SimCity Offline Mode Survey

After over 4 months on store shelves and digital storefronts, SimCity may finally be getting the mode gamers have requested since launch: an offline mode. Or at least that's what a recent Electronic Arts survey suggests might be in the pipeline.

According to the survey, developer Maxis might be looking to introduce a new 'Classic Mode', which in and of itself is something original SimCity fans will be excited about. But the more intriguing element to the 'Classic Mode' description is its mention of an offline mode — something that has yet to come to SimCity.

The survey in question (via Reddit), doesn't detail the 'Classic Mode' or any other feature in full, but simply gives a general sense of how a list of proposed items might work. Survey participants are then asked to say how interested they would be in such a feature.

"Classic Mode: in offline or online mode, play a single fully functioning city using cheats and unlocks that allow you to create your perfect city."

While there are no clues as to legitimacy of the survey — aside from an email and a link — there's no doubt that fans hope an offline mode is in the works. Ideally, an offline mode would give players an unlimited amount of space and let their imaginations run wild. No regions, no resource sharing, and no connectivity problems.

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The survey also includes hints towards some other oft-requested features like a raise and lower tool for creating over or underpasses, the ability to name individual buildings, and, perhaps the most requested feature, bigger cities.

This SimCity survey also mentions a few potential add-on packs for the game. Some of the sets hinted at include an 'Airships Pack', a 'Heroes and Villains' pack, and a 'Military Set.' To be honest, while those add-on packs sound perfectly fine, Maxis' primary focus should be drawing players back to SimCity with new features not bells and whistles.

How exactly they will do that is yet to be seen, but an offline mode might do the trick. After some clever modders discovered that, contrary to Maxis' claims, SimCity can be played offline, many gamers gave up on the PC and Mac title altogether. The sign-in problems were the initial issue, but the restrictive nature of the game was the straw that broke the camel's back. Even update 2.0, which brought back 'Cheetah' speed and introduced a few new features, seemingly didn't change gamers' perspective on the title.

Despite some serious issues, though, SimCity did sell well, which means there are still gamers out there looking for new and exciting content. Hopefully this survey can help Maxis determine which features they should include in a future update. Oh, who are we kidding, it should be an offline mode.

Do you think that Maxis will inevitably introduce an offline mode for SimCity? How would you feel if they charged for the upgrade?

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Source: Reddit