City Builder: Surviving Mars

[PZ]

This one reminds me of SimAnt 

I enjoyed the "Sim" series

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4xbox-onepc-city-builder-surviving-mars-revealed/1100-6449994/

[fragger]

That looks interesting. I like a good building/management affair. Can't really tell from the clip what the nature of the gameplay will be like, but I'll be keeping an eye on it. Cheers PZ

[Art Blade]

I was just thinking: The Sim series, I hope they'll never call any of them "Simeon"

[Art Blade]

if the male offspring likes to play those games, I don't think they should be called "SIMsons," either 

[PZ]

 

I liked the Sim series - not the people-based games of late, but the simulations like Sim Ant, Sim Tower, etc.  They were DOS based games that were quite interesting. 

This one might be a modern day version of those old simulators.

[Art Blade]

I had the original SimCity, later I believe SimCity2000 (or some such), I had the original "Sims" which was novel and fun back then and I tremendously enjoyed SimTower. Man, those elevators and express lifts that kept clogging up when office people wanted to get down and out and the condominium people wanted to get up and in and vice versa. Quite a stress level for some of them

[Art Blade]

oh and SimCopter.. utter *bleep*.

[fragger]

lol "Simsons"

Yeah PZ, that's what I was thinking too. Looks like it might be a SimCity-type affair on Mars. The only Sim title I ever got into was SimCity 3000, which I really enjoyed for a while, but one day I very abruptly got sick of it, almost like someone threw a switch and turned my enthusiasm off. Usually my interest in a game fades, doesn't just suddenly end. Funny that. Then, a year or two later, I got into it again, got hooked again for a couple of months, then once again my interest abruptly switched off one day. I don't think I've had that happen with any other game, except maybe No Man's Sky, but that was for different reasons.

But when I was into SimCity 3000, I was into it big-time. Excellent thinking game, where good planning really paid off. I still have fond memories of it Never tried SimTower though.

I remember at the time hearing that SimCopter was complete trasherino. I think all reviewers collectively ripped it a new one.

[Art Blade]

they made it sound cool: fly through your own cities with a chopper.. yeah.. but it was both a slide show and a *bleep* experience as the game was mainly a taxi sim.

[PZ]

I loved the music in SimCopter, and would have loved to see it fleshed out into a real game. I liked the idea of using a helicopter to help the citizens of the city. 

I too had one of the original SimCity (DOS) games, and found it fun to develop the place. With each further iteration of the game I liked the graphics more, but when Maxis decided to require a single player game to be online, I left it. I did not return after they decided to reverse their decision - the die was cast.

[Art Blade]

I faintly seem to remember that the music was good, yes.. but damn, you don't buy a game just to listen to its music

[fragger]

Same, PZ. Once a game dev ticks me off in some way, I find it hard to forgive them, even if they try to make amends. The damage is already done (No Man's Sky springs to mind again). That really was a dumb decision on Maxis' part. I think it cost them, too. Well, it certainly cost them one customer, that's for sure

[Art Blade]

I think they lost me, too. Not sure what happened, but it started to get on my nerves when they started to mass-produce The Sims-related games and threw those games at us almost on a weekly basis. It wasn't cool any more, they didn't come up with novel ideas anymore, just seemed to be focussed on grinding money out of the customers.

And I too had that sensation, letting go of a Sim game as if it was a hot iron. No cool-down and slow-paced walking out, it was tossing it away and never return. I think SimCity3000 was for old time's sake a brief return but I never got into it and tossed that, too.

[PZ]

I started looking for alternatives like Cities: Skylines, now less than $10 even though Maxis patched their game to play offline.

[fragger]

Cities: Skylines does look interesting. It got pretty good reviews, sort of like a throwback to the SimCity glory days but with better graphics. There appears to be  mods, add-ons and graphics enhancements available for it now too, and apparently it's designed with modding in mind. No online-only nonsense either. I might give it a whirl, the price is wallet-friendly