SimCity: The Simulation Game

Some interesting ideas from Will Wright who made SimCity, SimAnt (almost forgotten about it) and The Sims.

Now I remembered about the special events such as Alien Invasion, Fire, etc. which are pretty cool

Open Ended Game: Play as you desire!
Now I kinda remember that SimCity is an open ended game with no win or lose situation (we don’t fly to Alpha Century like in Civilization). There is no must do to win list; just built as you like and watch it grow. Of cause the typical me try to build the biggest metropolis on a flat land, with a gigantic waterfall for hydro power and a river for port to prosper (and having ships cruising around). I didn’t try to build a resort city as planting more trees doesn't have extra benefit besides aesthetic.

"What kind of city do I want? For me what is success? Is it a big city? Is it a city with low crime? Or low traffic? High-land value?" I always go for high-land value, high population and high revenue (like our typical world). In a typical game, we always expect military victory? But civilization does allow victory through diplomatic or technology (space race) beside world domination. Though the options are opened, but sometimes the game is biased and geared towards a certain direction (Diplomatic is fine; but the enemy will still kick your ass if you lose out in military power).

The many ways to play a game is a fine idea, which requires more thinking and refinement is make it really feasible.

Why TheSims work? Focus on the Player
The Sims is about running our daily mundane, boring life in a virtual world; how is cleaning toilet and buying furniture more interesting that building city or killing aliens? People inherently are narcissistic: anything about them is fascinating. The “hero” in the game is actually the player; and everything in the game is about the player? Reality TV? We used to enjoy watching glamorous superstar, now we are watching average joe doing everyday stuff on TV.

Simulation Game
It seems like simulation game is another dying breed. I hardly can remember why SimAnt is nice; but the idea is interesting. I like Dungeon Keeper where my minions just go around doing their stuff; where I assert little control when necessary. I create the environment for my creation to prosper, that’s cool. Set the stage for passive gameplay, while we perform “minor” tweaking to set the stage as we like it.

Game idea: create the environment (food and breeding grounds) for our creations to grow, keep them happy and motivated by providing what they need (entertainment, delicacies, sports, etc) and engage in war or compete in terms of achievement (population, income, colony size, etc).