They put all over this that this is conceptual design, and not actual gameplay. But I hope they make it look even a little like this as it is pretty hot.
This will require a constant internet connection as they are implementing stuff that will have economic balancing with other cities in your "region." Cool.
I always thought that simcity should have an online mode, but not with loosely connected regions. It would be great to just have one continuous terrain that people build on. You would need to have bidding wars with neighboring cities to acquire more development zones, and perhaps incircle areas to make them more unattractive to your neighbors. Have lower taxes and suck away their citizens, and form trade agreements that help both sides. Water wars, transportation networks, federalization of areas, drug legal cities that cause spillover effects in other cities, plagues...
There are so many possibilities that I have seen them skip in previous simcities that I really hope they pursue in this one. With an internet enabled game, you can stretch the possibilities and break out of the bubble that previous simcity games have been in.
Or they can just improve the graphics, make it less grid like, add some improvements, and make this just another iteration of a really over done idea. It will still sell like hotcakes anyway, and will be less risky than a more competitive socially oriented simcity.
Here is theOfficial GDC 2012 announce trailer for SimCity by EA Maxis. SimCity is a PC/MAC online city building simulation game from Maxis Studios. It is the quiessential city builder franchise that started a genre. SimCity is back and bigger than ever with a new 3D world to create and control and multi-player to play with your friends for the first time. PIXEL ENEMY PRESENTS Subscribe to Pixel Enemy: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=pixelenemy Like Pixel Enemy on Facebook: http://facebook.com/pixelenemy Follow Pixel Enemy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/pixelenemy Visit Pixel Enemy on the web: http://pixelenemy.com/ TAGS: "SimCity" "SimCity Announcement Trailer" new simcity official debut trailer 2012 new today never seen before sneak peek first look preview overview gameplay footage yt:quality=high EA Maxis video games gaming HD pixelenemey pixel enemy mac pc