EA is adding an offline mode to SimCity, nearly a year after saying it would require "a significant amount of engineering work" to do so. It should launch in the "near future", according to EA.
SimCity launched on the Mac last August and immediately ran into a number of problems including installation issues and more, but they were resolved fairly quickly -- particular in comparison to the extremely poor launch of SimCity on the PC.
However, with offline mode "in the late phases" of development according to a post on EA's SimCity blog, it remains to be seen if it is too little, too late, for the game's fans.
SimCity is available through EA's Origin store at $40 for the standard game, or $60 for a Deluxe Edition that includes additional content. Purchases cover both PC and Mac platforms.Yes, Offline is coming as a free download with Update 10 to all SimCity players. When we launch it, all of your previously downloaded content will be available to you anytime, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection. We are in the late phases of wrapping up its development and while we want to get it into your hands as soon as possible, our priority is to make sure that it's as polished as possible before we release it. So, until then... testing, testing and more testing. As one of the final steps, we're putting Offline into the hands of some of our most hardcore players, the DevTesters. This group of volunteers is going to put Offline through its paces before we release it.
In Update 10, you can still play solo in Regions on your own, or in Multiplayer with people from around the world. What's new is the Single Player Mode, which allows you to play the game Offline by yourself. And because your saved games in this mode are stored locally, you can save and load to your heart's content. Our team will be delivering a follow-up blog that will outline the full details in the near future so stay tuned.
Article Link: SimCity Getting Offline Mode Nearly a Year After Launch