SimCity 4 is a city-building simulation computer game developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts.

SimCity 4 has a single expansion pack called Rush Hour which adds features to the game.

SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition contains the original game and Rush Hour combined as a single product.

The game allows players to create a region of land by terraforming, and then to design and build a settlement which can grow into a city.

Players can zone different areas of land as commercial, industrial, or residential development, as well as build and maintain public services, transport and utilities.

It received widespread acclaim, won several awards, and was one of the top ten selling PC games of 2003.

The player still has some terraforming tools made available in mayor mode, although they become very limited and expensive, and they can still trigger disasters at will.

In addition to these abilities, god mode also gives the player tools to reconcile the borders of the cities, so as to fix any discrepancies created during the terraforming process, and a day/night cycle adjustment, so that one can make it always day, always night, or alternate between day or night in accordance with the in-universe game clock.

Sims can be killed by certain disasters or catastrophic events, leave the city if conditions are unfavorable, or die of old age.

Small buildings and props are drawn as flat images, which are pasted onto billboards; polygons with their surface normal facing into the camera.

Although a 3D engine is used, the camera in SimCity 4 is restricted to a fixed trimetric orthographic projection for performance reasons.

[15] The Terrain Generator tool allowed users to create maps based on any of the 48 contiguous United States.

The suite consists of three applications: The Building Architect game pack for Gmax, which enabled users to render Gmax models into SimCity 4 sprites or props to be imported into the LE; an updated version of the LE; and the standalone Plug-in Manager, which enables users to modify simulation properties for new lots.

Because it was released several months before the BAT as a stand-alone version, users at the time were only capable of producing lots that consisted of built-in props from SC4.

[17] In addition to official tools, third-party programs were released for further accessibility in editing SimCity 4 contents, potentially allowing users to change the nature of the game itself.

Following the release of the Lot Editor and the "BAT" (Building Architect Tool), the majority of add-ons in circulation consist of user-created content; most are buildings and lots, including real-life landmarks, chain stores, extra houses, etc., while others include cosmetic changes for terrain, flora, custom vehicles and modifications in the game's behavior.

Some even fundamentally change the mechanics of the game (for instance, by introducing multi-function transportation networks and stations, or by modifying the distance Sims are willing to walk in order to reach transit or their jobs).

[22] Shortly after its release, the PC version of SimCity 4 garnered mainly positive reviews, gaining 84/100 from Metacritic,[30] and an 85.09% overall score from GameRankings.

[26] 1UP rated the game at B+ and praised the region view feature as well as the detail of the graphics which create a "deeper sense of simulation."

The review commented that the regional gameplay was a "new and welcome addition" and that it had detailed and realistic graphics; it was also said however that the game was not "revolutionary," had "horrendous bugs," and that the tutorial and manual lacked information.

On April 10, 2014, Aspyr released an updated version of their port of the Deluxe Edition on the Mac App Store.

[37] This version of the game lacked the stability and modding capabilities compared to those sold on other platforms, such as Steam or GOG.com.

[39] However, on February 5, 2017, SimCity community members reported that their copy was once again downgraded to the unpatchable "digital version," to which EA provided no explanation.

[40] During this duration, the SimCity 4 storefront page utilized screenshots containing community-made mods which were impossible to use on this version of the game.

We want to take it back to its roots where somebody who had never heard of SimCity can pick it up and enjoy playing it without thinking it was really, really hard.

In another interview on May 22, 2004, Wright stated that Maxis was attempting to work out a "new direction" for SimCity after new versions had become "steadily more complex".

[47] During the Republican presidential primaries of 2012, candidate Herman Cain's 9-9-9 taxation proposal was widely attributed to a similar tax structure presented in SimCity 4; the CNBC cable networks relayed the story of the linkage of the SimCity "ideal parameters" as a possible origin of the taxation proposal (the story itself may have originated in the technical press), but Cain denied any link to the game.