Fort Collins, CO Ð With the arrival in late summer of SimCity for NeXTSTEP, mission-critical applications are not the only things NeXT users will be able to customize.
With SimCity NeXTSTEP, a NeXT version of the popular Macintosh and Windows program, users can plan custom-made simulated cities and communities, and model the effects of building projects on such elements as crime rates, traffic, and pollution. The NeXT version is being developed by Liveware Corporation, but marketed by Dux Software, which owns the UNIX rights to the program.
Unlike existing versions of the program, SimCity NeXTSTEP will include 350MB to 450MB of images, such as landscaping options, as well as NeXT animation, according to Liveware President Todd Nathan.
Nathan said that Liveware is working on porting the software directly to the NeXT but may end up rewriting the engine. If the company opts for the rewrite, the program's introduction could be delayed by a few months, he said.
The Mac and Windows versions of SimCity are published by Maxus Software. Dux has just ported the program to Sun workstations.
Liveware can be reached at 303/484-7607; e-mail: Info@liveware.com.