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SimCity still broken despite EA 'fix', users moan

SimCity is still horribly broken, even after a patch that promised to fix the long suffering game.

Alex Calvin
2 min read

SimCity is still broken, despite a patch released by EA earlier this week to fix the troubled urban simulator. The update promised to resolve a number of issues that have plagued the game, including bugs with tourism, casinos and disasters, but it seems to have created a bunch of new problems in the process.

My personal favourite is the phantom sounds bug (below), where SimCity will produce traffic noises when only trees are present for miles around.

The patch has fanned the fire of player rage, with many users on Reddit coming forward to complain, although it's worth noting these are people more likely to moan than most gamers.

"It's really kind of pathetic when you release a patch to try to fix a game that is fundamentally broken... and it breaks the game even more," writes sykotikkytten, in a fairly representative rage.

The promised 'cooldown' period on disasters has not come to pass, with players still inundated with repeated asteroid attacks. User MrBOON claims to suffer disasters every 10 to 15 minutes.

"My fire trucks aren't clumping together anymore," said willow371, "because only one ever leaves the fire station, regardless of how many fires there are." The patch pledged to fix clumps of fire engines, but other issues suggest the promises made in the patch have been at game's expense elsewhere.

This is also apparent with its treatment of the notorious tax bug, where residents would be unanimously happy in a zero-tax area -- now they complain about taxes as low as 9 per cent, to the point where they will outright abandon their houses.

There are still a wealth of bugs still present in the game EA did not promise to fix in the current patch, but everyone's most hated games company had better get its skates on if it wants to retain any aspiring mayors, gods or dictators.

EA promised a free game to everyone who bought SimCity in an effort to contain the situation, though it seems to have done little to tame complaints.

Are gameplay bugs ruining your power trip? Or are you having fun mayoring around? Let me know in the comments below, or on our well-zoned Facebook page.