One Major Bug is Ruining My Cities in Cities Skylines 2, So Here's My Plan

One major bug is breaking all of my builds. As a result, I'm planning on slowing much of my Cities Skylines 2 content until the issue is resolved. I'm also adjusting my release schedule due to the increased difficulty of creating content for CS2.
Nothing but love to the game and devs and hope that we see the issues resolved, but I'm making this to explain the decision, and imploring the devs to focus on fixing this big bugs quickly.
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[@CityPlannerPlays]

Hey everyone. This is the mod that fixed my land value issues. Be sure to read the entire description so that you fully understand how this will change your save! Land Value Overhaul - thunderstore.io/c/cities-skylines-ii/p/Jimmyok/LandValueOverhaul/

[@SanderHollebrand]

Oooh thanks for sharing this, I’m going to try it right now.

[@davidiii9870]

If I may request sir? I really love if you produce a content with city skylines 1 with all the DLC. I really love your story making, music, and voice. Its very relaxing and enjoyable after a hard day at work.

[@MonkeyBurrito]

The mod I choose to use is callled Cities2Mods_RenterAndLandValuePolicy and it works to solve this as well!

[@ravishah2255]

A bug is a problem in coding. This seems like bad simulation design more than a bug. They intended the system to work in that specific mathematical way, but in practice, it's a bad model. What you need is Alpha-Beta testing to give feedback on the specific land value system and tweak it as game balance issue. TLDR, most likely, their simulation model sucks and it's not as well thought out.

[@bgl8607]

I just don't understand how modders are able to "fix" certain bugs in the game while CO developers are not able to. I'd hate to be unfair to the devs but can anyone explain why this is?

[@BiffaPlaysCitiesSkylines]

"User decisions don't seem to matter"...yep 100% agree. Well put together video Phil and like yourself I really hope this can be fixed 🙏

[@andrewyoung3299]

Yep, I even suggested people to watch your 40min video too Biffa. I really enjoyed it!

[@gunnarragnarsson9563]

I don't really think they are going to change the 'user decision' part. They clearly said multple times they have reached their gameplay goals on release. They also have soooooooo much work to do the coming year (editors, mod platform, bug fixes, DLC development) that a complete overhaul of the simulation to allow more user interaction is probably not going to happen. I do agree this is the most major turn off for me for this game.

[@mythirdlife4923]

Well you have two series from CS1 that we would love to see be completed!!

[@MirandaTess]

I watched the Biffa video yesterday and Phil's video today and both make me feel so much better about the thoughts I've had about CS2. I love the game but I wish the simulation was more user and creative friendly.

[@WestOfEarth]

this sounds like the same problem that doomed SimCity (Simcity 5). Maybe a different cause, but decisions in that game seemed to matter very little from what I remember.

[@SpoonHurler]

"Jeffery can't afford the rent." 😂 Lemonade sells can only get you so far.

[@kevinconrad6156]

he's selling weed at school, don't see how it could do it otherwise.

[@Zyo117]

@kevinconrad6156 "Hey yo Mr. White, wanna cook?"

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Jeffery has cranked the prices up and the AI is yet to respond by not buying the lemonade, haha.

[@Xenc5]

Preview of upcoming child labour DLC?!

[@norneaernourn8240]

@@Zyo117 Bring forth the RV.

[@JakeSoulFreeTravels]

HOLY SMOKES! It's a face....completely not what I had in my head, but I'm loving it, glad to see you now. Congrats on your unique style and success.

[@courageouschronicler8657]

Right?! Thank you! Totally expected a different face, lol! Glad I wasn't the only one.

[@ParkerTyler]

Yeah y'all definitely aren't alone! Been watching for years but this is my first time seeing his face! Trying to reprogram my brain now! 😂

[@ContonoYT]

I thought of a blond guy with almost no beard, I got surprised!

[@JakeSoulFreeTravels]

@@ParkerTyler NOW you've said it. Reprogramming my brain here too. Gotcha, Mr. CityPlanner. I like FewCandy best, and she’s been visual. I can’t remember if I’ve seen Biffa. I believe Egg is next. DANG, if you’ve seen Let’s Game It Out. He has a very entertaining voice (I’m in entertainment) and it took me forever/long time to find him out, he has maybe 1 or 2 pictures online anywhere, very not what I was expecting, but a very nice very cool guy from what I’ve seen, same as for CityPlanner.

[@edgingjogo]

@@ContonoYT Same, and I'm enjoying it.

[@FieldMedic4077]

I completely agree with your assessment and I was shocked to hear that CO was moving on from rapid bug fixing to longer periods between releases. Knowing it could be weeks or months before some of these major problems get resolved is really disheartening.

[@skayt35]

Let's be realistic, CO can't sustain the frequency of bug fix releases. "Easy fixes" are mostly done, now they face complex fixes that affect the whole simulation. Even just testing those fixes will take weeks instead of days. They absolutely need to collect a number of fixes for a release, otherwise their fix rate will sink even further.

[@drgnballz]

As someone who works in the video game industry but not for CO, it's possible that the decision was not related to low user retention/growth or decisions coming from CO's execs, but a combination of both & trying to do everything possible to ensure no layoffs occur. The 'panini' was great for the online entertainment & video game industry as a whole - everyone was at home playing video games and learning how to socialize online. Mass hirings occurred in order to keep up with all the demand from the consumers & an increased demand for additional content. Post C19, a majority of people have returned to socializing in person, which is great - except the industry has been absolutely hammered. There are now too many different kinds of games on the market, and people have diversified their tastes. Games as a Service - which is something cities skylines 1 & 2 are - only work if you have the user retention. CO is following the lifecycle of most Games as a Service. A lot of their issues will get fixed, but it will take time. How much of that they have is going to depend on how many people are willing to hold out for them.

[@NobleWolf33]

@@drgnballz girl bye. They needa fix that shyt ASAP . Ain’t no way I’m paying $100 for a bugged unfinished game. They brought this on themselves

[@o00nemesis00o]

@@NobleWolf33 It's so amazing how the first game was in contrast to the hubristic Sim City 5.

[@drgnballz]

​@@NobleWolf33 Okay, then don't? No one is arguing that they don't need to fix these issues, or that it's compulsory for you to buy something you don't think is worth it. Cities Skylines also isn't a triple A game with a price tag worth $100, which is why they don't market it as such (unless you want to buy the Ultimate Edition, in which case that's still a choice you make).

[@stvka]

i think one of the worst things is that no one actually seems to own a home

[@medicallyunexplainedsymptoms]

That, in itself, is ridiculous.

[@IlijaStajic]

Sounds like real life 😂

[@Ascaron1337]

You want a new system of actual property owning, while half of the systems in the game already are not working properly or not at all? Come on 😅

[@curlygrain4389]

“You will own nothing, and you will be happy.”

[@Sokanas42]

They really pushing for that 2023 realism :D

[@twodollarstwenty]

Great video Phil and well said. We definitely shouldn’t have to rely on mods to fix these bugs so early in the games release.

[@elliotwilliams7421]

When are the mods gonna just build a rival game??? 😊

[@twodollarstwenty]

@@elliotwilliams7421 now that’s a bloody good thought

[@elliotwilliams7421]

@@twodollarstwenty get the crowd funder going

[@JvNelsonn]

Omg where have you been!? I use to watch you so much and then you just disappeared from my suggestions.

[@dmitriidoroftei4478]

True, from the start it seemed like CO just said "ok let the modders do the things, we don't care. Mods will fix it", so sad.

[@TurboLingaLanguages]

I truly hope CO is listening carefully. CPP commenting here, Biffa with his recent video and supporting comment below this one, TDT, Infrastructurist, Diana, Joy, Fly, etc... the list goes on! I know they each have their own emphasis, but all the top content creators seem to be in general agreement with the major issues. They are speaking for all of us, in a respectful and measured way. And there is also a repeating theme that many of them are pulling back on creating content or changing their schedules in some way until some of this is fixed. I just hope CO can do that soon, and in a manner that matches what Biffa has suggested (incl. the 'humility'). If not, my fear is that the game will lose its momentum if this goes on too long. Honestly, serious fans will still come back... I'm not going to lie and say I wouldn't come back, even 6 months from now or longer, once they get things fixed. I'm a sucker for city builders, and I'll always be willing to come back if the game has been improved. But casual fans are different. They could be gone for good once the momentum is lost, and then the market for content creators would dry up, fewer views, and interest in DLC will be slimmer. If that happens, the game could meet the same fate as SimCity 2013, and it will feel like déjà vu all over again (CO's 2024 failure opening the door to someone else, just like EA did in 2013). I really don't want that to be the history that gets written, but I think CO is being foolish if they don't recognize the risk of it going that direction. Please CO, don't focus your energy on complaining about perceived "toxicity"... true fans really want things to turn around and for your product to be successful! I would love to see this get fixed and have years of happy DLCs and for me to be able to keep throwing my money at you! But right now, that's not the way this is going.

[@GordonNadezda]

It looks to me like CO is putting up a bit of a smokescreen by complaining about the "toxicity" from its customers. A lot of corporations and companies are using that strategy today when it comes to addressing subpar service and products.

[@flalspspsl6858]

@@GordonNadezda yeah exactly. they're saying "oh sorry it was our fault" then pretend everything is okay when they made the choice to release a broken game as a bandaid for a bad quarter. how is it toxic to call out such AWFUL business practices? it's funny but, a lot of places could learn from amazon and why they got so successful.. just insanely focused on customer satisfaction.

[@piotr7805]

Unless upper management gets switched or punished extremely harshly, there is going to be no change. The decisions are shortsighted and selfish, mostly centered around well-being of decision maker, not the company in its long-term existence and hence the utter mess we end up with.

[@mahadevovnl]

CO: "UwU our paying customers who we totally cheated out of money by a sub-par game are meanies!" Us: "Please take responsibility and maybe fix things?" CO: "NO! Maybe in DLC. If you pay."

[@TurboLingaLanguages]

@@GordonNadezda Sadly I think that's the case, you're right. Whether it's CO themselves or PDX's marketing ppl telling CO how to spin it, I'm not sure. But either way, the infamous toxicity comment was certainly an ill-considered response. Truthfully, I appreciate that the CO team must be under a lot of stress right now, and I'm guessing Mariina is caught between pressure from PDX and pressure from the community, and the toxicity comment (which she probably regrets at this point) was likely a product of that pressure. That all said, my sympathy only goes so far, because they aren't taking the exit strategy that's being offered to them. Many individuals have suggested how they can begin to turn this around (Biffa being the best example) but they haven't taken that truly to heart. He spoke about humility and honesty... I've only seen that in half-measure from the CO team in response to the latest videos, which isn't enough right now.

[@andrewnewell2240]

100% agree here. Theres absolutely no depth to the simulation due to the land value bug and lack of feedback and tools. CPP did a great job of breaking things down so CO, please pay attention.

[@acev3521]

Cs was always like this sim city gameplay was always way better even 2013

[@Skeejus]

The traffic sim being completely abstracted away also makes this feel doubly true

[@Infrastructurist]

Very well put - and fair and constructive criticism. I also find myself reliant on mods to make the game really interesting, which is a bit of a shame as my initial thoughts during early-access was that CS2 would greatly reduce mod reliance, benefitting console players or people with lower end rigs massively.

[@JamesYale1977]

Why didn't they implement a version of "moveit" or "traffic manager" that would address a lot of issues.

[@Xiyng]

Move it can't be in the base game, it has way too much functionality that can reasonably be reported as bugs. Traffic Manager doesn't suffer from the same issue though, at least for the most part - and to be frank, I don't think the game *needs* Traffic Manager, unlike the first one, which is just painful to play without it due to traffic AI nonsense.

[@KoruGo]

@@Xiyng The game certainly doesn't need either of the mods, but the real lack of control over AI behavior at intersections makes many types of intersections just improve to build

[@JamesYale1977]

@@Xiyng all of Moveit, sure that'd be too much control, but there are essential tools that many people will refuse to create content or play cities without these shortcuts.

[@spxdersen]

@@Xiyng you don't need traffic manager because the traffic simulation doesn't work properly either

[@LunaticTheNick]

It would be really cool to see you either Continue Clearwayer County or start a new CS1 build with the story format!

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Clearwater County is coming back soon!

[@joelangner2261]

Good to hear

[@imamasadsiddiqui7669]

Hoping for some city fixes series also!!!@@CityPlannerPlays

[@jamieknight326]

Can’t wait to return to Clearwater :)

[@ianstubbington2334]

Returning to CS1 is the best idea I've heard in a while. I can't wait to see some new interesting cities starting out. :D

[@Gurabiteshion]

I'd be pretty happy watching more Anno, and I've enjoyed watching you play other city planners as well! But I'm actually especially excited for more CS1 content, since my computer couldn't possibly run CS2 so I won't be able to play it until I get a whole new set up 😅 Definitely prioritize your mental health Phil, I'll still be here watching the channel, regardless of your schedule!

[@JonZiegler6]

Thing is, Anno isnt really a city builder, it's a logistics game e

[@OldDogNoTricks]

I agree with all your points. Too many bugs, not enough features in my opinion. There's a few design decisions that I think are odd, although not necessarily game breaking: 1: That horrible white or blue overlay whenever you select the zoning or power tools. 2: Why don't the citizens own their home? As a city builder, I don't think it should be our problem if rent is too high. 3: Seasons. The thought is alright, but the implementation is terrible. I don't like how cold and dark things get in winter, and if you have a snow map, the snow doesn't behave like real snow. I live in Alberta, I know what real snow looks like. 4: No weather toggle. Related to my previous point, but it would be nice if we could just turn the weather and seasons off. 5: Optimization. This might be a me problem, but when cities 2 was first announced, my specs beat the recommended specs, but when CO updated them, my specs were lower than the minimum. The game makes my pc run very hot and I think I've heat stressed some components. I'm going to be hopping on the bandwagon and making my own video with my gripes tonight. I don't agree with CO'S decision to keep bug fixes to a dlc schedule. It almost makes me want to go back to cities 1, or a different game all together.

[@Bujintei]

I would add to that that some features seem to be implemented badly deliberatly for a later DLC to make money off. The most obvious example is the new industries. What is this? you get to make a polygon which gets filled by a boring texture with random assets spawning in random rotation around it? It should have been a basic version of the industries DLC from cities skylines one with a DLC improving it in my opinion. For example making the assets that spawn buildings in their respective industry with some basic stats, connecting them by alleys or even indsutry specific roads to be able to give your industry a good look. idk if I am alone on this one but as it is right now it looks ridiculous/bad.

[@MisterMick113]

Seeing issues like this pointed out makes me glad I never jumped at the game. I'll stick with CS1 and wait until they get the game sorted out before I try to play

[@CitiesByDiana]

well said, i REALLY hope they fix all these bugs it's too much.

[@Derangedteddy]

Well said, Phil. It's frustrating as someone who has been a part of the city builder community for decades. This game is just not ready and that has shown with the recent decisions that CO/PDX have made surrounding its development. I hope they can get it together and bring it up to the level it needs to be, but delaying bugfixes like this is not the way to do that. I've abandoned the game myself, and I've found myself watching less and less CS2 content as time goes on because it's painful to watch everyone struggle with the game only to build cities that look the same in the end. For the first time in years, CPP actually fell off of my KZbin subscriptions "short list" in the past few weeks. That was a saddening realization, because I love your channel and your content, but the game is getting in the way. Lack of mod support is perhaps the final nail in the coffin for me. I just can't get my head around the fact that this wasn't included from day one. I've been writing mods to fix the game, but with PDX Mods looming overhead, I know that my code is going to need to be entirely rewritten once the official tools are released, so I and my fellow developers are withholding work on the bigger projects (Move It 2, TMPE 2, etc) pending the release of PDX Mods to the public branch. That keeps getting pushed further and further back, exacerbating the issues the game has and leaving them without fixes either from CO or the modding community. It's not a good time to be a fan of city builders, and it's even more frustrating being a content creator or modder.

[@TurboLingaLanguages]

All true. Equally sad about it myself.

[@Xiyng]

The sad thing about delaying bug fixes is that releasing updates takes time, which probably eats into the time available for actually fixing the bugs. In other words, releasing bug fixes more frequently actually means fixing fewer bugs. Still, considering the state of the game, I agree with you that releasing bug fix updates more frequently is the way to go, even if it slows down the rate of the fixes somewhat, because it's clearly important to the community.

[@truth-mojo]

Maybe I have no idea but how is CS2 any differnent from CS1 in terms of the basic simulation? The mechanics are pretty much the same, demand, production, education, etc. There are a lot of improvements in the building aspect of the game, but surely the codebase for the simulation could have been mostly reused and/or tested with the new engine, if that is what they used? It might be that they had to build the game from scratch though.

[@skayt35]

They are working on PDX modding right now but it seems Paradox (and CO management) asked too much from the dev team. And looking at the planned feature list, it's likely devs themselves who have contributed to the complexity. Result being, it will take further months to getting it released in a state that doesn't need immediate fixing afterwards. It might be faster to revert to Steam, but there's no sign of any such decision (yet?).

[@An_Economist_Plays]

Very well put, thank you.

[@wearloga]

Happy to hear the your are choosing your sanity and well being (and therefore quality) over the schedule. Myself, I've decided to leave the game until the official mod platform is released (for various reasons) and this has affected my enthousiasm for CS2 content, too. So I'm actually happy with fewer video's because I do want to watch them all.

[@glenni83]

This is the same thing as was telling Biffa yesterday. My main problem is that i meet major bugs, that breaks my city. Next month this game has been out for half a year now, to put things in contex. Or what content creators had the hand on, and early game footage. We where told that we had major CS1 modders making things in CS2, seen anything to that? no.. Game is still in alpha in my eyes. Think that we payed 100 dollars for this. Still game breaking. I did put down the game for a few months now, to see if things where better. But i still meet things that breaks my city

[@alistairogara]

There are things which are understandable, and you can forgive for either not being included or buggy. But I find it disgusting, given the state the game is in (including Biffas’ video), that they are even saying the words “DLC”. They should be pushing DLC back and creating a proper roadmap of bug fixes until the game is playable and enjoyable. Especially for you and all other content creators.

[@japes7]

I think people will be torn on that, reason #1 is that people paid for 4 DLC's already (roughly) last year, one which hasn't released last quarter, and there were supposed to be 2 more this quarter. They didn't pay for nothing. Reason #2, people are desperate for assets just for variety... Even if bugs are still present. I also suggested that out of goodwill they release a little free DLC for everyone that includes some assets like smaller schools, train stations, elevated train station and maybe a few extra office, residential and commercial assets and parks that can really make a difference.

[@Xanthelei]

If the DLCs that will bring bug fixes include free ones, I think it's not a terrible thing overall. My biggest concern with the DLC talk is that they mean actual new systems that can also be buggy/break things and not asset packs. I'm fine with asset pack DLCs being released, it's not like the art department has any work to do for fixing the simulation and it let's CO have some money coming in. All of that caveated with "fix the damn bugs!"

[@aljowen]

I think the issue is that the bugs need to be fixed by programmers and systems engineers, whereas the company has many staff who don't do those things such as staff in the assets pipelines. So if assets are being pumped out by the assets staff teams, it makes sense to release them.

[@aaronhedgesmusic]

Without DLC they never would have made the game in the first place. “Disgusting” is a pretty emotional word. I work in software development and there’s a number of really tough decisions that have to be made. I don’t work in the video game arena but I know that they are often pushed to make their dev team do unpaid overtime and already have quite high work loads. So I would be a bit more patient on their dev team and try to understand that without dlc on the roadmap there would have been no chance of cities skylines even being made. Did they ship it before it was ready? Yes. Are they prioritizing the right items, I’m not certain. What I am hypothesizing is that dlc was already well underway at the time of launch. So they probably have one team working on dlc and one team working on bug fixes. It’s a bit less work for them to ship the items together since you have a review process of updates and such when using third party stores, like steam. I’m just trying to play devils advocate as there are so many people with zero experience in modern software development or product management that get quite negative and opinionated about these things

[@mdbourne]

@@japes7 I get the concept of what you’re saying about already paid for DLCs, and agree. But we all also already paid for a functioning decent base game - and no one has received that. So while the owed DLCs are important, the base game really needs to be the ultimate priority.

[@TimPhoto91]

Great video - thanks for sharing this with us! I have been loving CS2, but definitely having my eyes opened these last few days as well-known figures in the community have been posting their videos. I how the devs are able to address some of these bugs soon. Thanks for keeping us in the loop - can't wait for the day where you can go back to aggressively posting CS2 videos ;)

[@sbr-1143]

Thanks for explaining the land value bug. I had noticed it but couldn't identify how (the lack of tools) a month or two ago and put off playing it. With 300 hours I got my money's worth but it's basically unplayable from and urban planning standpoint. Really hope colossal and PDX sort this. Definitely gonna hold off on prison architect 2 and both of my CS2 cities because of this.

[@caydencorning]

Hitting us with the 2:15am upload? Don't mind if I do.

[@tatzecom]

btw the simulation bug with Jeffrey exists like that for Traffic too my streets were completely gummed up with cars so i went and looked who was driving where. Turns out, a whole bunch of cars where empty and driven by dead people. hmmm. thats... "inconventient" to say the least. in my case, it lead to the case where most of my traffic was just dead people looking for parking spots. in a city with free and frequent public transit where i deliberately dont build parking to disincentivize car usage. also when you demolish the automated parking garage, the cars are left in the air with no way to remove them

[@kelleroid]

dead people looking for parking spots sounda like a sweet short horror story, wow

[@thegrowl2210]

And then you have people walking along train tracks.

[@RryhhbfrHhgdHhgd356]

If “dead people looking for parking spots” doesn’t sum up the state of the game, I don’t know what else will. 😂

[@corgasaurus4933]

Have you tried the anarchy mod with the improved bulldozer mod? You can delete cars with it

[@RryhhbfrHhgdHhgd356]

@@corgasaurus4933 The issue is that that shouldn’t be necessary, not that it is fully u solvable. Mods should not be needed to make a game playable at launch.

[@Xensor73]

Very calm, honest and constructive feedback, I hope CO take note, especially around the cadence for bug fixes. Been a fan of yours for ages now, I personally love the background stories you create for your cities, it really brings them to life. Long may it continue! :)

[@hopeedwards776]

i am really really excited for cities skylines 1 content. i really love the way you play the game and detail and create your cities. i use your videos as inspiration and also help to make my skills better, and i was pretty sad when you moved over to mainly cs2 content. i still watch it all but i stopped playing cs2 after my 5th attempt haha. thank you for bringing it back!

[@abhishekvchaudhari8181]

CPP is one of the larger creators who CO can't just ignore and also due to the fact that he's asking the same thing players are, without making it seem toxic. As always Good stuff👍

[@nickd5343]

I'm **almost** expecting CO to double down and say something truly disconnected like, "A city planner game isn't the right game for City Planner Plays since he isn't enjoying it."

[@Xiyng]

@@nickd5343 He doesn't have (much) issue with the core mechanics of the game though, so that doesn't seem likely. I think CO's reaction is fair, because changing the core mechanics at this point would probably be difficult and alienate a part of the current ownerbase - the price CO has to pay, of course, is losing a part of their audience.

[@nanjec9960]

Totally on board with the new schedule, and I’m super excited to see some CS1 content again! I’ve been loving Magnolia County, and I’m still super pumped for CS2 to keep developing! I think with enough time it’ll be the de facto standard for city builders, but I think you’re right: right now it’s not cutting it. Keep up the good work ❤

[@Steevtv]

honestly I'm happy you're going back to Cities 1. I just started your Verde Beach playthrough and I'm loving it. I have also reinstalled Cities :) Loving the content man. Watching your videos have helped me enjoy Cities more because it has me thinking differently when planning my cities. Thanks for helping me build with intention!

[@matt_kelly]

Thanks for the update Phil, I can see how frustrating this can be. I like the additional storytelling, I'm wondering if there is a way of working it into other parts of the video instead of just the intro, though I guess that could get a bit messy and ruin the flow? I am secretly hoping this means more "New Cycle" videos as well, that game looks fun!

[@funkymunky7935]

Bring back the chair

[@CityPlannerPlays]

🪑

[@tgutz7019]

This just made my day 😂

[@bedongone]

Fully agree. Its a shame because the game has so much potential. The game was released too early. One year more bugfixing, testing and balancing and this game would be awesome. All the core mechanics are in the game but they are messed up and some seem completely untested before release. I really hope CO can fix this mess over time. It would be devastating to the genre if they dont.

[@SaraBearRawr0312]

Exactly, it essentially makes the release a long-term beta test.

[@dinguloid]

Honestly, that's the state of games these days. Release it too early and get free beta testing.

[@dr.bherrin]

@@dinguloid And Early Access is a thing. We pay you to test your game, and you get to chalk everything up to "it's Early Access". Why they made a conscious decision to launch a broken game at full release...baffling. Unless you want to believe that the decade they spent gaining player trust and loyalty convinced them they could do what they wanted and we'd just take it. Could be. You decide.

[@dinguloid]

@@dr.bherrin people are less likely to buy into early access. Release it broken and get the sales, then try to fix it. Even AAA games are doing this. It's endemic. They DO think we'll just take it, because they keep selling, so "we" are.

[@Aquatarkus96]

@@dinguloid People need to just start pirating games to try them before they buy

[@historyman9436]

Honestly, alot of this reads to me as both Publisher, aswell as player pressure. Publisher pressure, because they wanted to get the game out before christmas. Makes sense from a publisher perspective. Similarily, from a publisher perspective, anything that doesnt make the initial cut, gets worked around etc by release, simply is content or stuff that can be disregarded for now, and MAYBE brought back in DLC. Or even "fixed" by the community, which is way more often seen when you already know that your community WILL fix it. As an example, all other Paradox titles tend to have this very same issue, core components of the game are broken on release, then have to be adressed by the community, until the studio FINALLY gets to it after half a year or by the first release. Which in turn is still better than BGS funilly enough, there are still F4 bugs that exist since game release. On the other side, we do have a bit of pressure from the player side, and as much as I will always say that this isnt necessarily a bad thing - it does amplify publisher pressure. Nowadays we live in a Gaming Community which both refuses to accept titles being pushed back, and even slightly bad releases. Which, in and of itself, is a GOOD thing. However unless the game already is 100% certain on all sides to be fine by release, that goal will never be reached. I remember how around release of CS2, everyone was echoing "this game shouldve released in March instead!!". Oftentimes, those very same people wouldve been pissed af had it been delayed to March. We do slightly see what I mean with all this with another game, although that one is very much a special case: Star Citizen. There is no publisher. This is good, because CIG can work on the features they want, until they are actually done. This is also bad, because this leads to so many delays, its become a community joke. There is however PLENTY player pressure. More than with CS2, and most games infact. Players want to see the game advance. So oftentimes Star Citizen will see half baked features release, partially so the player base can test them out, for another so that CIG can pump ANYTHING out at times. CS2 is just one of those games where imo, the saying "doomed if you do, doomed if you dont" works just as much, as NMS showed why studios should really not do ANY marketing beyond what they already have in the game. Release it by October 24? We get what we have today. Push it back another 6 months, or maybe a year? People will be pissed, and expect an EVEN BETTER product. Also I think the reason they are stepping away from focusing 100% on bugfixing, is probably because they still need to actually push stuff for the other editions. Its been almost half a year, and still no Japan theme. Which is probably why.

[@one-six952]

I'm... actually really glad to see cities: skylines 1 making a comeback! Clearwater County, Nicolet Bay, and especially (fixing) Bluffside Crossing had been some of my favorite series, and I really wish to seem them continue and eventually getting a proper wrap-up. I also love the more storytelling elements added to Magnolia County, as I find myself feeling more connected to Bend as the series progress on. I really hope C:S2 will get the overhauls and bug fixes it deserves... but for the moment, I would stay on C:S1 (more because of I don't have the hardware to run it, X-P). Thanks for bringing us some of the best city builder content out there!

[@Thesilverninja]

Very interesting. So I was running into this same exact problem with my San Francisco knock off called Santa Regina. I had built low density houses and then slowly, one by one each house started complaining about high rent.I thought this was because I was playing in the San Francisco map and now I was having similar problems that city was having. Homelessness, crime, high rent. But then I saw the same thing City Planner Plays saw. 1 child living alone in a single family unit. A retired senior taking care of 3 kids and a dog. Children who lost their parents in a fire and had to move to an apartment complex. Lot's of weird stuff where it was like "Huh, so that's why they can't afford the rent." But even after building the welfare office nothing seemed to improve. Just constant complaints of high rent which eventually led to the single houses becoming unoccupied, then abandoned, then demolished. Meanwhile I am raking in money from parking fees and my incredibly successful tech sector offices. I literally thought to myself, "I have accidentally recreated the real San Francisco." And when I saw the land value there was literally no way for me to bring it down. Even building industrial wasn't cutting it. Everything is freaking max land value and I'm losing all of my low density housing. Although the medium density row homes look great for Santa Regina and really mimic the San Francisco look quite well, it kills me to not be able to have the single family homes because the rent is too high. I also stopped playing Cities 2 until the bugs are fixed. Not because I don't enjoy it but because I feel extremely limited by the tools I currently have available. I don't want to jump in on the mod bandwagon and then when they finally release support my entire city breaks. But I also can't stand playing CS1. I tried to get back into my winter map that I had been working on and I just don't enjoy building in it as much as I did CS2. I hope CO can get their stuff in order. It was not a good decision to release the game in this state and then to wait this long for patching. I thought for sure after winter break we were going to get a massive patch that would fix key foundational issues but that didn't happen. So now I have to shelve this game until that patch finally happens.

[@coolkiddo3110]

my thoughts exactly

[@clarkeorchard2304]

💯👌

[@IIMurphaII]

SimCity 2013 all over again! The sad thing is, I actually would enjoy playing that more than Cities: Skylines 2 in its current state. Never thought I would see such a misstep from Colossal Order. I feel for the content creators, because it, as you said, would be very difficult to keep producing decent quality content with all these bugs. But more worryingly, at least with what I've noticed with myself, is engagement. I've been watching your videos for years now, but with the state of C:S2 and not getting enjoyment out of it myself, I've mostly tuned out of your videos. Which is not an easy thing to say as I usually love your content.

[@geraldslusser6997]

I spent so long with many of these bugs and issue parsing out their pattern thinking them to be features until my city eventually just began to die after some 20 hours on it. I gave up on the game until its all fixed. Im glad to see youre spacing videos out though man, speaking openly about decisions that improve mental health is a great way to encourage others to prioritize their own. Build on!

[@DrKat213]

Thank you for the video and providing a detailed explanation of the zoning issues! I actually like a lot of things about CS2, but I was looking forward to more realism in the simulation, and this is an area where it frustratingly falls short. It would be interesting to have more district-based controls like adjusting tax rates by district or setting a maximum housing rent by district (i.e. rent control).

[@xShredsx]

Hey @CityPlannerPlays I strongly believe you'd enjoy Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic. Its a little less "pretty" than Cities, and the UI/UX is definitely... a "hurdle" but its a solid cross between a City Builder and Logistics management game. The devs have been hard at work since 2019! Adding new mechanics and maintaining the game, even as very small indie compared to CO. It's a game that really rewards people who plan and pre-think all of their expansions and layouts. I think with your experience you'd be able to pick up the core mechanics quick"ish" and be able to put out content for it. I think it would really benefit from a large streamers coverage, to bring more people over. It's got a relatively albeit somewhat out-of-date workshop scene. Also been a viewer for a long time, and appreciate the content you put out. Glad you (and Biffa) are able to put out your honest issues with Cities.

[@TheRealPotoroo]

Solid bump for Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic, comrade! It's a smaller dev team than CO but much better managed. They are very careful about not over-promising yet are quite good at being broadly responsive to their customers. Its title might put some people off given Putin's current attempts to rebuild the Soviet empire in Ukraine but the devs are Slovakian, not Russian.

[@gilmoresgloriouswood5255]

That actually sounds super fun! Let's give it a try.

[@blacksabbathbr]

Yes please. I could use some of his guidance with W&R, that game is HARD.

[@danielpoe9370]

I would love to see his approach to Workers and Resources (WR). The way Phil plays Cities Skylines (SC) is very different from what you can do in WR, so it would be a very different play style. Considering the fact that it takes quite a while to master WR, I hope that Phil can somehow manage to learn the ropes and test how the channel likes it.

[@sg1atlantischarmed]

I was playing CS2 earlier this morning and at one point I stopped and said to myself that I can't do this anymore for all the reasons you've just said. Bugs, lack of assets etc. Its not fun anymore and has just become frustrating. I decided to go back to CS1 after months of not playing and I've spent all day on a brand new city and haven't been this excited than I have been In months. Just going to give the devs time to do their thing and hopefully sort this game out. I've spent 1000hrs on my previous CS1 city before CS2 came out. If I spend another 1000 hrs on this new one, I would think that that is hopefully enough time for Colossal Order to sort out CS2 LOL

[@EternalGamingNet]

Great video, well thought out and I agree completely. I have about 650 hours in the game, I build slowly but each of my cities end up "breaking" because of land value issues. Either Cims can't pay rent at home or new businesses can never get off the ground in established areas. I would yave understood if they said no new content was coming out untul XYZ but pausing bug fixes until they release the mod store is crazy to me. Sure some of the community was less then helpful with how they expressed their disappointment however that is ni excuse to punish us all.

[@MoveTheMouse]

Thanks for putting in the time on this to understand and document the issue. Every video I watch, the list of things I would like fixed gets longer and longer.

[@imperatur]

tbh I never experienced the land value bug but yeah the game is literally unplayable without mods by now... thanks for the video I hope this will finally reach CO

[@jankuhlmann9196]

Fantastic video. You’ve summed up exactly the problems I’m seeing. As a retired developer and leader of developers I have the question the leadership of CO. There number one priority should be fixing bug followed by modding support.

[@jankuhlmann9196]

One other concern is the number of empty buildings you get when your cities gets larger. There's no information as to why (maybe high rent) and no way to track it down.

[@kris.monroe]

It's still so surreal having been such a long time follower (I followed after episode one of Bluffside Crossing) to now have a face to the voice! Thanks for everything you do. We all hope devs see this and make strong changes as a result. Keep it up!

[@pierrelautrou1210]

I enjoy the storytelling behind each of your builds and I feel is what differentiates you from other city builders creators. If you need to decrease the release frequency of your videos to have more time to work on this, please do. Keep up the good work, whether it is on CS, CS2, New cycle or other

[@VaingloriousGaming]

I'm not convinced the land value thing is a bug, I think they made it that way intentionally. This follows their mantra of "the game is good" because, from their perspective, the game IS working as they intended. The problem: players do not like the systems CO has implemented in the game. Not at all. I simply do not understand how they keep making this situation worse and worse. Over promised, under delivered. Released way too early. Tone deaf communication. Delayed bug fixes. When are they going to stop burning down all of the good will they once enjoyed from CS1? I am glad my CS2 series is only weekly; my sanity would not survive intact. But Phil, I'll watch whatever you put out. I have enjoyed ALL of your content, so I'm not going anywhere. Do what you need to do. :)

[@TheMrakic]

Exactly. Not buying this game until is fully fixed

[@JimmiG84]

Their actual response when people complained about the simulation was "Maybe the game just isn't for you". I'd be very interested to know whether CO consider this a bug or if they just view it as part of the game mechanics and a "challenge" players have to overcome...

[@matthewparker9276]

Even if the system is working as intended, it clearly requires a balance fix, since it's killing so many cities.

[@caramelldansen2204]

"Making the cituation worse", as you described, is how all big games are made nowadays. 😢

[@RobertoOrtis]

Totally agree with you on this. The issue is not the bugs. There are no bugs. It is the way CO designed the game. They took so many bad decisions which turned out in this crappy game. It’s sad but it’s true.

[@staplegunnr]

I have been waiting on my purchase of Cities II for just this reason. I plan on holding off until some of the major bugs are fixed. You, Biffa and Yumble are the the 3 "Cities tubers" that I watch on a regular basis. I like each of you for different reasons, I enjoy the the "story/purpose" you are giving to Magnolia county. IRL, I am a Civil Engineer that specializes in subdivisions, you wouldn't believe the issues I am dealing with on one of the projects I am working on.

[@d3afarm763]

I think it all has to do with the DLC model that they came up with.When city skylines first appeared, it was more flushed out because of simcity. Now all they want to do a DLC you to death. I wish they would just make a good base game and good gameplay mechanics then work from there.

[@BillCraven]

Hey good to see you, Phil. The narrative aspect is what distinguishes your content and makes it really fun to watch. You’ve created some terrific characters and they really ground the city planner and local development politics and policies aspect of building cities. Btw I love my respect the topography T. I hope the game devs can fix the bugs quickly because if you can’t get the game to work there’s got to be something really wrong. ❤

[@morganunraveled]

so much appreciation for transparency and the line “these changes will be good for my mental health” - more creators need to normalize adjusting their content schedule to fit their needs especially since you’ve addressed dealing with creative burnout because of the content pressure of your schedule. I love your content but mental health is always priority!! thank you for discussing this and also setting a precedent for demanding better from developers. there will be so much more pressure on them to do better if their major cities channels are halting production on content due to the bugs. thank you 👏🏻

[@SupaKrupa]

There's absolutely no management required whatsoever. For my first city, I had no idea what I was doing and it was completely fine. By about level 6/7 city size I was in the green. There's no gameplay whatsoever. Basically a sandbox with no assets unlike CS1.

[@LordTridus]

That is CS2 in a nutshell. The game tries to make sure you can't fail and actively protects you from it. It doesn't really matter what you do. There's lots of stuff you can fiddle with but almost no reason to do so (and no clear indication of what happens when you do fiddle with half of it). It's just pointless. I remember CO's CEO being baffled by the idea that people might want a "hard mode" where you have to actually manage things, which says all that needs to be said about how this game was built.

[@mattcrwi]

well said

[@Narangarath]

Yeah, that's my main problem with the game. It's so, so, so very boring. All you do is draw in roads, plop services etc, zone the wonky af grid and repeat in an adjacent area.

[@jpeters1734]

@@Narangarath it may be boring, but boring isn't always bad. i mean people play trucking simulators after all

[@Narangarath]

@@jpeters1734 That's fair, although with a truck simulator you have clearly defined objectives and a goal you're aiming for. CS2 feels to me like repeating the same few things over and over and over without any of it having any purpose. There's no challenge or problem solving (aside from figuring out why the game is doing something it's not supposed to) or even a goal to reach, which is boring to me on a completely different level than truck or farming simulators (even if they're not my jam either). I really, really tried to enjoy this game, got it on launch and I only got under 50 hours in so far. For contrast, Steam tells me I've spent around 3500 hours in CS1 and it still entertains me.

[@webwalker4478]

In my city (built on your Map - thank you for a workable map btw.) the best instance of people not living where they should / could that I saw was a large single home on a river near a park with one one wretchedly poor person living there alone. She was a child and she went to an elementary school in a different (wrong) school district. I stopped playing for a long time when I saw that - actually haven't started again.

[@justice5776]

It's sad to hear that the bugs are sapping the fun out of the game for you, and I don't blame you. I am glad to hear that you will continue to put out some content even if at a lower frequency. Your Cities videos are always a joy to watch since your perspective through your profession is one that's hard to find anywhere else. Thank you for the honest and transparent video about how you plan to proceed.

[@troyskolrood8144]

The land value bug is why I am not playing right now, particularly for industrial land. It kills the city. This game is currently not very fun.

[@CityPlannerPlays]

It's brutal. The mod does help, but it's really a shame that we have to use it to keep our cities running.

[@lkp7481]

I thought maybe it was just me that was doing something wrong. Now I see it is a general problem. I really makes the game unplayable especially for industrial and I have not played it weeks. Maybe I will try the mod. I am tempted to go play CS1 again now.

[@troyskolrood8144]

@@CityPlannerPlays I will try the mod. BUT modders should not be forced to fix or make the game fun, their purpose should be to add specific functionality or additional assets. Hopefully Paradox/Colossal Order will actually listen to the KZbin creators like yourself, Biffa and Diana. In addition they should first and foremost just apologize, it would go along way to starting to make things right. Secondly, they should publish a plan to fix the game with a detailed explanation of HOW they plan to achieve it. I feel a major problem outside of the game itself has been their terrible communication strategy, it seems a little tone deaf to the community's feelings.

[@themariokartlick]

Basically the entire simulation is broken imo, the game is unplayable unless you just want a city painter rather than a simulator

[@NickM-ko7tm]

In case this helps, the last patch has fixed this for industrial land (for the most part) so might be worth a try. Before it I was using the Land Value Overhaul mod and Population Rebalance mod (has teenagers actually go to high school,etc) and actually had more fun again.

[@CitySculptor]

Well said, Phil, and, thank you for this video release. Bug squashing should be the #1 priority. Hard to build a big house (DLCs, CCPs, etc.) if your foundation (base game) isn't stable. Let's hope the team at CO is prioritizing this and making good progress.

[@heyheybobbyj]

Glad to see some CS1 content coming back. I tuned in religiously every Saturday morning for the new CWC episode because I loved how uniquely you used the assets and mods for that build. Once you started with CS2 content, I lost a lot of interest (in a lot of channels) because there are not enough assets or mods for me to care about different creator's cities. They all pretty much look the same

[@espkev]

It breaks my heart that the Beginners Guide series has been put on hold, but it's totally understandable given the issues. Considering that series was the only thing keeping me playing CS2, I've got no reason to open it anymore (wanted to do the whole series before starting my own city) It's crazy that the city I've built is almost 100% identical to Twotoria but because of bugs in the game I've got $200,000,000+ in money and somehow 5k more people.

[@Ubi2447]

I think it's a great idea to revisit CS1 during the interim. It's been a shame to see hard teething issues with the second title. I really love this franchise so much and want 2 to succeed. I just watched Biffa's video detailing shortcomings and possible solutions and it's nice to see the creator community working together to push for the game CS2 deserves to be. I am of the opinion that these bugs and leveling issues should be treated with more urgency and priority. I don't see why we can see bug-fix/updates to the game on a quarterly basis, at least, as they get worked out.

[@Soporbum42]

Yeah the children living alone has bothered me too. There's simply no way that should be allowed for in the program, it makes no sense and it breaks the game. You and Biffa have me hooked on Timberborn at the moment

[@Soporbum42]

This isn't a problem that should be worked out by adding new features and mechanics. The problem shouldn't exist.@@christiangraff4754

[@bitmanagent67]

@CityPlannerPlays, I would love to see a behind the scenes of the making of a CPP city planning story. From the script, to sourcing the assets, and the editing process by you or 1C2. Since everyone loves your story telling so much, that would make a great 2 part series that will break up the transition to more CS1, Anno, or New Cycle play.

[@Lellela]

CPP, I love that you add the story aspect to your cities, I find myself asking more questions when I build and it makes for more realistic design. You do this part well, and focusing on that is amazing, thank you. Also, I completely agree about the state of Cities Skylines 2. I want to like it, I like building in it a lot, but the simulation is just not there yet.

[@betoiba.gaming]

Huh. Never would have thought that that's a bug regarding land value. It really "bugged" me, when I saw mid-game that only medium zoning and up got filled. I thought that no one could afford single houses anymore and it might be my tax settings or that I needed more business/industry. So I changed what I could, but it still didn't work out. Thanks for sharing this info. 👍

[@MTKRAILROAD]

That's another point. The way you tax based on education not wealth is backwards and does not promote education

[@betoiba.gaming]

@@MTKRAILROAD Yeah, this tax categorization is really weird. I think wealth is more of a state's income tax thing though, right? What just came to my mind was a property tax per district. I think that would be awesome; if there isn't already and I just missed that. 😅 But I think, we'll have to cope with the education level categorization for the foreseeable future. 🤷

[@lilacpenguin5329]

"The simulation is constantly trying to balance itself **without user interaction,** completely sapping the challenge (and the fun) out of the game" I honestly had no idea what it was that was bothering me about Cities Skylines 2, or the state of modern simulation games as a whole, but this put perfectly into words what i've been feeling for a long time. I have been disenchanted from games like Planet Zoo because I don't feel like I have to do anything. Most tycoon/simulation games today seem to be doing this same exact problem: the difficulty scaling is just off, but new players are still confused and believe the game is challenging because the game itself doesnt communicate properly how to play the game at all. But despite this, the game is just "too easy" for experienced gamers. Planet Zoo pumped out a lot of DLC that was mainly just for looks and making your park look pretty. Cities Skylines one sort of had that, but at least it was fun to decorate because we had things to decorate with. Cities Skylines 2 doesn't have anything to make a city look unique or pretty. No paths, nothing to decorate with, and the disconnected gameplay mechanics and little gameplay impact that the existing mechanics have are just not visible.

[@wambman]

So true. I wonder if it’s even possible to go bankrupt.

[@atkinsonar1982]

Very well stated and presented. I definitely feel your pain, and am extremely frustrated with the game’s performance and reliability. The number of crash to desktop experiences, the amount of lost work, the number of nonrecoverable saves, it’s almost got me ready to stop playing it. Hopefully CO gives this the attention it needs. I want to like this game. It has some really nice mechanics, the performance and issues are making nearly unplayable.

[@GoldFlightSim]

Thank you for doing this, a lot of cities 2 youtubers are doing videos like this and lowering the CS2 videos frequency, and that is crucial to put pressure on CO to fix the game

[@joelangner2261]

I don’t understand why everyone uploaded those videos when they did but I hope they get the message. Happy to hear about CS1 coming back! Excited for Clearwater County!!

[@cityplannermismanages]

It's called a trend. One person starts, people follow, community sentiment changes, progress is made.

[@matthewparker9276]

CO announced they don't intend to release another patch until the first DLC is ready, so now people are realising the game breaking bugs aren't going to be fixed.

[@aboriani]

@@matthewparker9276 👆This

[@RryhhbfrHhgdHhgd356]

@@matthewparker9276It really does sound like the publisher is *trying* to kill the game at this point. Sigh.

[@haewymetal]

Developer* @@RryhhbfrHhgdHhgd356

[@mattveslino252]

"Relegating bug fixes to DLC releases sends a bad message, and the cadence is far too far apart." I'm an avid Simmer and Sims 4 player. It's the only Sims game I've ever known (I entered the game late, I know), but it's also widely considered to be the worst iteration of the franchise so far, due in part to what you just stated about Colossal Order's decision for CS:2. It's part of the reason why TS4 is a huge cash cow for EA with up to 70+ DLC at this point, and even then, the game continues to live on with *tons* of bugs that Simmers have unfortunately just learned to live with because they rarely ever get fixed or even addressed. I would hate for CS:2 to suffer a similar fate, and I have more confidence in Colossal than EA, but yeah, it's a little more than concerning when that's the statement they're coming out with for a game in its infancy.

[@foxyfoxington2651]

Relegating bug fixes to DLC releases is how Paradox has handled all of their games. Just look at EU4 and Victoria 3.

[@maidenminnesota1]

I basically just posted the same thing, although I've been playing The Sims from the very beginning. The latest pack, "For Rent" has broken core game mechanics now, basically rendering the game unplayable. I'm done with the franchise. EA has killed The Sims just like EA killed SimCity, which is what brought about CS:1. Now it seems CO/Paradox are emulating EA, and they will kill this franchise, too, if they go down that path.

[@jaredwilliams8621]

To be fair, too many bug fixes in a too short of a time can cause other problems to compound. It isn't uncommon for mods and asset packs to break after an update. If updates are too frequent, that makes maintaining mods and assets too painful for the community, causing it to die out. After the bugs, one of the next biggest complaints is the lack of mods and assets, so fixing bugs too aggressively or unpredictably could aggravate the mod/asset problem, resulting in a big game of wack-a-mole for the game's issues.

[@sakumisan]

Unfortunately we should have known this would have been the case for a Paradox game

[@KayDubs77]

I'm glad you're bringing back CS1! I love your realistic gameplay and storytelling, and I've felt your frustration over how CS2 is (or, rather isn't) working. I love how thoughtfully you plan out your builds, and it's made me notice and appreciate real world cities much more.

[@bitslammer]

Really appreciate this because it really explains many of the issues I have been facing without knowing so. I pretty much moved on from the game at this point due to the exact problems you mention. CS was fantastic because there was a freedom to create a lot of different styles of cities, but CS2 has felt more like a puzzle game than a city builder and that's not what I want to be playing.

[@charlesingram9471]

100% agree with this on top of which the demand for commercial is also completely broken to meet demand you will have as many shops as houses which is totally unrealistic

[@SamMathewsOfficial]

That drives me nuts! The constant commercial demand is insane. Its basically build low density residential and commercial over and over and over.

[@Distress.]

That's what prompted me to stop playing at the beginning. Id' try to satisfy commercial demand only to get the not enough customers complaint across half my city.

[@HydrogenAlpha]

I *TOTALLY* agree. The bugs with the simulation are infuriating. Can I also point out the absurdity of the ridiculous white screen that pops up in any info-view to obscure what's happening. Who in their right mind would come up with that as a user interface? Like seriously? Is there someone at CO who is trying to destroy CS2?

[@_ikako_]

"guys i have this really funny idea to flashbang our players every time they open a menu, i think it'll be hilarious"

[@HydrogenAlpha]

@@_ikako_ lol yeah. I love a game where the epilepsy warning really means something.

[@phutureproof]

@@HydrogenAlpha your screen is flashing at at least 30 times per second every second all the time youre looking at it, we live on the edge while gaming

[@JohnJesensky]

Thanks for this message, Phil. I am only a subscriber (not a channel member quite yet) but I want you to know that I have to travel almost constantly for work, which can get pretty tedious and lonely. Having your videos to watch from my hotel rooms has been a constant source of enjoyment, and a way to unwind. My partner always asks "You watching your City Planner?" and the answer is usually yes, ha! Keep yourself sane, and we'll be glad to watch whatever you put out at whatever speed you need to put it out at. Such a bummer that the bugs are standing in your way when you do so much to promote the positivity and pioneering spirit that Cities Skylines provides (when it works correctly.) Thank you for all that you do!

[@plonk420]

thanks for the transparency! it really helps knowing why multiple people are doing fewer CS2 vids!

[@joyceslomko4450]

CO & Paradox should listen VERY closely to what you and Biffa have stated. In addition, throwing hissy fits about negativity and a complete money-grab by not fixing bugs until DLC purchase is giving their fan base little respect.

[@Goodall10]

100% nailed it! I noticed the issue when my city hit about 80k. I carried on to around 150k without being able to zone any single-family, and had to remove almost all of the single-family I already had. I'm literally waiting on this one issue/cluster of issues to be fixed before starting my first "real" city, now that the other issues are cleared up.

[@raptolino]

Thank you! 8:30 I love that music! Please bring us more CS (1) content! I’d love to see you diggin in procedural objects!

[@jasonjtg21]

Vary fair assessment of the challenges in CS2. I also have run into this issue where I can only build single family homes and nothing else will spawn due to land value. I’m also tired of the assets.

[@ariahrism]

First time I've seen CPPs face!

[@ajbeau_au]

Same! People don’t seem phased though is this not the first time??

[@DocNo27]

@@ajbeau_au He's been streaming on Twitch with a face cam for a while now and the last tutorial video had a face cam - but it is recent :)

[@wm-nu1yf]

The infamous "chair" video was the first time I saw his face on the channel. It would have been really hard for him to avoid a face reveal in that one. Since then, his face has been in all the videos I've watched.

[@Aggregate17]

I haven't bought CS2, and I to want encourage anyone else who also has not bought it (but is maybe considering it) to wait until these main issues have been addressed. And for anyone who has bought it, I'd encourage you to skip on paying for any additional content until progress is made (at least regarding the major bugs). Game publishers won't change their behavior if there is no strong incentive for them to do so. Thanks for laying out your thoughts CPP! looking forward to the prospect of having a variety of city builders on your channel

[@metsunie]

Yep, I decided to wait a little bit and seems like I was right to do so. I'm still hyped to get the game one day because the potential is definitely there, but the game was released way too early. Until most of the game breaking bugs and more assets are added in, I'll just keep waiting

[@tlspud]

CS1 videos! Yay! Your storytelling and wit saves the CS2 videos but I just don't find watching CS2 builds nearly as engaging as I did CS1 for a few reasons that I won't bore you with here.

[@novah3x214]

Great Points made Phil. I agree the cadence of patches with DLC gives the feeling of make it work enough to get some money out of the DLCs. But we all know as gamers, DLC always means more issues and bugs. Its gonna lead to an endless cycle of trying to catch up. I have always enjoyed your content but havent been able to even watch videos about CS2 for how disgusted I am at the whole situation. I bought the Deluxe version. Nothing has ever been stated to what will be done with those of us who bought it. We are way passed the release dates given in the preorder info and nothing is being done. Deluxe owners got scammed the hardest and it hurts. Consumers speak with their dollar, we supported and have received crumbs in return. Wow 2 maps they used in development. Nothing from the heart just throwaway content someone had sitting on their desktop. I will whole heartedly support any other content you produce and support this message you and the other creators are sending to the Devs. Thank you for being our voice, because the community feels unheard.

[@SoundmanGrant]

Yea I paid $80 for all the ells nd histles. I'm a fairly passive gamer but I'm getting tired of paying top dollar for half baked products. Without question, this game will eventually outperform it's predecessor by miles but why do I owe so much money just to wait for an "immaculate" update 2 years from now?? I digest. Love your channel, my cities have improved so much by watching this and I've learned so much about the thought (or lack thereof) that goes into not fixing California infrastructure no matter how much they increase our taxes😊🙏🏻 Thank you Phil!

[@daimonien]

TBH I used to think that way. Now Im starting to get afraid they were actually aiming to do a different game for differend audience in already niche genre.

[@mygetawayart]

since installing the LandValueOverhaul mod all my land value has decreased to a manageable level, all high rent issues have disappeared and I'm finally able to expand my residential suburbs as well as my high density neighborhoods without those annoying popups (or cims abandoning the building). Wholly recommend.

[@Joopiejoo]

I find it really shocking that such things should be fixed by the community. Shame on you Collosal.

[@mygetawayart]

@@Joopiejoo i think Paradox should implement certain mods (like this one) into the main game, pay the modder and add them to the credits. This way, the modder is properly compensated for the work they did and it saves CO the time to fix the game, also allowing console players to use the most important mods. Kinda like what they're already doing with the world asset packs, only do it for code modding as well.

[@aaronscherer5117]

Really well put together video. Glad you posted this and really glad you out lined it so clearly. I do hope they rethink there plan and keep working on bug fixing cause long term if the core game doesn't work why would we buy dlc? I'm also glad your going to put different games in rotation and work on your own mental health. That is honestly a big win. I also love your narratives and really helps bring the city alive and my favorite part of these videos. So all in all just keep rocking and i'm looking forward to what you produce next!

[@kagenish]

Well said and is crazy how many bugs their that make the game a headache. It would be nice to see a rotation of some of the others games that we have seen. Maybe have them rotation in a quarterly fashion. That way your not burning yourself with so many different games at once.

[@VaibhavGadodia]

Somehow, in my city, the land value bug was resolved after the latest patch. The game-breaking bug for me is when a random industry suddenly starts generating crazy high tax revenue. And I have to make the tax collection to zero for more and more of my industries.

[@SweetPieWizard]

I get the opposite. One industry suddenly starts losing enormous amounts of money. Setting the tax to zero fixes it. But it's not just 1... it happens to more and more.

[@aaronlenig6839]

Same. It's Metals for me getting a crazy high tax rate.

[@andrewyoung3299]

You're not the only one that's been having problems, I haven't been playing CS2 for ages. Biffa did a 40min video on something similar to this. It's worth a watch!

[@scottjohnson3017]

The children look like grown adults in my city, and the Senior Citizens look like 35 year olds...

[@edwinsheldon3068]

Great, thoughtful critique of the current state of things in CS:2. (Though for me, the worst bug has got to be the nonsensical changes to zoning cells when you add pedestrian path crossings and such.) Also love the storytelling, especially with Magnolia County. I'll happily continue watching them, no matter what cadence you choose for your video releases.

[@doctoralfman8393]

Totally agree. I played the game and got a city to 160k pop and then the stuck public transport bug was a major issue, so I stopped playing. Why play a game where rather than trying to develop a city I just need to look for stuck public transport all the time... So I stopped playing and everyday I logged into Steam I looked for new fixes for CS2. Then in the latest bug fix release they said they fixed the issue with stuck dogs, and sure, I have a lot less stuck public transport, but now I have the problem with land value after reaching 200k pop and the land value is about 210k per cell average and all my residential is failing... Fun... I will stop playing again until they fix it. As a software developer myself, I do no understand why they do not focus on bug fixes and mod support as the likelihood for their game to completely fail increases as long as these complete game breaking bugs are present. CS1 was so popular for so long as they had such a good mod community.

[@NYCamper62]

Top notch video, articulate & to the point. I hope the devs take note & are allowed to fix the bugs. It also makes me kinda sad. I mean not like oh now I'm depressed sad but I had high hopes for CSII. Now when I start the game I just feel like uninstalling it for now.

[@orrenlane]

I've been having a lot of fun watching your recent stream vods at work, and learning a lot about city planning. I agree, the game is really hard to enjoy right now. I put almost 200 hours in and just had to drop it for the time being because the bugs were just so frustrating. Hopefully CO can pull through, I have faith that they will in time. For now though, I'll keep kicking back and enjoying your content and insight into city builders. Personally, I've been enjoying New Cycle a lot so it'd be great to see more of that on the channel, but I look forward to whatever is coming next from you with the new schedule, whether it be more CS2, a return to CS1, or any other games! Keep it up Phil, you've been crushing it lately.

[@techguy5487]

From the first video you played the goofy music and fought the game I appreciated your dedication while simultaneously thinking you should just let CS2 go until it's fixed. I'd love to see a new CS1 build over watching you struggle with CS2. While I laugh at those moments the music hits, I know it can't be fun and honestly I would much rather watch a content creator having fun than one likely to get burned out on a buggy game.

[@DeandreMurray]

Great video, This wraps up my feelings basically, I like the game and want to play but the game doesn't like me lol. Also Cloud saves I don't believe work at all in CS2 so during my annual PC reset. I lost so much. I just want the rent not to be too damn high.

[@finnche9555]

Perfectly said. Land values, zoning, confusing messaging that just makes players feel like it’s their fault. It ruins the longevity of a community.

[@JimmiG84]

The infamous "Maybe the game just isn't for you" statement really hammered that in. Do CO even consider this a bug, or is it just gameplay mechanic in their eyes? Will they "fix" it or are we going to have to rely on mods?

[@scottjohnson3017]

​@@JimmiG84 Colossal Gaslighting Disorder - Where you, the paying customers ARE the problem...

[@finnche9555]

@@JimmiG84 I'm not against relying upon mods in games, but there needs to be more communication right now, If not more action.

[@SqFKYo]

Very similar feelings: I'd love to play this game, got the preorder, and since then I've been waiting for enough bugs to be fixed for me to actually want to play the game.

[@cy80rg]

I'd love to watch more CS1 content, especially Nicolette Bay.

[@Kesobanan]

I had the feeling something was "off" with this stuff, thanks for clarifying it. But for me, the biggest bug making me shut down the game is the public transport getting stuck constantly when my city gets to around 100k. I love playing around with buses, trains and trams and whatnot, it's like the game telling me the flow is too good - let's do something about that..

[@willmilby3902]

Love you and Biffa making these videos to address the concerns for the game and love what your decision was.

[@user-ti8wx9kc5k]

If you’re looking for a new city builder that gives you more Command over your city I would recommend Workers and Resources. In the game you take control of a Eastern European-esc city state that you build from the ground up while planning everything like waste management, central heating, industry, labor allocation, construction projects, logistics, etc. The game overall is a bit hardcore when it comes to city builders but approaching the genre from the other side of the iron curtain was intriguing to me. Additionally it flexes the same brain muscles as Factorio and most mechanics have toggles on them so you can ease yourself into the game. Overall I would love to hear your opinions if you have any on the peculiarities of Soviet Urban planning or just see how you would go about being a true City Planning Tzar.

[@tendaishechidakwa]

The game has interesting mechanics but it is poorly developed and has a steep learning curve for casual gamers because of the micromanagement and overly complex mechanics such as having to consider gradient when installing water pumps etc. Also, workers have to walk only short distances to workplaces. It is too hardcore and unenjoyable because it does not tell you why some mechanics are not working. I played it and was impressed with some of the stuff it does but it just needs some finesse to appeal to a greater population.

[@krisbroholm]

I second this. It's a very cool game and it has a lot of difficulty settings that can tweak the experience so it isn't quite as punishing to begin with.

[@user-ti8wx9kc5k]

@@tendaishechidakwa It definitely has a steep learning curve to its mechanics but fortunately a lot of them can be turned off so you can ease your way into full realism if that’s what you’re aiming for. A lot of people like the extreme realism and a lot don’t. Personally while I’m not so much of a masochist to jump into the deep end with the realism features this definitely is my personal Dark Souls of city builders. Fortunately steam has the 2 hour refund window tho but I’m not sure how much anyone could get done in their first 2 hours tho.

[@tendaishechidakwa]

@@user-ti8wx9kc5k . I have played it for a decent amount of time. What made me stop was the fact that my workers couldn't get to their workplaces easily and the fact that there were no transfers between transport modes, so mass transit was a pain, but the amount of stuff I could control was amazing. Imagine having to place gas stations that actually have a purpose, and designing mines that actually look realistic (I am a geologist by profession, so you can imagine the excitement). But like I said before the game is interesting but lacks finesse, otherwise it would appeal to a lot of people. Since I played it from a friend's account a while back, I am not sure if there have been positive updates since then.

[@user-ti8wx9kc5k]

@@tendaishechidakwa I just tested it in game and transfers may have been fixed since you played. If a worker or passenger is dropped off at a station and can’t walk to a building to fulfil their current need they will stay at the station and won’t board a bus going back to their origin station. I don’t know if they won’t get on any bus on the line that dropped them off them or just not get on buses that go immediately back to their origin station. Either way I have been playing the game pretty much bug free although I’ll admit I’m building my city slowly so maybe I’ll run into some stuff as I expand.

[@krisculin9679]

As much as I love CS2 as well, I think this was an important and necessary video. You are a staple in the CS/2 community, so your word is very important to everyone (IMHO). I think you're making the right call not just for your metal health but for the future of the channel. I also disagree with CO's decision on the frequency of bug fixes. However, I think they will change their minds. I think CO will realize that there are some serious simulation bugs that need to be fixed that cannot wait for a DLC. It is probably true that the more frequent bug fixes will cause some headaches for modders, but I think they will understand the necessity. In addition, there is no way CO will be able to release the console version with some of these simulation bugs. That might be enough encouragement to get them fixed sooner rather than later. As a professional developer of 25+ years, it makes me very sad to see the current state of CS2. I can't imagine bugs like these being in any of our releases. It is true that we've had some nasty ones over the years, but, after all, we are human. But there is a limit to how many serious ones should be "left" in a release to be fixed "later". We also don't know the inside details of the decisions made for the release. We don't know what pressures were being put on CO from Paradox. From the outside, it seems like CO was pushed to release before they were ready. And perhaps they tried, though I have no information one way or the other, to convince Paradox to go the beta route. I think if CS2 was released as a beta, things would be different. The attitude of the community would be far different from what it is right now. I didn't want to go back to CS1 after playing CS2, but it might be time to do that. It's said but it might be that time. I'll still play CS2, but it won't be as frequent as it might have been if the release was different. It really sounds like CO needs to beef up their QA staff and maybe bring in some content creators to help test in "real world" cities to provide some real feedback. If that happens, I really, really hope you are on that list. You've got QA experience as you've described in past videos. You also know what to look for and what needs to be done to truly design a city from a city planner's PoV. Let's hope that happens. There are plenty of other content creators that could easily be on that test list. The more there are, the better because everyone has different ways of playing the game. The more variety, the better the chances of finding issues. On top of beefing up their QA maybe they also need to beef up their dev team. But that's a whole other discussion.

[@noterix1164]

very well said. I don't own the game myself but I've seen and heard the frustrations with its many, many bugs from content creators like you and from more casual players alike. I've gotta say, it's very much not incentivizing me to buy the game. the first thing I learned about CS2 was that it was a buggy mess, and that hasn't seemed to change much at all. sad to see video frequency slow, but am also looking forward to new (and old !) games in the channel rotation, and I hope the more relaxed schedule reduces your stress.