Steven
Paul KedroskyA clip from an interview with one of the original SimCity designers, on how the game would have fallen apart if parking lots in the game were their actual sizes in modern cities.
Alexis Madrigal@pkedrosky what a great clip. Manaugh brings out some of the best stuff in people
@alexismadrigal Yes, very much so. It's a wonderful insight.
Sean Pendleton@pkedrosky oh man that’s crazy
mindstalk@pkedrosky Link to link to source: https://humantransit.org/2013/05/how-sim-city-greenwashes-parking.html
how sim city greenwashes parking — Human Transit
Here's a shot of an edge city from the new SimCity. Notice what's missing? (Source: BLDGBLOG) From Geoff Manaugh's interview of the new SimCity's designer, Stone Librande: Geoff Manaugh: While you were making those measurements of different real-world cities, did you discover any surprising patterns or spatial relationships? Librande: Yes, definitely. I think the […]
jjtbsomhorst@pkedrosky which version of SimCity?
Nami@pkedrosky do you have a link?
Phil Thane ✅@pkedrosky American cities.
msgbi
Tim Ruppert 🌻@pkedrosky So true! We dedicate a crazy amount of land to parking cars.
Roger Moore@tmruppert @pkedrosky
The big thing to realize is that there have to be many times as many parking spaces as there are cars for car culture to work, so at any time most parking spaces are empty. We're devoting a huge amount of space that's empty most of the time to make driving more convenient.
The big thing to realize is that there have to be many times as many parking spaces as there are cars for car culture to work, so at any time most parking spaces are empty. We're devoting a huge amount of space that's empty most of the time to make driving more convenient.
@VATVSLPR We are required to carry immense and sociopathic slack.
@pkedrosky
The best way I've heard it said is that American cities are built for cars, not for people. I don't know if I'd label it sociopathic, but it's definitely counterproductive.
The best way I've heard it said is that American cities are built for cars, not for people. I don't know if I'd label it sociopathic, but it's definitely counterproductive.
moss cloud@pkedrosky would love to read the rest of this. Do you have a link or citation?
Kirk Kittell@kittell @pkedrosky thank you!
@pam @pkedrosky You're welcome. I was eager to find it myself. Every time I see a mention of SimCity, it reactivates some dormant part of my brain that put too many hours into it in junior high.
Lazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈@pkedrosky I play #SimCity4 on 'European' settings, most people take public transport and instead of car parks I have 'parks'
It's still a very American game though, I wish cycle paths were included.
It's still a very American game though, I wish cycle paths were included.
@Lazarou Thanks for that. Good points. And yes, still very much an American game, sadly.
Jules@pkedrosky Transcript:
Geoff Manaugh: While you were making those measurements of different real-world cities, did you discover any surprising patterns or spatial relationships?
Librande: Yes, definitely. I think the biggest one was the parking lots. When I started measuring out our local grocery store, which I don't think of as being that big, I was blown away by how much more space was parking lot rather than actual store. x
That was kind of a problem, because we were originally just going to model real cities, but we quickly realized there were way too many parking lots in the real world and that our game was going to be really boring if it was proportional in terms of parking lots.
Manaugh: You would be making SimParkingLot, rather than SimCity.
Librande: [laughs] Exactly. So what we do in the game is that we just imagine they are underground. We do have parking lots in the game, and we do try to scale them -- so, if you have a little grocery store, we'll put six or seven parking spots on the side, and, if you have a big convention center or a big pro stadium, they'll have what seem like really big lots
Librande: [laughs] Exactly. So what we do in the game is that we just imagine they are underground. We do have parking lots in the game, and we do try to scale them -- so, if you have a little grocery store, we'll put six or seven parking spots on the side, and, if you have a big convention center or a big pro stadium, they'll have what seem like really big lots
-- but they're nowhere near what a real grocery store or pro stadium would have. We had to do the best we could do and still make the game look attractive.
Andiias@pkedrosky Was SimCity programmed in the US? Because their parking lots are indeed gigantic. They could have modelled Swiss parking lots, where you can hardly get out of your car once parked ... 😀
Olivia Vespera@pkedrosky One of the things I've really wanted was realistic parking lots in Cities Skylines. It felt a bit unrealistic given everything that was
Hera [Yaseenist] Harper@pkedrosky So basically they gave actually reasonably sized parking lots that should be what we actually have. All the while seeming to think they actually need more, so pretending it’s underground. God that’s depressing.
Cheeseness@pkedrosky Small correction - that was the lead designer on the franchise's 2013 installment called "SimCity," not the original SimCity from 1980.
Spent a while scratching my head and saying "I don't remember there being grocery stores or parking lots in SimCity..."
https://v-e-n-u-e.com/Sim-City-An-Interview-with-Stone-Librande
emma@pkedrosky a SimCity-like game with US and Netherland modes, or a menu selection with What's your residents' favoured mode of transport? choice at the beginning could be a really useful teaching tool.
The headache of every resident needing 7 parking spaces in car mode could be an eye-opener.
The headache of every resident needing 7 parking spaces in car mode could be an eye-opener.