EA Sim City 2000 Will Wright Interview

This is a interview with Will Wright about his view on future Sim games, what got him started designing Sim games, what people get out of Sim games, how he designed Sim games, what technologies make Sim games seem alive, and how Will designed Sim City 1 and Sim City 2000. The game was ripped of a special edition of Sim City (Sim City Series). Sorry for the low quality, its just the way the interview was recorded back in those days with older technology.

[@FlimFlamFlimsy]

I like how the camera slowly zooms towards his mostache.

[@StatickyCat]

This man is one of the most innovative minds in the entire history of entertainment and digital existence, period.

[@lotusbandicoot]

It's really cool to see this in retrospect, because at one point we got the full version of SC2000 and were able to fly through our city maps in SimCopter, along with driving through them in Streets of SimCity. It was a really cool idea as a kid, and it's still a really cool idea now. It doesn't seem like something that's been utilized very much in games, surprisingly.

[@ZootWorld1]

Sadly The Sims 2 was the last Maxis game that had this idea, with the ability to import maps from Sim City 4 to use as a neighborhood's terrain. Hopefully Will Wright will get to make something again that has the same level of playfulness and creativity that the golden age of Maxis had.

[@Squish888]

Oh gad...the nostalgia. Having to put the CD in in order to watch this.

[@TJ-pk8wd]

I was thinking this exact thought as I watched the intro!

[@Moto2h]

I think that at the beginning, rather than referring to DLC as suggested by Richard, Mr Wright is outlining the idea of using different games designed to simulate on a different scale, but within the same world. In 2003 for example, you could import your Sims into Simcity 4, and Simcity 4 maps would later be compatible with the Sims 2 neighbourhoods. Let's not forget Streets of Simcity, SimCopter or the unreleased Simsville, which all utilised the concept of sharing the same data (sims/places), but using it on a different scale, or "zoom level". That would also include external tools like object editors or the Sims Body Shop - all focusing on different levels of one, big simulation.

[@canaldosims]

Don't forget that you can import the SimCity 2000 cities to SimCopter, and the game by himself "transform" all the 2D scenario to a 3D form, and doing all the necessary changes to work properly with the game (fire, earthquakes, peoples to rescue, etc).

[@user-ps7lw3oj8m]

A true visionary ahead of his time. Fast forward to 2022 and he truly fulfilled his mission with GALA Games!

[@RadicalEdward2]

It's crazy that his idea of a city simulation game where assets can be interchanged and shared with other users down to the point that you can customize cars is now Cities: Skylines

[@neptronix]

Thanks for upping this. :)

[@Simtasticgallery]

Thank you for this *-*

[@BrightBitGAMES]

10:15 I couldn't agree more.

[@Wesley_C]

It's that the sims games boss.

[@ZootWorld1]

I miss when he had his iconic moustache.

[@FeelingShred]

To this day I still don't know how the code interacts with the user does in Simcity 2000, sometimes I just feel most of it is random, unemployment and abandoned buildings fluctuate up and down, demands from negative to positive and then back to negative within months, WTF

[@StatickyCat]

Abandoned buildings depend on the RCI meter, transportation to other zones, and land value. It is an equation that varies between these three factors. Residential and commercial zones work better in high land value, industry develops better in low land value. Note that land value and transportation are calculated into the demand for certain zones, as for example, Residential demand will stay down if there's too much crime or poor traffic congestion _within_ the specific zones. In other words, zone demand isn't entirely dependent on the provision of a zone or on taxes - It's also dependent on how well served the zone is by the government. Taxes also play an obvious role, but I know you are very much aware of that, just as you are likely aware of many other things I shared here.

[@FeelingShred]

Ended up learning it over the years. Figured out a way to run SimCity 3000 on modern systems with normal speed and Big Fonts... I could not get into 4 too much... Loved Caesar 3...

[@FeelingShred]

But yeah I still feel like Simcity is too "randomized" and unpredictable, while other games such as Cities Skylines are too easy. Banished is a nice middle ground, but I wish we had more alternatives in this genre.

[@StatickyCat]

@@FeelingShred Same here. But, I did hear Tropico exists!

[@FeelingShred]

oh, yeah, it's one series of games I have yet to try... looks decent... another honorable mention is Cities XL (before Cities XXL) and Train Fever/Transport Fever series

[@The_Wandering_Nerd]

What we were promised: A series of interconnected games that shared data to simulate the world on different scales What we received: A series of endless DLC and microtransactions necessary to purchase before our sims can do anything interesting with their lives other than eat and poop

[@Wesley_C]

I only play The Sims, it's the something's sense of humour.

[@10tfee]

Wow, thanks everyone! I never expected to get a thousand views on any video I uploaded :)

[@captaincrabmeat]

interestingly he's basically talking about DLC at the start of this video...

[@agustinvega4390]

Gold

[@10tfee]

Lol, thanks for viewing! :)

[@Wesley_C]

His hair's looks like the 60's Ringo Starr lolol

[@StevenKellyBelly]

you mean like it's straight and brown

[@andrewmalacara1]

Wow he was on point in direction too bad EA bought them out

[@StevenKellyBelly]

encapsulation of the great western society.

[@AgeofReason]

"I like building things" codes for "I'm a Freemason"