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nicholas-ochoa/OpenSC2K

★ 5,080 · JavaScript · GPL-3.0 · updated Jan 2020

OpenSC2K - An Open Source remake of Sim City 2000 by Maxis

A browser-based reimplementation of SimCity 2000 using Phaser 3 and WebGL, written in JavaScript. It can parse original .SC2 city files and render the isometric tilemap, but the simulation engine is essentially absent — this is a viewer, not a playable game. For developers interested in game reverse-engineering, file format parsing, or isometric rendering, there's real substance here.

The .SC2 file format parsing is thorough — 20+ named segment handlers (XZON, XBLD, XTRF, etc.) that decode the original binary format chunk by chunk, which is genuinely useful reference material. The isometric tile rendering via Phaser 3 WebGL is well-structured with per-layer separation (roads, power, rail, pipes, subway all in separate layer files). The import pipeline cleanly separates artwork/palette extraction from city data parsing. Architecture is modular enough that you could swap the renderer without touching the city-loading logic.

Abandoned since January 2020 with the README itself admitting 'a lot of existing functionality is now completely broken.' No simulation — budget, zoning, population growth, traffic simulation — none of it works. Loading a city requires editing source code directly (hardcoded path in load.js). No tests anywhere in the tree. Requires proprietary assets from the original game to render anything, which you have to hunt down yourself and drop in the right directory.

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