Paradox Interactive has announced the release of the highly-anticipated sequel to its popular city building game – Cities: Skylines II. This new iteration promises to be the most detailed and expansive city builder yet, giving players more control and tools to build their dream metropolis.
Cities Skylines 2 Performance Issues
In the lead up to the game’s release, performance optimization has been a concern, as the game struggles to maintain a smooth frame rate even on high-end hardware configurations. This can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, impeding the enjoyment of building and managing a city.
Players have also reported issues with the game’s pathfinding algorithms, resulting in traffic congestion and inefficient transit systems.
The lack of modding support and limited customization options also hinder the game’s potential for long-term engagement, as players are unable to fully tailor the experience to their preferences. Developers have acknowledged these issues and will continue to work to stabilize and improve the game.
Deeper Simulation and Living Economy
Unlike the original Cities: Skylines which focused more on city layouts, the sequel goes deeper into simulating almost every aspect of running a real life city. Everything from traffic systems, public policies, pollution, education, healthcare etc. will be modeled in greater detail, allowing players to manage the impact and consequences of their decisions.
The economy is now a living system, where production, consumption, import, export and natural resources influence growth. Players will need to balance industrial and commercial zones, provide efficient transportation for goods, manage supply chains and provide jobs for citizens. The city feels alive as each citizen leads a life – studying, working, having families and homes.
Flexible Tools and Problem Solving
While the complex systems offer challenges, the game provides players with the tools to creatively solve problems. Flexible road tools, zoning, policies, public transportation – players have fine-grained control on infrastructure and services. Solving traffic congestion, pollution, unemployment and crime will involve experimenting with different systems.
Epic Scale and Endless Possibilities
Cities: Skylines II offers endless possibilities on an epic scale. Players can create everything from small rural towns to sprawling metropolitan city-states. The landscaping and terraforming tools allow you to shape the geography to your liking.
The game uses intelligent traffic AI and has dynamic weather, with rainstorms, blizzards etc affecting city life. The world ecology also evolves differently based on your climate and biome choices, adding to the realism.
Build Your Dream City
At its core, the game retains the magic of the original in letting you build your dream city just the way you want. The mod support also enhances longevity, with players able to customize and expand the experience.
If you want a utopian eco-friendly city or a polluted urban sprawl focused on optimization, the choice is yours. The only limit is your imagination and skill at balancing the complex interconnecting systems.
Editions and Price of Cities: Skylines II
Cities: Skylines II is available on PC via Steam and Windows Store at a suggested retail price of $49.99 / £41.99 / €49.99. Cities Skylines II is also available on PC Game Pass.
The Ultimate Edition priced at $89.99 / £74.99 / €89.99 includes the Expansion Pass, an instantly unlocked San Francisco set at launch, an Asset Pack, two Content Creator Packs, three Radio Stations, and an Expansion unlocking over time.
With Paradox Interactive‘s portfolio of successful simulation titles like Stellaris, this is one of the most anticipated games of 2023.
