Game Expert: SimCity

Myke OlsonLCC 4400: Seminar In Media Studies

October 29, 2002

SimCity 1.0 (Classic)

• Residential, Commercial, and Industrial:– 3 x 3 zone tiles– Buildings are built by the Sims, depending on Land

Value• Budget Concerns:

– Fire, Police, Trans Fund– Tax Rate– Show budget every year or

“auto budget”• 16 Colors or Black & White

SimCity 1.0 (Classic)

• Special Items– Park– Police, Fire Dept.– Stadium– Power Plants

• Coal or Nuclear– Seaport– Airport

• Diasters– Fire– Flood– Air Crash– Tornado– Earthquake– Monster

SimCity 1.0 (Classic)

SimCity 2000• Residential, Commercial, and Industrial:

– Any size zone tiles– Light or Dense Levels– Buildings are built by the Sims,

depending on Land Value• Budget Concerns:

– Fire, Police, Health, Education, and Trans Fund

– Property Taxes– City Orninaces– Bond/Loan Payments

SimCity 2000 New Features

• Newspapers alert to what residents want• 3-Dimensional• 256 Colors• 3 Zoom Levels• Underground Level:

– Water pipes– Subways

• Signs

SimCity 2000

• Special Items– Small/Large Park, Zoo,

Stadium, Marina– Police, Fire Dept.,

Hospital, Prison– Power Plants

• Depends on what year– Seaport, Airport– School, College,

Library

• Roads– Highways– Bus Stop– Subways

• Rewards– Mayor’s House

SimCity 3000 New Features

• Residents petition the mayor• Better Graphics• Zoom in one more level• Landmarks

• Archologies• Unlimited Version:

– Make your own buildings– Make your own scenarios

SimCity 3000 New Features

Landmarks More Disasters (and farms)

SimCity 4 New Features

• Street level• Import your Sims

• Night-time• More disasters

SimCity 4 Terrain

SimCity 3000 vs. SimCity 4

SimCity 4 Disasters

Tornadoes Volancoes

Categorization of SimCity

• Board games• Building and laying out a city• Some randomization / chance (like dice)

– population, disasters, traffic• Fast reward / punishment loop• Each version change just gives you more

things to control and better graphics