Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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  • Jorpho

    I hope this game is as cool as the sneak peeks suggest!

    This never happens ever.

    • http://boingboing.net/ Rob Beschizza

      Peter MolyNOPE.

  • Rens Houben

    I lost interest the moment they announced it was going to require an online account.

  • Tom Stephens

    I hope the reddit disaster has them rethinking the always-on DRM. Luckily old versions of SimCity are free!

    • Boundegar

      Huge SimCity fan here.  Maxis shows no signs of rethinking a damn thing.  Guess who’s not buying the new SimCity?  The same issue spoiled Civ V for me.

      The funny part is, I log in and verify my copy of Minecraft every time I play – except for that one time a month my internet is down.  But the game plays exactly the same when I click “Play Offline,” so I don’t feel like I’m being invaded or forced.  Good job Mojang!

  • Simon Péter

    It will have always online DRM. 

    I didn’t properly understand if it will be like Diablo 3, literally always in a “multiplayer” mode, so that it can be cracked only with emulators, but if not, then at least I’m pirating it. 

  • cservant

    They should change the title to MMO SIMCITY or SIM ONLINE or some other title just to make it clear the intent of this game.

    This is not the SIMCITY game where people are expecting to pay.

  • Steve Taylor

    I’d never have thought the uncanny valley applied to town planning as well, but I actually find that screenshot quite unpleasant. I might prefer something more cartoony, and definitely would prefer something more diagramatic.

  • Thorzdad

    Always online and a pseudo-mmo, with a highly-crippled single-player ability. Pass.
    Once again, marketing takes a fantastic property and trashes exactly what made it a fantastic property.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/James-Agenbroad/100002463876063 James Agenbroad

    Wait, what?  How would MMO work in a development/planning game?  You’re competing developers?  You’re trying to get elected to the planning board?

    • http://toblender.com/ cyberscythe

      It could work if you had multi-city play in a larger region. The new SimCity has lots of features related to multi-city play, like pollution wafting in from adjacent cities and financial deals with neighbours. It’d be online, it could be massive, not sure if it’d be fun.

      • mccrum

        This makes me wonder if the next Sim City will involve you having to run for city council before raising millions of dollars to become Mayor.  You know, like in real life…

        • http://twitter.com/ErnestValdemar Ernest Valdemar

           Basically, you’re talking about a combined version of SimCity and The Sims. Zoom in to deal with various avatars and NPCs and their personalities, zoom out to shape their environment. Play the Politics track to become mayor, or play Energy, Water & Sewage, Construction, Technology tracks, etc. Pay taxes and vote in elections. Build skills and experience to gain greater control over your city, plus all the soap opera/doll house aspects of The Sims.

          I’d probably play it, but then I’m not a macho gamer, and I don’t think the The Sims necessarily has cooties.

      • http://profiles.google.com/marc.k.mielke Marc Mielke

        Your pollution spreads to other player’s cities? If the cities affect one another, what mechanic is there to get a neighbor to cut that shit out? I’m assuming cities don’t go to war, because that would be a totally different game. Maybe if they have giant monsters you can point Godzilla in their direction…

        This is like a griefer’s dream feature: the ability to screw over multiple players simultaneously! Wonder if you can make a crime-ridden shithole and spread crime that way too!

        • Boundegar

          Why not, it works that way in real life.

  • http://goodsharer.com/ Aloisius

    I’ll still probably buy it even if it does have annoying DRM.

    • CastanhasDoPara

       That’s exactly what EA is hoping for. Please reconsider feeding the pigs.

      Don’t get me wrong though, I want to play this like a crack-head wants to smoke crack but at the same time I’m not a crack-head and therefore can tell when my dealer is royally screwing me over. Just say no… to onerous DRM.

    • Syn -

      Don’t do it man. We deserve much, much better than that. Vote with your wallet, and all that. 

  • Syn -

    It makes me very sad they did not rethink the always online bullshit. I’ll have to pass, much to mmy regrets. Well, guess i’ll reboot old sc4!