SimCopter: Fly Missions in the Metropolis is a simulation game released in 1996 by Maxis and developed by the legendary Will Wright. The game is related to the SimCity series, mostly because a large selling feature of the game was that you could import your SimCity 2000 cities and use them as the backdrop for the game.
The game puts you in control of a pilot Sim and initially, his small Schweizer 300 helicopter. You complete various missions for the city, from putting out fires with your water bucket, to breaking up traffic jams, to helping the police catch various criminals, to medivac jobs and VIP transports. As you complete missions successfully, you gain money to put towards better equipment and better helicopters.
The game has two different modes: Free mode, which allows to import SimCity 2000 cities or use one of the 30 cities included, and fly around the city completing various missions. You can also set your mission and their level of difficulty. The Career Mode starts you in a small city and, once you've gained enough points, move on to different and more difficult cities.
The game was one of the first to have an extensive in-game "radio" system (now commonplace in games like the Grand Theft Auto series, with several different channels of music (Classical, Rock, Jazz, Techno, and Mix), plus giving you the option of importing your own songs via .WAV files.
The game performed only moderately in sales. Although in garnered a fair following of people, and indeed many felt the premise of the game was something they really could enjoy, the game was simply not up to the usual standards of Maxis. Indeed, even Will Wright was upset that the game was rushed and the team wasn't given near the time it desired to actually complete the game.
Types of Missions[ | ]
- Fire: Something is burning; put it out with water cannon or bucket
- Rooftop Rescue: Sim is stuck on top of a roof
- Boat Rescue: Sim is stuck on an overturned boat
- Med-Evac: Sim is injured, call ambulance or go pick them up yourself
- Transport: Transport one or more persons to a destination
- Traffic Jam: Use megaphone or police to clear traffic
- Criminal: You can kill them or get cops to arrest them to complete the mission
- Arsonist: Unarmed criminal
- Robber: Armed Criminal who also can rob buildings as time pass
- Criminal in car: You must pursue him until he stops and is apprehended by police
- Speeder: Speeding Car, randomly found. Stop with megaphone and call police.
- UFO: When you shoot down the UFO (use the Apache and shoot missiles)
- Riot: Use teargas and tell them to disperse. Also call the police to arrest, ambulance for the wounded, and firemen to take out fires