Greetings, earthlings! It is me, ya boy, bringing you the latest news in space exploration and technology. The cims of Cities: Skylines will take the next step in expanding their horizons beyond the gravity well of Earth in this latest patch called ChirpX.
To boldly go...
ChirpX is a free patch which brings a new unique building to the game: the ChirpX Launch Site. The patch celebrates not only the historical Falcon Heavy launch by SpaceX but also the release of Surviving Mars as well as the third anniversary of Cities: Skylines! That's right, C:S is three years old!
The ChirpX Launch Site featuring the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Launch Control Center, the Launch Tower, the Crawler-transporter and the ChirpX Rocket.
ChirpX was an idea that came up during a weekly meeting where we discussed Surviving Mars themed radio station that will be released in Cities: Skylines, coinciding with the release of the game, Surviving Mars. We thought that perhaps it would be nice to have something with a bit of gameplay added to it, something that would also look cool. And since the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch had been a week prior, we thought that something like it would suit nicely with the theme of conquering the red planet in Surviving Mars. And so ChirpX was born.
The ChirpX Rocket transported to the Launch Tower on the Crawler-transporter. (By the way, the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building work!)
The ChirpX Launch Site features a launch control center, a vehicle assembly building and a launch tower. There is also the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter which hauls the ChirpX rocket to the launch tower. The Kennedy Space Center was used for inspiration when the visual design for the ChirpX Launch Site was decided. The design for the ChirpX rocket took heavy inspiration from the classic Saturn V rocket which was used to support the Apollo program from 1964 to 1973. The rocket design was a close tie between the Saturn V and something resembling the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket but in the end the more classic look won.
The ChirpX Rocket being prepared for launch.
Of course, the best part about having a space center and a rocket is that you get to launch it and ChirpX is no different in this regard. To prepare the rocket for a launch, the ChirpX Launch Site requires processed natural resources, ore and oil. Once the building is placed, it will start the rocket production process if there are enough resources – processed either in the city or delivered to the site from outside connections. The rocket production is divided into two phases: construction and launch preparation.
"We have a lift-off!"
After the construction phase is finished, the launch preparation phase starts and the rocket is transported from the vehicle assembly building to the launch tower. When the production reaches 100%, the ChirpX rocket is ready to be launched. The launch button becomes active and can be accessed through the ChirpX Launch Site info panel. In addition to the awesome visuals, the ChirpX Launch Site also generates entertainment and attractiveness to the city, increasing happiness and tourism.
The ChirpX Launch Site at night.
In the ChirpX Launch Site info panel you can also see the list of the past launch operations with dates and rocket names. Here you can also rename the rocket as well as change its color.
The ChirpX update will become live later today.
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of ChirpX. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no chirper has gone before.”
- Captain Jean-Luc Chirpard
To boldly go...
ChirpX is a free patch which brings a new unique building to the game: the ChirpX Launch Site. The patch celebrates not only the historical Falcon Heavy launch by SpaceX but also the release of Surviving Mars as well as the third anniversary of Cities: Skylines! That's right, C:S is three years old!
The ChirpX Launch Site featuring the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Launch Control Center, the Launch Tower, the Crawler-transporter and the ChirpX Rocket.
ChirpX was an idea that came up during a weekly meeting where we discussed Surviving Mars themed radio station that will be released in Cities: Skylines, coinciding with the release of the game, Surviving Mars. We thought that perhaps it would be nice to have something with a bit of gameplay added to it, something that would also look cool. And since the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch had been a week prior, we thought that something like it would suit nicely with the theme of conquering the red planet in Surviving Mars. And so ChirpX was born.
The ChirpX Rocket transported to the Launch Tower on the Crawler-transporter. (By the way, the doors of the Vehicle Assembly Building work!)
The ChirpX Launch Site features a launch control center, a vehicle assembly building and a launch tower. There is also the mobile launcher platform and crawler-transporter which hauls the ChirpX rocket to the launch tower. The Kennedy Space Center was used for inspiration when the visual design for the ChirpX Launch Site was decided. The design for the ChirpX rocket took heavy inspiration from the classic Saturn V rocket which was used to support the Apollo program from 1964 to 1973. The rocket design was a close tie between the Saturn V and something resembling the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket but in the end the more classic look won.
The ChirpX Rocket being prepared for launch.
Of course, the best part about having a space center and a rocket is that you get to launch it and ChirpX is no different in this regard. To prepare the rocket for a launch, the ChirpX Launch Site requires processed natural resources, ore and oil. Once the building is placed, it will start the rocket production process if there are enough resources – processed either in the city or delivered to the site from outside connections. The rocket production is divided into two phases: construction and launch preparation.
"We have a lift-off!"
After the construction phase is finished, the launch preparation phase starts and the rocket is transported from the vehicle assembly building to the launch tower. When the production reaches 100%, the ChirpX rocket is ready to be launched. The launch button becomes active and can be accessed through the ChirpX Launch Site info panel. In addition to the awesome visuals, the ChirpX Launch Site also generates entertainment and attractiveness to the city, increasing happiness and tourism.
The ChirpX Launch Site at night.
In the ChirpX Launch Site info panel you can also see the list of the past launch operations with dates and rocket names. Here you can also rename the rocket as well as change its color.
The ChirpX update will become live later today.
“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of ChirpX. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no chirper has gone before.”
- Captain Jean-Luc Chirpard