Cities Skylines 2 has encountered a challenging journey since its launch, grappling with performance issues and a limited content offering compared to its predecessor. Despite the dedicated efforts of simulation game developer Colossal Order, the road to improvement has been steep. As Iceflake Studios took the reins earlier this year, the team has faced a considerable task ahead. Recently, they shared insights through a detailed blog post that identifies key performance hurdles and introduces a benchmarking tool aimed at collecting valuable data for future enhancements.
Performance Challenges and Solutions
In the fourth installment of the Cities Skylines 2 City Corner blog, technical director Tapani Valkonen and lead programmer Timo Kellomäki delve into the intricacies of the game’s performance. They emphasize that the game is notably CPU-intensive, a fact that is reflected in its system requirements. The dynamic nature of the game, which allows players to zoom in on individual citizens or admire sprawling cityscapes from afar, means that “nothing can be precomputed ahead of time or baked in to help solve performance issues.” This presents a unique challenge for the developers.
However, Iceflake is optimistic about making significant improvements. The studio is collaborating with Unity to address specific performance issues and has identified several areas for targeted enhancements. In terms of rendering performance—where the GPU plays a crucial role—the developers are focusing on optimizing Level of Detail (LOD) models, water simulation, and terrain pathing, all of which currently contribute to excessive polygon generation.
On the other hand, simulation performance, which is part of the CPU pipeline, poses a more complex challenge. As player populations grow, the demand for pathfinding increases, placing additional strain on processors. Iceflake is exploring various strategies to alleviate this burden, such as implementing smarter pathfinding algorithms and adjusting population density to better align with the scale of cities.
Progress and Community Feedback
Despite the hurdles, Iceflake has already made notable changes. For instance, the overly intricate modeling of citizen teeth has been simplified, eliminating unnecessary detail. Additionally, improvements in citizen pathing have reduced instances of NPCs becoming stuck in buildings, which previously led to excessive pathfinding requests. The adjustments have also addressed issues with bicycles, enhancing overall gameplay experience. While the game may not yet replicate the charm of Amsterdam, these refinements have undoubtedly contributed to a more enjoyable environment.
Encouragingly, Iceflake’s efforts are beginning to yield positive results. Although Cities Skylines 2 still holds a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam, recent reviews have shifted to ‘Mostly Positive.’ As the game approaches two and a half years since its launch, performance remains a significant concern for many players. To further support ongoing improvements, Iceflake has developed a benchmarking tool designed to collect data on performance across various hardware configurations. This tool is expected to be integrated into the game with the upcoming patch, anticipated by the end of the month. With these developments, there is a renewed sense of hope for the future of Cities Skylines 2.
