When discussing both water and, at times, roads, a fair few people have pointed to the mechanics as overly simplistic or problematic, as there isn't much reason to keep some systems (like water control) efficient or there lacks depth beyond one metric ("traffic," although I personally view that as plenty complex).
What would interest me is a way to implement upkeep or include some kind of cost for inefficiencies in the system. For example, roads cost money to keep up. An excessively used road will require more maintenance, but a road on the edge of the city that is used by one or two cars will still need to have some level of maintenance. Requiring the construction of roadworks (even if they never actually stop traffic to do their job) would be an interesting addition. Conditions of various roads could impede speed and so forth if not kept up vigorously. Prioritizing road types or areas for upkeep, such as highways at the cost of rural side-roads, would also be cool.
Similar, water systems with one main pipe should require upgrading to meet the needs of the populace, and excessive overlap or poorly designed systems should be something that isn't encouraged. It takes away the idea of a mana-esque "draw line to fix" and encourages people to think through the system a little more. It also makes some of the excessively simplistic solution a little less easy to implement; sure, you can build all of your sewage treatment here, but you'd have to run a massive pipe a long distance for all of your poop to exit there. Building farms, which are water intensive, would require a greater deal of infrastructure spending for water; otherwise, fields run dry. That kind of thing.
Would just be cool to see more day to day upkeep become part of the game as well, especially in some form that requires rethinking the layout of a city, or requires districting or prioritizing of services to meet needs.
What would interest me is a way to implement upkeep or include some kind of cost for inefficiencies in the system. For example, roads cost money to keep up. An excessively used road will require more maintenance, but a road on the edge of the city that is used by one or two cars will still need to have some level of maintenance. Requiring the construction of roadworks (even if they never actually stop traffic to do their job) would be an interesting addition. Conditions of various roads could impede speed and so forth if not kept up vigorously. Prioritizing road types or areas for upkeep, such as highways at the cost of rural side-roads, would also be cool.
Similar, water systems with one main pipe should require upgrading to meet the needs of the populace, and excessive overlap or poorly designed systems should be something that isn't encouraged. It takes away the idea of a mana-esque "draw line to fix" and encourages people to think through the system a little more. It also makes some of the excessively simplistic solution a little less easy to implement; sure, you can build all of your sewage treatment here, but you'd have to run a massive pipe a long distance for all of your poop to exit there. Building farms, which are water intensive, would require a greater deal of infrastructure spending for water; otherwise, fields run dry. That kind of thing.
Would just be cool to see more day to day upkeep become part of the game as well, especially in some form that requires rethinking the layout of a city, or requires districting or prioritizing of services to meet needs.
