SimTower

SimTower: The Vertical Empire
Box cover art
Developer(s)	Yoot Saito
Publisher(s)	Maxis
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS 7
Release date(s)	NA December 31, 1994
Genre(s)	Construction and management simulation
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone

SimTower: The Vertical Empire is a construction and management simulation computer game developed by Yoot Saito and published by Maxis for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS 7 operating systems. It was released on December 31, 1994 in the United States. The game allows players to build and manage a tower and decide what facilities to place in it, in order to ultimately build a five-star tower. Random events take place during play, such as terrorist acts that the player must respond to immediately.

Critical reception towards the game was generally positive. Reviews praised the game's formula, including its open-ended nature and its ability to immerse the player into the game. Criticism targeted the game's lack of documentation, which some reviewers found made it harder to learn how to play the game. The in-game speed was also criticized for being too slow, which was a crucial issue in the game due to the fact that time must pass for the player to earn income to purchase new facilities.

Gameplay

The player views a cross-section of the building from the side

SimTower allows the player to build and manage the operations of a modern, multi-use skyscraper. They must plan where to place facilities in the tower that include restaurants, condominiums, offices, and elevators. To prevent tenants from vacating their properties, the player must keep their stress low by fulfilling their demands for medical centers, parking lots, recycling facilities, clean hotel rooms with the help of housekeepers, and an efficient transportation system, which involves managing elevator traffic.^[1] SimTower, which was built around an elevator simulation program, places a strong emphasis on good elevator management.^[2]

The game begins with a one-star tower with limited building options. To increase the tower's star rating, it must attract more tenants by providing more living space. New facilities are made available while the tower progresses from a one-star rating to a five-star rating. The tower is limited to a maximum of 100 floors above ground and nine stories below ground. Standard elevators, which can span a maximum of 30 floors, and express elevators, which can span the entire height of the building, must be used efficiently to decrease tenant stress.^[1]

Certain events can take place while managing the tower. Terrorists may phone the player to let them know that they have hidden a bomb in the building, and that they demand a ransom. If the ransom is not paid, then security services must find the bomb before it detonates, or else the tower will incur significant damages.^[1]

Development

Developed by Yoot Saito of OPeNBooK, SimTower was originally titled The Tower. Maxis localized the game for sale in the United States. The name was changed to capitalize on the popularity of the Sims franchise and increase sales figures for the game.^[3] It works on computers that can run the Microsoft Windows or Mac OS 7 operating systems; the game will operate on 68k-based Macs at the minimum. It requires 8-bit colors and four megabytes of random-access memory.^[1] Graphics and sounds used in SimTower are similar to previous Sim games, and high resolution graphics are also used. The sound effects are kept to a minimum; noises that are played in the background include office "buzz" and elevator bells.^[4] A planned expansion to The Sims would have added interaction between SimTower, among other Sim games, and The Sims. Development, however, was discontinued in late-2000.^[5]

Release and reception

SimTower was published by Maxis for the Windows and Mac OS 7 operating systems^[1] on December 31, 1994 in the United States.^[6] The South China Morning Post praised the game's formula, noting that it followed in the footsteps of previous open-ended Maxis games. Comparing to SimCity 2000, the review remarked that it was more interesting to watch people live out their lives in a tower rather than to observe cars moving around. They also appreciated the "homely" feeling of SimTower, in contrast with other Sim games such as SimEarth and SimLife, which they felt were too universal to take on a personal identity.^[1] Australia's The Age found SimTower a pleasing return to form for Maxis, after the release of the disappointing SimFarm.^[4]

SimTower was criticized by the South China Morning Post for lacking documentation, making it more difficult to learn how to play the game. They also predicted that players would be unhappy with the game's speed, as time plays an important role in earning money from tenants. Before the player can purchase new facilities, a long period of time must pass before income is earned from tenants. The newspaper was also unhappy with complaints from tenants; specific reasons for their dissatisfaction are never given.^[1] The Age was disappointed by the lack of pre-built towers and scenarios, suggesting that one along the lines of The Towering Inferno's plot could have been included.^[4] Game Informer referred to SimTower as a "lesser-known" simulation game, and described it as "fun and addictive".^[7]

The game was reviewed in 1995 in Dragon #217 by Jay & Dee in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Jay gave the game 3 1/2 out of 5 stars and Dee gave the game 3 stars.^[8]

The game was followed by Yoot Tower, also designed by Yoot Saito, which was initially released in March 31, 1999 in North America for the Mega Drive.^[9][10] It was released later that year in July for the Mac OS and Windows operating systems. Yoot Tower's gameplay is similar to that of SimTower—players build hotels, resorts, and office buildings, and work towards building a five-star tower.^[11] Sega released a version of SimTower for the Game Boy Advance, called The Tower SP, in Japan on April 28, 2005, and in the United States on March 15, 2006.^[12]

References

External links

• SimTower at MobyGames