Offline Play Finally Coming to 'SimCity'

New Single Player Mode "allows you to play the game Offline by yourself."

The PC title, 'SimCity,' the latest version of the classic city management title, was much maligned when it was released last March for not only compelling players to play online, but for locking players out and corrupting save progress to a high degree for weeks after release. (Not to mention preventing a normal save and load design.)

And now after nine title updates and an official expansion, EA has announced that the tenth update will bring an offline single player mode, complete with local save files, to the game.

Patrick Buechner, GM of Maxis Emeryville, "Yes, Offline is coming as a free download with Update 10 to all SimCity players. When we launch it, all of your previously downloaded content will be available to you anytime, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection.

"In Update 10, you can still play solo in Regions on your own, or in Multiplayer with people from around the world. What’s new is the Single Player Mode, which allows you to play the game Offline by yourself. And because your saved games in this mode are stored locally, you can save and load to your heart’s content. Our team will be delivering a follow-up blog that will outline the full details in the near future so stay tuned."

This offline capability, a former series staple, will allow for the game's new official mod policy, "without compromising the integrity of the Online game."

Update 10 is expected to enter testing soon ahead of release.

Source: Electronic Arts

Author: Brian Hoss