Cities: Skylines Campus Expansion Announcement

[Mazisky]

I don't get this "it's too american" sentiment.

Both simcity and the sims series had a very strong american style and nobody complained. It's like the standard

 

[lrbaumard]

@lrbaumard - If you think they didn't do some form of research or focus testing, you are wrong. But let's expand your view: the expansion model paradox games use is, in some ways, riskier than putting out sequel. The point of an expansion is it's quicker and cheaper than starting over again, both in terms of development and audience. That means they have sell it to the audience they already have, someone who owns the game already. The more DLC a game has, the less attractive it will be to new players. This is why EA creates bundles for their Sims content: they try to put together an enticing entry point that takes that edge off.

So sure, perhaps you think this doesn't cater to you and maybe you are right, but it caters to other players. The success of industries and park life has apparently shown this is a popular format and given the developers a reason to keep using it. In the end there is will reach a point where the DLC is no longer profitable enough to justify support, and it's around that time we'll see an announcement for Cities 2.

You've not grasped the point i am trying to make at all

 

[Azurespecter]

Link to Dev Diaries: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?forums/official-information-announcements.878/

 

[Hyomoto]

@lrbaumard - I disagree. Your major points are the expansion doesn't appeal to you and you are baffled they didn't take community input. My response is they did, just not yours specifically. I argue that they have to take community input in order to sustain the expansion model.

Now, perhaps that wasn't what you meant to say, but I don't think my take is very far off of what you wrote.

 

[LogicMage]

Will there be other sports than american football ? I love the concept, but it seems to be a little too US for me. Not all countries have that type of "campus" with dormitories and giant stadiums. I hope it will be possible to do something cool and efficient without those ones.

From the Steam Description, there are 5 sports.
Bring college sports to your city by building football, basketball, baseball, track & field, and swimming arenas. Manage your teams, hire coaches, sell tickets -- and collect prizes for winning matches! Customize your teams with unique jerseys, busses and security.

 

[Orinsul]

11 days? I missed that, thats AWESOME. Very excited to play it.

 

[metatoaster]

Blergh. I'm super-underwhelmed that after six months of work, that's what they come up with. The free update better bring some super-cool stuff, because between the unwieldly and buggy Industries and this, my hype level for Cities Skylines is reaching an all-time low.

I especially dislike that this is using ploppable buildings (for the third time) when those are not well supported by the game mechanics. This is a game where you often have to upgrade your roads, and in the base game with zones and a few hand-placed service buildings, it's fairly easy to make room for that. Now they encourage you to painstakingly hand-place tons of buildings and decorations, with no tool to mass-move them. A vanilla park can magically move somewhere else along with all its furniture and trees, but with the new zones you have to painstakingly move every bench and rock. Makes total sense, and it makes for fascinating gameplay!!!!111

What I see overall is a lot of good and semi-decent ideas for those DLCs, backed by no willingness (or no ability) to revamp the engine to match the ambitions of these ideas. Meanwhile, a lot of previously introduced mechanics never get revisited and feel half-baked and poorly thought-out (still salty about underground metro costing next to nothing and being available before trains, whose tunnels are extremely expensive).

 

[Le Passant]

I don't get this "it's too american" sentiment.

Both simcity and the sims series had a very strong american style and nobody complained. It's like the standard

I do not play those games, but if I do I would probably complain the same. But since I do not buy those...I do not have the right to complain.

And no, "american" (which is not a good term, US are not the only american country) school and high education system is not the standard.

I too would like specialized buildings with various effects and ways to either make an unique university, or multiples specialized universities across the city. And I truly would like to be able to do something neat WITHOUT sport. I know US love their universities competition, but this is not a thing everywhere.

 

[Timmysoboy]

Looks like there is going to be more to the expansion than the trailer implies. I'm not overwhelmed by the sports mechanic myself (still a little salty that my tuition got funneled into a new sports facility that I would never visit). That said, the interaction between Faculties and city looks like CO milked every bit of immersion and interest the engine would allow. Pretty hyped, will be buying it.

 

[lrbaumard]

@lrbaumard - I disagree. Your major points are the expansion doesn't appeal to you and you are baffled they didn't take community input. My response is they did, just not yours specifically. I argue that they have to take community input in order to sustain the expansion model.

Now, perhaps that wasn't what you meant to say, but I don't think my take is very far off of what you wrote.

Still not what i meant.
Yes expansion doens't appeal to me and is to North American-centric
My main point is they don't provide any opportunity for community input on this expansion. It releases in 9 days and judging by what we know of PDX game development, content is 'locked' for this expansion with just balance and polishing and QnA going on atm (see Imperator Rome for reference)

 

[Giveaway412]

Still not what i meant.
Yes expansion doens't appeal to me and is to North American-centric
My main point is they don't provide any opportunity for community input on this expansion. It releases in 9 days and judging by what we know of PDX game development, content is 'locked' for this expansion with just balance and polishing and QnA going on atm (see Imperator Rome for reference)

I mean, even before they shortened the time between reveal and release, we didn't get any input for design decisions. All the major content decisions are the first things to happen, with the devs/producers agreeing behind closed doors. By the time the expansion is officially announced, all the features have been locked. This is true for pretty much any developer.

 

[Meesmoth]

There is nothing that anyone can do if Paradox wants shorter time between announcements and release. In the past they were months away, now it's only 12 days away on Campus. Just accept it. The next DLC on October is expected to have the same timeline or even shorter (announcement 7 days before release is just bulls*it).

 

[Fox_NS_CAN]

There is nothing that anyone can do if Paradox wants shorter time between announcements and release. In the past they were months away, now it's only 12 days away on Campus. Just accept it. The next DLC on October is expected to have the same timeline or even shorter (announcement 7 days before release is just bulls*it).

I don't like this short time myself, but I would not want to know for months with a tidbit here and a mention there. I'd like something somewhere in between. But either way, we still have to wait for release to play. At least with the last minute notification, you aren't likely to have some feature announced and then changed/dropped.

 

[Tanaxia]

It looks great! But was kinda hoping for some "deeper" gameplay function of these campuses.
Something like actually being able to research things, upgrades for other buildings or even new buildings. Or unlock new policies. Would make it for a much more interesting gameplay.
Or having certain industry require certain degrees that the regular university doesn't provide.

Right now, the campuses doesn't really bring anything other than having a "visually" more realistic university/college campus. Which is great of course but it feels kind of shallow.

 

[LordSauronN]

Uuu Universıty life, good

 

[Timmysoboy]

@Tanaxia , in a YT teaser, PDX showed off that some of these buildings give global bonuses to you city (the example was that police academy boosts police stations), so they ARE putting a bit more depth into this one.

Frankly, short of adding Easter egg growables, this expansion is checking every box on my university checklist.

On the topic of announcement to release schedule: I've been upset about this in the past, but recently followed a dev diary for a different game for 6 months, then by the time of release I was simply sick of it. Perhaps instead of extensive *dev* diaries, it would be cool to see tweeks / fixes on past DLC with each free update.

2c

*edit* My phone would not accept that "dev" was a word.

 

[metacritical]

it would be cool to see tweeks / fixes on past DLC with each free update.

these are listed in patch notes

 

[lrbaumard]

I mean, even before they shortened the time between reveal and release, we didn't get any input for design decisions. All the major content decisions are the first things to happen, with the devs/producers agreeing behind closed doors. By the time the expansion is officially announced, all the features have been locked. This is true for pretty much any developer.

No its not
None of the PDX developers are like that

 

[kenratboy]

I can't believe the time between announce and release is causing controversy

 

[Timmysoboy]

@metacritical right, they did a pretty unprecedented job tweaking after Industries. Really above and beyond. Hopefully it's going to be the norm in the future.

*Edit* I may have been ambiguous, I meant it would be nice to see more attention given to fixing up old DLC, rather than wishing for more transparency with what tweeks have already happened.

ANYWAY, the important part is that I'm stoked for the new expansion.