- Joined
- Sep 29, 2022
I'm getting nostalgic for a bit of SimTower but it's always a pain to play it (loading up a Mac emulator) and I tend to get bored after a while. My issue is there's really nothing like it. Project Highrise looks terrible, doesn't really seem to do anything with the concept, and locks stuff behind DLC. (I really should've bought it last weekend when it was $4 instead of $20).
I think part of the problem with the genre is that even for elevator simulators like SimTower and Yoot Tower the best part is building out the underground mall area with shops, restaurants, and movie theaters, and the reason why things like mall simulators don't work is that they don't really "get" way why traditional malls struggle. Sometimes all the people with money move out and there's nothing much to do before it gets abandoned, sometimes it's better competition with better access, the impossible-to-simulate nature of trendy stores and restaurants (department stores aren't what they used to be, restaurant chains are trendy and then they aren't, etc.), and the whole aspect of crime, including the city around it.
A city with lower crime could really benefit from an attached metro system to bring in office workers and tourists alike, whereas higher crime means that's just an easy way for criminals to escape with stolen goods and merchandise.
I think part of the problem with the genre is that even for elevator simulators like SimTower and Yoot Tower the best part is building out the underground mall area with shops, restaurants, and movie theaters, and the reason why things like mall simulators don't work is that they don't really "get" way why traditional malls struggle. Sometimes all the people with money move out and there's nothing much to do before it gets abandoned, sometimes it's better competition with better access, the impossible-to-simulate nature of trendy stores and restaurants (department stores aren't what they used to be, restaurant chains are trendy and then they aren't, etc.), and the whole aspect of crime, including the city around it.
A city with lower crime could really benefit from an attached metro system to bring in office workers and tourists alike, whereas higher crime means that's just an easy way for criminals to escape with stolen goods and merchandise.

