simcity-2013
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EA: Core problem preventing SimCity playtime 'is almost behind us'
SimCity developer Maxis says it has reduced game crashes by 92 percent since day one and players have connected and clocked more than 8 million hours in-game."I'm happy to report that the core problem with getting in and having a great SimCity experience is almost behind us," Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw writes. Bradshaw says the improvements stem from adding new servers, tinkering with their network and issuing client updates, such as Thursday's removal of "non-critical" gameplay features."I had hoped to issue an 'All-Clear' tonight, but there are still some elements coming together," Bradshaw says. "Tonight and tomorrow we'll be monitoring each server and gameplay metrics to ensure that the service remains strong and game is playing great. We need a few more days of data before we can assure you that the problem is completely solved and the game is running at 100 percent."Bradshaw reports "tens of thousands of new players" join SimCity every day. We hope to be one of these players some day soon.
Maxis: SimCity offline mode is 'just not possible'
@azbiker72 The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible - SimCity (@simcity) March 9, 2013The issues barraging SimCity stem from its requirement that players are always online and connected to EA's servers, even if a player wants to experience the game alone. Making the game available offline could solve many players' issues, but that's "just not possible," developer Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw said during a Twitter Q&A session."The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible," Bradshaw said, in response to a question about offline modes. Previously Bradshaw responded to another question about an offline patch: "We have no intention of offlining SimCity any time soon but we'll look into that as part of our earning back your trust efforts."Making SimCity offline would be a significant undertaking, if it were in the cards at all. Bradshaw further reiterated the sentiment of a leaked internal memo, noting that EA wasn't responsible for SimCity's issues; Maxis was."Hey, this is on Maxis," she wrote. "EA does not force design upon us. We own it, we are working 24/7 to fix it, and we are making progress."Recent progress included increasing SimCity's server capacity by 120 percent, disabling "non-critical" game features, and a report that EA asked SimCity affiliates to stop actively promoting the game.
EA: SimCity server capacity increased by 120%, company to offer free PC game for troubles
SimCity developer Maxis' senior vice president and general manager Lucy Bradshaw gave a brief update last night of the game's unstable condition, noting the company is "committed to fixing" the game. Would have been better if the game had been working in the five days since its North American launch, but what can you do at this point?How about a free game? Sure. As recompense, on March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email (likely the one tied to their Origin account) explaining how to redeem the free game."In the last 48 hours we increased server capacity by 120 percent," wrote Bradshaw. "It's working – the number of people who have gotten in and built cities has improved dramatically. The number of disrupted experiences has dropped by roughly 80 percent."She went on to say, "So we're close to fixed, but not quite there. I'm hoping to post another update this weekend to let everyone know that the launch issues are behind us."As of this writing (8:46AM Eastern), we are still unable to access SimCity. We are told by the servers that it is either unable to load a city or we receive an endless loading screen – which is exactly what we stared at while writing up this post.
The Daily Grind: What advice would you give to SimCity fans?
Everyone in the games industry and community has been watching in fascination as EA has bungled SimCity's release almost every way possible over this past week. From servers losing city information to always-on DRM practices requiring internet connections to massive user review backlash to lengthy server log-in times to Amazon even pulling the title from its digital sales department, EA is facing what we've often seen in the online world: a disastrous launch. While SimCity isn't an MMO, the multiplayer component, online servers, and horrible queue times certainly have a lot in common with our industry. Frustration amongst SimCity fans was high-pitched this week, especially at the slow and incomplete response on behalf of the mega-game publisher. As players who have undoubtedly seen a bad MMO launch or two over the years, what advice would you give to SimCity fans? Should these fans attempt a refund, wait patiently, voice their concerns, or consider a different course of action? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Rumor: EA Maxis takes 'full responsibility' for SimCity issues via internal memo
An internal memo from Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw details the state of the developer, who is hard at work trying to get SimCity fully operational in North America. "SimCity is an online game and critics and consumers have every right to expect a smooth experience from beginning to end," she wrote. "I and the Maxis team take full responsibility to deliver on our promise. Trust that we're working as hard as possible to make sure everyone gets to experience the amazing game we built in SimCity."Polygon claims to have the internal memo in question, presented in a series of quotes. It claims that the issues experienced in North America are starting to spread overseas. "It's also now evident that players across Europe and Asia are experiencing the same frustration." It also claims 700,000 cities were built in the first 24 hours after launch.Yesterday, EA Maxis disabled certain non-critical features in SimCity in an attempt to help lighten the load on the servers, which are also growing in number. SimCity is dependent upon a constant online connection. Being an unavoidable part of the experience, server woes have caused us to hold back our review.Update: An EA representative has confirmed with Joystiq the internal memo in fact leaked today; however, this representative did not go into any further detail than that.
'Non-critical' SimCity features disabled to improve server issues
Electronic Arts is sending out a hotfix to help improve the experience for beleaguered SimCity players. The fix includes some unspecified improvements and also disables a few "non-critical gameplay features," according to a community manager on the EA forums. These features include leaderboards, achievements and region filters, with EA promising their removal will "in no way affect your core gameplay experience."SimCity has suffered from server issues since it launched earlier this week, with many players (including our own Alexander Sliwinski) unable to connect to the "always-on" required game and, thus, unable to play. EA will be adding new servers over the next two days. The publisher recently expressed confidence in the international launch, saying it would not suffer the same problems.Update: Amazon has stopped selling digital copies of the game citing customer complaints.
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.
Editorial: SimCity, Diablo 3 and a review of customer service
I don't like writing game reviews. I'm a news guy, comfortable moving within and reporting on the binary conclusions of business in the video game industry. Reviews are emotional. Always have been. With SimCity and Diablo 3, I think the already tempestuous machine of game reviews in this industry has changed forever, and as a collective we haven't yet determined how to proceed. SimCity and Diablo 3 aren't just games, they are also services. The question: Should these games be reviewed separately from their service elements or should they be reviewed in combination?Comparing this to the restaurant industry, the game is the food and the internet-required connection is the table service. Back of the house and front of the house. What we've seen following the launches of Diablo 3 and SimCity are people paying money to walk into the restaurant on opening day and not being served a meal. In a restaurant there would be immediate and dire consequences for such poor customer service. In the video game industry, there's no shortage of apologists justifying the outcome. Nobody genuflects to poor customer service excuses in a restaurant. Any restaurant review would treat the meal and service as one singular expression of the experience.
EA 'confident' Origin will be stable for international SimCity launches
Electronic Arts stated late this afternoon that the high demand for SimCity has impacted a small percentage of users accessing the always-online game's servers. (We're currently locked out.)The Twitter account for the publisher's digital distribution network, Origin, went on to note, "We're making changes to prevent further issues, and are confident that Origin will be stable for international launches later this week."You hear that, Europe? Confident! Let's see how it goes.
SimCity gambles on disaster in new footage
SimCity has all its permits and union payoffs in order to start building next week. Here's an example of a casino city, and another that won't be a city much longer. Fallout: SimCity, anyone?
From city-builder roles to caring for citizens in SimCity
Regions are the beating heart of Maxis Games' upcoming SimCity revival. The always-online game places a lot of emphasis on community, but it's less about the global fellowship and more about the ties that bind neighboring cities together.Players face a choice when they're first starting out: break ground in a small region with only two or three city-sized plots of land to develop ,or jump into a more expansive location, one that supports as many as 16 cities. The cost/benefit for each choice is simple enough to break down; it's the difference between carving out your own, private space in the world versus leaving the door open for other players to join.All of SimCity's regions are created in-house at Maxis – there's no plan to let players mold their own regions – and each plot of claimable land comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. A helpful status bar pop-up points out which resources are and aren't available when an unclaimed plot is highlighted, so you know what you're getting before you settle on a civilization site.Maxis has been working to test against a whole galaxy of possibilities in the run-up to SimCity's March 5, 2013, release. It's to the point that sizable portions of the working day at the studio are now devoted purely to play, with staffers being assigned to a range of discrete city-builder roles. "It's hard to go into every nook and cranny of the game because there's just so much. The breadth of the game is really large," lead designer Stone Librande told Joystiq. "We have different designers who are assigned to different tasks. Like, 'You're making university town, you're making casino town, you're making ore and coal mining town.'"%Gallery-179241%
SimCity's second beta assembles Feb. 16
If you missed out on the first SimCity beta, you'll be pleased to know EA has laid the foundations for a second closed beta, starting February 16. The publisher tells us the second edition features an "enhanced" version of the one hour's worth of city planning featured in the first one.The beta begins at 9AM ET (6AM PT, 2PM British) on February 16, and runs through 24 hours until February 17. The deadline for sign-ups is 9AM ET on Monday February 11. The game proper launches in North America on March 5, which is when you can get your hands on its Limited Edition, as zanily promoted in the new trailer above.
SimCity's Euro sets teased in trailer, Mac version planned for spring
The latest SimCity trailer is intended to entice mayors to purchase the "Digital Deluxe" edition, which features three distinctive tile sets as a bonus, along with some well-known landmarks.The Digital Deluxe version includes the Paris City Set with Eiffel Tower, German City Set with Brandenburg Gate and British City Set with Big Ben. The packs also include French police cars, German trains and British buses.Developer Maxis also updated SimCity's release date on Mac with a "Spring 2013" window. The game is scheduled for March 8 on PC. The company notes that Mac and PC players will be able to play together on the same maps. Pre-orders are not currently available for SimCity on Mac and the company will have more information soon.
SimCityEDU announced, bringing learning tools to classrooms in March
EA recently announced SimCityEDU, an online community that allows educators to create and share lesson plans based on the upcoming SimCity game. The community will include a curriculum and suite of tools that fall in line with the US Common Core State Standards Initiative, with the goal of stimulating student interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).In development by GlassLab, a non-profit that creates educational environments for existing games, SimCityEDU is launching in March, around the time SimCity will arrive. In other words, just in time for spring break. Teachers that are looking to check out the program can head to the official sign-up page for the SimCityEDU beta.
SimCity beta next weekend, sign up now
Dearest fellow city planners, the SimCity Beta is prepped to begin January 25 and run through the weekend until Monday, January 28. The SimCity Twitter account notes players will get the chance to try out a "one hour slice" of the game.Interested participants should head on over to the SimCity site and sign up for the beta. The full game's final launch date is hopefully set in concrete and is expected to hand out building permits on March 5.
SimCity intro video receives permit for public viewing
If you like flyovers of modeled cityscapes, you are in for a treat with this SimCity intro trailer. Urban and industrial vistas are on display as the camera flies by buildings and uses convenient skyscrapers as edits. Enjoy!
SimCity and the art of amassing wealth
Cities don't just start out as metropolises, full to the brim with wealthy shoppers who live in penthouse suites. No, a city must work hard to become a bustling shopping mecha and beacon of wealth – and in SimCity, it's all about having a city full of Wealthy Sims.Attracting Wealthy Sims to your town is the easy part; however, keeping them around is tough because Wealthy Sims are more sensitive to their needs and vocal when ignored. "Education, pollution reduction, better crime suppression, and consistency in all your services will become a priority as your Sims go up in wealth," EA says. A dearth of disasters probably helps, too.Another crucial aspect is increasing land value, a byproduct of putting services and public transportation systems in place. As you build infrastructures, you'll start to shape your city and attract the corresponding kind of Wealthy Sim. It's key to build parks around your residential areas, giving the Wealthy Sims a much-needed place to go and offer condescending looks at the other, poorer Sims.
SimCity and the power to build with friends trailer
One of the most exciting ideas in the new SimCity is the "multi-city play" feature, which is showcased in this latest trailer. Around the 2:50 mark is where the co-op features start to really get shown off. Build a better city with friends starting March 5, 2013.
SimCity creative director shows off more of game's interface
SimCity creative director Ocean Quigley (rockin' a badass mustache) shows off the game's intuitive visual presentation, which we praised back at Gamescom. The trailer features nice examples of the immediate impact of civic structures and parks. SimCity will be out the first full week of March 2013.
