Urban planning does finally back (a bit more) fun 1

I am SimCity fan of the first hour, then started with SimCity on the Super Nintendo (then you could still take roads only build rails) and SimCity 4 to everything played out. Cities: XXL and its derivatives have me, like so many others, not excited, just like the SimCity, which appeared in 2013; This was far too easy and linear, like all EA games.
Cities: Skylines is now finally the first urban planning "simulator", which convinced me.
This expression begins with the least important point for me and ends with the most important.

After a bit of research, I have the game - legally! - Can get hold of just 12EUR. Considering that it is completely new, a great price. Activation works on Steam - for me an advantage because I anyway use Steam and the game can so never go back "lost". Small delicacies additionally: Supports Steam Cloud are directly available in the savegames, so I do not care where I log in, not only can play the game, but all the savegames.

The graph convinced me in every aspect. While there on my normal PC (Windows 8.1 64bit, 8GB Ram, 3GHz something processor AMD HD6850 1GB) no problems with frames at the highest setting, it is unplayable on my 2012 MacBook Air with 8GB Ram.

The press shown in fact in accordance with the Realtität, pulsates the city, is very close and very far infinitely zoomable, the buildings look fine. The only drawback: The reflections in the glass facades of large buildings are not "real", it may happen that a skyline reflected, although the building is in a field. Here you are still rework. Otherwise: Top.
The interface is now not so successfully, it seems more oriented use, such as it would be a placeholder, and improved menus were in work. That does not fit the beautiful graphics, but is not disturbing.

The game principle is almost exactly that of SimCity, who played one of the parts already, know immediately how it works. I was a little scared, I could not build a "mega-cities", because the construction area is so limited (2015 in my opinion is no longer necessary). This fear, however, has already released the first game in the air, after I saw how big the surfaces are dimensioned, you can gradually to buy. There are really a lot of space, to let off steam.
For me personally it is missing some of variability in the possible areas (there are, for example, only "Low" and "High" -Density residential areas, more gradations I found beautiful).
Also works well: In the "predecessors" I just built an infinite number of residential / industrial / commercial areas, so that there was never a shortage. The issue here is not more, because there is a too blatant disproportion between the areas, for example, if too much industrial areas are present, they are indeed settled, then leave but quickly, and there remain only ruins, which are then painstakingly by hand must tear down what can be very annoying very quickly. So, dear, always make sure that all areas are in equilibrium. Nicely solved, I also think that right "blank areas" are helped build the road. This ensures that all the buildings can be achieved in any case. Where we are when it comes to "roads".

Cities: Skylines focuses namely quite different from the earlier parts, namely in the transport organization. While it is very easy - maybe a bit too simple - is its citizens to vote well and you suffocated after a few hours in quasi money, it is almost impossible hinzukriegen proper transport planning. Even with 5,000 inhabitants has a traffic as in Brazil. Here you could technically simple citizens can hang a few more zeros, because it just seems very unrealistic. Actually, it runs in every town also that one from about 20,000 inhabitants only takes care of the transport planning, because money and Happiness is indeed in abundance.
At your disposal are relatively many roads that can be drawn in Freestyle mode, which creates really impressive buildings. Again, this is easy to understand. Nevertheless, everything will quickly reach its limits. Even I have not yet gone beyond 30,000 inhabitants. The problem is mainly that it almost never works to build exits. No matter how many roads I do, somewhere there must be crossings, and the cars have to stop from time to there. But hybrids are death. Even a crossing means have total gridlock and congestion on the highway back to. Since it does not take much to set up bus lines and subways.
The difficulty increases thus exponentially. To 10,000, it is far too easy, at 20,000, it is virtually impossible. If the traffic does not flow through quasi, the fire department is no longer burning houses, the waste is not picked up, etc. This is my main criticism of the game and one of the reasons why I do not so looked like SimCity 4 (where I actually areas with several million residents had).

Additional positive / negative aspects:

+ The game has a very good community, the integration of mods and new maps is a dream (quasi Point + Click)
+ It is quite possible, if it so wishes, to build a city in the checkerboard pattern. It is equally possible to completely build a city "freestyle", so that they are very "realistic" look. Here all the work was done.
+30 Achievements are already included, hopefully there will be more. Am a fan of Gamification.

- Terraforming there is no longer unfortunately. The areas are not very hilly.
- It is not possible to build the tunnel. Too bad.
- I would like to mention it again: to build off and driveways is very difficult, but nevertheless essential to the game. It should urgently be improved
- The game works here and there a bit unfinished. Here is hopefully (not DLC!) Improved.
- The oh so great feature, which is touted everywhere "Realistic Water" is in the end just ridiculous. There is now only one direction of flow, which means that you have to place the water and wastewater pump properly (the water pump from the wastewater). That was about it. Why is this "feature" touted as eternal (Herstelle site and tests) is beyond me.

Conclusion: The game is definitely for everyone who likes to even begin cities simulations recommended. People who are new to the genre should start with this part. For the money can not do much wrong. I hope in the future something is worked off.

PS helpful button click does not hurt :-)