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==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
''Cities: Skylines'' focuses on [[city-building game|city-building simulation]] through [[urban planning]]. Players control [[zoning]], [[road]] placement, taxation, public services, and [[public transportation]] of an area. Gameplay is open-ended, touted as "endless sandbox gameplay across massive maps."<ref name="announcement"/> Player-determined civic policies can affect the development of the entire city or individual districts thereof.<ref name="Dean"/> Compared to the ''[[Cities in Motion]]'' series, ''Cities: Skylines'' also features a more streamlined traffic designs whereas ''Cities in Motion'' "was about pure transport management".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-09/23/cities-skylines-interview|title=How 'Cities: Skylines' aims to dethrone SimCity|date=23 September 2014|work=Wired.com|accessdate=10 March 2015}}</ref>
''Cities: Skylines'' is an single player open-ended [[city-building game|city-building simulation]]. Players engage in [[urban planning]] by controlling [[zoning]], [[road]] placement, taxation, public services, and [[public transportation]] of an area, working to maintain the city's budget, population health, happiness, and employment, air, water, and noise pollution, traffic flow, and other factors.


''Cities: Skylines'' uses a population tier system, requiring the player to obtain certain population levels to be able to access new city improvements such as schools, fire stations, and waste management systems, tax and governing edicts, and other features to manage the city. One such feature enables the player to designate parts of their city as districts. Each district can be configured by the player to restrict the types of developments or enforce specific regulations within the district's bounds, such as only allowing for agricultural industrial sectors, offering free public transportation to residents in the district to reduce traffic, or increased tax levels for high commercialized areas. Buildings in the city have various development levels that are met by improving the local area, with higher levels providing more benefits to the city. For example, a commercial store will increase in level if nearby residents are more educated, which in turn will be able to allow more employees to be hired and increase tax revenue for the city.
Players start with a plot of land - equivalent to a 2km x 2km area<ref name="wired interview"/> - along with an interchange exit from a nearby freeway, as well as a starting amount of in-game cash. The player proceeds to add roads and residential, industrial, and commercial zones and basic services like power, water, and sewage as to encourage residents to move in and supply them with jobs. As the city grows beyond certain population tiers, the player will unlock new city improvements such as schools, fire stations, and waste management systems, tax and governing edicts, and other features to manage the city. One such feature enables the player to designate parts of their city as districts. Each district can be configured by the player to restrict the types of developments or enforce specific regulations within the district's bounds, such as only allowing for agricultural industrial sectors, offering free public transportation to residents in the district to reduce traffic, or increased tax levels for high commercialized areas.<ref name="Dean"/> Buildings in the city have various development levels that are met by improving the local area, with higher levels providing more benefits to the city. For example, a commercial store will increase in level if nearby residents are more educated, which in turn will be able to allow more employees to be hired and increase tax revenue for the city. When the player has accumulated enough residents and money, they can be purchases neighboring plots of land, allowing them to build up to a 10km x 10km area.<ref name="wired interview"/>


Roads can be built straight or free-form and the grid used for zoning adapts to road shape; cities need not follow a [[grid plan]]. Roads of varying widths (up to major [[freeways]]) accommodate different traffic volumes, and variant road types (for example roads lined with trees) offer reduced [[noise pollution]] or increased [[property value]]s in the surrounding area at an increased cost to the player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/content.php?1986-Cities-Skylines-Dev-Diary-1-Roads&s=70e5d91bd717106ca782adc610eeedbd|title=Cities: Skylines - Dev Diary 1: Roads|last=Haimakainen|first=Henri|date=24 September 2014|work=Paradox Interactive Forums|accessdate=24 September 2014}}</ref>
The game also features a robust transportation system based on Colossal Order's previous ''[[Cities in Motion]]'', allowing the player to plan out effective public transportation for the city to reduce traffic.<ref name="wired interview"/> Roads can be built straight or free-form and the grid used for zoning adapts to road shape; cities need not follow a [[grid plan]]. Roads of varying widths (up to major [[freeways]]) accommodate different traffic volumes, and variant road types (for example roads lined with trees) offer reduced [[noise pollution]] or increased [[property value]]s in the surrounding area at an increased cost to the player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/content.php?1986-Cities-Skylines-Dev-Diary-1-Roads&s=70e5d91bd717106ca782adc610eeedbd|title=Cities: Skylines - Dev Diary 1: Roads|last=Haimakainen|first=Henri|date=24 September 2014|work=Paradox Interactive Forums|accessdate=24 September 2014}}</ref>
[[Mod (video gaming)|Modding]], via the addition of user-generated content such as buildings or vehicles, is to be supported in ''Skylines''; the creation of an active content-generating community is an explicit design goal. This content will be available for download from the [[Steam Workshop]].<ref name="Dean"/><ref name="announcement"/> The game includes several premade terrains to build on, and also includes a map editor to allow users to create their own maps, including the use of real world geographic features. Mods are also available to affect gameplay; prepackaged mods include the ability to bypass the aforementioned population tier unlock system, unlimited funds, and a higher difficulty setting.
[[Mod (video gaming)|Modding]], via the addition of user-generated content such as buildings or vehicles, is to be supported in ''Skylines''; the creation of an active content-generating community is an explicit design goal. This content will be available for download from the [[Steam Workshop]].<ref name="Dean"/><ref name="announcement"/> The game includes several premade terrains to build on, and also includes a map editor to allow users to create their own maps, including the use of real world geographic features. Mods are also available to affect gameplay; prepackaged mods include the ability to bypass the aforementioned population tier unlock system, unlimited funds, and a higher difficulty setting.

Revision as of 23:57, 18 March 2015

Cities: Skylines
Cities: Skylines cover art
Developer(s)Colossal Order
Publisher(s)Paradox Interactive
EngineUnity
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
OS X
Linux
Release10 March 2015[1]
Genre(s)City-building, construction and management simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Cities: Skylines is a city-building game by the Finnish game developer Colossal Order and published by Paradox Interactive.[2][3][4] Video game journalists perceived it as a competitor to 2013 city-building game SimCity.[4][3][5] On 10 March 2015, Skylines was released on digital distribution service Steam for Windows, OS X, and Linux.[6][2]

Gameplay

Cities: Skylines is an single player open-ended city-building simulation. Players engage in urban planning by controlling zoning, road placement, taxation, public services, and public transportation of an area, working to maintain the city's budget, population health, happiness, and employment, air, water, and noise pollution, traffic flow, and other factors.

Players start with a plot of land - equivalent to a 2km x 2km area[7] - along with an interchange exit from a nearby freeway, as well as a starting amount of in-game cash. The player proceeds to add roads and residential, industrial, and commercial zones and basic services like power, water, and sewage as to encourage residents to move in and supply them with jobs. As the city grows beyond certain population tiers, the player will unlock new city improvements such as schools, fire stations, and waste management systems, tax and governing edicts, and other features to manage the city. One such feature enables the player to designate parts of their city as districts. Each district can be configured by the player to restrict the types of developments or enforce specific regulations within the district's bounds, such as only allowing for agricultural industrial sectors, offering free public transportation to residents in the district to reduce traffic, or increased tax levels for high commercialized areas.[8] Buildings in the city have various development levels that are met by improving the local area, with higher levels providing more benefits to the city. For example, a commercial store will increase in level if nearby residents are more educated, which in turn will be able to allow more employees to be hired and increase tax revenue for the city. When the player has accumulated enough residents and money, they can be purchases neighboring plots of land, allowing them to build up to a 10km x 10km area.[7]

The game also features a robust transportation system based on Colossal Order's previous Cities in Motion, allowing the player to plan out effective public transportation for the city to reduce traffic.[7] Roads can be built straight or free-form and the grid used for zoning adapts to road shape; cities need not follow a grid plan. Roads of varying widths (up to major freeways) accommodate different traffic volumes, and variant road types (for example roads lined with trees) offer reduced noise pollution or increased property values in the surrounding area at an increased cost to the player.[9]

Modding, via the addition of user-generated content such as buildings or vehicles, is to be supported in Skylines; the creation of an active content-generating community is an explicit design goal. This content will be available for download from the Steam Workshop.[8][10] The game includes several premade terrains to build on, and also includes a map editor to allow users to create their own maps, including the use of real world geographic features. Mods are also available to affect gameplay; prepackaged mods include the ability to bypass the aforementioned population tier unlock system, unlimited funds, and a higher difficulty setting.

Development and marketing

Finnish developer Colossal Order had wanted to create a game with a broader scope than its transportation-focused Cities in Motion games for some time, but could not initially secure funding from publisher Paradox Interactive.[8] Cities: Skylines was announced by Paradox on August 14, 2014 at Gamescom while in the alpha stage of development. The announcement trailer emphasized that players could "build [their] dream city," "mod and share online" and "play offline"[10]—the third feature was interpreted by journalists as a jab at SimCity, which initially required an Internet connection during play.[8][5] Skylines uses an adapted Unity engine with official support for modification.[11] In early September 2014, a release between the first and second quarters of 2015 was estimated; Colossal Order expects to continue development on Skylines after its initial release.[8] On February 10, 2015, a trailer announced the release date as March 10.[6]

Reception

Pre-release

When the game was first announced, journalists perceived it as a competitor to the poorly-received, 2013 reboot of SimCity, describing it as "somewhat ... the antidote to Maxis' most recent effort with SimCity"[4] and "out to satisfy where SimCity couldn't."[8] A EuroGamer article touched upon "something of a size mismatch" between developer Colossal Order (then staffed by nine people) and Maxis, and their respective ambitions with Skylines and SimCity.[8]

Critical reception

Cities: Skylines has received critical acclaim from critics and gamers alike, currently holding a score of 88 on Metacritic and 89.08% on GameRankings.[13][12]

IGN awarded the game a score of 8.5 and said "Don’t expect exciting scenarios or random events, but do expect to be impressed by the scale and many moving parts of this city-builder."[15] Destructoid gave the game a 9 out of 10 with the reviewer stating, "Cities: Skylines not only returns to the ideals which made the city-building genre so popular, it expands them. I enjoyed every minute I played this title, and the planning, building, and nurturing of my city brought forth imagination and creativity from me like few titles ever have."[14] The Escapist gave Cities: Skylines a perfect score, noting its low price point and stated that despite a few minor flaws, it is "the finest city builder in over a decade."[19]

Commercial reception

Cities: Skylines sold 250,000 copies during its first 24 hours after launch, marking a new record for Paradox Interactive.[21] As of March 16, 2015, it has sold 500,000 copies.[22][23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Robert Purchese (11 February 2015). "Cities Skylines release date revealed". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines". Paradox Store. Paradox Interactive. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  3. ^ a b O'Connor, Alice (15 August 2014). "Simulated Urban Area – Cities: Skylines Announced". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Parrish, Peter (14 August 2014). "Cities: Skylines announced at Paradox fan event". IncGamers. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  5. ^ a b Stoneback, Robert (14 August 2014). "Cities: Skylines Revealed by Cities in Motion Creators at Gamescon". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines - Release Date Reveal Trailer". Paradox Interactive. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference wired interview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Paul Dean (14 September 2014). "Cities: Skyline is out to satisfy where SimCity couldn't". Eurogamer. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  9. ^ Haimakainen, Henri (24 September 2014). "Cities: Skylines - Dev Diary 1: Roads". Paradox Interactive Forums. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  10. ^ a b "The Sky is Not the Limit in a New City-building Simulator from Colossal Order" (Press release). Paradox Interactive. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  11. ^ Munthe, Jacob (20 August 2014). "We are Colossal Order & Paradox Interactive, the developers and publishers of the upcoming hardcore city builder game Cities: Skylines -- AMA". Reddit. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines". GameRankings. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines". Metacritic. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Review: Cities: Skylines - Destructoid". destructoid.com. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  15. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines Review". IGN.
  16. ^ "Building Toward Something Meaningful - Cities: Skylines - PC - www.GameInformer.com". www.GameInformer.com.
  17. ^ Brett Todd. "Cities: Skylines Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Cities: Skylines". PC Gamer.
  19. ^ a b "Cities: Skylines Review - Modern City Building Made Easy - Reviews - The Escapist". The Escapist.
  20. ^ Hill, Greg. "Cities: Skylines Review". GodisaGeek. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  21. ^ "Cities: Skylines Sells 250,000 in First 24 Hours". IGN.
  22. ^ "Cities Skylines First Official Progress Update". Paradox Interactive.
  23. ^ Brenna Hillier (17 March 2015). "Cities: Skylines has doubled its day one sales". VG 247. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
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