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Since the early days of SimCity, simulation city-building games have been a niche, yet necessary genre. Though it has had its ups and downs over the years, the city-building genre has had a recent revitalization with the release of Cities: Skylines and its follow-up, the newly released Cities Skylines 2.
Despite this, due to the niche nature of city-building games, many new players looking to jump into the series at Cities: Skylines 2 may be a bit lost. With so many systems to juggle, options to choose from, and tiny details that can go wrong. Even for new players, some of the changed systems and updated formats may require a bit of getting used to. Here are 10 Cities: Skylines 2 tips that you should know before playing.
Choosing Your Map
With a few different maps to choose from in Cities: Skylines 2 it can be difficult for new players to understand the pros and cons of each choice. With different kinds of resources, connections, and other factors, a new player may feel lost and choose at random. To prevent this, YouTuber TotalXclipse suggested going with the Sweeping Plains map, as it has a lot of room for building and all the connections you would want to try out.
Plan Ahead In Cities: Skylines 2
One thing that older Cities: Skylines players may know to do, but not newer players, is to carefully plan your layout. Though it may be tempting to dive right in and start throwing things together, carefully planning your infrastructure is integral to your success later down the line. This will save you a lot of trouble, preventing your wild chaos from ruining your city.
Cities: Skylines 2 Development Points Are Important
Development points are a precious commodity that is earned during specific milestones. These points can then be used to unlock new features and buildings to add to your city. While it may be tempting to dive in head-first and start spending to unlock cool, new things, taking some time to take stock of what you need and what you have before buying anything is a must for your city’s future.
Use The Grid Tool
For some new Cities: Skylines 2 players it can be difficult to optimize the limited amount of space, while still keeping a clean and well-planned city. Luckily, the Grid Tool will help players plan infrastructure easily and efficiently. This tool will quickly place roads in a tight grid pattern that keeps everything perfectly straight and orderly. However, TotalXclipse warns that too many grids can create a boring city.
Using Wind Power Is Great Cities
Although this Cities: Skylines 2 tip only applies to some maps, another helpful hint for your city’s early game is that wind power is just as viable as coal power. While this may not apply to maps without high winds, the wind turbines are more effective and cheaper than the starting coal facility if used in the correct location.
Take Things Slow And Steady
As is the case with many simulation games, it can be tempting to over-expand and attempt to make your city all in one sitting. This may lead to problems such as sustainability and be very draining on your resources and facilities. A much better option is to start slow, and slowly progress through the game’s milestones. This will help your city naturally develop into what you initially envisioned.
Quality Over Quantity For This Cities
When your city starts to get a bit too big in terms of population, it may be tempting to just build as many service buildings as possible to accommodate. It may seem like an easy fix to just build more schools or police stations and call it a day, but there is a better option. Upgrading these buildings first should be a priority as it is more cost-efficient and effective in the long run, and should be prioritized over building more. In this case, quality over quantity wins out.
Skip The Garbage Dump (For Now)
Once you unlock a new facility, it can be tempting to dive in and build one right away. However, with something like a Garbage Dump, this may not be worth the cost. This facility will drain tons of money and in the early game, your trash can be dealt with using outside connections. Later in the game, the dump should be a worthy investment though.
Scout Ahead For Your Cities: Skylines 2 Location
Although some players may consider this a bit unfair, it may be worth scouting out a map initially before doing any Cities: Skylines 2 planning. By choosing the Unlock All option when creating a map, players can see which resources are located where before planning the first steps of your city. This will save you from building over any important resources you may have wanted later down the line.
Variety Is the Spice of Cities: Skylines 2
Finally, our last Cities: Skylines 2 tip is to play around with building zoning sizes. While it may be tempting to plot residential areas perfectly even and symmetrical, doing so can have a few consequences. Mainly, for residential areas, since lot size determines the cost of living, this can cause lower-income citizens to be unable to afford houses. Giving a wide variety of lots of all sizes will help out in the long run.
