EA Suspending Marketing of SimCity

[JudgeDredd]

I gave it a cursory glance on Origin last night - I know - I'm nearly as bad as Gus...and I say nearly 'cos I did stop myself!

But - yeah right - Limited Edition @ £44.99 (which looked like the basic game to me) and the Deluxe Edition @ £69.99 (which looked like some extra DLC).

Those were the options. I think not EA.

[steve58]

Its just keeps getting more and more interesting with this game.  Now a modder has been able to play offline and outside the small city borders.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/14/modder-runs-simcity-offline-maxis-remains-silent/

Obviously this hack doesn't allow saving, loading or regional features when playing offline, but he has found a way to have unlimited offline play. However, when connected to the servers, it still remembers the road placement outside of the boundaries. This all amply demonstrates that the game can very easily be modded to run offline, rather than the "significant amount of engineering" Maxis repeatedly claimed. A local save is now all that's required.

http://www.videogamer.com/pc/simcity/news/simcity_modded_to_enable_indefinite_offline_play.html

[steve58]

Sounds like this was in the cards for him, but the SimCity launch debacle may have hastened his departure:  http://kotaku.com/5991181/ea-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down

[Arctic Blast]

A good comment on Twitter that pretty much says it all for the legion of simpletons who think every EA misstep is 100% his doing :

Blaming Riccitiello for EA's decline is like blaming the Emperor for the Death Star's thermal exhaust port.

[Bison]

Well those who registered Simcity before 25 March get a free game on Origins. 

Here's the list:
Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
Bejeweled 3
Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
MOHW (Standard Edition)
NFS Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
Plants vs. Zombies
SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition

[undercovergeek]

Well those who registered Simcity before 25 March get a free game on Origins. 

Here's the list:
Battlefield 3 (Standard Edition)
Bejeweled 3
Dead Space 3 (Standard Edition)
Mass Effect 3 (Standard Edition)
MOHW (Standard Edition)
NFS Most Wanted (Standard Edition)
Plants vs. Zombies
SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition
or your money back

fixed what I imagine most people would like to see

[Bison]

I don't think the game is broken beyond repair.  In fact it is quite playable right now.  I think it's a good effort on the part of EA to pay back their customers for a botched released. 

[Wolfe1759]

Apparently SimCity isn't really meant to be a single player game

"Lucy Bradshaw, head of SimCity creator Maxis, said an offline, single-player mode did not fit with its "vision" for the urban-planning game.

She said many players preferred the multiplayer version of the game."

From this article on the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21828799

[Huw the Poo]

Apparently SimCity isn't really meant to be a single player game

Rock Paper Shotgun already called bullshit on that one.

[Bison]

I'm not saying that Simcity should not have an offline, single player mode.  I think it does.  However the fact that Simcity was going to require an internet connection and be multiplayer was known long before release.  I find it rather humorous that now after release it's garnering this much attention.  Sorry folks but this was a known quantity.  It wasn't like they sprung it on the community at the last minute just prior to release.

[Barthheart]

I'm not saying that Simcity should not have an offline, single player mode.  I think it does.  However the fact that Simcity was going to require an internet connection and be multiplayer was known long before release.  I find it rather humorous that now after release it's garnering this much attention.  Sorry folks but this was a known quantity.  It wasn't like they sprung it on the community at the last minute just prior to release.

+1

Yeah, I'm getting tired of reading all the "EA lied" rants....  :P

On the plus side I got Medal of Honor:Warfighter for free!  8) (Well almost, it's VERY slow doanloading...)
Not that I wanted it but it was the only one of the freebees that looked interesting. I suck at FPS's......

[Longdan]

Somebody jumped or was pushed today:  http://investor.ea.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=749234

[Bison]

On the plus side I got Medal of Honor:Warfighter for free!  8) (Well almost, it's VERY slow doanloading...)
Not that I wanted it but it was the only one of the freebees that looked interesting. I suck at FPS's......

I'm sort of torn between that Dead Space 3 or Mass Effect 3.

[Nefaro]

I'm not saying that Simcity should not have an offline, single player mode.  I think it does.  However the fact that Simcity was going to require an internet connection and be multiplayer was known long before release.  I find it rather humorous that now after release it's garnering this much attention.  Sorry folks but this was a known quantity.  It wasn't like they sprung it on the community at the last minute just prior to release.

There are always complaints about such things before release.  It happened with the previous ones, such as Diablo 3, too.  It all comes to a head when they actually do it on release day and the larger masses of people finally realize that it affects them - otherwise they didn't give a damn about the implications until the moment it inconvenienced them, in their short-sightedness.

[Bison]

I don't know.  I brought it up here and not many folks seemed overly concerned.