In the near future, it may be possible to mod your SimCities to your heart’s desire–and Maxis is totally cool with that.
While some modding has already been done in the past, mainly by example-setting players exhibiting offline modes, Maxis wants a future patch to allow full modding support. The developer has already been utilizing feedback from respected members of the modding community and seeking potential avenues into the subculture. Kip Katsarelis of Maxis said: “From a development perspective, we’re not anti-mod. We’ve actually brought in some of our modding community before launch. We’ve talked to the modding community for both SimCity and the Sims, so it’s one of those things that, we need to get the core product out the door.”
Specifically, Katsarelis mentioned Valve’s Steamworks, whose Steam Workshop allows modders to upload files straight into Steam for other players to download into their game with minimal effort. Something similar could be in the horizon for Origin, but as Katsarelis says, “these things take time.” It might be a good thing that Maxis wants to get the game running more smoothly first. Crashing is still an issue on some days, and Katsarelis wants the game “solid” before modding is actually implemented.
I’m a closet SimCity fan despite the issues. Have you been playing the game and formulating ideas and wishes for the mods? Tell us in the comments, or discuss SimCity in our forums!