Cities Skylines 2: Editor
Greetings to all, and welcome to another installment of our development diary. Today, we are excited to unveil our roadmap for the Editor in Cities: Skylines II. At this moment, the Editor isn’t part of the game, but rest assured, we plan to roll it out post-launch once it successfully exits its beta phase.
Right from the outset, our vision was to introduce a comprehensive editor capable of materializing your most ambitious ideas. Drawing insights from the brilliant content crafted for the original Cities: Skylines, we’re now more attuned to the needs of our modders and creators. Our ongoing endeavor is to foster this creativity with the impending Editor for Cities: Skylines II. Collaborating closely with our dedicated modding community, we’re ensuring that these tools, while essential for our internal processes, primarily empower you to craft bespoke content for the game. After all, the essence of the Cities: Skylines journey is the unbridled joy of creation!
ONE EDITOR TO RULE THEM ALL
In the original Cities: Skylines, various editors were designated for distinct purposes. For instance, if one aimed to design assets, they would access the asset editor, where specific categories would further narrow down features. Meanwhile, map creations required an entirely separate editor.
However, Cities: Skylines II introduces a unified Editor, adept at managing every aspect. Whether you’re crafting a novel map or conceptualizing a fresh building, this single Editor is your gateway. With such a consolidated approach, you’re exposed to a plethora of options. Admittedly, the array of choices might initially seem overwhelming, but the advantages are numerous.
Now, when you create a building, it’s not isolated in a void. You have the option to load an entire map, situate the building in real-time settings, and even add surrounding infrastructures like roads or other edifices. This immersive approach provides a holistic view of how your creation would blend into the urban tapestry. Similarly, while molding the terrains of your map, you can juxtapose buildings to gauge the proportions of the landscapes, ensuring every mound and depression is precisely as you envisioned.
ROADMAP
The Editor, currently in its beta phase, is under the scrutiny of our modding beta group, an assembly of experienced modders and asset designers. Its launch will be a phased process, starting with map crafting, asset importing, coding modifications, and subsequently allowing content sharing, inclusive of savegames, through Paradox Mods.
In Cities: Skylines II, custom map development is as anticipated. Users can craft landscapes, designate water origins for bodies of water, allocate natural reserves, and initiate foundational connections for the city. Furthermore, map crafting now encompasses climate settings, complete with temperature fluctuations and weather conditions.
The Editor’s inaugural version champions custom building creation, with plans for enhanced asset-type support down the line. Users can seamlessly import tailored .fbx files alongside corresponding textures, craft color variations, embellish assets, and modify stats. Existing assets can also be revamped to provide familiar structures with fresh aesthetics. The official wiki is teeming with intricate details about asset modeling and texturing, updated continually as more intel emerges.
Equally vital is the emphasis on code modding. Renowned modders from the predecessor, Cities: Skylines, had a preliminary peek into Cities: Skylines II, offering them an avenue to familiarize and innovate. However, given the game’s advanced tech and intricate simulation, modding would necessitate a ground-up approach. Pre-existing mods for Cities: Skylines aren’t directly transferable. We eagerly await the ingenuity of modders this time around.
With this update, sharing via Paradox Mods becomes feasible, enabling custom map, building, and code mod swaps. Savegame sharing also paves the way for immersive city explorations. Accessible across all platforms, including PCs, Paradox Mods’ specifics for consoles will be delved into pre-launch.
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
Post Editor release, our sights are set on extending its functionalities to a broader asset range, offering avenues for bespoke vehicle, foliage, and citizen model crafting. Notably, the complexity levels of trees and citizens surpass those in Cities: Skylines.
Considering trees in Cities: Skylines II undergo lifecycle transitions, custom designs necessitate distinct models for each phase. Likewise, the evolving life stages of citizens, from infancy to old age, are mirrored in their dynamic character models. An upcoming diary entry will spotlight character model intricacies, providing potential creators with valuable insights.
YOUR INSIGHTS MATTER
Our blueprint for the Editor remains adaptable. Beyond our slated features, we’re keen on accommodating refinements and innovations conducive to Cities: Skylines II modding. While there are no absolutes, your feedback is invaluable.
Your experiences with Cities: Skylines editors are crucial. What editors resonated with you? What proved efficient, and what posed challenges? Your aspirations for Cities: Skylines II, whether aligned with the Editor’s current or future capabilities, or even something entirely novel, are eagerly anticipated. Share your thoughts in the comments.
In our subsequent development diary, we delve deep into Game Balancing, elucidating the intricate processes and associated hurdles in harmonizing a simulation as intricate as Cities: Skylines II.
