Azeem
07-01-2007, 06:22 AM
One criticism directed at SC4 mentioned earlier here was that it was representative only of a Western-style backdrop and even if there were a wide variety of non-Western buildings available through BAT lot downloads at fan sites, the city administration still reflected a markedly "Western" style of city administration.
The TM devs in one of the interviews mentioned how different cities are populated with different cultures. However, what we've seen so far are only Western-style and Soviet-style "cultures" represented with the occasional Asian buildings (such as what I assume are the Potala Palace and Wat Chedi Liem), but why not take this a step further in SCS (or possibly an expansion) by representing actual cultural characteristics of non-Western cultures?
Representing non-Western and non-Soviet-style societies need not be too complex (and obviously should not border on being hokey). As in SC3k, there can be specific settings - for example, the US and Canada, Europe, and East Asia. They can be represented by specific available professions or types of city-dwellers and the interactions between city-dwellers may be a bit more specific.
For example-
Say we want to represent modern Korea:
Professions can include the "street market vendor," "travelling merchant," and the market ("sijang" in Korea / "shichang" in China) vendors. One thing that's bothered me about SC4 was the virtual absence of a visible and less plastic reprsentation of a street culture. East Asia has a fairly vibrant market culture that's very much alive and well that goes back centuries and is very much different from the shopping culture of Americans. Street vending is very common in all parts of Korea (even a small town like Namhae has numerous street vendors and travelling merchants peddling wares or food) and is a part of daily life for all town and city dwellers; people in a rush (particularly in a bigger city like Busan) may have a quick snack from a street vendor or a person who doesn't want to travel far to buy something and is looking for a good bargain.
Now how can we represent this in SCS? In an "East Asian" city, perhaps certain sidewalk space on street intersections can be designated as "street market" locations (or perhaps there can be a special kind of road that functions specifically as such) and throughout the day, "street merchants" can travel to these locations and set up shops or occasionally roam around the vicinity and interact and bargain with nearby sims. Perhaps the downside of thse is that since they're pretty much a "commoner's" market they can lower the ratings of "Wealth"-related social energies while slightly boosting "Industry" and "Creativity" energies since street markets are fast, cheap, convenient and some merchants may sell or produce crafts unique to the locality.
What do you think? :)
The TM devs in one of the interviews mentioned how different cities are populated with different cultures. However, what we've seen so far are only Western-style and Soviet-style "cultures" represented with the occasional Asian buildings (such as what I assume are the Potala Palace and Wat Chedi Liem), but why not take this a step further in SCS (or possibly an expansion) by representing actual cultural characteristics of non-Western cultures?
Representing non-Western and non-Soviet-style societies need not be too complex (and obviously should not border on being hokey). As in SC3k, there can be specific settings - for example, the US and Canada, Europe, and East Asia. They can be represented by specific available professions or types of city-dwellers and the interactions between city-dwellers may be a bit more specific.
For example-
Say we want to represent modern Korea:
Professions can include the "street market vendor," "travelling merchant," and the market ("sijang" in Korea / "shichang" in China) vendors. One thing that's bothered me about SC4 was the virtual absence of a visible and less plastic reprsentation of a street culture. East Asia has a fairly vibrant market culture that's very much alive and well that goes back centuries and is very much different from the shopping culture of Americans. Street vending is very common in all parts of Korea (even a small town like Namhae has numerous street vendors and travelling merchants peddling wares or food) and is a part of daily life for all town and city dwellers; people in a rush (particularly in a bigger city like Busan) may have a quick snack from a street vendor or a person who doesn't want to travel far to buy something and is looking for a good bargain.
Now how can we represent this in SCS? In an "East Asian" city, perhaps certain sidewalk space on street intersections can be designated as "street market" locations (or perhaps there can be a special kind of road that functions specifically as such) and throughout the day, "street merchants" can travel to these locations and set up shops or occasionally roam around the vicinity and interact and bargain with nearby sims. Perhaps the downside of thse is that since they're pretty much a "commoner's" market they can lower the ratings of "Wealth"-related social energies while slightly boosting "Industry" and "Creativity" energies since street markets are fast, cheap, convenient and some merchants may sell or produce crafts unique to the locality.
What do you think? :)