Since its launch in 2015, Cities: Skylines has loved an eight-year reign because the optimum metropolis builder, providing unrivalled freedom and assets that permit gamers craft their excellent empires. Now, Paradox is about to take that one step additional with Cities: Skylines II, the sequel to the long-running simulator.
Cities: Skylines II guarantees huge enhancements to the city-building expertise you understand and love, whereas introducing thrilling new components that make your metropolis really feel like they’re dwelling and respiratory alongside you. There are new financial simulations, site visitors techniques to handle the movement of your metropolis, and practical climate patterns that current distinctive challenges. Your cities now even have a buildable space of 172 sq. KM and might boast over 4,000 constructing property – an enormous growth on the primary base sport.
Not solely that, Cities: Skylines II has been constructed from the off with Xbox console gamers in thoughts, to supply the absolute best expertise for all these budding architects preferring enjoying with a controller. We have been fortunate sufficient to talk to Mariina Hallikainen, CEO of Cities: Skylines studio Colossal Order, to study extra about what makes Cities: Skylines II the proper sequel no matter how and the place you play.
Evolution For Gamers
PC gamers will really feel proper at dwelling with the controls of Cities: Skylines II, however the delight right here is now console gamers and their wants have been top-of-mind since improvement started. Hallikainen tells us that crafting a handy console expertise has been a “essential half” of the sport’s design.
“The sport was designed for all platforms concurrently, which means it’s the identical code base, identical UI, identical achievements for all gamers. This permits for a similar type of expertise, regardless of on what system you determine to play on,” Hallikainen says.
“Not like its predecessor Cities: Skylines II has been developed for a number of platforms from the beginning. It doesn’t matter if you wish to design the proper site visitors community, probably the most environment friendly public providers or simply construct probably the most stunning skyline conceivable, all the things is extra enjoyable and extra enjoyable once you do it out of your sofa.”
The UI and controls have been expertly crafted and examined with the controller in thoughts, too. Hallikainen tells us that you just’ll be capable of navigate the UI seamlessly whether or not you’re utilizing a controller or a mouse and a keyboard.
Complete New World
Cities: Skylines II has been constructed to take onboard all the teachings realized from the making of its predecessor — in addition to fan suggestions — so as to make it really feel extra alive than ever earlier than.
Essentially the most noticeable change up entrance is that Cities: Skylines II is far, a lot larger. Every map is made up of 441 tiles, which may be unlocked in any order you need.
“You possibly can develop a steady metropolis from the beginning tiles, create smaller separate areas linked by pre-built highways within the map or something in-between,” Hallikainen tells us. “The cities can turn out to be huge and your creativeness is the one restrict!”
“The cities can turn out to be huge and your creativeness is the one restrict!”
The visuals of Cities: Skylines II reap the benefits of the most recent graphics applied sciences as effectively, presenting the cities in a lot better element.
“Lighting is physics-based and the solar’s place is dependent upon the latitude of the map, giving the sport a extra practical look that strives to additionally replicate the lighting situations of various areas across the earth faithfully,” Hallikainen provides.
The simulation in Cities: Skylines II has been overhauled and is way more detailed than earlier than; the inhabitants of your metropolis – be it residents, automobiles, companies — react to their setting, the modifications round them, and have total paths that you would be able to observe.
“It helps a redesigned financial system which is constructed on real-life financial fashions,” Hallikainen tells us. “Which means that residents in Cities: Skylines II earn cash and spend it on dwelling, travelling and actions of their free time.”
Corporations discover places with good connections to assets and entry to the workforce, and modify their manufacturing in actual time to assist increase their profitability. The varied new materials assets enable for a deeper enterprise simulation as the businesses promote, purchase, import, export and refine the assets into items which can be then bought to residents and different firms.
The pathfinding and site visitors AI have additionally been reworked to make for a extra immersive expertise. Autos could make choices on the fly that can enhance the movement of site visitors, corresponding to altering lanes, and can even attempt to give approach to emergency automobiles passing by. It’s smarter, reactive, and makes for hyper-realistic administration.
“One other cool and new factor is the introduction of parking areas, which actually makes the cities really feel extra practical,” Hallikainen provides. “The residents must discover a parking house and that can additional drive up the significance of dealing with roads and site visitors.”
Energy to the Individuals
One other hanging new addition to Cities: Skylines II is the Lifepath function, which lets you monitor your residents, who they’re, what they do, and the place they’re going at any time.
Every citizen has their very own earnings and expenditures, and all of them are intertwined to have an effect on the alternatives they make, corresponding to the place they dwell or the place they wish to store – and the way they wish to get there.
“Residents have been an integral a part of Cities: Skylines because the starting, so in Cities: Skylines II we needed to offer them extra company by way of the superior AI and simulation, in addition to a approach to meaningfully voice their opinions concerning the metropolis,” Hallikainen explains.
Even with all this added depth, the economic system simulation is designed to steadiness itself out typically so as to present the participant a easy enjoying expertise, Hallikainen assures. The economic system simulation helps rookies and newly-founded cities to succeed, however extra skilled gamers can delve deeper into the simulation and work out its intricacies to high-quality tune their metropolis extra.
Altering with the Seasons
Seasons are a brand-new function for Cities: Skylines, and so they go far past your typical expectation of seeing solar in the summertime and snow within the winter. Hallikainen tells us that that they’ll recreate practical climate patterns discovered on totally different sides of the globe, an up to date air pollution system the place air air pollution now takes wind route under consideration, and groundwater choices for freshwater pumping.
“Seasons work in a different way on every map as the precise place and latitude of the map defines how the climate and thus the seasons will have an effect on the gameplay,” Hallikainen explains. “Seasonal differences will have an effect on the electrical energy consumption, site visitors and climate which can give gamers further issues to regulate to. Gamers can count on acquainted challenges as in Cities: Skylines II, however the added depth within the simulation will present new challenges to deal with for these which can be well-versed in crafting a digital metropolis.
Nonetheless, the AI is completely balanced to help newcomers to the collection, and gamers can familiarise themselves with the sport’s wealth of options and property at their very own tempo.
“Even with all this added depth, the economic system simulation is designed to steadiness itself out typically so as to present the participant a easy enjoying expertise,” Hallikainen explains. “The economic system simulation helps out rookies and newly-found cities to succeed however extra skilled gamers can delve deeper into the simulation and work out its intricacies to high-quality tune their metropolis extra.”
So whether or not you’re a seasoned architect able to take your constructing sport to the following degree, or an aspirational overlord raring to place down your very first highway tile, Cities: Skylines II is poised to welcome you into its world, and its larger, larger and bolder than you would ever think about.
Cities: Skylines II is heading to PC, Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox Recreation Move on October 24th.
Cities: Skylines II
Paradox Interactive
When you can dream it, you’ll be able to construct it.
Increase a metropolis from the bottom up and remodel it into the thriving metropolis solely you’ll be able to think about. You’ve got by no means skilled constructing on this scale. With deep simulation and a dwelling economic system, Cities: Skylines II delivers world-building with out limits.
Lay the foundations to your metropolis to start. Create the roads, infrastructure, and techniques that make life doable everyday. It is as much as you – all of it.
How your metropolis grows is your name too, however plan strategically. Each determination has an impression. Are you able to energize native industries whereas additionally utilizing commerce to spice up the economic system? What’s going to make residential districts flourish with out killing the excitement downtown? How will you meet the wants and wishes of residents whereas balancing the town’s finances?
Your metropolis by no means rests. Like every dwelling, respiratory world, it modifications over time. Some modifications can be gradual and gradual, whereas others can be sudden and surprising. So whereas seasons flip and night time follows day, be able to act when life would not go to plan.
Essentially the most practical and detailed metropolis builder ever, Cities: Skylines II pushes your creativity and problem-solving to a different degree. With fantastically rendered high-resolution graphics, it additionally conjures up you to construct the town of your desires.
Deep simulation.
AI and complex economics imply your selections ripple by way of the material of the town. Keep in mind that as you strategize, problem-solve, and react to vary, challenges, and alternatives.
Epic scale, limitless prospects.
Cities: Skylines II allows you to create with out compromise. Now you’ll be able to construct sky-high and sprawl throughout the map like by no means earlier than. Why not? Your metropolis is you.
Cities that come alive.
Your choices form every citizen’s life path, a sequence of occasions that defines who they’re. From love and loss to wealth and wellbeing, comply with their life’s ups and downs.
A dynamic world.
Decide a map to set the local weather of your metropolis. These are the pure forces you will negotiate to broaden your metropolis amid rising air pollution, changeable climate, and seasonal challenges.