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City building games have a Soul Problem pt.2

165 points · 155 comments · lexx

  1. matheusmoreira · · focus · HN ↗
    > Does this look nice to you?

    Yes, it does. It's exactly what I want my real life city to be like.

    No plants growing everywhere completely out of control and invading perimeters they aren't supposed to be in. No cracked pavement that's just a rainfall away from being replaced with potholes.

    Apparently, "soul" means a city that looks like it's unmaintained and teetering on the edge of a precipice, just about to be reclaimed by nature, a few years away from turning into the green urbanscape of The Last of Us.

    1. simonklitj · · focus · HN ↗
      Nah, look at the second set of photos. It’s more lived-in, not all the way apocalyptic. The first photo looks like a render from an architect.
      1. matheusmoreira · · focus · HN ↗
        The second set of photos just have more detail. For example, the sidewalks are more detailed instead of just being flat rectangles.

        The glorification of disrepair and decay is still very much present though. "Soul" means decayed paint on houses, visible bricks and a huge hole on the pavement that no doubt spread its own unique flavor of disrepair to the car that just drove past it.

        Adding more detail is absolutely fine, but this glorification of breakdown doesn't sit well with me at all. I see far too much of it in real life on a daily basis and it seriously made me cringe. It's a problem to be solved, not something to be added in deliberately.

        1. 8note · · focus · HN ↗
          big flat rectangles isnt less detail. ive seen plenty of lots that look exactly like that with the surface being sort of a grippy stucko. adding detail would be texturing it to show the grit better

          breakdown and maintenance is a part of life, and if you want a city to look like it spends a million a month per block on maintenance, thats fine to have as a fantasy for a game. Youre playing a game, entropy doesnt have to apply.

          the post is right though, city games always put a layer of fantasy over one of the major costs that a city has - maintenance.

          i havent played one since sim city 3k, but i expect theres still no setting up snow clearance routes and how changing the order or amount of plows affects traffic, along with the associated costs to the city.

          1. matheusmoreira · · focus · HN ↗
            Decay could be interesting as a gameplay mechanic. Spend money on upkeep or your city turns into that.

            Neglect leading to decay is supposed to be a punishment though. Turning it into "soul" makes it desirable.

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