Since its release, players have been lining up round the block to complain about traffic congestion in their cities. Update 7 should be significantly improving the issue as it allows drivers to relay information to other drivers before they reach critical junctions. Changes to congestion algorithms mean drivers will be able to take less busy routes when they hit traffic.
The key change in the update is that which “allows vehicles to claim a spot in a unit far in advance of arriving at a destination,” writes software engineer Alexander Harkness. “This means that the routing map can be updated so it doesn’t include those units where all the spots have been claimed. So, for other vehicles that do not yet have a destination, we can send them to an alternative unit instead of their current behaviour where they all flock to the same destination and then change their minds.”
This could mean an end to rows of rubbish trucks all trying to pick up the same row of houses’ bins. Police will still all chase after a single criminal but once the perp is arrested they’ll go about their day as before.
Routing’s been improved, too. Roads now carry a congestion rating. As traffic builds up the value of the road increases. If drivers can take an alternate route, one which has sections of road with lower values, they will.
Matt’s covered the other changes being brought in Update 7.
SimCity should be patched later this month.