Raspberry Pi – Sim City
One of my all time favorite games is Sim City. Some weeks ago a new version was released again, where the main game mechanics are equal to the one of the first Sim City. If you have a Raspberry Pi, then you can also play Sim City! I show you how.
Micropolis
The Open Source version of Sim City is called Micropolis and it looks like the first Sim City and also has the same game mechanics. This is, because it is based on the original Source Code of the first Sim City.
The game comes with some saved cities, which you can grow bigger or you can destroy them. It is up to you. You can also generate an empty map and create your own city. For this you have to build power stations, set building, trade or industry grounds, police stations, hospitals, streets, and many more. With a limited budget you have to build a small town that grows and also gets a positive balance. You can extend the city with parks, stadiums, airports, and so on! Traffic jams, disasters or budget problems are problems that you have to face with.
Installation
The game comes from the packet manager, so the installation is quite easy. You only need this command:
sudo apt-get install micropolis
You can find the game in the games folder of you Pi or at the graphical user interface at the start menu.
Rating
This game is fun! Newer Sim City version may look better and have more functions, but the core mechanics are the same for more than 20 years. This version has only a few building types and functions, but the game is so dynamic, that there will be no boredom, because there is always something to do. There is lack of energy, a traffic jam or you have not enough money. On the left bottom there is an action cam where you will see currently happening action. My advice: install and try it! The game runs on the Raspberry Pi fluently with good performance!
Alternatives
Micropolis is not the only Open Source city simulation. Another really good project is LinCity. This game has different building types than Sim City. The game mechanic is also quite different, but the game is also good and you will have fun to play it. LinCity also runs fluently an your Raspberry Pi and can also installed with the packet manager:
sudo apt-get install lincity
When I go to run the game for the first time I type in the command that has been provided and then It ask if I wish I to install it and I agrree. Then more text scrolls and it says : ‚Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update, or try with –fix missing?‘ When I do these thing that it suggest it does not help the situation. I think it migh be because my pi is not hooked up to the Internet, but I may be wrong so i someone could provide assistance it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, yes you need a connection to the internet. When the –fix missing error is displayed, then something goes wrong with your packet manager. You can also try to purge this package and to reinstall it.
Hey how to run it
Hi, try to run micropolis or lincity from command line. An alternative is you start menu, there should be a link to it (but I’m not sure if every game creates one).