#simcopter

[chestnutroan]

fashionably late 🧙‍♀️

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[found-in-retro-game-mags]

SimCopter

"When SimCity 2000 calls 911." (Computer Gaming World #148, Nov. 1996)

[sims-by-burinis]

Как запустить SimCopter (1996) на Windows 10/11 в 2025 г?

Одна из самых любимых нами компьютерных игр 90х - SimCopter - вышла в далёком 1996 г., когда в России даже бюджетный компьютер считался роскошью, а интернет тогда только начинал набирать популярность.

В этой статье я вам покажу мой способ запуска этой игры на Windows 10/11. Это далеко не панацея, но всё же советую попробовать. Для этого нам понадобятся игра SimCopter (на примере версии 1.2) и программа Dxwnd (у меня версия 2.06.06).

Для запуска игры необходим эмулятор дисковода (у меня Alcohol 120%). Поэтому смонтируйте образ скаченной игры (если она не скачена - скачайте её).

Затем создайте новую папку в удобном для вас месте (у меня игра установлена в директорию D:\Application\Old Games\SimCopter).

Зайдите в корень образа игры (у меня образ смонтирован в виртуальный дисковод G:\, но у вас буква дисковода может быть другая), затем зайдите в папку "SIMCOPTER" и скопируйте всё её содержимое в вашу директорию с игрой.

Зайдите снова в корень образа игры, затем - зайдите в папку setup\System и скопируйте файлы glide.dll и sst1init.dll в директорию с установленной игрой. Не извлекайте образ диска с игрой, так как без него игра не запустится!

После всего этого у вас должно получиться так, как у меня на скрине:

Затем перейдите в папку с установленной игрой, кликните правой кнопкой мыши по файлу SimCopter.exe, перейдите на вкладку "Совместимость", кликните на кнопку "Изменить параметры высокого DPI", поставьте галочку "Переопределите режим масштабирования высокого разрешения. Масштабирование выполняется" и в списке ниже выберите "Приложение". Нажмите два раза OK.

Но это ещё не всё. Скачайте (если она у вас не скачена) и запустите программу Dxwnd (ссылка на скачивание).

В самой программе Dxwnd выберите в меню Edit=>Add...

Во вкладке Main рядом с полем Path кликните "...", в окне выбора файлов перейдите в директорию установленной игры (у меня это D:\Application\Old Games\SimCopter), выберите файл SimCopter.exe и нажмите OK. То же самое укажите и в поле Launch. Затем в поле Name укажите название игры (у меня это SimCopter):

Перейдите во вкладку OpenGL и поставьте галочку Hook OpenGL:

Перейдите во вкладку Video, в разделе Window style поставьте галочку Lock win style, затем в разделе Initial virtual color setting выставьте переключатель в положение 8 BPP. После этого поставьте галочку Limit resolution и укажите разрешение экрана 640x480:

Перейдите во вкладку DirectX, в разделе AERO Handling снимите галочки Set AERO compatible mode и Optimize for AERO mode. Также в списке DirectX version hook выберите DirectX 7 и поставьте галочку Full bilinear filtering:

Перейдите во вкладку Compat., в разделе Fake version поставьте галочку и выберите Windows 95 или Windows 98/SE:

По окончании настройки нажмите OK.

Надеюсь, вам это руководство помогло освежить ваши воспоминания. Подписывайтесь, ставьте лайки, комментируйте и делайте репосты! Всем пока!

[feelboss]

himbo this, himbo that but do you have any respect for them?

[simnostalgia]

Hello, I'm looking for some (I think) lostmedia of the sims. I've read multiple articles talking about how in 1999 the sims made history because they showed two female sims kissing at E3 (There are a lot of articles about this that explain it better), but I haven't been able to fins any footage or images of this. I was wondering if you as a Sims nostalgia blog knew anyting about this or had any images or footage?

I legit don't think it exists. I can't say that for sure but I know exactly what you're talking about and I genuinely think that was planned from the start as a marketing tactic.

We have images from E3 that year and no first hand accounts of that happening. Additionally we've had the design docs of The Sims for several years now and we know that they argued about whether to add homosexuality.

Another story that has been reported is that the game wasnt supposed to uave gomosexuality but it was added it when a dev was given the wrong info.

I say all of this because I don't think we'll ever have the real answers. It seems unlikely that two autonomous sims made out.

Honestly? My best guess is that this story was posted to drum up interest for The Sims among men. This was seen similarly in the way that the game was advertised. The title of this blog "a more bitchin lesbian simulator" is a reference to something Will Wright joked about as being a tagline for The Sims 2.

I think that stories of mistakenly added code by devs and surprise lesbian-ism were more interesting that the truth that we do have proof of in those documents and from simcopter.

Don Hopkins told devs to pipe down with the homophobia. He thought it was stupid (at one point if one sim of the same sex tried to kiss another they'd get slapped, which Don called out) and he didnt want a replay of the Simcopter scandal.

[theangryman]

its kinda weird that the Sims 4 gets praised for being progressive with trans stuff, but at the same time has this weird shit

so 💖girlie pop✨

it’s kinda funny how the Sims series in general has gotten praised for half measures of inclusivity

gay options in the Sims 1 were removed during development, and accidentally put back in by a dev that didn’t read the patch notes (there’s an alternative version of the story where he did this on purpose, which also goes with some of the mythologizing of the Simcopter pride story)

there was an accidental lesbian kiss at a tech demo, the crowd went wild - and then they just made it so they absolutely would not be gay unless you made it happen

the second sims game let you give your gay sims a “civil union.” The only gay relationship in a base game hood i can think of is Nervous Subject/one of the Curious brothers, and it’s only hinted at

[alln64games]

SimCopter 64 (Prototype)

PAL release: N/A

NA release: N/A

JP release: N/A

Developer: Maxis

Publisher: EA

N64 Magazine Score: N/A

In my previous looks at franchises, I noted all cancelled games. Due to the amount of N64 games, I will be just looking at playable prototypes, the first of which is SimCopter 64, which was playable at E3 1997. It was planned to work as a standalone title, but would be compatible in some way with SimCity 2000, SimCity 64 and Mario Artist (all ended up being Japan-only games), although none of that was ever integrated.

In this prototype, you fly around as you please and can help sort out emergencies such as traffic jams and speeding cars (the full game would have had more, like the PC version). These are solved by hovering your spotlight on the cars and pressing a “shout” button. You get money for completing these tasks (there’s a sound effect but no HUD display).

You can also get out of the helicopter and walk around. In both flight and on the ground, none of the buildings have collision, so you go straight through them. The city looks nice, but draw distance is very low. It’s very likely that this was adapted into the free roam aspect of SimCity 64, which was from a first person view.

Footage from a later build has been see, but this is just a few seconds of footage and the build itself hasn’t been shared. This version has some text explaining what to do, a HUD showing health and money and has collisions.

SimCopter 64 is an impressive early demo of a 3D city on the N64, but I don’t think it would have performed well on the platform.

The PC version of the game received mixed reviews in its appearance earlier this year, but the Japanese developers promise the 64-bit version will be veritably rejigged with 30 new pre-built cities.

- N64 Magazine #5

Should it be finished?

SimCopter was released on PC with better integration and better graphics, so there’s no reason to see the finished version of this. That said, I would be much more interested in SimCity if minigames like this were part of the package.

[zathille]

I hope the SIMcopter sequel has this

good bye

[crintsiewintsey]

got tagged for the funy by @egs-zs8-1s-apparent-trajectory thakn yuo deaerest handsome :)

Last song: last one i added and kind of just relistening alot is Fate of the Stars by Tally Hall, but as im writing the post right now the song playing is SimCopter Hangar Backdrop and then also Welcomed Death by Widdly2Diddly

Favorite color: light blue and pink. blue is surprising i know

Last book: Crime and Punishment lol. still need to finish it though. kind of abandoned it a bit... rodya i will come back to you kitten don't worry

Last movie: And I Saw The TV Glow. awesom

Last show: uhhhhhh uhhh i dont remember man i barely sit down to watch things anymore they call me the not carer. (i do care and got a big list of stuff id like to watch but oh well)

Spicy/sweet/savory: savory. mm .. .

Relationship status: i dunno man i love my friends, who give a shit

Last thing i googled:

i wanted to make a funy image and needed to google the funy

Current obsession: countries man. countries. right now croatia in particular

Looking forward to: meeting my buddies friends awesome epic dudeguys slash gender neutral some day

i don really now who to tag but if you wanna do this too take it up! peace and love

[sims-by-burinis]

Работа SimCopter (1996) в Dxwnd

Кто вспомнит эту игру?

VK Video: https://vkvideo.ru/video-177241821_456239259 Dzen: https://dzen.ru/video/watch/6835fc73d0e745171f9bfe76

[arclengthy]

The whole relationship design and implementation (I’ve looked at the tree code) is Heterosexist and Monosexist. … The code tests to see if the sex of the people trying to romantically interact is the same, and if so, the result is a somewhat violent negative interaction, clearly homophobic. We are definitly going to get flack for that. It would be much more realistic to model it by two numbers from 0 to100 for each person, which was the likelyhood of that person being interested in a romantic interaction with each sex. So you can simply model monosexual heterosexual (which is all we have now), monosexual homosexual (like the guys in SimCopter), bisexual, nonsexual (mother theresa, presumably), and all shades in between (most of the rest of the world’s population). It would make for a much more interesting and realistic game, partially influenced by random factors, and anyone offended by that needs to grow up and get a life, and hopefully our game will help them in that quest. Anyone who is afraid that it might offend the sensibilities of other people (but of course not themselves) is clearly homophobic by proxy but doesn’t realize it since they’re projecting their homophobia onto other people.

Don Hopkins's Review of The Sims Design Document Draft 3, 8/7/98

this sims 2 ad has like such deep gay energy to it. Like this feels like queer history to me

[foone]

twick or tweat

Here's a copy of SimCopter, with included aviator sunglasses

[maverickuk]

Simcopter is a unique game from an era of gaming history when Maxis was in their creative prime and bringing out quite a range of difference experiences

That isn't to say Maxis always made great games and I would go as far to say that many of their games are more curiosities and experiences or simulators than classical games, but that doesn't detract from the joy that can be found in them

I was impressed by the low system requirements of the game needing only a 75MHz Pentium and 16MB of RAM to run.

So it was a safe install on my mighty 200MHz Pentium system, even if the Voodoo 2 3D accelerator had to sit out this game.

It came out when 3D in gaming was still a novelty rather than a mainstream given, which was reflected in the difficult development of the title due to it's use of 3D. From memory I believe they had to hire in somebody with the experience as no-one at Maxis at the time had the knowledge.

Playing the game now is a quite clunky and confusing! I'm not sure how I managed to work it all out when I was a kid, but I needed to lookup some guides online this time to learn the ropes

There's a big nostalgic kick playing it again after 20 or so years. It reminds me of a time when big studios could afford to make such quirky titles. This creativity is what gave birth to The Sims, which did quite well on balance

[theorigamiphoenix]

[jezmatronwrites]

I tried this when I was... Eleven I think. I had no idea how to do pixel art or draw my own buildings and made some absolutely god awful designs. Some of them you could see reflected when you uploaded your city in SimCopter.

Great gaming days.

SimCity 2000 Urban Renewal Kit