How to generate larger towns AT START?

[Metropolitan Chemist]

I'm really frustrated about initial town size. All towns are too small that can literally be covered by a few stations, which is no good for metro lines. I've read some related reddit posts, but they are like either only applicable for TF1 or are outdated.

I want larger initial town sizes, and also a way to generate larger towns in the map editor.

[Vimpster]

Have you seen how big you can make them using sandbox mod? Quadruple the maximum size of a default town (800 vs 200). I have gotten a town with an initial size of just under 200 to around 2800 in a game with no mods and a normally generated map. With an initial size of 800 I can only imagine how big you could get them.

There are also mods that make them grow even bigger, such as the one that adds additional cargo demands to the cities. But that is of course effecting growth, not the initial size. The only mod that I know of that can change the initial size is the sandbox mod that comes with the game.

[Metropolitan Chemist]

Originally posted by Vimpster:

Have you seen how big you can make them using sandbox mod? Quadruple the maximum size of a default town (800 vs 200). I have gotten a town with an initial size of just under 200 to around 2800 in a game with no mods and a normally generated map. With an initial size of 800 I can only imagine how big you could get them.

There are also mods that make them grow even bigger, such as the one that adds additional cargo demands to the cities. But that is of course effecting growth, not the initial size. The only mod that I know of that can change the initial size is the sandbox mod that comes with the game.

But then how to make them grow faster? Specifically, how to make them less dependent on good supply? I sometimes play maps without industries.

[Vimpster]

The more and larger the cities are on the map the less dependant any one city is on cargo supply for growth. The most a town can benefit from cargo supply is 200% growth bonus. 100% for the commercial and 100% for the industrial. But the growth bonus you get from public and private destinations is unlimited.

Look at the city window in this screenshot. Notice that cargo supply is only adding 20% growth bonus because of how little I am supplying it. The other 440% growth bonus (before counting the negative growth factors) is all from public and private destinations.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2578095183
When cities grow it causes a feedback loop where each other town grows based on the increased destinations that become available, causing even more growth, and on and on it goes.

[Tsubame ⭐]

You can always do passenger transport to increase city sizes, cargo is not the only variable. In fact, in the previous iteration, cargo had minimal impact and while this was improved, passenger transport remains the best way to grow cities up.

If you want physically larger cities, the only way to do that is to plop multiple cities next to each other. The problem with plopping very large individual towns is that their population is astronomical, and even then not that sprawling - i.e. lots of skyscrapers.

Of course, plopping many cities next to each other also causes a different problem, these cities tend to grow faster because of their high private transport demand.

With the following mods, you can build sprawling metropolises while minimizing performance bottlenecks:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308330610
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2036235984
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2044636379

[Metropolitan Chemist]

Originally posted by Tsubame:

You can always do passenger transport to increase city sizes, cargo is not the only variable. In fact, in the previous iteration, cargo had minimal impact and while this was improved, passenger transport remains the best way to grow cities up.

If you want physically larger cities, the only way to do that is to plop multiple cities next to each other. The problem with plopping very large individual towns is that their population is astronomical, and even then not that sprawling - i.e. lots of skyscrapers.

Of course, plopping many cities next to each other also causes a different problem, these cities tend to grow faster because of their high private transport demand.

With the following mods, you can build sprawling metropolises while minimizing performance bottlenecks:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308330610
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2036235984
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2044636379

I already knew these mods.

[Metssr]

Originally posted by Transportation master kcl:

But then how to make them grow faster? Specifically, how to make them less dependent on good supply? I sometimes play maps without industries.

I suppose then you're in the wrong game. This game is about transporting goods and passengers. and secondly make the game look as 100% natural as can be.

[Tsubame ⭐]

Originally posted by Transportation master kcl:

Originally posted by Tsubame:

You can always do passenger transport to increase city sizes, cargo is not the only variable. In fact, in the previous iteration, cargo had minimal impact and while this was improved, passenger transport remains the best way to grow cities up.

If you want physically larger cities, the only way to do that is to plop multiple cities next to each other. The problem with plopping very large individual towns is that their population is astronomical, and even then not that sprawling - i.e. lots of skyscrapers.

Of course, plopping many cities next to each other also causes a different problem, these cities tend to grow faster because of their high private transport demand.

With the following mods, you can build sprawling metropolises while minimizing performance bottlenecks:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2308330610
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2036235984
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2044636379

I already knew these mods.

Good about that, use them to make larger metro areas. Something like this:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2475475960

As noted, physically larger cities are not possible unless you place lots of smaller towns together. And if you do not watch the population the performance is going to go down the drain.

I am afraid you cannot have your cake and eat it too; on a regular map, you can have a few "metro" areas with multiple cities next to each other, but larger areas will put more strain on the CPU; how physically large your metro areas can get will depend on how you willing you are to tweak the base population through mods and assets.

[canophone]

Originally posted by Transportation master kcl:

Originally posted by Vimpster:

Have you seen how big you can make them using sandbox mod? Quadruple the maximum size of a default town (800 vs 200). I have gotten a town with an initial size of just under 200 to around 2800 in a game with no mods and a normally generated map. With an initial size of 800 I can only imagine how big you could get them.

There are also mods that make them grow even bigger, such as the one that adds additional cargo demands to the cities. But that is of course effecting growth, not the initial size. The only mod that I know of that can change the initial size is the sandbox mod that comes with the game.

But then how to make them grow faster? Specifically, how to make them less dependent on good supply? I sometimes play maps without industries.

You maximize your passenger and goods connections (more connections of residents to shops and jobs, and more goods delivery). Sandbox is almost required for maximizing, because you also have to add cities that are closer, especially if you want to quicken the pace.