Cities: Skylines II News

Greetings everyone. We have a new mini-series of development diaries as we count down to the release of Cities: Skylines II. In this series, we take you behind the scenes of development sharing some of our processes and philosophy behind certain features as well as give you a sneak peek at our plans for the future.

To start with, we’re going to talk about modding in Cities: Skylines II. While modding isn’t supported at release, we want to share what modding means to us and how we approach modding support, so you know what to expect. Modding in Cities: Skylines played an important part in making the game a success, so it was obvious to us that Cities: Skylines II also has to be moddable, and we can't wait to see what the modders come up with this time around!


[h2]MODDING IN OUR GAMES[/h2]
Our journey with modding started in a somewhat unexpected way with our first game, Cities in Motion. Back then, we hadn’t initially planned extensive modding support, but as the game used our own technology and was very accessible to players, a modding community grew surrounding the game. While not intentional we soon discovered how much modding can add to a game with players customizing their gameplay experience, creating and sharing content with each other.

We carried that lesson forward to Cities in Motion 2, though it wasn’t until Cities: Skylines that we really realized the full potential of supporting modding. As we were developing the game, we had one of our two programmers focus on creating tools to mod the game. When Cities: Skylines was released, we had a map editor, that let you create your own maps to build cities on, and an asset editor to import custom 3D models to the game. These, along with code mods, could then be shared on the Steam Workshop and downloaded by others. Through the years we expanded the capabilities of the asset editor to include more options, and as map themes and scenarios were added to the game, we included editors to make your very own.

Today, the Cities: Skylines Workshop has over 400,000 mods with everything from maps and themes to buildings and code mods changing the rules of the game. We were absolutely blown away by the creativity and dedication of our modding community, and throughout the game’s lifetime, we have continued to improve how we interact with the modders.

The built-in editor and easy sharing through the Steam Workshop brought more modding opportunities to Cities: Skylines than our previous games had.

CITIES SKYLINES II
When we started developing Cities: Skylines II, we knew we wanted the game to support modding as much as its predecessor did. In 2019, as part of our 10-year anniversary celebration, we invited a group of prominent modders to Tampere to help us determine how we can best support their modding efforts. We introduced them to the features Cities: Skylines II would come to include, as well as the level of detail and realism of its art style. We discussed their experiences modding Cities: Skylines and they provided great feedback on how we could support the community in Cities: Skylines II. As an example, our map creators expressed a wish to be able to create taller mountains and deeper valleys, and as you may have seen from our Maps & Themes development diary, this is possible in Cities: Skylines II.

We support modding to celebrate the community and we want everyone to be able to take part in it. This is the reason why we focus on making sure that the modding tools are available on all possible platforms while respecting the limitations that individual platforms may have. To offer the same content for all the players we have chosen Paradox Mods as our portal for sharing your amazing creations across all platforms.

Access the Editor and Paradox Mods directly from the main menu


[h2]MODDING BETA[/h2]
We have always tried to offer as much support for the modders as possible and the modding beta was created for Cities: Skylines as a part of our efforts. The purpose of this was to ensure the modders could prepare updates for mods that might break with game updates. Having the opportunity to access the upcoming builds prior to release provided them time to familiarize themselves with the changes and work on and test updates to their mods.

As the Cities: Skylines Modding community grew, this group was expanded to include asset creators and its purpose expanded to provide direct feedback on the modding tools. The beta gave us the opportunity to get feedback on the road editor before it was released to the public and have direct conversations with our modders about what improvements to the game’s API would be useful to them.

As the updates for Cities: Skylines have ended the modding beta shifted more towards testing and providing feedback on the modding tools in Cities: Skylines II. Currently, the modding beta is testing the Cities: Skylines II Editor, which we'll dig into in the next development diary.

[h2]MORE MODS FOR EVERYONE[/h2]

We know you have been waiting, and now it's time to share the latest developments regarding modding in Cities: Skylines II.

First and foremost, our in-game editor is currently in its beta phase and will launch shortly after release. While we look forward to unleashing the power of creative modification to all of you, in preparation, we are collaborating with a talented group of creators working behind the scenes - ensuring you'll have amazing mods to dive into on its launch.

While the modding tool will have a basic framework at its inception, we are dedicated to its continuous expansion and enhancement, making it a central focus of our development efforts moving forward. More in-depth details about the editor and its roadmap ahead will be shared shortly - keep an eye out for our dev diaries.

Secondly, we're introducing Paradox Mods as the new mods platform for Cities: Skylines II. One of the core reasons for this is its inclusivity; modding capabilities will be extended to players across platforms - both PC and console - aligning with our commitment to provide as many as possible with the opportunity to modify and enjoy the game.

For console users, this means you will be able to access Asset Mods in the library. Yes, you read that right! We know it is a huge part of the Cities: Skylines experience and we're beyond excited to introduce a solution that makes mods available to everyone. As with all major updates, we are fully aware of the learning curve it might present, but we're committed to providing resources to ensure a smooth transition to Paradox Mods.


[h2]A NOTE ON PERFORMANE AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PLAYERS[/h2]

On another note, we've noticed the concerns raised about Cities: Skylines II performance, especially after our previous statement with raised minimum and recommended specs. As we've always believed in transparency, we'd like to further shed some light on the current state of the build.

Cities: Skylines II is a next-gen title, and naturally, it demands certain hardware requirements. With that said, while our team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best experience possible, we have not achieved the benchmark we targeted.

In light of this, we still think for the long-term of the project, releasing now is the best way forward. We are proud of the unique gameplay and features in Cities: Skylines II, and we genuinely believe that it offers a great experience that you will enjoy.

We will continually improve the game over the coming months, but we also want to manage expectations on performance for the coming release. Our ambition is for Cities: Skylines II to be enjoyed by as many players as possible, and we're committed to ensuring it reaches its full potential.

Thanks for your understanding and continuous support. We're lucky to have a community as passionate and dedicated as you.

[h3]If you have more questions on the topic, please refer to our FAQ here:[/h3]
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/cities-skylines-ii-modding-and-performance-faq.1601872/

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What does it take to start a city in Cities: Skylines II?
In episode 1 of the 3 part tutorial series with Timeister, learn how you can start your first city from scratch and lay the foundation for a functional city in Cities: Skylines II.

Footage captured In-Game is not final and might change in time for release.​

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📷New camera tools for the creator in you!🎞️
The Devs dive into the world of photo and cinematography and go over the brand new camera tools & modes in Cities Skylines II.

Footage captured In-Game is not final and might change in time for release.

Hey everyone! We’re back with another installment of our development diary series. In this one, we will go over a feature that will help you capture the most memorable moments from your city! The Cinematic and Free Camera modes are completely different from what you are familiar with in Cities: Skylines. The difference between them is truly day and night. In Cities: Skylines II, both modes can be accessed by clicking the Photo Mode button located in the bottom-right corner of the main UI. From here, you can dive into the world of photo- and cinematography and capture your city in all of its glory, chaos, or spaghetti road madness with your friends or other players alike!

The power of these tools is really conveyed by the fact the in-game trailer was filmed using the built-in Cinematic Camera feature, and today’s diary is here to help you navigate the options so you too can capture amazing footage of your city! Check out the feature highlights video below or dive straight into the development diary.

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[h2]SAY CHEESE![/h2]
It all starts with a vision, an idea. What kind of moment do you want to capture in your city? With that idea in mind, we wanted to really up the game on the Photo Mode feature and provide the necessary tools for you to take the picture of your dreams. Only your creativity is the limit as can be seen from all the options we have available in the below. We will not go through each individually because of the sheer amount of them, but we have provided in-game tooltips to guide you on how to use them as you explore Photo Mode.

Photo Mode lets you tweak just about anything via the five tabs and many settings

The very first options tab you will discover is the Camera, from which you can change all kinds of settings related to the Camera itself. Examples of these include the Camera Body, Camera Lens, and Aperture Shape, all of which have sub-settings allowing you to tweak things like Camera Collision or Focal Length to get the exact shot you want.

From the Lens tab you can adjust the Depth of Field, Motion Blur, Bloom, Vignette, Film Grain, and Panini Projection settings, all of which can be fine-tuned for your needs. Next, we have Color and as the tab name suggests, you can make all kinds of changes to the color of the screenshot bringing different vibes to it. The options in the color tab include Color Adjustments, White Balance, and Brightness - and you can of course balance their individual settings.

To brew the perfect storm, we have the ability to adjust the Weather. From this tab, you can change the Distance Clouds, Volumetric Clouds, Fog, and Atmosphere. No need to wait for the weather to be perfect with all these controls at your disposal. Similarly, the Environment tab allows you to change the Time of Day and set the simulation speed, which is used with the Cinematic Camera, a feature that we will go over next.

Get the look and feel that’s just right for your city and the pictures you’re taking


[h2]LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION![/h2]
To move from photography and into cinematography all you have to do is click on the arrows in the Photo Mode panel. This opens the essential tools for the Cinematic Mode which consists of general tools at the top, two graphs allowing you to tweak Camera Position Controls and Camera Properties with a timeline at the bottom. Using these tools you can set up a playback, which can be recorded using any game capture software. Now, let’s briefly go over the different camera options.

Get things moving with the Cinematic Camera tool

At the top of the UI, you find the general tools giving you basic controls of the cinematic camera. “Play” and “Pause” take you through the cinematic you have created, while “Save” lets you keep the setup for another time, and “Reset” gives you a fresh start when needed. By default, the UI is hidden as you play through the setup, but you can also enable it to see where you need to make adjustments. Lastly, the "Segment Duration" -slider enables you to specify the duration of the playback from 1 to 120 seconds.

A playback consists of a set of points, called keys, spaced out through your timeline. Typically, each point has a different camera position and the cinematic comes together as the camera transitions between these points. Each point can also have different Photo Mode properties connected to it, allowing you to, for example, change the time of day or weather during your cinematic.

The first graph is the Camera Transform Controls which control the position and rotation of the camera. The “Capture Key” button on the right will add the camera’s current position and rotation to the controls, which can always be adjusted. The dropdown lets you switch between the two, and properties listed next to the dropdown menu can be selected allowing you to change each of them. As you add additional keys to the timeline with different positions and rotations, you can also adjust the transition between these by selecting a key and adjusting the graph. Lastly, keys can be deleted by selecting them and using the “Delete Key” on the right.

A little further down you find the Photo Mode Panel. Here you can add keys for all the properties we discussed earlier in Photo Mode and create transitions between them. To get started, find the setting you want to add in the panel on the right, and click the “Capture Frame for Cinematic Camera.” This allows you to add new keys in a similar way to the Camera Transform Controls, and the dropdown lets you switch between the settings you have added. You only need to add options you want to transition between, such as the Time of Day or Focal Length. Any Photo Mode settings you have adjusted but not added to the Cinematic Camera are applied to the entire playback.

All Photo Mode settings can be used with the Cinematic Camera

We’re very excited to see how you put both the Photo Mode and Cinematic Camera to use when showing off your new cities! We’ve given you a lot of control over the look and feel after seeing the many styles of screenshots and videos you shared of Cities: Skylines. This development diary concludes our look at the new game features and we’d love to hear which ones you are most looking forward to.