EA Disables Non-Critical Features in SimCity to Ease Server Problems

The SimCity server difficulties continue, but EA has taken steps to put things right. The publisher has taken the decision to disable some of the game's non-essential features to soothe some of the server problems.

On the game's EA Forum, the community manager gave details about what was being done. “We are continuing to do everything we can to address the server issues,” the post explained. “In the meantime, so that we can give you as good an experience as possible, we are in the process of deploying a hotfix to all servers. This includes various improvements and also disables a few non-critical gameplay features (leaderboards, achievements and region filters). Disabling these features will in no way affect your core gameplay experience.

"We will continue to let you know as we have more information. We know it has been said before, but we do appreciate your patience as we complete this latest update. Getting you playing is our absolute highest priority."

This is the latest incident in what has been a troubled launch for the highly-anticipated game. Disgruntled fans have already taken to social media and aggregate websites such as Metacritic to register their discontent, with a lot of vitriol being aimed at the game's always-on DRM. (You can find out what IGN thinks of the game in our review in progress.)

While some players have taken to aggregate site to register their discontent, Maxis – the game's developer – has promised on Twitter that its working around the clock to fix the problems.

We are working on the servers 24/7 - expect performance fluctuations. Our fans are our number one priority. Thank you for your patience.

— SimCity (@simcity) March 7, 2013

The game is due to launch in Europe at the end of this week. EA has assured international fans through the Origin Twitter account:

We’re making changes to prevent further issues, and are confident that Origin will be stable for international launches later this week.

— Origin (@OriginInsider) March 5, 2013

Have you been affected by the problems above? Is always-on DRM necessary for what can be enjoyed as a single-player experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer. He will be hunting monsters later today. Follow him on IGN and Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com