Art assets for buildings and vehicles are definitely in. Whatever the mods end up being they must ensure an environment that’s ”safe and has integrity,” so no rude municipal erections!
Maxis has started the discussion with SimCity fans so that general points can be agreed upon, otherwise people would run rampant with exploits for multicity play.
”Our goal is to ensure that we provide a place for all of our players to have fun while assuring them that the gameplay experience is safe and has integrity,” explained the studio.
”It’s difficult to determine what makes a ‘good’ or safe mod and what mods cross the line. Clarifying guidelines for UGC will help players understand where that line is and protect both our UGC and non-UGC community. Ultimately we want everyone to have fun with the game, no matter how you play it.”
The first draft of the SimCity UGC guidelines:
• Acceptable UGC and mods do not jeopardize the integrity of the gameplay or harm the experience of others.
• UGC that effects the simulation for multiplay games and features are not allowed.
• Examples of acceptable UGC include swapping art assets, like buildings and vehicles.
• Maxis reserves the right to take disciplinary action against players who break the rules.
So far any modifications on SimCity, which there have been a few, are all unsupported and requiring ‘breaking’ the game so that they work. It’s nice to see Maxis is now taking the mod community seriously, which had a tremendous long-lasting impact on SimCity 4 and its Rush Hour expansion. Check out the UGC guidelines discussion here.
This November SimCity gets the Cities of Tomorrow add-on which dives 50 years into the future.
