SimCity Programmer Shows off "One Laptop Per Child" Version

SimCity Programmer Shows off "One Laptop Per Child" Version

November 13, 2007
Last week GamePolitics and other sites covered EA's donation of the original SimCity to the One Laptop Per Child initiative.

By way of follow-up, GP asked famed SimCity (and The Sims and Spore) designer Will Wright for his thoughts. Will told us:
Don Hopkins, an old friend and coworker and the guy who programmed [SimCity] came up with the idea and opportunity. My role was in convincing the EA execs that it was a good idea.

Don was really the driving force making it happen.

We're working on an interview with Don, but in the meantime, he has shared this new video demo of SimCity running on an OLPC system:



GP: Don has additional information about SimCity and the OLPC project on his blog
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Submitted by CyberSkull - November 13, 2007 at 8:23 am -0500
Nice stuff. :)
Submitted by GameDevMich - November 13, 2007 at 8:23 am -0500
I...am...shocked...

A programmer get credited and receives the kudos? Publicly!?!?

*chokes-up*I'm sorry...I told myself I wouldn't get this emotional...

Nice work Don, and much respect to a legendary designer who remembers the grunt workers =)
Submitted by MaskedPixelante - November 13, 2007 at 8:33 am -0500
while it's nice that they're doing that for charity, and it's GREAT for SOMEONE to portray the industry in a POSITIVE light, isn't the original SimCity like... abandonware now?
Submitted by E. Zachary Knight - November 13, 2007 at 9:01 am -0500
@ MaskedPixelante

Abandonware is not really anything legal. EA still holds the copyright to it and distributes it regularly in combo packs. It would not surprise me if Sim City 4000 (or whatever it is) has a copy of the original.

@ GameDevMich

Its not that surprising, considering Sim City was developed by Will Wright and Don Hopkins. I don't think there were any other contributers.
Submitted by GameDevMich - November 13, 2007 at 9:23 am -0500
@E. Zachary Knight - I might have been exaggerating a tad bit. I think I'm just happy to see a rare instance occur, though for this specific game and parties involved it is not as shocking as I made it out to be.
Submitted by pix - November 13, 2007 at 12:31 pm -0500
god i loved that game , its was just so damn good
Submitted by Marlowe - November 13, 2007 at 12:36 pm -0500
Great, now how bout a release date for spore?
Submitted by Soul - November 13, 2007 at 1:49 pm -0500
How cool :) .
Submitted by chuck - November 13, 2007 at 1:52 pm -0500
That was seriously unwatchable. Couldn't they have just braced the damn camera on something? Might I suggest to the OLPC folks that something like FRAPS or some linux equivalent ship with it so that the next demo isn't done with the blurry-shakey-cam?
Submitted by Unafiliated Annonomous - November 13, 2007 at 1:59 pm -0500
I seriously wonder if FUNDS still works.
Submitted by BloodEagle - November 13, 2007 at 5:07 pm -0500
I could have sworn that the 'one laptop per child' laptops couldn't display more than a few grayscale colors....
Submitted by E. Zachary Knight - November 13, 2007 at 5:17 pm -0500
@ Blood Eagle

They have full scale color displays when indoors. In direct sunlight, they switch to BW displays to help with viewing and battery life.
Submitted by Vladmire Triskavanski - November 13, 2007 at 10:57 pm -0500
Wow that some cool shiet there. switchin in sunlight and all that.
Submitted by Tye The Czar - November 14, 2007 at 11:03 am -0500
Spread of good games FTW, oy! Now more impoverished children may witness the joys of Fansubs, youtube, and 4chan as well. XD (plus this site.)

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 02/09/10 at 11:21am
Valdearg: Also, you really think that people who are smart enough to practice law REALLY believe that this law will prevent them from expressing their religious beliefs? The fact is that these guys hate gays, and don't want them to be protected in any way.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:20am
Valdearg: The catholic teachings, perhaps, but certainly, there are PLENTY of Catholics who condone violence and hate. Just like these guys.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:19am
gellymatos: violence or hate against anyone.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:18am
gellymatos: Like I said, paranoia that the law could make it illegal to voice an opinion on gay marriage. And catholics don't condon...
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:15am
Valdearg: Can you find a different reason behind the lawsuit, other than the fact that they want to protect their "right" to perpetrate violence against homosexuals, based on their religious beliefs?
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:14am
Valdearg: The fact is that this Law Center, which specializes in the defense of Catholic Beliefs, kind of like a Catholic ACLU, I suppose, is challenging a law that PROTECTS homosexuals from violent acts motivated by hatred of gay people.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:13am
gellymatos: Again, sorry I jumped the gun like I did.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:13am
Valdearg: @Gelly: It's a liberal blog. Its not designed to be balanced. Does that mean that everything there is completely false, and not worth investigating? Nope.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:12am
Valdearg: To be completely honest, I would argue that that assessment is more biased and farther from reality than the Daily Kos assessment.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:12am
gellymatos: I'm sure the story itself is true, it's just that the site seems to be biased. More so than Fox. And that takes effort.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:11am
Valdearg: Would you rather I link straight to the horses mouth? Here's the story from the Law Center involved in the suit.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:10am
Valdearg: @Gelly: I love how you jumped on the A_L train, and EVERYTHING that EVER comes from Daily Kos is questionable. Clearly, NONE of it could POSSIBLY merit a closer look.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:09am
gellymatos: I'm sorry. I thought you were attacking the church due to your history of doing so. My bad.
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:08am
gellymatos: ...that these laws will make it illegal to voice an opinion against gay marriage. Third, Your source is questionable. And by...
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:07am
Valdearg: @Gelly: Wow, jumping right to the defense of the church, despite the fact that I never implicated the Catholic church?
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:06am
gellymatos: , not orders from the church. Second, the paranoia about these laws that SOME christians have is based off of the parnoid idea..
Posted 02/09/10 at 11:05am
gellymatos: Vald: Where to start. Oh yes. First, he doesn't seem to represent the whole church. His doing this out of his own conviction...
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: Honestly, the only thing I can imagine is the plaintiffs think it's their religious right to perpetrate violent criminal acts against homosexuals. Unfortunately, knowing some folks like that, it wouldn't surprise me if they did believe that.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:59am
Valdearg: @AE: I know, right? The only thing that law does is make a violent criminal act more severe if it was motivated by a hatred of homosexuals.
Posted 02/09/10 at 10:43am
Andrew Eisen: What's amazing is the folks at that Law Center can't seem to read plain English that states that nothing in the law restricts someone's right to think what they want or say what they want.
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