E3 2012

SimCity – E3 Redux

June 12, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity

I missed this yesterday. Here’s a new blog post from the team at Maxis recapping over their experience at last week’s E3, as well as announcing an in-depth look at the game’s tilt-shift art style next week.

Last week was awesome for the team here. We revealed two major components of the game – it was hard for us to keep them secret. Our biggest reveal was the big feature that everyone has been asking about, multiplayer. We had been talking about multiplayer since we first announced the game in March and E3 was the first time that we showed the world what it’s like to play SimCity with their friends. Working together to build an international airport, one of the Great Works available in the game, our three cities showed how multiplayer unlocks a brand new world of possibilities. Players are now able to share resources, workers and more as they collaborate to achieve mutual benefits. The international airport is just one of the many Great Works that you will be able to build inSimCity. Did we mention that Arcologies are back? Want to learn more? You’ll just have to stay tuned over the next couple of weeks!

Live SimCity Producer Q&A

June 5, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity

The guys at Origin and SimCity will be holding a live SimCity producer Q&A, as I’m sure you are all aware, today at 12pm PDT (8pm BST) which is in about 40 minutes. Maxis Senior Producer Kip Katsarelis is set to show more of the game as well as answer your questions. Don’t miss it!

Kotaku – The Bustling New SimCity Makes the Old SimCity Look as Still as a Board Game

June 5, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity

Kotaku have a new preview of SimCity up and it sounds great, except there is no terraforming in this entry. You won’t be able to shape the land how you want it. I find that extremely disappointing but we’ll see how it goes.

What’s exciting about this new Sim City is how alive it feels, how much it makes the earliest games in the series feel as static as board games. This one feels alive.

Developers on the game recently gave me a brief demo of their new SimCity, crafting a simple city to show some of the finer elements of their PC-only revival. They drew their roads, which now can be curvy. They did not terraform (there’s no re-shaping of land in this game). They zoned the land between the roads, and as houses popped, moving vans pulled in. All of the traffic in the game is simulated, they pointed out. Every house has at least one Sim in it who has a job and goes to work. Each house emits some light, as do car headlights, turning the night-time part of the game into a spectacle of darkened hues and glowing lights.

SimCity Screenshots & Artwork

June 4, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity

These have just been uploaded to EA’s press site…Hold me…

Some screenshots courtesy of SimCookie

SimCity Boxart Revealed

June 4, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity

And it’s glorious!

SimCity Social Breaks Ground On Facebook – Press Release + Screens

June 4, 2012

by Chris in E3 2012, SimCity Social

SIMCITY SOCIAL BREAKS GROUND ON FACEBOOK

The Critically-Acclaimed Simulation Franchise That Launched The City-Building Genre Stakes Claim On Facebook

GUILDFORD, UK. – June 4, 2012 – There’s a new mayor in town with SimCity™ Social! Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that SimCity, the world-renowned city-building simulator from Maxis that pioneered the genre, is coming to the largest social network in the world. A close collaboration between many talented people at Maxis and Playfish, SimCity Social brings the real city-building simulation to the masses, giving players the freedom to create sprawling cities that come to life as a result of player-driven choice. Launching globally on Facebook soon and currently in closed beta,SimCity Social is introducing groundbreaking innovations that change the landscape for social city-building.

“Facebook gamers have been waiting a long time for the original and best city-building game to come to the platform,” said Jami Laes, Vice President of Global Studios for Playfish. “This isn’t your typical drag and drop city-building game. Players don’t just build a city – they choose the kind of city they want and watch its soul come to life as it grows and reacts to their decisions. With SimCity Social, we’ve taken the best in social gaming design and married it with unprecedented depth to create an all-new deeply social experience.”

“Over the years EA has continued to bring major brands such as The Sims to Facebook,” said Sean Ryan, Director of Games Partnerships, Facebook. “SimCity Social is a great addition, and we look forward to another high quality game becoming available to the hundreds of millions of people who play games on Facebook each month.”

In SimCity Social, there are no set linear paths to follow; cities evolve as a direct result of player-driven choice allowing for more creative freedom. As mayor, players will deal with unforeseen issues like fires, crime and pollution, and will make crucial decisions that will help them discover how their cities take shape. Social interactions in SimCity Social go far beyond just visiting friends’ cities or using them as resources to complete tasks. Players can choose to build friendly relationships with other cities or form an intense rivalry through a dynamic and ever-evolving friend and foe system. With multiple options for city growth, unexpected gameplay events that shape the destiny of the city, and city-to-city relationships, players will see recognizable changes that bring forth aesthetic and gameplay alterations based on the decisions made in the game – for better or for worse.

SimCity fans can visit www.facebook.com/simcitysocial to view trailers and sneak a peek at content. “Like” us on Facebook to get in-game items at launch.