Should I buy this game?

[thehandyman 11]

As good as this game looks, I'm still unsure if it's worth 33 bucks. Thing about city builders is once I get into one, I won't want to play another one.

 

Not really looking for a hyped or biased opinion, just factual and professional information based on gameplay and modding.

 

[lance10ca 25]

There's nothing in 3D that compares within the genre.

[Indiana Joe 1,752]

It looks to be the best city builder released in the last 10 years.  It's going to need some patching, just like SC2013.  But the modding potential is much greater.  Just don't expect modding to move any faster than any other game.  It will take months and years for quality content and innovative mods to accumulate.

 

The longevity will be much greater than SimCity, which will likely see its servers shut down soon.  And it's such a smash hit that Paradox Interactive is going to make a lot of money, and that means support and sequels, compared to Maxis' closing doors.

 

Game play looks a lot of fun, very immersing.  But definitely not casual by any means.  It seems to take some work to figure out by those not familiar with the genre.

 

It's great now.  But it will be even better in a year.  And even better after that.

[BlitzPackage 19]

YES!!!!

[Snugies 91]

$33 bucks is cheap for a game of this quality given that games like Rome Total War 2 were selling with all the DLC's for about $100 for a broken game that needs a super computer to run it. Skylines is not only a city building game its one of the highest quality games I've had in a long time at a release price cheaper than any other game. Plus I'm running the game satisfactory on a non-gaming laptop.

[sgtrahanlsu 4]

Absolutely, you should definitely buy it

[rsc204 21,866]

43 hours playtime and counting since release, that should tell you everything, I'm hopelessly addicted, even if there are a few problems they don't get in the way of what is a great game .

[rmjohnson144 42]

As good as this game looks, I'm still unsure if it's worth 33 bucks. Thing about city builders is once I get into one, I won't want to play another one.

 

Not really looking for a hyped or biased opinion, just factual and professional information based on gameplay and modding.

 

Not sure on recommendations as you didn't really say what you were looking for in the game.

 

If you're worried about price, then $33 is a very good price in comparison to other city builders.

 

If you're into looks, the graphics are above average, but could use improvement, which I'm sure will happen over time.  (no day/night cycles though)

 

It uses the steam workshop for modding, so mods should be easy to find and install. (I haven't installed any for this game.  but other games always has been very easy.

 

If you want to make mods, then I have no idea, I assume it's no easy task. no idea of any modding tools provided.

 

If you enjoyed simcity4 you'll love this.  There are still a lot of kinks in the game that should get worked out shortly.  If you played simcity 2013, you'll love the extra room. 9 times bigger maps.  with mods can be 25 times bigger.  you'll need a fairly powerful rig for 25 tiles.

 

If you love city builder type games, I'm sure you'll fall in love with this game in short order.

[rforeman 1]

IMHO This is going to have the long life that Simcity 4 has. I have had to force my self the stop playing to go to bed. For 2 nights I have played from about 7pm to 2am. If you like SC4 you will love this one. 

[MINIggy03 227]

It's the real deal, we'll definitely be playing this game for many years.

[prototypetom 1]

the thing i loved about SC4 (and killed SC13 with its absence) was the grid square by grid square modelling of the city details (with mods)... Is this more possible with this game (with mods in the future), it seemed like that possibility passed with curvey roads. can you do something like turn an V-shaped area between roads into a paved area? Can you make sunken highways? really control zones? etc?

 

I don't expect to play it like it was SC4 - if i want to do that i'd buy an old pc that i could run it on and play SC4. But will this new game go in those aesthetic landscape design details... or is it all about the sim like SC13? (was, at least, i stopped playing about 2 months after launch)

[Xenocity 343]

If you loved Simcity 4: Deluxe and all of its features and modded content, then this game isn't likely for you.

You are guaranteed you won't be happy with it because it's not Simcity 4 HD Remake!

 

If you're ready change, then definitely like it. 

[prototypetom 1]

I am ready for change - as long as things can look like something resembling a real urban environment. SC13 felt like doing potato prints around spagetti that had a mind of it's own; there was not enough blend, there was a margin around everything.

 

just had a look in the journals forum - things look better already I think

[Xenocity 343]

I am ready for change - as long as things can look like something resemebaling a real urban environment. SC13 felt like doing potato prints around spagetti that had a mind of it's own; there was not enough blend, there was a margin around everything.

 

just had a look in the journals forum - things look better already I think

It's a good game built on a solid engine.

[Sabretooth78 808]

If you loved Simcity 4: Deluxe and all of its features and modded content, then this game isn't likely for you.

You are guaranteed you won't be happy with it because it's not Simcity 4 HD Remake!

 

If you're ready change, then definitely like it. 

 

With all due respect, I think that's a pretty condescending and cynical attitude.  I don't think the two are so mutually exclusive.  I can't tell if you're bashing SC4 players or equating C:S to SC13.  Either way I think you're wrong.

 

I still love playing SC4 and I'm very intrigued by this new entrant.  Truth be told, I don't even feel like I'm playing a game when I play SC4, but in a good way - it's more like a hobby; model railroading is a good analogy.  At the same time I like the idea of something in the same genre that is more "gamey" and "arcade"-like yet plausibly realistic.  I see the two as complements, not requiring so-called change on behalf of the user.

 

Not to drag SC13 into this mudslinging, but it never captured my attention and after being dead on arrival, fatally flawed and any rescue stifled by ossified corporatti, it never would.  I just can't justify the expense of C:S at the moment but there's no doubt in my mind I'll have my hands on it in due time.  That and first-adopting isn't always the best course of action anyway.  Just wish it didn't require the Steam entanglements.

 

Will it unseat my fondness for the old standbys SC4 and Civ IV?  Most likely not.  But I don't need to change to appreciate it.

[Xenocity 343]

 

If you loved Simcity 4: Deluxe and all of its features and modded content, then this game isn't likely for you.

You are guaranteed you won't be happy with it because it's not Simcity 4 HD Remake!

 

If you're ready change, then definitely like it. 

 

With all due respect, I think that's a pretty condescending and cynical attitude.  I don't think the two are so mutually exclusive.  I can't tell if you're bashing SC4 players or equating C:S to SC13.  Either way I think you're wrong.

 

I still love playing SC4 and I'm very intrigued by this new entrant.  Truth be told, I don't even feel like I'm playing a game when I play SC4, but in a good way - it's more like a hobby; model railroading is a good analogy.  At the same time I like the idea of something in the same genre that is more "gamey" and "arcade"-like yet plausibly realistic.  I see the two as complements, not requiring so-called change on behalf of the user.

 

Not to drag SC13 into this mudslinging, but it never captured my attention and after being dead on arrival, fatally flawed and any rescue stifled by ossified corporatti, it never would.  I just can't justify the expense of C:S at the moment but there's no doubt in my mind I'll have my hands on it in due time.  That and first-adopting isn't always the best course of action anyway.  Just wish it didn't require the Steam entanglements.

 

Will it unseat my fondness for the old standbys SC4 and Civ IV?  Most likely not.  But I don't need to change to appreciate it.

 

I'm not being condescending and cynical. 

I'm just towing the line that is always brought up in every discussion regarding a new city simulator game (even on Steam). 

 

Someone had to post that line, which I'm surprised no one else has yet. 

 

 

A like and fondness for any city simulator that was released after Simcity 4, is a knock on Simcity 4 as repeatedly pointed to me by very ardent Simcity 4 fans over the past few years. 

[rsc204 21,866]

Comparisons between SC4 and Cities:Sklyines will always be made, but personally I prefer to think of it as a new game entirely, one that is different and is not necessarily trying to emulate SC4. I can see touches from many different city builders in places, but it's unique in it's own ways too. Will you enjoy playing this game, well for 29€ or whatever it was here in Europe (I paid 37€ for the deluxe package) it's an absolute bargain compared to SC5 or the Cities XL series (which are all basically the same game, many I know bought them all at full price) and I can't see why anyone who likes city builders would not enjoy the experience and get value from it. For me this is the first such game since SC4 came along that is really compelling and (at least thus far), not hideously broken at launch either. The modding side is really limited at the moment, but then it would be totally unfair to pitch this head to head with SC4 as it is now, you have to really compare it to the Vanilla experience.

 

If you are one of those people who enjoys building highways the most, then the modular interchange system itself is worth the price of entry, this is what I've wanted to with RHW since I began using it, this is not possible in SC4 today, better still each section is modular and can be replaced independently of the intersection. Just imagine what 5 years of mods could do when we can make this now:

 

 

It's a great city builder overall though, so if you don't enjoy the experience, then I would guess you either aren't into city builders or have some really specific desires the game doesn't cater for. Either way for me it holds up as a great game in it's own right, one that I will play alongside SC4, I like the "arcadey" analogy here, that's how it feels, SC4 is for my hardcore perfectionist to detail, but Skylines is just so compelling and fun that I when I just want to have some relaxing game-time I would play it instead of SC4, one of the Let's Play authors summed it up better than I can, "It's a very Zen game".

[Xenocity 343]

Also a warning to those using OS X.

 

The game seems to be black screening and green screening on OS X at game boot up.

 

For me the game worked on the first day, and today I cannot get it to boot up (I didn't try yesterday). 

It either crashes out right or is stuck on  black screen with cursor and sometimes music. 

 

Apparently this is widespread for OS X users. 

 

CO is hard at work trying to find a fix. 

[Xenocity 343]

I finally got my OS X version to boot.

The problem was the game was trying to boot into full screen mode, though I had the graphics setting to windowed mode. 

I was able to get the game to boot by clicking the green windows button in the upper right corner on the menu bar. 

Since I switched it back to full screen mode in graphics setting and now the game boots without any issue. 

 

I remembered that I set the game into windowed mode, so I could do other things while my city grows in the background.

So on a hunch hit the green button when the boot up froze to take it to windowed mode and it worked. 

 

So if anyone has the black screen issue on OS X, they should try this...

[ibegurpard 3]

sure.  It's only 30 bucks and it's only going to get better.

[iceanimator 6]

Bought it just one day before the launch, HAVE NEVER REGRET IT YET! I want my money back for SC2013

[Alinroch 0]

As an avid Paradox gamer for many, many years I also want to throw in that it's extremely likely that the flow of unpaid updates and well-priced 100% optional DLC will flow for years, not including everything the modding community will do. Paradox is famous for it actually, and I'm extremely excited for what updates might bring. This alone made me throw down hard cash even knowing the zero day game probably was going to have a few bugs. Unlike most other publishers, I have faith that they will work diligently to fix issues and expand gameplay, not because I'm a fanboy (I am), but because they have proven it repeatedly in the past.

[Extrenix 132]

33$ translated into hundreds of hours is good investment in my book.

[longhorn 25]

 

If you loved Simcity 4: Deluxe and all of its features and modded content, then this game isn't likely for you.

You are guaranteed you won't be happy with it because it's not Simcity 4 HD Remake!

 

If you're ready change, then definitely like it. 

 

With all due respect, I think that's a pretty condescending and cynical attitude.  I don't think the two are so mutually exclusive.  I can't tell if you're bashing SC4 players or equating C:S to SC13.  Either way I think you're wrong.

 

I still love playing SC4 and I'm very intrigued by this new entrant.  Truth be told, I don't even feel like I'm playing a game when I play SC4, but in a good way - it's more like a hobby; model railroading is a good analogy.  At the same time I like the idea of something in the same genre that is more "gamey" and "arcade"-like yet plausibly realistic.  I see the two as complements, not requiring so-called change on behalf of the user.

 

Not to drag SC13 into this mudslinging, but it never captured my attention and after being dead on arrival, fatally flawed and any rescue stifled by ossified corporatti, it never would.  I just can't justify the expense of C:S at the moment but there's no doubt in my mind I'll have my hands on it in due time.  That and first-adopting isn't always the best course of action anyway.  Just wish it didn't require the Steam entanglements.

 

Will it unseat my fondness for the old standbys SC4 and Civ IV?  Most likely not.  But I don't need to change to appreciate it.

 

Model railroading is a good comparison. I didn't even bother with societies or sc13. I'm going to buy this one though.  What sucks is that 5 or 6 years ago I really wanted a replacement for SC4.  However, unlike a lot of other long term players, I've only ever played one giant island region and I've been playing it for 10 years and 1000s of hours.  Its pretty much a labor of love at this point.  New mods equaled new cities and at some point they all merged together.  Old cities occasionally got retrofitted, and all of them got NAM lines.  12 million sims and probably 70 cities altogether at this point with around 80 transit lines.  I had to reconcile my early NY central hub and spoke transit style with my later Tokyo mesh style.

 

I'm actually sad to leave it, but SC4 is really one of those games that is infinite.

[thenext88 102]

It's the real deal, we'll definitely be playing this game for many years.

 

This. The base game itself is already great fun. I can't even imagine what modding will do to it over the years. I could see modding go as far as people changing the clothing and even adding real model cars to the game.

[Sabretooth78 808]

I realized I had Visa gift card from a birthday a few years ago that I had never used for some reason, so I now own Cities: Skylines.

 

So now I have this and my brand new clean slate SC4 mega-region.  The only things I don't have are retirement and a bunker.

[davidr 0]

I have the game but I must say that for realism I much prefer SC4. Playing Cities:Skylines is like developing a Loony Tunes cartoon city. The colours are garish and totally unrealistic , the shapes of items very rigid and the whole effect just does not have the look of a city a la SC4.

 

DavidR 

[Sabretooth78 808]

I have the game but I must say that for realism I much prefer SC4. Playing Cities:Skylines is like developing a Loony Tunes cartoon city. The colours are garish and totally unrealistic , the shapes of items very rigid and the whole effect just does not have the look of a city a la SC4.

 

DavidR 

 

While my first impression is that it comes far closer to being that elusive replacement for SC4 than I first thought it would be, you have to realize that it isn't nor does it try to be.  They are different games.  If anything, it's a fully targeted replacement for those who pan SC13 - it is independence from EA.

 

Three things I don't see it replacing:

 

1. Region play (which "makes" SC4 what it is)
2. Missing transportation depth (route query, etc.).  Of course, that didn't appear until Rush Hour so it's quite possible something like that could be added to C:S as well.
3. Mod support and virtual immortality - I'm not saying C:S can't have this, but SC4 has 12 years on it.  Things take time.

 

Honestly, re: the graphics I can see what you're saying but at the same time, I've seen some screenshots and had to do a double-take because it looks so real.  That is also something I'm sure can/will be modded away for those who feel inclined.  Remember the vanilla grass and water textures in SC4?

 

All-in-all, it seems to be much better base game than SC4 was.

[mr.v 40]

Yes, you should buy this game as soon as possible. It's fun!

 

screenshot of water flooding.

[Sabretooth78 808]

Also regarding the graphics and color balance, note that you can adjust that somewhat with the color correction override in the game options.  Personally, I've tried them and I've chosen to stick with "none" - I want to like "temperate" but it just seems too dark or something.  Sort of like that weird vibrant twilight you get in the summer when it's been raining all day and it clears up about a hour before sunset.