Summary
Just like withCities: Skylines,Cities: Skylines 2has gone a long way in replicating reality as best it can. The cities themselves could exist in the real world, the citizens go about their day like anyone would, and the new traffic AI moves about the city as if they are real. This helps create a pretty realistic city simulation that contributes a lot to the genre. However, there is something about the world ofCities: Skylines 2that holds it back a bit.
WhileCities: Skylines 2may have many of the elements one would expect in real life, it also seems to be missing one of the most important parts of any landscape. The game has its hills, mountains, trees, and shrubs, but it does not seem to have any grass. Instead, the landscape looks like it was just painted green, which feels extremely unrealistic. Couple that with the dull colors of the city, andCities: Skylines 2can be a bit boringto look at after a while.
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Cities: Skylines 2’s Landscape is Lacking One Crucial Element
In real life, there is grass everywhere. Parks are filled with it, people’s yards desperately need mowing, and it is hard to go anywhere without running into some type of grass. Unless the city is entirely pavement, people will be seeing a lot of grass as they traverse it. So, it would only make sense thatCities: Skylines 2has some grass as well. But that does not seem to be the case.
Cities: Skylines 2 Could Benefit From Some Grass
InCities: Skylines 2, players start building their city on one of many maps of varying landscapes. While these landscapes have almost everything players would imagine, they seem to all be missing actual 3D modeled grass. Instead, the only 3D modeled natural element seems to be the trees and shrubs. This means that the rest ofCities: Skylines 2’s maplooks rather flat, which leads to a pretty bland environment.
Replacing actual grass with large green fields makes for an unrealistic landscape, especially because these fields look like someone just took a massive green paintbrush to the world. This is nota problem exclusive toCities: Skylines 2either as the original game also lacked many natural elements outside of trees and shrubs. However, that game benefited from the fact players had a bit more control in filling those emptier areas in.
Leaving Grass Out of Cities: Skylines 2 Makes Sense
While it would be nice ifCities: Skylines 2’s landscape felt more realistic, it also makes sense that Colossal Order would not include something like 3D modeled grass. The game is already suffering from performance issues due to all the different things it is trying to simulate. If the studio forced it to also render grass rather than these massive green fields, thenCities: Skylines 2’s performance issuescould be even worse. If the studio has to choose between ensuring the game runs or including grass, then the choice feels pretty simple.
Along with that, Colossal Order really had no reason to focus on making 3D grass to begin with. The studio likely prioritized actual city building features thatCities: Skylines 2playerswould be messing around with rather than the environment they would be placing their cities in. Since many players will just end up filling that landscape with buildings anyway, it may have been a waste of time to model every blade of grass imaginable. Plus, this game would not be the first city builder to paint a green landscape, and it will likely not be the last.
Even though the addition of grass toCities: Skylines 2could have made for a more realistic looking world, it also makes sense why Colossal Order would have no interest in adding a feature like that. But if fans really want to spruce up their cities, then modders will probably end up tossing it in there. Plus, there is always a chance that the studio will add grass-like objects through future updates.
Cities: Skylines 2
WHERE TO PLAY
If you can dream it, you can build it. Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into the thriving metropolis only you can imagine. You’ve never experienced building on this scale. With deep simulation and a living economy, Cities: Skylines II delivers world-building without limits.Lay the foundations for your city to begin. Create the roads, infrastructure, and systems that make life possible day to day. It’s up to you – all of it.How your city grows is your call too, but plan strategically. Every decision has an impact. Can you energize local industries while also using trade to boost the economy? What will make residential districts flourish without killing the buzz downtown? How will you meet the needs and desires of citizens while balancing the city’s budget?Your city never rests. Like any living, breathing world, it changes over time. Some changes will be slow and gradual, while others will be sudden and unexpected. So while seasons turn and night follows day, be ready to act when life doesn’t go to plan.The most realistic and detailed city builder ever, Cities: Skylines II pushes your creativity and problem-solving to another level. With beautifully rendered high-resolution graphics, it also inspires you to build the city of your dreams.
