CiM 2 released

[Titan 8]

So, Cities in Motion 2 has been released.

 

I'm not going to post links because anyone looking to buy the game more than likely knows where to get it.

 

I went through the tutorial learning how to use certain aspects of the game and I must say, it's very in depth.

 

Also, the city sizes can get very big. The first city they start you out with in the tutorial is rather small and I was hoping for something a bit larger. I wasn't disappointed. The very next city they put you in is massive when compared to SC5. I can't believe a small time developer can make huge cities work and Maxis can't.

 

Cities in Motion 2 looks rather cool so far. My first hour in it I was definitely intrigued. They may just have a winner on their hands.

 

Anyone else have thoughts?

[Sandis_van_Great 346]

plaid it for an hour or so, love it. I actually spent more time building roads and stuff than actual transport systeam this game is really great, same as cim1. I would say that its definetly bether than sc2013, even thought they are not really the same games.

[mapboy 106]

Downloading it right now!

[Linoa06 1,374]

Preordered it....three minutes before release. XD

 

It's really awesome so far, steep learning curve, but awesome.

 

Also : the tutorial map is bigger than any SC5 city lawl.

 

Not a lot of cities yet, but twas the same with CiM and the map editor is impressive, complicated but nothing I can't manage.

[mntoes 270]

Worth every penny of the price. Could do with more cities but those will come. If only Sim city 2013 looked so good.

[mapboy 106]

 the map editor is impressive, complicated but nothing I can't manage.

It is sooooo confusing. I want to make a blank terrain, but I can't figure the map editor out....

[Wartoad 0]

wow, I just come back to this forum to check about CiM2 news, and the game is released today!

[theBrad 25]

Bought it through Amazon ($17.99) & have played it for 1-2 hours.  I am impressed so far, unbelievably in depth & initial impression is challenging.  It definitely seems to be a game that I can get my hands really dirty & experience OCD thrills.

[NCGAIO 562]

Amazon only in USA - effect  simcity. 

At GamersGate for $ 19.95

 

For those who have never played and want a preview of beginning for know if will like already has a four-part tutorial on youtube.

 

 

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

Why isn't this news on the front page of Simtropolis??? I would do it but don't know how yet. I plan on getting this really soon.

[catty-cb 4,392]

This is the one on building roads and railway lines

 

 

and this shows adding buildings etc

 

 

and landscaping

 

[The_City_Builder 299]

Downloading it right now from Steam. Looks amazing to say the least!

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

Excellent videos! Looks like many features we would want in a new Sim City are in here. I see the NWM, tunnels we can see through with lighting, built in Terraformer,  and many things that would be separate mods for SC4.

 

Again, someone please put this on the front page. I happen to check this forum section to discover it is released. I think many should know.

[knighthawk75 56]

Thanks for the map editor tutorials... helpful start for myself as a new player to this game.

[theBrad 25]

And if you miss subways in the new SimCity...

 

But in case there are any unfamiliar with CiM - this is not a city sim game, but a transit sim game.  But one of the top interests I have in SimCity is traffic, which CiM2 covers far better than SimCity.

[rawls 39]

I played it for some hours and really like it. 

 

It's complex and gives you a lot of options to build and manage a mass transit system of a huge city.

 

 

For instance the ability to use different pricing schemes (like monthly tickets, ticketing zones) and to fine tune timetables is great. 

 

 

 

 

They really put a lot of effort into all the details of the infrastructure and traffic which is great. It features a large variety of different road types (one way streets, multiple lanes, turning lanes, bus lanes...) and one can build complex road layouts. Cars indicate when turning at an intersection, traffic lights come with lights for pedestrians, fire trucks ignore red lights and so on and so forth. 

 

 

 

Nearly everything related to traffic and the transportation system is very well done, even though there are some rough edges (I am not entirely sure if timetables always work as they should).

 

The graphic and sound serve their purpose. Unfortunately the cities look a little bit like a concrete hell and it would be nice to have different sets of color filters and a larger variety of buildings. It looks really nice at nighttime, though.

 

 

 

 

I don't like the music and would love the possibility to import the music of the first Cities in Motion or something completely different. The ambient sounds are pretty basic and could benefit from a larger variety. Also I feel that I should be able to hear some sounds from a larger distance than at the moment.

 

But I rather have functional graphics, basic sound and a working and deep simulation than a beautiful game with catchy tunes that comes with a shallow and broken simulation.

 

What's rather bulky is the interface and one needs some time to get used to it.

 

 

Not everything works as I would expect it to work (you have to scroll using wasd instead of using the mouse) and there are some other usability issues. For instance it's hard to see where you placed tram tracks when you zoom out. They should highlight them when placing tram stops or tram tracks. 

 

But I really have trust in the developers that they actually iron out the rough edges of the game since they are known to work very closely with the community and are responding to feedback.

 

tldr: If you like these kind of games, are patiently enough to learn how to play it (it takes some time) and don't need beautiful graphics, I think you will have a blast. If you are new to the genre you might also try a free alternative like OpenTTD or Simutrans first.

[The_City_Builder 299]

Does anyone know a way to turn off transportation routes for buses, trams etc.? It's just an annoying little thing I don't really need to see 24/7. 

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

Will modding be supported or permitted for this? Perhaps the graphics can be modified by the user. I agree it seems to need more color and lighting variety. It would also help to populate the ground level with more props and things going on on the sidewalks.

 

Is there not an options area to customize the keyboard input? I'm a mouse wheel kind of guy.

[lucidus 69]

I bought CIM2 instead of Simcity and I am happy with the choice.  It is not really intended to be used as a city simulator but it is good for that purpose.  Customized interchanges are a snap with CIM2s tools and the slider bar to add lanes is cool too.

[NCGAIO 562]

.

Colossal Order CEO Mariina Hallikainen at the Paradox Interactive Convention  before Simcity launch

 

 

 

See more about CIM2

 

http://pt-br.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive/b/386124917

[lucidus 69]

Does anyone know a way to turn off transportation routes for buses, trams etc.? It's just an annoying little thing I don't really need to see 24/7. 

In your transport panel, click on the eye and it will turn off the routes.

[Sashulescu87 4]

I linked my steam account with simtropolis to post this review:

 

 

Oh good God! This game is... AMAZING!

Let me tell you why this game, from an independent developer took SimCity's 2013 crown as the best city simulator:

 

1. This game HAS AGENTS! Just like the new SimCity 2013, don't believe me? Find a citizen on the street (the slang for the term citizen in this game is, ironically.. Cim) and you can follow the Cims in the city. They will do everyday tasks based on a schedule, which i will cover in a later reason why this game is better, they have a STABLE work place, and a STABLE house, not like the Sims in SC2013, who will randomly pick the closest available house and job every day.

 

2. The next reason why this game is better than SC2013, is related to the Cims. Since each Cim is interdependently simulated by the game, with its own daily routine, this will create traffic problems. Traffic in this game is way more realistic than the one in SC. The cars will actually park on the street (you have this type of road, which btw this game has more road options than all the SC games and Cities XL combined!). Once the car parks next to the job, house, etc, you can see the Cim GOING IN AND OUT of it! Most Cims have cars, close to SC, they will leave their cars and walk close to their work/home. 

 

3. The time is more realistic than SC2013. It does indeed have a day/nigh cycle, but it also has a semi-realistic ingame clock. Each minute in the game is a second in real life, so an hour in the game lasts 1 minute in real life, and a day in the game lasts 24 minutes in real life (there are speed options). This does not stop here, there are weekdays, from Monday to Sunday, and the Cims are actually programmed to act according to these days, meaning you will get a huge rush hour Monday morning and Friday evening, but it will be less traffic on weekends, well less traffic between work and homes. Same applies to night hours, you will not see people wondering the streets at 2 AM... The weekend means that Cims will go to leisure places more.

 

4. Map size, the thing that in my opinion broke SC2013. I did not have time to compare the maps in this game, which by the way, it has a built in map editor, so people can go crazy and share maps, just like the old SC4 days, think of them as terraforming tools, they do just that, you can morph the terrain, add mountains, rivers, even build a city and use it to make a scenario like the good old Roller Coaster Tycoon days. Back to map size, the map is definitively bigger than the cities in SC2013, but there is a catch, it is a fixed map size, and there are only 6 available cities, different layouts, reliefs but same size, this is also the only available size in the map editor, but as i say, it is bigger than 2x2km, I say, it is somewhere close to 3x3km, I would dare to say that it is as big as the large map from SC4, but don't take my word for it.

 

5. City building, personally, I like it more that the city grows around your roads, it takes away the burden of micromanagement, comparing it to SC, which is the point of this review, it is better, not like SC2013 gives you many tools, just plop some zones and based on the road density, buildings plop out, well this mechanism is similar in CIM2, the road density affects the size of the building. There are no government buildings, the game generates them, which I think is better since it balances the services, like schools, police stations, etc. The only drawback here is that the schools, police and the rest of the government buildings do not generate education, security, etc, but they do generate work places for Cims. All in all, this is a much more simple city planning, and since SC2013 became so simple, from the two games, CIM2 has a better one. SC4 is still king at city planning, but we are talking about SC2013 here.

 

6. Mass transit. I will not say a lot here... SC2013 gives you bus stations, trains, which you cannot plop rails btw, and that is it... This game however give you buses, trams, trolleys, metros that can become elevated, and "boat buses". Not a lot of options compared to SC2013, but at least you can draw the lines wherever you want, create lines for each type, and not stay helplessly and watch your buses get stuck in a loop because the agent AI is broken... 

 

7. Most important feature that makes CIM2 better than SC2013... IT HAS MULTIPLAYER.

But with no DRM. It actually has a fun multiplayer, you can play with your friends, you share a city with them, but the city gets saves on YOUR computer (and YOUR friends if you play it together).... Let me repeat YOU CAN SAVE YOUR CITY ON YOUR COMPUTER..

 

So yea, a indie developer destroyed a franchise that ironically, inspired this type of games, but it destroyed itself as well because of corporate greed. Bravo Paradox, you sirs deserve all the internets in the world!

 

Please Simtropolis, make a separate section for CIM2 in the forums! It is 1000 better than SC2013, this is what SC4 reboot should have been!

[euverus 20]

This game is indeed amazing. It actually reminds me more of Transport Tycoon Deluxe than Sim City and I loved that game!

[catty-cb 4,392]

4. Map size, the thing that in my opinion broke SC2013. I did not have time to compare the maps in this game, which by the way, it has a built in map editor, so people can go crazy and share maps, just like the old SC4 days, think of them as terraforming tools, they do just that, you can morph the terrain, add mountains, rivers, even build a city and use it to make a scenario like the good old Roller Coaster Tycoon days. Back to map size, the map is definitively bigger than the cities in SC2013, but there is a catch, it is a fixed map size, and there are only 6 available cities, different layouts, reliefs but same size, this is also the only available size in the map editor, but as i say, it is bigger than 2x2km, I say, it is somewhere close to 3x3km, I would dare to say that it is as big as the large map from SC4, but don't take my word for it.

 

 

From this link:

 

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?655125-Cities-in-Motion-2-%96-Planning-the-levels-%96-Developer-diary-3

 

In the original CiM, we had maps spanning over 3 x 3 km in size. CiM2 introduces maps that are roughly 8 x 8 km, bringing players new possibilities to tackle even the biggest metropolis. This time around the maps can have vast mountain ranges and large differences in height; you can build a sprawling city in the valley and have smaller suburban areas located higher up on the hills and mountain slopes.

[rawls 39]

Will modding be supported or permitted for this? Perhaps the graphics can be modified by the user. I agree it seems to need more color and lighting variety. It would also help to populate the ground level with more props and things going on on the sidewalks.

 

Is there not an options area to customize the keyboard input? I'm a mouse wheel kind of guy.

 

At the moment you can play around with the map editor and they will add mod support in a few weeks:

 

 

FAQ: "Again, what's up with the nuts vehicle capacities again? Biggest bus: 38 seating passengers + 25 standing passengers max? What's up with this."

Answer: They are balanced to work well in the game, not to be realistic. We are adding modding tools in a few weeks and then people will be able to make their own "rule sets" and adjust the capacities to their liking.

 

 

but there is a catch, it is a fixed map size, and there are only 6 available cities

 

There are already some player made maps available.

[MandelSoft 2,769]

This game is indeed amazing. It actually reminds me more of Transport Tycoon Deluxe than Sim City and I loved that game!

It reminds me of the best aspects of both This game looks very attractive indeed:

- No DRM

- AI that makes sense

- Saves stored on your PC (control!)

- Quite decent graphics (not top notch, but at least smooth, it will do)

- Lot of functionality!

[simfan 11]

This has to be one of the best games ever. Cities XL combined with SC4 and CiM1. This game looks absolutely amazing, and I will be downloading it off Steam ASAP!

[Jamonbread 222]

The amount the game can do is unreal! It's interface and ability to see terrain elevation well is not fantastic but I'm not concerned with that at all, just an area of improvement. Its a steep learning curve and can be frustrating at times since small things like road upgrades, ability to draw roads through roads ect is lacking but overall the fundamentals of the game and the insane detail which is optional to get into is great. I would say best game to be released in awhile! 

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

There seems to be some concerns in the CiM community about some features taken out from CiM1. Something about train stations and lack of specialized buildings like landmarks and other issues. I'm optimistic that the modding tools will bring improvement over time. Besides I see that the development team is very active in the community forums and seem pretty attentive to the feedback.

 

I'm more interested in the sandbox mode though. Like in SC13 I'm not fond of buildings generating by road type. It's good to know that in sandbox mode you can take some creative control.

[catty-cb 4,392]

There seems to be some concerns in the CiM community about some features taken out from CiM1. Something about train stations and lack of specialized buildings like landmarks and other issues. I'm optimistic that the modding tools will bring improvement over time. Besides I see that the development team is very active in the community forums and seem pretty attentive to the feedback.

 

I'm more interested in the sandbox mode though. Like in SC13 I'm not fond of buildings generating by road type. It's good to know that in sandbox mode you can take some creative control.

 

The landmarks in CIM1 attracted people to them

 

FEB120081 by SC4D_CATTY, on Flickr

 

which could get quite un-realistic at times, so I can see why it was changed