An Introduction To The New SimCity Tropical Maps

SimCity just released four new maps, two of which feature new tropical landscaping. To me it looks like Maxis took inspiration from Kauai when developing these maps.

So what kind of tropical paradise did we get? Let's dive in and take a closer look.

Serenity Key is the smallest of the two new tropical regions, with a total of six city sites. I was surprised to see that it has two great works despite it's small size. I haven't been able to test it out yet to see which cities link to which city sites.

Oma Oma O has slopes begging for wind turbines.

As you can see in the summary table above, half of the maps have a good amount of ore and/or oil which can be used to manufacture Omega. Once the Cities of Tomorrow expansion gets released, I imagine this will be a popular map to learn how to create an Omega Empire. Nui Lani and Paniolo Pointe don't have any resources but with their long coastlines, they're a good opportunity to build a city focused on gambling and tourism.  Although none of them are 100% buildable, Nui Lani, South Wakea and Paniolo Pointe all have a good amount of space to work with. Oma Oma O has not only the weirdest name in the game, but one of the most tantalizing pieces of land for those that love to build wind farms on the windy sides of mountains.

Click here to see all the maps and resources for Serenity Key

Verdant Jungle is my favorite of all the new maps. The second of the tropical themed maps, it features lush terrain. Four cities are in the Kauai-like hillsides while the other four are along the coastline.

Like Serenity Key, Verdant Jungle also has some maps with good resources for manufacturing Omega. Featuring maps with soaring cliffs (Kingfisher Cliffs) and lush hillsides(Mount Macaw, Tapir Valley, Jaguar Ridge) it truly is a beautiful set of maps. In general, Verdant Jungle features maps with a lot of road connections. Six of the 8 cities have at least two road connections.

If you take a look at the "Road Connection" column in the table above, I would point out that Toucan Valley has three (Yes, Three!) entrances. I was amazed when I saw that. The fact that it has three entrances, plus it has 100% buildable land, it has to be one of the best maps for building a Tourism/Casino City. The only downside is lack of coastline to bring in cruise ships.

Osprey stands out as being one of the best maps in the region since it has two entrances, 100% buildable land, and a good supply of coal (2), ore (2), and oil (2).  Jaguar Ridge stands out as one of the most unusual, based on the beautiful, yet challenging ridgeline that divides the map. For those willing to take the challenge, it rewards with an outstanding amount of coal (3), ore(2) and oil(3).

Click here to see all the maps and resources for Verdant Jungle