PC gamers booting up SimCity today can expect a range of top-requested bug fixes and improvements arriving in the form of update 2.0. Now, before you get excited it’s important to know that Maxis has not included a full-fledged offline mode. Of course, this may have something to do with Maxis’ general manager, Lucy Bradshaw, explaining Maxis’ decision to exclude offline play. Sorry Mayors.
Simulating the city of your dreams will now be aided by the range of tweaks to core gameplay and fixes in the game’s performance. These fixes will inevitably be the most profound tweaks, but that doesn’t mean Maxis hasn’t slipped three new additions in as well, which include:
- Mayors Mansion: Mayors will now drive their fancy cars to work. Mayors will take their helicopter, limo, or sports car if the modules are present.
- HUD: Now color-corrects when in a colorblind mode.
- Data map: Data maps show the filtered color when a color filter is enabled (unless in a colorblind mode)
These new additions fail to add a significant change to core gameplay, but it is nice to see that new content is being implemented. Yet, the lack of a devoted offline mode is sure to keep many gamers away from building their own simulated cities. Considering that update 2.0 has been dubbed their “first significant update” it stands to reason that there is more to come. The only question to ponder is whether Maxis will buckle under the unwavering pressure of fans for the white buffalo that is an offline mode.
If you’re curious to find out the full list of updates and tweaks be sure to head over to the EA Forums to check out the full list.
What do you make of the SimCity 2.0 update? Will Maxis stick to their guns and refuse to ever release an offline mode, or is it just a matter of time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.