# Sim City 5 Announced! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 29, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346 "2012-02-29T14:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/21 "2012-03-08T07:27:04Z")
_sigh_ I hate multiplayer, I prefer to play with myself, I don’t want anyone mucking around while I’m embezzling the city’s funds. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/22 "2012-03-08T09:15:19Z")
I was hoping the CG trailer is showing the amount details that would go into the final game - that is, I want to zoom in and see football games, crazy scientists in their labs, CEOs in the boardroom and all that. Doesn’t matter if the quality in-game is not up to par in the CG, I just want that amount details! The world is long overdue for another SimCity game. I just hope they find a Goldilocks design between ‘simulation’ and ‘casual play’. I won’t want a game where I have to play a specific way to get a good city, as in SimCity 4 (start with light zones, don’t build too many schools etc.), but if I can just place stuff anywhere, like CityVille, it’s more of a glorified sandbox than anything else. Reading the features, it seems that you can place buildings or zones. Maybe they are giving us control. Perhaps you can plop down the Sims equivalent of Microsoft or Google in a city and start attracting high tech jobs (but of course, perhaps you need to unlock that through gameplay first). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/23 "2012-03-08T17:44:26Z")
I was expecting SimCity 5 to be more like an expansion of The Sims. (Not that I wanted that, mind you - just that I was expecting it.) (And is SimMars still in development or not? I was looking forward to a space exploration / planet colonizing sim that didn’t force you to compete with other factions, like Outpost and Alpha Centauri did.) BTW, the original wasn’t exactly a PC game; it first came out for the Mac (and pre-dates color Macs at that). ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/24 "2012-03-08T19:23:26Z")
Some more info at the [Official SimCity site](http://www.simcity.com/en_US/game/overview). It looks like you’ll be able to specialize your cities even further, creating not just an industrial city or bedroom community, but also a university town or casino resort. Whether multiplayer is required to do this or you can do it in single player (like the old regional play) is unclear. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/25 "2012-03-08T19:49:11Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > (And is SimMars still in development or not? I was looking forward to a space exploration / planet colonizing sim that didn’t force you to compete with other factions, like Outpost and Alpha Centauri did.) It was canceled along time ago. Some fans were trying to make the game on their own, but not much came of that. I hope disasters have more impact than they did in SC4 also 2 or 3 expansion packs would be nice. Not that any of this matters as I’m unlikely to get the game for a number of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/26 "2012-03-08T20:02:15Z")
According to Wiki Sim Mars was put on hold in May 2000 by Maxis, but amateur modders did create a mod. > [@](#): > > Some time around 2006, a small team of amateur modders started work on a mod for the Maxis city-builder SimCity 4, named “SimMars”. Inspired by the original game, the mod aimed to replace the original Maxis content with fan-made Martian architecture. The mod is currently in open beta, and was featured on the ModDB front page. The installer can be downloaded from ModDB, and requires either the SimCity 4 Rush Hour expansion or Deluxe Edition to run. [Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimMars) ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/27 "2012-03-28T22:09:12Z")
I played the shit out of SimCity 4 so I can’t wait to waste days on end building the greates megapolis ever. I don’t know what to think about this multiplayer stuff. CitiesXL tried it and it was such a failure they had to shut down the service and make the game totally single player. If it’s just connecting so some nebulous “economy” and having a Spore-like online community where you can check out other people’s cities and exchange shit, that’s fine. But I don’t want to have contests to see who can fill up a continent with urban sprawl the fastest. I just hope it doesn’t suck moose cock like Sim City Societies or Spore. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/28 "2012-10-04T15:21:44Z")
First new gameplay trailer is up. So far I pretty much live everything i’m seeing. Game looks beautiful too. [SimCity | Gameplay Strategy Video #1 - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLClUwAHGc&feature=player_embedded#)! ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/29 "2012-10-04T16:55:56Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > First new gameplay trailer is up. > > So far I pretty much live everything i’m seeing. Game looks beautiful too. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLClUwAHGc&feature=player\_embedded#](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWLClUwAHGc&feature=player_embedded#)! The calm quiet voice of Gamblor. Are they deliberately mocking American civic development ideas there? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/30 "2012-10-04T23:52:08Z")
Okay. That looks awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/31 "2012-10-16T23:53:40Z")
A new video on [disasters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1Ig6E2460V0). Even before this I preordered (I turn off disasters, actually) but this looks fun. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/32 "2012-10-17T00:15:16Z")
If it’s not at least as deep and flexible in city creation as Cities XL, it will be a failure in my eyes. If it fails at that and still succeeds financially, it will be confirmation that people will buy any peice of branded crap. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/33 "2012-10-17T04:06:44Z")
If I’m correct, it seems that city size will limited to the old “medium size” city from simcity 4 and the rail and highway connections between cities are already laid out and can’t be changed. Bwah?? Also, no terraforming. Double Bwah. That is idiotic. My favorite thing in Simcity 4 was laying down seven large blank cities in a hexagon and whipping up a sprawling megalopolis, with an arcing coastline cutting across two outside cities and the centre city, creating a giant bay. Now, impossible. If what I read is true. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/34 "2012-10-17T11:16:17Z")
No terraforming? I haven’t read anything about that, got a link? ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/35 "2012-10-17T18:50:21Z")
On one hand I think this looks really cool. But, I’m scared that it seems a bit dumbed down. Also, if what the above is true that it’s limited to old “medium” cities then I won’t be happy. I just wished Sim City 4 didn’t crash so often on my computer. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/36 "2012-10-17T18:58:20Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > No terraforming? I haven’t read anything about that, got a link? On [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCity_(2013_video_game)) it says: Terraforming – Creative Director Ocean Quigley stated that all of the terraforming in the game is going to be at the civil engineering scale, and will be the natural consequences of laying out roads, developing zones, and placing buildings. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/37 "2012-10-17T19:10:32Z")
☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/38 "2012-10-17T20:47:26Z")
Mod support will be added some time after launch. Perhaps they intend to enable user-created regions at some point? ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/39 "2012-10-18T02:01:51Z")
The passionate, long-term fans ask for chess and they are giving us checkers. We’re not their primary target. The “Oooohh! Shiny!!” masses are. Also, isn’t there some sort of Facebook version of the game in the works? I’ve read it suggested that THAT market is what they are REALLY after, and that the separate computer game version is derivative of the FB version of the game. Can’t remember where I read that, though. Hope I’m mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346/40 "2012-10-18T16:02:26Z")
No terraforming? Pre-existing rail and highway connections? Multiplayer? That freakin blows. The great thing about SimCity 4 was that you could create a massive megopolis “region” of interconnecting “cities” that were really neighborhoods, central business districts, industrial zones and rural farmlands. Why would I want to make my city sub exurb of some other jerks metropolis? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sim-city-5-announced/614346.md?page=3)