SimTower: The Vertical Empire
Also known as The Tower (ザ・タワー, Za Tawā) in Japan
SimTower: The Vertical Empire (known as The Tower (ザ・タワー, Za Tawā) in Japan) is a construction and management simulation computer game developed by OPeNBooK and published by Maxis for the Macintosh System 7 and Microsoft Windows operating systems in late 1994. In Japan, it was published by OPeNBooK that same year and was later released for the Sega Saturn and 3DO in 1996. The game allows players to build and manage a tower and decide what facilities to place in it, to ultimately build a five-star tower. Random events take place during play, such as terrorist acts that the player must respond to immediately. The game was created by Yutaka “Yoot” Saito.
Gameplay
SimTower allows the player to build and manage the operations of a modern, multi-use skyscraper. They must plan where to place facilities in the tower, including restaurants, condominiums, offices, hotel rooms, retail stores, and elevators. To prevent tenants from vacating their properties, the player must keep their stress low by fulfilling their demands for medical centers, parking lots, recycling facilities, clean hotel rooms with the help of housekeepers, and an efficient transportation system, which involves managing elevator traffic. SimTower, which was built around an elevator simulation program, places a strong emphasis on good elevator management.
The game begins with a one-star tower with limited building options. To increase the tower’s star rating, it must attract more tenants by providing more living space (or office space, and later in the game, hotel, and various commercial spaces). New facilities are made available while the tower progresses from a one-star rating to a five-star rating. The highest achievable rating is the designation of “Tower” which can only be awarded by building a cathedral at the very top of a five-star building with all possible tower levels above ground developed. The tower is limited to a maximum of 100 floors above ground and nine stories below ground. Standard elevators, which can span a maximum of 30 floors, and express elevators, which can span the entire height of the building, must be used efficiently to decrease tenant stress.
Certain events can take place while managing the tower. For example, terrorists may phone the player to let them know that they have hidden a bomb in the building and that they demand a ransom. If the ransom is not paid, then security services must find the bomb before it detonates, or else the tower will incur significant damages. If the player builds facilities underground, the game may notify them that their workers have discovered gold treasure, which gives the player a significant amount of funds. At random intervals during the game, some notifications state that a VIP will be visiting the tower soon, so the player must prepare for their visit. If the VIP enjoys their visit because of variables such as a comfortable hotel suite and efficient navigation, the VIP will give the tower a favorable rating. A favorable rating would then allow the tower to advance to the next star level, assuming the other qualifications are met. Although it does not have any impact on the tower, at the end of the fourth quarter every year in the game, Santa Claus and his reindeer fly across the tower.
Development
Developed by Yoot Saito of OpenBook, SimTower was originally titled The Tower. It works on computers that can run Microsoft Windows or Macintosh System 7 operating systems; the game will operate on 68k-based Macs at the minimum. It requires 8-bit colors and four megabytes of random-access memory. Graphics and sounds used in SimTower are similar to previous Sim games, and high-resolution graphics are also used. The sound effects are kept to a minimum; noises that are played in the background include office “buzz” and elevator bells.
While attending Waseda University, Saito played SimCity on the Macintosh, which prompted him to pursue video game creation after graduating. His first game was a simulation title that was part of a future media project for a publishing house. When Saito asked to develop a second, the business refused because it was not a video game company. He left the company to personally produce the second game, which built on ideas he conceived while working on his first: elevators and towers. Saito teamed up with freelance programmer Takumi Abe to complete the project. To research the gameplay, Saito contacted an elevator company to learn about elevator scheduling and management. However, the company declined to provide the information. Saito handled the graphic design and started with a monochromatic scaled tower created in HyperCard. The designer added color to differentiate between office- and hotel-type buildings. As development neared completion, Saito noticed that the Mac’s performance had improved and decided to increase the color palette size from 16 to 256 colors. Saito enlisted a second designer to produce animation for the graphics and improve the details for the color increase.
It is possible that EA still owns SimTower since Maxis Software, the game’s publisher, was acquired by EA in 1997, but Yoot Saito of OpenBook owns The Tower IP and trademarks.
Some notes from Samurai Cory (me!)
I did play SimTower (which was part of the SimMania pack) on an old Windows 98 computer, and later on an iMac. I have struggled a bit with the whole “blackmail from terrorists” message, demanding a 300K or a bomb will explode, as well as fires and failed VIP ratings. SimTower has limits on certain structures and you cannot remove security offices or housekeeping.
That’s it for SimTower. See you in the next retrogaming review.
