This or SimTower?

[galneon]

I have fond memories of SimTower from my first computer, a Mac, back in '94. I still enjoy old games. Should I bother with Project Highrise (which I don't even remember purchasing), or just relive my childhood joys with a nostalgic dose of SimTower, flaws and all?

[[LST] Blacksheep]

I loved SimTower, I still have the CD for the PC version but can't for the life of me get it to run. I'd been craving it for years and when this came out I found it scratched the itch superbly. It's a lot more in-depth, which is great in many ways although it sometimes gets in the way of the fun having to balance all the extra factors usually its an improvement rather than a problem. I think I sometimes miss the more simple experience...

I definitely recommend it to anyone who loved Simtower but I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of someone who can play both, it's been so long since I could play Simtower that I might be remembering it more fondly than it deserves, forgetting its flaws and so on. If you end up getting this I'd love to hear how you think they compare.

[Nicole Sharp]

I will admit that I still like SimTower better than Project Highrise. Project Highrise is more detailed though, and likely a more accurate building simulator. The new game Mad Tower Tycoon (released January 2020) might be more SimTower-like than Project Highrise, but I haven't tried it.

[Scifiwriterguy]

Originally posted by Nicole Sharp:

I will admit that I still like SimTower better than Project Highrise. Project Highrise is more detailed though, and likely a more accurate building simulator. The new game Mad Tower Tycoon (released January 2020) might be more SimTower-like than Project Highrise, but I haven't tried it.

I'm curious: what put ST above Highrise in your view? Also, where would Yoot Tower rate for you?

[Nicole Sharp]

I never played Yoot Tower. I would say top items that I like better from SimTower versus Project Highrise are better sound effects, more interesting events and disasters, and the ability to auto-lease (instead of having to individually approve each tenant). Project Highrise is better for customizability, though I haven't tried any mods yet.

[Scifiwriterguy]

Originally posted by Nicole Sharp:

I never played Yoot Tower. I would say top items that I like better from SimTower versus Project Highrise are better sound effects, more interesting events and disasters, and the ability to auto-lease (instead of having to individually approve each tenant). Project Highrise is better for customizability, though I haven't tried any mods yet.

Yeah, sound was definitely a lot better in SimTower - well, except for the elevators, which I kept toggled off. The event spaces and movie theaters were a lot of fun, too. (Fun bit: in Yoot, you actually got to schedule what events took place in your event halls and what films were shown in the theaters. A little, more or less inconsequential thing, but a nice touch all the same.) And you're definitely right about auto-lease; it's why I generally avoid live-in tenants in Highrise; much as I like the idea, it's just too much of a hassle. (Plus, maybe it's my memory, but apartment and condo dwellers in Highrise seem to be a lot grumpier/pickier than they were in SimTower.)

[Argus]

Hey folks! Simtower runs like a champ on dosbox! You can grab the game and emulator at a lot of those ol' dos game type sites. It's a blast to play.

[Scifiwriterguy]

Originally posted by Argus:

Hey folks! Simtower runs like a champ on dosbox! You can grab the game and emulator at a lot of those ol' dos game type sites. It's a blast to play.

Good to know!

Still have the CD. The golden age of Maxis really was a beautiful thing. :)

[Turbo]

Originally posted by LST Blacksheep:

I loved SimTower, I still have the CD for the PC version but can't for the life of me get it to run.

(I'm not kidding) You need to run Windows 3.x in DOSBox to get it to run.

[Heathen scum]

Why not both?