City Building Games

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So there's a whole heap of city building games out there, plenty of which are fantastic.

I've been playing these sorts of games since SimCity2000, and a large portion of my homework was infact spent playing SimCity3000 back when I was at school and then losing said homework in various obviously phoney and imaginative methods. I'm out looking for some new ones though, I currently mainly play Cities: Skylines (I don't have any DLCs though, waiting for them to appear on sale) & Banished. But i'm wondering if anyone has any other brilliant ones they can suggest I try out? I've heard that the CitiesXL/XXL range is a bit poo from Steam reviews, if anyone can contest or agree with that. I had high hopes for SimCity 5, but that proved to be an entire farce.

So basically, does anyone have any maybe lesser known building games?
Many thanks for any and all input

[Pyoro]

Best overall is imo still Sim City 4. And the amount of mods is basically unrivaled.

C:SL is fun, too, if a bit lacking in depth. The DLC imo don't add much (most of the features you got via patch anyways).

Anno I always liked, but for DRM-reasons I haven't played the futuristic ones. They didn't look bad, though.

There's of course also Tropico. Being a Dictator is fun. Shame about the lack of innovation within the series and some QA issues, but solid games nonetheless.

If Banished counts, you might enjoy survival-sandbox builders of the Dwarf Fortress-type, as well. DF is of course always awesome, Gnomoria is more user-friendly, then there's Rimworld etc. They're basically all early access, but it's a genre I personally love

Oh, and if you want something classic in the tradition of Zeus, Caesar &c you might want to check out Lethis. Also solid, but imo a bit too traditional.

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I used to play Caesar III a lot, and i've checked out the free remake on Steam named CaesarIA, but that was unplayable due to bugs last i checked it. I also played a lot of the Sierra building games, not just Caesar, loved them loads. Zeus/Poseidon was also one i played to death many years ago.

So, would you suggest the DLCs for Cities Skylines, at full value, are not really worth it then?

I've also played Tropico loads, mainly the first and third versions. I find that after 3, its mainly the same being repeated with not much additions or changes, and not worth the price of a full new game which Kalypso charge.

Looked at Steam, and Gnomoria seems promising, I may see if there is a demo for that laying around! Lethis as it turns out, was already on my wishlist!

[kamnet]

This might be helpful then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Dxdci8teA

[Pyoro]

So, would you suggest the DLCs for Cities Skylines, at full value, are not really worth it then?

Even at deal prizes I'd put them into the "ok, if you want to support the devs"-category. They really just don't add much. Snow one for example needs to be played on specific snow-maps instead of adding seasons to the standard ones :/

I've also played Tropico loads, mainly the first and third versions. I find that after 3, its mainly the same being repeated with not much additions or changes, and not worth the price of a full new game which Kalypso charge.

Definitely. If only they had improved their game each time at least a bit - T3 was good, T4 could've been good, T5 would be awesome now ... instead we got the same game 3 times.

[YNM]

From the reviews I've read, LPs, and actual trying (on someone elses) I think any addon to C:SL is worth it. The after dark addon adds graphical detail (namely, day-night cycle), while snowfall makes the game harder (with snows and heating), as well as a true analogue to SC4's elev. railway, additionally minor graphical change (weather !). Unless you're limited by computer performance or cost I don't see why you should not take it. Only if you have the time to play it though IMO, or really likes making CJs.

[lobster]

Looked at Steam, and Gnomoria seems promising, I may see if there is a demo for that laying around!

After over 400 hours in it, I can confirm that it's actually good. Mods are being made as well.

[Pyoro]

400h is a lot. Ever tried Dwarf Fortress? ^^;

The after dark addon adds graphical detail (namely, day-night cycle).

This is in the free patch. The DLC is only entertainment district, taxis and bicycles or something.

[lobster]

400h is a lot. Ever tried Dwarf Fortress? ^^;

Got about the same hours or more in that, if only it kept track. I tend to not finish a fort in one, then start a new one in the other.
Been eyeing Rimworld lately, too. That game is good fun, if Aavak is to be believed. And he usually is.

[Pyoro]

Yeah, I've been playing that over the weekend and it's basically guaranteed you'll have fun with it if you like Gnomoria and DF. Same game principle, and you get the same typical stories you get in those game - like I had this one-armed colonist, and then she got her other arm shot off, and now she's sitting around being armless.
...
So I downloaded a prosthetics mod and now she has two steel arms. Much badass.

Buuut there's quite a bit less to do compared to Gnomoria (and DF obviously). Unless you're kinda bored with the other games I'd probably wait one or two more alphas simply for more content. But that's just my opinion.

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I have £75 in my Steam, from a CSGO drop that was worth that much (amazing what people will pay for a new skin for a gun...). So, I think i'm going to splash it out on Gnomoria and Lethis

I haven't played an Anno game since Anno 1503 (released 2003). I loved that game, but I didn't really keep up to date with new versions, how has it developed if we have any Anno players here?

[Transportman]

I haven't played an Anno game since Anno 1503 (released 2003). I loved that game, but I didn't really keep up to date with new versions, how has it developed if we have any Anno players here?

I have played Anno 2070 and also own Anno 1503. Anno 2070 has no combat on land (unless you count aircraft and airfields as land) and I find the difficulty lower over the whole line.

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Checked out some youtube videos from newer anno games, not quite the game I remember, seems to have taken a few turns after 1503 that for some reason don't click as 1503 did with me.

[SkeedR]

2070 moved to a entirely different point in time and removed land armies.
2205 moved, obviously, even further ahead and to me is the C&C4 game of the Anno series. No more islands on one big map. No more invading islands. With 2205 you get sectors that are completely different maps to each other with only a couple of sectors for fighting, but even then it's just arcadey naval warfare. On the other hand, cities can be much bigger. Much, much bigger...

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Graphically that screenshot reminds me of something i'd expect you to build in Cities: Skylines or SimCity 4/5

[Pyoro]

Not quite on topic, but whatever:


Well, at least it out out the fire.

Also, if someone's curious, here's pic of a Rimworld base of mine:
http://i67.tinypic.com/yz8k1.jpg