#simcity societies

[simnostalgia]

Okay so, if you listen to me at all you know that I've been talking about the unreleased Simsville for a while. For those who don't know, it's a smaller scale simcity with a focus on small town life and The Sims within your town.

Okay hear me out here, I think it WAS released and the game that it became was Simcity Societies. HEAR ME OUT!

So I started playing this game again a few days ago and I was wondering why it's so much different than the other simcity games. You don't zone lots. You put down EVERY commerical and EVERY residential lot yourself. Then I realized, that was a feature in the unreleased Simsville game. Once I noticed that I couldn't stop noticing things.

There's a focus on the lives of sims. You see the cars they drive and you track the members of families. Which was a feature in simsville.

There's a video put out by one of the simsville devs which shows a feature where you can click on a building and use arrows to see every other building of the same time. That's a feature in societies.

The buildable area is VERY small. Smaller than even Simcity 2013.

Then there are things that I didn't see in Simsville which seem very strange for a Simcity game to have but would make sense in the scale of a game like Simsville. There is a focus on the Sims themselves. You can track specific kinds of sims and see things like "Hippies created" or "deaths related to illness" in statistics menu.

Then there are smaller things. The only roads available in simcity societies are smaller roads and dirt roads which are all we see for Simsville. The way that objects are categorized looks similar to Simsville as well.

This is the only simcity game that I can think of that allows you to put down specific things like this. Even though they aren't the same objects it allows for similar 'detail' placement. I can't think of a normal Simcity game that lets you put down a single swingset as an object.

I think that Simcity Societies is just a retooled Simsville with a feature of creating a town with 'european' or 'authoritarian' buildings to create different kinds of town versus simsville's originally planned small town America vibe, even though Simcity Societies has plenty of that left over too.

[cyber-corp]

you ever heard the simcity societies ost?

Hmmmmmmmmmm

[thesimofmanu]

Video Arcade - No CC - From Simcity societies

When they're doing well, Sims young and old have a great time at the arcade.

Type: Community 10 x 10

Requires: All EPs and SPs

Recommended mods:

 Rug Fix,

Smart EP check, 

Community Skilling, 

Children and teen townies always visit community lots,

 Visitor Controller,

Belladova fix no pre-load populated lot(Good for avoiding pink flash and problems of superpopulated lot since min 1)

More Sims on Com lots (I tested the lot using the version 30+business and didn't have any trouble I suggest you testing, cause 1x1 lots tend to be problematic with this mod in case you're use to 1x1 lots in your gameplay or similar small lots... more sims = more stairs and more doors )

CEP

Centerpiece Enabler

In case of editing or removing things! ↙↙↙↙

Shift mod

Shit mod Windows and Doors

Here the DOWNLOAD links

SFS - MEDIAFIRE

More info below ⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇⬇

It has:

3 WC

3 Tv

Vending machine

Bar and lounge

trash can all places

7 Gaming machines

4 PCs

Buy service

Magazine and game racks

Only stairs

Frontdoors and Backdoors

Hope you like it! I love small lots!!!

[saucetail]

commie adjacent but hopelessly addicted to watching numbers go up (playing cattails). also to making little societies in games

[simsecret]

- Secrets Post #816, August 11th, 2023

[andrevasims]

The city being shown is from SimCity Societies, a SimCity spin-off developed by Tilted Mill Entertainment.

SimCity Societies had more focus on "social engineering" than strictly city building, so there were different building styles to represent different types of societies (hence the name).

The building styles were "Contemplative, Romantic (European), Industrial, Fun City, Capitalist, Normal, Small Town, Cyberpunk, and Authoritarian." The one depicted in this "Halls of History" TV show is the Authoritarian style.

Tilted Mill Entertainment had only released 2 games before developing Societies (Caesar IV & Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile). They released a few more games after that, until announcing Medieval Mayor in 2012, which was put on indefinite hiatus in 2013. The company stopped posting anything between 2016-2024, with the only activity in that time being just one post in 2024 of some logo concepts for a tower defense game that has no other existing information.

[cityof2morrow]

(Re)organizing Your CAS/Bodyshop Folders

Published: 2-16-2025 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY One of the challenges of themed worldbuilding in Sims 2 is finding the custom content (CC) to bring your world(s) to life. Between October and December 2024, I reorganized my CAS/Bodyshop folders, purging ~4-5 gigs of CC. I wanted to share the strategies I use - Plan, Shop, Sort & Delete!

PHASE ONE: PRE-PLAN WITH A BASIC BACKSTORY Having a backstory for your world is not required  – simming is supposed to be flexible and open-ended after all – but it will make organizing CC easier if you do. The backstory is your rationale for why your sims look the way they do…the basis for whatever CAS/Bodyshop-related CC you decide to use. This should evolve as you start shopping/sorting CC. Skip to PHASE TWO below if you want to skip the “backstory” phase and jump straight into (re)organizing files. First, figure out the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY details of your world. You don’t have to figure out everything now. If anything, try to come up with the most basic details. (1) WHAT kind of society do your sims live in (utopian, dystopian, mixed, fantasy, etc.)? Example: Pleasantview is pseudo-utopian, midcentury-style, pedestrian, mostly middle-class neighborhood. Strangetown is an eccentric, comically dystopian town nearby. (2) WHEN do played events in your world take place (recent or distant past, modern-day present, near or distant future, timeless, etc.) Example: Pleasantview and Strangetown are set in the early 2000s, after an alien abduction. Veronaville is 2000s-era take on the English/Italian elements of Shakespeare's universe, inspired by 13th century political factions.

Pictured: My game takes place in a retro-afro-futuristic setting...it's not uncommon to see A.I's, drones, and other non-human sims through the world. (3) WHERE do your sims live in this world? There should be some climate/seasonal clues here. People tend to dress for the weather – your sims should too! Example: Pleasantview is a lush, mostly temperate, hilly/mountainous, waterside, suburb outside of SimCity. Nearby Strangetown is a rural, militarized spot along a desert highway, not far from an alien crash site.

Pictured: My sims live on an arid planet that they terraformed and altered with advanced tech. Their clothing reflects the climate. (4) WHO are the sims in your world? Whether you focus on social groups or individual families and sims, make sure your ideas hint at the kind of lifestyle those sims have (jobs, hobbies, abilities, income, social roles, etc.). Example: Take the social groups from the Apartment Life EP for example. Gearhead townies often have darker, torn, utilitarian clothing. Meanwhile, socialites have more expensive looking outfits appropriate for leisure and high-status career paths. Lilith and Angela Pleasant are sisters with highly conflicting personalities – so they must have drastically different looks.

Pictured: My simlish society includes plantsims and hybrid plantsims (half plant, half human). These sims are more likely to be a part of my eco-friendly faction. (5) WHY do they appear the way they do? Dress them appropriately for the climate and time but make sure they actually look like members of their given social groups. You don’t have to make things historically accurate or logical unless you want to – have fun. Example: The utilitarian/punk-style look of the gearheads reflects their lower income and “toughness.” As nonconformists, bohemians dress in loose, artsy and colorful pieces. Lillith’s darker/gothic style reflects her grouchy/rebel personality in opposition to her more suburban/agreeable sister Angela.

Pictured: I'm using lots of trait and occult mods to reorganize my supernaturals into elemental classes. Here is a waterborne conjurer (left) and a grimborne necromancer (right). PHASE TWO: GO CC SHOPPING (AGAIN) This is the fun part. Now that you have a general backstory, go CC shopping! Grab everything that might fit – don’t overthink it! If you like it and think the sims in your world might rock it, download it. However, I recommend coming up with some ground rules, such as (1) A maximum poly count range (“faces” in simPE) for hairs, accessories, and/or clothes. Example: I have 32GB of RAM and decent hardware, but I still avoid hairs above 10K poly. If I really want it, I might go as high as 12-13K – no more than that. This is admittedly a conservative limit compared to lots of contemporary simmers. (2) A maximum file size (in gigabytes/GB) for all CAS/Bodyshop CC you’re willing to put in-game at one time. For windows players, SIZE is the actual size of your files/folders. SIZE ON DISK is the amount of storage they take up via system processes such as (de)compression, duplication, etc. Example: A maximum of ~6GB (actual size) of CAS/Bodyshop CC is my self-imposed limit. This keeps loading times and performance ideal since I also use several gigs of build/buy CC and mods. (3) Choose custom body shapes sooner rather than later. More than 50 (!) custom body shapes have been made for Sims 2 over the past two decades. Make sure you can find enough clothing for whatever shape(s) you choose…including career/work clothing. Example: Currently, I use 8 custom shapes - 3 for male/masculine sims (Bodybuilder, Fat, Bear Bodybuilder) and 5 for female/femme sims (Bodybuilder, Classic Pin-up, Dummy Thicc (not pictured directly below; pictured at the end of this post), Momma Lisa, Rio). I eliminated others to stay below my maximum file limit.

Pictured: When choosing body shapes, I spent a lot of time comparing options. If you really like a shape but it lacks clothing, try using it alongside a similar shape. For example, I used clothing for the 'heavy male' and 'chubby guy' shapes on the same sims for a while. (4) Choose REPO’D versions whenever possible. Reposited/texture-linked skins, hairs, clothing, and accessories share image resources across multiple files. In contrast, standalone versions contain a copy of all necessary texture images in each file. Repo’d files are typically smaller in size/quantity and easier on game performance. PHASE THREE: SORT & DELETE This is the annoying part – but the payoff is worth it. I sort my CAS/Bodyshop CC in phases. If the CC doesn’t fit the backstory for my hood or exceeds my limit for poly counts – I remove it right away! I sort what’s left using the following criteria: - weakest fit for my backstory compared to other CC - poly count is too high - broken/bad CC (missing mesh, warped/distorted, excessive clipping, causes lag) - duplicate files and repetitive looks (too many items that look about the same) - repetitive colors (12 colors of each outfit, in 3 different shades/textures each, is too much for me!) I repeat this process anytime I add more CC to my game. During steps 4 and 5, I start recategorizing/townie-fying CC as well (see recommended programs below). I usually save the color/texture-sorting round for last. I just might be able to keep more color/texture options if I’m still below my max file limits (repo’d CC really comes in handy here!). …ENJOY! Organizing CAS/Bodyshop CC is often tedious and frustrating, but smooth, performance-friendly gameplay is worth it! The recommended mods/programs below allow more random diversity in my simlish population, and the sims truly look like they come from my world – not one dreamed up for me by maxis. I don’t play with pre-made sims, so seeing townies and NPCs with “maxis face” in my hood is considered an act of violence! Repo’d items, separates, and recategorized CC makes the same items available to more sims. I end up needed less CC overall…..then again, they also make it easier to justify more CC shopping. 😊 See how I organize my individual mods/cc folders for Sims 2 HERE (2024).

Pictured: Rough drafts...recreations of Urbz sims. RECOMMENDED CAS/BODYSHOP-RELATED MODS -Shared Maxis Outfits for YAs, Adults & Elders (Sim-Wolf, 2009; or Motoki, 2005) - young adults, adults, and elders will share the same default outfits. -Buyable Maxis Work, NPC, and Maternity Clothes (Motoki, 2005) – outfits are buyable when creating sims in CAS or shopping on community lots; clothing racks by Gayars (2019) HERE. -Separates For All (LazyDuchess, 2021) – dress sims in separate tops/bottoms in all clothing categories (you still need to download CC separates or recategorize default separates). Outside of the everyday category, you can only view/pick separates in-game via CAS (not Bodyshop). -Sim BIN NPCs (Test Version) (Free via Patreon - LazyDuchess, 2022) – townies/NPCs will generate using the genetics of custom sims saved in Bodyshop instead of default genetics. You need to download and/or save a larger-than-usual number of sims to your SavedSims folder for best results. Requires RPC Launcher (LazyDuchess, 2020).

-TS2 CAS Makeup Lag Fix (Test Version) (Free via patreon – LazyDuchess, 2024) – minimizes the infamous lag players experience when using the CAS makeup tabs in-game. -Townie Body Diversity (Nysha, 2017) – townies/non-playables will generate in different sizes (i.e. thin/fat/fit). RECOMMENDED CAS/BODYSHOP PROGRAMS -Sims2Pack Clean Installer (Mootilda, 2014; 2010) – use it to safely install custom sims (as well as lots, store content, etc.) or select CC used to make them; scan/sort duplicates and specific file types as well. -Bodyshop Organization Kit (BSOK Editor) (WHoward/PickNMix, 2024) - sort clothing/accessories according to default/custom body shapes. FYI: Sometimes, hairs may show up as “clothing.” -Outfit Organiser (WHoward/PickNMix, 2024) - sort and recategorize items across the CAS/Bodyshop catalog. -Delphy’s Download Organiser (Delphy/Tashiketh, 2020; 2007) – organize and investigate package files; compare poly counts at a glance. NOTE: Reported counts are global (total count for all versions contained in the package file) rather than the actual/original count (the count for the object in its normal/static state). If you’re unsure, double-check the count in simPE.

[elbiotipo]

If I had to do a city-building game in the style of SimCity, the main mechanic would not be zoning but land ownership. To expand your city, you need to buy or adquire land from the landowners or the state around you (you will always start with a city, big or small, because making a city out of nowhere is nonsense).

That "city land" you administrate isn't yours, either, it's sold to your citizens, businesses, institutions, and there you can do some zoning. But unlike other city building games, they also get to decide what to do. Sure you make the roads and the institutions, but what if people decide to build a home there (a badly named "slum"), or local business, or industries, or such? People shouldn't just sit down and let you demolish their homes to build a highway, or have you change laws with a tick, or just sitting there without wanting better schools or hospitals. Your role should be to accomodate the needs of all the people so they all have a good home, good services, good jobs, and overall guaranteeing a good life for your citizens, instead of you know, managing fucking traffic...

Also, you would also need to deal with both local politics and state entities. It's bullshit that in most city building games, you treat a city as a business, I have no idea how it works in the US but a city going "bankrupt" here or anywhere else makes no sense to me. You should get money, resources, etc. from the country/province you belong to, and probably also dictates and such (like why aren't you complying with education or pollution guidelines, for example). In fact, it would be a constant negotiation (not tension, negotitation) between you a mayor and the other entities in the country you live in, not just you being a Walt Disney corporate god-king and doing whatever you want.

Of course, the ideal would be building up a society where all land is held in common, and there are indeed some examples on how that can be done...

[oldwindowsicons]

SimCity Societies (2007)

[sixamese-simblr]

The Bearchelor: Meet the contestants!

Introducing the 6 contestants on the Bearchelor, who will be competing for the affections of our eligible bachelor: Kevin Beare!

"I'm Francis, and I'm a student at La Fiesta Tech. You may be familiar with my dad, congressman Francis Worthington Jr. I can assure you that going on this show is unrelated to my dad's bid at mayor of SimCity, nor is it damage control for the allegations of any alleged incidents that are alleged to have occurred at the LFT society that my dad or I allegedly have been involved in. Allegedly."

"I'm Gunnar, and I'm the lead guitarist of the Shifting Paradymes. I know the ladies want me, the guys want me, and honestly it's really tiring to have everyone compete for my attention. This would be perfect because for once I'm not the one everyone's swooning over, ya know?"

"My name's Jared, and I'm just here for the food to be honest"

"I'm Aldric, I'm a Freshman at La Fiesta Tech, and for some damn reason my stupid twin brother decided to sign up for this show as well."

"I'm Almeric, I'm also a Freshman at LFT, and I'm confused why my loser brother would sign up for something like this in the first place."

"You snooped through my mail to find out I was doing this. This is just like when I sent out my college applications, or like the time I came out to mom and you had to butt in to tell her that you're gayer."

"I'm Castor, I'm studying at Sim State, and I'm one of Kevin's frat bros at Urele Oresha Cham. I signed up for the show because I heard Kevin was doing it, so I thought "why not"? I don't think I have a big advantage over the rest because Kevin's never thought about me in this way. I mean, at least I don't think so.

[thesimsdescriptions]

African Violet Propagated by hand in the SimCity African Violet Society greenhouse, these noble flowers claim botalinear descendancy from the protogenal East African S. ionantha, first discovered by W. von Saint Paullinaire in the Usambara district. Flowering Time: Permanent. Water: Occasionally.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

how many video game ideas do you even have?

an incomplete list of the bajillion video game ideas I have had over the past ten years (if you want verification, @raptorcivilization is usually the schmuck I pitch to) that I can't do because I lack infrastructure and resources:

a redo of the eyewitness dinosaur hunter game for the modern era (but obviously without the eyewitness brand) - so a 3D virtual museum environment with an on-site dig that brings dinos back to life. would include the history of birds after the end-cretaceous.

a redo of the magic school bus explores the age of dinosaurs game (doesn't have to be associated with magic school bus, a cute kulinda protag will work fine) - so a point and click game where you go to different environments, learn about the history of life, play mini experiments and mini games to learn, etc.

a museum tycoon game (why the fuck doesn't this already exist) (I have an elaborate system in my head that would include ethical collection and museum reputation as important factors)

prehistoric photo safari - you go back in time to different ecosystems and take pictures of various things you're asked to take pictures of, like "a pennaraptoran preening" or "a tyrannosaur family group" that kind of thing

an aviary zootycoon/planet zoo esque game - basically you're creating a zoo but it's only birds. I'm not bitter about planet zoo, no, whose asking.

or just another zoo simulator that's a better spiritual successor to zoo tycoon than planet zoo is, so it would include aquatic and extinct stuff like the zoo tycoons always did >_> also more birds

the same idea as above but now it includes fossil/extinct birds too, you're welcome

a game where you go back in time and gather prehistoric life and bring them back to the present and try to recreate extinct ecosystems, with an emphasis on ecosystem dynamics

similarly, an ecosystem simulator like tyto-ecology except... better. and still being developed. and mostly focused on extinct ecosystems.

a stardew-style farming game but you're ravens in a post-human world, creating a new society from scratch. as birds.

a bajillion different @saurian-game - like games set in different environments including the Manda Beds of the Triassic, the Jiufotang Formation of the Jurassic, literally anything other than the red beds of the Permian, Fossil Lake in the Eocene... the list goes on

domesticated Kulindadromeus sheephearder game (@paleopinesofficial you can just steal this idea and put it in your game, that's fine)

fossil stories - basically you live the life of different extinct animals based on their fossils, so dueling/fighting dinosaurs and stuff like that. it would be your basic choose your own adventure story type dealio.

a dinotopia video game. that's it. that's the entire concept. maybe something like simcity or the sims but in dinotopia. there's something there.

jewish themed stardew valley (this isn't dinosaur/bird or prehistoric life related, I'm just annoyed at the christonormativity in stardew [why does xmas exist in this alternate universe] and want to make a jewish version out of spite)

pet parrot simulator. mainly so that people who love parrots but really can't care for them can play the game. also so people who are thinking of getting a parrot can play the game and find out if they really can take care of one. I recognize pet simulators exist but they're never really accurate when it comes to parrot care.

I know I have more but these are the best ones. The ones I come back to the most are the museum tycoon game, the prehistoric photo safari game, and the redo of the magic school bus dino game; and @raptorcivilization is keeping the dream alive for the remake of the eyewitness game.

[theydjarin]

the Sims 1 legacy blah blah sims 2 legacy okayyyy all I want is SimCity Societies

[thesimofmanu]

Hi everyone, my next building it's another homage to Simcity Societies "The Video Arcade", here you can see my Speed Build

[l-1-z-a]

🏙️ A canceled SimCity game between 2003 and 2007?

In the early 2000s, Maxis was clearly working on several new projects, one of which was believed to be the next installment of the SimCity series. In a November 2003 review of The Sims 2 on The Sims Zone, it was mentioned that at that time, Maxis was already working on the "next SimCity" (possibly SimCity 5), although the game had not been officially announced. At the time, the EA jobs page hinted at an ongoing project. However, the game was never released, and no further information about it was made public.

Maxis is also working on several new projects. These include the next SimCity (SimCity 5?), which is not yet announced, but is being worked on as we can see at the EA Jobs page at the time of writing. Will is also working on a secret project, which I can't really tell anything about. Since there were rumours of his next project at the E3 2002 (read this) and E3 2003 (right here), I think it's quite likely this game will be presented at the next E3 in May 2004. That means it will probably be released late 2004 or early 2005. However, this is pure speculation and nothing has been confirmed about this project whatsoever, and I could be wrong by a year, or the Maxis may even cancel the complete project (which I think is unlikely, but it's happened before with SimsVille and SimMars, to name two never finished projects). Maxis is keeping any details of this new game secret at the moment, and we'll probably have to wait another couple of months before we'll get the first pieces of (confirmed) information. However, it is commonly known that Will is working on something new again, and has been for quite a while already. It's a matter of a lot of patience to get the first information, which The Sims Zone will of course report about.

The secret project by Will Wright, also mentioned in that review, later turned out to be Spore, which was released in 2008. This is confirmed by a tweet from Jake Simpson, where he states that Wright was already focused on Spore and wasn’t actively involved in other projects.

Now, I'm not going to reference Will too much in these stories because while Will is considered The Father of The Sims, he wasn't actually around that much. Will is very much 'been there, done that', and while he was available for consultation, he was already off in Spore Land.

Interestingly, in 2007, SimCity Societies was released, but it wasn’t developed by Maxis. Instead, it was created by Tilted Mill Entertainment, the studio known for Caesar IV. The next proper SimCity installment by Maxis came out only in 2013. A 10-year gap between these games raises questions: was there a canceled version of SimCity during this period?

Maxis has precedents for canceled games, such as SimsVille and SimMars. It’s possible that studio was indeed working on SimCity 5, but the project was shelved before reaching the announcement stage.

[simsecret]

Secrets Post #816, August 11th, 2023. Six omitted: one for "Sims Announcement" incomprehensibility and five for summary_anon-bothering. More (mostly just stuff that could be normal posts instead of secrets ngl) under the cut; posts for individual secrets will be made on this blog's main page.

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