The new SimCity...*sigh*

[Robert Maxwell]

I used to collect the boxes, until I asked myself why I was using up valuable space hoarding massive amounts of empty cardboard boxes. I mean, I put the manuals on a bookshelf (so I can get to them without having to hunt down a box), and apart from looking nice, what do the boxes do?

So, I got out of that habit.

[JarodRussell]

I don't collect boxes, but I do want to have something physical that I can put on a shelf. I don't like these oversized boxes that were standard up to ten years ago, I also don't care for oversized collector boxes. The standard DVD and bluray casings are mighty fine, though. And steelbooks are truly wonderful.

[Robert Maxwell]

JarodRussell wrote:

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I don't collect boxes, but I do want to have something physical that I can put on a shelf. I don't like these oversized boxes that were standard up to ten years ago, I also don't care for oversized collector boxes. The standard DVD and bluray casings are mighty fine, though. And steelbooks are truly wonderful.

I'm cool with games coming in jewel cases, considering I have a few racks for those. The DVD-style cases are just stupid, though. But it seems all the console manufacturers have gone to that format, so naturally PC game manufacturers had to follow suit.

[ATimson]

Robert Maxwell wrote:

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The DVD-style cases are just stupid, though. But it seems all the console manufacturers have gone to that format, so naturally PC game manufacturers had to follow suit.

Why are they stupid? They're pretty much the best compromise in size - big enough where they can still fit a manual, small enough that retailers are happy.

[JarodRussell]

ATimson wrote:

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Why are they stupid? They're pretty much the best compromise in size - big enough where they can still fit a manual, small enough that retailers are happy.

That's my thought as well, I think it's the ideal size and format.

[Squiggy]

[Samuel Walters]

"Don't cry. We'll play SimCity 4."

[Robert Maxwell]

ATimson wrote:

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Why are they stupid? They're pretty much the best compromise in size - big enough where they can still fit a manual, small enough that retailers are happy.

What "manuals"? You mean the 10-30 page booklets they occasionally include?

Don't make me laugh.

[ThunderAeroI]

Squiggy wrote:

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The best part is at the end where he tells them to shot him in the head if he buys another EA game....and then tells them to preorder Battlefield 4.

Edit: after watching this video it is different then the one I watched. Still funny though.

[Emher]

Holdfast wrote:

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Cool, thanks for the feedback to everyone who replied to my question.

Sounds like server problems are more or less sorted out now, so I just need to wait for them to fix cheetah speed and then I'll probably pick up a copy. Thanks!

Cheetah speed works fine for me.

[TheGodBen]

Emher wrote:

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Cheetah speed works fine for me.

Are you sure about that? Because it was still disabled as of 9 hours ago. You can click on the button and the game will claim it is running at cheetah speed, but the simulation still runs at normal speed.

[Emher]

I was so sure I saw the animations change when I hit the button. But I checked, and right you are.

[Alidar Jarok]

They don't have Cheetah Speed, but they do have Placebo Speed

[TheGodBen]

Add this to the list of user complaints about SimCity: The game pads out the population figure to make your city seem bigger than it is. For the first 500 sims, everything runs as expected, but after that point the game starts multiplying the population figures non-linearly. At 1,500 sims, the game claims your population is roughly 5,000, and at 15,000 sims the game claims your population is 100,000. The extra 85,000 "phantom sims" play no role in the simulation, they're completely fake. They don't have homes, they don't go to work, they don't pay taxes. They presumably exist to try and hide how small the cities in the game really are.

I can understand why Maxis did that, simulating hundreds of thousands of individual sims would probably have killed most computers. But having the game cover up how small the cities are by lying about your population seems really dishonest.

[Robert Maxwell]

That's actually kind of clever, and makes sense in a statistical sort of way. Beyond a certain number, there's no real benefit to simulating that many individuals.