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Author Topic: ~Looking for~ making simulation of village/town/city growing on its own  (Read 3322 times)

mko

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Re: Looking for simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #15 on: March 07, 2020, 02:24:40 pm »

So I decided to make my own! I (after overly long research and trying multiple alternatives) decided to use Unity - what turned out to be a good decision.

I am happy about first results (a bit of randomization & repetition + a deformed cube for a roof + a deformed cube for a building, a cylinder for a trunk, a sphere for tree crown).

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(is it still necessary to spoiler images nowadays?)
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ndkid

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Re: Looking for simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #16 on: March 07, 2020, 08:35:02 pm »

This is a topic I've been thinking about more and more in recent years. City builders are a genre I have always enjoyed, but I've found myself bumping more and more against the fact that they're so far away from how cities _actually_ develop. In basically every city builder I can think of, from Caesar to Cities: Skylines, if you plop down a residental building/area, almost immediately it will get populated. I want something a bit more simmy, and actually feel like I'm an actor of some power in whatever time period is being represented, rather than a god-architect, throwing down skyscrapers and causing mass transit systems to appear wherever I desire.
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mko

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Re: Looking for simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #17 on: March 10, 2020, 03:04:30 pm »

This is a topic I've been thinking about more and more in recent years. City builders are a genre I have always enjoyed, but I've found myself bumping more and more against the fact that they're so far away from how cities _actually_ develop. In basically every city builder I can think of, from Caesar to Cities: Skylines, if you plop down a residental building/area, almost immediately it will get populated. I want something a bit more simmy, and actually feel like I'm an actor of some power in whatever time period is being represented, rather than a god-architect, throwing down skyscrapers and causing mass transit systems to appear wherever I desire.
That is in fact how I started this project! Initially it was doomed to failure "remake simcity in more realistic form" project. I scaled it down to 0-interaction town growth simulator. This one has chance to actually reach a releasable stage.

In theory it may grow into realistic city builder game, but it would require DF-type level of success what is unlikely.
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EuchreJack

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Re: ~Looking for~ making simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2020, 03:49:46 pm »

It might be useful to review what sort of government you envision is managing the town.  Some towns are created because a government needs a town near a resource, and they directly control how it is developed.  That might reflect simcity and similar games.

Other towns are groups of people that have moved to an area, usually because some resource is present or because the location is good for whatever reason.  Those groups of people control how the town develops.  No longer can you just plop down an Industrial zone smack dab in the middle of a Residential zone.  Oh no, first you have to convince people that that Industrial zone is needed, weather the complaints of those living in the Residential zone, and only if enough support the Industrial zone after that can you build it.  The future of city simulators might be in reflecting this second idea, maybe with named people ala Crusader Kings, The Sims, etc. that are also simulated and can be influenced for the permission to do things.  It could even touch upon the seedier side of city development: Will the town allow a strip club to move in?  What can be done to stop it?  Where do the bars go?

Time frame could also be important, as it reflects transportation which reflects how cities grow and shrink.  It used to be that water was the primary means of transportation, especially in bulk, so most cities have developed near water.  Then the railroads came and water wasn't as necessary:  Suddenly, the loss of land due to water could even be a liability.  Then trucks, then planes.  OpenTTD reflects this side of city development.

Sanctume

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Re: ~Looking for~ making simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #19 on: March 10, 2020, 04:09:45 pm »

I am fascinated in how things and concepts are abstracted and represented into some object, and then defining relationships between those objects. 
Which eventually forms the functions on how to manipulate those objects in game and see how it is simulated. 

I suppose, one can look at existing games like Civilization and see how certain technology tree leads to the ability of a city/civ to build a building type. 

I usually find it enjoyable early in the game following some build strat.  But late game, a city can be power leveled in some degree, like fast building/buying infrastructures to increase population. 

Nahere

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Re: ~Looking for~ making simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #20 on: March 10, 2020, 04:22:54 pm »

Has anyone here seen donoteat's Franklin? I think it'd be right up your alley.
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gimlet

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Re: ~Looking for~ making simulation of village/town/city growing on its own
« Reply #21 on: March 10, 2020, 10:56:13 pm »

Capitalism Lab especially with the City Economic Simulation DLC has some city growth elements.  It's not super real-world-realistic, but the activities are significant to the industry/economic game.
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