Building with SimCity Buildit

Rather unsurprisingly, my interest (or obsession) with the city extends to even the games I play. City simulation games give me the space to exercise my creativity, challenge my assumptions and test my ideas of how a city should be built and operated and with SimCity, I have the power to design, build and even destroy a city in my palms, without destroying any real lives. Maybe there is an obsessive, narcissistic, power-hungry, control-freak who needs to build to prove himself living deep inside me that finds this so appealing, but I’m sure I’m in good company.

I’ve played most of the games in the SimCity franchise: from the original SimCity and SimCity 2000 as a teenager, sneaking in time in my undergraduate days to play SimCity 4, and more recently, putting in hours on the much-criticized 2013 edition of SimCity. I was delighted to learn about SimCity BuildIt and downloaded it the day it was launched and have been playing with it for the past week. While there are many other gaming reviews and ‘useful tips’ type of post on the Internet, I thought I will write a post that will be skewed to how I appreciate it as an urban simulation gaming experience.

The Game

SimCity BuildIt is the first version in the SimCity family to be designed for mobile gameplay. Like all other editions, you get the power to zone your land as you see fit and also the responsibility to provide city facilities such as roads, power, public services and education to your Sims.

Once again, the mayor gets to play the role of urban designer and for this mobile gaming experience, you trade the financial responsibilities that have been synonymous with other versions of the game for a role in managing the Trade and Industry portfolio which is now a critical aspect of the game play. In SimCity BuildIt, the mayor will have to ask the factories to produce materials and items which will then be used for upgrading buildings, fulfilling cargo orders, selling items at the Trade Depot or getting things from the Global Trade Market HQ with other players. You, as mayor, now have a very hands-on role in deciding industry output, inventory management and even price points to earn yourself valuable Simoleans (the main currency), SimCash and Golden Keys which you will need to provide city services or expand your land.

Like its predecessors, you get to define the direction of the game for yourself. Perhaps you want to fulfil your dream of building a high-rise, high-density metropolis or maybe you are easily satisfied and content with a landscape of mid-rise buildings. This is also your chance to implement a crazy urban grid, decide to make loads of money and be the richest Sim Nation, or maybe become the best Mayor in the world and focus on making your citizens happy. In the SimCity universe, there is no need for electoral and parliamentary processes or consultation groups, and you can do what you feel like it.

While the game most definitely lacks the sophisticated urban modelling data flows that exists in SimCity 2013 (the desktop version), there is still just enough complexity in the game that keeps me feeling challenged by the city. There is also the right amount of simplicity that constantly reinforces my sense of worthiness by giving me small wins (like upgrading my small clinic to a regular-sized one) to make me stick to the game. In fact, while I’ve never been hooked to any iOS game before, this game has changed that. There have been a few moments where I’ve had to tell my wife, “my citizens need me”, as I tap on the icon and return to collect my SimCoins or to get the factories working because the Sims are all ready to upgrade their homes. However, there are some shortcomings to the urban simulation experience that is difficult for me to overlook as an urbanist.

It’s all about trade-offs

One of the things that I appreciate most about SimCity is in the subliminal education of gamers about the idea of trade-offs and dependencies in making decisions about the planning of their cities and SimCity Buildit continues that tradition, but only to a certain extent. Traffic jams cause Sims to be really unhappy (apparently they just abandon the whole building if they can’t deal with it), pollution from your money-making industries or your cheap source of power will lead to a wave of unhappiness (and they will refuse to pay high taxes), and these Sims really demand for proper police and fire protection (or else they will annoy you with an icon). With a finite amount of money in the bank, one will realize that expanding the city or building up too quickly will put a strain on your city services and could prove to be your downfall as a mayor.

However, there are many elements to the game that has been sacrificed to the point of absurdity, possibly in the name of gamification. Bulldozing residences and roads cost nothing, you actually get a partial refund if you destroy certain city buildings like police stations, and if you change your mind about something, just tap and hold to move your buildings wherever you want them to be, all at no cost. The fact that these decisions do not have much (or any) human or financial costs only serves to feed unhealthy megalomaniac tendencies.

Also, while I understand the argument for less variables in the urban simulation on a mobile game, I still find myself disappointed by the simplistic view of the city in many aspects. Multi-use zoning don’t exist, the city must be built around vehicular traffic, and public transit options are limited to buses. The game also seems to suggest that growth is the only relevant urban policy as it constantly nags at the player with an icon that refuses to go away until he upgrades his land to a higher-density occupation. This makes the game feel as though it was built based on outdated urban planning ideas and concepts from past decades and yet, I still play it.

What have I done?

So it is only fair that I show you the city that I have created. Called Adibcity, I’ve set out to make a city filled with happy Sims and that means giving them the best of what they want. As you can tell, I am short on cash in the reserves but hey, I’ve got a 95% approval rating! I’ve also tried to manage growth, choosing to have variations in street experience (job hazard) and create distinct neighbourhoods where possible.

My industrial area is tucked away at the back of the development and wind turbines act as buffer for the residences. And because I don’t have enough money, it’s simply basic sewage outflow systems that pollute the ground. Urgh. However, I have tried to keep as many trees as possible!

Introducing a little bit of urban design, I have planned for a cascading density level towards the waterfront but SimCity BuildIt is nagging at me to upgrade the mid-rise and the low-rise to maximize land value. That empty space on the bottom right is for future developments, possibly government buildings.

A little bit classic and formal, I’ve created a strong axis for my adminstrative core. City Hall and Town Hall sits at the bottom of the axis while my official residence sits at the top with a weird diamond shaped artwork marking the axis. I had initially planned for a low-rise district for this urban block but economics necessitates more residences to tax and so, four high-rise residences now sit at each corner of the block.

A high-rise, high-density neighbourhood sits at the edge of the current development and some apartments get a good view of the greens. A little neighbourhood centre sits in the middle, with some public spaces, police and fire stations, and also a clinic. So HDB-like.

And because I’m the mayor, I get to live at the edge of the city and overlook the lake and small nature reserve. Perks of the job.

If you want to show me your SimCity, or geek out about discussions about SimCity, you can email me at adib at adibjalal.com or simply @-mention me on Twitter and Instagram.