While it was extremely limited due to the tech at the time, I truly enjoyed this and SimCopter for the ability to drive/fly around your created cities. Would love to have seen some semblance of physics included. I just recall any cars you drove up/down hills just conformed to the terrain. Was still extremely fun.
The game idea itself was pretty cool, flying around a city that you could create yourself. But the controls for the helicopters were very strange. And the gameplay itself was not all that good. Mostly, I just liked the Apache helicopter you could use to blow everything up
I liked how SimCopter actually used the same systems as SimCity 2000, with cop cars coming from police stations and fire trucks from the firefighters. Well thought out SimCity maps actually made your life easier, rather than being window dressing.
I wish someone would bring back the concept. There was a SimCopter mod for Cities: Skylines back when it first released, though I think it was abandoned. That would be the perfect game for it, since half of SimCopter was dealing with traffic and Skylines had an amazing traffic simulation.
Mostly, I just liked the Apache helicopter you could use to blow everything up
Until you hit a nuclear power plant and it wiped out half the city (and probably fried your copter too) once it burned down.
UFOs would also start spawning when an Apache was present on the map and start abducting civilians and blowing up buildings until you shot them down. I think that was the only other disaster the game simulated?
What we need is the ability to both build the city, and jump into anyone’s body and go about their lives. Get in their car, go to their home, kill their family, pet their dog/cat.