Massive Cities: Skylines 2 update expands homelessness system to mimic real life. Colossal Order also adds difficulty levels and improves traffic
Cities: Skylines 2 received a new update. Patch 1.2.5f1 brings many fixes and improves, among other things, the traffic system, and introduces difficulty levels.
Colossal Order Studio released a new update for Cities: Skylines 2 today, which brings several fixes and improvements. Patch 1.2.5f1 introduces new difficulty levels, resolves existing traffic issues, and significantly improves the "homelessness system." This is another step towards improving the reception of the title, which has been met with mixed reviews from players since its launch.
Difficulty levels and better traffic simulation
The update adds two new difficulty modes: normal and easy (previously, only one was available), enabling you to tailor the game to your preferences. Normal mode slightly raises the bar, offering more demanding financial and infrastructure management, while reducing starting funds and eliminating government support. Easy mode makes city development more accessible by increasing funding and reducing maintenance costs (via PCGamesn).
The developers also introduced several big changes regarding transportation:
- Vehicles blocking intersections now have priority to leave them, which should reduce traffic jams.
- Buses no longer make unexpected maneuvers after departing the bus stop.
- The waiting time for taxis has been shortened, which is expected to improve traffic flow.
Besides, the capacity of the Garbage City Service buildings in charge of waste disposal has been expanded, reducing the issue of waste accumulation in the city.
Homelessness system
One of the key improvements is the expansion of the "homelessness system." The new statistics panel enables monitoring the number of people experiencing homelessness and examining their living conditions. Players can now respond better to the problem, adjusting housing policy and labor market to the needs of the community. Moreover, young adults no longer automatically move out of their family homes - they remain there until they secure employment and gather enough financial resources (art imitates life... or something like that).
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the series, 10 new parks were added to the game, including Chirper Park, Basketball Center, and Dog Activity Park. Besides the game update, three Creator Packs have been included:
- Dragon Gate (Emperor Li) - a shopping area inspired by Chinese architecture (new service buildings and a temple);
- Leisure Venues (Gruny) - a set of recreational buildings, including a cinema, museum, and e-sports arena.
- Mediterranean Heritage (Zarrix) - Mediterranean residential buildings and new service buildings, for example, schools and police stations.
Version 1.2.5f1 is now available for all Cities: Skylines 2 players. You can find the complete list of fixes and new features in the official announcement from the developers, along with detailed information about the Creator Packs.
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