Nigh Unplayable

So, after over a month of hiatus, I tried playing SimCity Societies. I've liked all of the SimCity games so far, and when I initially bught it I got it with SimCity 4, which I like.

SimCity Societies, rather than being a city-building simulation, has been described as a societal simulation. A societal simulation, rather than emphasizing zones, service coverage, and a population described solely through statistics, it emphasizes how buildings are used, what jobs are available, what forms of recreation are available, and so on. Instead of zones, the player seelcts specific buildings with different values. Cottages are more pleasing but house less people; condos less pleasing but more people. Some jobs emphasize artistic ability, while some venues rely on there already being an interest in book smarts in the city. Overall, a pretty cool idea.

However, there is a problem. The game speed, at levels faster than normal, goes faster than the Sims in the game move. The people move too, but not fast enough to keep up the pace. If I wanted to go on fastest to burn through a few days quickly, a Sim might have enough time to walk between home and work and get no sleep. They're unhappy, they don't work, and I get no money.

I've tried playing this game along another, so I don't have to sit there staring at the screen waiting for another workday to pass (it goes at probably a day every couple of minutes). But then I just feel like I'm not really playing. If it weren't for this, I would really enjoy it.