The game is too easy. More challenge needed

[OZZO]

Look, I am not a pro in city builders. I played Cities 1 for 20-30 hours and that's it.

In Cities 2 I figured how to get the cash and manage the big spenders. Now I am always cash positive, and on top of that I'm getting millions each level up.

I have more development points and map cells than I really need.

People are happy despite the lack of some services.

Literally, everywhere I look I see no challenge at all. I was hoping for tougher economy or custom difficulty levels or devastating disasters. I don't know, something...

And the game is not punishing me for anything. I still have no fire station and no garbage collection - it's all good, mate, just keep spamming houses.

Now I can wait for the most expensive buildings like 8m hadron collider, but that's hardly a challenge - it's just waiting. I could leave the game running overnight and build it tomorrow.

More challenge needed!
---
I can share some tips for positive cash flow if you are interested, but be warned, the game will become extremely boring for you.

[Chic-Fil-Bae]

I think most people who play this game, including myself, go for the more creative side to the game instead of trying to actively establish a solid city with a good economy. Most videos I watch are people creating their own thought out city instead of doing a challenge city unless you are a speedrunner I guess. They might add something in the future since CS1 has scenarios to do so who knows.

[K.I.L.E.R]

I am disappointed this isn't the Dark Souls of city builders. SimCity 4 is still the Dark Souls of city builders.

[OZZO]

Originally posted by Chic-Fil-Bae:

I think most people who play this game, including myself, go for the more creative side to the game instead of trying to actively establish a solid city with a good economy. Most videos I watch are people creating their own thought out city instead of doing a challenge city unless you are a speedrunner I guess.

Good point. I think I shall focus on beauty in my next city on Archipelago map. Beach Properties asset pack is coming out in Q4 2023 and will be handy for that one.

[JimmysTheBestCop]

Nothing is as good as the original SimCity trilogy under Will Wright. SimCity, 2K and 3K.
SimCity 4 was a completely EA build with no input from the original Maxis crew. I honestly never enjoyed anything after SimCity 3K.

CS1 was always more a city painter then a honest city builder. There is no gameplay. You basically just build whatever you want and make things look pretty. It attracted the original SimCity players as well as more casual players who really want to express their creative side.

I was hoping CS2 would bring out some honest game play mechanics. SimCity trilogy you actually needed tactics and strategy. You couldnt just build and paint and decorate. CS1 the only game play challenge was traffic and that was cause the game couldnt handle it not a true mechanic.

After 8-9 years I expected a lot more from CS2. I rather load up SimCity 3000. I dont need modern graphics in a city builder as most dont have cutting edge graphics anyway.

Each version of SimCity under Will Wright revolutionized city building. CS2 feels more like an update to CS1. They didnt do anything different. No new idea. No new mechanics. Nothing original.

CS2 just has no game play. It's a giant game dedicated to decoration, I am much more interested in the looks of Highrise City now. At least there is game play. It does get away from the urban city mechanics of SimCity and its clones though so that is the only con for me. But it has mechanics you need to strategize and you need to think. I can careless about making things look pretty.

Is this a city builder or a Barbie Dream House designer?

[Jeronimo]

Was also the case in Skyline 1. Game is presented as a management game but is so easy that, in the end, Skyline 1 was more a creative engine to build city, watch it live and develop, make nice skyline, etc.

The only aspect of "management" that was interesting was traffic management, which many players enjoyed. Unfortunately I don't think Paradox did not understand that and they did not even push that gameloop to the next level in Skyline 2

[Narkulus]

Simcity 3 and 4 were hard as balls to get growth when you reached a certain population. That's the one gripe I've had with Skylines.

[Captain Wolf]

I think CO accidentally created a new genre with CS 1, the "City Painter".

I like it.

[gimlikos84]

Originally posted by Chic-Fil-Bae:

I think most people who play this game, including myself, go for the more creative side to the game instead of trying to actively establish a solid city with a good economy. Most videos I watch are people creating their own thought out city instead of doing a challenge city unless you are a speedrunner I guess. They might add something in the future since CS1 has scenarios to do so who knows.

So go and play creative mode with unlimited money , and buildings.I also want the economy to be more chalange.

[gimlikos84]

I also think the game is too easy.Nothing happened in my City.There is crime , fire warning and sick people , but I dont see anything happening with this.No icons , no animations , nothing is happening.

[JimmysTheBestCop]

Originally posted by Narkulus:

Simcity 3 and 4 were hard as balls to get growth when you reached a certain population. That's the one gripe I've had with Skylines.

And if I remember SimCity 3000 it was usually around 1-2.5 million where things maxed out for regular type of players. And it was a huge challenge.

I forget what CS1 unmodded pop could get to like 100-200k. You can even compare CS1 to SimCity trilogy its like comparing full blown PC games against mobile casual games.

Dont get me wrong I loved Cs1 and spent way too much money on silly DLC. But it was also the only game in town.

No other city builder tries to recreate SimCity classics. They all have a certain tycoon genre twist or a combat twist or a disaster etc. If you just want to build a straight up metropolis Cs1 was the only game in town.

Maxis pumped out SimCity 2000 and 3000 in the same amount of years it took Colossus to make CS2. I mean its not even close. I was hoping after nearly decade CS2 would have brought something uniquie.

Cs2 literally feels like a reskinned Cs1

[Narkulus]

Originally posted by JimmysTheBestCop:

Originally posted by Narkulus:

Simcity 3 and 4 were hard as balls to get growth when you reached a certain population. That's the one gripe I've had with Skylines.

And if I remember SimCity 3000 it was usually around 1-2.5 million where things maxed out for regular type of players. And it was a huge challenge.

I forget what CS1 unmodded pop could get to like 100-200k. You can even compare CS1 to SimCity trilogy its like comparing full blown PC games against mobile casual games.

Dont get me wrong I loved Cs1 and spent way too much money on silly DLC. But it was also the only game in town.

No other city builder tries to recreate SimCity classics. They all have a certain tycoon genre twist or a combat twist or a disaster etc. If you just want to build a straight up metropolis Cs1 was the only game in town.

Maxis pumped out SimCity 2000 and 3000 in the same amount of years it took Colossus to make CS2. I mean its not even close. I was hoping after nearly decade CS2 would have brought something uniquie.

Cs2 literally feels like a reskinned Cs1

It's a crime that Simcity 3000 is not here on Steam.

[Ryonix_X]

Originally posted by OZZO:

Look, I am not a pro in city builders. I played Cities 1 for 20-30 hours and that's it.

In Cities 2 I figured how to get the cash and manage the big spenders. Now I am always cash positive, and on top of that I'm getting millions each level up.

I have more development points and map cells than I really need.

People are happy despite the lack of some services.

Literally, everywhere I look I see no challenge at all. I was hoping for tougher economy or custom difficulty levels or devastating disasters. I don't know, something...

And the game is not punishing me for anything. I still have no fire station and no garbage collection - it's all good, mate, just keep spamming houses.

Now I can wait for the most expensive buildings like 8m hadron collider, but that's hardly a challenge - it's just waiting. I could leave the game running overnight and build it tomorrow.

More challenge needed!
---
I can share some tips for positive cash flow if you are interested, but be warned, the game will become extremely boring for you.

any tips on how to get a positive flow of cash? that's really the only thing i'm struggling with lol

[JimmysTheBestCop]

Originally posted by Narkulus:

It's a crime that Simcity 3000 is not here on Steam.

They have both 2000 and 3000 on GOG. Now those were sequels. CS2 is a money grabbing reskin.

[W.B. Yeats]

If you want a contrast of course, Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic, can sometimes feel like there's an active AI actually trying to hunt down and punish any weak city building design decisions. Love it.

[digi83]

I agree, Ive gotten bored after almost 30 hours. Supply and demand are completely non existent, rewards for reaching milestones feel too high and I honestly just feel like im making a sandbox city with no reason to add financial boosting districts or reduce services or increase taxes etc, there is no motivation for me to even play unless I want to create some city model, I hope this will be addressed quickly or I cant see myself ever wishing to play this just for the sake of making a city, I need a challenge.