SimCity Insider’s Look series gives you the lowdown on the technology behind the title

It’s certainly been a long while since we’ve had a SimCity game, but just how long it has been is a little harder to answer! The most recent of the series was SimCity Creator, which released back in 2008 for the Wii and DS, and functioned more as a spin-off. Purists would also argue that SimCity Societies was not a true entry, partly because it wasn’t developed by Maxis, and also since it was a much more simplified version of the title, focusing more on social interactions than pure city building. Phew, so technically the last ‘proper’ SimCity title was SimCity 4, which came out back in 2003! Going by that logic….it’s been 9 years!!!

So, when EA and Maxis unveiled their latest entry, simply titled ‘SimCity‘, due for 2013, fans were definitely eager to see how it held up. During GDC 2012, Maxis detailed their new technology for the title, codenamed the ‘GlassBox Engine’, this new tech really allows the game to be much simpler to get to grips with both for the developers and gamers, yet still maintaining the in-depth nature that the series is known for.

The first part in a new video series, this ‘Insider’s Look’ gets you up to speed on the core concepts of Resources, Units and Maps, as well as Agents, Paths and Zones. It’s certainly pretty impressive, and since it serves as a tech demo, you can get to see the underlying architecture of the latest SimCity and how it’s very much Simulation based, with real events instead of pre-scripted actions. Long gone are the days of sprite cars which simply disappear into junctions! Check it out below and see for yourself what you’ll be playing next year, exclusively on PC.

GlassBox is the simulation engine that powers the world of SimCity and we’re taking you under the hood to show you the integrity of our simulation. We have a philosophy of What You See Is What You Sim; every aspect of the game is an agent that reports back to the underlying simulation. Watch the world come to life around you in a meaningful way, all thanks to GlassBox.

SimCity is due for release some time in 2013 exclusively for PC.