SimCity
Register
Advertisement
SimCity BuildIt
SimCity BuildIt icon 2017-18
Developer(s) tracktwenty
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Release date(s) Android
October 22, 2014 CA
December 16, 2014 🌐
iOS
October 24, 2014 CA, AU, NZ
December 16, 2014 🌐
Kindle Fire
June 23, 2015
Version 1.39.2 (September 7, 2021)
Genre(s) City-building simulation, mobile game
Mode(s) Single-player with multiplayer functions
Platform(s) iOS, Android, Kindle Fire
System requirements iOS 10.0[1]

Android 4.1[2]
Kindle Fire - Android 4.0.3[3]

Ratings iOS App Store: 4+

Android Google play E 10+ Fantasy violence Users interact, Digital Purchases

Series SimCity

SimCity BuildIt is a spin-off game app of the SimCity series for iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire, released by Electronic Arts.[4] This game was soft-launched in Canada for Android on October 22, 2014,[5] and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for iOS on October 24, 2014.[6] The game was released to the rest of the world on December 16, 2014.[7] Within six months of its release, it became the most played SimCity game, according to an interview with EA Mobile on June 6, 2015.[8] By June 23, 2015, Amazon offered this game on their app store for the Kindle Fire.

Features[]

The game is freemium, free-to-play but offering in-app purchases and some advertisements; however purchases aren't necessary to play and video advertisements can be dismissed. The game utilizes music and graphics similar to SimCity (2013), although it is slightly downscaled in order to fit in with a mobile device's graphic capabilities.

Currencies[]

The game uses multiple currencies:

  1. Simoleons are the main currency, appearing as gold coins, that can be earned in-game by upgrading residential areas, selling, trading resources.[9] or bought using SimCash.
  2. SimCash, the green stack of cash, a premium currency, can be earned by spending real cash or completing city achievements and also offered occasionally by visiting other cities and clicking on bubbles.
  3. Golden keys, which can be bought and can be earned by completing shipment or disaster challenges. It can occasionally be given by a bubble in another city or by watching a video ad and claiming the random reward.
  4. Platinum Keys, the light blue diamonds, which cannot not be bought with SimCash, can only be obtained from the Contest of Mayors (Top prize of Town League or Big Prizes on City League or higher, refer to Mayor's contest for details) which are used to build rare and legendary items (e.g. parks, landmarks etc.).
  5. NeoSimoleons is a part of the Omega buildings, blue hexagon coin, each Omega home produces NeoSimoleons every hour to a maximum of 200 in 24 hours. The app offers to purchase Omega items and pays you NeoSimoleons. Rarely the game will offer you NeoSimoleons for purchase with real cash.
  6. War Simoleons are used to buy war items in the war shop, purple triangle coin, you can receive them by doing war repairs or getting them from war prizes
  7. Regional Simoleons are part of the regional currency. They are earned by completing Sim Offers, completing rows in the Export HQ, Upgrading Buildings in your region, or using SimCash. This does not apply to Capital City Region. These can be spent on services in the regional tab, and hot spots which can also be upgraded using regional currency.

The game starts with 25,000 simoleons and 50 SimCash on hand. By default, the city name is random and the player can change this an infinite number of times if they choose to do so. Players can change the city name at any time from the settings menu.

There is no zoning feature in SimCity BuildIt. Instead, buildings are plopped manually. Commercial and industrial buildings produce items, and residential zones require them in order to upgrade to a higher density. Factories can also be upgraded, although it requires demolishing the original building when it is not producing anything, then replacing it with a new one.

Roads carry city services in a similar vein to SimCity (2013). The player can only build two-lane roads using the build tool. The player cannot manually build higher-capacity roads; they must upgrade them instead. Initially, only two, four and six-lane roads are available at launch; three more road types (avenues, boulevards, and streetcar avenues) were introduced in the Disasters update.

Instead of having a slider, Taxes are instead determined by how happy the residents are.

Items[]

Main article: List of items in SimCity BuildIt

Zones[]

Like other SimCity games, there are three main zones in SimCity BuildIt: Residential, Commercial, and Industrial.

Residential
There are eleven residential zones in SimCity BuildIt; regular Residential Zone, Latin America Zone (introduced in the Mayor's Pass Season 7 update), Old Town House (Introduced in the Mayor's Pass Season 9-10 update), Tokyo Town Zone (introduced in the Tokyo Town update), Parisian Zone (introduced in the Paris Town update), London Town Zone, OMEGA Zone, and zones for the 5 different regions: Limestone Cliffs Zone, Cactus Canyon Zone, Green Valley Zone, Frosty Fjords Zone, and Sunny Isles Zone. Similar to SimCity (2013), residential zones are affected by land values; higher land values (raised by having services, parks, and specialization buildings nearby) encourages wealthier Sims to move in. Regional residential buildings do not apply.

Wealth forecast: Standard Homes, Premium Homes, Luxurious Homes

Regular residential zones are available initially, and is the only one available prior to the Parisian, Tokyo Town, London Town, and OMEGA updates. Tokyo Town, Parisian, and London Town Zone's are only available after the Airport is unlocked (requires having 120,000 Sims and spending 80,000 Simoleons to build).[10] Special items can by obtained by completing airport shipments. Latin America Zones and Old Town Houses are unlocked at level 6.

The zones may be built within the unlocked City area. City area may be expanded up to the expansion limits with the use of special items. The expansion limits have been increased in December 2015. Only areas connected to the already expanded areas may be expanded further.

Commercial

Main article: List of commercial buildings in SimCity BuildIt

Industrial

Main article: List of industrial buildings in SimCity BuildIt

Services[]

Only residential zones requires services to be connected in SimCity BuildIt. There are three main types of services in SimCity BuildIt:

  • Needed based on the number of residential zones:
  • Needed based on the space the residential zones take up:
    • Fire, Police, Health, ControlNet
    • Regional Services:
      • Organic Food (Green Valley)
      • Tourism (Sunny Isles)
      • Gas Station (Cactus Canyon)
      • Street Food (Limestone Cliffs)
      • Heating (Frosty Fjords)
  • Other:
Main article: List of service buildings in SimCity BuildIt

Default buildings[]

The default buildings come with every new city but need to be unlocked at higher levels. These buildings cannot be moved, removed or added in.

  • Airport - Required to do deliveries and obtain special items for Parisian, London and Tokyo homes.
  • NeoMall - Building used for buying special, rare and usually unpurchaseable items with NeoSimoleons.
  • Cargo Ship Dock - A way to earn Golden Keys by completing the delivery items desired.
  • Trade Depot - A place where mayors can set items on sale (requires internet connection).
  • Global Trade HQ - Building required to purchase items, put on sale by other players (requires internet connection).
  • Dr. Vu's Tower - Needed to unleash disasters on the mayor's own city. Repairing will earn them Golden Keys and Simoleons.
  • Mayor's Contest Tower - When unlocked, mayors can connect and compete against other mayors (requires internet connection).
  • Mayor's Club House - After being unlocked, mayors can connect and make/join clubs and ally with each other (requires internet connection).
  • War Deliveries Airport - A vital building needed to get special items required to launch disasters on other cities in Club Wars or on an attacking Monster (requires internet connection).
  • Vu's Fortress - A base on an island, which is used to start club wars and attack other cities (requires internet connection).
  • Export HQ - Can be found in all regions, where you can complete deliveries and earn Regional Currency.

Specializations[]

Aside from parks, city specialization buildings require their respective departments or building headquarters for that category.

All city specialization buildings, aside from parks and departments/building HQs, require Golden Keys. City specialization buildings, aside from parks, are not required to sustain a population; Instead, they offer a boost in population and land value.

Main article: List of city specialization buildings in SimCity BuildIt

Disasters[]

There are six main disaster types in SimCity BuildIt. These disasters can only be launched from the Vu Tower, once built. Special items (Vu's Battery, Vu's Remote and Vu's Gloves) are also required. Once the player reaches a certain level, the disaster will be powered up. For example, having the Vu Tower leveled up to level 3 will unlock meteor strike II.

Regions[]

There are six regions in SimCity BuildIt. The Capital City is provided as the first region available, and then other else regions can be unlocked one by one with populations requirements archived, as satellite cities. Each satellite region requires different extra amount of services.

  • Capital City
  • Cactus Canyon, which requires 50% extra amount of water service than normal.
  • Limestone Cliffs, which requires 50% extra amount of sewage service than normal.
  • Sunny Isles, which requires 50% extra amount of power service than normal. Beach zone is provided.
  • Green Valley, which requires 50% extra amount of waste management service than normal. Beach zone is provided.
  • Frosty Fjords, which requires 50% extra amount of power service than normal. Mountain zone is provided.

Gallery[]


SimCity_BuildIt_Gameplay_Trailer

SimCity BuildIt Gameplay Trailer

References[]

External links[]

SimCity series
Main series SimCity (Classic) · SimCity 2000 · SimCity 3000 (Unlimited) · SimCity 4 (Rush Hour · Deluxe Edition · The SimCity Box) · SimCity (2013) (Cities of Tomorrow · Plus Edition · Complete Edition)
Console games SimCity (SNES) · SimCity 2000 · SimCity 64 · SimCity DS · SimCity Creator (DS)
Spin-offs SimFarm · SimCopter · Streets of SimCity · SimTown · SimCity Societies (Destinations · Deluxe Edition · The SimCity Box) · The Sims Carnival: SnapCity · SimCity (iOS) (Deluxe) · SimCity Social · SimCity BuildIt
Advertisement