There is mine wishlist in which I have all game features which could developers from Colossal Order implement in they next game. Cities Skylines 2 are announced and have release date. After we get more information I will look back to this article and I will actualise what is new.
Usage of AI, GPT3 and other models
What changes a lot of since latest game progress in AI and specially in last year rising language models. I think that using these “fancy things” could be great for large simulation/strategy games like are Cities Skylines.
There should be new layer of game features which will simulate what is going on in city. There could be big events / problems / disasters which affect behavior of your citizens so you will be faced to new challenges.
My prediction / wishes:
- They will use advanced AI layers which we don’t know yet.
- Simulation will be more deeper than in other strategy games.
- Using AI to simulate events / problems / disasters.
- Using GPT3 to simulate interactions between pops and player.
One big economy ecosystem
In first version of Cities Skylines there won’t be complex economy systems. Your cities won’t be connected to other cities. If you need more raw materials / coal / … there was. Trains with goods came to your cities no matter what happens…
… I think that something bigger must came to game to make difference. There could be generated “states” with multiple cities like was in latest SimCity. This concept was good, but they failed to deliver. Let’s think about opportunities.
Your city could have problems with not enough oil or food. So you must solve if will be better for you to import these materials and how. Or if you will build farms or industry to provide these resources. And if your city will be just another part of ecosystem you could be facing to challenge in which you must manage Export / Import of goods. What to import and when and how much you would export.
I don’t know how to use this well. But in lates months there are around 22 000 active players. So probably there could be economy interaction between players. Like are buying and selling animals in Planet Zoo. But is question if this layer of iteraction with others is not too much.
On other side if there won’t be connection to other cities. So it would be nice to be able to set how things should behave in your sandbox game. Because then you can say you’re going to build a city that depends on something and produces something else. And so you customize the game more for what you want to achieve.
My predictions / wishes:
- Economy system which will be larger than mine city.
- Economy system which will integrate how big is mine city.
- Economy system that will influence what I focus on.
- Economy interactions to other cities / states / countries.
- Interaction with other cities in near larger region.
- Possibilities building small cities in countryside.
- Possibilities building small neighborhoods.
Population, groups, their needs
The latest Victoria 3 shows us how could be simulation of population deeper and detailed. Also this was missing layer in current Cities Skylines. When I was young I play game called City Life and in this game has layer with population groups. It was simplified but it works well in 2006.
Source: Wikiwand
In short population have problems with other groups and every have different needs. Something similar I’m missing in current Cities Skylines. Because now we have just demand on some zones and services. I think that this could be more deeper. And this could bring to your city new problems which you must solve.
Every citizens want have more money and be more happier. So this will mean that you must grow and to ensure that the city develops continuously. You’ll have to address the marginalized neighborhoods. On an ongoing basis, individual groups might have issues that you need to address with new services.
My predictions / wishes:
- There need be population system with different needs.
- Population system must be actively balanced from player.
- Every building will need different people to work with.
- There should be events which cause problems in your population.
- Events like immigration / diseases / olympics.
- You must deeply focus what your people needs.
Politics, laws layer
Another layer which I missing from Cities Skylines is politics. I think that every big city in world must have good politics background to functions. So there could be some political fractions which your citizens will vote and after that these politics could have requirements how you could extend your city.
You could react to their requirement with settings / using laws. Which must be deeper than current state which is just “on/off”. Politics could have good makes sense if you work with the population and the economic part I describe above.
Also if we speak about local politics there need to be city departments which will affects stats and parameters of your city services. Also there could be requests from people which work in services like that you must extend stations or you must invest to their technique.
My predictions / wishes:
- There need to be politics, votes and better communication of problems.
- You could maintain your city from laws and directions.
- This directions will be more deeper and have their own pros/cons.
- There will be departments which you need to focus to maintain city.
- People from cities services have their own problems which you must solve.
New services
What should be good will be new services. Modern town need more services like internet, gardening, delivery economic, theater, cinemas, malls, post offices. I hope that services will be more detailed and I could balance this in deep.
I’m will be really happy if we could “micro-manage” these services. I’m ready to think about delivery chains, subsidies and another problem which need to be solved in services like pricing and where to get money to found more detailed services which increase standard of living.
The services like water or electricity in Cities Skylines was so easy. I want to have decision if I will build pipes in roads or in sidewalks. I want to optimize maintenance of these things. And itself face potential traffic problems as streets are redone and pipes are repaired.
My predictions / wishes:
- New services which will be more detailed.
- Detailed services settings and events.
- Micro-managment building.
Cities design / planning
Big things which need to be improve in mine opinion is city planning and designing. I will mention this bellow but I want to create more detailed districts and thinking which types of layout / buildings use to full-fill needs of population.
For example in central Europe there are big block of flats or prefabricated buildings. So I’m want to build different cities in which I compare these flats with vilas and normal houses. Also I want to have historical center where I can’t do much changes and I could optimize just details to improve lives of mine people.
In case we debating about historical center. I almost think it would be fun to come a city that I am not building “on a green field” but to come to a city that somehow works. There will be visible historical development and I must to grow rest of this city. So I must think carefully about how the direction of buildings in the city centre will change. And expect that if I do any major development there will be riots until I explain why.
Great feature could be import city from OpenStreetMap (which are open source) and after this the Cities Skylines 2 will generate map with services, zones. And after this proces you could to continue the development of the city as if you took it into your own hands today.
My predictions / wishes:
- I hope we could compare different stiles of buildings / city development.
- I hope we could play with cities which already somehow works and we could extend them.
- I hope we could import real cities and try changes in them.
- I hope we could build a lot of different stiles of housing.
Procedurally generated buildings
One things which was boring for me in Cities Skylines are same buildings. After some hours of playing you will see same houses, commercial zones or factories and I don’t like this. Lot of services buildings are same. So you just build another school or hospital…
… in my opinion will be better if they implement some procedural generated buildings. So you setup just frame options like “European style” or “European historical center style” and you just place some zones in which your generated buildings could grow.
I want to build realistic city in which I live and yes there are a lot of same buildings like big housing projects where many people live in any small district. But when I want to build this in Cities Skylines I can’t because there isn’t enough diversity in buildings. So I think that procedural generated building could be great way.
My predictions / wishes:
- Buildings will be procedurally generated in style which you want.
- You could just setup where could be build and they will be built.
- Your cities will be more different. The buildings won’t be repetable.
Modular buildings
And just a moment about procedural buildings. I’ve really like system of updates buildings which was in lates SimCity. If you combine this modularity with procedural generation then you will get ultimate ways how to build different parts of your city…
Source: YouTube
… nothing won’t be same every part of city could be different and building every hospital, college or fire station will be different. Yes if there will be “blueprint” feature then you could use prepared buildings and have more causal feeling. But if you want simulation/strategy experience this could be great ay how.
My predictions / wishes:
- C:S 2 will have modular and upgratable buildings.
- Some parts will be procedurally generated.
- Upgrades will be open slowly when we reach milestones.
- This upgrades changes statistics of buildings and city.
Production chains
What will be cities without production and factories. In Cities Skylines was industry very simplified. You just need to build orange zones which was industry. Or if you have DLC industires then you could build some advanced buildings in deep chains.
But in overall there isn’t to much detail. I think that developers could make more deeper industry layers which you could simulate / manage. Let’s look on Rise of Industry there are detailed chains. And now I don’t think that new Cities Skylines need “micro-managment” features…
… but if we look more on production chains in big picture. You could make strategical decision as mayor/city planner to optimize your industry. I think that game will need more specialized chains in background and us (players) will optimize zones.
For example, we could build zones like “farms” but there could be specialization of these farms in some topics like fields, orchards, livestock to make specifics foods for our cities. On other side we could build industrial zones which will be focused on warehousing and producing from these raw materials.
Like in real cities. In Czech Republic are big zones on the outskirts of cities, where peopple have to transport and work here. Also there are small “hubs” of factories which are specialized. And yes now I don’t want to make Cities Skylines an economy simulator, but some high-level governance and development could be interesting.
My predictions / wishes:
- There will be more ways how to impact your industry.
- We will focus more on industry background / integration with city.
- We will be responsible for great city planning.
- We could build more realistic towns with realistic industry.
➡️ Organized list with wishes from community
After mine wishes I came other lists from others and there are best wishes for new Cities Skylines 2 from community. I’ve read a lot of pages and lot of tips so there is summarization in some groups.
Essentials
- New game engine which allows more features.
- CTRL + Z on actions.
- Better visualization and stats.
- Better UI.
- Realistic housing and population limits.
- Assets and mods profiles for specific saves.
Maps:
- Mote types of map.
- Bigger maps with variables.
- Procedurally generated maps.
- Change basics of maps like where highways and trains starts.
Time in game:
- Working day with rush hour, increased electricity consumption.
- Changing seasons with different events / problems / focus.
Roads/Network/Trafics:
- More realistic traffic with parkings.
- More reliable traffic AI.
- Automation and assistance with path building.
- Automatic optimal exits, connecting lanes, etc.
- Custom roads / lines for your city / neighborhood.
- More traffic directions.
- Integrated roundabout builder.
Building:
- Planning future with execute commands.
- Slower construction time of projects.
Zones and buildings:
- Customizable parts of buildings.
- Mixed zones / buildings by type.
- Docks or more industrial zones.
- Medium density zoned.
- Remove rectangular zones.
- Desirability system for peoples.
Build-in mods:
- Current traffics mods
- Move It!
- Find it!
Customization of services:
- Zoneable things like deathcare or landfill to be more realistic.
- Modular services which affects stats.
- More types of public transport.
- More detailed tourismn.
- Building more infrastructure like swimming pools, tennis courts.
- Customizable transport stations / hubs.
- Religion, churches, catedrals.
- Parking, pedestrian, bicycle-lines.
- More realistic distribution of services, not just random placement.
- Remove generic parks and make functional parks.
- New networks like Data / Internet / undeground collector.
Industry:
- Realistic industry zones and warehouses.
- E-commerce economy.
Events:
- More disasters like financial crisis, illnesses, pandemic.
- Olympic Games, Summits, Prides, Marathons.
- Critical problems in service infrastructure.
- Roads events like crashes, services, repairs
This list is continually updated
Conclusion
After all I must say that we probably won’t get all things which I described here or which I described in existed leaks. It depends what will be scope of game and which user group it targets. Before first Cities Skylines Colossal Order wasn’t too big I think and now after success and partnership with Paradox. In Colossal Order works around 30 people according Linkedin, they have a lot of experience. If they implement around 10% of mine wishes I’m will be happy.
