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EA adding more SimCity servers over next two days
In order to help get more people connected to SimCity during a launch period plagued by intermittent (at best) access and data loss, EA has begun adding more servers for the online-only game."What we are doing is deploying more servers over the coming two days which will alleviate many of the ongoing issues," senior producer Kip Katsarellis said on the EA forum. "We are also paying close attention to all the bug reports we are receiving from our fans. We've already pushed several updates in the last few days. Our live ops team is working 24/7 to resolve issues and ensure that bug fixes roll into the game as quickly as possible."On Tuesday, EA expressed its confidence that Origin services would be "stable" for international launches occurring later in the week. Despite that confidence, the Oceanic servers crashed at launch today.
Being a good neighbor in SimCity
One of the most interesting aspects of the new SimCity is the way pollution and the environment play into the new multiplayer features. The latest installment of the franchise is being prepared for next year, so there's no playable version yet for me to see the mechanic in action. In the meantime, EA Maxis was willing to play out some scenarios during a visit to the Emeryville, CA, offices last week.Once a new game is started, players can create a region and invite friends to add their own cities. Each city has the potential to share with its neighbors. The citizens of one city may travel to the other to enjoy casinos or shopping, for example. Keeping Sims within the city happy keeps the economy flowing.Connecting cities in this way opens the door to interesting scenarios. One city could be a supplier of coal to other locations, reaping the cash rewards of being a supplier and allowing its neighbors to progress in the game despite limitations. It encourages cooperation, something EA Maxis will support with added bonuses and possible achievements.%Gallery-151600%
