EA publishes SimCity modding rules

EA has published its policies regarding user-created SimCity mods. an its a bit... strict

In A post on the official SimCity website they explain that mods are essentially limited to cosmetic changes, such as reskins of buildings.

One of the rules states: "Mods must not jeopardize the integrity of the gameplay or harm the experience of others. Mods that affect the simulation for multiplayer games and multiplayer features, such as leaderboards or trading with other players, are not allowed."

Another is: "Mods may not modify any .com, .exe, .dll, .so or other executable files."

These rules mean modders will be limited to adding and customising objects or UI elements. The initial community response has been somewhat negative, with plenty of SimCity players complaining that the mod restrictions prevent them from "fixing" the game and tweaking various gameplay issues.

"SimCity 4 will end up with more active players than SimCity," reads one user comment under EA's official post. "The reason for this is that mods are constantly breathing new life into a game that is a decade old.

"More importantly perhaps, they are fixing a lot of the problems of this decade old game to make a better game. SimCity is a really bad game with a ton of problems that you don't have to even fix if you'd just let the community fix them."

The modding rules also prevent players from creating an offline-only single-player version of the game, something EA says it is still "working on".

EA originally proposed SimCity modding plans in October 2013. Modders were encouraged to share their thoughts on this initial draft, and while most welcomed the discussion, others expressed concern at the limitations proposed.