[Peanut]

Not much news but it def has been announced...

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6160945.html

In yet another sign that the transitional slump between console generations is all but over, the biggest third-party publisher in the world announced today that it racked up its biggest second-quarter take ever.

For the three months ended September 30, 2006, Electronic Arts racked up total revenues of $784 million, a jump of 16 percent over 2005's second-quarter haul of $675 million. The publisher attributed the numbers to the launch of the latest installments of its annual sports games--Madden NFL 07, NCAA Football 07, FIFA 07, NBA Live 07, and NHL 07. In an investor conference call, EA execs noted that NCAA Football 07 sold an all-time high of 2 million copies in the quarter, and that the company's NHL series was having its strongest year ever.

Broken down by platform, the increase was attributable to gains in the Xbox 360 and mobile sectors. The $166 million brought in by EA's Xbox 360 games accounted for 21 percent of the company's total revenue, and more than made up for declines in the current-gen platforms. The publisher also boasted that it is now the number one publisher for Microsoft's next-gen platforms year-to-date in both North America and Europe.

While Electronic Arts' revenues for the quarter broke records, its net profits did not. Last year the publisher posted bottom-line gains of $51 million; this year it had to settle for a take-home of $22 million.

For the current quarter, EA expects to bring in revenues between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion, with projections for the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2007 being ticked up to the $2.95 billion to $3.13 billion range from $2.8 billion to $3 billion.

Those projections were moved up despite the shuffling of two big-name titles out of the company's release calendar through March. In the conference call, EA confirmed that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 action game Army of Two and the PC sci-fi first-person shooter Crysis have both been delayed until the next fiscal year, meaning they won't be released before April of 2007.

The company mentioned a number of projects beyond the current fiscal year that are sure to boost revenues as well. In addition to a Sims game being developed specifically for the Wii, the publisher has a new Road Rash under way, a game to accompany the movie version of The Simpsons, new Lord of the Rings and SimCity games, and a next-gen version of Black. Finally, EA also confirmed that The Sims 3 is in development, with a likely fiscal year '09 (April 1, 2009-March 31, 2010) release date.

[LSyd]

dammit. i want more info!!!

-

[i-215]

Yes! They haven't given up! :upload_71700:

[CGII]

About goddamn time. I don't care how long it takes to develop, so long as we know we aren't going to be left in the dark with no information regarding its future.

[the pope]

road rash?

woah, my sega genesis called.

[Jasonhouse]

Sweet... Now I finally have a reason to buy a new PC... It's more than just a coincidence that the last two times I bought a PC were directly related to when the latest versions of Sim City were released. :yes:

[FlyersFan118]

Oh, thank God. All hail SimCity.

[Straight_Six]

Thank god its coming out but 09 is so far away :(

[1ajs]

Thank god its coming out but 09 is so far away :(
i can wait. by the time it comes out we will be able to take are sims and walk threw are cities ect that will be worth the wait :cool:

[CC420]

OMG OMG OMG :cheers:

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

All hail Sim City and its all mighty creator, Will Wright. Can't wait to see what direction they take the game.

[1ajs]

OMG OMG OMG :cheers:

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

All hail Sim City and its all mighty creator, Will Wright. Can't wait to see what direction they take the game.

yep :cool:

[navyweaxguy]

By then the video cards will be up to 4GB and we will still be worrying about not having enough :D I guess i should start saving now :D I can't wait.

[Bergenser]

09...:( it's long time!
oh well at least it's actully
comming :)

[1ajs]

09...:( it's long time!
oh well at least it's actully
comming :)

put money away from every pay check to buy that computer in 2009 for the new simcity lol and the sims 3 :P

[ItsConanOBrien]

The scariest part is that it will be 2009 someday and I will say "man, where did the last 2+ years of my life go." At least I'll have a new sim city though.

[The Jabroni]

Hey, it's like they say: all good things come to those who wait.

Dammit! I'm so expecting this next game to be kickass!

[STR]

Hopefully it's better than the last incarnation of the franchise, SimCity Mobile. That game sucks hard. At least it was only $4.99.

[foxmtbr]

Where in there did it say it would be released in 09'? Yes, it says The Sims 3 is scheduled for 2009, but it did not say such a thing for Sim City 5! It could certainly, and hopefully, be sooner.

[i-215]

Sweet... Now I finally have a reason to buy a new PC... It's more than just a coincidence that the last two times I bought a PC were directly related to when the latest versions of Sim City were released. :yes:

You too, huh?

[Visiteur]

This rocks my socks. Plus I can get more life out of this computer before I buy a new one in 09', that just might coincide with a game purchase. Maybe ;).

[pricemazda]

I had to buy a mac G5 to get the simcity 4 to work normally. I will probably have to buy a supercomputer to get simcity 5 to work.

[Rejinx]

I can't wait for Simcity 5, but I will be happy to play Spore too. If yall have time read about Spore. Its going to rock ;)

[Only The Lonely..]

Yaaa, but by the time SC5 comes out we'll all be living inside the Matrix anyways. Some of us might even have a job or a girlfriend by then.

[mthq]

from Wikipedia:

In another interview on May 22, 2004, Wright stated that Maxis is currently attempting to work out a "new direction" for SimCity after new versions had become "steadily more complex".[15] He ended his comments on SimCity with the following:

"SimCity kind of worked itself into a corner, (because) we were still appealing to this core SimCity group. It had gotten a little complicated for people who had never played SimCity. We want to take it back to its roots where somebody who had never heard of SimCity can pick it up and enjoy playing it without thinking it was really, really hard."

Electronic Arts has since revealed the development of a new SimCity in November 2006.

[MolsonExport]

Just when I thought that I was cured of my SimCity addiction...

[Only The Lonely..]

from Wikipedia:

In another interview on May 22, 2004, Wright stated that Maxis is currently attempting to work out a "new direction" for SimCity after new versions had become "steadily more complex".[15] He ended his comments on SimCity with the following:

"SimCity kind of worked itself into a corner, (because) we were still appealing to this core SimCity group. It had gotten a little complicated for people who had never played SimCity. We want to take it back to its roots where somebody who had never heard of SimCity can pick it up and enjoy playing it without thinking it was really, really hard."

Electronic Arts has since revealed the development of a new SimCity in November 2006.

I don't know how you can make Sim City better without the complicated controls. Think about how basic the original Sim City was compared to SC 4. By SC4 you could build different flavours of freeways , interchanges, architectural styles, etc..

I think the complexity has made the game play richer, and more realistic. If they dumb down Sim City 5 to appeal to virgin gamers I don't think it will be nearly as good.

Besides I don't think SC 4 is really that hard to learn how to play. I never read the instruction manual.

Just my two cents..

[harls]

I'd really like an option to install that sims shit when you put the CD in the drive for the first time... some people might like it, but I can't be bothered with it.

and having a fire every 30 seconds on fast mode is not cool.

[Lecom]

Now let's wait for the next GTA.

[alexjon]

OK, so the toned down version may indicate that they might just put more ploppables, I imagine?

Or... well, I'm hoping anyway.

[DrumCorpsAlum]

Now let's wait for the next GTA.

I hear that.

[galaca]

Has anyone else heard that the next SC may be released towards the end of this year? There's this article from way back in Jan '04 that if true would mean the game has been in development for 3+ years:

SimCity 5 under construction?
Maxis' Luc Barthelet tells French TV that development on the next virtual metropolis has begun. Maxis won't comment.
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
Posted Jan 21, 2004 1:53 pm PT

According to the Web site for the German magazine PC Games, development on SimCity 5 has begun. The pcgames.de article says Maxis general manager Luc Barthelet recently told a French television show that "development started this month" on the game. The article also said Electronic Arts was looking for new development staff to work on the game.

However, when GameSpot contacted Maxis, they issued a flat "no comment." Another source said Barthelet was merely speculating on the SimCity franchise's future and that "too much was read into his comments." But, given the popularity of the series, it may not be so much a question of if development will begin on SimCity 5, but when. Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6086780.html?q=simcity%205)

Then there's this comment (grain of salt, I guess) from earlier this year on Gamespot: well...my sister is working in maxis ,shes one the desingers in simcity (from simcity classic till SC4 and 5 too ) she told me that u guys will se simcity 5 with A LOT OF NEW AND COOL STUFF in the ending of 2007 or maybe early 2008

And finally, this (http://www.simcitycentral.net/2007/02/16/simcity-5-this-year): SimCity 5 This Year?

According to the Spanish fan site Capital SimCity the Russian web site Absolute Games (http://www.ag.ru/games/simcity_5) has SimCity 5 listed to be released in October this year! Furthermore the official distributor of EA Games in Russia SoftClub (http://www.softclub.ru/games/releases.aspx)also states a 2007 release. Since these are only semi-official sources we should take it with a grain of salt, it could just be a misunderstanding or bad communications with EA. Nevertheless no smoke witout a fire and news like these are just what we need in the drought.

Just some speculation...

[Bergenser]

Better than nothing. :frog:

[alexjon]

It's in the can apparently, but not slated for release until next year.

Praying for it to be pushed

[Peanut]

Well ya gotta think that Sim City 5 would be at the bottom of the totem poll for Maxis. Spore is coming out pretty soon, EA is still milking The Sims Cow, And who knows if any other "Sim" game comes out that could out sell sim city. Hell I would love to see a Remake of Sim Tower, Sim Farm and i would have liked to see Sim Town and Sim mars come to fruition.

Either way i Expect Spore to be great fun and Will Wright knows what he is doing so I Expect another Sim City but i have a sneaking suspicion that he will let the Sim City Community do the brunt work for the buildings. Thats fine with me as long as they inplement new features that will keep me busy for awhile.

[Bergenser]

SC5 and Spore will not compare too much to each other
as Sim City is More "real" and Spore is too "cartonish"(if you use it as a modern city simulator..) But offcourse it will steal the spotlight...

[MolsonExport]

I'd really like an option to install that sims shit when you put the CD in the drive for the first time... some people might like it, but I can't be bothered with it.

and having a fire every 30 seconds on fast mode is not cool.


F*ckin Right. I hate that shit.

[Visiteur]

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07220/cover_GFW_150X200.gif

The next issue's cover for a magazine called "Games For Windows". Apparently, this magazine has only been around since 11/2006, so it's not referring to Simcity 4. It also has some clout since it's by the same people who were responsible for Computer Gaming World back when that was still being published.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=160762

Some curious finds recently...also a Chinese site has been reporting a release date in Q1 2008, but that claim has yet to be substantiated.

[CBBC]

great news.

time to get a new computer. lol

[waterloowarrior]

EA confirms SimCity 'Societies'

Posted Jun 5th 2007 6:32PM by Alexander Sliwinski (http://www.joystiq.com/bloggers/alexander-sliwinski)
Filed under: PC (http://www.joystiq.com/category/pc/), Simulations (http://www.joystiq.com/category/simulations/)
http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/06/simcity4night.jpg

Joystiq spoke with EA and confirmed the rumor (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=165262) that the next version of SimCity (http://www.joystiq.com/tag/SimCity/) is on the way. Currently dubbed SimCity Societies, EA says that's merely a "working title" at this point. We've been told "it's completely different from SimCity 4, so they're trying to come up with something different than just calling it SimCity 5."

A full feature of the upcoming SimCity can be found in this month's Games for Windows Magazine, which supposedly arrives for subscribers today and hits newsstands later this week. An official announcement of the game by EA is expected next week, which will coincide with the first official release of images. We've been told that the game will also be shown at next month's E3 (http://www.joystiq.com/tag/E3/). A new SimCity is always happy news for all the wannabe civil engineers out there. To tide you over until SimCity Societies eats your current PC's RAM for lunch, you'll be able to enjoy (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/10/simcity-ds-footage-june-release/) SimCity DS this summerfrom Joystiq.com

uh-oh... hopefully no "The Sims" stuff

[zaphod]

First news is here about Simcity Societies, and personally im kind of disappointed.

The fifth installment of the popular SimCity series of building and managing a growing metropolis brings a new approach to the game. You now take an active role in construction of the city, crafting the society that reflects your vision of utopia like a grand social experiment.

that doesnt seem like simcity at all...
http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3160082

graphics are okay, kind of boring though. Those buildings look really stupid. But this is a early shot

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/ff597ef5cb.jpg

[1ajs]

interesting....

yea its an early shot... i hope they leav room for loads of custom mods work in this version so we can contiue the great things that have happend in sc4

i think they need to set the dificulty based on how complex you want to be able to play the game......

but also i think ea should bring back streets of simcity sim copter and do somthing like they did with simcity 2000..........
http://www.svatopluk.com/images/sc_str.jpg

[Connect]

Personally I did not enjoy playing with The Sims in SC4 and thus chose to not use that function. As long as SCS still gives me lots and lots of city building ability... I'll be happy.


SimCity Societies Under Construction (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3160086) (1up.com)
Next SimCity game coming this winter according to GFW magazine.
By Garnett Lee, 06/05/2007

Not much doubt ever existed that there would be a next SimCity game. The only question was when, and now we have our answer. SimCity Societies holds its coming out party in the July issue of Games for Windows magazine that's just hitting subscribers' mailboxes now. But what's the deal with the "Societies" bit? Is this or is it not the fifth installment of the series?

The answer is a confounding "yes." It definitely continues the SimCity line, but this absolutely is not the same old SimCity...for better or worse. For one thing, EA turned its eye outside of its own campus and tabbed Tilted Mill Entertainment for the development duties. While that name may not immediately ring any bells, this studio packs plenty of folks experienced with city builders, and comes fresh off of creating Caesar IV. That game fared only passing well in our review, but the focus on managing your citizenry almost surely gives a glimpse into where the designers intend to go with the "societies" angle.

It's a bold move on EA's part. By stepping outside the established mold this new game holds the potential to attract a whole new generation of gamers in addition to the existing legions of fans for the franchise. Whether this new vision can pull that off will be the big question. We'll get a first idea of that from the GFW crew later this week. And, the way it sounds, the game should arrive this coming winter to deliver the final word.

.

[pottebaum]

Wait...so Maxis isn't developing the game?

[Visiteur]

Wait...so Maxis isn't developing the game?

Because they're owned by Electronic Arts, and EA decided to pass the buck off to a company called Tilted Mill. Maybe it was cheaper that way, or they wanted Maxis to focus on "The Sims" instead.

[1ajs]

nope its not maxis anymore :"(

Response From Tilted Mill Developer
http://www.simtropolis.com/images/link_go.png Source: http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=... (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13032&page=2) http://www.simtropolis.com/images/mask_news.png
Tilted Mill

Reaction has been strong to the recent annoucement of SimCity 5, now dubbed "SimCity Societies" with development handled by Tilted Mill. Many SimCity fans, to say the least, have reserved feelings about the implied direction of the SimCity franchise, now that it has left Maxis's studios. As some vocal SimCity community members have voiced their strong (albeit civil) concerns over at the official Tilted Mill forums, an official response has been posted by Chris Beatrice, Tilted Mill developer.Given the somewhat heated nature of this thread, and the hazards of misinformation, I thought it would be a good idea for me to drop in and say a few things. First let me say, as always, thank you so much for the attention and diligence so many of you show toward TMill and our projects.

When the new SC comes out we'll obviously leave it to you to decide whether you love it, hate it... or fall somewhere in between, or whether you even choose to play it at all. I hope you do try it, and I really hope that you do not pass judgment based on the title or some preliminary speculation on some web site.

However, I do not want to mislead anyone: This SC is not a realistic urban simulation, which I understand, to many, represents the heart of what SC is. No one is blind to that. And if you're just completely turned off, even angered by the mere notion of any game called "SimCity" that is not a detailed, realistic urban simulator, I absolutely understand that viewpoint, and absolutely respect it. Passionate fans like you are the lifeblood of the gaming industry, and that is one reason why TMill provides what I think is a great outlet for this type of discussion and even complaint. But please keep in mind the irony in that - we are just a lowly developer after all. http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/images/smilies/smile.gif

I do want to say, though (with no insult intended to die hard SC fans) that we are absolutely thrilled to be a part of this venerable series, are extremely proud of what we have put together, and make no apologies about what we have managed to create. And while our past experiences (including contributions from many of you) certainly inform all our ongoing efforts, this SC is its own unique creation.
...
- Chris
Join the discussion at Simtropolis here (http://www.simtropolis.com/forum/categories.cfm?catid=367&entercat=y)

[Connect]

WOW.. That is saying alot. :previous:

I'm not sure what the new simcity will look like now.. I REALLY hope its not a just a "SIMS in the city" game. I don't mind the success of the sims.. but it should not come at the success of simcity. Isn't there room for both?

Anyways I vistited some simcity forums out there PEOPLE ARE MAD!!!

.

[Altauria]

^^Unfortunately that's really what it's going to be. The writer of the article even pointed out that it's essentially not going to be what SimCity lovers...well, loved about it - a arealistic-as-possible city simulator. Perhaps I'm totally wrong and speaking for a select few; maybe the people who made the series so successful were those who simply wanted to create 'something' and blow it up (mostly the blowing up part). I'm certainly not going to refute the fun in that, but it was always a very small part of it for me.

This is really just another way to entertain the lowest common denominator. I will admit, I never liked The Sims, and probably never will. I find it to be severely lacking in providing a truly cerebrally creative environment for its users - utilizing both hemispheres of one's brain. This certainly isn't to say that intelligent people are not going ot enjoy it...I mean, hell, there are PLENTY of forms of brainless MTV-mentality entertainment that could probably keep me occupied for days on end. But why allow something to be stripped of substance?

Also, the whole point of SimCity is that it attracted a particular personality...or at least massaged a certain part of everyone's personality: the loner. I don't mean in some creepy live-in-a-cave sort of way. I mean the part where we don't want to deal with "people". We want to construct, and be away from that stupid gossipy part of society....again, that ding-bat MTV-mentality..."he said, she said" b.s. Just a thought.

[navyweaxguy]

It looks like SC and Zoo Tycoon had a baby...

[MolsonExport]

Shitty.

[Patrick]

Cool I cant wait, SC4 got kinda boring after a few years. Plus it takes up too much space!

Lets hope its like Windows Live Local!
http://i16.tinypic.com/67g63bm.jpg

http://i19.tinypic.com/4u14fig.jpg

[waterloowarrior]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3318946&type=lg


http://media.1up.com/media?id=3318943&type=lg

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3318947&type=lg


http://media.1up.com/media?id=3318945&type=lg



http://media.1up.com/media?id=3318944&type=lg

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3160151&sec=PREVIEWS

Previews: SimCity Societies

Exclusive peek at Tilted Mill's SimCity -- new screens!
By GFW Staff (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=5814010) 06/07/2007

SimCity (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2013518) sits among a select group of iconic PC games. The mention of its name brings an immediate impression to the minds of even the uninitiated. But, like many an urban area, the time's come for a renewal project. Just like in the real world, the idea isn't to wipe the slate clean and start over but to take all the best parts of what's there and build on them with the innovations developed since the original's creation. It's with that spirit that EA sets out to reinvigorate the SimCity line with its upcoming SimCity Societies (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3160082). Yes, there are many changes, and some of them will initially shock longtime fans. The mere fact that you can now select and place all the buildings (rather than watching them spring forth from your zoning) sets the stage for a major metamorphosis. But before panic sets in, know that despite the game's new direction, the heart of SimCity still beats beneath it. While it may avoid some of the stricter city-planner roles, they're replaced with a wide variety of social-engineering experiments that present would-be mayors plenty to play with.

Here are a few quick points to help get a handle on where SimCity Societies is headed:

#1 -- For the first time in the franchise's history, an in-house team at Maxis/EA isn't developing the game. At the helm of SimCity Societies is Tilted Mill, the folks behind Caesar IV (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3142947) and the sleeper society-builder Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2019669). Why isn't Maxis working on it? The answer's simple: Will Wright and his team are busy with Spore (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3138791). But Rod Humble, the head of EA's Sims division, handpicked the Tilted Mill guys, and its previous city-building successes makes the developer an inspired choice.

#2 -- By SimCity creator Will Wright's own admission (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/videogames/174491_simsguy22.html), previous SimCity games had become too complex for most. Tilted Mill is focusing on scaling back the complexity and micromanagement of latter entries like SimCity 4 (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=2013525) -- no pipes to lay, no power grids, no manual emergency-response funds to disperse, no individual building-funding. The series' hardcore fans shouldn't worry that the game will no longer be recognizable or too easy. "We are not out to fix something that's broken," promises lead designer Chris Beatrice.

#3 -- As the working title implies, Societies adds a new layer of emphasis on the city's citizens. The game introduces six "social energies" (such as Wealth or Obedience) that influence your city's look and feel. Buildings and aesthetics change depending on how these six values develop. Focus on Obedience, for example, and your buildings will start automatically adding security cameras to monitor your citizens' movements, Orwellian-style. Different energy balances unlock different building types, too.

#4 -- The standard SimCity "adviser" system is gone. Societies aims to communicate your city's well-being through goals and the city's overall atmosphere -- and your citizens' behavior. Sims (yes, they're using that term) will skip work if they're in a bad mood or start engaging in criminal activity (such as vandalization). Your actions in the game -- what you choose to build -- will also influence the kinds of goals the game presents. Head down an Obedience path, for example, and the game will start giving you goals to usher your progress in that direction.

#5 -- Goal-oriented sandbox gameplay: Instead of giving you a handful of typical scenarios, this SimCity awards new buildings and bonuses for meeting certain goals during the course of normal gameplay. With only about 15 percent of the buildings unlocked from the get-go, that's a lot of game to wade through.

And that's just part of what we picked up while visiting with the development team. For all the details on SimCity Societies, check out the July 2007 issue of Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (http://gfw.1up.com/) in stores now. In it you'll find more exclusive screens and in-depth information.

[Patrick]

This sucks. Sim City is Dead.


This isnt even SimCity anymore this is SimShit. Not even Sim Shit! More like City Life 2.

[drew11]

this stinks, this idiot made sim city 5 with i was very excited about, into trash. when i first heard about it i would have paid 50 dollars to get it on the first day. now i wouldn't give one millionth of a cent, this guy stinks.
:twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns:

[TWAK]

It almost looks exactly like City Life!
I can't even freakin' believe it...:hell:

[MolsonExport]

Assholemanship. Fvck!

[CGII]

http://www.gamemanager.it/city%20life%202.jpg


City Life or SC5?

Dammit this really makes me angry.

[navyweaxguy]

As much as I'm not crazy about this new version it seems to me that they had to try something different. SC4 has a hardcore fanbase, but it's not a huge fan base. With all the competition from console gaming they have to try a different path. I'm betting that they are making this so that they can tie this into the Windows live so that they can port this over to the XBox also. Also I think that they are trying to get away from requiring a CRAY to the game. Hell my less than a year old laptop has issues running it and the game is many years old. Basically yeah they are going for a lower common denominator to reach a broader audience and sell more units...

That's my take on it.. of course i am probably waaay off base :)

[1ajs]

Rod Humble Talks SimCity Societies with Simtropolis

There has been a lot of excitement surrounding the announcement of the fifth installment of our favourite game. News first broke at 1up.com and the first screenshot emerged to some mixed reactions, to say the least. Since then, there has been a hub of activity between the SimCity community here at Simtropolis and abroad with the newly named developers of SimCity, Tilted Mill Entertainment.

Today, I got a chance to exchange some words with Rod Humble, VP at EA and head of The Sims Division who was very gracious to lend some time to answer some of my questions.

Dirk: Can you first tell us about EA’s relationship with Titled Mill?

Rod: I had met Tilted Mill at a few E3’s just to chat bout their game design philosophy and keep in touch. Then one year the opportunity came up to work together. We had been working on the Societies concept and prototypes internally for about half a year but realized there was so much in there that ambitious it probably wasn’t going to be able to fit into our line up Then I took a look at what TM had in terms of their technology and expertise and I figured I would see what they thought. Immediately I got back a wave of ideas and documents which took the design in and made it feel fuller and better. From that point on and given the passion here at EA and TM for the game it fell into place very easily.

Dirk: Based on the title, Societies, it implies the game will be going in a particular direction, what will it be?

Rod: We will be revealing more details in the following weeks. But at its highest level when we were thinking about where SimCity could go we started wondering why certain cities feel different from another. So for example what’s the difference between Paris and Mecca? Or Oxford and Munich? Or San Francisco and Salt Lake City? Clearly the feel was the kind of culture and society. By focusing on the society and culture drivers within a society we found we could create many varied and wonderful places.

Dirk: Is the intention of SimCity Societies to appeal to a wider audience as well as satisfy the devotees of the franchise?

Rod: Everyone working on the game is a SimCity fanatic so clearly we worked on a game we love to play and foremost. We found a great game design which allows you to make so many different kinds cities we certainly hope that SimCity players old and new will love it as much as we do!

Dirk: And finally, from the devotees, what steps are you taking to ensure the sequel that bears the SimCity moniker will live up to its name?

Rod: Do you remember the first time you booted up SimCity? Do you remember the sense of wonder you had imagining all the different places you could build? I certainly do. With SimCity Societies we want that magic, just imagine what kind of cities you will build with their own cultures and societies. I am really looking forward to everyone seeing the coverage the July issue of Games For Windows magazine for the first deep-dive into SimCity Societies. And, over the next few months we’ll be sharing more about the wonderful things that await inside SimCity Societies!

Dirk: Thank you, Rod for taking the time to speak to the community!
Although I had plenty more questions to ask, understandably, Rod was only able to answer only a few of them at this early time. We will keep a look out for more information in the coming weeks, and hopefully, we will be able to speak with Rod again at a later date for some more details. Exclusive screenshots follow.- Dirk

http://www.simtropolis.com/library/societies/COM_SMALLTOWN.jpg

http://www.simtropolis.com/library/societies/FARM.jpg

http://www.simtropolis.com/library/societies/ORW_DENSE_REDS.jpg

http://www.simtropolis.com/library/societies/ROB_WIDE_OH.jpg

http://www.simtropolis.com/library/societies/TECH_WIDE.jpg

[1ajs]

stop bitching you guys..............

know what is going to be the major difrence between sc4 and city life the moding comunity thats what............

[someone123]

I kind of want to create a city simulation type game.

It's too bad that SimCity will be going off in the wrong direction. I never got into Sim City 4 very much. I found it a little clunky.

[foxmtbr]

And to think that I once thought SC4 was getting a little cheesy... :dead:



Sim City 2000 was, is, and always will be the best.

[Matty]

I am not buying this.

I hope this crashes and burns.

Disgusting.

[Brokenhead]

I would of prefer a better road grid system than 3d control.

[mthq]

stop bitching you guys..............

know what is going to be the major difrence between sc4 and city life the moding comunity thats what............

By the looks of how this game will be back to the basics, I doubt there will be an option to mod buildings. Even if there is, it will be hard to take your customized building seriously with the cheap environment that will surround it. I am a little curious though as someone who's into politics and the social environment as to how this game will be directed considering how its being described by the developers.

Either way, yeah.. its shitty to see Sim City go down the road of other shitty games like Rollercoaster Tycoon, City life, etc etc. Why does Will Wright have to pass this off to Tilted Windmill just so he can go on with his stupid Spore game? Why?? Oh the humanity!

[1ajs]

ehem this was a prereleas screen shot of simcity4

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l20/ccecill/zzzzzzzzzzzz.jpg


notice a simularty in how crapy it looked.........

[skyscraper_1]

Tilted Mill did a great job with Caesar 4 from what I have heard. Maybe this game will turnout ok.

[mikeR]

damn this looks shitty.
looks like I'll be sticking to Sim City 4

[Jasonhouse]

when i first heard about it i would have paid 50 dollars to get it on the first day. now i wouldn't give one millionth of a cent, this guy stinks.
:twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns: :twoguns:
I haven't given one of these awards in like two years, so you better feel special. :)

I hereby declare you the Official SSP Forumer of the Month.

This post says exactly what I feel in such simple, plain language that I think we can all understand.



This isnt even SimCity anymore this is SimShit.
This gets Honorable Mention. :D

[Patrick]

ehem this was a prereleas screen shot of simcity4

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l20/ccecill/zzzzzzzzzzzz.jpg


notice a simularty in how crapy it looked.........

What are you talking about, looks wayy better than this Sim City Societies Shit.

Truely dissapointing.

[vid]

I'm sure in about a year or so they will have improved it. These have to be early early beta shots, and ultimately the next Sim city will look better.

If not, there's always mods from ST for SC4.

[Altauria]

I have a feeling this will, somewhat, turn out the way Civilization did. After Civ II, the project was sort of passed on to a different company....or perhaps they bought the rights, I think I may even remember some law suit....if anyone else remembers, please share. Anyhow - point being - Civ: Call to Power came out...with very luke warm reactions. Keep in mind this is a somewhat loose connection as Call to Power didn't really overhaul the game, however the gamePLAY did change somewhat.

They even made a sequal, probably off of the money they made simply because Civ fans were too interested to completely ignore it. Eventually, a more official Civ III came out to reasonalbe applause. Then IV came out to large appluase; essentially, the game everyone had been waiting for. Keep in mind I haven't played it yet because my computer isn't fast enough...dang, but it looks incredible and I've read some reviews.

I still think changing companies is almost always disastorous.
Anybody remember Master of Orion 3?

[mthq]

What are you talking about, looks wayy better than this Sim City Societies Shit.

Truely dissapointing.

I think he's trying to show that the first screenshots of SC4 looked like shit compared to the SC4 we're all familiar with. He's implying that the same may happen with SC Societies.

[Matty]

Just for the hell of it:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?simcity5

:haha:

[Peanut]

Ok lets pretend we all work for EA. Do we go with the Formula that worked with the sims(Easy to use, family friendly) or go with the traditional Sim City Formula( Complicated, but dedicated fan base). Im sorry but im going with the Sims Formula, as much as it dissapoints me, it doesnt suprise me.

[i-215]

Sounds like I'm not alone in thinking Simcity Societies looks like SimTown.

Smilies to discribe dissappointment......

:drowning: :breakcomp: :twoguns: :Titanic: :rant: :doh: :lmao: :pissed:

[1ajs]

any one rember streets of simcity and sim copter and how you could load your sc2k cities into them?

[drew11]

I haven't given one of these awards in like two years, so you better feel special. :)

I hereby declare you the Official SSP Forumer of the Month.

This post says exactly what I feel in such simple, plain language that I think we can all understand.
:D


thanks very much. :cheers:

[Patrick]

This gets Honorable Mention. :D

Haha cool! :)


Just for the hell of it:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/petition-sign.cgi?simcity5

:haha:

Woah, when I signed it there was like 300ish, and that was 2 days ago.

[SomeFormOFhuman]

Goood God!!!! :hell: :hell: Seeing the graphics gonna make me puke! :haha: Just what the hell are we playing?! That's even more childish looking than a kid's game. You know I'd rather see my younger cousin play his Pokemon Diamond & Pearl on Nintendo DS! ;)

But again, it's too soon to judge early...

[Muji]

I have no idea how Will Wright can sit by as his brainchild and its legacy are being so recklessly destroyed...:(

[Imperar]

I'm officially heartbroken by EA.

[Bergenser]

Ohhhhhhhh dear. :no:

[Matty]

I hope everyone here is signing the petition...

[wong21fr]

SimCity is dead. Master of Orion is Dead. X-Com is dead. Long live Civilization!

[mikeR]

i just signed the petition

digg it so maybe more people will notice it PLEASE!!!!!!!!

http://digg.com/pc_games/Simcity_Societies_Simcity_5_must_go_back_to_Maxis

[Zerton]

Maxis should never had lost ownership. Only they could keep the style of the game.

[CC420]

The following smiley illustrates my reaction this morning in reading of the abomination they call SimCity Societies. :breakcomp:

I have no problem with the developer releasing this game; but, I do have a problem with them attaching the title of SimCity to it. An obvious cash grab on EA's part.

[waterloowarrior]

SimCity Societies First Impressions - Urban Renewal for a Famous Franchise


The SimCity franchise gets rebooted with SimCity Societies, a game that tosses out much of the legacy gameplay and starts over from scratch.
By Jason Ocampo (http://www.gamespot.com/users/jocampo/), GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/) Posted Jun 19, 2007 5:02 pm PT

Before The Sims arrived on the scene and dominated PC game sales charts, Maxis' key franchise was SimCity, the iconic city-building game. As a mayor in SimCity, you have to balance all the needs of a city. For instance, the citizens want houses and jobs; businesses need an educated workforce; industry requires workers and infrastructure; and more. However, as anyone who has played SimCity and its sequels knows, trying to incorporate all these needs into a single city is a huge challenge. Of course, meeting that challenge is the rewarding part of the game. While this formula has served the series for almost two decades, it's about to get a big overhaul.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed001.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_image_viewer%28%27939939%27,%271%27,%276172717%27,%272007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed001.jpg%27,%27SimCity%20Societies%20isn%7C%7C%7Ct%20like%20any%20SimCity%20game%20before%20it.%27,%27%27%29;)
SimCity Societies isn't like any SimCity game before it. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_image_viewer%28%27939939%27,%271%27,%276172717%27,%272007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed001.jpg%27,%27SimCity%20Societies%20isn%7C%7C%7Ct%20like%20any%20SimCity%20game%20before%20it.%27,%27%27%29;)


More than four years have passed since the last SimCity game was released, and that's an epoch in computing terms. So EA and Maxis recently announced a new SimCity game, but it's one that's completely unlike any of its predecessors. SimCity Societies will be the first SimCity game that's not developed directly by Maxis.

Instead, work on the game is being done primarily by Tilted Mill, the developer of city-building games Caesar IV and Children of the Nile. As such, Tilted Mill brings an outside perspective to SimCity, and that has translated to a fresh new angle to the series. And in many ways, SimCitySocieties feels like a reboot of sorts for the franchise.

One of the driving forces behind SimCity Societies was a sense that the SimCity games had become a bit too complex. Building a city in SimCity 4, the previous game in the franchise, required a lot of work as you tried to build and connect regional cities to form a massive metropolitan region. In fact, one intrepid fan even built a virtual copy of New York City. Though rewarding in its own way, SimCity 4 lacked the simplicity and fun of the original game, which the producers of SimCity Societies noted. Thus, SimCity Societies takes a wrecking ball to all of the complexity that has built up over the past 18 years.


Much that you know about SimCity is pretty much gone in SimCity Societies. For example, the familiar zoning system that let you designate whether land could be used for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes is no more. Now, you just put down buildings--any kind of building you want. The idea behind this is that what's important is the kind of energy the building radiates. Energy is the major new concept in SimCity Societies, and it will let you build the kind of city that you want. If you want an Orwellian society, then build a lot of government buildings to radiate obedience, as well as high rises for wealth energy and industrial buildings for, well, industry. Or if you want to build a quiet, pastoral society, then build monasteries and farms for devotional energy, as well as castles or gingerbread houses (yes, that's right) for creative energy. If you want to build a college town, then go for knowledge energy by building schools and universities. Of course, these are just a sample of the buildings in the game because there will be hundreds to pick from, with about two-thirds of them waiting to be unlocked. The appearance of your city and its environs actually change depending on the energies in the city. Orwellian cities will look very bleak, with harsh, oppressive skies overhead, while pastoral cities will look sunny and tranquil.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed002.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_image_viewer%28%27939939%27,%272%27,%276172717%27,%272007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed002.jpg%27,%27The%20look%20of%20your%20city%20will%20change%20depending%20on%20its%20societal%20energies.%27,%27%27%29;)
The look of your city will change depending on its societal energies. (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:open_image_viewer%28%27939939%27,%272%27,%276172717%27,%272007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_embed002.jpg%27,%27The%20look%20of%20your%20city%20will%20change%20depending%20on%20its%20societal%20energies.%27,%27%27%29;)


Additionally, SimCity Societies will track and model the citizens in your city to a greater degree than before. In earlier SimCity games, the population was abstracted for the most part, though you could create and track individual sims to get an idea of how your city was working. It sounds like SimCity Societies will actually track and model every citizen in your city. If you played any of Tilted Mill's earlier games, then you know that was the case in those games as well. This will result in a smaller population than prior SimCity games, and you won't be building cities with tens of thousands, let alone hundreds of thousands, of people. But you will need to worry about their wants and needs. For example, if you build an industrial city full of factories and low-income housing, you'll need to keep the workers happy. You can do so by building dive bars and liquor stores, though the price of that will be a lot of drunks, as well as an uptick in crime.

SimCity Societies will also bring you a lot closer to the action. The graphics engine looks similar to the ones used in Caesar IV and Children of the Nile, so the camera is lower to the ground than earlier SimCity games. This lets you see the goings-on in your city from up close. You can also pull the camera back to take in larger swaths of terrain, though we didn't see the extreme zoom outs seen in earlier SimCity games.

There's little question that SimCity Societies represents a huge change of direction for the franchise. It seems that the focus is not so much on building a city than it is on building a society. So how those changes are accepted will be interesting to see. SimCity Societies is scheduled to ship this holiday season.
-GameSpot
:(

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/simcitysocieties/news.html?sid=6172717&om_act=convert&om_clk=multimodule&tag=multimodule;picks;title;10

36 screenshots in the gamespot link

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/169/reviews/939939_20070619_screen004.jpg

[Matty]

Ugh

[SomeFormOFhuman]

Well let me get this straight...

For the procedure of the entire game, you mean to say you can't zone or build anything, but just simply keep placing buildings in the game, in order to control what, people's heart and minds? That's it?

So there you have it. After 18 years of hard work and total legacy control... So that's all? After all that hard work, is this what we loyal fans deserve to have in our entire 18 years of Simcity collection?

Good luck for anyone willing to pay 50 bucks. Since they claim its so easy to play, due to many functions taken away, I'd say it's for ages 3+ and above.


**SPIT**

[Urban Sky]

yawn....great. so now its going to suck.

[ThatKidFromBoise]

This is, by far, the most depressing emotion I've ever felt as a direct result of a video game.

I was so incredibly excited for Sim City 5. Moreso than most, but this...

This is garbage.

This is what absolute dumbed down garbage looks like.

If this gets good reviews, I may literally die of shock.

Anthony

[FazDeH]

This is total crap, Ive been so looking forward to SimCity 5, and they pull this? I was expecting more detail and better graphics and this is what they come up with? ouff talk about dropping the ball.

[heyyoucharlie]

Booooooooo "Socities"

Hooray Beer..... (I love those commercials)

I can see were Simcity 4 will probably out sell this horrible game, 5 years after its release!!! :slob: :hell: :koko: :shrug: :yuck:

[1ajs]

not looking bad guys imaging the rigs were guna need to play this game.........
but yea customization is what simcity is all about

[alps]

EA :hell:

This is disappointing, I knew they were going to dumb it down, but this is extreme..I miss the old Maxis.

[BnaBreaker]

from Wikipedia:

In another interview on May 22, 2004, Wright stated that Maxis is currently attempting to work out a "new direction" for SimCity after new versions had become "steadily more complex".[15] He ended his comments on SimCity with the following:

"SimCity kind of worked itself into a corner, (because) we were still appealing to this core SimCity group. It had gotten a little complicated for people who had never played SimCity. We want to take it back to its roots where somebody who had never heard of SimCity can pick it up and enjoy playing it without thinking it was really, really hard."

Electronic Arts has since revealed the development of a new SimCity in November 2006.

That's just great. So they're going to give a big "fuck you" to their most devout base of serious fans so morons with the attention span of a five year old on speed and an aversion to learning will want to play it. :hell:

[BnaBreaker]

Just for the hell of it, this is how I signed the petition mthq posted:

I understand fully the need to turn a profit, but PLEASE don't abandon your passionate and devout fan base just so the average joe will be able to "get it". There are endless mindless MTV style entertainment options out there, but what always made Sim City so fantastic was that it was unique in that it was an accurate simulation and sought to teach and inspire creativity and imagination.

I will not pass judgement on Sim City Societies until it actually gets released and I have played it, but based souly upon the words of the developer, it sounds as though Sim City, as we know it, is dead. I have purchased literally EVERY Sim City title since the franchise began, but if this game is anything like that dumbed down crapfest "City Life" then I will have no part of it.

After eighteen years and hundreds of dollars dedicated to this series, it really makes me angry to know that I and all the other devout fans out there are basically being told to fuck off. Thanks for nothing.

[hauntedheadnc]

Here's a video showing gameplay, and some Tilted Mill idiots blathering on about their "vision," and how the new game works. It's eerily similar to listening to movie producers talk about why, in their adaptation of a book or video game, they changed everything but the title and why they think this is just nothing short of a wonderful thing to do.

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/12460

It's very depressing to watch a group of people get this gleefully excited about such utter garbage. It's rather pitiful, actually.