SimCity Blog - http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/simcity-offline-is-coming
I still recall them saying "SimCity Offline is NOT possible" and that the game requires too many calculations handled by the EA servers for it to not function if it were to be offline.
Ha!
But now with this announcement, perhaps I'll finally consider picking up the game now. It was my biggest gripe.
Yes, Offline is coming as a free download with Update 10 to all SimCity players. When we launch it, all of your previously downloaded content will be available to you anytime, anywhere, without the need for an internet connection. We are in the late phases of wrapping up its development and while we want to get it into your hands as soon as possible, our priority is to make sure that its as polished as possible before we release it. So, until then testing, testing and more testing. As one of the final steps, were putting Offline into the hands of some of our most hardcore players, the DevTesters. This group of volunteers is going to put Offline through its paces before we release it.
Bringing the game Offline means big things for our wonderful community of Modders. They can now make modifications to the game and its components without compromising the integrity of the Online game. Modding is a big part of our studios legacy and were excited to see what you guys create. Check out this thread to learn about Oppie85s Central Train Station, which you can put into your game right now, and if youre interested in making your own content take a look at the Modding Policy. To get you started, we will be rolling out a series of tutorials from the studio that surfaces how weve created some of the content that youve seen so far in hopes of inspiring your creativity.
I still recall them saying "SimCity Offline is NOT possible" and that the game requires too many calculations handled by the EA servers for it to not function if it were to be offline.
Ha!
But now with this announcement, perhaps I'll finally consider picking up the game now. It was my biggest gripe.