Sim City 4 alternatives

[Evie]

What I,d really love is basically a game that starts as Banished and then segue into Sim City. Not necessarily straight progress over 500 or 1000 years (that would be one humongously long game), but more of an ability to start your town in an age or import it there.

So I could start with a smalll colonial-era settlement that would grow organically through the industrial era then the modern age instead of starting with the Sim City game engine that insist on people making 21st century demand in the early industrial era of a newly founded town. It annoys me even more than I can do organic growth of an east coast settlement (which would start in the colonial age with farms and residence and just a few traders...expand, eventually add industry as the game progress, etc.

Also bring back the hydro plant k thx bai.

 

[scheva007]

Anno offers some nice city building, combined with a heavy focus on production chains and logistics. One thing I really like about the series are the graphics (they are just amazing) and the AI opponents (who will frequently talk to you and make remarks on your situation, tauning or admiring you). If you want a medieval setting get 1404, if you are a fan of Sci-Fi give 2070 a shot. I was quire reserved about the latter, but once I got it during a sale I was hooked pretty quickly, because it had lots of cool improvements and ideas. One thing that is terribad though: U-Play DRM. Argh!

Wouldnt call 2070 that sci-fi. The eco's still use solar towers and windmills, and the tyrcoons burn coal and oil.

But yeah its an awesome game, and it looks so good.

 

[GenMarshall]

One thing that is terribad though: U-Play DRM. Argh!

Even on the Steam edition?

 

[scheva007]

Even on the Steam edition?

Yes

Never had problems with it though, and i bought it on steam. Didnt have problem with my 5 AC games either

 

[Daedwartin]

What I,d really love is basically a game that starts as Banished and then segue into Sim City. Not necessarily straight progress over 500 or 1000 years (that would be one humongously long game), but more of an ability to start your town in an age or import it there.

So I could start with a smalll colonial-era settlement that would grow organically through the industrial era then the modern age instead of starting with the Sim City game engine that insist on people making 21st century demand in the early industrial era of a newly founded town. It annoys me even more than I can do organic growth of an east coast settlement (which would start in the colonial age with farms and residence and just a few traders...expand, eventually add industry as the game progress, etc.

Also bring back the hydro plant k thx bai.

Tropico 5 offers that, though your limited by the fact it's a tiny carib island.

Just that...it's not been released yet and is in development.

 

[Fr8monkey]

Tropico 5 is coming out on May 23rd.

 

[Quintillus]

Cities XL is a nice experience close to Sim City, but suffers from terrible performance once the city gets larger. The version I played must have had a memory leak or something, because it became more or less unplayable when I had filled up half a map. Devs didn't seem to care, though and just re-released the game several times again with only minor changes (and still terrible performance issues): It also lacks heavily in regards of sound or immersion (no effects, rather boring music, no persons rendered). Would not recommend it unless you get it very cheap.

Tropico is a quite nice city builder if you want to build up a carribean island in a banaa republic as El Presidente. The series is rather iterative, but if you have never played any of the old parts you probably won't notice. Nice mix of economic and political management, with some humor mixed into it. Very flavorful music and nice radio station announcment add quite a bit to the immersion.

Banished is a game I can highly recommend. Much smaller scope (more of a town builder than a city builder), but each person is modelled in detail. like SC4 it is a tough nut to crack, but not that challenging once you have figured it out. Graphics and sound are only "okay-ish", but the fact that you have seasons and people running around makes for a very nice immersion factor. Oh, and, did I mention it is basicially a 1-man project (2 if you count the music)? Great!

Anno offers some nice city building, combined with a heavy focus on production chains and logistics. One thing I really like about the series are the graphics (they are just amazing) and the AI opponents (who will frequently talk to you and make remarks on your situation, tauning or admiring you). If you want a medieval setting get 1404, if you are a fan of Sci-Fi give 2070 a shot. I was quire reserved about the latter, but once I got it during a sale I was hooked pretty quickly, because it had lots of cool improvements and ideas. One thing that is terribad though: U-Play DRM. Argh!

With regards to Cities XL, it can render people, although it's turned off by default. At least, if you count having people traipsing around your city. It doesn't model their behavior like Tropico, but you can have people visibly walking around.

Although when I tried it last weekend, I had a hard time getting involved. It seemed like there was no measure of time, no reports on the growth of your town, the crime rate, etc. You'd get a notice if the industries weren't doing well, for example, but that was it. I really missed the immersion of having the various charts, budgeting, ordinances, and advisors that Sim City 4 has. My city isn't big enough to have performance issues yet, but I do have to agree that, unless I'm missing something major or it improves a lot as your city grows, the immersion is very much lacking.

It is kind of nice that you can have curvy roads that are easy to build and look nice, but so far it's a far cry from Sim City 4. At least it was inexpensive when I picked it up.

 

[GAGA Extrem]

Wouldnt call 2070 that sci-fi. The eco's still use solar towers and windmills, and the tyrcoons burn coal and oil.

But yeah its an awesome game, and it looks so good.

Well, it is post-apocalyptic and a certainly not the usual "500 years in the future" stuff (it's just 2070, after all), but things like underwater construction, service bots, more or less automated farming, brain chip implants, cloaking technology and shield generators are quite Sci-Fi-ish for me.

To be honest I really like the setting they portrait in 2070. It is a dystopian future after a cataclysmic event, but the generally spirit is positive and light hearted, you basicially construct a little utopia after the end of the world as we know it (even more so if you play Ecos).

And when it comes to graphics, I think 2070 has manged something that no other game before did that for me (at least not in such a way): Not only is the graphic engine beautiful, but the designs of the factions is top notch. Every building, every street, every house you have just oozes that feeling of fluff an values for your faction. Just by looking at the stuff you build you are entangled in the lore of the game.

A great example is one of the very first buildings you will place:
Ecos use the Basalt Extractor, that gently ablates the rock from the surface, while the Tycoons have the Basalt Crusher, that drills into the ground to process as much material as possible.

Good god, I sound so much like a fanboy right now...

 

[Daedwartin]

Well, it is post-apocalyptic and a certainly not the usual "500 years in the future" stuff (it's just 2070, after all), but things like underwater construction, service bots, more or less automated farming, brain chip implants, cloaking technology and shield generators are quite Sci-Fi-ish for me.

To be honest I really like the setting they portrait in 2070. It is a dystopian future after a cataclysmic event, but the generally spirit is positive and light hearted, you basicially construct a little utopia after the end of the world as we know it (even more so if you play Ecos).

And when it comes to graphics, I think 2070 has manged something that no other game before did that for me (at least not in such a way): Not only is the graphic engine beautiful, but the designs of the factions is top notch. Every building, every street, every house you have just oozes that feeling of fluff an values for your faction. Just by looking at the stuff you build you are entangled in the lore of the game.

A great example is one of the very first buildings you will place:
Ecos use the Basalt Extractor, that gently ablates the rock from the surface, while the Tycoons have the Basalt Crusher, that drills into the ground to process as much material as possible.

Good god, I sound so much like a fanboy right now...

That said, it is also like a RTS.