Which Sim City was best?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:10 pm

I burned out on SC4 more quickly than usual. I always grow bored with sims eventually, but with no random disasters, and with those annoying "mission" icons cluttering the screen, I never really got into #4 in the first place. It seemed like it was too easy to make money, and there was even less challenge to it than to its predecessors.

I just noticed that I still have my copy of SC3, but I can't remember if I liked that one any better. Actually, no SC game has gripped me since the first one...and that was mostly novelty value.

Which incarnation did you like best, and why?

Eco-Logic · Post by **Eco-Logic** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:23 pm

I liked Sim City 2000 the best. The only ones I really played were the first one and Sim City 2000.

The reason I liked 2000 the most is because I was playing it on the computer, instead of the Nintendo

and I had a strategy guide and actually became good at it.

I've always wanted to try the others but never got around to it.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:30 pm

I really really liked 4. I loved the idea of cities sharing industry, residency, commercial space, roads, etc., etc.
I felt that 4 was the deepest game because of the region.

Biyobi · Post by **Biyobi** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:32 pm

I got the most mileage out of SimCity 2000. I played 3 for a while but it never grabbed me the same way so I never bothered to pick up 4.

The Mad Hatter · Post by **The Mad Hatter** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:34 pm

The first one looked really good on my friend's Tandy 1000. It may not have been 100% IBM compatible, but it had better graphics than my IBM PC.

Chesspieceface · Post by **Chesspieceface** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 3:54 pm

I've played 'em all. I'm thinking that #2 actually held my attention the longest. But I'm gonna agree with EddyX that #4 has the most interesting gameplay.

Maxis will have to do something pretty revolutionary for #5 if they want my gaming dollars. They basically invented and exhausted the genre all by themselves.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:04 pm

I though 3000 was terrible. 2000 of course had me playing for the longest, but as I say, 4 is just DEEP.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:45 pm

I've actually been thinking about picking up 4 (for cheap). I haven't played a SC game in ages (and likely just the original, so I can't help Ironrod), and I know that I'll play the recent one for all of about five hours, but it just seems like something I'd enjoy.

If anyone's got a copy laying around never to be played again, I may be able to come up with some (weak) tradebait.

~Neal

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:16 pm

I with the everybody. #2 held me the longest, but #4 had the best gameplay. It's problem was that it was so much MotS.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:28 pm

Can't believe I have never played a Sim City before, since I love Impressions games (Caesar, Pharoah, Zeus, etc). Anyone play both and have a preference? Are they even comparable? I plunked some serious, hard core gaming hours into Caesar 3.

Been meaning to pick up SC4 as soon as I spot it in an EB used bin.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:32 pm

I've never played Sim City before either so keep coming with those impressions. I'd like to build a nice, well adjusted metropolis before visiting destruction upon the helpless inhabitants.

Thunderspark · Post by **Thunderspark** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:48 pm

I suppose my answer is similar to most other people's. I remember playing 2000 the most. I also played 1 a lot, but 3 didn't really do it for me. 4 is fun, but as someone said, it's mostly more of the same.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:51 pm

Altho I've got 4 plus the expansion it has never grabbed me like the 3rd incarnation.Especially the Unlimited version.

Kelric · Post by **Kelric** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 5:56 pm

SimCity 2000 way back when on my dad's old Mac. I used that computer more than he did. Oregon Trail and SC2000, woohoo!

Chesspieceface · Post by **Chesspieceface** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:53 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:Can't believe I have never played a Sim City before, since I love Impressions games (Caesar, Pharoah, Zeus, etc). Anyone play both and have a preference? Are they even comparable?

Strangely the games really aren't that comparable, aside from the concept of building a city at all. The Citybuilders are goal oriented for the most part and can be 'beaten' with some fancy math and spreadsheets as well as fixed 'blocks' of housing.

SC has a much more free-form sandboxy feel to it. The goals are only present in special scenarios, otheriwse you are on your own.SC tries hard to model the way real cities develop. It fails in many respects but nonetheless it is far more realistic than the cartoony simplistic models in the impressions games. SC4 had the most sophisticated underlying mechanics yet and they really are quite interesting especially with the Rush Hour expansion which really fleshes out traffic and commuting.

Overall I'd say if I hadn't got SC1 on my PC jr. way back when, and then proceeded to play the shit out of Sc2000 on the 386... SC4 would seem like a truly amazing thing.

Zekester · Post by **Zekester** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:16 pm

I have limited time with any of the versions, but 3000 I liked the best.

What caused me to stop playing was the way that the water lines were set up; it was just annoying to try and lay it out the right way.
I had pipes everywhere.

Power was a little wonky too, I thought.
I'd place power lines all over the place, but still came up short.

SuperHiro · Post by **SuperHiro** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:20 pm

SimCity 2000 + bond cheat = a lesson in macro economics I'll never forget.

Veloxi · Post by **Veloxi** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 9:46 pm

Simcity 2000 + SimCopter = Many many years of happy gaming. I think SimCity 2000 is still the best, and the sequels are just imitations.

knob · Post by **knob** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:14 pm

I loved Sim Copter. That was back when I wasn't such a jaded prick where everything I installed was fun.

D.A.Lewis · Post by **D.A.Lewis** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:36 pm

SimCity 2000 here also. It made me buy the next 2.

Although I really liked sc3000 but sc 4000 with it new tile arrangement sucked. Curiously though, the music in each game got better and better but the game play suffered.

The one thing I hated about SC2000 was how a church would pop up anywhere and anytime and ruin a great city design. It was not only irritating but I felt Maxis was trying to give us some kind of message.

And yes Sim Copter was cool

Veloxi · Post by **Veloxi** » Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:36 pm

Valael wrote:I loved Sim Copter. That was back when I wasn't such a jaded prick where everything I installed was fun.

Yup, SimCopter is still a blast. I still play it to this day. Sure, it looks like crap, but it's probably the best non-military helicopter game I've ever played.

Rhett · Post by **Rhett** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:27 am

Veloxi wrote:
Valael wrote:I loved Sim Copter. That was back when I wasn't such a jaded prick where everything I installed was fun.
Yup, SimCopter is still a blast. I still play it to this day. Sure, it looks like crap, but it's probably the best non-military helicopter game I've ever played.

Man that was so much fun... I loved getting in that cobra and just blowing up cities (that I had made in SC2000). But yea, SC2000 was *the* game to play when I was younger. SimCopter, oh what a fun game. Just to fly around... so much fun

Veloxi · Post by **Veloxi** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 1:46 am

Heh, glad to know I'm not the only SimCopter fan. I try and tell other gamers about it sometimes and they look at me like I'm crazy.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:11 am

Couldn't you just bulldoze a church?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:50 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:Can't believe I have never played a Sim City before, since I love Impressions games (Caesar, Pharoah, Zeus, etc). Anyone play both and have a preference?

It's the difference between games and a sim. The SC programs have no goals, no win/lose, no scripted events...they even did away with random disasters. If you like playing sandbox mode in the Imps games, you might like SC...it does have a lot more building evolution (which is the entire point of playing). But SC always gets boring after a certain point because it lacks game structure. The Imp citybuilders also lose a lot of their challenge when your city turns the corner to profitability, but at least they have scripting and goals to keep you engaged. Like Demosthenes said, their main drawback was their formulaic nature, especially the silly constraints imposed by walker AI.

Maybe I need to read up on SC4 strategy. The SC series has always been sketchy with feedback, so I have very little idea what's going on under the hood.

There seems to be a consensus that 3 was the weakest of the lot. Maybe I'll sell it, and hold onto #4 for the time being. I should have made this a poll.

Zekester · Post by **Zekester** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:58 am

Hmmm,
wonder if I have a copy of SimCopter around here

Reed · Post by **Reed** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 12:52 pm

SimCity 2000 was my favorite (and one of my favorite games of all time), followed by the original.

Hated SimCity3. Liked SimCity 4, though didn't end up playing it too long. I bought the expansion for $10 on an Amazon deal, but have yet to try it out. This thread is tempting a reinstall...

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 1:24 pm

Sim City 2000 w/Sim Copter is the proverbial old school classic, while SC4 is da new hotness. I really enjoyed both, but SC4 takes a lot more effort to enjoy. Before I played with all that the mod community is putting out over at Simtropolis, SC4 seemed to be a game with great potential that suffered from bugs and a few critical poor design decisions. SC4 is a much more complex game, so even modded up it still is for the obsessive heh, you should see some of the city journals over at Simtropolis.

And those of you who enjoyed Sim Copter might very well like Rush Hour for SC4, which is about adding lots transportation options but also includes a number of vehicles for U-Drive-It missions.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:13 pm

When I first got Simcity 4, I spent about 5 hours making my own region. I populated each city with trees, mountains, lakes, animals, etc. It took forever, but the region was my own, my precious, and when I play using it, I feel like I have more fun than when I only use the premade regions.
As I said before, plan your cities so some are slums, with lots of industry and commerce, while the neighbors are all houses and shops.
The Rush Hour expansion really helps you guide traffic around with one way streets, avenues, and so on.

I uninstalled this a while ago to make room for UT2k4, but I just (hesitantly) uninstalled UT2k4, so... back it goes! Maybe.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 10:56 am

Eduardo X wrote:When I first got Simcity 4, I spent about 5 hours making my own region.

I went online and downloaded a Boston map, made from satellite data I think. There's an automated way to import terrain from anywhere in the world, but it's quite difficult to do -- the feature feels tacked on.

Maybe I'll head over to Simtropolis, pick up some new mods, and give SC4 another look. It's still installed. Do you know offhand if there's a way to turn off the U-drive-it missions? Those icons really annoy me.

Eduardo X · Post by **Eduardo X** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:28 pm

Ironrod wrote:
Eduardo X wrote:When I first got Simcity 4, I spent about 5 hours making my own region.
I went online and downloaded a Boston map, made from satellite data I think. There's an automated way to import terrain from anywhere in the world, but it's quite difficult to do -- the feature feels tacked on.

Maybe I'll head over to Simtropolis, pick up some new mods, and give SC4 another look. It's still installed. Do you know offhand if there's a way to turn off the U-drive-it missions? Those icons really annoy me.

I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure there IS a way to turn those icons off.