As you note, the servers issue may have simply been detracting from other, actually far deeper problems with the game.
This issue with the Sims not knowing how to get from A to B looks to be a fatal flaw all by itself.
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The New 2013 SimCity [Merged]
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As you note, the servers issue may have simply been detracting from other, actually far deeper problems with the game.
This issue with the Sims not knowing how to get from A to B looks to be a fatal flaw all by itself.
iJustine has posted on YouTube that she's been playing offline in sandbox mode since release. Isn't that kinda single player? Or is that not something easy to do?
Also, The Verge posted up that EA is reporting they have finished upgrading their SC servers, so things should be getting better.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/14/4103030/ea-finishes-simcity-server-upgrades/in/3867181
Also, The Verge posted up that EA is reporting they have finished upgrading their SC servers, so things should be getting better.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/14/4103030/ea-finishes-simcity-server-upgrades/in/3867181
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None of this will help if the game is fundamentally flawed; see my post above.
EA is not failing to disappoint, yet again.
Multi player is optional. You can either do sandbox, where all the buildings are unlocked, or you can play in a private region and control all cities yourself. But in both cases you have to be connected to the Internet.
rMBP Question and Current Performance Checkin
Works great on my 2010 iMac 2.4ghz with the Radeon 5870 on Windows XP SP3 Bootcamp. Maxed settings (except framerate is still at 30).
I'm considering a Macbook Pro Retina 13in but I am now worried I'll be letdown by the Intel HD4000 graphics card. The 15in has the GT 650M. Videocardbenchmark has this as a better performer than my current iMac (which is exciting). Am I correct in the assumption the 13in rMBP will be forced to run at the lowest levels for a clean performance? Any thoughts on other games through Steam? (the size of this Macbook sure is appealing).
Works great on my 2010 iMac 2.4ghz with the Radeon 5870 on Windows XP SP3 Bootcamp. Maxed settings (except framerate is still at 30).
I'm considering a Macbook Pro Retina 13in but I am now worried I'll be letdown by the Intel HD4000 graphics card. The 15in has the GT 650M. Videocardbenchmark has this as a better performer than my current iMac (which is exciting). Am I correct in the assumption the 13in rMBP will be forced to run at the lowest levels for a clean performance? Any thoughts on other games through Steam? (the size of this Macbook sure is appealing).
And that is absolutely absurd. Why the hell did EA/Maxis think that sandbox mode should also be online? The person who came up with that idea should be fired.
It allows them to fully control the inevitable DLC by locking out modders.
They are actually locking any posts about modding on the official forums, it's pretty sad.
I am completely miffed, that this game must be played online. BS.
Wondering if this version will be available for iPad. I'm thinking no.
Wondering if this version will be available for iPad. I'm thinking no.
I can't remember where I read it, it was either on Engadget, Joystiq or The Verge. Anyway, they said that the EA servers do absolutely nothing for processing the game itself, other than police cheaters and work the chat. So, EA doesn't have an excuse as to why there isn't a single player. These are just claims apparently.
Found the article: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/rumor-simcitys-servers-less-necessary-than-ea-claims/
Found the article: http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/12/rumor-simcitys-servers-less-necessary-than-ea-claims/
Wow, this is ridiculous. Do they even realize that it's partly because of the modding community that SC4 was such a success? I haven't played it in a while but a few years ago I was so addicted to SC4, I loved playing around with it and making realistic cities, and that would not have been possible without the modders. Hell, there are communities STILL cranking out mods for the game (and it's 10 years old!). I mean, EA were the ones who published the tool that allowed custom buildings, and eventually mods, to be added to the game!
It's really sad, because first EA came out with SimCity Societies, and that was a terrible game, so dumbed-down. Then another developer, Monte Cristo Games, came out with Cities XL and specifically asked for the SC4 modding community's help on designing a game that was similar to SC4 and not like SC Societies (because at that point, it looked like EA basically abandoned the game). And they had an online component, but it was optional. But it when it was released it was terrible. And now this.
You would think EA would have learned from their own and another company's mistakes, but I guess not. Between this and the disaster that was Spore (yeah it was a long time ago but a reddit post brought it back up), I'm glad I'm not giving them any more money.
That is true.
The EA servers only handle "saving in the cloud", cross-city (public) region interaction, and chatting. All the simulation runs locally. This is not hard to prove either by looking at the game binaries and data or debugging the game in RAM while it's running.
If you are disconnected from the internet after entering a city, the game continues to run normally for a period of up to 20 minutes (at which point you're booted from the game). This would not be possible if the game was running on EA's servers.
Someone had enabled a "debug mode" a while ago, which basically consisted of just that- debug code left behind by the developers to test out various functionality. The same individual also disabled the disconnect timer, allowing one to play offline indefinitely- however in doing so, other portions of the game got bugged (most notably, you couldn't bulldoze buildings). The simulation still ran locally.
Frankly, I wouldn't touch this game with a 40 foot pole right now. The path finding for sims is so horrendously broken and the actual core mechanics bear absolutely no resemblance to real life. For a city simulator, the game is a complete and utter joke. You will spend all your time "drawing" up your city and making it pretty, and that's about it- because the actual game falls flat on its face. It's basically MS paint with city tiles.
-SC
I could understand if there was an online requirement when playing competitively online. It's just that this game is not conducive to competitive play imho, so who gives a crap? Apparantly EA made the decision to exert control and make the player jump through hoops. I have no problem when I have to be online to play an online game, but for solo, I'm not buying it for the same reason I did not buy the new Diablo. Solo components of a game should have NO ONLINE requirement.
I'm not sure if this particular article has been posted or not, but...
EA Admits SimCity Could Have Run Offline
EA Admits SimCity Could Have Run Offline
Definitely no purchase by me. I have enjoyed City from the beginning, but I have no interest in building cities in collaboration with onliners. You lot are hopelessly bureaucratic and inefficient. Too much like real city builders 
I am more the solitary despot kind of builder of cities.
When it becomes available as a stand-alone game I will buy it.
I am more the solitary despot kind of builder of cities.
When it becomes available as a stand-alone game I will buy it.
In related news (most likely), the head of EA is stepping down!
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/18/ea...down-larry-probst-becomes-executive-chairman/
http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/18/ea...down-larry-probst-becomes-executive-chairman/
Definitely no purchase by me. I have enjoyed City from the beginning, but I have no interest in building cities in collaboration with onliners. You lot are hopelessly bureaucratic and inefficient. Too much like real city builders
I am more the solitary despot kind of builder of cities.
When it becomes available as a stand-alone game I will buy it.
Well, you can play alone. That's how I play. I have a private region in which I control all the cities. You still have to be online, of course, which is ********.
That said, don't buy it. There are fundamental problems with the simulation that probably will never get fixed. R, C, and I are no longer connected, pathfinding is terrible, plots are too small, etc.
I'll be interested to hear more of the back story on why he stepped down; if it's ever made known.
Even Single Player requires you to be connected online because EA would rather make sure they have squeezed every player for their money rather than risk piracy.
The reality is they just don't care about the paying customer's experience. They think the brand carries enough weight that you'll put up with their crap.
Which is why I would never use EA's Origin. I would rather a store or online retailer get 30% of the box cost instead of it all going to EA. It's also why I would never buy a game with an always connection requirement - period.
It's Steam, a box copy, or nothing for me. Screw EA and Screw Origin.
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if you are on a desktop like me what's the problem with being always online ? i don't seem to get it . of course it might be the first time that a game requires that and i don't like it but it's not a deal-breaker .
though it is a deal-breaker the fact that it is not going to be available on the app store . i don't buy stuff online and the only place i find familiar is the app store . i ve bought lion and mountain lion my only 2 online purchases .
so how does origin works ? you give your credit/prepaid card number in the software and you download , you download from a website ? how does it work? never used it .
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also iMac early 2009 , 2.93 GHz , 8gb ram , nvidia gt 120 256mb ram .
will it run ?
and when will it be available ?
thanks !
though it is a deal-breaker the fact that it is not going to be available on the app store . i don't buy stuff online and the only place i find familiar is the app store . i ve bought lion and mountain lion my only 2 online purchases .
so how does origin works ? you give your credit/prepaid card number in the software and you download , you download from a website ? how does it work? never used it .
----------
also iMac early 2009 , 2.93 GHz , 8gb ram , nvidia gt 120 256mb ram .
will it run ?
and when will it be available ?
thanks !
If I want to go and play the original Sim City from 1989, I can. If I want to play SimCity 2000, 3000 or 4, provided I have a computer that can run them, all I have to do is dig out the disks and off I go. What's the likelihood that the servers will still be around 5 years from now? how about 10 years? At some point EA is going to decide it's not worth their while keeping the servers running, and then I will never be able to play the game I have bought again.
I've already chimed in in a most negative way about the online requirment, however my impression is when EA gets ready to turn off their servers, they will most likely issue a patch allowing solo offline playing. But we'll have to wait and see.
Sorry, but this is a pipe dream.
EA will never release such a patch because it would require time and effort on their end to produce. If Simcity 2013 is a dead game, why would they invest any money into it at all to allow it to run offline?
If the entire franchise implodes and gets sold off, then there's going to be hundreds of legal issues and other assorted cruft surrounding the game, and no developer in their right mind would want to poke an old title like that.
At the same time, I hear Simcity 2013 was the tipping point for EA's recent firing of their CEO. Maybe there's still hope yet that they'll turn the game around, admit they were wrong, and actually patch the product into something everyone can buy and play however they want. But maybe that's just another pipe dream too.
-SC