Cities: Skylines is a game from PC, ported to XBOX ONE. MAny worried about how it would work but it seems to be getting ok reviews. As far as I can see it is about 4+ stars.

A little history, I played Sims 1 and 2 a lot when I was younger, and Zoo/Roller coaster Tycoon. I played some city building game on my nans computer yeaaaaars ago, but I can remember never being able to get a population. I played a design game on the computer when I was at school, and never even knew what the goal of it was. This game is perfect to fix the trauma these old games have created within me!

I was unsure whether to buy this game. The fact I had about £15 on my account already convinced me. My regret is that I am finding this game so very addictive. It is very slow to start too, so I feel like I am staring at a screen willing people to come live in my city.. The major downfall of this game in fact is that you cannot speed up time. You can pause it, but not speed up. Which I wish was opposite.

I warn you, if you have never played a game like this before, it doesn’t always explain how the systems work. Full disclosure, my first try didn’t work at all, I deleted it, and found a tutorial online. It didn’t help that much, but it gave me the basics of building the foundations of a city. I started again after then one as well, I couldn’t get it to make a profit, or maybe I was too impatient to turn it into a profit.

I think I’ve got it now, I’m being much more patient in my city building. I built less “yellow” plots (industrial zones) in this city, trying to lower the pollution amount, and as soon as I was able I built farms and forest districts to replace them. Sadly, I couldn’t eliminate polution completely, as the lack of wind means I needed a power plant, and when you start, if you are playing without everything unlocked, you only have access to a Landfill site to remove your garbage, which generates polution too.

Using zones, paint tool, use X to delete. Cannot draw over zones already coloured without deleting them.

I love the spreadsheet’ness of this game, all the different options you have to view your city, from happiness to traffic flow and pollution levels!

The below video shows a little of how the game plays, with water and the menus. Roads a pretty easy to work out, I love the free form roads, where you can build them however you want, by holding ‘Y’ once you have clicked on the road builder, you open the options. This is important. ‘Y’ is a magic button. Try holding it when you click on other buttons to open other menus. Holding it when nothing is selected brings up you menu access, but I think that is explained in the game.

Here are some tips:

• Water – plan ahead, put two pumps down and run them up at the top of river flow. Put sewage drains at the lowest part of the river flow, and remember they generate water pollution!
• Electricity – Check the wind levels of where you place windmills, and try to keep powerplants away from residential areas. buildings spread electricity, so you don’t always need pylons.
• Pollution – Keep moving industrial areas in the beginning of the game till you can set districts to other industry, such as farming and forestry. Watch for water pollution and garbage build up.
• TRAFFIC – Red is bad, green is good. You cannot really plan ahead with big roads, but you can upgrade roads later on. (‘Y’) try not to have many junctions a one road end, makes traffic awful.
• Transport – Urgh, the buses weren’t fun to work out, and I almost quit trying. I asked someone who played on pc why I was having issues, and it was completed circuits. I would have preferred being able to begin and end them, but they need to loop back to the start. They are also supposed to reduce traffic flow.
• Taxes – I have mine set at 11, 14, 13. The top one is residential, I have it low to draw in people to live in my cities, and just before they complain for the other two. When I need a quick influx of cash, I will raise them up high to get some cash flow. Make sure that you don’t leave the too high for too long because people leave.
• Budget – Turn the all to 50, and adjust accordingly. Rather than building loads of power plants and windmills, I raise the budget of my electricity and then check the generated to required amounts. Every time you unlock a new service, their budget will start at 100, so adjust it! Also, remember there is day and night.

That’s all I can think of as a few beginners tips from a beginner! Keep your eyes peeled, if I play this game longer than a week I may post another!

 

PS, here is a guide I found that is more complete than mine.