So will there ever be a real "new building creation tool" I asked.

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[City Builder]

The games been out for a while now, long enough for the price to actually drop.  I've seen it as low as only $29.99 but more often on the price of $39.99 so I felt it was time to ask Tilted Mills again if we will be getting a new building creation tool or plugin for something like 3DSMax or Gmax in this next update (update 3) or if it's now a dead issue and that we won't see any such tool created by TM or EA.

The response was polite and short and to the point...

No, there won't be a new building creation tool in update 3.  I can't say much on the subject but I can just say that it's not a "dead issue" yet.

I fully understand when developers don't want to give details on things like game release dates, or in this case a possible release date for such a tool or even if there will be one, but come on already... The games been out for what, 3 or 4 months now...  The expansion or city pack has even been announced and we still can't get a definitive answer on whether or not such a tool will "ever" actually be released.

I hate to be the one that beats the dead horse, but really now... Can't someone just fess up already and say yay or nay, yes we will eventually be putting out such a tool or NO, we don't honestly have plans to put out such a tool but we don't wish to say that because it WILL affect our games sales in the stores if we tell people that we can't for whatever reason put out such a tool.

When opening one of the model files in notepad it says plain and simple that it has somethign to do with 3dsmax, so it should be simple enough for them to give us the plugin that they use or the exporter/importer for the 3dsmax program so I don't see why the reluctance to do so  The only reason why I can see them being reluctant in all honesty is that if they released it then people could go hog wild and create new models for the game and then their sales of future expansions would possibly suffer because people would be able to get their own models from any of the talented modelers out there that would create new models for the game.  Which would be a real shame if that's why they are not releasing the tools necessary to create new models for the game in my opinion.


I wouldn't really be beating this dead horse issue except that I think that the game has some great potential but as long as we are stuck with only recoloring the existing buildings it makes (in my opinion again) for a rather dull game when trying to create cities.  All cities end up looking the same because the buildings are all the same there really isn't enough diversity in the buildings that are provided.  I mean hell, we really need a lot more houses to place then what we have.  We have only the basic building blocks, but the houses in the game and apartments, condos and business's are designed as these really un-ordinary buildings.  I'd like to see many many ordinary buildings and homes, give us ranch style americana, give us eruopean styles, give us traditional homes.  When I can only place things like adobes, and dream homes in 3 different shades but all looking about the same it's just making for a rather dull look overall.

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant, I hope that they can provide some good news on this tool in the expansion pack.  But Im not going to hold my breath about it.

[MaxBeta]

   I hear you CB... now that you've tasted the MOD venue..and with competent user tools, I can sympathize.  It's been happening to me for years ..some Devs just can't, won't or couldn't care less.. whether an end user goes beyond their game concepts.

What percentage of player will dedicate the time it takes... very few. But that is a plus. because the ones that do get into MODs..are going to be pretty good..to really ..really creative.  At least this is what I've observed over the years.  When we dreamed up Turbosquid..that was the premise and now anyone who's willing can find a great support site to fullfill creative output.   

I hope that they can provide some good news on this tool in the expansion pack.

...I do too and it will be a sad day if they don't. 

[City Builder]

I really think they would boost their sales overall in the long run if they provided this, as it would entice more people to buy the game knowing that they might be able to expect to see as much or at least a lot of custom buildings for their game.  I only wonder how well the game would hold up to having the amount of custom content that many people (myself included) have stuffed into SimCity 4.  For me SimCity: Societies isn't all that stable when I expand the building menus to show me 4 or 5 lines of buildings at a time, now add in another couple hundred or thousands of custom buildings and it may just choke and die.

If they provide the tool however, I'll take the chance that it will die on me.

[MaxBeta]

I agree.. it would be a great game setting for diehard Modders to dig into.. IF the resource issues were addressed.  Hey.. how much have I posted on the game, I played it vanilla original..and it slowly was taking my 5 grand no holds barred PC to it's knees.

..and for no feasible purpose.  I think acing out all the middle of the road PCs..that the average players own..is not very good marketing strategy.  For example..I can play TW's on most every PC I have in the house..even my very very dull Dell lappie..a game that you would expect to slap your PC's silly..but doesn't.  I don't want to get into a game bashing mode.. just pointing out that sometimes the product just doesn't make sense with such extreme demands.

..nuff said.  I certainly don't want to hurt anyones feelings.. many have really enjoyed their SC:S experience and more power to them.   

[City Builder]

When I read (heresay anyway) that SimCity: Societies uses the same engine or maybe the same graphics engine or whatever it actually is as the Caesar 4 game I kind of expected it to be a big fat wallowing hog and for the most part I think I was correct.

Granted my 'puter isn't anywhere close to a 5 grand computer but it does great on every other game that I own from what I remember (doesn't everybody say that though) but on Caesar IV and SimCity: Societies I might as well be playing on like a Pentium 4, 1GHz machine with an old ATi 9250 video card.  It's just a very demanding game engine I think.  One that makes many computers buckle at the (whatever part of a computer would be it's knees ).

Oh well, it was expected by me before buying it and for me anyway it came true, but now I really will go to bed.

[MaxBeta]

   Well I'm not tooting my PC's whistle or anything.. I did go for several Graphics cards..the latest CPU..and the most expensive Ram on the planet.  add in a Bonneville Elect Power Supply.. you get the drill..it doesn't take long.   

yeah..TW's plays on my older PC that has that ol X1800 something ATi card in it.. go figure.

Yes go get some rest.