Chat with Dr. Vu

Thank You to everyone that showed up at our SimCity chat event. Transcripts will be posted at SimCity.com. Check back next week for another chat event.

Go To SimCity.com

Maxis let the insidious Doctor Vu and the nefarious CoxFromMaxis out of their high-security restraints long enough to talk to the Community about SimCity 4, SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition, and the Rush Hour Expansion Pack. What follows is the transcript, right up to when they had to be subdued with cattle prods and returned to their cages.
MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 3:02:02 PM)
Hello and welcome to todays chat with the insidious Dr. Vu and Mike Cox. Today's topic is all things SIm City.

MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 3:03:08 PM)
Dr. Vu is the assistant producer and Mike Cox an associate producer on Sim City

MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 3:03:31 PM)
and now let the chat begin!

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Oct 2, 2003 3:04:09 PM)
Is it possible to prevent those pop ups like when theres a fire or when your running out of money? Because those pop ups are very annoying.

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:04:09 PM)
There isn't a way to prevent those pop-ups. The best thing to do is to make sure your fire coverage covers all your lots. If the coverage is good, you should be able to minimize a lot of the pop ups.

Grnday_991 (Oct 2, 2003 3:04:55 PM)
do you think you are ever going to help the modders at SimTropolis on their mods

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:04:55 PM)
There has been some informal help already. I know some of our engineers and production people have provided information on the boards from time to time. We have been amazed at what all the modders have been able to do on their on.

Poohead_MAX (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:07 PM)
Dr Vu, I have noticed that I get a lot of repeat missions in U-Drive and I seem to have a hard time unlocking some of the more interesting missions listed in the Rush Hour Manual. Are you aware of any cheat codes or ways of removing the restrictions to allow instant access to all missions. ??

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:07 PM)
To fight against the repeat missions, just click cancel if you see them. They should then not appear for another year or so. Also, check in the manual to find the triggers of all the other missions. This should help you get the harder to get missions.

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:25 PM)
Why does it take a lot longer in SC4 to get skyscrapers than in SC3000 Unlimted?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:25 PM)
Not to sound sarcastic but they are different games. The stategies you use for sc3 vs. sc4 are different. The games play differently for many differnent reasons. THe localized effect of buildings in sc4 is something sc3 did not have. The greater details in states of buildings is another difference. How the simulation works and has been tuned is also a change. Getting skyscrapers in sc4 happens on a different scale and timeline due to many of these decisions and differences

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:48 PM)
Is there an easier way to drive the udriveit! vehicles? It is so hard to get the hang of driving.

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:05:48 PM)
Try different zooms and take it slowly. There are hints in the tips section for U-drive it on the Simcity.com website. Also, the keys are mapped in various places, so you can use the number pad to control the vehicles if that suits you better.

dagmgd (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:07 PM)
What issues with RH have been discovered that will be the first to be patched?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:07 PM)
For the most part we have been real happy with the feedback on the boards. Still, there are some crashes people have been telling us about and we are looking seriously into those issues. If you are crashing feel free to send us your exception reports from this directory My Documents\SimCity 4\Exception Reports Send them to bugout@maxis.com.

Gary (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:18 PM)
Does Dr. Vu really hate cats?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:18 PM)
Dr. Vu doesn't really hate cats. He's really not evil at all. He just plays evil in the game.

Poohead_MAX (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:43 PM)
Over all Dr Vu I am very pleased with Rush Hour and U-Drive, so let me first say "Job well done!". ... however, I have a pet peeve with one vehicle type. I find that the 'copter's are very difficult to fly. Mainly because of the lack of a vehicle shadow to allow me to determine the hight at which I am flying at. ... Do you have any advice or is this an item that can be revised when Rush Hour goes through it's next update?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:06:43 PM)
When using the copters, try to move slowly at first to get the hang of flying. We tried to get the feel of flying a real helicopter, so the physics for the copters are pretty accurate to how real helicopters move and react. Unfortunately, it can make the learning curve a bit steeper. Try your best to check out the driving panel for the copter, especially the altimeter number indicator to see how far you are above the group. Practice with hovering and don't give up!

Dragons_Revenge (Oct 2, 2003 3:07:18 PM)
Is Dr. Vu supposed to be based on Dr. Evil - from Austin Powers?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:07:18 PM)
Not really based on Austin Powers, but more on the idea of an evil genius mastermind behind the crimes you see in SimCity.

calel (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:17 PM)
what kind of easter eggs can we unlock in rush/deluxe? and how does that happen? can you give an example?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:17 PM)
There are some easter eggs in Rush Hour that I have not yet seen on the boards. Maybe I should drop some clues!

Ashcat101 (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:45 PM)
What new things will be in deluxe?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:45 PM)
Deluxe is just SimCity 4 and Rush Hour combined. We wanted to offer something good for all of you that bought SimCity 4 and also provide a nice way for fans to get both if they had not bought SimCity 4 previously.

Dragons_Revenge (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:51 PM)
What does Dr. Vu do in his spare time?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:09:51 PM)
Dr. Vu is a hard core gamer (funny how I'm speaking in the 3rd person) and loves to try out anything and everything new. Other than that, he is intent on making the best game possible for ya'll to enjoy.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:10:55 PM)
When will the BAT come out?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:10:55 PM)
We're stil on track for getting something out by the end of the year.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:11:51 PM)
When will we get the Rush Hour building prop pack for the Lot Editor?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:11:51 PM)
That sounds like a good SimDay. Keep an eye out for that one.

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:08 PM)
I've noticed theres a lack of Landmarks in Sim City 4 compared to Sim City 3000 Unlimted, does Rush Hour include more landmarks and are there Maxis made Landmarks we can download from the SC4 site?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:08 PM)
There are some new ones with RushHour. Keep an eye out for more landmarks on future SimCity days.

Mr.Peanut (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:11 PM)
Why did the Maxis team choose Dr. Vu as the "villain"?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:11 PM)
The SimCity team bestowed the name of the Evil DoctorVu during SimCity 4 core, and it stuck ever since. Since he was already evil, it only made since to make him evil in game too.

Dargor (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:52 PM)
Will Maxis release a new Lot Editor that is compatible with Rush Hour? There are lots of people that can run the programm anymore, all textures have disappeared. Is this issue known yet?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:12:52 PM)
We have learned recently that there are a handful of lots that do not work with the lot editor. The toll booth, the cruise ship seaport and a few others will not work. There is special code in those lots that are preventing them from working and we will provide a full list. However, you should be able to see the new textures and all of the new commercial and residential buildings from the european set. To say that lot ed is broken completely with Rush Hour is not quite accurate from what I have seen.

CaitlynSadie (Oct 2, 2003 3:13:07 PM)
In Rush Hour I always get an error when trying to build say a monorail, but it won't tell be why I can't build it. What are some of the common causes of those "not being able to build" errors?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:13:07 PM)
Try to level out your terrain more, it could be that the terrain is unsuitable for building the monorail.

DanielF (Oct 2, 2003 3:15:13 PM)
My computer can barely handle SC4. Does Rush Hour require even more system resources?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:15:13 PM)
We certainly added a lot more too Rush Hour but we also spent a great deal of time and effort making it as effecient as possible. I think we did a good job at it. My feeling is that you will be able to run Rush Hour at least as well as you are running SimCity 4.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:16:12 PM)
Normally while I'm playing Sim City, disasters happen rapidly, like every 5 minutes or less. Is there a way to prevent them so my cities don't keep getting wrecked?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:16:12 PM)
Other than car accidents and fires all the other disasters in SimCity 4 are under your control. If you are getting lots of fires maybe you need more firestations.

Dargor (Oct 2, 2003 3:16:16 PM)
Dr. Vu, what U-Drive-It mission do you like the most yourself? and why?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:16:16 PM)
I really enjoy the tank missions where you can blow up things and control the finer points of the barrel.

[ dan ] (Oct 2, 2003 3:17:51 PM)
How does the new zoom level work in Rush Hour...wouldnt it be all pixelated since its closer?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:17:51 PM)
There is a zoom 6 in Rush Hour. It is a bit more pixelated since we are using the same art as zoom 5 but I think it looks pretty good. The pay off of getting closer in is well worth the minor pixellation. Check it out and let us know what you think.

The_New_Vlad (Oct 2, 2003 3:18:34 PM)
Is there a way that allows us for tunnels to be made under water?

themallard12 (Oct 2, 2003 3:18:47 PM)
Doctor Vu, could you please gives us a hint about (an) easter egg(s) now? Please?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:18:47 PM)
It has something to do with gnomes.

Hayly (Oct 2, 2003 3:19:41 PM)
in preperation for the BAT, it was mentioned to learn gmax, is this because the bat is gmax with a new face, or just based on gmax's functions?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:19:41 PM)
gMax will provide the modeling tools needed to make art for SimCity 4. What we are doing is providing the render pipeline and the ability to define the buildings and props that you make in gMax. The result is a very powerful tool and great looking custom art to use with the lot editor and the game.

nyaren (Oct 2, 2003 3:20:06 PM)
I'm having problems connecting one way streets to avenues ... is it just not meant to be?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:20:06 PM)
What type of problems are you having? They should connect as easily as roads and streets. Try to intersect avenues at a T, and not at the ends.

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:21:00 PM)
System Specifications for SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition can be found at: http://www.eagames.com/pccd/sc4_deluxe/home.jsp

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:21:29 PM)
System Specifications for SimCity Rush Hour can be found at: http://www.eagames.com/pccd/simcity4_rh/home.jsp?

Mr.Peanut (Oct 2, 2003 3:21:52 PM)
Has the Sim City Community affected the way you develop your games?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:21:52 PM)
Absolutely! We listen to the fan feedback constantly and try to deliver on what it is you want most. It can be overwhelming at times because if we tried to do all the suggestions the games would never get done. We all feel so lucky to have such an active and vocal community. It trully helps us make better games.

The Sim's Stash (Oct 2, 2003 3:23:12 PM)
What's the deal with maxis and llamas..ever since SC classic I have seen tons of referances. Why llamas?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:23:12 PM)
Why not.

Qwertyuiop2k11 (Oct 2, 2003 3:24:29 PM)
Did you guys work on the original Sim Cities?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:24:29 PM)
I've been involved with SimCity since SC3k. There are people here at Maxis who go all the way back to classic. Some guy named Will keeps boasting he's been around since the beginning.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:24:32 PM)
What dose Area 5.1 due besides give you money?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:24:33 PM)
Fun vehicles that come with the building and missions that unlock because that building is in your city.

thesiddog (Oct 2, 2003 3:25:48 PM)
Why does my game seem to crash when I don't match the map with the map on the other city? Is that what's causing it to crash? When they're even, my game doesn't crash.

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:25:48 PM)
That sounds bad. If you are running Rush Hour or deluxe please forward us you exemption report next time you crash. The report can be found here, \\My Documents\SimCity 4\Exception Reports and you can send the files to bugout@maxis.com

billy_bob55 (Oct 2, 2003 3:26:53 PM)
I saw that planes bounce on bridges-buildings and mountains. Why can't we crash?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:26:53 PM)
Crashing planes is not something we wanted do in this game.

joe_the_coffee_man (Oct 2, 2003 3:26:54 PM)
Can you tell us about the UFO? Will you be able to abduct or what?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:26:54 PM)
You can control the UFO, shoot lasers, and yes, abduct your inhabitants.

TheSimFan44 (Oct 2, 2003 3:27:41 PM)
Why is it that when it is on the closest zoom, the texture quality drops to like in SimCity 3000? I didn't have that problem with the original SimCity4 (rush hour not installed)

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:27:41 PM)
In SimCity 4 you didn't have the closest zoom that you have in Rush Hour. We added a zoom 6 in Rush Hour and Deluxe.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:28:06 PM)
Isn't the music from the ice cream truck from Sim City 2000?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:28:06 PM)
Good catch! That's some of the humor and easter eggs that you may find in Rush Hour.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:28:50 PM)
hi i i nned to know because i want to buy simcity deluxe edition but when i buy it online the page say that i have to buy the sim city 4 and then buy the deluxe edition !!?? can you explain me this ??

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:28:50 PM)
You don't need to have SC4 prior to Deluxe. Deluxe comes with both Rush Hour and SimCity 4. If you have SimCity 4 I would suggest getting Rush Hour to add to it.

hot_devil (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:07 PM)
do you get any of your ideas from your fans? or do you just think them all up yourself??

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:07 PM)
We come up with a lot of original ideas, but we also love to listen to our fans and try to incorporate those ideas too.

The Sim's Stash (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:09 PM)
how long will this chat be? an hour or untill there are no more questions?

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:09 PM)
The chat will run from 3 pm to 4 pm Pacific Time

yoan2003 (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:48 PM)
hey my question is if i have to buy simcity 4 and then buy cimcity4 deluxe edition or everything is inside ( the expansion pack and simcity ) or not please ???

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:29:48 PM)
Simcity 4 deluxe will contain both Simcity Core and Rush hour in it.

Elzar760 (Oct 2, 2003 3:30:11 PM)
There seems to be some confusion on posts I've read on other forums. Is the pathfinding engine completely rewritten, or just changed to try and make it more efficient.

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:30:11 PM)
The real problem is this. The pathfinding does not look at every single trip. If tuned it to do that the game would literally crawl to its knees. There are a lot of trips and it would be very expensive for the cpus to calculate it all. We made decisions to tune it to a happy medium. It is possible to provide a tuning that is much more aggressive but that tuning would not be reccomended for slower machines.

bluebird316 (Oct 2, 2003 3:31:05 PM)
Is there anything in Deluxe that's not in Original + Rush Hour?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:31:05 PM)
They are the same.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:31:11 PM)
What can i do to prevent my buildings from getting the burned-down look? It seems like once i reach a population of about 40,000, everything just starts going downhill.

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:31:11 PM)
There are so many reasons why this could be happening. Try going through the hint sections on the simcity.com site or some of the tutorials over at simtroplis.

Catz_1 (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:18 PM)
willl there be a transcript of this chat for later viewing?

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:18 PM)
There will be a transcript posted to the site some time after the chat.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:42 PM)
Tips on Terraforming?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:42 PM)
Here is a tip that I do not think is very obvious to the fans. If you hold shift and press any of the number keys, the size of the terra-forming brush changes!

Poohead_MAX (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:52 PM)
If the Evil Dr Vu becomes America's favorite video game villan is it possible we will see him spin-off into other Games?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:32:52 PM)
At the very least we should allow him his on clothing and hairstyling line of products

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:33:56 PM)
What are some cool new veicales and what is there abilaty

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:33:56 PM)
Tanks, helicopters, UFO, toxic truck, etc!

StacysMom (Oct 2, 2003 3:35:16 PM)
Will you still be able to win awards for being a good mayor?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:35:16 PM)
Yes, you can get all rewards without using U-Drive it and high mayor rating can certainly be in the criteria.

Dragons_Revenge (Oct 2, 2003 3:35:33 PM)
Could they have an Option for a more aggressive pathfinding option...for those of us with a faster system? Or would that be unfeasable?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:35:33 PM)
That is possible and it cuts to the core of the issue. The tuning is such that the game will not run at a crawl because every path is being calculated. A more aggressive tuning is feasible.

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:36:28 PM)
If you are not seeing the answers to the questions, please try re-sizing your chat window.

StacysMom (Oct 2, 2003 3:37:33 PM)
Can you now control tornados or other natural disasters?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:37:33 PM)
You can control tornados by holding down the left mouse button when you activate it.

Sk8zim17 (Oct 2, 2003 3:38:35 PM)
will the BAT for SimCity 4 have more potions and items than the Simcity 3000 one did?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:38:35 PM)
Oh yeah. It will be built on gmax and will provide full 3d modeling support. Check out the discreet site for a free download of gmax.

broomhilda (Oct 2, 2003 3:39:52 PM)
why is it harder to make money in SC4 than it was in the earlier versions?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:39:53 PM)
Are you using Rush Hour? We provided some easier modes of play to help with peoples budget problems. We also have some tutorials on making money in SimCity 4.

tmjkfriend (Oct 2, 2003 3:40:06 PM)
Can we open older city on the new Rush Hour so we can use U-Drive it in the city? Maybe like Maxis made city?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:40:06 PM)
Yes you can.

Sk8zim17 (Oct 2, 2003 3:41:03 PM)
How in-depth will creating buildings be with the SC4 BAT? will it be like before, with the blocks that you use?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:41:03 PM)
No blocks. The new version will allow for full 3d modeling. IT will be a more diffiecult tool to use perhaps but it will be very powerful.

PatrickG_2 (Oct 2, 2003 3:41:10 PM)
You guys added the Bank of America Tower in Seattle as a landmark but why not the Space Needle?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:41:10 PM)
As you know, there are tons of landmarks all over the world that we would love to do, so we try to pick and choose a wide variety.

red29_11 (Oct 2, 2003 3:42:07 PM)
did you leave the code open on purpose? we have seen people create "modds", was that something you wanted to happen?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:42:07 PM)
The modds are typically not modifying the code for simcity. The files they are able to manipulate are more the data files that contain all kinds of tuning and scripts. It is great to see how much they are able to do with these data files.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:42:31 PM)
where'd you maxoids get the inspiration for your screen names?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:42:31 PM)
I got mine because my last name is Cox and I work for Maxis.

balrog (Oct 2, 2003 3:43:16 PM)
why can't i do the water training mission even though i know i meet all of the requirments?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:43:16 PM)
If you've completed them before, you will never get them again unless you reinstall the game.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:44:39 PM)
so your saying that the new BAT will be difficult to use, will yall include a step-by-step VERY HELPFUL tutorial?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:44:39 PM)
We are going to do what we can to make it accesible to as many people as possible. Step by step will get people started but there is a lot of power with gmax that we don't want to loose. With that power comes complexity. The upside is that we believe there will be better buildings and props made with this tool than anything you ever saw with the original bat.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:44:54 PM)
Is there any new disasters besides crashes,UFO,and AtutosaurasRex

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:44:54 PM)
Train derailments, toxic waste spills, boat sinking, etc.

Vancouver_BC (Oct 2, 2003 3:45:21 PM)
Where can we find gnomes in our cities?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:45:21 PM)
It's very secret, keep your eyes open!

Elzar760 (Oct 2, 2003 3:45:48 PM)
still seeing answers to missing questions even after resizing my window

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:45:48 PM)
You might try logging out and logging back in.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:46:02 PM)
What's your favorite part of Rush Hour?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:46:02 PM)
I love everything from U-Drive it to the new building set, bridges, and new networks along with disasters. It's all so much fun to play with.

dagmgd (Oct 2, 2003 3:47:37 PM)
Are there legal issues to using certain landmarks?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:47:37 PM)
Oh yeah. There are tons of issues with landmarks depending upon where the landmark is. For example, all the cool buildings in France are protected by the government as cultural artifacts and using them usually means we have to jump through lots of legal hoops. Another example would be the famous casinos in Vegas. All of those are owned by corporations and are treated and trademarks. We would have to pay a lot of money to use something like the Luxor or the MGM Grand. We love doing the landmarks but it is always a big legal job before we can actually start making something.

The Sim's Stash (Oct 2, 2003 3:48:05 PM)
Why hasn't the big spider like alien with a big eye from SC2K been bronght back in SC3K or SC4?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:48:05 PM)
That sounds like something that would be really fun to do.

billy_bob55 (Oct 2, 2003 3:48:11 PM)
is there a prima guide for Rush hour?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:48:11 PM)
Yes there is. The writer of the guide spent a lot of time with us here at Maxis so all the inside scoops can be found there.

MaxisShorty (Oct 2, 2003 3:48:52 PM)
There is a Prima Guide available right now, and in fact, we offer a downloadable excerpt on our site.

The_New_Vlad (Oct 2, 2003 3:49:46 PM)
What is GMAX?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:49:46 PM)
gMax is a watered down version of 3dStudio Max and both are 3d modeling tools. gMAx can be downloaded for free from the Discreet web site.

slimy rhyme (Oct 2, 2003 3:49:56 PM)
so, uh, is this chat still going on?

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:49:56 PM)
Yes - for another 10 minutes!

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:50:43 PM)
Why was there such a drop in the amount of maxis cities that shipped with the game? I really liked your cities!

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:50:44 PM)
I know that space was an issue. Hopefully, we can give users downloadable cities and regions that we created.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:11 PM)
could you give us a link to GMAX if possible

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:11 PM)
Just do a search on discreet and gmax. You will find it. I don't have the link on hand.

Poohead_MAX (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:31 PM)
Is it possible in future releases of SimCity to include a "SandBox" mode for those of us who don't want to worry about budgets and just built a beautiful city?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:31 PM)
Some of the lot and mods from the exchange give users a lot of money so that they can essentially play as though in Sand Box mode.

Alrowan (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:39 PM)
when will the log be available?

MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 3:51:39 PM)
It will be posted on the SimCity site sometimes after the event

MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:12 PM)
We have about ten minutes left, please send in your best questions now

Dragons_Revenge (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:19 PM)
Are there any plans for a Rush Hour/SC4 Deluxe City best city competition\, like that was had for SC4 core?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:19 PM)
That would be something incredibly fun to do since the new networks and building styles can be used to make very unique cities!

The_New_Vlad (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:48 PM)
Is it possible that Maxis will put a City Exchange on the website?

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:48 PM)
Anything is possible.

The Stash Master (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:51 PM)
Can I buy a copy of SimCity Classic that works with Windows XP? I bought the game in the 80's when it came out, and I play the game at simcity.com, but I want an offline version I can play on XP? My old disks don't work on XP.

MaxisShorty (Oct 2, 2003 3:52:51 PM)
You can find SimCity Classic available for play on the SimCity website!

The_New_Vlad (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:01 PM)
Is it a challenge to put landmarks in the game?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:01 PM)
They tend to cost a lot of money so the challenge is there, but they do give a yimby effect.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:13 PM)
WHAT IS RUSH HOUR?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:13 PM)
Rush Hour is an amazing expansion pack for Simcity 4. It gives you a whole new set of European buildings, a bunch of new bridges and networks, new disasters and U-Drive-It missions that allow you to drive , fly and float around you city. Go get it now! It is fun and there is even more in it that I just typed. But, don't take my word for it. Check out the BBS to see what others are saying.

gamegirl815 (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:54 PM)
dr vu, what is your real name?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:53:54 PM)
You can find it on the box, guess who it is with the last name "Vu".

The Stash Master (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:25 PM)
Why have you not talked about the SC2K release for GBA on the site...it is being released in 12 days!!!!

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:25 PM)
Maxis is not involved with the SC2K GBA version. That is being produced by another company.

billy_bob55 (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:46 PM)
why can we throw money by the window on the limocar?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:46 PM)
There is a mission that uses the money. Plus anywhere you used the money will give you mayor rating and desirability boosts at those locations.

jbbry232 (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:48 PM)
if a sc4 player manages to recreate a building like lets say Luxor, would that be bad or illegal if he were to post it in some sort of building exchange?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:55:48 PM)
That would not be bad because you are not selling it.

Catz_1 (Oct 2, 2003 3:56:27 PM)
why do boats sometimes start inside the marina, is this a bug, if so, a very annoying one

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:56:27 PM)
Try placing the marina in a different location. If it still occurs, it may be a bug.

gamegirl815 (Oct 2, 2003 3:56:34 PM)
what is 3d studio max?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:56:34 PM)
That is a 3d modeling program that we use to make all of the buildings and props in SimCity. Autodesk makes the application.

Catz_1 (Oct 2, 2003 3:57:54 PM)
any other hint's that you wanna share?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:57:54 PM)
I would but it would eliminate the fun of finding the easter eggs.

billy_bob55 (Oct 2, 2003 3:58:34 PM)
Thanks for maxis for that chat

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:58:34 PM)
Thanks for noticing. The orchestral stuff is very exciting for us as well. I'll be sure and let the composers know how much you like it.

Guest (Oct 2, 2003 3:58:44 PM)
What do you prefer to make: Large cities or country cities?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 3:58:44 PM)
I like making cities that are between 100-120 thousand inhabitants.

The_New_Vlad (Oct 2, 2003 3:59:42 PM)
Is there a way that we can obtain this 3D studio max modeling program and make some buildings of our own?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 3:59:42 PM)
You can get gmax for free from Discreet. Gmax is a watered down version of 3dsMax. You can buy 3dsMax from Autodesk but it is very expensive and gMax is what you will want to be familiar with for SimCity 4.

billy_bob55 (Oct 2, 2003 4:00:49 PM)
so, as i understand, if you give us downloadable free landmarks, it's legal?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 4:00:49 PM)
It doen't necessarily work that way all the time. Every landmark deal has the potential to be it's own unique problem.

StacysMom (Oct 2, 2003 4:01:30 PM)
I'm really thinking of buying the game now, because of this chat. Could someone maybe give me some more information before I buy the game?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 4:01:30 PM)
This game is a blast to play and it will bring out the creative city building spirit in you.

MaxisLucky (Oct 2, 2003 4:01:50 PM)
We're running out of time. We'll be taking just a couple more questions.

gamegirl815 (Oct 2, 2003 4:02:24 PM)
is the deluxe version out yet?

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 4:02:24 PM)
In the United States Deluxe has shipped already and so has Rush Hour. The rest of the world has Rush Hour and some have Deluxe but some territories are doing Deluxe on a different schedule.

MaxisKitty (Oct 2, 2003 4:03:00 PM)
Thank you all for coming to the chat, it is now four pm here in Maxis Land and sadly our guests Dr. Vu and Mike Cox need to get back to doing work... and check for the transcript on the SimCity site later!

Dragons_Revenge (Oct 2, 2003 4:03:22 PM)
Aren't the building rewards for completing UDriveIT missions a little overboard sometimes, for instance, having a small landing stip can get you a Major League Stadium with a town of only about 13,000 people?

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 4:03:22 PM)
That's the beauty of it, you can get great things early, but can you afford to keep them. That's the real question.

coxfrommaxis (Oct 2, 2003 4:03:23 PM)
Thank you everyone. You really make creating games very rewarding for us. Group hug everyone. Bye!

DoctorVu (Oct 2, 2003 4:04:29 PM)
Thanks everyone one for coming and chating with us! Great questions and I would love to speak with ya'll again!