This is a somewhat confusing aspect at first, but once players get used to it and understand it a bit better, it becomes a more intriguing mechanic. This is the same when throwing additional levels onto megatowers as each has specific terms that need to be met before they will be working order. The more ControlNet one city has, the more futuristic buildings and structures are able to operate. This wave/air based power is the backbone of Cities of Tomorrow because, as we all know, wires are a thing of the past. It’s not necessarily a substitution for other forms of energy as it in itself needs electricity to function, but a way to operate specific pieces of the world. I will give the expansion pack credit, though, for including futuristic roads and forms of transformation, but they are now no more than just small balls of light that run across the screen.ĬontrolNet plays a significant factor in the development of the new world as the elite megatowers and wave-based power stations now require this to operate. I almost wish these towers were not as thick as they are as they take up an overwhelming amount of space.
If you are somehow able to rack up enough cash to upgrade it fully, a crown can be put at the top that will help attract tourists, clean the air, and various other functions. These allow for stacking upwards of eight different forms of communal services such as apartments and malls with varying levels of efficiencies. The megatowers are by far the biggest and most innovative part of the expansion pack as they are multi-layered structures, allowing users to build cities into the sky. The compensation is that, while OmegaCo is bleeding the Earth dry, they are the ones making the most profit if organized meticulous.
These are essentially the two sides of the coin that the expansion pack strives off of as OmegaCo seems like the more evil, more corrupt corporation that feeds of the resources of the world and pollutes the air, while the Academy is the eco-friendly organization that has a focus on wireless connectivity. Players can still make smaller towns, but this adds the ability to throw-in various new mega structures and buildings to create a more vertical metropolis. As the title may suggest, Cities of Tomorrow is all about building a futuristic city, whether it’s a gritty Blade Runner-esque environment or a Star Trek utopia. Instead, this expansion pack is more about a visual aesthetic that only slightly adjusts some of the core ideas behind building a city. If you’re familiar with the outline and framework of the vanilla game, know that not a whole lot has been changed. With the first major expansion pack coming out, fans are expecting innovative workings, but all they will receive is a new coat of paint. Maxis has done a valiant effort in rectifying what has gone wrong, but issues still present themselves throughout the world.
Mix that with a more confined city availability and you have yourself a simulator of disappointingly low scale. SimCity received a bad rap when it was released early this year as the server-based DRM caused chaos among the community.