| |
| |
|
|
|
|
The Story Behind OpenSimcity
I've always liked to play SimCity since I was little. I used to play the version for Super Nintendo for hours then and then. That version was really cool. It had 4 seasons (winter, spring, summer and autumn) and many landscapes, scenarios to choose between. That was a really big hit at the time. It was clearly the most popular videogame. Then SimCity 2000 came out on the market. It was almost like a revolution. Many new things to use, better graphics, more innovative and the game engine was more advanced. So it was very good news (except from the fact that the seasons were gone). But the follower that came after SC2000, SimCity3000 was real disaster. Well there were more tools, advisers and a more advanced terrain (witch was crap because you couldn't build anything on it) but not anything special. The graphics was probably the worst part. It was more advanced but everything just looked as shit. It was a blur hell. I would state that this didn't feel like an upgrade more like a retarded downgrade. It was fun in 2 weeks but no more. And after that flop, a new version was to be released, SimCity 4. This time, the MAXIS programmers learned had learned a lesson, not to release anything that isn't useful. So they did good graphics added fun tools, more effects, more unique buildings and neighboring cities. This was a small step up from SimCity 2000 but a huge step up from SC3000. This was however not intended to be a strategy-based city planning game, but more to be like a fun modeling program (like 3DMax or Maya) and creating wow effects. It was not Hey I've managed to get 1m inhabitants but more like Hey, look what a nice city I built. The game also required a new high-end computer with more than a GB of RAM, a high-end graphic card with at least 128MB an Athlon2500XP or a with Pentium 2,5GHZ to be able to play (but even that was not). You can clearly see what have happened to one of the best game on the planet. This is not specific to just SimCity but to the whole gaming industry. The graphic wow-effect is everything that matters today. Personally, I love good graphics, but not when I have to buy a better computer to be able to use it, when I can experience a delay and when the whole game is based around that wow-effect-subject. What will happen with SimCity5? There is rumors that they are already building it but why having expect anything of it. If SC4 was too much for my pretty new PC than I wonder how SC5 will be like. This will probably be the last version if they actually build it. Why? It will be a flop. Nobody will be able to use it. People that already experienced SC4 for will definitely not buy it. It's kinda joke already. The solution Lets start a new project based on opensource. Lets call it OpenSimcity. Part two - The project The idea is based on objective programming, OOP. This should be easy to made, easy to check bugs and adjusting the code. We will create this game from the beginning and do it better. And when I say better, I don't just mean faster performance or some new features. I mean a whole new structure, a whole new ground to stand on. This will be unique. The graphics should be advanced but on the same time not dominate the game. It should feature a lot of options for peoples that have another kind of taste. Also, the game will probably take a few years to finish and by that time, graphics cards will be more powerful then we had ever seen before. GPU performance grows 40% per year while CPU only grows with 10%. Therefore, all graphics should be done in OpenGL to unleash power from the CPU. Real-time zooming should be possible. Unlimited area. Instead of the idea that the user can have 3 or 4 sizes to choose between, why not customize it? The user can etc print out X (width) and Y (height) axis and get a map featuring whatever size he/she chose. The user should have the ability to change the size (increase or decrease) under the game. Ability to choose climate. There should be an option for what year-around climate you want to have. How cold or warm and how dry or wet and so on. Also, an option if you want to have floating (changing) climates with seasons or a static climate. More default buildings. It should be also be easy to add new buildings or remove the old ones. The engine should not be easy, middle, hard or advanced but rather an effect of the number between 1-1000 you give. Interface should however be an option between easy, middle, hard and advanced. Cost and Assets should be fully customizable. The game should feature online gaming. Competing with your neighbor cities, friends or strangers. You could etc choose to compete to X number of citizens or having as much population as possible in X time. Or it could be played for no reason, just having fun. You could also have the ability of trading lands with your neighbors. Ability to import maps from all SimCity versions. I can make the list longer, but you get the point. Viva la OpenSimcity. URL: http://www.geocities.com/bolster_rally
MORE RESOURCES:
Games - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Story Behind OpenSimcity I've always liked to play SimCity since I was little. I used to play the version for Super Nintendo for hours then and then. A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 1) It's been about 5 years since we have seen a new video game console. By spring of next year all three major companies will have released their new systems. Rent Games Online for the Kids It's risky business allowing your children to play games online. I know that may sound funny but I have a good argument to back up my opinion. Malicious Advertising Advertising is a necessary irritant in the world today. You can't drive down the street without coming across an ad, either a billboard suspended over a road or a large poster plastered down the side of a bus. Playing Games Like Its 80s Do you miss the good old 80's Amiga and Commodore games? You are not the only one. In fact, creating remakes for popular eighties games is all the rage. A Parents Guide to Online Gaming, Part 1 The internet touches every aspect of your children's lives. Where you might look up an unknown word in a dictionary, your kids are more likely to use dictionary. Blast From The Past - Retro Games Are Hot Again Miss the brainlessly simple and extremely addictive games from the 80s? Find out which game developers feel the same. Dozens of teams are creating new games based on the old classics. Codename Revolution - Nintendos Next Generation Gaming System Over the past year or so plenty of hype, mystery and controversy has been raised over the new Nintendo Console. Systems like the Xbox have taken the lead in gaming with offering capabilities such as online multiplayer. Reviving Old Computer Games Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were only 5 pixels in the protagonist and your imagination could turn them into a heroic figure of Schwarzenegger proportions? When the enemies and the heroes were distinguished by colour and you only needed one button on the joystick? Well times have changed and technology has moved on. Pulling my old Commodore 64 or Atari out of the back of the cupboard and setting them up often takes more time than the nostalgic pang lasts. How To Save Time, Energy, and Money by Renting Your DVDs and Games Online As a bit of a movie buff I recently discovered that the best way to rent movies and games these days is online using one of the Online DVD and Game Rental Services.If you're into renting movies or games these services simply can't be beat for their time saving convenience and value. Computer Traumas It has happened! Computer games have started to control my life on and off the screen. No complicated games like Age of Empires, just the simple one of Tetris. Create Computer Games - Get Started on Creating Your Own Virtual Worlds I've always loved video games, ever since I first played them on a friend's computer in the afternoon after elementary school. There's something almost magical about the fact that we can move images around and interact with virtual worlds, a living fantasy presented for us to interact with however we please. SMS Gaming - Text Paging Games that can be Played by Anyone Using the Physical World as a Game Board: This is not a Kinky game! SMS stands for Short Message Service.Just like our last article, this can be fun for teens and adults. Best of British: Gizmondo Doomed To Fail? The Gizmondo combined media player, phone and gaming gadget went on sale in the last month for £229. The device sports an impressive spec: - It can be used to play games, music tracks and movies, it can take and store digital photos and can send SMS, MMS and emails, GPS, GPRS and Bluetooth for multi-player gaming. Rome Total War: Battle Strategy Guide A. FormationsIt's pretty much common sense to come up with a good formation for your army but the basic idea in most situations is to have your infantry in front, ranged units behind, cavalry protecting the flanks and your general right behind the infantry. Counter Strike, The Beginner of Broad Band PC Gaming This is the world of 21st century, the century of technologies. Every thing is fast now a days and as far as the Computers and games are concerned, they are at the top of all. Increasing Rates of Climb in Fighter Aircraft Like the New Joint force Strike Fighter We know from studying aircraft like the F-8 Crusader, in which my dad had the fortunate to fly while in the US Navy stationed in Puerto Rico, that when the wind was tilted upward on the aircraft that it had a lower takeoff speed and much higher initial rates of climb. At which point the wing came back to position and it was a pencil shaped rocket with wings. Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords In the past I've never really paid much attention to security issues when it comes to user names and passwords. Frankly I figured it was all a lot of overblown hype. Best Space Themed Games - Part I Space? How much we can place where? Incredible words, unknown planets, fantastic creatures.But now I want to tell you about some space themed computer shareware games, and want you to play it - I choose only best 19 games from about 200!Here you can find 10 shooters with each of it's own unique gameplay, 5 puzzles, some with actions twists, 2 strategy and 2 actions and 1 arkanoid. Why We Play Games, Part 2 Last week we started to get into the motivation of the gamer. We discussed challenge and its ugly stepsister competition, two of the most common motivators.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
