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[hobsini2]

There's a new trailer out!  Looks like the game is getting normal-looking ramp merges and tools to more easily make seamless freeways and interchanges (such as being able to draw both directions at the same time).  We also have a release date of October 24.

https://www.gameinformer.com/xbox-games-showcase/2023/06/11/cities-skylines-ii-launches-in-october

From some of the YouTube players I watch who player CS1, they have pointed out certain things confirmed in the recent trailer for actual game play.
I love the more realistic look to the interchanges. Trams, Speed Limits and Seasons are all confirmed in the gameplay without needing a MOD.

I haven't been looking forward to a game release like this since Railroad Tycoon 3: Coast to Coast.

[ET21]

Free for GamePass users 
I'll still probably get it for PC as well

[IowaTraveler]

The Paradox Interactive website has a page showing that they're going to be releasing more in-depth information about various game mechanics every Monday from now until mid-September, so it looks like we're going to continue to get a steady stream of new information from this point forward.

Each week's feature highlight is going to be about a different topic, with this week's topic being the one that's probably the most relevant one for us: Road tools!

A lot of the information in the video and associated blog post is stuff that we already know from the trailers, but there's some really cool new stuff, too. The things that I'm most excited about are two things that I was really hoping for but never actually expected to get: Roads that deteriorate over time and have to be maintained, and traffic accidents! I was already really excited for Cities: Skylines 2, but now I'm even more hyped!

As a side note, it seems that the new feature highlights are posted at 9:00 AM central time, because the video was in the middle of live streaming when I checked the page a few minutes after 9:00 AM.

[X99]

The things that I'm most excited about are two things that I was really hoping for but never actually expected to get: Roads that deteriorate over time and have to be maintained, and traffic accidents!

time to get the steam version so i can mod out the road maintenance

[ET21]

Probably gonna try and get as much done as possible in the couple cities I've built on the console version. PC I only have a modded city added so far, could do one final city

[jakeroot]

Here is a video rundown of all the new road tools announced today, including some stuff only mentioned on the Paradox website:

It is indeed very impressive the number of features being included right out of the gate that previously were only available to those who modded the PC version of the game. Once again, this game looks to really be huge for console players, and those who played PC without mods.

One of the features that was shown last week was how the new road building tool will automatically create intersections when dragging long distances over multiple conflicting roads. I am curious to see if this can be turned off so that you can more easily build roads that you can elevate afterwards. As an example, I recently built a new railway line, and I just dragged it over a really long distance, and then went back and elevated or sunk the roads that it conflicted with; I think the new tool would have automatically created intersections, which is understandable but not always desirable.

Anyways, this game is looking absolutely incredible. Couple weeks from now is the video/diary about the new traffic AI; very interested to see what they've changed.

[skluth]

We're up to four dev diaries now. I'm curious what others think. Here's some of my impressions.

• First, the game just looks beautiful. The water, the sky, the buildings, and everything else all look more realistic. I think this is the minimum we should expect from any version two of a game when you go from bare-bones startup to a bunch of money on your second version. I'm really loving almost everything I'm seeing. My only real complaint on the visual aspect is I'm not liking the business signing as much as others and think many will look even tackier once we've seen them several dozen times. Most businesses only put one sign on their buildings, not one on top and another halfway down. One review mentioned that they hadn't seen any buildings under construction but frankly I wouldn't miss it.
• The learning curve will be much steeper. There is tons more going on with coordinating the different zones and the individual businesses. Some of it is just normal game dynamics being explained but some of it is definitely different and more complex. Part of it is incorporating a lot of the Industries DLC and even making it better with the ability to zone large areas for production in farm fields and strip mining. There is even a large irregular area landfill in Diary #4 as pointed out by City Planner Plays. Most look to be created by fencing an area for production. Warehousing is more automatic and just part of the industrial area rather than needing to build them for each new industry. I've heard some don't like the loss of control in what may be the ultimate ADHD control freak city planning game, but businesses normally build warehousing as they need it so I'd prefer the game handle that. Plus it's cool that cargo terminals and harbors also act as storage facilities like in real life. 
• I love that they've incorporated some of the more popular mods like Traffic Manager. It appears the cims are using all the lanes more intelligently in the videos but it remains to be seen if they've just changed one bad driving dynamic for another. Parking is also a dynamic in CS2 so we'll get to see just how important parking garages really are; at least in game play.
• They've added much of the best mass transport for the base game. I've seen buses, trains, trams, metros, and taxis. I don't remember if I've seen local passenger ferries, monorails, or trolley buses but I really don't use them so I don't care. Yet to be seen are gondolas which I've only found useful with the Park Life DLC  or bicycles. As much as I use trams, I'd prefer bicycles over trams if I could only have one. But there are interesting possibilities with bicycles like bike share rentals, bike delivery services, and even bike parking garages if you go full Dutch.    I do think we can look forward to a more fleshed out bicycle infrastructure in a future DLC or maybe even built into an Amsterdam city set.
• I love being able to do mixed use zoning. I kind of fudge it by building a couple 2X3 or 3X4 light commercial. I also love being able to predetermine property size so I can lay down an area and force all property to be (for example) 3X4. At least that's how I'm interpreting the paint zone tool. It's probably needed for the rowhouse look.
• The residential description makes more sense if you remember the first city pack is San Francisco. I know it's technically true everywhere but I get my laughs where I can.
  

  If the citizens are not able and willing to pay higher rent, the rent decreases which also affects the Land Value around the building. Residents will move out if the living costs are too high and they don’t feel like their needs are met in the area where they live, and some will even move out of the city. However, if the residents continue to not be able to meet the rent costs, the building will start to deteriorate as no money is used for the building’s basic upkeep. The residents then move out in greater numbers and the building becomes abandoned. This further decreases the Land Value. Abandoned buildings can become occupied by homeless citizens but due to the constant disrepair, the building will eventually collapse.
  
• Finally, I'm loving the modular nature of some buildings. (Why don't we have a heart emoji to go with all the smileys?) Transportation terminals (cargo train, bus, taxi, etc) are growable as are universities which is more true to real life where institutions expand with more capability rather than build a full second equivalent next to the first. I'm guessing the nature of many DLCs will be to really make businesses growable like universities adding a medical complex that then can add a cancer research center, rehab center, etc. Just thought of rehab center and now I really want one. Perfect if your city gets an entertainment specialty. (Will one exist?)
• Speaking of which, cities can have specialties. I heard tech communications specialty and there's a European-style city comm tower in the first few seconds of the latest dev diary that I think may need to be built to attain that.

Sorry for being so wordy but I had hernia surgery today and the drugs have kicked in so this is very stream-of-consciousness.

[MikeTheActuary]

Interested folks probably already noticed, but just in case....a few days ago, 40-ish content creators posted ~30 minute videos on YouTube featuring gameplay from Cities Skylines 2, as part of the hype-building for the upcoming release.

The conclusion seems to be that the road construction is MUCH better than CS1.  In other respects....there's both some good and some bad, and presumably the bad will be addressed with mods and/or future DLC.

[SoDakInterstateEnthusiast]

For anyone still thinking about getting it... here's my take

Base CS2 > Base CS1

Modded + DLC CS1 > Base CS2 (by a lot)

CS2 in 1 - 5 years > modded + DLC CS1 (?)

Basically, it'll probably be way better in the long run, given the far superior tools in many aspects, but it will take some good, long mod development to get CS2 to that point.

[bm7]

Having watched a few videos of CS2, I quite like the more realistic art style and the new features, but it seems like it needs a lot more work. Performance issues, balance issues, all kinds of bugs, but worst of all, no mod support. Really? With how popular mods are in the first game, it seems insane to me they wouldn't have official support for modding at launch.

[jakeroot]

Having watched a few videos of CS2, I quite like the more realistic art style and the new features, but it seems like it needs a lot more work. Performance issues, balance issues, all kinds of bugs, but worst of all, no mod support. Really? With how popular mods are in the first game, it seems insane to me they wouldn't have official support for modding at launch.

Mod support is coming, probably quite soon. When CS:1 launched, there wasn't hardly any mods, and the code limited how far mods could potentially go. So far as I know, there are no hard limits with the code this time around, and they are working with mod developers already so that when modding launches, there will already be a lot of things to start playing with. Don't hold me to that, but that's the impression I have at the moment.

For anyone still thinking about getting it... here's my take

Base CS2 > Base CS1

Modded + DLC CS1 > Base CS2 (by a lot)

CS2 in 1 - 5 years > modded + DLC CS1 (?)

Basically, it'll probably be way better in the long run, given the far superior tools in many aspects, but it will take some good, long mod development to get CS2 to that point.

The addition of multi-core support already makes CS:2 far superior. There is a lot of work to do to bring it up to the standards of CS:1 in terms of features, especially mods. But the potential is massive, especially map size.

[JoePCool14]

Potential is the key word still with C:S 2. There's a lot to like about the new game, but there's so many other gripes missing from the first game, ultimately leading to it feeling unfinished and taken out of the oven too soon. Just like almost every other modern video game these days sadly. sigh

At least I'm confident in the developers to make a great game. It will just take more time. For now, at least the new lane management and merge functionality is beautiful.

[paulthemapguy]

At least I'm confident in the developers to make a great game. It will just take more time. For now, at least the new lane management and merge functionality is beautiful.

I hear that the second game allows offramp splits and onramp merges to occur at a deflection angle of under 45 degrees...something I've been dying to see.  That alone might put me over the edge to prefer the new game all in itself.