Modder Gets SimCity To Run Offline After All

[Gahars]

So yeah, SimCity. It's a one word punchline at this point. What more needs to be said?

A shit ton more, evidently.

Two days ago, RPS published an article in which a Maxis insider revealed to us that SimCity does not, in fact, require the servers to run its non-regional game. Maxis reps had repeatedly insisted to the press that the game had to be online as it ran local computations on their own servers – a feature our source told us doesn’t exist at all. Extraordinarily, we’ve still yet to receive a statement from Maxis on the matter. Nor indeed have any of the rest of the games media who contacted EA for comments at the time of our story.

And now, if any further proof were needed, a modder has hacked the game to run entirely offline, and even play outside of the game’s ridiculously small borders.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Here's a video of the mod in action:


Now, this mod is limited in some ways. You can't save, load, or make use of the game's regional features while you're playing offline. Still, it's functional, which kind of flies in the face of Maxis' assertion that they'd have to do a "significant amount of engineering" for single-player to even be possible.

Seriously, Maxis. You're out-Aliens: Colonial Marines-ing Aliens: Colonial Marines. Bravo.

 

[shakirmoledina]

next crysis 3 to dx10

 

[frogboy]

This only makes the SimCity saga even funnier.

Remember this story as a tale to tell your kids, folks.

 

[retKHAAAN]

So yeah, SimCity. It's a one word punchline at this point. What more needs to be said?

A shit ton more, evidently.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Here's a video of the mod in action:


Now, this mod is limited in some ways. You can't save, load, or make use of the game's regional features while you're playing offline. Still, it's functional, which kind of flies in the face of Maxis' assertion that they'd have to do a "significant amount of engineering" for single-player to even be possible.

Seriously, Maxis. You're out-Aliens: Colonial Marines-ing Aliens: Colonial Marines. Bravo.

Except A:CM is fully playable. Whether or not you actually want to is entirely up to you. But it's possible

 

[geoflcl]

Thank goodness someone was able to make this happen, in however limited a fashion!

The idea of always-online has always made me uncomfortable and sort of grumbly, even if their reasoning is somewhat understandable. However, it always proves to be downright infuriating in practice! Why must we be expected to always be connected when it just isn't feasible for some?

 

[Bladexdsl]

gotta love modders this is why pc games will always be better now hurry up and release it for downloadz

 

[Qtis]

Oh snap! Didn't see that one coming, eh?

 

[Chary]

Yeah! Take that, EA!

 

[Taleweaver]

Except A:CM is fully playable. Whether or not you actually want to is entirely up to you. But it's possible

Nice going. I've suddenly got a horrorsome picture in my head of some boardroom...

dimwit publisher: the reason why Aliens: colonial marines sold so badly is because of piracy. We must stop this!
other publisher: but...how?
dimwit: don't worry. I've got it all under control. The next installment - Aliens: colonial marines 2 - will run entirely on EA's servers!


But on-topic: yeah. This is pretty embarrassing, indeed. So not only do they make an enormous mistake...they try to cover it up with lies. This is just...sad. Really, really sad.

 

[Range-TE]

EA should freakin thank this guy, if this didn't happen I wouldn't even consider buying it

 

[BORTZ]

Wow, less than a week? how long has Sim city been out?

 

[Sicklyboy]

Wow, less than a week? how long has Sim city been out?

Over a week. Came out on the 5th lol.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Hah. I know of one person in particular who needs to have this news shoved in his face. He was going on and on about how impossible it would be for this game to work in singleplayer, and that was just a couple of days ago.

 

[BORTZ]

Anything anyone was saying about sim city was just a couple of days ago.

 

[Janthran]

So yeah, SimCity. It's a one word punchline at this point.

Dude, it's been a joke since it was first released.

In 1989.

I mean come on Gahars, you're usually not THIS late.

 

[DaggerV]

Now you have save states, what more do you need?



Though I wouldn't waste time with this game at all, it's shit all around.

 

[Blaze163]

So let me see if I've got this straight. People were complaining that the servers were busted and they couldn't play, EA were being dicks about it, now hackers have fixed everything and EA have been revealed as bullshitters? Sounds good to me.

 

[chyyran]

Wonder how EA reacts when we'll be able to download an offline version off The Penguin Bar.

That'd be embarrassing wouldn't it? I can see the headlines now, "Pirates get offline play into SimCity, customers demanding answers from EA"

Ohh EA.. Oohh.. When will you learn DRM makes piracy worse..

Significant amount of engineering my ass. This is just getting worse and worse for EA. One can't help but feel a bit sorry for them, their master plan continues to backfire in their faces.

 

[zanfire]

not sure if you guys saw their live stream and whatnot, they are getting absolutly slammed on every social media, they even shut off all comments on the stream because it was so bad.

 

[Rydian]

Oh snap! Didn't see that one coming, eh?

I did. o.o Assassin's Creed, anybody? Happened there too, before they revoked the DRM.