Ocean,
Have you noticed the amazingly negative response over Simcity's forced online connection requirements? The forum is full of comments against this issue. There's even a poll! And the worst part is all this talk about simcity social and the audio aspects of the game on previous blogs makes it feel like you are simply ignoring the fans. If we are willing to give you and your team 80 dollars for a game, shouldn't we have the freedom to use the online capabilities when we choose? How hard would it be to verify the authenticity of your game's copy when you first install the game, and then let us have the freedom to choose when to play online? So many are against this forced online issue. Why not compromise?

I'm not sure whom these questions are best addressed to, so any of the people involved can answer.

The ability to destroy your city with disasters and then, when the fun has stopped, reload your city and continue to build from before the disaster, has been a hallmark of the SimCity series. The online requirement has reportedly made this impossible. ( http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/06/sharing-your-simcity-with-others/ )

1) Are these claims true?

2) Are you comfortable calling this game SimCity when it's diverging so far from the key play elements that long-time fans have come to expect?

Many of us want the ability to play completely isolated from the actions of others. Even with the solo-play mode that has been outlined, however, the game still reportedly takes queues from the online marketplace.

3) Will any accommodations be made for players who prefer to know their city has not been affected by others and only by well tested and balanced algorithms?

Reviews of SimCity Social by gamers, have generally been negative ( http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/06/simcity-social-is-an-insult-to-its... ) ( http://penny-arcade.com/report/editorial-article/simcity-social-is-a-col... ).

Forums of dedicated fans ( Your own, Simtropolis, and others ) are largely lamenting the online provisions of the upcoming SimCity and what that means for gameplay.

There is a real danger that these two SimCity releases will tarnish the SimCity name for some time to come.

4) What changes are you willing to make now (While Social is in Beta and SimCity is in development) or in the future (once the game is released) to save the game's viability in the eyes of the long-time fans?

Thanks in advance for your time.

Sincerely and respectfully submitted,

Hey Maxis, i'm a great fan of Simcity, and would like to know, will we have a 'God Mode' in Simcity, like in Simcity 4, os some kind of Terraformimg pre-city? Thanks

I am curious about the relationship between cities and regions. Will cities have strict square boundaries like Simcity 4, or could it be more organic with nodes able to grow toward one another. I may really be dreaming here, but I could imagine city boundaries that grow as your city grows. On a related note, will the great works projects be contained within their own city-like boundary?

I see alot of questions asked why wont you guys just answer them I am thinking of canceling my order for the new sim city bacause there is no offline feature if we all cancel our orders and tell them why they will have to change the game sort of a simcity revolution !!!!!

Here is a Q/A I been planing SimCity 4 since it came out 2004.
"SimCity" coming out in Feb 2013 I hear lots of Fans want offline Play. Can we play the NEW "SimCity" regular and deluxe for PC Offline Mode under Private Opition like if bad weather hits or internet lags can it be Offline for SimCity PC? "Refrence-http://forum.ea.com/​eaforum/posts/list/​8576040.page

Here is a Q/A I been playing*Typo-fromabove SimCity 4 since it came out 2004.
"SimCity" coming out in Feb 2013 I hear lots of Fans want offline Play. Can we play the NEW "SimCity" regular and deluxe for PC Offline Mode under Private Opition like if bad weather hits or internet lags can it be Offline for SimCity PC? "Refrence-http://forum.ea.com/​eaforum/posts/list/​8576040.page

about transportation:

- will we got more in depth interaction with the transportation system?

- would we be able to construct local airports connected to the international one that we could customize and manage?

- can you please make the tramway station better looking??

I was wondering, can you play SimCity in an offline mode? Also, what disasters will be in SimCity and can you make them happen on command or will they happen automatically? Will there be landmarks in SimCity like in SimCity 4?

Has any thought been given to implementing stormwater management to the game? Adding curb inlets and pipe networks to carry rainwater runoff from urban areas could add a whole new level of complexity that I think would be enormously fun. You could even bring floods back and have to deal with the effects of those. I understand from a programming perspective it would be a challenge to design, but I think an important feature in educating people that much more about effective city management.

I am very excited about having a multiplayer mode of SimCity, its what I have always dreamed of having. But do you really need to make the whole game just online based? having an offline mode would bring even more money into your pockets.

1) What possible compelling benefit is there to "forced online play" even between regions where the players are in 'solo online play' that makes this a core required "feature"? How are we to perceive this 'Net requirement as anything other than a ball & chain? How is it that Civ V appears to be able to work just fine with private LAN or 'Net play as an option, but EA/ Maxis can't?

2) It was stated that Mods were considered a vital part of the SimCity Franchise. Per an article on the new SimCity: "It's worth pointing out that the reason people are still playing SimCity 4 today, 10 years after we shipped it, is because the modding community essentially recreated it. They filled it with new content and fixed bugs, and made it as much of a hobby as a game. We're very cognoscente of that -- I mean, we're not idiots."

Exactly how do mods work without creating exploits and griefer opportunity in an environment of forced online interaction? If I want a money-tree mod, how could I possibly be allowed to make one where it gives me advantage over anyone else playing? Again, I note that the technically competent staff over at 2kGames/ Firaxes offered mods out-of-the-box, hired a well known modder as a producer for Civ V and set up a system for solo players to enjoy mods fetched off Steam complete with ratings. For LAN and 'Net play, only DLCs are allowed. How could a mod environment thrive, the one Ocean recognizes preserved and bugfixed SimCity 4 possibly exist in a forced online environment?

3) Speaking of the fan community having to step in when EA/ Maxis appears to have abandoned SimCity for a decade since the release of Rush Hour, what assurance do we have of a 'live team' continuing to develop new content and breath fresh life into the game, and most importantly keep the required servers running so SimCity would continue to function in the face of ongoing EA layoffs and shutdowns of online services, including EA Sports MMA essentially shut down 18 months after game release? What is the assurance we have of EA's investment the lifespan of this SimCity release given the server requirement?

4) Given the nightmare of stories surrounding Settlers 7 and the online requirement... the server being down, quirks with the server, total inability to play the solo campaign mode offline, and how UbiSoft patched out the online requirement for many of its other games, even to the point of using an illegal cracked version of Rainbow Six: Vegas2 to patch problems with their legal online players, what steps will EA/ Maxis/ Origin take to make this forced online requirement less onerous to those who do not have a good 'Network connection, particularly to Americans visiting overseas or those in countries such as Egypt where the government can shut down The Internet at whim, or China where The Great Firewall of China can potentially cause issues with gameplay? What consideration is there for fans of the franchise who have metered bandwidth?

5) What is the plan to cover the costs of the server over the lifetime of the game without a subscription fee? If there will be a subscription fee, what is the justification for the comparatively steep price of the preorder for SimCity?

6) Could we have some details on how this forced online interaction is to take place between 'solo play' regions? Could we have details on how to promote SimCity to our friends without spamming them over Facebook? Could we have details on how we will find 'helpers' to assist us on building our regions? Details on 'eviction' of helpers who cause more harm then help within our region? Details on the protection of 'helpers' from 'evil' region controllers who express their gratitude over your work building your city in their region by banning you from your own city you created in their region? Could we have details on what happens to my forced online city when I go on vacation or extended stay away from being online? What harm does this cause my friend who invited me to help develop his region? What happens to my friends helping me on my region when I am the one who goes on extended leave? Are they forced to tolorate the behavior of a rogue member until I can return?

7) Could we please have a compelling arguement as to why this must be a core feature of the game that requires online interaction, even for 'solo' region players, where having this as an option would mitigate the above issues and even more? Please help us understand why forced online play for SimCity is such a compelling arguement in spite of the difficulties, concerns over EA/ Maxis's lack of involvement since SimCity: Rush Hour, EA's shutting down of servers and so on. I really strongly want to understand why this one feature makes all arguements against it simply not matter to EA/ Maxis.

Will cars travel on the fastest mode of transportation (IE: highways) instead of traveling on dirt roads or other similar sized roads? I try to build a great system of highways and large roads to facilitate traffic and not have congested roads but the people never seem to use them.

Also would be nice if roads had a speed so that cars going on highways would go faster than on a regular road.

There are many questions without answers on the EA forum and other popular SimCity forums. Why do we have to rehash all the questions on this blog post? Shouldn't you be paying attention to your core audience and know the questions already?

Will we be able to create agricultural zones? i.e. farms/ranches.

this question is for
Jason Haber

are you guys going to make an offline mode?

if it is only online are you going to stop simcity if theres less than 1% playing it?

I'm not interested in on-line play. Ever.
What I was hoping for was improvements over SC4. Gravity induced flowing water for building nice rivers and streams (teraforming assumed) and the ability to build land bridges. The ability to build on non-ortho transportation paths and to run roads under bridges. And the big requirement that is a show stopper for me are the modding tools like the LE, BAT, and PIM. Without tools for making custom content, I won't but the game.

Dear Maxis,

Here is a short list of things I would like to know:

1. Highways, highways, highways. Will there be highways comparable to either the old SC4 highways or the RHW mod made for SC4??

2. You've shown that lots can fit to the shape of the surrounding roads, but are you going to make buildings that are modular in that they can form to roads? Think Paris buildings.

3. Will there be a possibility for mixed use zones?

4. Will zone density be determined by the type of road the zones are attached to, or the general transportation available to the zone?

5. Will we be able to 'expand' cities and develop in the space between cities (such as building a suburb around a new airport my neighbors and I build)?

6. Finally, how will you incorporate parks? Will there be modular or space-filling parks to choose from, or just a few ploppables like in SC4?

Ocean (or whoever else feels they should answer this),

This is a question the majority of the community over at Simtropolis is concerned about: Will the saturation of the textures change before the release date? Many people feel that the textures of many of the buildings seen in screenshots are over-saturated and "cartoonish." I understand how you guys want SimCity's graphics to have a Tilt-Shift/Model city feel by exaggerating certain aspects of buildings and removing "boring" aspects; but is it necessary to saturate the textures in the amount that you have in order to accomplish this.

Many people also feel that the textures look like "plastic" and are too clean and imperfect. Will this change before the release?

I understand changing the textures of all the buildings in the game would be tedious work, and if it hasn't been planned already, we cannot expect you to. However, if the textures to not change, will their be an option in the game to turn down the saturation?

Here is another question: I know you guys cannot reveal everything about the game, but can you confirm or deny if there will be more transportation networks (road, avenue, etc.) than that which has been shown in previously-released media? One of the driving forces that keeps SC4 alive is the Network Addon Mod (which I'm sure you are all aware of), which adds a variety of new transportation networks to the game. Will SimCity include more of the networks included in NAM or SC4 RH than that which has been shown in the media?

A related question: How will highways be utilized in SimCity. With the addition of multiplayer and the changes in the region system, how will highways connect cities? Will we be able to create our own highways?

Hello! I would love to know if it will be possible to create cities in the traditional style? Basically, very narrow streets, few to no cars, no large set-backs from streets, pedestrian / bike / tram only streets, that sort of thing.

Looking forward to the new game.

Hi Maxis and Playfish,

I don't have any question.

I'm just here to say that SimCity Social is addicting. I already have 30+ neighbors in my game, some of them are my real life friends. Before, I used to be the only one in our group who plays SC, now it's fun to finally play the game with the people I know.

I originally wrote this 3/21/11... Guess it's too late huh?!?
Mayors of Sim City, here my call. We have been let down. We have all loved this game since a reptilian monster first destroyed our green residential blocks. Before it was called "SimCity Classic." We have been loyal through the good times of SimCity 2000, Urban Renewal, 3000, SC4, and Rush Hour. Maxis was our hero. But Societies? Really?!? Let us forget that hiccup. What we need is another add-on. Not a whole new game. SC4 Rush Hour was a God Send, and you mayors have only enhanced it, but let's let the game makers on high repay their debt. Below is an array of "improvements" on an already incredible game. Feel free to add a few. If anyone knows anyone at EA, pass it on. Let's make this happen... PLEASE!!!

Dear EA, We have always been loyal to Sim City of Maxis, and since you are their wonderful fairy step-mother we are now loyal to you. We do however have a request, and we know if anyone can bring this to fruition, well... We would like an add-on to Sim City 4/Rush Hour. As your gamers, we know what we like, and here are a few suggestions(read "demands") lol.

Neighborhoods...
Each Neighborhood with its own pros & cons.
-Local Parades and Festivals complete with tent cities/music celebrations
-Different taxes/services/town halls depending on the suburb
-Low wealth neighborhoods do not lower the whole city's "aura"
-Ability to mark neighborhood territory/zones
-Airports/Seaports/Military districts are zoned
Advanced Seascapes...
-We all love to see Whale in our small lakes...why not schools of game fish (trout, salmon, bass, tilapia,)
-Dolphins/Porpoise, Rays, Squid, various Whale species depending
region
Coral and Reef beds full of colorful fish
Yachts, jet skis, submarines and other exciting craft
Regions and Ages...
... -Sid Myers had a great idea with Civilization. Start city/region during ancient times, and let it move forward from said time
(Ancient,medieval,colonial,industrial,post war,modern,future)
-Regions...Tundra, Temperate,Tropical,Desert
-European, Asian, African, South American, North American
-Ability to switch Governments
-Larger Military Role to protect our regions or invade others
-Weather changes,
Snow, Thunder/lightning, Drought/Floods
`Sim Involvement...
. - Give your "My Sims" a true personality
- Maybe they're celebrities in the city/region/world
-City council, let them give you feedback
-Follow them on vacation to other regions...how does yours compare
-Families/ more than one opinion on a lot
Misc...
-Traffic Delays for road improvements, accidents, around stadiums area during events
-Nationa/Intll Events...maybe the Prime Minister, President, King is in town complete with increased news, police,paparazzi coverage
-Tourism/population increase do to festivals, National Awards Shows etc..

Optional Online play...
-Set up a network where we can connect our regions with other
players regions/set up partnerships
-Regular updates via internet
-Many of us are even in a position to pay on a per diem/ monthly basis

EA we have always been loyal to you...time to return the favor

Others have already expressed their concerns about the online-only status of the game, so I'll skip that question and simply say that I agree with their concerns and would rather see a choice that offers a totally disconnected sandbox mode.

My questions are numerous but I'll keep them brief:
1. Do you plan to allow mods as extensively as those seen with SC4?
2. Will the features that we've seen in previous SimCity games be included in the base game of SimCity (2013), or do you plan on making your customers pay extra for DLC in order to complete an incomplete game? (for example: I don't want to have to purchase DLC in order to have mass transit etc)
3. Are new limitations (checkpoints) being put into the game that would prevent a player from zoning a certain density, placing a certain road, etc unless "variable x" is met, or will the game allow freedom of choice as before?
4. Are airports available in single player regions?
5. Will the tilt-shift effect be a separate option in the visual preferences menu?
6. Can we have cities with dirty areas, clean areas, high crime, and low crime areas all within the same city, or will the city specialization be putting an end to such diversity?

Thank you for considering all of our questions! I look forward to the answers as I still hold out hope for this being a game worthy of a true SimCity title!

Hi Ocean,

The new SimCity looks and sounds fantastic. Eagerly awaiting to play it! I have a few questions:

(1) Cars are visual representations of agents in the GlassBox Engine, which makes traffic a real phenomenon, not just a visualization of data. Since cars are more "real" in this iteration, this begs the question: Is parking simulated in the new SimCity? Or, where do the cars go after arriving at their respective destinations?

(2) There was an article at Kotaku which stated that SimCity wouldn't have terraforming, which is a frightening prospect indeed. What say you?

(3) On a related note, I miss the waterfalls (and hydroelectric power plants) of SimCity 2000. So how about water that is above sea level?

How do I undo some additions to my city that I feel were a mistake? You know, like save the game, implement a bunch of stupid ideas, then decide to revert back to a few days earlier?

The online thing I can almost handle, but the no revert back (even in single player) seems like a serious design fault.