Simulation

SimIsle – Missions in the Rainforest

Description

The player chooses one of several dozen fictional tropical islands of various shapes and sizes to simulate. The islands have varying amounts of open plains, forests, mountains, natural resources, and native peoples. The amount of pre-developed land also varies but most of the islands are largely nondeveloped when a new simulation begins. Each scenario has objectives and win/lose conditions. Each map can be started with the scenario objectives turned on or off, and the simulation can continue in free form after successfully completing the initial task.

The game engine has a passing similarity to that of SimCity 2000. For example, the island maps are projected isometrically and can be rotated in 90° intervals. However, the terrain graphics are more sophisticated than Sim City 2000.

In similar Maxis titles, player actions, such as placing buildings, are completed instantaneously. SimIsle is instead played through the hiring of intermediary agents. The agents have varying skills and profiles, and take varying amounts of time to complete each project. …

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SimPark

Description

Made by Maxis, the company famous for its line of “Sim” games, SimPark deals with the simulation and management of a real wildlife park.

SimPark allows you to build and manage parks from scratch, completely isolated from civilization. You have the choice of choosing from hundreds of different species of flowers, bushes, plants, mammals, birds, and reptiles to live and thrive in your park. Which plants and animals to put in is completely your choice, but you have to make sure that their biological needs are met so that they won’t die. You start out with a bare patch of land, but as you add plants and animals, it will begin to grow. Depending on the climate and food available, certain animals will even begin migrating to your park.

SimPark contains a massive database of plants and animals that you need to use in order for your park to flourish. Over hundreds of species are cataloged in SimPark, and each article includes a brief bio, their scientific name, their wants and needs, and even an authentic recording of what each animal sounds like. You need to utilize this information to figure out what plants and animals to put in your park, in order for the creatures to flourish. If a creature or plant does not get enough food, a plant does not like the climate, or trees do not get the amount of water they need, your park will not grow. …

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SimSafari

Description

SimSafari is a construction and management simulation game released by Maxis on March 19, 1998. It is similar to SimPark, except that the park is set in Africa rather than in North America, and therefore has African animals and plants.

The game is divided into three different zones, the nature park, the tourist grounds, and the African village. The ultimate aim is for the players’ park to reach five stars, although like most Sims games the player can continue playing indefinitely. To gain five stars, the player needs to make sure each zone is being run properly. The player can control tourism and staff.

The park is where the player can buy animals and made sure they were not being over-eaten or underfed. The player can control the species of animals, grasses, shrubs, and trees that were built here. The game has information on every species in it, with short animations for the animals. Natural disasters can occur, like fires, droughts, locusts, and twisters.
The Camp, also known as the Tourist Ground, is where tourists stay. The player can build restaurants, hotels, swimming pools, cottages, tents, etc. for guests. The buildings are staffed by workers hired from the village. …

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SimTown

Description

SimTown is one of several entries in the city-building simulation series, SimCity. As in prior installments, players are tasked as the mayor of a newly formed municipality, taking charge of it’s expansion and success. Being aimed at a younger audience than that of the other games within the series a greater emphasis is placed on managing a small, socially ideal town than a sprawling metropolis. As such it features a much more stylized, cartoon representation and user interface, a number of added features allowing for greater interactivity with the populace, and a simplified system of resource management.

As their first priority as mayor players will simply need to construct a town, supplying not only housing for their residents but employment, schools, and civic buildings as well; Roadways and bike paths being needed to connect them all. While each building has its own associated costs and benefits they’re often marginal enough that a player’s selection will often be as much an aesthetic consideration as a functional one. In order to finance all of this consideration will also have to be paid to the player’s limited resources of water, wood, and crops, which rejuvenate only so quickly. …

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SimTunes

Description

SimTunes is based on “Music Insects”, an interactive audio-visual exhibit which was designed and created by Toshio Iwai in 1992. Iwai’s original, Music Insects is a very popular permanent exhibit at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

SimTunes is an interactive ‘painting/music/simulation’ game. The user paints colored squares on a virtual grid, where each color maps to a tone in a musical scale. Then the user unleashes four little ‘bugz’ to roam around on the painted grid. Each bugz has an instrument or vocal style associated with it, and when it walks over one of the squares of light it ‘plays’ its sound at that tone. The user can control the scale, the instruments, and the speed and direction of the bugz, creating an interactive musical experience. …

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Sim Theme Park (Theme Park World)

Description

Sim Theme Park is the sequel to Theme Park and the second game in the series. It is a theme park management game where players build their own theme park with roller coasters, rides and food stalls. Each building can be customized for its appearance, prices and also the length of the ride. Roller coasters play an important role as the main attraction for visitors. Players can design a custom ride and then test it from a first-person view.

In this version the park can be built in four different worlds: Lost Kingdom (prehistoric theme), Halloween World (spooky theme), Wonderland (fantasy theme) and Space Zone (futuristic theme). The game boasts 3D graphics and players can walk around in their park as if they were one of the guests, and go on the rides. Golden Tickets can be won by doing great things to the park and these can be used to buy new rides and parks. …

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SimCity 4

Description

The most noticeable change in the fourth main game in the series comes through the new graphics, now in full 3D. The basic goal remains the same: build the ultimate city. You do this by balancing funding of community services with taxes, transit fares, and other forms of income.

But now you have more options. The new god mode tools allow you to sculpt a realistic terrain in seconds. And now disasters won’t happen in random locations, you choose where to unleash them. There are all new buildings, and the gameplay is a bit more challenging this time: you have to actually start small, the way a real city is developed, or you’ll run out of money. You can also import people from The Sims and insert them into your city, and have them give you feedback.

Your advisors are improved. They too are in full 3D, and they won’t annoy you as much. They will provide you with helpful advice, and you can listen to them or annoy them to the point that they all turn into llamas. Literally. …

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