Gameplay
As the name suggests, SimCopter puts the player in the role of a helicopter pilot. There are two modes of play: free mode and career mode. The free mode lets the player import and fly through cities of their own or any of the 30 cities supplied with the game. However, user cities sometimes need to be designed with SimCopter in mind, and most of the time the player must increase the number of police stations, fire stations, and hospitals to allow for speedier dispatches. The career mode puts the player in the shoes of a pilot doing various jobs around a city. These jobs include:
- Rescues - Players will occasionally be called upon to rescue Sims from perilous situations. All rescues can be aided by the use of a rescue harness. There are three subtypes:
- Rooftop Rescue - Involves rescuing Sims from the rooftop of a building. This mission often occurs as the result of a fire.
- Boat Rescue - Involves rescuing Sims from capsized boats.
- Train Rescue - Involves rescuing Sims from the top of a fast-moving runaway train. It is one of the more difficult and higher paying missions in the game.
- Traffic jams - A simple mission that involves using the megaphone to redirect traffic, or dispatching police to clear traffic.
- Aerial fire fighting - This type of mission involves extinguishing a fire somewhere in the city. It is usually on buildings, but it can sometimes be as small as a burning car or a tree. Sometimes a plane or train crash will start a few fires scattered over a small area. Putting out a fire is accomplished by flying above a body of water and filling a Bambi bucket, and then flying directly over a fire and dropping the water on it by tipping the bucket. If it has been purchased, a water cannon can also be used to spray a stream of water over a distance. The player has to be careful not to fly too low over a fire, as it is extremely dangerous to the helicopters. Provided that the fire is near a road, a fire engine can be dispatched to help put out a fire.
- Catching criminals - There are four types of criminals in this game: robbers, arsonists, muggers and burglars. Arsonists may start fires on buildings, and muggers may kill nearby Sims. The first three types of criminals roam the streets on foot. All types of criminals can be arrested by picking up a police officer from the roof of a police station, and then dropping them near the criminal. Police cars can also be dispatched to aid in the arrest of a criminal. Criminals on foot can also be stopped by landing on top of them with the helicopter, which kills them, but this risks damage to the helicopter. Burglars drive around the city at high speed and are difficult to catch. To catch a burglar, the player must dispatch police cars and guide them to the crook. It becomes easier to catch by slowing and/or stopping the car through the use of a spotlight, water bucket, or water cannon. Another more direct but riskier method is landing on top of the criminal's vehicle while it is in motion, at which time the burglar will pull over and exit the car, making capture easier.
- Riot control - There are three ways to stop a riot. The first way is to use the megaphone to order the rioters to disperse. The second way is to dispatch police cars and/or fly police officers directly to the site of the riot. The third way is to drop tear gas from the helicopter. However, tear gas may injure or even kill Sims, which makes the player lose points. Riots often cause MEDEVAC, traffic jams and fire missions. Riots do not appear in career mode until level eight.
- MEDEVAC - These missions involve transporting injured Sims to the rooftop of the nearest hospital. Help is available in these missions in three ways. The first way is to pick up a paramedic from the rooftop of a hospital and take him to where the victims are. He will help carry the victims back to the helicopter. The other way to get help is to dispatch an ambulance to the area. The third way is for the player to get out and carry the victim to the helicopter and drop him or her off at the nearest hospital (This can be dangerous as the patient may still die on the way to the hospital if the player takes too long). After landing on the hospital rooftop, a paramedic will help the injured get out of the helicopter. The player should not attempt to manually eject the victims, as it may cause them further injury or death.
- Transporting Sims – These missions involve picking up Sims at a given location and transporting them to a particular destination. The rewards for these missions are based on how quickly the player picks up the clients, how comfortable the clients are during the ride (depending on speed and altitude), and the time the ride takes.
- Speeding cars - If none of the above jobs are available, the player can earn some cash and points by seeking out speeding drivers and commanding them to pull over, and then dispatching the police to charge them. The player can tell if a car is speeding if its tires are squeaking and smoking when the car turns around corners. For the player to earn the points, they must stay where the speeder is until the police arrive, or else the speeder will just drive off. Catching speeders rewards the player with points and cash.
Read more about this topic: SimCopter