SimCity (2013)

SimCity (2013) is a reboot of the SimCity series, developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was confirmed at GDC 2012 for February 2013 release date (Later changed to March 5, 2013).

The game will bring back the zoning feature, as well as new multiplayer mode where a group of cities work together or compete in an online region. Curved roads also make their first appearance into the franchise. SimCity began development in the Spring of 2009.

Gameplay
Logo of SimCityAdded by Ccrogers15A new feature is that non-renewable resources are finite, so if a player uses up their resources too quickly, their economy may collapse. However, players can trade resources with other players online. In the demo shown at E3, a mayor from Stoneslow was able to pipe electricity into Taylor City.

Every individual Sim has their own job, personality, education, life expectancy, etc.

The design of the buildings is also customizable, as well as detailed traffic simulation, with cars lit up at night. Roads can be placed in different ways, such as straight, square, arched, freeform (curvy), and circular.

There is no re-shaping of land in this game. In addition, the environmental consequences of running a city will be explored in this game, focusing on global warming and other environmental issues.

Like other aspects of the game, crime is also more detailed. When a Sim commits arson, the player will hear a gasoline being poured and a match being lit, as well as panicked Sims running from the building, some of them on fire.

One unit's behavior, such as moving into a new home and blocking the street with a moving van, could ripple out and cause a traffic jam, that in turn delays the response time of a fire truck attempting to put out a fire, which results in a swath of your city burning. See the video section below for an inside look at the GlassBox engine.

There is also the option for the city to have a super-hero and a super-villain in the Limited Edition version.

The ability to summon disasters will return. The disasters currently confirmed include meteor showers, earthquakes, tornadoes, UFOs, zombies, and fire.

Regional play areas that allow co-operative players to collaborate and create Great Works Areas. These can benefit the region, such as bringing in more tourists and allowing the purchase of solar power at a reduced cost.

The feature of zoning Residential, Commercial, and Industrial zones return, however players will no longer be able to zone in different densities. Densities will now be based on road sizes and traffic around the location of the zoned area.

Online multiplayer features regions that may house multiple cities from a variety of players. Mayors can also work together. In a demo presented at E3, several mayors were able to team up to create an airport. To access online features, players will have to be logged into an EA Origin account. Additionally, launching the game each time will require an internet connection and be logged in to Origin.

Notable Differences

 * Always online connection to Origin (EA servers)
 * Multiplayer is supported and is provided as invite only or public/free join.
 * Cloud saving allows you to pick up your game from any computer, but you're not able to load an earlier version of your city in case of disasters.
 * No industry types in RCI meter. Industry types are determined by separate "Industrial Tech" level.
 * Absence of terraforming.
 * Absence of agriculture.
 * Absence of subways.
 * Addition of streetcars, dirt roads, and free-form roads.
 * Pre-designed maps and population road connections.
 * Zoning density is no longer controlled by zoning, instead it is now controlled by the road type.
 * Modular utility buildings that can be physically improved with additional functionality.
 * Player doesn’t have direct control over a civic buildings funding. Player can turn a whole building on/off and/or add/remove Modules.
 * Size of the maps is 2 km by 2 km (Comparable to SimCity 4 medium size).
 * Any player can join up to a maximum of 2 to 16 cities in a region at a time.
 * Players can specialize in six main categories: Mining, Drilling, Gambling, Electronics, Trade and Culture.
 * Players can compete on global leaderboards.
 * Players can earn achievements.
 * Players can trade on the global trade market.