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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,278
30,339



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.

simcity-meteor-strike.jpg
SimCity's PC launch was more than a little rocky, largely because the game can only be played online. EA requires that the game be connected to its servers at all times. At launch, SimCity's servers were overwhelmed with traffic and the gameplay experience was extremely poor. Today, EA seems to have ironed out most of the bugs and users are playing the game as intended.

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.
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.
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.

Article Link: SimCity Getting Offline Mode Nearly a Year After Launch
 

tebruno99

macrumors newbie
Mar 16, 2012
23
54
Wooo!! Now I can Buy IT!!

This is what I've been waiting for, YES! I will add that I do feel lied to. This offline mode supposedly was Impossible with how the game was programmed, claimed EA. It won't take much in the future for me to never buy an EA game again, however I will reward *this* good behavior so at least they know Offline Mode is valuable.
 
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Schtumple

macrumors 601
Jun 13, 2007
4,905
131
benkadams.com
I know it's a beaten to death argument, but, could this actually mean bigger maps will be coming? I don't mind if offline mode exists but given the gameplay is incredibly short compared to Cities XL, it still doesn't seem like a great purchase.
 
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2457282

Suspended
Dec 6, 2012
3,327
3,015
I played SimCity since it first came out and also Comand and Conquer. After EA bought the two, it has not been the same. C&C, I dont think is even supported anymore (and I think that only ever worked on a PC). I think EA was good at sports and heir expansion outside of that has not gone well. Oh well with all the iOS games evolving, I am not sure if this even matters now.
 

isophia

macrumors newbie
Jan 30, 2007
22
0
One of the most easily anticipated games i'd had for a while... most definitely the most disappointing. The updates have at least made it playable - the lack of flexibility compared to the original games however is unforgivable. the lack of terrain editing, the pitifully small maps and the restrictions on motorway connections etc make for a sorely lacking game.
 

bungiefan89

macrumors 6502a
Apr 5, 2011
565
76
About time!

This is a huge victory for gamers everywhere!

Requiring an online connection for games that could be played offline is an unneeded oppression and I'm happy to see EA reverse this foolhardy decision.
 

T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,311
7,152
Denmark
I know it's a beaten to death argument, but, could this actually mean bigger maps will be coming? I don't mind if off lien mode exists but given the gameplay is incredibly short compared to Cities XL, it still doesn't seem like a great purchase.
They said at the same time this was announced that bigger maps are not comming.
 

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
I know it's a beaten to death argument, but, could this actually mean bigger maps will be coming? I don't mind if off lien mode exists but given the gameplay is incredibly short compared to Cities XL, it still doesn't seem like a great purchase.

I know it's personal preference, but I like the idea of smaller, more specialized cities. Sure it's not perfect, you should be able to edit regional highways & railroads. And the money is spread out across different cities rather that one large one. But I think that if they tweaked a few things, it could be interesting.
 

Dainin

macrumors regular
Sep 4, 2009
211
161
I specifically did not purchase the game due to the online only restriction. While it sucks that they did not increase the map size, I will buy it once the requirement is removed just so they see the financial benefit in doing so.
 

Snowshiro

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2008
387
6
This is a huge victory for gamers everywhere

Releasing a patch for something that could have been done from the start, a year after the game launched, when no one is buying it any more, as a cynical attempt to try to create a few more sales is a "huge victory for gamers"?

I'd hate to see what you class as a defeat.
 

Codyak

macrumors 6502
Apr 6, 2012
370
127
DC
But, but... You need THE CLOUD to work out all that insane 50 sq ft city action! :rolleyes:
 

springsup

macrumors 65816
Feb 14, 2013
1,216
1,199
OK, if this works I will definitely buy the game.

I love playing these kind of games. It's a shame the that CivRev and SimCity on iOS have stagnated so long (I've played both of them to death).
 

euvnairb

macrumors regular
Oct 13, 2010
198
149
Goleta, CA
I bought simcity for $20 as a black friday/cyber Monday deal. I guess most of the kinks were worked out before I purchased so my gameplay has been pretty pleasant so far. I owned SimCity 4 prior to this and I would have to agree that the maps are too small. Offline mode would be a welcome addition as I don't play in multi-player anyways.
 

Gav2k

macrumors G3
Jul 24, 2009
9,216
1,608
Releasing a patch for something that could have been done from the start, a year after the game launched, when no one is buying it any more, as a cynical attempt to try to create a few more sales is a "huge victory for gamers"?

I'd hate to see what you class as a defeat.

No no no you've missed something...

No one bought the game because of the online requirements and now there moving to an offline model and.... Shutting down the servers!!
 

Rodster

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
No no no you've missed something...

No one bought the game because of the online requirements and now there moving to an offline model and.... Shutting down the servers!!

Really? :eek:

If true it validates my reasons for not partaking of digital distribution or always online games.
 

PassiveSmoking

macrumors regular
Dec 3, 2011
104
216
Sorry, but until they give you more land than a postage stamp to build in and until they remove the Origin requirement, no sale.
 

roadbloc

macrumors G3
Aug 24, 2009
8,784
215
UK
EA said:
"Lets take an offline singleplayer game and make it online only and multiplayer!"

Didn't work out in the end did it? I wonder why.... :rolleyes:

I'm glad this is happening. Making SimCity online only was simply the worst idea ever and it seems that maybe EA are finally learning that their dickish moves and very lazy game development for consumers are hurting them. But I still won't be buying it until the AI is fixed, the cities are actually city sized and it is available for purchase on Steam. All of which will most likely be coming the 2nd of Never.
 

Cougarcat

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2003
7,766
2,553
They stated bigger city sizes aren't coming because the Glassbox engine doesn't scale well. Only higher-end computers would be able to run them. Who knows if that's really true, but maybe now some intrepid modders can work a miracle.
 

APlotdevice

macrumors 68040
Sep 3, 2011
3,145
3,861
I played SimCity since it first came out and also Comand and Conquer. After EA bought the two, it has not been the same. C&C, I dont think is even supported anymore (and I think that only ever worked on a PC). I think EA was good at sports and heir expansion outside of that has not gone well. Oh well with all the iOS games evolving, I am not sure if this even matters now.

Eh, even their sports games have suffered in recent years. They are so concerned with releasing one every year that each new edition is, at best, a marginal upgrade over the previous. Frankly I think it's way past time that another developer/publisher got their hands on these licenses.
 

haydn!

macrumors 65816
Nov 10, 2008
1,270
1,831
UK
It makes it slightly more interesting for me, but if they lied about this originally not being possible, are they lying about the bigger maps issue too? :rolleyes:
 

simonmet

Cancelled
Sep 9, 2012
2,666
3,663
Sydney
Widely regarded as one of the biggest flops of 2013, now this backflip out of desperation. No thanks.

I'm looking forward to Tropico 5!
 
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