Search for a€oeSimCity 4a€ on YouTube, and youa€™ll see players constructing multilevel highway interchanges and intricate railroad networks, or maybe even a swooping flyby of a sprawling metropolis. None of these features came with the original game, which was released just after the turn of the millennium. Theya€™ve been developed slowly and painstakingly over the 22 years since its release by dedicated aficionados a€" a thriving community that continues to push the gamea€™s limits.

The work is a labor of love, and ita€™s a lot of labor and love. Modder Tarkus says that after all these years, hea€™s drawn to the deep and complex nature of the gamea€™s simulation, which he says remains unmatched by newer games like Cities: Skylines (2015) and its sequel Cities: Skylines 2 (2023) a€" and even by SimCity 4 a€™s own sequel, which was released in 2013 and simply called SimCity. Modder Ulisse Wolf says that, for him, ita€™s ultimately a question of community. Perhaps because of the gamea€™s age, he finds that SimCity 4 enthusiasts are a€oemore mature a€¦ guaranteeing you a quiet place to live in [peace] with other members.a€

SimCity 4 was released in 2003, the fourth in game company …

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