Sim Earth

SimEarth came to the Apple II in 1990, though it wasn't built for Apple's aging computer. Created by Will Wright after his success with SimCity, this planet simulation game pushed the Apple II beyond its limits. Players controlled an entire planet from its formation through the development of life and civilization.

The game starts with a blank planet. You choose the atmosphere, temperature, and landforms. Then you introduce simple life forms and watch them evolve. Players manage everything from continental drift to rainfall patterns. The goal is to guide life from single cells to intelligent beings capable of space travel. You control evolution by adjusting dozens of variables like oxygen levels, solar radiation, and meteor impacts.

SimEarth divides time into geological ages. In the earliest age, you create basic conditions for life. During the evolution age, you help species develop and spread across continents. The civilization age lets you guide intelligent life toward technology. Finally, the technology age challenges you to help your species reach the stars before destroying their planet.

The Apple II version struggled with the game's complexity. Graphics were basic colored blocks representing land, water, and life forms. The computer's limited memory meant constant disk swapping. Loading new game sections took several minutes. The interface used keyboard commands because the Apple II mouse wasn't standard equipment. Players typed letter codes to access different controls and data screens.

Despite technical problems, SimEarth offered deep gameplay. Players balanced carbon dioxide and oxygen levels to prevent runaway greenhouse effects. They placed volcanoes to create fertile soil but avoided triggering mass extinctions. Random events like ice ages and plagues tested your management skills. The game included real scientific concepts like plate tectonics and the water cycle.

The Apple II couldn't handle the full PC version. Many features were cut or simplified. The creature editor disappeared completely. Weather patterns were basic. The famous "Gaia" mode that let the planet manage itself ran too slowly to be useful. Sound effects were limited to simple beeps.

SimEarth represented the end of complex games on the Apple II. By 1990, most developers had moved to more powerful computers. The game showed both the ambition of designers and the limits of 1970s hardware. While better versions existed on newer computers, the Apple II port let students and schools experience Wright's vision of playing with an entire world. It taught earth science concepts through gameplay and inspired future simulation games.