Sim City 5 (2013) - Sim<parameter: string>

[Azull]

I like to think my Eiffel Tower will have been transplanted to my city. Kind of like what the Romans did with the Egyption obelisks. There will be no surrender in my city.

[avelle]

The SimCity beta is coming back February 16th and we know some of you have tons of questions. Fortunately, we have the answers. Below you’ll find the FAQ for the SimCity closed beta 2:

Q: How long does the beta run?

A: The Closed Beta is open from Saturday February 16 6AM PST (1300GMT / 1400CET / 2200EAT) to Sunday February 17 6AM PST (1300GMT / 1400CET / 2200EAT).

Q: I want to be part of the beta, what can I do to get in?

A: We are accepting applicants at www.simcity.com/beta until 6AM PST (1400GMT / 1500CET / 2300EAT) on Monday, February 11.

Q: I registered for the beta, when will I receive my code?

A: If you have been selected, you will receive an email during Saturday February 16 with your unique redemption code and instructions how to join the beta. We want to get as many fans into the beta as possible, but we can only invite a small group of fans to participate.

Q: Why is there another beta? What’s the purpose of this beta?

A: We learned a great deal from our first Closed Beta and have set-up a second beta for the primary purpose of testing our servers. We have added more capacity to our servers in order to accommodate the flow of players. This beta will help us stress test them.

Q: Is this the same experience as before?

A: We have implemented changes based on user feedback from our first Closed Beta. Players who participated in the first Closed Beta will notice improvements in the game when they use the zoning and road tools, alongside the hundreds of bug-fixes as well.

Q: Why is this beta only 24-hour when the previous one was two days?

A: This Closed Beta was created specifically to test the server. We will only need a 24 hour period in order to do it and we chose a day that will allow for a largest number of players.

Q: Will other items be unlocked?

A: This is the same build as the previous beta. Previous items that were locked are still locked. We did incorporate a number of fixes resulting from found bugs and feedback from the first Closed Beta.

Q: What’s new in this SimCity?

A: SimCity delivers unprecedented depth of simulation with the new GlassBox Engine, where everything is simulated, from up to 100,000 individual Sims in a city, to every Kilowatt of power pulsing through a region of cities. The model-like world and detail of the simulation make this the most responsive and personal SimCity ever. This is also the most expansive city management game yet where multi-city gameplay across regions delivers a larger playing field. Play a single city or up to 16 cities at once each with different specializations, it’s your choice.

Multiplayer is also a first for the series, adding a new dimension to the game, as decisions impact both the city and the region, creating new ways to play by collaborating or competing to earn achievements. Finally, SimCity is a live service that simulates real-time updates and pushes them to players in the form of new challenges. Through this platform, Maxis is also able to provide a continuous stream of new gameplay features and content. Whether you play by yourself, with your friends or the rest of the world, SimCity introduces an infinite world of possibilities.

Q: What’s in the beta?

A: Here’s the answer straight from Lead Producer Kip Katsarelis: The Closed Beta is an important step for us as we approach our launch date for SimCity. We’ve crafted a one hour replayable experience that will let you enjoy the magic of the game and allow us to test critical features. Everyone will go through our “Getting Started Scenario”, which takes you through the basics of how to play the game and gives you a sneak peak at some late game content. After that, you’re free to start your own city and play for one hour. We’ve given you all the tools to build up a medium density city, given access to the Casino Big Business, all of the basic services, loads of public transportation options, and several options on how you can power your city. You can start up as many cities as you like during the beta. We encourage you to try to build different types of cities, explore the leaderboards and try to beat the Global Challenge! By putting these features through a rigorous test, you’re doing us a huge service. Your feedback will go directly to the Development Team and make an impact on future updates. By playing the game you’ll be testing our online servers, helping ensure a smooth launch.

Q: Is the beta English only?

A: This Closed Beta will offer multi-language support.

Q: Is there a Mac beta client?

A: No, this beta is exclusively for PC users.

They are doing another closed beta on the 16th. I believe it only lasts for 24 hours and apparently if you were in the previous beta you need to sign up again...

http://www.simcity.com/beta

Another edit:

Thank you for registering
The team at Maxis is excited to give you an early opportunity to play SimCity! If you are selected for the Closed Beta we will be contacting you with an email in the near future. Check back to SimCity.com for more updates.

For a limited time, pre-order SimCity to guarantee your spot in the upcoming beta!

Read more about the Closed Beta on our FAQ.

For more info about the game, check out our latest blogs, videos, and screenshots.

Looks like if you have pre-ordered the game you will be included in the upcoming beta as well.

[Arkanna]

Can't fucking wait for this.

[avelle]

Can't wait to get my hands on the multiplayer part of the game but the 5th is still so far away. At least February is the shortest month in the year!

[Lucavi]

No interest in beta this time around; I've already done everything I want to do, and if they're just going to do another "play for an hour" session, so that I'm forced to Cheetah speed my way through everything instead of actually taking time to plan, I'll just wait.

[avelle]

No interest in beta this time around; I've already done everything I want to do, and if they're just going to do another "play for an hour" session, so that I'm forced to Cheetah speed my way through everything instead of actually taking time to plan, I'll just wait.

I'm curious to see the changes to zoning and other things they've fixed/changed based on feedback from last beta, but other than that I sort of feel the same way. Bring on the release version!

[Dngnhack]

Wish this was out already....

[Natallon]

Boooo wish it was a Mac beta!

[avelle]

Friendly reminder that closed beta 2 starts tomorrow!

[Azull]

Kinda wonder how theyll handle codes for preorders. Did a bit ago so hoping it just shows up on Orgin ...but doubt itll be that simple.

[warc]

Have they sent out beta invites for this weekend?

[avelle]

Kinda wonder how theyll handle codes for preorders. Did a bit ago so hoping it just shows up on Orgin ...but doubt itll be that simple.

I pre-ordered from Origin also and haven't received anything yet. My understanding is that they are sending keys out tomorrow but that's dumb imo.

Have they sent out beta invites for this weekend?

Amazon pre-orders supposedly have gone out already but as above it seems Origin invites haven't yet.

[avelle]

Looks like Origin keys haven't gone out yet (or at least myself and gf haven't received it, along with a lot of angry people on Twitter). We were lucky enough to acquire keys through Reddit earlier this morning though. If anyone needs a key (I'm looking at you Arkanna and others) you can still pre-order from Amazon and cancel if you want. Confirmed it works with a friend a bit ago.

[Null]

Bleh wanted a key so bad :/ passed up twice.

[Azull]

Can confirm along with Avelle and everyone else who preordered and uses twitter that Orgin preorder keys are still a no show.

[Julian]

It's the exact same content as before, right? Think I'll just wait for the actual release. :D

[avelle]

It's the exact same content as before, right? Think I'll just wait for the actual release. :D

It feels pretty much the same far aside from minor tweaks and bugfixes. If you've played the first beta I don't think you are missing out on much unless you just need your fix.

[avelle]

Looks like keys are going out. Not sure if they are pre-order related or it's just luck of the draw.

[Salodin]

Yea, I got mine this morning.

[Arkanna]

Got mine this morning as well, and I did not pre-order. Luck of the draw it looks like.