We've heard and seen a lot about the built-in multiplayer aspects of the new SimCity, and we've had stills showing off how much life there suddenly is in our virtual towns.
But now, this video shows off the actual day-to-day play—and, excitingly, the nights as well— in SimCity. It all begins, of course, with choosing land. (Carefully constructing maps in advance for optimal play was my "cheat" of choice in the SimCity 2000 era. I admit, I'll miss that.) The video then delves into roads, zoning, infrastructure, and all the other little chores that really do make being a virtual mayor (or virtual despot) so much fun.
The level of detail that this new SimCity can hold is astonishing. Every resident has goals and needs. Every garbage truck has a capacity. Players not only build power plants, but can edit them. And when it comes to business and tourism, players can even target a specific socioeconomic class of virtual visitors. Seeing it all work together makes me really want to dig in and become ruler of my own little tilt-shifted domain.