new to CSL

[Fearlessmayor 44]

I'm new to CSL, as many of you are, but I'm really new.  many of you grabbed CSL right when it came out in March this year, I just bought this game (and SC13) and started playing after I upgraded my graphics cards (which was for the most part a success -- thanks to everyone on the boards who offered their thoughts and tips!!) 

so, I fully enjoy building cities, but I'm a writer first before I'm a gamer and the cities I've built over the years in sc4 inspired me to create a story around them.  the beautiful visuals and city landscape inspired some of my settings and plots.Before even buying it, the graphics of CSL were really a turn-off for me, however I wanted to try out the new fully 3d city building games, so I bought the game,and over the past 2 weeks, in between work and my cousin's wedding festivities and I've been playing around with CSL. 

The graphics killed it for me the first week and I really didn't like the game esp the police and fire stations, cemetery, and medical center.  But it grew on me. I'm still not too thrilled with the cartoony cars and buildings, but the things I did like are:

• variety of road  tools (curved, s-shaped, elevated, 2-6 laned roads, bus lanes)
• can change the name of any building or CIM
• transportation tools (bus, subway, rail, elevating road and rail)
• map and terrforming tools, plus beautiful skies and gorgeous trees
• color modification mods
• variety of buildings on the Steam Workshop (including farms and sports "parks", and regular parks)

Also, new buildings being created almost daily are opening up new opportunities for my stories.   I can't write a full review yet because I still feel like I'm exploring all that this game can do for me and my work.  I feel like if the community can keep adding new things to the game, it'll open up more opportunities for creative types like myself. It's not my ideal city building game (yet?), nor is it a replacement for SC4 or anything Maxis art-wise (sorry, but I love my SC buildings, still kinda attached to them), and I've had my troubles with the game, but overall playing the game has been nice so far.  I'm kinda excited about the new After Dark expansion pack and see what it can do. night life is definitely a part of characters' lives.
 
just wanted to add my initial thoughts. feel free to comment on anything I've said here. take care and hats off to all the city builders here =)

[mayorgreener 37]

nice.

[Mr_Maison 2,426]

I like your immersive imagination with city builders.

[Fearlessmayor 44]

thanks @Mr Maison! yeah, I think it's pretty cool how city building games led me to some story ideas.  after all, you have a great plot idea, and interesting characters but you can't have a story without a setting to where it all happens!

check out my city journal and let me know your initial thoughts =) https://community.simtropolis.com/journals/entry/26136-entry-1/

  Edited August 10, 2015 by Fearlessmayor  

[mutton noir 170]

Welcome aboard. It's an interesting point regarding the cartoon style adopted and applied throughout the game- toy town cars/donut trucks and pastel coloured buildings initially appeared a bit childish looking to me. Having watched some gameplay of Cities XXL which aims for "super realism" in style it all looks rather dead and dull. Skyline has a vibrancy to it. I recall reading an article some time ago on this very matter. Games designers found that super realism could appear lifeless and lacked vibrancy/excitement. therefore they were inclined to add some cartoonish qualities to give the game "personality". Sometimes real can be "too real"!

[Linoa06 1,374]

Welcome aboard. It's an interesting point regarding the cartoon style adopted and applied throughout the game- toy town cars/donut trucks and pastel coloured buildings initially appeared a bit childish looking to me. Having watched some gameplay of Cities XXL which aims for "super realism" in style it all looks rather dead and dull. Skyline has a vibrancy to it. I recall reading an article some time ago on this very matter. Games designers found that super realism could appear lifeless and lacked vibrancy/excitement. therefore they were inclined to add some cartoonish qualities to give the game "personality". Sometimes real can be "too real"!

It is true that "super realism" can look super dull. Cities in Motion went for a colourful, though still relatively realist approach; when Cities in Motion 2 tried to go for super realism they failed and cities looked dull. A major reason is that buildings were all the same colour, which does look boring. There IS such a thing as "too real", especially from overhead.

Having said that, CSL has player modded filters that cause colours to look less cartoonish. Quite works!

[Azurespecter 506]

Awesome city journals! I'm really impressed, and glad to have you giving Cities: Skylines a go!

Thanks also for the great feedback. As I'm sure you know the game is still evolving, and even though I can't promise that the graphics will ever get that same realism of SimCity 4, I hope that the huge amount of diverse and quality work from the community will allow people to make great cities and great stories. I do also suggest using some filters, as it's amazing what some of them can do to the look of your city. I've seen some filters that make me do a double-take to see if it's really a game screenshot or not.

I'm also a bit stunned, as your post was so kind and respectful. I was kind of looking for your list of complaints and didn't really see any, haha. This whole community is great at being kind and respectful, but we all know the importance of being vocal about things you don't like or that frustrate you.

So that's why I'd like to hear from you, now that you've had more time in the game. Besides graphics, what would you like to see changed/improved?

 

  Edited August 13, 2015 by Azurespecter  

[Marc Collins 36]

I do also suggest using some filters, as it's amazing what some of them can do to the look of your city. I've seen some filters that make me do a double-take to see if it's really a game screenshot or not.

Could you tell us your favourite filters?

[Azurespecter 506]

Photoreal Colour Correction
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=408932281

VIVID
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=415485220

 

These two together are awesome. One of my favorite gify's of all time comes from a user who used those 2 together.
http://gfycat.com/NiceEarnestArchaeopteryx

[Fearlessmayor 44]

sorry I didn't reply sooner but I was one of those ppl affected by the unpleasant spam ads on the ST forums so I've stayed away for a few days hoping it'll be cleared up. 

it was lovely to read your response @Azurespecter! i've checked out some filters and some of them have surprisingly changed the look of my city drastically -- in a good way! I do feel the game has weaknesses as far as the building graphics, which is, for me, not ignorable.    however, like the fantastic street-level views, the game has saving graces neither SC4 nor SimCity 2013 has, which can sometimes make up for all the other unsatisfying aspects of the game.  one thing that does come to mind, is to have more commercial buildings that don't have neon billboards on their exterior. and more brick buildings instead of block after block of silvery-liquid buildings would be a really nice  addition for my commercial areas.. I've only played the game a few weeks, totaling around 40 hours, but after a little more experimentation I will be able to put up a full review. it's nice to have someone from Paradox listening to us! that's certainly a game-changer for me as a consumer.  haha

 

 

 

[Cool_Z 1,547]

I keep seeing people saying that CSL will never be as realistic as SC4... but SC4 isn't realistic. SC4 has much more precision because of the fixed view that allows for modelers to go bonkers without consequences but it's not realistic.

[Fearlessmayor 44]

And finally, here is my full review of CSL: http://mnmmariam.wordpress.com/2015/08/25/cities-skylines-review/ hope you all enjoy and let me know what you thought =)