We Built This City: Inside Cities: Skylines II
For skyscraping satisfaction, built from the ground up, few titles captured the hearts of PC gamers as Cities: Skylines did, back in 2015. Now, the celebrated simulation returns with a sequel, Cities: Skylines II. Ahead of its much-anticipated launch, we had a chat with Samantha Woods, the community manager at Colossal Order Ltd, the Finnish game studio with a penchant for urban planning (they also produced the mass-transit Cities in Motion, and Cities in Motion 2). She gave us an exclusive peek into the game that takes the limits out of city limits.
Samantha’s journey with Colossal Order began as a passionate Cities: Skylines player and asset creator, so she really belonged to the community before she became responsible for that community. As Samantha says: “I get to work with our amazing community every day, sharing feedback from our players with the development team”. This feedback is integrated into the game’s evolution.. Nestled in Tampere, Finland, Colossal Order, an independent studio, has been laser-focused on pioneering the realm of simulation games since its inception in 2009. Having done it once, “our dream has been to create the next big city-building game,” Samantha admits.
**What’s New in Town? **
For starters, this isn’t just another city-building game. It’s a versatile, dynamic sandbox that invites veterans and newcomers alike to craft their urban dreams. Dive deep into challenges such as traffic management and infrastructure planning, or bask in the pleasure of watching your city’s gorgeous skyline rise against the backdrop of day, night, or the changing seasons. As Samantha says: “For those not interested in the nitty-gritty details, the game offers tools for creating beautiful cities based on real-world locations [or] completely imaginative landscapes.” This city is your city, in other words. “Cities: Skylines II is a versatile game,” Samantha adds, “that can appeal to many different types of players, all wanting to create cities based on their own ambitions and goals.” The level of realism, both in terms of gameplay mechanics and graphical fidelity, is unparalleled. And the buildable areas? They’re roughly five times the size of those in the original game, promising endless avenues of creativity.
The development journey of Cities: Skylines II was all about enhancement. “Players can look forward to much more flexibility when creating their city layouts,” Samantha enthused. “We overhauled the way traffic moves around the city. The game factors in travel-time, cost, and convenience, and vehicles adapt to traffic in real-time, changing lanes to overtake slow or stopped vehicles, or just improve the traffic flow. We’ve also added several highly sought-after features, like seasons which affect how citizens behave. If it’s cold or wet outside, they look for indoor activities, while warm and sunny weather brings them outside to enjoy the warm season.”
The team’s dedication to innovation is evident. Samantha cites realism as a “guiding principle” for the team. Fans responded to realism and flexibility, and Colossal Order delivered more, introducing increased residential zone types, a wider array of buildings, and an in-depth production chain for those eager to dive into the details.
Welcome to the Metropolis
Things are not only bigger and better; . accessibility lies at the core of Cities: Skylines II. Recognizing that the first game’s learning curve may have been steep for some, the sequel introduces an intuitive tutorial. It guides players through the city-building basics, and offers support as they uncover the many new features. Whether you’re a returning mayor, or taking office for the first time, this game accommodates your play-style, from progression with guidance, to an all-out sandbox with unlimited resources.
Speaking of making the game accessible to as many players as possible, Colossal Order noted a boost from their first-time, during development, collaboration with Intel. Samantha explained: “Intel and Paradox have cooperated to address rendering pipeline issues for Cities: Skylines II, and managed to boost performance by 25% via driver improvements for Intel? ARCTM GPUs … Moreover, performance was also boosted on older rendering APIs, unlocking extra frame-rates outside of DX 12 constraints, which was key for Cities: Skylines II which is releasing on DX 11.” The ultimate goal? To allow players to construct massive cities without compromise. Intel’s involvement was not just about providing tools, but about crafting solutions.
The Future’s Bright
Looking ahead, the future of Cities: Skylines II is as expansive as its vast terrains. Modding tools and console platforms are already in the pipeline, and an Expansion Pass will be next out of the gate, with more content to come. The same as with its predecessor, Colossal Order is committed to growing and evolving Cities: Skyline II based on community feedback, ensuring the Cities: Skylines legacy lives on.
For every urban dreamer eager to etch their vision onto a virtual landscape, Cities: Skylines II promises to be an unforgettable journey. Mark your calendars for the game’s release date of October 24, 2023, and get ready to put your hard hat on and break some ground.