SimCity

So for those of you who have read ..... my first post (was it my first?), I mentioned that I played SimCity 4. Well as many of you know, Maxis is currently developing another SimCity game scheduled to be released in March 2013. Unfortunately, it appears that EA continues to be the bully and makes its games horrible. If I'm not making any sense right now, I'm referring to the DRM (digital rights management).

The newest SimCity will require players to be connected to the internet at all times even if they are playing single player. This obviously generated large amounts of negative feedback as there are still lots of people out there who can't always get a constant connection to the world wide web. Originally I had planned to purchase a copy of SimCity after it had been released and after I had read the reviews for it. Even if the reviews were mediocre, I would've most likely purchased the game. Now that I found out that I must maintain a constant internet connection, I feel slightly disappointed and possibly upset.

I know it's not the developers' fault for this bloody DRM but rather, I should put the blame on EA. As a publisher, EA should not try to force its customers but rather, encourage them. By encourage, I mean giving customers a choice. When I purchase a game, I understand I am purchasing a copy of the game and not the rights to it (duh). But why is it that I must remain connected to your servers when I paid so I can play single player? What if your servers crash? I still want to play your game but now I can't.

It's a very stupid move on EA and Diablo 3 should have taught EA a few things. Granted, Diablo 3 did sell a lot of copies but many people didn't seem to be too happy. I used to have a lot of respect for EA being a big company that published lots of games. Sadly with the introduction of Origin and many of their other DRM "methods", I feel ripped off and my privacy invaded.

Unless EA changes the DRM on SimCity and goes back to the simple one-time authentication code, then it looks like you've lost another customer.

Oh and now for the more happy and fun stuff, the recent update for World of Tanks has brought in the new Chinese tech tree. After seeing it on the battlefield and having lengthy conversations with many other players, it would appear that the new 121 medium tank may have a spot in clan wars. I guess it just wasn't my playstyle then.

Chinese Medium Tank 121

Having tried it out on the test server, I thought I'd write down my impressions of this new tier 10 Chinese medium tank. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Wargaming is going to add a Chinese tech tree to the game and its tier 10 medium slot is filled with this tank. 

Firstly let's talk about the gun. The gun has an average penetration of 268 mm but oddly enough, it uses normal AP shells instead of the usual APCR shells that other tier 10 mediums use. It's still the same penetration as the M48A1 or the FV4202. It also deals an average damage of 440 per shot and has a reload time of 6.25. Overall the gun is a decent enough gun with nothing really special about it although some players may notice the aim time feels slightly longer than usual. 

As for its speed and maneuverability, the 121 feels very sluggish when it makes turns. It has a difficult time making sharp turns and does not feel like a medium when it tires to circle around an enemy tank. It has a weak engine of 580 h.p. and a weight of approximately 39 tons (depending on what equipment you put on it). This in turn makes it feel very sluggish when it is brawling. Also, it cannot turn on a dime!

Overall it doesn't feel like an impressive tank. The other tier 10 mediums are able to outpace it in one way or another and its weak engine makes it a poor choice for a medium role. The only time when it is useful is when it needs to travel in a straight line.