SimCity 5

[Hooe]

Re: SimCity 5

I hesitate to post this because I don't want to prevent those who have the game from enjoying it and I'm already on the record saying I'm not buying it, but the train wreck that has been the launch of this game I can't look away from.

Apparently there's a portion of the game's code that is JavaScript and can be manipulated by modders, who have apparently previously decrypted the manner in which EA Maxis stores scripts and data for SimCity and The Sims. Part of that is a block of code which governs the game's behavior when the game is disconnected, a hard 20-minute offline play time limit. The "must be played online" requirement (excluding saving a city, which requires EA server access) can be defeated by removing a single line of this JavaScript code.

Just a total debacle, IMO.

[MNOFSTEEL34]

I hesitate to post this because I don't want to prevent those who have the game from enjoying it and I'm already on the record saying I'm not buying it, but the train wreck that has been the launch of this game I can't look away from.

Apparently there's a portion of the game's code that is JavaScript and can be manipulated by modders, who have apparently previously decrypted the manner in which EA Maxis stores scripts and data for SimCity and The Sims. Part of that is a block of code which governs the game's behavior when the game is disconnected, a hard 20-minute offline play time limit. The "must be played online" requirement (excluding saving a city, which requires EA server access) can be defeated by removing a single line of this JavaScript code.

Just a total debacle, IMO.

I bought this game Saturday but have yet to play it... With all this bad criticism I am not sure I want to open it

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[mestevo]

Re: SimCity 5

I hesitate to post this because I don't want to prevent those who have the game from enjoying it and I'm already on the record saying I'm not buying it, but the train wreck that has been the launch of this game I can't look away from.

Apparently there's a portion of the game's code that is JavaScript and can be manipulated by modders, who have apparently previously decrypted the manner in which EA Maxis stores scripts and data for SimCity and The Sims. Part of that is a block of code which governs the game's behavior when the game is disconnected, a hard 20-minute offline play time limit. The "must be played online" requirement (excluding saving a city, which requires EA server access) can be defeated by removing a single line of this JavaScript code.

Just a total debacle, IMO.

Well, what would be worse, the servers or your internet going down and losing 20 minutes of data, or playing for some other indefinite amount of time and losing who knows how long you worked on your city. That would have been especially brutal launch week on top of the capacity problems.

I'll care about the hacked offline stuff when region play works, that's where this game sets itself apart IMO and is why I'll continue to play it for some time. Until then the 'look, you can play it offline!' headlines are just as off base as the opening week headlines about nobody being able to play.

[Burns11]

Re: SimCity 5

Who says you would have to lose your data? People have discovered how to kill the offline timeout and how to save locally, if the game can do that they can make an offline mode.

I think the issue, more than anything else, is Maxis lying about all this. If they would have just said "it's online only for DRM" they would have gotten some huffy protesters, but the game wouldn't have suffered for sales (i.e. Diablo III). Instead of just admitting this, they decide to lie, and every lie has been exposed keeping this stuff in the headlines. If they hadn't lied about the game being virtually impossible to get to play offline, this wouldn't have even been a headline outside of fringe piracy oriented websites.

[mestevo]

Re: SimCity 5

They haven't said that because it isn't true. It's online only because it's effectively a multiplayer-only game. If anything it's the latter that they've done a poor job of communicating or convincing anyone of. Explaining it means they're just lying some more apparently judging from the reactions to the head of Maxis' blog earlier this week.

Until they can emulate or duplicate the region simulation then no, SimCity can't be "played as an offline game." The headlines are as accurate as the "SimCity still unplayable" launch week that ignored all details that detracted from the headline's ability to drive "huffy protesters" to the comment section in droves.

[Burns11]

Re: SimCity 5

Region data sent from server to game is extremely simplistic, and calculating that data would have no greater burden on a PC than running an instance of notepad in the background.

This really isn't a multiplayer game at all, it just borrows asynchronous data from other's cloud saves.

[Cusefan]

A game to keep an eye on for the Future is called Civitas, it had a kick starter page but that was canceled as it acquired private funding. It's going to be a SC clone but with emphasis on modding.

[mestevo]

Region data sent from server to game is extremely simplistic, and calculating that data would have no greater burden on a PC than running an instance of notepad in the background.

This really isn't a multiplayer game at all, it just borrows asynchronous data from other's cloud saves.

Cool, let us know when they've hacked together resource management for 20 cities simultaneously. Sounds easy enough.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[Goffs]

Re: SimCity 5

A game to keep an eye on for the Future is called Civitas, it had a kick starter page but that was canceled as it acquired private funding. It's going to be a SC clone but with emphasis on modding.

If they pull through what they have planned with terraforming and having moddable assests....man its going to be sweet! They also had me at OFFLINE mode....

[iLLosophy]

Re: SimCity 5

A game to keep an eye on for the Future is called Civitas, it had a kick starter page but that was canceled as it acquired private funding. It's going to be a SC clone but with emphasis on modding.

I saw their kickstarter page, but didn't give it much merit as they gave a generic bio the team saying they were "out of work developers in Austin." If they convinced someone to give them private funding though, it might be worth looking at.

[mestevo]

Re: SimCity 5

Free game selection:

• Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
• Bejeweled 3
• Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
• Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
• Medal of Honor Warfighter (Standard Edition)
• Need For Speed Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
• Plants vs. Zombies
• SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition

Our SimCity Mayors are incredibly important to the team at Maxis. We sincerely apologize for the difficulties at launch and hope to make it up to you with a free PC game download from Origin.

Starting today, every player that has activated their copy of SimCity will receive an email that will give directions on how to redeem this offer, and you can also find more information on our FAQ. We’ll be opening up the redemption portal country-by-country so some of you may see it a little sooner than others. The portal will be live worldwide for everyone to select their game by March 22. We don’t want any of you to miss out on your free game, so please note that you must register your copy of SimCity before March 25, 2013 at 11:59 PM PDT and you must claim your free game by March 30, 2013 at 11:59PM PDT.

Ironically the page with this information keeps going down under the load of people looking for info on free stuff: http://www.ea.com/news/for-our-patie...d-from-origin-

[jct32]

Re: SimCity 5

Free game selection:

• Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
• Bejeweled 3
• Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
• Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
• Medal of Honor Warfighter (Standard Edition)
• Need For Speed Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
• Plants vs. Zombies
• SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition

Ironically the page with this information keeps going down under the load of people looking for info on free stuff: http://www.ea.com/news/for-our-patie...d-from-origin-

So those of us who bought this game on origin do we have to do anything to register our game?

[Goffs]

Re: SimCity 5

I'm going for Need For Speed....looks like that has some replayability....was thinking of MOH but eh...I'm sure the mulitplayer part of that game is dead (even on PC)

[PurePlayinSerb]

Re: SimCity 5

how do we register our game?

[buickbeast]

Re: SimCity 5

Free game selection:

• Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
• Bejeweled 3
• Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
• Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
• Medal of Honor Warfighter (Standard Edition)
• Need For Speed Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
• Plants vs. Zombies
• SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition

Anyone else think it's strange their offering the old SimCity? lol