Is it difficult to be a mayor? Three new modes

Simcity 4- the continuation of a series of well-known city-building simulators, becoming the fourth game. Released in version for PC in 2003. Due to the uniqueness and success of the previous installments, the series became quite popular and attracted the attention of many players and critics. The fourth part solidified its success, as it had many improvements - from graphics to features. Of course, a lot of completely new buildings have appeared, allowing you to build a city exactly the way a gamer wants to see it.

Features of the game

• Three game modes: god, mayor and sim. Each of them has certain characteristics, allowing you to see everything that happens from different angles;
• Terraforming will remove rocks, level out any imperfections in the terrain, creating just such a landscape on which it will be easy to build a new, prosperous city;
• All responsibilities for managing the city fall on the mayor. He deals with issues ranging from residential and commercial to industrial and tax;
• Several ready-made templates copied from real-life cities will make the gameplay even more realistic and exciting.

Three new modes

The main feature of "SimCity 4" is the presence of three modes. Before a city is founded, the player can choose a god mode. In this case, he can influence everything that happens - arrange floods, earthquakes, meteorite falls and much, much more. It is possible not only to cause a cataclysm, but also to control it. This will remove mountains that will interfere with construction, burn out the forest, create rivers, and also perform a number of other works, improving the selected location. But when the city is founded, the gamer will be automatically switched to mayor mode - he will no longer be able to arrange cataclysms.

In the case of the mayor, you can solve various issues related to construction, taxation, industry development and many others. It is necessary to take into account a number of nuances in order for people to want to settle in the built city. Finally, the sim mode. You can't play with a sim - he makes decisions about choosing a school, a place of work, creating a family. The player can only decide where his ward will live. There is no particular benefit from a Sim - from time to time he will visit the mayor and say that he is not happy with his life. So, having settled several dozen Sims throughout the city, you can easily find out about the main problems of the townspeople, getting the opportunity to easily and quickly help them.

Logic and tactics

However, some innovations will make even the most experienced user burn out. Now you have to pay for each object. Do you want to decorate your yard with a lawn? Pay for care. Need a water tower? She needs to be serviced. Building a solar powered plant? Specialists will have to pay a considerable monthly salary. Of course, these costs are not covered by the construction costs. Therefore, you will have to seriously think - is this or that object really needed by the townspeople?

Epigraph:
Whatever you do, you still won't succeed.
Jenkins law

As one of the developers of the legendary series admitted Simcity, the idea of ​​creating such a game came to him by accident. At the dawn of the formation of the computer gaming industry, he drew another level for a certain helicopter arcade. At one point, he realized that building his own city is many times more interesting than flying over it later. Soon the world appeared SimCity, and after a while and Simcity 2000- of course, with improved graphics and new features. Then there was a car simulator Streets of SimCity, which allowed to ride with a breeze through the streets of a self-built metropolis, and the logical continuation of the series at number 3000, and, finally, the simulator of the American family that is still leading in the charts (does not need an introduction).
For a long time, players were teased by the project SimsVille, however, the latter bent safely - after which the gentlemen from Maxis without interrupting the production of numerous add-ons for you know what, announced an imminent exit Simcity 4... SC2000 granddaughter and nephew The sims born beautiful, well-fed and wayward ...

Sim sim, open up!
First of all, forget everything that the developers promised and what was written about in a variety of previews. Instead of entertaining construction with unobtrusive tasks, you are instantly put into tough economic boundaries, and going beyond them is fraught with a complete gamer. Do you want to build an airport or present your neighbors with a headache in the form of a nuclear power plant? Forget it - for the next thirty years, you'll have to settle for a smelly coal-fired power plant and a couple of bus stops. Those who hope to see a dream city can immediately go to smoke - or, using cheats, add a couple of billion conventional units to their personal account. Don't think that a water tower and a thermal power plant are enough for a normal life. The whole gameplay boils down to attempts to please the numerous residents who have extremely dirty morals. Allah forbid them in something not to please - the most peaceful individuals will rush to leave the city, and the most lively will start with strikes, smoothly turning into riots. Lowered the salary of the sewer workers so that there is enough money for a beautiful (but completely useless) TV tower? Get ready for crowds of disgruntled lumpen to crawl out onto the streets, exactly half of them, in accordance with the rules of political correctness, are either disabled or African-American.
The player needs to simultaneously perceive and digest a lot of information - about the growth of crime in the city center, traffic jams in the northwest and the fact that a certain Sam Benjamin Pupkin does not have a decent pub near his house. Expert Advisors and an extensive system of text "help" are trying to save the situation, but you cannot keep track of everything at once. It is highly recommended to pause the game when thinking about any problems, since there is such an opportunity.
For those who are always not enough, there are a number of cataclysms, such as a meteor shower or an invasion of killer robots (are you kidding me?). Hysterical persons can blow up the whole city to pigs at the push of a button - and it looks Beautiful. Armageddon can be done at will and completely free of charge, however, only buildings are subject to destruction. I remember that, according to the old role-playing habit, I decided to frighten the crowd of onlookers with a fireball ... and was unpleasantly surprised when whole and unharmed parasites began to scatter from under the ruins of an entire block.

I will build everyone!
Let's move on, however, to the most pleasant thing - to construction. As in the previous series of the game, only office buildings are allowed to be erected with their own hands, such as: power plants, police stations, prisons, schools, hospitals and train stations. For the rest of the buildings, you can only create separate zones where they will eventually grow by themselves. You can only define the types of buildings - residential, commercial or industrial - and their level. For example, for residential quarters, low is one-story huts and trailers, medium is apartment buildings, and high is luxury villas. Separate zones, away from the main ones, can be allocated for agricultural land, landfills (where incinerators or even "garbage" power plants are subsequently installed), sea and airports.
Over time, the buildings are reconstructed and, under a favorable coincidence, some currency exchange will gradually mutate into a central bank, and a dilapidated hut into a very decent cottage. All infrastructures and buildings are closely interconnected, so you need to pay extra attention to planning. It is highly discouraged to set up a dump next to orchards or stick a foul-smelling oil factory in the middle of an elite neighborhood. The hit of the season is a playground under a high-voltage line.
Electrification needs to be taken care of

The economy must be economical

Let's move from the most pleasant to the most terrible - to the economic part of the game. At first glance, there are no difficulties. Neither trade nor production - not to mention stocks and exchange trading. Taxes are imposed on commerce, production and rent for housing. Financing is determined separately for industries and each office building. Move the slider to the right in the hospital settings - the service area and the number of beds will increase, and set the slider to zero - ambulances will travel within the hospital yard, and doctors will go on a dry hunger strike.
For the organization budget receipts and city life management can also carry out various actions. For example, the legalization of gambling brings a certain income, but increases the level of crime (but the local brothers give the governor of the casino), and a month of fighting smoking requires money, but it reduces the risk of fires to a minimum. Each building needs to be allocated a certain amount of support money monthly, depending on the funding of the industry to which it belongs. The whole interest (and difficulty!) Is that there is no unambiguous development strategy. The police will not be able to compensate for the lack of funds by the number of police stations - it will be more expensive. But it is quite possible to reduce the cost of education in the presence of a developed security system - but only for a while. Operating with sliders, raising and lowering taxes on time, it is possible to achieve a positive balance with a sin in half. The main thing is not to waste government funds at the very beginning. There is always very little money, and any buildings are very expensive. Do not be surprised if, after laying the railway, a pretty manager says that your budget is kaput (namely kaput - advisers love to scoff at your failures), and you can start all over again ... Before you find your unique successful development strategy, there are many cities will suffer from your economic experiments. However, such is the fate of anyone who has undertaken to play an economic city-planning simulator. There are two great tutorials available in case you are too dark about economics.

The police are looking for them

Let's move on from the most terrible to the simply terrible. It's about those villains who inhabit your city. As mentioned above, they all have disgusting characters and exorbitant appetites. Burgers demand round-the-clock water supply, clean air, sports fields and silence after 11 pm, but at the same time they do not want to pay taxes and are loudly outraged over any nonsense. The fact is that many "advanced" buildings are available only after attracting a certain number of residents - but in order to bring this number to the required one, you need to have inhuman patience. Any of your the action, as already mentioned, in a certain way affects the public, your rating and numerous tables / graphs, and in the end everything is trite to money ...
For true masochists, there is a possibility borrowed from SimsVille (the kingdom of heaven) to add sims to the game - the same inhabitants, only with a higher level of self-awareness. The scoundrels (in total, fortunately, no more than five) consider it necessary to keep you informed of all their affairs, including work and entertainment, constantly complain about neighbors and the police (or lack thereof), move from a villa on the coast to a slum, because from there closer to the metro, and with resentment on your face move to a neighboring city, since this, you see, does not have a library!

Beauty will save everything!

The insidious eater of time and nerves looks extremely pretty. Despite being fooled again with full 3D (I knew!), The game is more than beautiful. As the city develops, the landscape is covered with clear realistic textures. Sprite buildings are drawn carefully and with love - at least five hundred of their varieties have been seen, from trailer wagons to medieval castles or skyscrapers.
And the effects like explosions are worth blowing up half the city for aesthetic pleasure. Everything that is possible is animated, any event can be observed with your own eyes in all details, whether it be extinguishing a fire or landing an airliner. Hundreds of cars drive through the streets, stopping at red lights, crowds of well-fed pedestrians rush about their business, trains run, barges are unloaded in the port ... At night, lights and windows are lit, and city sights are beautifully illuminated. The "sterility" and dull colors characteristic of Maxis games are striking, but this does not cause irritation. Which, however, cannot be said about the work of the engine. A fully rebuilt medium-sized city has the ability to significantly slow down on a car, the characteristics of which are a couple of times higher recommended system requirements. At the maximum distance, the game can produce one frame per second! We are waiting for patches ...
Sound - at the level. Some of the samples have migrated unchanged from the third part, although there are enough fresh ones. Urban noise corresponds to reality and changes depending on the vantage point. Of course, all sorts of trendy technologies like EAX are supported.
The music leaves the most pleasant impressions - professionally written and varied, not stressful, but also not particularly memorable. And ambient, and jazz, and psychedelic themes in the spirit of "Enigma" ... Some melodies are quite suitable for listening outside the game, although, of course, before the masterpiece tracks GTA3 or "Mad Marx" fall short. However, if you wish, you can replace all the tracks with your favorite Infected Mushroom or Necrocannibals - just drop the necessary files into the appropriate directory.
* * *
An absolutely balanced person sits down to play SimCity 4 ... and after half an hour he is desperately cursing the villainous Sims citizens and dreams of brutally finishing off at least one of them, kicks the monitor when the bank account goes into negative territory, and after a week he grabs the chainsaw and goes to shred random passers-by. He was not allowed to be a god ...
Gentlemen, developers! Include in the addon the possibility of mass shootings of strikers and launching anthrax spores into the water supply - otherwise impressionable players will start rampaging outside the virtual world.
P.S. Yes, for the first time in the arena - an online game! The Internet helps us to build and live.
Gameplay: 9
Graphic arts: 9
Sound and Music: 9
Interface and control: 8
Novelty: 7
Mania rating: 9.0
Wait? Damn beautiful neurasthenic mayor simulator. Perfectly worked out, but a little overcomplicated. Those who have not passed the fire, water and copper pipes of the previous parts are in danger of slight insanity with serious consequences.
Justification of expectations: 80%
Sul-sul! I would like to make all my wildest desires come true: to become a business shark that has its own private jet, or an athlete whose regiment would be filled with gold (or better mithril!) Cups and awards? Enjoy conquering outer space and terraforming nearby planets as an outstanding astronaut? Have you seen yourself in recent years as a cybercriminal who poses a threat to large corporations, or as a professional player who destroys the enemy in any game of any genre? It is possible that your dreams were related to family matters. After all, what can please more than five or two noisy children who still need to be reprimanded for pranks and help with their homework?

Yes, to implement all of the above is a matter that requires a huge investment of time and the application of titanic efforts. But what then are life simulators for, if not for the embodiment of such ideas (albeit in the virtual world)? But first you need to wake up your protégé and prepare food for him. And extinguish the fire that has arisen ... after which his mood will be ruined for the whole day, and the sim will only want one thing - cry under the covers and tell friends about his failure. So-a-ak, nothing, an astronaut and a little later we will have time to become. After we put a couple of stingy tears into the pillow and complain about the negligent scrambled eggs. Maybe.

On September 2, 2014, the fourth part of the game about the simulation of the life of an almost ordinary person - The Sims 4, still developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, was released on personal computers with the Windows operating system. As usual, not without many differences in the gameplay compared to their predecessors. And on November 17, 2017, a version for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming platforms became available.

They are greeted by their clothes, but escorted by their minds.

In most cases, the player starts by creating his ward (or a whole family of controlled characters). Also, at will, he can choose a Sim for himself, both from among the local townspeople, and from ready-made templates in the library menu. The character creation editor has undergone major changes. So, a randomly generated sim appears, and ... almost complete absence of any menus, sliders for adjusting parameters and other familiar attributes. The fact is that in terms of the interface, the game adheres to a minimalist style in everything. However, this did not prevent the process of creating a new person from being implemented in such a way that while maintaining its depth and variety of settings, it became as intuitive and understandable as possible. To set the parameters of any part of the body, just select it by direct clicking, and then look at one of the available templates in the pop-up context menu. There is also a detailed editing mode (it was he who replaced the sliders), when the selected part of the exterior with the help of a grip can be adjusted by moving the stick in four directions (sometimes only in two). Both individual parts of the face, such as cheekbones, lips, eyebrows, and limbs, waist, all roundness (including those of women) can be edited. As for the general body settings, there are two already classic parameters for this: the weight of the character and the degree of his muscularity. However, thanks to more detailed editing, now you can have both hints of cubes in the abdomen with fairly large legs and arms, and flaunt protruding ribs without a waist and feminine shapes in the right places.

Thus, the customization of the character's image has become more flexible and subtle. What can I say, now the editor even allows the ward to choose the teeth: their shape, degree of curvature, the presence of bite-correcting mechanisms. In terms of clothing preferences, there are plenty to choose from here too. As before, in the future wardrobe of the character, you can pick up various T-shirts, all kinds of trousers and skirts, dresses, outerwear and stuff like that. Of the accessories, in addition to the bracelets, rings and necklaces already present in the previous part, there is an opportunity to look at leggings and socks, and hats finally do not change the appearance of the chosen hairstyle.

Updated character creation editor. Be that as it may, the character's leggings are just space.

In addition to everyday attire, the appearance of formal attire, sports attire, nightwear, in case of festivities, and a bathing suit is still individually adjusted. Another innovation is stylized images, when choosing which the character is given themed details of clothing, hairstyle, accessories and makeup. Sometimes it is even assumed that a Sim's skin color will change for a given skin. Among the styles, you can also find well-known characters.

In addition to all the above changes, the editor also acquired various filters, with the help of which it would be more convenient to manipulate the purchased catalogs in the future, sorting new elements into various categories. Including it became possible with their help to change the belonging of hairstyles, clothes and accessories to a particular gender. So, now for the first time it is possible for a lady to try on elements of a man's wardrobe, including underwear, loose trousers and shirts, and a male character at a party will be able to boast of a new evening dress and lace ... never mind. In general, now the player will be able to create for the ward almost any image of varying degrees of adequacy.

… What else can I add? Apparently, from now on there are no boundaries!

Further, from the character entrusted to the player, it is necessary to make a personality. When you select the menu in the upper left corner, a number of settings related to the character of the sim and his life goals become available. Also here his name and surname, tone of voice and gender are set. Regarding the latter, for the first time in the series of The Sims games, you can not only choose a man or a woman as a controlled character, but also carry out a more subtle gender adjustment. It allows you to determine a range of very specific things, such as physique, preferred clothes, can a sim become pregnant or fertilize others, etc. And yes, you understood correctly: now you can create a man who will know all the severity of toxicosis and back pain.

It seems that this sim can very much even qualify for the Nobel Prize.

As before, the character can be created in different age categories. You can come up with a name for the ward yourself, or leave it to chance - and now the game, with random generation, sets quite adequate Russian versions of the first and last name. Further, the character needs a life goal to which he will strive, and it is also necessary to determine what basic character traits the sim will have. A total of 10 types of life goals are available, each of which is divided into two subspecies. For example, if the category "State" becomes the meaning of the ward's existence, you will have to make a choice between "Fairy wealth" (the sim will want to get rich with a successfully built career) and "Baron" (the ward from this very second will dream of a large and pretentious house). Together with the goal in life, one character trait is automatically set - so with the intention of "State" the character will acquire the property of "Dealer", and with the goal of "Family" - "Homebody", which will allow the sim to quickly strengthen family ties. In the future, the goal can be changed at any time without losing progress in achieving the previous one.

Then you need to choose three more character traits. All available properties are divided into four categories: emotions, hobbies, lifestyle, communication. It is impossible to set contradictory traits to the character: having decided to focus on the property "cheerful", the "gloomy" and "choleric" become unavailable. And a family man, accordingly, cannot be fickle in relationships or against children. Overall, The Sims 4 has fewer base traits than its predecessor.

It is worth noting that the setting of tastes for sims (preferences in music, food, color) is absent in this part.

Also, throughout life, the ward can receive additional character traits while fulfilling the dream of his whole life. For example, with the aforementioned aspiration "Fairy Wealth", the character will acquire the "Reasonable" property, which will allow him to receive a weekly amount of Simoleons (local currency), depending on the family's budget. Prize Traits are also earned for Satisfaction Points. Special traits are provided for toddlers and children, and are also assigned to ghosts after the death of a sim (it will depend on the cause of the death of the unfortunate). New character traits also appear with the purchase of add-ons.

And the last innovation in the editor is the ability to choose the character's gait. She can be not only feminine and confident, but also cheeky, in the style of a stereotyped vampire of old horror films (in fact, for a long time she could not understand what the sim was trying to portray), aggressive, a person falling asleep on the go, etc.

However, the character creation editor lacks an extremely interesting predecessor option - the style editor. Its meaning was that it allowed absolutely every item of clothing and object in the construction mode to choose an individual color scheme, as well as to choose the texture of the model, which outwardly matched a certain material, for example, natural leather, granite, fabric and so on. This tool allowed the creation of many variations of a single subject, expanding the scope for imagination and creativity. Therefore, many players will call this loss significant.

Big cities, empty trains, no shores, no bottom - start all over again.

Ready for all the upcoming difficulties of life, a sim is released into the world in order to choose one of the available houses or plots for living. You can settle your character in one of three worlds: Willow Creek, Oasis Springs or Newcrest. The first two cities are inhabited by basic families and have developed public areas, while the latter is represented only by empty lots. Newcrest is assumed to be a blank canvas ready for your creativity.

Examples of cities such as Willow Creek and Newcrest.

Compared to the third installment, The Sims 4 is back to basics and the world with separate lots and downloads as you navigate between them. Therefore, the player will no longer be able to observe all the movements of his character. If you send him to one of the neighboring locations, other family members become unavailable for management and they themselves are engaged in various affairs at their discretion. Also, it is no longer possible to purchase a car for the ward, and an official car does not come for them to arrive at the place of work. Apparently, the mayors have significantly raised the tax on transport. The game worlds themselves are also inferior to their predecessor in terms of the number of buildings and lots.

But along with this, Sims can freely visit, and also move to neighboring cities at any time. New game worlds become available with add-ons. For example, the City Living add-on gives access to San Mishuno (where the local population lives in apartments), and the Vampires playset gives access to Forgotn Hollow Valley. And unlike the third part, you can again populate several managed families in the city.

Now it is not only easy to break, but also to build.

The construction mode has changed for the better. In addition to the already familiar tools and catalogs, he received a number of new interface elements that greatly facilitate the construction of the house of his dreams.

It became possible to change the height of the foundation or walls at any time. Rooms of non-standard geometric shapes are available for erection. Finally, the size of absolutely any room at any time can be changed without resorting to the “demolish walls” tool. It is enough to select the required room, and then use the arrows to correct its dimensions. You can also change the position of the room in space, transferring it to a new area with all the contents.

Those who have never liked to think over the decor of each room and select furniture, interior items and colors will be interested in the new tab in the construction mode - stylized rooms. They are fully equipped and furnished (stylishly and tastefully) and can also be edited to size and positioned wherever you want. If you wish, you can always manually add details and, in general, correct the content.

It became more convenient to work with the tools of the roof, basements. Unless it is impossible to correct the terrain, it is always perfectly flat by default.

An interesting point is the ability in The Sims 4 to set the parcel (residential and commercial) three special properties. The "Fast Internet" property is suitable for those planning to do programming, writing or video games, and natural light will help you quickly master drawing and photography skills.

Fun is a demeanor, while joy is a habit of the mind. The fun is short-term, the joy is constant.

So, the information about the neighbors was collected, the dream house (or whatever the family budget was enough for) was chosen, the sims are more than ready to meet new acquaintances and impressions. Now the player moves on to direct control of the characters, where more innovations await him.

The Sim's mood system has undergone significant changes, which has been replaced by emotions. Previously, the character had various immediate desires and six needs, the satisfaction of which gradually increased his mood. The latter had four states: platinum, positive, negative, and mood, in general terms similar to depression. This mainly influenced the Sim's desire to learn skills and perform certain actions, making him more passive.

Emotions are 15 varieties, independent of each other (there are also stronger states of these varieties), and they have a greater influence on the character and his behavior than the mood in their predecessors. Emotional states can be both positive and negative. For example, a Sim might be bored, sad, embarrassed, happy, inspired, confident, uncomfortable, etc. Their appearance and change depends on the situation of the character (although a separate scale of the need for comfort was removed, but the environment continues to influence the ward), communication with other sims, character traits, the degree of satisfaction of needs, situations arising around him. So, inspiration improves creativity, in a sad state the ward is not able to rejoice and flirt, in an angry state he tries to pry and offend others when communicating, and in an excited state he will become hyperactive and will strive with all his might to get rid of excess energy.

Have you ever wondered that the crystal above the character's head, which reflects his state, has an official name - "plumbob", and it has a hexagonal-bipyramidal shape?

In addition, depending on the current mood of the character, new actions are added (including those related to social interaction) that are available only for a specific state of mind. The happy ward will try to cheer up another Sim, being embarrassed, he will be able to hide from everyone on the bed; an angry and tense character will open the action “try to calm down” near the mirror, only when feeling excited and energized will he be able to cook food rich in protein, etc.

Also, the range of actions available to a sim is influenced by the skills that he owns and his inherent character traits.

There are many ways to get a particular mood from the ward: he can take a certain type of shower, watch the program with the mood you need, read a book, etc. Arousal, for example, can be easily achieved by exercising and brewing more coffees for drinking.

It should be remembered that prolonged exposure to the highest degree of certain emotions is fraught with disastrous consequences for the sim, up to and including death. Experiencing anger, the character can die of a stroke (the ghost will continue to radiate rage in the next world), not experience humiliation and embarrassment, die from excessive giggling (apparently, laughter does not always prolong life).

Moodlets are still present in the game, which are indicators of the character's mood. Accordingly, the mood of the sim will depend on which type of moodlets are prevailing at the moment.

The needs panel has remained unchanged since the third part, and the dreams of a lifetime have become whims. In total, a Sim can have three current whims, one of which is related to the mood of the character, and the other two are neutral, and depend on what character traits and life purpose the ward is endowed with. Neutral momentary desires can be fixed on the panel in order to fulfill them in the future, there is also the opposite option to remove them (in order to get a new version). If a character is not experiencing any emotion at a given time, he will only have two whims.

Another bright and interesting innovation is the “Smart Sim” system, which is characterized by multi-tasking characters. For example, they can now improve their cooking skills while eating, watching a tutorial on TV, use a tablet and a phone in the restroom, go about their current business, while communicating with family members or friends (and at this moment they can also do some or action). This allows you to meet multiple Sim needs at once, making more efficient use of their time.

Between work and non-work, you must always choose a job.

As in our harsh reality, the character needs not only a roof over his head and social interaction - needs do not sleep, which means that the refrigerator shelves will empty, the plumbing will fail due to wear and tablet at worst). And if your soul also requires a simulator or drawing tools? The child over there also asks for a new toy. Therefore, your protege will also have to look for a job and start his way up the career ladder.

Finding a job is now possible only with the help of a Sim's personal phone. Nowadays newspapers are not carried home, and it is no longer possible to go to the office of the company of interest because of the return to the closed world scheme. However, now absolutely all vacancies are available at once, and you will not have to wait for days when an ad with a profession you are interested in appears. All of them have different working hours and hourly rates.

In The Sims 4, there are only 10 basic directions in which a character can express himself. In turn, each career is divided into two branches of development: so the direction of a technical specialist assumes that the character will be able to choose either the specialization "Player in computer games" (yes, this is the same professional cyber-athlete), or become a specialist in promotion in the world of technological innovation. The service ladder consists of 10 different steps (with the exception of the "Villain" branch in the secret agent career, where you will have to go through all 11).

The list of available professions has also changed. In the basic version of the game, it is no longer possible to start the classic careers of a politician, medical worker, law enforcement officer or scientist. At the same time, the professions of doctor, detective and scientist were included in the add-on "Get to work!" It is impossible to follow the character without the presence of the add-on, however, you can give him commands by clicking on the sim and choosing the necessary option in the appeared action wheel. However, more relevant and interesting activities have been added to The Sims 4, such as investor, manager, space smuggler, cybercriminal, art patron, mentioned professional player, etc. You no longer have to serve in the army to become an astronaut. But if you still want to become an outstanding politician, the strictest critic or social media worker, for whom there is also a free schedule and the opportunity to work from home, you need to purchase the Living in the City add-on.

There are 5 separate types of part-time work for teenagers. In their free time from school, they can try themselves in the role of a bartender, nanny, waiter, seller, handyman. Their career consists of only 3 steps.

It should be noted that the system of emotions was also reflected here, harmoniously fitting in as a tool for moving up the career ladder. To be promoted, a character must increase his productivity by completing career goals. These include the mood in which the Sim should show up for work, daily assignments, and assignments for promotion. It should also be remembered about the maximum satisfaction of needs before the start of the working day.

From time to time, the character at work will have various situations, which can be resolved either with a successful outcome or not entirely. They are called "chance cards", and the choice affects both the productivity of the ward and himself. The factor of success here is a certain mood (for each situation its own) and the possession of specific skills, which give multipliers for a successful outcome.

Reaching certain steps in the career ladder of any career specialization is rewarded with new items in the construction mode (they often give not just a bonus to the environment, but also set the sim for a certain mood), new clothing items for the character creation editor, and for reaching the last career level - previously unavailable stylized rooms.

Work is work, but you also have to do something useful.

Family affairs also received their share of innovations. The character will now be able not only to propose a hand and heart to a lady (or not a lady, it’s already as it will be), but also to plan a wedding by inviting guests, specially trained staff (bartender, musician, food supplier) and arranging a whole celebration at the chosen place of the ceremony ... Just remember that all the attributes and equipment must be purchased by yourself, otherwise the newlyweds will be left without an arch, benches, music, and food too.

At the same time, in addition to the wedding, Sims can plan other social events, which must not only be thought out to the smallest detail, but also successfully carried out, completing various tasks to entertain guests. If it goes well and is awarded a gold medal, the character will receive a special reward. For medals made of less valuable metal, there will be a correspondingly more modest reward.

Well, it was a rather modest dinner party. But with a soul!

Pregnancy is a little different in The Sims 4. There is no bell sound when conception is successful, but it is possible to make a pregnancy test for 15 simoleons. Pregnant characters do not have special clothes, now it is possible to dress them in whatever they want. Sometimes this period can be accompanied by toxicosis. In general, a pregnant Sim is much more likely to feel the need to satisfy natural needs, food, and sleep.

After giving birth, the baby appears in the cradle, and you can only interact with the newborn next to it. A baby can only be in three emotional states: happiness, sadness, sleep. His portrait appears in the character panel, but it is not possible to select a child. At any time in the options for interacting with the baby, you can select the item "Grow up". He will naturally get older after three days.

Toddlers no longer have adult skills, and they now have their own special skills that they can develop - communication, thinking, imagination, movement, the skill of using a potty, etc. At a certain point in adulthood, skills will reset to zero, but if you develop them to the fifth level , the child will have access to special character traits.

As I understand you, baby.

The system of emotions makes playing with children more interesting and intense. For example, once a girl woke up at night because of nightmares, after which she went to wake her mother to be comforted. The child's sadness was accompanied by an appropriate moodlet and new actions that he could take. As a result, interaction with little Sims has ceased to be a routine that follows a learned pattern, when the main goal was to maintain the indicators of the needs panel in good condition, to teach how to walk, talk and use the potty.

And other components of the game. Features of the version of the project for gaming platforms PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

You can talk about this game for a long time: it also contains collecting items, visiting various places in cities, awards for successfully fulfilling desires and achieving life goals, small changes in the school system, social interaction with both other Sims and ghosts (and even death itself). But it's time to take a quick look at other aspects of the project as well.

The graphic part of the series is designed in a cartoon style, while its predecessors adhered to a more realistic portrayal of the world. This change looks charming when the character's icon changes depending on the current mood, and they exaggerate their state of mind.

Music and soundtrack are true to the traditions of the series, and are familiar to everyone who has played at least one of the parts of the series. At the same time, in The Sims 4, the songs are focused on conveying the emotions that the Sim is currently experiencing. Being created for specific situations and events in the life of the characters, it is unlikely that you will want to listen to the soundtrack in isolation from the game.

As already mentioned, the interface adheres to the minimalist style in everything. There is nothing superfluous in its design, all elements have been evenly distributed around the edge of the screen.

At first, management causes a feeling of discomfort. It cannot be called intuitive, since the first hours of the game when switching to new modes and editors will have to constantly look into the "Control" tab in order to understand which buttons are responsible for which commands. For example, without a diagram, it was not possible to fix the needs panel in any way. Responsiveness is also not a strong side of control in the game, since the smooth movement of the cursor across the screen (especially in the character editor) will tend to zero from time to time, which makes the cursor go to the opposite part of the screen with acceleration. You may not like that the pointer has two types of control: free mode, when it can be moved to any part of the screen, and the mode in which it is assigned to the menu, and moves only between individual panels and interface elements. Switching between the two modes is done by pressing the touchpad. Over time, of course, all the commands are remembered, you get used to the peculiarities of local government, and you start playing at the usual second or third speed, quickly reacting to what is happening and promptly giving out instructions to the Sims.

The training should also be corrected in the future. First, training is started on one nuance of the game, during which it is proposed to undergo training in the second aspect, and as a result, in parallel, interrupting each other, the tips of the two trainings go. This is inconvenient and confusing. And some of these teaching moments were completely interrupted in the middle, and did not get to the point. As a result, it makes more sense to go to a special section and read the necessary answers to the questions yourself, than to accept the offer to undergo the next training.

Unpleasant, but uncritical moments include rare cases of disabling filters in the character creation editor (for example, hairstyles ceased to be sorted by length, each tab reflected the entire list of available options), and when the character categorically refused to open his mouth when editing the shape of the teeth. Who knows, maybe a particularly shy specimen was caught. There are hiccups when switching from living mode to building mode, and vice versa.

The Sims 4 was unable to adopt the most interesting innovations of its predecessor, without implementing a style editor and abandoning the idea of ​​an open world. The project had to go through a thorny path of many free add-ons and fixes in order to return many other elements lost from the previous part (ghosts, pools, some careers, the "baby" age category, etc.). Nevertheless, the new part has its own successful solutions and innovations: this is a redesigned character editor, more intuitive and allows you to fine-tune all parameters, a system of emotions, which makes the interaction of a sim with the outside world deeper and more individual. Add to this the improved for the better the construction mode and the "Smart Sim" system - and it is clear that the new part at the moment also has something to offer the player.

There were some flaws in the technical implementation of the version for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms. This is a management that is far from ideal, which at first can be repulsive, and too chaotic training, and small isolated flaws.

But if you like the series, and there was no opportunity or desire to try the last part for various reasons on a personal computer, there is an excellent chance to get acquainted with one of the brightest representatives of the life simulator genre.

Original title:
Genre: city ​​mayor simulator
Manufacturer: EA
Requirements: pIII - 500, 128 Ram, 16Mb Video

Electronic Arts has once again confirmed its sonorous title ("The Art of Programming"). They managed not only to change the shortcomings of previous versions of SimCity 4, but also introduced such a number of innovations that even the most demanding gamer could not resist cheering.

For those who have not yet encountered such games, I will briefly explain: SimCity 4 is a super-sophisticated city management simulator in which absolutely everything is allowed for you - the construction of all kinds of structures (from power lines to architectural monuments), the management of individual citizens in your own way discretion, as well as changing the landscape to your taste.

Speaking about the merits of this game, first of all, I want to note the very user-friendly interface. If you are a green youth in the complex business of managing a city, then you will certainly need a training course drawn up extremely conscientiously, with competent (which, by the way, is very rare) comments. During the game, when you set the cursor on any key, a context menu pops up, which will help you understand all kinds of construction and city management tools, and when creating a landscape that will satisfy you as a mayor and at the same time a lover of beauty. In addition, you are provided with options for working on the Internet to, if you wish, visit the sites dedicated to SimCity.

It's also nice that there are three modes: God mode, Mayor mode, Sim mode.
God 'mode is as follows: you, as a true "creator", begin to build your world, but, unlike Buddha, Allah and Jehovah, instead of a week, you fit in 5-10 minutes (although great lovers of the beauty of the landscape or proud people who cannot perceive themselves in no other role, except for God, can do this for hours). When creating a landscape, you are given 33 (!) Options - from creating cliffs, hills (gentle and not very), mountains, megastructures (for people who do not know all the intricacies of geography, I explain - this is a mountain with flat peaks), craters, canyons, valleys (flat and convex) to the choice of the type and place of residence of various animals - inhabitants of thickets and endless steppes. By the way, the developers of SimCity4 turned out to be subtle psychologists and, realizing that in human nature, the aspirations to destroy and create are in a continuous struggle with each other, they provided a wide choice of means of destruction - natural disasters. It can be a volcanic eruption, a tornado, a forest fire, a meteorite fall, a lightning strike, an earthquake, and for especially sophisticated aesthetes-destroyers, the "attack of robots" option (I advise you to choose it and enjoy the flight of the crazy fantasy of the developers). In addition, you are given the opportunity to choose a place for these universal cataclysms ... But I got carried away by the story about the first game mode - apparently, the role of God appeals to me.


Mayor Mode is to build and manage a city. You are provided with more than 100 (!) Various buildings: sewers and roads of all stripes (country, city, highways, etc.), various railways, metro stations, train stations, airports, seaports and other means of communication, police stations (3 types) , fire services (2 types), hospitals (3 types), as many as 8 types of power plants using everything from coal to peaceful nuclear power, 4 types of water towers and even 3 types of landfills. Plus, you can build educational institutions - from schools to national libraries and universities. To satisfy your own vanity, you can build a city hall of incredible size, a city court, a town hall and 20 more similar institutions.
In addition, the game provides for a connection between cities, therefore, in order to interest tourists, you are given the opportunity to build various attractions in your city.
It can be a beautiful square, a giant park, or a video broadcasting tower, and for especially sophisticated natures, the developers have provided a number of oriental attractions (for example, the Egyptian pyramids). You can start the game as the mayor of either a New Region (actually a bare place), or a ready-made region: Berlin, London, New York, San Francisco and others. But, to tell the truth, I did not find any fundamental differences between these two types of games. A special option is also provided - a fair, which can be advised to those who are fed up with the usual types of games, although again I want to note that in this case you will not find any fundamental differences.
To know how well you are performing as mayor, you are provided with 6 core and 17 minor indicators showing the development of your city: Environment, Movement, Health, Education and Land Value. At your disposal are various charts, budget indicators: current balance, monthly income and expenditure, funds at the end of the month, etc., and a range of virtual advisors from architect to community relations specialist.

And finally, the third game mode - my sim... You can choose from the existing ones, or create your own Sim and then monitor his career growth (or, perhaps, decline) and other indicators that significantly depend on the policy you pursue as mayor. This mode is sure to please all fans of another masterpiece from Electronic Arts - The Sims.
The developers did not forget to include a very convenient, and sometimes vital, ability to change the speed of the game.
The graphics from Electronic Arts once again exceed our expectations. You have never seen anything like this - the detail is amazing! Having built your city, you can spend hours watching its measured and unhurried, then unpredictable and disturbing life. The game has specially provided for zoom buttons that will allow you to observe your favorite brainchild and from a bird's eye view, and almost under a magnifying glass, when you can see not only the appearance of citizens, but also the expression of their faces. Having built a city, you enjoy the contemplation of children going to school, playing hide and seek in the yard or playing a ball in the school stadium, adults rushing to and from work, running into cafes and restaurants for a snack, or maybe keeping an eye on as the chatterbox women go to the next store for purchases. During rush hours, it is simply impossible to take your eyes off the crowded motorways and people crowding at the bus stop. A very special sight is a city caught in the deadly embrace of a tornado, fire, earthquake or some other cataclysm. Fire brigade and ambulance cars scurry in different directions, people rush in panic from one house to another, women and children are hysterical, animals howl and growl in voices that are not their own. But I got carried away a little ...


A few words about the sound quality and its role in this game. Of course, he is far from graphics, but, as they say, the best is the enemy of the good, so we will not be too demanding on the developers. Everything is voiced in the game. The construction of any building is accompanied by a whole series of sounds, without which any construction site is inconceivable - this is the noise of bulldozers, and the creak of cranes, and the squealing of trucks with building materials on sharp turns ... In the morning you hear birds singing and ringing children's voices, hundreds of people talking hurrying to work; in the afternoon - the noise of factories and plants; in the evening - the voices of actors coming from cinemas and the sounds of quiet music pouring from restaurants. And this idyll is only occasionally disturbed by the noise of police sirens ...
There is endless talk about SimCity 4 (and I hope you listen too), but you shouldn't. Much better to get dressed quickly, go to the nearest kiosk with CDs and buy this game.

The Sims 4: Get to Work

Add-on "Get to work!" empowers your Sims to learn new professions. Plus, you can accompany Sims to work. You will find the most important here:

• From now on, your Sims can rush up the career ladder as a scientist, doctor, or detective. You can play your Sims on workdays and receive tasks typical of their professions.
• In addition, this add-on allows you to open, for example, a retail store and manage it. In particular, you can open a boutique, hire and manage an employee.
• With this expansion, aliens are reappearing in The Sims 4. In addition, you can visit the secret location "Sixsim".
• Your Sims can now learn skills like baking and photography.

Have fun together: create a group with your sims

The Sims 4 Get Together

With the Get Together Pack, you have the ability to create interest groups with your Sims. You can create, for example, a reading group, a sports team, or even a gang.

• The most important innovation this expansion brings to the game is that your Sims can now join different social groups. You determine who can become a member of the group and where you will meet. Friends can also invite your Sims and suggest things to do with them.
• Thus, in The Sims 4, the number of opportunities to go somewhere has increased. In particular, your Sims can now meet at the club for a dance, or make an appointment at a cafe.
• In this add-on, the game world is also expanding, namely, a town called Windenburg appears, in which you can build up new plots.
• There are also two new character traits for the characters - "Dance Machine" and "Insider". In addition, two new skills become available for learning: "DJ" and "dancing".

Hiking: Take your Sims out into the wilderness

The Sims4: Camping

Game set "On a hike!" allows you to travel a bit with your Sims. This addon is about camping in the wild.

• You can now take your Sims to an area called Granite Falls. However, in this case we only have to talk about the purpose of the trip, because here we are talking about the destination, and not about the area with neighbors.
• Your Sims can camp and sit by the fire, stargazing, and play horseshoes.
• Many activities with nature are now possible, such as catching insects and collecting wild plants and herbs. Hence the emergence of a new skill - "herbal medicine".
• With this add-on, you can discover new hiding places.

Spa Day: Allow Your Sims to Time Out

The Sims 4 Spa Day

The Spa Day playset allows your Sims to visit the Wellness Center and relax a bit.

• At the Wellness Center, your Sims can get a variety of massages, yoga classes and saunas.
• Your Sims will now be able to master a skill such as “living healthy”, which can be improved by doing yoga exercises, for example.
• Wellness activities allow your Sims to get rid of negative emotions faster and become more relaxed or happy faster.

Restaurant: Let your Sims run the restaurant

The Sims 4: Dine Out

With the Restaurant Play Pack, your Sims can open and manage their own restaurant. In addition, it becomes possible to visit a restaurant, for example, on dates.

• Sims can now meet in a restaurant and improve their culinary skills. Anyone who wants to can even open their own restaurant.
• Your Sims will now be able to take food and photographs to post on Simstagram. Plus, you can now experiment with cooking.

City Living: Your Sims can live in apartments in different neighborhoods

The Sims 4: City Living

With the City Living Expansion Pack, your Sims can live in a new world called San Mishuno. Here's what makes this add-on so special:

• Now your Sims can search for their own apartment and freely choose between different neighborhoods. The city offers a prosperous neighborhood with a fitness center, a trendy neighborhood with a karaoke bar, and an arts quarter with a gallery and spice market, with low rental rates.
• A special feature of this add-on is that now your Sims in "The Sims 4: City Living" can build a political career and find new musical talents through the development of the "singing" skill. In addition, art-minded Sims now have various new opportunities to earn some Simoleons, such as street trading.
• In addition to residential areas, the Mishuno Meadows area offers an opportunity for your Sims to relax. Here the characters can get married and take part in the demonstration of various show programs.
• There are festivals in the big city that your Sim can take part in. Right in front of the front door, you will find a place where event organizers post their invitations.

Vampires: Let Your Sims Be Immortal

The Sims 4: Vampires

With the Vampires playset, your Sims can turn into bloodsuckers. Here comes a new world: Forgothn Hollow, in which your vampires can hide from the sunlight.

• With this add-on, your Sims have new goals in life - "Good Vampire", "Family of Vampires" and "Lord of the Vampires".
• Vampires have various strengths that you should always pay attention to cultivating. Thanks to them, your Sims gain strength and gain more power. Nevertheless, in combination with strong qualities, certain weaknesses are bound to come.

Parents: Raise Your Sims Children

The Sims 4: parents

With the Parents Playset, your Sims in The Sims 4 can raise the next generation.

• There are five personality traits that parents can influence: Manners, Responsibility, Conflict Resolution, Empathy, and Emotional Control. Each character trait, depending on the severity, can lead to an increase in both positive and negative additional characteristics.
• With this add-on there are new possibilities in the field of family interaction. Among other things, family members can help each other with household chores or even collect breakfast bags. Parents can help their children with school projects and develop parenting skills.

Cats and dogs: raising pets and running a veterinary clinic

Cats and dogs in The Sims 4

In The Sims 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion, you can raise pets and run your own veterinary clinic. We will tell you about what awaits you in this add-on:

• You can give cats and dogs, as well as foxes and raccoons, individual fur coloration, as well as assign certain character traits to animals. You can create a puppy or kitten and they will grow up with your Sims. However, you cannot control the animals.
• Your pets can learn to follow commands, travel with you, and even reproduce. Additionally, your cats and dogs can get sick in The Sims 4. If they die, it is possible that they will sometimes appear as ghosts.
• When animals get sick, your Sims can take them to the vet. A suitable veterinary clinic can be found in the new world of Brindleton Bay, which includes common areas along with residential areas. The world is divided into four quarters, each with its own characteristics. Your Sims can explore Sable Square, Cavalier Cove, Wiskerman Shipyard, and Deadgrass Island.
• It is also now possible to run a veterinary clinic and become an active veterinarian. This is where your Sims will be able to heal the sick, just like in Get to Work. If your Sims simply don't have the time to work in the vet, you can create veterinarians to take care of the pets.

The Sims 4: Here are the Accessory Catalogs So far

The Sims 4 Accessory Stuffs

More and more new accessories catalogs are popping up to expand The Sims 4, such as more clothing items, fresh gameplay, and cool hairstyles. Here are the catalogs with accessories that have appeared so far:

• Luxury Party Catalog: These accessories can be used by your Sims for particularly flashy occasions. In addition to new wardrobe items, there is even a buffet table with a chocolate fountain.
• Courtyard Catalog: Now your Sims can sit in the pool and relax. For terrace and balcony parties, this accessory package is perfect.
• Cool Kitchen Catalog: With this package, you get, for example, an ice cream maker that your Sims can use as they see fit. Plus, there are some other accessories here that will allow your Sims to finish their kitchen to perfection.
• Spooky Catalog: Now your Sims can celebrate Halloween.
• Home Theater Directory: With it, your Sims can have a DVD night out. For this, a projection screen and a popcorn maker have been prepared here.
• Romantic Garden Catalog: This accessory catalog is the right choice especially for Sims with a distinct gardening ability. New items can take care of creating a more romantic atmosphere. In addition, there is also a well of desires.
• Kid's Room Catalog: In addition to furniture and decorations for the kid's room, your Kid Sims can now collect and exchange monster cards and stage puppet shows.
• Backyard Stuff: Your Sims can now use the waterway to feed the birds. Also, in addition to new garden furniture and decorations for a great party, there are also new clothes and hairstyles.
• Glam Vintage Catalog: Your Sims get luxurious clothes and can dress in vintage style. Plus, you can now hire a butler, so your Sim no longer has to worry about cleaning the house, cooking, and looking after the kids.
• Bowling Night Catalog: You can let your Sims go bowling - at home or in the bowling alley. For this, the appropriate clothing and bowling skill are provided.
• Fitness Catalog: Your Sims can now exercise at home in front of the TV, use a mechanical climbing wall, and enjoy music with headphones. In addition, natural-style furniture appears here.
• Baby Stuff Catalog: Make your baby Sims' lives more colorful with this catalog. They will receive new clothes and toys, such as a ball pool and slide. Plus, your Sims can now invite friends to play games.