SimCity

SimCity, one of the most popular videogames of all time, is an open-ended city-building game designed by Will Wright and developed by Maxis.

Wright started to create the game in 1985 on a Commodore 64 but never completed it. When the Apple Macintosh and the Amiga computer became available, Wright started to work on a version for the 16-bit computers and finally completed it.

The first version was released in 1989 for the Macintosh and soon after for the Amiga. Later it was also ported to Commodore 64 and IBM PC. Over the years, it was converted and released for all available platforms.

In SimCity, players are tasked with building and managing a city. The player starts with a blank map and must build roads, utilities, buildings, and other infrastructure to support their growing population. As the city grows, players must manage the city's finances, set zoning policies, and deal with natural disasters and other events.

In terms of graphics, the game used a top-down, two-dimensional view of the city, with colorful and detailed graphics that gave players a good sense of the layout and design of their city. The game's sound effects and music helped to create a lively and dynamic atmosphere and added to the overall feeling of immersion.

One of the most innovative aspects of the original SimCity was its use of a sophisticated simulation engine that took into account a wide range of factors, such as traffic patterns, population density, and environmental conditions, to create a dynamic and realistic city environment. This allowed players to experience the challenges and opportunities of city building in a highly realistic way and encouraged them to think critically about urban planning and management.

One of the key features of SimCity is its open-ended gameplay. There is no set goal or objective, and players can build and manage their city as they see fit.

SimCity has been praised for its innovative gameplay, intricate simulation engine, and ability to encourage players to think creatively and critically about urban planning and management.

Sim City is one of the most influential and popular city-building simulation games; it has stood the test of time and spawned numerous sequels and spin-off games, including Sim City 2000, SimCity 4, but also The Sims. If you liked this, don't forget to try SimCity: Enhanced CD-ROM, the improved edition released in 1993.