April 1999 Volume 80 Number 4 "serving the protectors"
PC Game
By Colin Hand chand@picknowl.com.au

SimCity 3000

The trilogy is now complete with the release of the third and best in the SimCity series. Maxis has had a winning sequel to its acclaimed and unique SimCity.

The aim of the game - or rather simulation - is to design, build and govern a city. Sounds simple enough, but when politicians can’t even get it right in real life, how can you expect to do better? The answer is simple: it’s fun.

The game has won praise worldwide. Cnet Gamecenter regard it as one of the “Top Ten Games of All Time”, and Computer Gaming World believes it to be the most successful software toy ever.

The game generates different maps every time you select a new game. There are also real-world maps, including New York, Moscow, Paris and Sydney. Each has unique landmarks, such as the Sydney Opera House. You can even go to SimCity.com and download new lands and landmarks.

There are tools that can be used to raise or lower the terrain, but like everything, there’s a cost. You start the game with a set allocation of funds. In difficult games you actually start on an overdraft. Each time you build, demolish or zone anything, your funds are deducted. So, you must spend a little money enticing sim’s to settle down in your town. Then you must employ them and have tour communities pay taxes to fuel the economy and further develop your city.

Throughout the game, there is always help. You have a group of personal advisers, who offer advice on improvements for the city. Members of the group range from the environmental adviser to a utilities manager, and the most important of all - the financial adviser. They can be contacted at any time and will have advice on almost anything.

There are also petitioners who will try to influence you by pestering you to enact some ordinance - some will produce income for the town; others will cost the town money. If in doubt, speak with your advisers.

The game is very user friendly, just point and click. The land is viewed diagonally and from above. You can zoom out to get the big picture, or zoom in to see the sims and their homes up close. The graphics are superb with no exception to detail.

The music is exceptional, especially when heard through Dolby Surround. The game is optimised for Environmental Audio Extensions, the new generation of sound used by the Sound Blaster live sound card. But fear not if you haven’t borne the expense of a Sound Blaster Live card. The game works perfectly well on most Pentium 166s with 32Mb of memory and 230 MB of Hard Drive Space. Just use your mouse to create the ultimate city.