the giant skyscrapers :rock: :rock: :rock: ! And it would be perfect if you could also entrance most of the buildings (like the Empire State Building observation deck, but I don't think it is possible)
 
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