Yesterday, my copy of SimCity arrived via mail. I opted for the physical edition since Amazon offered a $20 credit on future purchases. The install went fine, even though I had to install Origin. It's not that the software itself is bad, I just don't like having a lot of it. I already use Steam and Impulse.
Playing the game turned out to be quite the challenge. A surprise to no one, the servers were down a good chunk of the afternoon rendering the game impossible to play. That is certainly not a good first impression. They did eventually fix the problem, and it was mostly smooth sailing from there.
I did something new this time, I joined a multiplayer region instead of playing by my lonesome. the TORWars folks created a region, so I picked myself a plot of land and got started. I found one that was mostly flat, but still had a hilly area. Then it was time to build.
My biggest frustration with the game is trying to make straight roads. Since it is all 3d, the roads can skew, and if its off just a little things get weird. I wish there was a way to start my city over without bulldozing everything. I really want to make sure I line up the roads correctly this time.
Overall, the game feels like SimCity. You zone areas and watch people move in. You can see what they like, and in some cases, what they don't like. You can watch for traffic jams, fires, and even crimes. The simulation engine seems pretty good. The multiplayer aspects are pretty neat too. I bought energy from a neighboring city rather than turning on the coal plant I foolishly bought. Saved me quite a bit of money. So far, I'm having fun with it.
