#CITIES SKYLINES CITY LAYOUT MODS#
#CITIES SKYLINES CITY LAYOUT PC#

Depending on the finished look, you either leave the gaps empty or just fill them with low-density buildings. The point is to avoid getting rows of adjacent 4Г—4 blocks which can look overbearing unless itвЂ™s right in the city centre. So instead of filling or dragging across an area, you just draw a fairly random selection of plots.ДЄ 2Г—2, a 3Г—3, a 4Г—2вЂ¦ the occasional 4Г—4. Essentially it involves zoning plots individually rather than en masse.

ItвЂ™s quite time consuming and is something I picked up from YouTuber ImperialJedi. It helps avoid the вЂurban jungleвЂ™ effect and can also be used to help merge lower density areas with higher density ones. This is a way to reduce the size and proximity of high-density residential blocks. Which is tricky! Hand-drawing high-density buildings In which case the challenge is convincingly blending the edges of the city into the empty surroundings. Having said that, maybe your city is a cluster of small industrial towns in a wide, flat expanse. The point is that by choosing a map that constrains you, the city will look like itвЂ™s a product of its environment, rather than an alien spaceship thatвЂ™s just landed in the middle of a plain. Others have wide rivers, tall hills and steep slopes. Maps like Natural DisastersвЂ™ Archipelago have lots of water and not much buildable space. But after that, look for cities with some geographical restrictions. And in truth thatвЂ™s a good place to start if youвЂ™re still learning the gameвЂ™s systems. ItвЂ™s tempting to pick maps with wide open spaces and very little to get in the way. Ultimately, the city will feel much better realised and alive if it has a purpose. Not all the questions need to be answered, obviously, but having a general idea will let you build each district with that character in mind. What is its focus? Type of business? Will it be an exporter or importer? A tourist destination ( guide here ) or an industrial powerhouse ( guide here )? Once youвЂ™ve got an idea, build around that. WhatвЂ™s the story of the city?Д«efore you even load into a map, itвЂ™s worth having an idea what the city is going to be about. Personally, I like it, but I do understand the desire for a more muted, gritty appearance вЂ“ and perhaps that would be great for a future sequel.Д«ut without really getting into editing the colours and assets in the game, вЂauthenticвЂ™ is a lot more achievable than вЂrealisticвЂ™. By default, Cities: Skylines has quite a cartoony look, probably inspired by 2013вЂ™s SimCity. ItвЂ™s worth saying IвЂ™m not talking about cities that look вЂrealisticвЂ™. And here IвЂ™ll go into a few ideas and things I use to try to bring cities to life. ThereвЂ™s a lot of tools and techniques in the base game we can use to make cities look more natural and authentic.

#CITIES SKYLINES CITY LAYOUT PC#

For anyone on a console, an elderly PC or who prefers to play vanilla, that approach isnвЂ™t going to work.

#CITIES SKYLINES CITY LAYOUT MODS#

But a lot of those realistic-looking cities depend on vast numbers of mods and assets. Some of the images that go up on Reddit are little short of extraordinary. How do we make a city feel like a real place? How can we make it feel alive вЂ“ like it exists independently of us?

Cities skylines city layout