The Perfect World Was a Dream

The products of harmless-yet-encompassing obsession and copious time within which to obsess are rarely uninteresting. Take, for instance, Vincent Ocasla aka Imperar, who managed to take SimCity 3000 to its absolute limit. Creating a city named “Magnasanti,” Ocasla grew a population of over 6 million within its confines. Compare that to my best in SimCity 2000, wherein I managed to starve only half the populace to death simply by destroying the potable water supply of the other. (Okay, that never happened.) The forum on which he posted his updates is gone, but fortunately there is a cached version of the post, all picture links intact. You can even download Magnasanti for your own perusal (...or destruction...) here. Vice Magazine did an interview with him as well, which revealed Ocasla's imaginative and, well, mildly disturbing take on his virtual populace:

There are a lot of other problems in the city hidden under the illusion of order and greatness: Suffocating air pollution, high unemployment, no fire stations, schools, or hospitals, a regimented lifestyle … They don’t rebel, or cause revolutions and social chaos. No one considers challenging the system by physical means since a hyper-efficient police state keeps them in line. They have all been successfully dumbed down, sickened with poor health, enslaved and mind-controlled just enough to keep this system going for thousands of years. 50,000 years to be exact. They are all imprisoned in space and time.

As I mentioned, the product of an obsessive mind is a sight to behold. Did I mention he composed an six minute long video of his accomplishment? Even considering his philosophy toward his city, the presentation is a little odd – more fitting for a home-made commercial for the latest rehash of Doom than a flawless execution of city-building – but don't let that detract you from his skill. He introduces his three most “complete” cities in the video, each a step toward the next. What I find most amazing are the included scans of his very detailed hand-made notes and sketches which contribute toward the final design.

(If you'd like to skip directly to Magnasanti, click here.)

Related posts:

1. The World Warrior
2. Busy World
3. Dream Wave