Re:The Real Mayors of 'SimCity'
by binarycrusader on Sunday May 10, 2015 @06:10PM
(#9521566)
Sorry, but I've never agreed with "mods are the fixes" approach. I evaluate products (which is what this is) based on how the creator has released them -- not based on modifications others provide.
In addition, mods aren't a great option since doing so marks you as a "cheater" or disables achievements, etc.
I generally agree with your conclusions about SimCity (2013) though; generally great UI, but tiny city sizes, online services dependency (which is greatly mitigated now as of the "final" patch), and some of the "streamlining" done to the game.
I agree; while having mods that resolve major issues is certainly better than nothing, their very existence reflects poorly on the developer.
That said, the value that a robust modification ecosystem can add to a game cannot be understated. Skyrim is a fantastic example of this.
As good as Skylines is, the game isn't quite Maxis caliber. SimCity (2013) had incredible UI and UX design. It's just a shame that it was marred by tiny city sizes, overemphasis on simplicity, and online services dependency.
That said, Colossal Order's budget probably wasn't Maxis-caliber either, so I'm hoping the revenue from Skylines will allow them to be more ambitious moving forward, and make something truly outstanding (as opposed to merely awesome).