What the hell happened to SCS?

[drivetheory]

Updates should improve a game, not make it worse...

I'll be completely honest. I've been purchasing & religiously playing this series of games since SimCity 2000 came out in the mid-late 90s until now...

SC2K was fun, SC3K was even better, SC4 was near perfect...


First & last time I played SCS was when i bought it (just after Game Update #1 came out.)
I was a bit disappointed by how easy it was and how it strayed so far away from where SC4 left off.

This past friday I decided to play it again (first time in 6+ months) and unfortunately had to reinstall SCS (kept randomly crashing for no reason, no clue why) and i also downloaded & installed Game Update #5 in the process.

The "New Maintenance system (Strategic modes)" in Game Update #5 (or wherever this crap came from) has left a VERY bitter taste in my mouth after only 1 weekend of gaming...

Did anyone over at Tilted Mill ever play SC2K/3K/4?

In my opinion the maintenance system is completely whack... It doesn't accurately effect the scenario, it's is not properly implemented, and it lacks adequate documentation (Game Update PDF release notes don't help either).

It's as if the Devs heard the outcry of the public that SCS was too easy and decided to pull an economic system out of their @$$!# overnight...

There's a reason why SC4 scored a 9.2 over at IGN.com and SCS scored a 5.8; if Game Update #5 were to be taken into consideration that score would probably drop to a 4.2

My advice to Tilted Mill devs: Go take an economics class at the local community college & play SC4 for a week or 2 and get a feel for how a working economic system is designed.

My advice to gamers: stick with whatever Game Update # doesn't have this flawed economy and cross your fingers that Tilted Mill fixes/reprograms/corrects the economic system in Game Update #6.


Play Hardcore mode, fill your city with 'Public Safety' buildings (and i mean FILL!), add a some 'Public Clock' buildings, add some 'Street Food Cart' buildings, and watch and see that no matter how you fund the maintenance system your city still ends up shut down (and broke).... not to mention you could have a residential count of 150 and a venue count of 300 (all intelligently placed on the map) and you still end up with 50+ sims who couldn't get to a venue?

[tomnobles]

I don't think it's a TM game. I think it's an EA game.

[Javokis]

The game wasn't made for educational purposes. SCS was made for creativity and imagination of building any kind of society you want whether realistic or fantasy. Micro managing various city needs wasn't the main objective. The people and their daily lives are.

As for strategic mode being unrealistic - meh. Don't approach this game like it's a test of your PhD in economics. Approach it like it's a game. Make use of the building stats to your advantage and build around the world that is surely not your own.

[King Faticus]

I don't think it's a TM game. I think it's an EA game.

Exactly.. it's a game

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/game

don't take any game too seriously they are supposed to be fun not a collage level economics class

If I wanted a collage class I would go to.. a real... collage...

[angelisis]

isnt it college?

[Sim Nation]

Why people come here to complain about SCS is beyond me , its got nothing to do with us , we dont know anything about it .
________
Vaporizer

[Azeem]

Ya lost me at "religiously."

[soldyne]

I think it is funny that this person is complaining about SCS NOW. how long has it been out? all the die hard SimCity fans have already gotten tired of trashing this game months ago.

anyway, like the others said, this is not a strategic game it is more of a design/fun game. and besides TM is not the bad guy here, it is, as usual, EA. TM has done a wonderful job making 5 patches and an expansion pack and all the while they have been listening to the community (on this forum) in order to make the game as good as it could be (within the limits set by EA of course).

with that said, I feel your pain about not having a SC5. but if that is the kind of game you are looking for then check out Monte Cristos CitiesXL.

[ronnyay]

Using the same logic, J.K.Rowling should not write Harry Potter becuase she had not take a black magic class in college.

Sometimes game rules can be abstractions that need not to reflect reality that perfectly.

[Stardog]

Wait until Sim City 5 comes out before you start comparing to SC4/3k/2k etc.