Haven't been able to play yet (busy week, tried a couple times but had server issues). Tried again this morning, got almost all the way through the forced tutorial and it froze. I am really regretting this purchase.
Since when did new releases not have bugs? Give it some time. I also have not had any issues, but I have been using the west coast servers since they seem to have less activity when I play. The only time it has froze on me is because I minimized the game to open itunes and the game froze when I tried to maximize it again.
I like it a lot so far. It is very challenging when the city starts to get large.
You, the fans, are important to us. Its why we got into games and its because of you that we here at Maxis were able to complete our dream of making another SimCity. This has been an exciting week for us, but as you know there have been some bumps along the way. We want to shed light on one of the most significant issues that we are facing right now, as well as the steps were taking to resolve them so that we can provide you with an enjoyable experience.
Server capacity is our biggest obstacle. We launched in North America on Tuesday and our servers filled up within a matter of hours. What we saw was that players were having such a good time they didnt want to leave the game, which kept our servers packed and made it difficult for new players to join. We added more servers to accommodate the launch in Australia and Japan, and then more yesterday to accommodate the launch in Europe. As of right now, we are adding even more servers which will be going live over the next three days. And, our plan is to continue to bring more servers online until we have enough to meet the demand, increase player capacity and let more people through the gates and into the game.
Earlier today, we released a patch that temporarily cut off some features including leaderboards, achievements and Cheetah Speed to reduce data stress on the servers and effectively free up space so that we can let more people into the game. These are great features that were proud of and well turn them back on soon, but our number one priority is to bring stability to our servers. This update also resolved some of the bugs and issues that have been frustrating players. You can read all about it at EA Forums
We will be posting regularly to keep you up to speed on developments, so please check back for updates. We are committed to doing everything we can to deliver a stable and enjoyable experience and we thank you for your continued patience and support.
Heres a quick update on the problems we were experiencing with SimCity and a little something extra for people who bought the game.
The server issues which began at launch have improved significantly as we added more capacity. But some people are still experiencing response and stability problems that were working fast to address.
So what went wrong? The short answer is: a lot more people logged on than we expected. More people played and played in ways we never saw in the beta.
OK, we agree, that was dumb, but we are committed to fixing it. In the last 48 hours we increased server capacity by 120 percent. Its working the number of people who have gotten in and built cities has improved dramatically. The number of disrupted experiences has dropped by roughly 80 percent.
So were close to fixed, but not quite there. Im hoping to post another update this weekend to let everyone know that the launch issues are behind us.
Something Special for Your Trouble
The good news is that SimCity is a solid hit in all major markets. The consensus among critics and players is that this is fundamentally a great game. But this SimCity is made to be played online, and if you cant get a stable connection, youre NOT having a good experience. So were not going to rest until weve fixed the remaining server issues.
And to get us back in your good graces, were going to offer you a free PC download game from the EA portfolio. On March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an email telling them how to redeem their free game.
I know thats a little contrived kind of like buying a present for a friend after you did something crummy. But we feel bad about what happened. Were hoping you wont stay mad and that well be friends again when SimCity is running at 100 percent.
SimCity is a GREAT game and the people who made it are incredibly proud. Hang in there well be providing more updates throughout the weekend.
The "Mass Appeal" formula is killing the gaming industry just like to did with music. Sad.
screw the hardcore fans, toddlers must be able to play our games too
Did you fix it or let mob rule take over?I tried a casino town last night and it is hard to control. I recommend building up police, fire and medic to it's fullest before trying the casino town. I was to late to the game and it was a mad city. Even beef up on electric, sewer and water. Much higher demand to casinos and hotels.
Basically, I had people dying, getting murder, robbers, sh!t backing up, power outage, water shortage , etc.....
In a region with Jonesey now. Seems like most of the bugs are out, and all in all, this is a great game. I started slow with this city and I got a steady flow of money. Right now I am only added as I need, so I can stockpile money.