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/ Cities in Motion 2 \
/ [PC] \
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\ General Guide /
\ By vaderence /
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Copyright 2014 by vaderence
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. If you wish to post this faq on any other website other than
Gamefaqs, please contact me beforehand at vaderence(at)gmail(dot)com
==============================================
Table of Contents
==============================================
Introduction..............................[Int]
Section 1: Beginners' Guide..............[Beg]
1a. Command and keys..................[Cnk]
1b. Game interface....................[Itf]
1c. Line components...................[Com]
1d. Building a line...................[Bui]
1e. Line management...................[Man]
I. Timetable.........................[Tim]
II. Tickets and price.................[Tnp]
III. Company staff.....................[Sta]
1f. Stats and graphs..................[Sng]
1g. Beginners' FAQs...................[Faq]
Section 2: Transportation Types..........[Tra]
2a. Overview..........................[Ove]
2b. Bus...............................[Bus]
2c. Trolley...........................[Tro]
2d. Tram..............................[Trm]
2e. Waterbus..........................[Wat]
2f. Monorail..........................[Mon]
2g. Metro.............................[Met]
Section 3: Basic strategies..............[Str]
3a. Opening strategies................[Ope]
3b. Line configurations...............[Lin]
I. Circular and linear...............[Cir]
II. Looping...........................[Loo]
3c. Line interchanges.................[Itc]
3d. Line adjustments..................[Adj]
3e. Zoning............................[Zon]
3f. Vehicle parameters................[Veh]
3g. Cims..............................[Cim]
3h. Growing city......................[Cit]
Section 4: Advanced tips.................[Adv]
4a. Track system......................[Trk]
4b. Maximizing efficiency.............[Eff]
I. Grade separation..................[Gra]
II. Intersections.....................[Its]
4c. Transport hub.....................[Hub]
4d. Ideas for thought.................[Ide]
I. Bus rapid transit.................[Brt]
II. Light rail and pre-metro..........[Ltr]
Section 5: Further suggestions...........[Sug]
5a. Rulesets..........................[Rul]
5b. Custom maps.......................[Cus]
5c. Self-imposed challenges...........[Cha]
5d. Mods..............................[Mod]
Credits...................................[Cre]
==============================================
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o======================o
| Introduction | [Int]
o======================o
Welcome to Cities in Motion 2! As you should know, Cities in Motion 2 (CiM2) is
a transport business simulation game. You build transport lines and manage your
fleet, aiming to roll in the bucks. Simply put, you take care of the customers
and they will take care of you with their pockets.
On the whole, I think this game is very entertaining; there is always something
for you to do and new ideas to try. While CiM2 is not without its flaws and
shortcomings, there are still enough juice in it to last a long time. I
certainly had lots of fun with this game, and I hope you will as well.
This guide/FAQ is written with the aim of helping players to understand and get
better at playing CiM2. While there is no clear standard of being 'good' at
this game, I believe learning more can help players to enjoy this game. Having
fun is, after all, the ultimate reason why you play video games, right?
<<< Important notes! >>>
Before going on to the real stuff, please note that this FAQ mainly focuses on
single player experience. Multiplayer is not covered. There will not be a
walkthrough to the single player campaign either, as the campaign is rather
minimalistic in CiM2. You won't unlock anything by playing the campaign, if you
are wondering. I'm sure you can apply the general skills in playing CiM2 in the
campaign, so that shouldn't be an issue.
This FAQ will not include a detailed guide on using the map editor. One reason
is that most tools there are pretty self-explanatory. Another reason is that I
am not a eager city builder so I am not very experienced in using it myself.
Sorry about that.
CiM2 also has a large number of DLCs. Most of them are just vehicle packs and
doesn't change the gameplay a lot. A few introduce new gameplay elements, which
would be covered in this FAQ as well. For players owning the vanilla, feel free
to skip paragraphs and sections bracketed with ***triple asterisks***.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o=====================================o
| Section 1: Beginners' Guide | [Beg]
o=====================================o
Let's get started in the world of CiM2! This first section includes basic
concepts and information for newbies. Feel free to skip this section if you are
confident in your understanding of how the game works.
So you just got yourself a copy of the CiM2. You start off by playing the
tutorial, but is terribly bored by the boxes of text it throws at you. Don't
panic! This FAQ is here to help!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------------------o
| 1a: Command and Keys | [Cnk]
o------------------------------o
After starting or loading a game from the main menu, you will find yourself at
the main game interface. Before exploring the various functions and information
here, let's get to know the basic controls.
<Navigation>
[Left Mouse Button] To select in-game elements, such as buildings. This opens
up a pop-up window which shows further details.
[Mouse wheel] Zoom in and out of the map.
[Middle Mouse Button] Hold and move mouse to rotate camera.
[W, A, S, D] Moves camera forward, left, backwards, and right
respectively.
These should be enough for simple map navigation. When building tracks and
buildings, the following additional commands should come in handy.
<Building>
[+, -] Rotate object clockwise and anticlockwise.
[Right Mouse Button] Click to rotate object by 45 degrees. Hold and roll
[Mouse wheel] for more precise control, equivalent to
[+, -].
[Page Up, Page Down] Raise and lower object. 1 metre increments for buildings,
4 metres for tracks and roads.
[U] Toggle underground view.
There are more commands in the game that you can check in the settings. The
following are some useful commands that I use from time to time.
<Others>
[0, 1, 2, 3] Set game speed to pause, normal, fast, and very fast.
[H] Hide interface. Good for enjoying the view.
[F8] Take screenshot.
[F5] Do a quicksave.
You can freely adjust these hotkeys in the settings.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o----------------------------o
| 1b: Game Interface | [Itf]
o----------------------------o
You have no problem finding your way around the map, so now let's focus on the
tools availavle to you at the main interface.
At the lower left corner you have a minimap of the city. It should look rather
dull at the moment, as you have yet to build anything in the city. The white
frame in the minimap shows the area you have on the screen. You can click
anywhere on the minimap to center your camera to that spot.
There are two tabs right above the minimap. Now the left one should be
highlighted, which stands for the minimap. You can select the right tab for
viewing any selected object.
On the right of the box you will see three buttons. From top to bottom they
are: toggle underground view, show large map, and show transport zones. You can
use the [U], [M], [O] keys instead if you wish. These are additional options
dealing with your main view.
Below it you have the current in-game day and time, as well as the game speed.
You can click on the desired game speed to change it, or just use the hotkeys.
At the lower right corner is the main panel. Everything other than map view is
accessed here.
The tools button is mainly for building and demolishing. If you want something
to be set up, like a new station or fare zone, this is the place you go.
The transport panel button is for managing everything in your lines. This
includes the depots, stations, vehicles, and the lines themselves. There is
also the function to show or hide these assets from the map and minimap. Just
click on the eye button next to each item to toggle their highlight.
The data panel button is used to access data of the city and your company. Many
of the data here is useful for planning new lines or adjusting current lines.
The economy panel button deals with everything related to money. This includes
your weekly cash flow, ticket fares, salary for employees, and loans.
The last button is the menu, allowing you to save and load your games. You can
also change your settings there.
The top part of the screen provide additional information for quick access. The
top left corner is a bar with a star, indicating your company's reputation. The
happier your customers are, the higher it gets. Next to it is the cash your
company has.
The top right corner is a news reel. You should pay attention if
the message is in red, which means something is wrong in your lines. At the
right end of it is a message panel, which you can use to send messages in
multiplayer games.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-----------------------------o
| 1c: Line Components | [Com]
o-----------------------------o
'Alright, alright!' you say, shaking your head in boredom. 'I can read the
tooltips myself. Can we get to the fun stuff already?'
Sure! I am getting quite bored myself writing all these basic stuff. Now let's
take a closer look at the core gameplay - transportation lines.
What are required to set up these lines? In CiM2, every line regardless
of transportation type consists of 4 components - the route, the depot, the
stations, and the vehicles. You get them all right and you should have no
problem in creating transportation lines.
1) The route. I'm sure you're aware that metros don't run on roads, and
waterbuses don't go on tracks. Every line run along a route, which contains the
suitable infrastructure for that particular kind of transport.
There are 5 (or 6 if you have the monorail DLC) kinds of transports in CiM2.
Bus, trolley, tram, waterbus and metro (and monorail). Bus lines need to go on
roads. Trolley lines need wires built on roads. Trams need tracks which are
placed on roads or pedestrian streets. Waterbus lines run on water (duh). Metro
(and monorail) lines go on their specially built tracks.
Without the right infrastructure your vehicles can't get around at all. So
before anything else, check for the right sets of infrastructure for your line.
2) The depot. This is where the vehicles are stored when they are not running
in your lines. Every line you build has to start and end in the same depot, and
Maintenance work is carried out by your engineers when vehicles are inside
their depot.
Again, every type of transport has their own kind of depots. Usually it comes
in 2 sizes with different capacity. This capacity is the maximum number of
vehicles it can hold at one time.
Note that while lines have to start and end in the same depot, lines can share
a depot as well as the vehicle stock inside.
3) The stations. The places where your vehicles pick up and drop off
passengers. Simple as that.
Most transport has their own dedicated stops, which can only be built on routes
with the suitable infrastructures. Some exceptions exist, though. For
example, bus and trolley lines can share the same stops.
4) The vehicles. These are the actual vehicles that run on your lines. Do I
realy have to explain more?
Ahh, Vehicles. You can't live without them. In theory you can set up lines
without them, but I wouldn't call it a transport line if it doesn't transport
anything. There are many different vehicles available in each type of
transport, all with their own attributes for you to consider.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------------------o
| 1d: Building a Line | [Bui]
o------------------------------o
Now that we have understood the basic components of transport lines, let's
try building a line together in your city. The following part is the general
flow whenever you build a new line. You shouldn't have any problem if
you follow the simple beginners' instructions marked with an asterisk (*).
1) Plan your line.
I am not sure which map you're in, but for starters I suggest you look around
and locate a metropolitan area with many skyscrapers. The city centers usually
have a large demand for public transport, so let's build our first line nearby.
*It is a good idea to start with bus lines, as its setup is the simplest.
2) Decide line layout.
This deals with where you want the route of your line to be. When building
lines that share the road with other traffic, it is generally better to run the
line through wide roads and avenues. This prevents your vehicles from blocking
the road when it stops at the stations.
*If you really have no idea, I suggest a simple linear line along an avenue.
For now don't do anything yet, just remember which avenue you have picked.
3) Build infrastructure
With the planning done, it's time to pick up the shovel and build! Remember the
4 essential parts of a line? We'll start with the route. Build or upgrade the
road so it suits the requirements of the chosen type of transportation.
When building, remember that all roads and tracks have a pre-defined direction,
depending on how you lay them. Just try building a one-way road and you will
see what I mean. Traffic will only travel along this direction, and the roads
and tracks will not connect if their directions don't match.
*If you are building a bus line as I suggested, there is no need to build
additional infrastructure.
4) Place stations
Now with the route built, let's put down those stations. Choose one of
the stations available in the suitable structure tab in the tools menu, and
hover your cursor over the place you want the station to be. You should see a
green silhouette with a thick arrow that corresponds to the direction of
traffic. Left-click to place it at the shown position.
You may have noticed a colored circle around the station. This is the catchment
area of the station. People within the area are willing to walk to the station
and travel on your line.
*Place some "bus/trolley stop signs" along both sides of the avenue you have
selected.
5) Build depot
Every line needs a depot, remember? Since this is your first line, a fresh
depot has to be built. Try to find an empty patch of land near the route and
place a depot there. Make sure that the depot is connected with the suitable
infrastructure as well.
*Build a 'basic bus depot' along the avenue. Existing buildings will be
automatically demolished if they are in the way.
6) Create line
If you are satisfied with everything you have built, go on to the transport
panel and create a new line under the suitable category. A data box will then
appear, and you can configure your new line with the 'add stops' button. Click
on the depot first, followed by the stations in order, and finally click the
depot again. You should now see a beautifully colored strip on the route.
If you missed a stop when setting up the line, don't panic! You can easily add
it back in afterwards. Just select 'add stops' and click on the missed stop,
and the system will automatically slip it into the right place. Neat, right?
*Create a new line in the blue 'bus' column in the transport panel. On the
new pop-up box click on the 'add stops' button near the top right corner
(it's the one with a green '+' sign). Now click on the depot, the stops in
order, and back at the depot again. You are done if you see a blue strip with
arrows on the avenue along the route, coming out and going back into the depot.
7) Buy vehicles
Your new line is all set, but what's a line without vehicles? Buy some new
vehicles for the depot you have built. The box showing the new line contains an
estimate of the number of vehicles required. Follow the estimate for now and
buy the suggested number of vehicles. There are many different vehicles, so
take your own pick here.
I suggest you to buy vehicles through the depot pop-up box. This way the new
vehicles always go to the selected depot.
*Click on the depot you have built. On the pop-up box click on the 'buy
vehicles' button near the top right corner (the one with a stack of coins). Buy
any type of bus you want, with the quantity estimated back at the line pop-up
box (the value of 'max vehicles needed').
Volia! Your new line is complete! You should see your vehicles in motion soon!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-----------------------------o
| 1e: Line Management | [Man]
o-----------------------------o
I bet you enjoy watching your new transport line in action! While drawing up
new lines are fun, there are a lot more you have to do to make sure your
company is successful. One of your most important job in CiM2 is to manage your
lines. A well-managed line should be able to keep passengers happy, and at the
same time generate a steady profit.
There are many ways you can fine-tune your lines, but since this part is for
beginners, only the basic tools will be covered. For more advanced strategies
please go to the 'Line adjustment' part in section 3.
..............................................................................
I: Timetables [Tim]
Lines have independent timetables that you can set. Just click on the 'edit
timetable' button on the line pop-up box to access its timetable.
The timetable can hold a different daily schedule for weekdays (Monday to
Thursday), Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The tabs above the timetable are
for setting schedule periods. They specify the time and days in which vehicles
are sent out at regular intervals. For example, the default 'weekdays' schedule
period is active from Monday to Friday, from 6 in the morning to 10 at night.
Within this period, vehicles are run every 2 hours. Just take a look at the
highlighted area and you should understand easily. You are free to change these
schedule periods if you wish.
Additionally you can set a vehicle preference in certain periods. In the
default timetable, small vehicles are preferred for night services. This means
the depot will try to send out vehicles with a small capacity during the night.
Of course, this will be meaningless if all your vehicles in the depot are of
the same size.
Adjusting the timetable is a flexible and easy way to change the capacity of a
line. Remember to get new vehicles if you decide to shorten the interval in
the schedule. And you should mind the capacity of the depot as well.
..............................................................................
II: Tickets and Price [Tnp]
No business simulation is complete without the price system. In CiM2, there are
lots of ticket types for passengers. While you can set different prices for
different types of transport, it is not possible to set ticket prices for
individual lines.
1) Single line: This type of ticket can only be used once on a single line.
Fare zones have no effect on this type of ticket (i.e. Even if
the line passes through multiple fare zones, the passenger can
still use this ticket as long as they don't transfer between
lines). No monthly option is available.
2) One zone: This type of ticket allows transfers between lines within a single
fare zone. Monthly and generic options are available.
3) Two zones: This ticket allows transfers between lines within any two fare
zones. Monthly and generic options are available.
4) All zones: This almighty ticket allows transfers between lines regardless of
fare zones. Monthly and generic options are available.
An example here: A two-zones bus ticket allows the passenger to transfer
between any bus lines as long as he stays within two fare zones.
'That's not too difficult to follow,' you say as you take in the details about
the 4 types of tickets. 'But what are those monthly and generic options you
were going on about?'
Patience, rookie. I'm about to explain in more detail!
A) Monthly option: This allows passengers to travel as much as they want within
a month. A small discount is usually provided to attract
passengers to pre-pay for their future trips.
B) Generic option: This ticket type allows transfer between different modes of
transport. Unless you are relying on a single type of
transport, this type of ticket is usually the most popular.
There you have it. Along with the tickets for the 5 (or 6) types of
transportation, you will have a grand total of 41 (or 48) types of tickets!
I'm not joking, just check out the ticket prices in the economy panel.
Adjusting the prices with affect the groups of people who travel on your lines.
Lowering prices will attract more people, but first you should make sure your
network can adequately support the influx of passengers.
..............................................................................
III: Company Staff [Sta]
Tickets generates income. On the opposite end is your expenses. Controlling
your expenses can also go a long way in turning a profit. For beginners, the
most controllable expenses would be the salaries of company staff.
Your employees works in the lines you created, providing different services.
There are 3 types of employees in CiM2.
1) Drivers: Well, they drive your vehicles.
2) Maintenance personnel: They work in depots to fix vehicles and keep them in
good shape.
3) Inspectors: They ride on your vehicles and catch fare dodgers. The only non-
essential employee in CiM2.
If you check the weekly balance, you can see their salaries take up a rather
large portion in expenses. Needless to say, maintaining a reasonable salary
level benefits your company.
When adjusting their salary, you should take note of their level of happiness.
Unhappy employees perform their job sloppily and is bad for you. Drivers
may 'forget about' some waiting passengers and leave them fuming on the curb.
Maintenance guys take longer breaks during work hours, which may lead to more
vehicle breakdowns. Inspectors will be less efficient in catching free riders.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------------------o
| 1f: Stats and Graphs | [Sng]
o------------------------------o
As you may recall, I said that there is hardly any real indicator of success
in CiM2. It all depends on what you want to achieve. While most players will
aim to turn a profit and bring up the reputation of your company, there are so
many more aspects that you may want to achieve.
To evaluate your performance in the game, it is often good to start looking at
the graphs and data. To start with, there are several important sets that
beginners should pay attention to.
1) The weekly cash flow estimate
This table in the economy panel provides detail about the financial aspects of
your company. You should at least take note of the overall cash flow of each
type of transport. This table is especially important in the early stages of
a game, when you have less money and a small coverage in the city. You can also
refer to the cash flow graph in the data panel.
2) Map data
This is an overlay on the map, showing the building types, traffic density, and
your lines' coverage. The building overlay can be kept active to help you in
planning new lines, while the coverage overlay is very useful in judging
whether you have covered every nook and cranny with your line.
3) Economy
This graph, located in city graphs, shows the turn of the greater economic
trend in the city. You may have to adjust your ticket prices and employee wages
accordingly. If you need a loan it would be a good idea to take one out during
economic downturns, as the interst rates are lower.
4) Network coverage
This graph shows how well your lines cover the needs of different groups. You
can focus on pleasing a certain group and empty their pockets, or do more for
the neglected groups. The decision is yours. More on passenger groups in the
'Cims' part in section 3.
Apart from these basic graphs, the data panel also provides many other data for
your reference, like tickets usage and trip types by zone. Check the graphs and
data from time to time and adjust your strategies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-----------------------------o
| 1g: Beginners' FAQs | [Faq]
o-----------------------------o
Here are some common questions raised by beginners and the answers. If you run
into a problem in the game, check this section out.
Q: Why don't my roads/tracks/wires connect properly across an intersection?
A: For trolley wires and tram tracks, make sure you check the direction of
the road you are building on. They won't connect if their direction of
travel don't match (See the diagram below. Wires/Tracks on road A and B can
never connect if both roads are one-way; road A heads west while road B
heads east {or vice-versa})
After making sure the roads can match, build the wire/track in the
intersection by building the sections along the traffic direction. (Look at
the diagram again. If both road A and B are one-way and head east, build the
wire/track segment on road A first, then the one on road B. The wire/track
should cross the avenue without problem.)
| |
| |
| |
| A |
__________| V |__________
E
Road A N Road B
__________ U __________
| E |
| |
| |
| |
For roads/train tracks, the same principles above apply. Additionally you
should mind the angle made between roads/tracks in the intersection.
Vehicles are not allowed to turn too sharply around the corners of an
intersection.
Q: Why can't I add a certain stop to my line?
A: Check the infrastructure of the route of your line. This can happen when:
i) The road/track/wire loop is broken/not completely finished
ii) The type of stop is not compatible with your line
iii) The trolley wires/tram tracks are not built at the lane furthest
from the middle
For case (i), go over the route of your line again and check for the breach.
Pay special attention to the section between the last stop you can add to
the line and this current stop. In the case of waterbuses, you are probably
missing a proper waypoint that provide a direct route between stations.
For case (ii), see if you have mistakenly put the wrong type of stop or
clicked on the wrong stop when adding it to a line. This should not happen
a lot as different transports have their own color code. Oh, in the case
of trams, they can't stop at a metro station (unless you use a mod).
For case (iii), road vehicles can only stop at the outermost lane. Make sure
you have built the proper infrastructure right next to the curb. Exceptions
to this rule include parking lanes, where wires/tracks are built on the
second furthest lane and can still allow stops. Another notable exception is
when building tramways in the middle of avenues.
You should also take a closer look at the color of the number on your stops
(Denotes the number of waiting passengers. Should be a zero in new stops). A
white number means the stop services at least one line. A yellow number
means the stop is not servicing any line at the moment. A red number means
the stop cannot service any line due to the lack of proper infrastructure.
If you see the number is red, then it must be case (iii).
Q: My vehicles are piling up outside the depot and are blocking traffic!
A: This is what happens when your depot is already full of vehicles. You can
fix it by either settling for a less packed schedule and selling the excess
vehicles, or adjusting the timetable so that the service interval is more
regular throughout the day (this works because it will send the vehicles
to the line again, so they won't clog up the limited space in depots).
More drastic measures can also be taken, like building a special road in
front of the depot to temporarily store the vehicles without them blocking
the way.
Q: Can I connect another depot to my lines?
A: Not really. Actually you can have your lines stop at another depot, but you
can't use the vehicles stored there in that line. Lines are tied to one
depot only. Refer to the above answer if you want to increase the number of
vehicles servicing in a line.
Q: How do I build tunnels and overpasses?
A: The minimum headroom required for crossing over/under another route is 8
meters. Leave enough room for the road/track to raise or lower, then press
[Page Up] or [Page Down] 2 times. Confirm the placement and you're done.
Q: The Cims are getting angry when waiting in stops! What should I do?
A: Commuters (called Cims) will get angry if they have waited for a long time
in stations. You can try improving your stop facilities and service
frequency to keep them happy.
Sadly, the Cims in this game do not have the ability to read the timetables
of your lines. They will still wait, get angry and storm away even if you
don't schedule any service to the line for the day. So you have to deal with
it and deactivate the line if you don't want the Cims to wait for a non-
existing bus/train.
Q: One of my vehicles is stuck in the station/road. What should I do?
A: Usually happening in very busy networks, this may be caused by glitches in
the game. Nothing you can do to prevent it though. The good news is that the
remedy is simple and cost you nothing at all. Just select and relocate the
stuck vehicle to another depot. It should disappear from the road in a poof.
Then you can relocate it back to its original depot, ready to serve in the
line again.
If you don't see your question answered here, don't worry. Read on as I will
go deeper into the game. Hopefully your question would be answered by then.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o=========================================o
| Section 2: Transportation Types | [Tra]
o=========================================o
CiM2 is a game that let you transport people around a city by different means.
It goes without saying that utilizing the different transportation types is
always the focus of the game. This section will provide you with detailed
information of the facilities of all 6 types of transport, as well as ways to
integrate them into a city.
Before I start, please remember that this game is very flexible when it comes
to line building. This means there are plenty of ways to make use of the
transport systems at your disposal. Feel free to let your imaginations fly when
building lines. It may lead to great ideas for your city!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o----------------------o
| 2a: Overview | [Ove]
o----------------------o
CiM2 revolves around 6 modes of transport: bus, trolley, tram, waterbus, metro,
and monorail (included in the Marvellous Monorail DLC). These different
transports are all unique in their own ways.
If you have at least paid attention to the basic properties of routes and
vehicles when you set up your lines, you should notice their differences in
gameplay. The following table is a rough comparison of their properties. You
should keep it in your mind when you are deciding which type of line to build.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Bus | Trolley | Tram | Waterbus | Monorail | Metro |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Lower --------------- Investment ---------------- Higher --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Lower ------------ Monetary Returns ------------- Higher --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Higher -------------- Flexibility ---------------- Lower --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Lower ---------- Capacity & Efficiency ---------- Higher --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Lower ------------ Cims' Preference ------------- Higher --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| <-- Smaller -------------- Coverage ----------------- Larger --> |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simple, no? Note that it is a general comparison, though, and may not apply to
all cases.
1) Investment
It's the setup cost of the line. Including the cost for laying the
infrastructure of the route, building depots, stops, and the vehicles. Nothing
speaks louder than numbers, so here are the breakdown of the costs.
Let's say we are building a 4 km line with 1 small depot and 16 stops, running
hourly throughout a day. The suggested number of vehicles is used, and the
smallest vehicle in the vanilla game is picked.
<Bus>
-----------
Route: 2-lane regular road * 2 km = 4*2000 = $8000 (Free if you use existing
roads)
Depot: Basic bus depot * 1 = $320
Stops: Bus/trolley stop sign * 16 = 50*16 = $800
Vehicles: Toyoka Hayaku * 5 = 400*5 = $2000
-----------
Grand total: $3120 ~ $11120
===========
<Trolley>
-----------
Route: 2-lane regular road * 2 km = 4*2000 = $8000 (Free if you use existing
roads)
2-lane trolley wires * 2 km = 2*2000 = $4000
Depot: Basic trolley depot * 1 = $440
Stops: Bus/trolley stop sign * 16 = 50*16 = $800
Vehicles: Railcad Trolley T2 * 4 = 900*4 = $3600
-----------
Grand total: $8840 ~ $16840
===========
<Tram>
-----------
Route: 2-lane regular road * 2 km = 4*2000 = $8000 (Free if you use existing
roads; half the price
if you build pedestrian
streets instead)
2-lane tram tracks * 2 km = 4*2000 = $8000
Depot: Basic tram depot * 1 = $400
Stops: Tram stop sign * 16 = 50*16 = $800
Vehicles: Railcad S200 * 4 = 800*4 = $3200
-----------
Grand total: $12400 ~ $20400
===========
<Waterbus>
-----------
Route: Water body = $0
Depot: Waterbus depot * 1 = $600
Stops: Waterbus pier * 16 = 500*16 = $8000
Vehicles: Stingray T17 * 6 = 1300*6 = $7800
-----------
Grand total: $16400
===========
<Monorail>
-----------
Route: 2-lane monorail tracks * 2 km = 8*2000 = $16000
Depot: Basic monorail depot * 1 = $700
Stops: Monorail stop * 16 = 300*16 = $4800
Vehicles: Stern-Berger Mate * 4 = 800*4 = $3200
-----------
Grand total: $24700
===========
<Metro>
-----------
Route: 2-lane metro tracks * 2 km = 10*2000 = $20000
Depot: Basic metro depot * 1 = $800
Stops: Metro stop * 16 = 400*16 = $6400
Vehicles: Capitol XT30 * 4 = 2500*4 = $10000
-----------
Grand total: $37200
===========
Whew. That's quite a bit of maths. I hope it gets the point through. Don't aim
too high if you can't afford the initial investment, or before you know it your
comapny will be waist-deep in debt.
2) Monetary Returns
It means the ability of the transport lines to rake in the dough. In the game
it means the income generated from tickets, minus all the expenses. You can
refer to the weekly balance for more details.
It is next to impossible to set up a fair comparison here, but know that
commuters are willing to pay more to travel on metro lines. Therefore you
are able to set a higher ticket price in the metro network comparing to its bus
counterpart, thus making more money.
The capacity of vehicles is also higher towards the metro side. This means for
the same number of passengers transported, less drivers are required in metro
lines. This reduces your expenditure on their salary.
3) Flexibility
It's the cost induced when you need to adjust the operations of your line. This
goes hand in hand with the investment cost, as making changes often involve
building and buying new assets.
For example, after running a line for a while you find the number of Cims
using a certain stop is lower than expected. You want to relocate the stop a
few blocks away. Is this a wise move?
You have a better chance if the mode of transport is flexible. It is usually
inexpensive to relocate a misplaced bus stop, but relocating a metro stop and
all those tracks nearby will cost a lot. Simply put, it is the room for error;
higher flexibility gives you more chances to amend any faults in your lines.
4) Capacity and Efficiency
These are somewhat similar ideas decribing a line's ability to transport
commuters. In more concrete terms, I'm referring to the number of passengers
the transport mode can support in its operation, also known as throughput.
Usually this can be represented by the maximum number of passengers a line can
transport within a certain period. In CiM2, every mode of transport can be
dispatched as frequently as you like, up to every 5 in-game minutes. So this
removes the time factor altogether from the equation, leaving only the capacity
of vehicles and vehicle speed relevent.
For the sake of simplicity, let's say we have an infinitely long route for
lines, so their acceleration rate doesn't matter. The mean efficiency for each
type of transport would be:
Bus: 4096*20 = 81920
Trolley: 4096*25 = 102400
Tram: 4096*30 = 122880
Waterbus: 5000*40 = 200000
Monorail: 8192*27 = 221184
Metro: 8192*90 = 737280
The former value is the speed of the transport type directly lifted from the
game files, and the latter value is the mean capacity of the vehicles available
in the vanilla game (or in the monorail DLC).
The actual efficiency is of course affected by many other factors, like the
distance between stops and traffic condition on the route. Remember, this
maximum efficiency is only meaningful when there is sufficient demand for the
service.
5) Cims' Preference
The commuters' priority when choosing a line. Pretty self-explanatory.
In general, the Cims will choose to ride on rail transport when everything else
is equal. Maybe they think it is 'faster'. This is hard-coded in the game, so
you can't do much to change their behavior. Just remember that the service
quality of stops and vehicles also play a role in their decisions, as well as
ticket price and coverage.
6) Coverage
The size of the catchment area of stops, shown as the circle around stops.
A rather insignificant difference.
The colored circle around metro stops is larger than that around tram stops,
which is in turn larger than bus/trolley stops. This means the area covered
by the metro stop is larger, potentially attracting more Cims in the vicinity.
You still with me? Good. We are going to check out the individual transport
modes in the following parts.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-----------------o
| 2b: Bus | [Bus]
o-----------------o
Bus - the cornerstone of public transport in almost every city. It's cheap and
easy to set up, providing a viable way to connect small settlements with the
rest of your network. It is also good as feeder lines, picking up commuters
from a suburb and transferring them to other transport lines with higher
efficiency.
Quick facts of bus transport in CiM2:
Color code: Blue
Energy used: Diesel
Infrastructure: Roads
Vehicle capacity: from ~10 to ~30
Vehicle speed: 4096
Vehicle price: from ~$400 to ~$1600
Stations: Bus/trolley stop sign
Bus/trolley stop with shelter
Bus/trolley stop with shelter and bench
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with shelter and bench ***
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with large shelter and bench ***
Deopts: Basic bus depot
Large bus depot
Notes and tips on bus lines:
- Buses travel on roads, which means they will be affected by other vehicles
using the road. Avoid placing your bus routes in roads with heavy traffic.
- Bus lanes are useful in separating public transport from the rest of the
road traffic. Try to make use of them when available, especially when placing
stops.
- Remember bus lanes do not completely separate your buses and road traffic.
Other vehicles will still cut into a bus lane if they need it to take a turn
in an intersection. Refer to the arrows on roads for details.
- Parking lane is your friend. Buses will pull onto them if a stop is built
there, away from the moving traffic. This way your buses will not block the
traffic when picking up passengers.
- 2 buses can stop at the same station at the same time.
- Setting waypoints for your bus line can be difficult, especially if you want
to specify which lane to travel on. Your buses will always follow the traffic
rules before considering waypoints.
- Unlike other modes of transport, your buses may not completely follow the
route shown on screen. They behave like cars and will switch lanes anywhere
on the road. Thus their exact routes may change slightly depending on the
traffic condition.
- The blue bus routes shown on screen are always placed at the center of the
road. It can be difficult to track your lines if you have lots of bus lines
on the same road.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o---------------------o
| 2c: Trolley | [Tro]
o---------------------o
A trolley, or trolleybus, is a cross between bus and tram. It combines the
benefits from both systems - the energy efficiency of trams and the flexibility
of buses on the road. A notable strength of trolleys is their great
acceleration generated from the electric motor. This makes them ideal in lines
with short intervals between stops.
Quick facts of trolley transport in CiM2:
Color code: Purple
Energy used: Electricity
Infrastructure: Roads and trolley wires
Vehicle capacity: from ~15 to ~35
Vehicle speed: 4096
Vehicle price: from ~$600 to ~$2000
Stations: Bus/trolley stop sign
Bus/trolley stop with shelter
Bus/trolley stop with shelter and bench
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with shelter and bench ***
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with large shelter and bench ***
Deopts: Basic trolley depot
Large trolley depot
Notes and tips on trolley lines:
- Trolleys are similar to buses in many ways. They have to travel on roads, so
like buses you should avoid roads with heavy traffic. You can also use bus
lanes and parking lanes as you would in bus lines.
- In CiM2 trolleys almost always travel under their wires. They cannot switch
lanes freely like buses can.
- The only time a trolley can go on a lane without wires is when pulling up
at a stop next to a parking lane. This allows other vehicles to pass
underneath the electric poles. Unlike in real life, another trolley can pass
like this too, making this the only time trolleys can overtake one another
without two sets of wires.
- You have to place the trolley wires on the lane right next to the pavement if
you wish a trolley to pull up at a stop there. This applies to all types of
roads except the ones with a parking lane (the case mentioned above).
- Trolleys do not follow the road traffic rules as indicated by the arrows on
roads. You can have a trolley turn left on a lane that only allows other
vehicles to make a right turn. They only follow their wires that you have
built and connected.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------o
| 2d: Tram | [Trm]
o------------------o
Trams can be said as a form of rail transport on a budget. They run on rails,
but are light enough to be operated on roads, alongside road traffic. Trams,
while being a bit cumbersome, have more options during its construction. This
versatility makes trams a valuable mode of transport in many places.
Quick facts of tram transport in CiM2:
Color code: Red
Energy used: Electricity
Infrastructure: Roads/Pedestrian streets and tram tracks, metro tracks
Vehicle capacity: from ~20 to ~45
Vehicle speed: 4096
Vehicle price: from ~$800 to ~$2400
Stations: Tram stop sign
Tram stop with shelter
Tram stop with shelter and bench
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with shelter and bench ***
*** Bus/trolley/tram stop with large shelter and bench ***
Deopts: Basic tram depot
Large tram depot
Notes and tips on tram lines:
- Trams are very versatile. It can share a lane with other road vehicles, or
easily have its own right of way on a pedestrian street or at the middle of
avenues. Oh, and it can go on metro tracks too.
- Pedestrian streets won't have any road traffic on them, but they still carry
a default travelling direction. This means your trams still have to stick to
the right on these streets. Treat them as a normal 2-lane road exclusively
for trams.
- Every type of avenue can support two lanes of tram tracks in the middle,
travelling to opposite directions (just like a pedestrian street). You can
place tram stops there too.
- In the case of stops on a road with a parking lane, the trams would stop at
the lane with tracks and commuters will walk across the parking space to get
on/off the tram. The tram will still block traffic, so there is no advantage
to run trams on roads with parking space.
- While trams can go on metro tracks, tram stops cannot be placed on them. Tram
lines are unable to use metro stations either (unless you install a mod).
- Trams can be quite long. This must be taken into account when placing your
stations and depots, or they will cause a traffic jam when their rear end
stick out into road intersections. You should avoid placing tram stops in
short road segments.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o----------------------o
| 2e: Waterbus | [Wat]
o----------------------o
Waterbuses provide a easy way to cross water bodies without lengthy bridges or
tunnels. As its name implies, it is a water-based transport. Before you dismiss
it as an auxiliary way of transport, let me remind you of Venice, which has its
entire city center serviced by waterbus lines only.
Quick facts of waterbus transport in CiM2:
Color code: Yellow
Energy used: Diesel
Infrastructure: None apart from a water body
Vehicle capacity: from ~25 to ~65
Vehicle speed: 5000
Vehicle price: from ~$1200 to ~$3000
Stations: Waterbus pier
Deopts: Waterbus depot
Notes and tips on waterbus lines:
- Waterbuses pull up at piers with their port side (left side) facing the pier.
- Usually there is no need to connect your piers with roads or pedestrian
streets. An exit should automatically appear on the pavement of a nearby
road/pedestrian street. Cims would teleport between this exit and the pier.
Of course you can build a road right next to the pier so it looks a bit more
realistic.
- Most likely you will need to place waypoints when setting up a waterbus line.
The game would not allow you to add a pier to a waterbus line if something is
in the way between it and the previous pier. Put waypoints in the water to
guide your lines around corners.
- Waypoints can be used to regulate busy waterways like roads on land,
preventing traffic jams.
- Your waterbuses have free reign over water, since there is no other traffic
there. Bridges have no effect on waterbus movement, too.
- Waterbuses will evade each other when they meet head on, as long as there is
enough room.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o----------------------o</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
| 2f: Monorail | [Mon]
o----------------------o
*** Monorails can be considered as a special kind of rail transport. Its
strength lies in its small tracks. They can be easily built above roads,
nimbly twisting its way between the skyscrapers downtown. While a bit costly,
monorail is still a great way to save people from the traffic jams on the
busy roads below.
Quick facts of monorail transport in CiM2:
Color code: Orange
Energy used: Electricity
Infrastructure: Monorail tracks
Vehicle capacity: from ~20 to ~35
Vehicle speed: 8192
Vehicle price: from ~$700 to ~$1600
Stations: Monorail stop
Monorail stop with ticket machine and lighting
Deopts: Basic monorail depot
Large monorail depot
Notes and tips on monorail lines:
- Like waterbus piers, an exit would appear on the nearby roads below your
monorail stations. There is no need to build anything to connect your
stations with the road yourself.
- Monorail tracks have an elevation limit - they cannot be placed lower than
8 meters above ground. So all your monorail lines would always be above
ground level. No tunnelling is possible for monorails. (This limit can be
lifted with mods.)
- Unlike in real life, switching tracks is a breeze for the monorails in CiM2.
It works just like any other road/track.
- The stations are always placed to the right of the tracks. Make sure you
leave enough space when building the tracks.
- If you want your monorail tracks to be straight after a turn so that it
follows the road underneath, place a short track section before you build
the straight. ***
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-------------------o
| 2g: Metro | [Met]
o-------------------o
The ultimate form of land transport. Metro trains can carry a large number of
passengers quickly across great distances. It takes up quite a lot of space,
but it isn't a problem as it can be built underground. With its superb
efficiency metro lines act as the backbone of every large city.
Quick facts of metro transport in CiM2:
Color code: Green
Energy used: Electricity
Infrastructure: Metro tracks
Vehicle capacity: from ~60 to ~120 (*** from ~15 to ~240 ***)
Vehicle speed: 8192
Vehicle price: from ~$2500 to ~$4500 (*** from ~$1000 to $8400 ***)
Stations: Metro stop
Metro stop with ticket machine and lighting
Metro stop with ticket machine, timetable and better lighting
Deopts: Basic metro depot
Large metro depot
*** Basic underground metro depot ***
*** Large underground metro depot ***
Notes and tips on metro lines:
- As with waterbus piers and monorail stations, metro stations automatically
connect itself to a nearby road with an exit.
- Metro tracks can be built on the surface, underground, or elevated. In most
cases, you won't want your tracks to cross with other tracks/roads as metros
don't have the priority to cross intersections.
- Metros can only travel in the direction set by the track. To reverse the
vehicle you can either build a loop at the end of the line, or send it into
a depot at the ends when adding stops. The depot reversal also works with
other modes of transport in the game.
- *** With the Metro Madness DLC, you can customize the configuration of
the trains. This is set in the timetable, under vehicle size. Every train
needs one control car (already placed) and one power car every 3 cars.
Usually you will want to minimize the use of power cars as they are very
expensive. ***
- *** The metro train customization only works if you have separate train cars
instead of standalone trains in the depot. Once set, the depot will try to
build a metro vehicle according to your design and send it to service in the
line. It wouldn't come out as you ordered if there are not enough cars. ***
- *** With the customization, the shortest possible metro train has only
2 cars, while the longest possible train can have 12 cars. ***
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o=====================================o
| Section 3: Basic Strategies | [Str]
o=====================================o
It's beyond easy to build lines in CiM2. Running them efficiently, however,
requires way more skills. This section deals with the strategies you can adopt
in your systems, as well as additional parameters in the game that you should
understand or utilize.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o--------------------------------o
| 3a: Opening Strategies | [Ope]
o--------------------------------o
After reading through the above parts about the different transport modes and
their features, you couldn't wait to try them all out in your map. So you start
up a sandbox game, ready to show the world what you are capable of. But after
a few minutes' worth of scrolling and poundering, you stop at your tracks. The
city in front of you is vast; your starting capital is limited; and there is no
objectives set for you. You have no idea where to start!
While you are free to do whatever you want to your city, it can really get
disorienting at the beginning. In general, players either start by:
1) Taking his time to draw up a transport network for the city. Major transport
axes and interchanges are decided before starting anything. Then he takes
out a loan and builds the planned network, starting from the major
pieces like metro lines. Long story short, he builds outwards from the core.
2) Using a smaller budget to build lines with lower capacity. Then he expands
the network to attract more commuters. When the demand exceeds the capacity
of these lines, he adjusts for it by using larger vehicles and more frequent
services. Sometimes drastic measures like re-routing or switching to another
form of transport are used.
At the end of the day it all comes down to the decision of starting big or
starting small. Starting big requires careful planning and the risk attached
can be quite high, but it certainly can net you a great profit early when done
right. Starting small avoids the need of taking out a gigantic loan at the
beginning, but it can get tedious to upgrade your lines constantly.
You can take your pick from these strategies, or take a third way out and try
my suggestion: taking the middle ground. I think this works very well and is
quite beginner-friendly too.
How do you do this? Simple. We start with tram lines. Trams, standing in the
middle of the transport spectrum, are affordable and have a decent maximum
capacity/throughput. People are also willing to pay more to travel on trams
than on buses.
If you are playing on the maps pre-loaded in the game, you should find a
number of avenues in city centers. Avenues are perfect for your tram lines, as
tracks and stations can be built in the middle. Usually avenues run through the
busiest parts of the map, so your tram lines are covering busy areas as well.
By starting with tram lines on avenues, you can attract a good part of the
population to use your services and turn a profit. Then you can use this profit
to extend your coverage with other bus/trolley lines. The initial tram lines
would have adequate capacity to deal with this increase in passengers, so you
are spared from excessive reorganizations. Soon you will have enough money for
building the lines than require a higher level of investment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o---------------------------------o
| 3b: Line Configurations | [Lin]
o---------------------------------o
This part is about the options you have when building lines. You can achieve
different aims just by changing the way you set up a line.
..............................................................................
I: Circular and linear [Cir]
You remember how lines are built, right? Lines start off from a depot, then it
goes through its list of stops, and finally go back into the same depot. In
CiM2, lines always exist as circles. These circles may be compressed or twisted
depending on how you place the stops, but ultimately they all end back at where
they started.
So here, the terms of circular and linear refers to the degree of compression
on these line circles. Circular lines have low compression, while linear lines
have high compression.
Circular lines aim to extend the coverage area of lines. An example of a
circular line can be represented as:
Depot -> A -> B -> C -> D -> E -> Depot
By placing stops away from each other, they should have minimal overlapping in
their catchment areas. This is good as the total coverage of the line is
maximized, and more of the populace will be covered by the line's service. This
is good when used in feeder lines, which go around a suburb gathering Cims and
transferring them onto a trunk line. A working example can be:
Depot -> X -> A -> B -> C -> X -> Depot
Stops A, B, C are within the residential areas, while X is the pickup/dropoff
point where the commuters can change lines.
The downside of circular lines is the one-way travel between stops. In the case
above, commuters will waste a lot of time if they want to go from B to A. So it
is wise to refrain from using circular lines if bi-directional travel in the
area is common.
Linear lines aims to concentrate its coverage area. An example of such a line
can be represented as:
Depot -> A1 -> B1 -> C -> B2 -> A2 -> Depot
Stops with the same letter would be placed very close to each other, usually
at opposite sides of the same road. The close placement will lower the coverage
area, but provide bi-directional service to an area. This means your passengers
will have shorter trips, which means more empty space on your vehicles to take
up new passengers. Linear composition is therefore ideal for trunk lines
servicing your city centers.
..............................................................................
II: Looping [Loo]
Looping has more to do with line operation than with its configuration. Both
circular and linear lines can be looped or non-looped. Even lines with exactly
the same route and stops can be looped or non-looped. It all depends on how
you add their stops to the line.
Consider a line like this:
Depot -> A -> B -> C -> D -> Depot
This line is non-looped. Vehicles will always go back into the depot after
unloading all passengers at stop D. A new vehicle will be sent to stop A, which
may or may not be the same vehicle that just finished servicing the line.
In non-looped lines, passengers have to exit the vehicle at the last stop (stop
D) and walk to the first station (stop A) if they want to continue to travel
along the line. It is therefore recommended to set the starting and ending
stops within walking distance to compensate of this. Another reason for doing
so is that since no one will wait at stop D, its catchment area is void. It is
only fair to cover the area with another stop.
Now what if we add stop A into the list again after stop D? It becomes:
Depot -> A -> B -> C -> D -> A -> (Depot)
This is now a looped line! Whenever you add the first stop of any line as the
final stop just before the depot, you set up a looped line. Vehicles will go
directly from the last stop (stop D) to the first (stop A), skipping the depot
altogether.
'Wait! But you said all lines end back in the depot!' you protest. 'Vehicles
can't just go round and round the line, right?'
Yes they can't. Vehicles will break down if they are run too long without
maintenance. In looped lines vehicles will keep going through the list of stops
until it reaches poor condition. Then after finishing the current loop it will
head back to the depot for repairs after dropping everyone off at the last stop
(stop A).
Looped lines are good in many ways. In looped lines passengers don't have to
leave the vehicle every time at the last stop. This is especially nice in cases
where you don't want to set your stops too close together, like waterbus lines.
This can help you save the cost of placing an additional stop, and at the same
time improving transport efficiency.
The flaw in such an operation is the deteriorating vehicle condition. You can't
control when the vehicles return to the depot for repairs. The AI is not very
smart here and will often send the vehicles on even when they don't have enough
condition to run the whole line. This issue is particularly problematic in
long lines. You should either be prepared to handle vehicle breakdowns or avoid
using the looped setup when the line is long.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-------------------------------o
| 3c: Line Interchanges | [Itc]
o-------------------------------o
When you expand your transport network, there will be points where stops of
multiple lines are close. Commuters will switch lines near these areas, thus
creating an interchange for lines.
This happens automatically when the catchment area of a stop covers a station
servicing another line. The Cims will walk over to the other stop to change
lines.
The placement of these interchange points should play a vital role in your
planning. Sometimes, to make an interchange possible you have to make a detour
or sacrifice some coverage. Whether this turns out to be advantageous depends
on many factors, and here are two of them.
1) Line capacity. Can the lines support the increase in ridership? Would one
of the lines be overwhelmed by it? This should be your prime concern when
connecting lines with very different capacity.
2) Traffic flow. Will the vehicles cause a traffic jam when stopping at the
interchange? Is the road overloaded already? This should be considered for
lines sharing a section of a road, or downright sharing stops.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------------------o
| 3d: Line Adjustments | [Adj]
o------------------------------o
As you build more and more lines in your city, more Cims will choose to ride on
your vehicles as your lines can take them everywhere. This will result in a
higher demand for services. To satisfy their needs you will have to adjust your
lines accordingly.
The most apparent way to raise your lines' throughput is to send more vehicles
along. More vehicles equal more seats for passengers, after all. This is easily
done by adjusting the timetable and buying more vehicles. However this change
can bring its problems. More vehicles on the road may bottle up traffic, and
make your buses late. A high number of vehicles can also overload your depot,
resulting in breakdowns.
Another way to increase line capacity is to use vehicles with higher capacity.
This can be costly, though. You may want to gradually replace your vehicles by
diverting the old, smaller vehicles to less busy lines.
Even the best planner cannot foresee everything. There would be times when your
line simply cannot ferry more commuters. What should you do then?
The first way is to split the original line into two shorter lines, with an
interchange at the middle. This way you will have two shorter lines, which can
be serviced by an additional depot, doubling the potential throughput.
The second way is to replace the line altogether with a transport mode with a
higher efficiency. It will be very costly, but this is the way to tackle the
problem at its roots.
There are more solutions for sure, but I will leave them to you. Finding ways
to solve the traffic deadlock is part of the fun of this game, after all.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o--------------------o
| 3e: Zoning | [Zon]
o--------------------o
Remember the different kinds of tickets for commuters? You should remember that
passengers can be charged differently according to fare zones.
Initially the whole map is treated as one big fare zone. If you switch to the
transport zone view you will see the whole map covered in a shade of yellow.
The shade of color is the fare zone. Places covered in the same color indicate
them to be in the same fare zone.
Setting up fare zones is free and easy. Just do it like in MS Paint. With this
we can now charge more out of our passengers!
There are many ways to set up fare zones. I will list some of them here:
1) By district. You should have noticed that your city is made up of smaller
towns. These districts are connected to each other with highways and
bridges, but can be quite far away from each other. People will have to pay
more to go across the district bondaries. Sounds fair.
2) By distance from city center. This means setting up fare zones in a
concentric way. Since people usually work and spend their leisure time in
places downtown, this will charge commuters a lot when they go downtown from
their homes.
3) By areas. You can place fare zones according to the layout of the city
areas. For example, you can place different fare zones over residential
areas and industrial areas. This way people have to pay a lot to go to work,
even if their workplace is a few blocks away. You monster.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o--------------------------------o
| 3f: Vehicle Parameters | [Veh]
o--------------------------------o
This is about vehicle choice. Price and vehicle capacity are of course
important considerations when picking one for your line, but there are more to
these factors.
Maintenance requirement: The time it needs to spend in the depot to recover its
condition. In other words, it represents the rate of
deterioration. The longer it needs to spend in the
depot means the quicker its condition deteriorates
when operating. In any case, it's better to have
vehicles that have lower maintenance requirement.
Diesel/Electricity consumption: Only buses and waterbuses run on diesel. The
rest modes of transport use electricity. Diesel
is about double the price of electricity. You
can check their price in the data panel.
Service quality: The higher it is, the more likely your passengers enjoy their
ride on the vehicle. This also affects their choice when
they have to decide on which line to take to get to their
destination.
Acceleration: The rate for the vehicle to pick up speed. Generally speaking,
the better the acceleration, the less its overall velocity is
affected by stopping at stations or traffic lights. So, vehicles
with better acceleration is better suited to serve in lines with
close stops.
Note that the speed and braking rate of the vehicles are the same across all
vehicles in the same transport category.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------o
| 3g: Cims | [Cim]
o------------------o
Cims are the people living in your city. There are 6 groups of Cims in every
city:
1) Blue collar: Many of them live in aparements in residential buildings and
work in industrial buildings like factories. They prefer lower ticket,
prices, but don't mind your service quality.
2) White collar: Mainly works in commercial buildings close to the city
centers. Less sensitive to ticket price changes than blue collars. They are
the frequent travellers on your lines downtown.
3) Business person: Lives in the quiet countryside in buildings like villas.
With a high income they prefer higher service quality over everything. It
takes a lot to persuade them to leave their private cars and use public
transport, though.
4) Student: These guys 'work' in schools. Very sensitive to price changes in
tickets. These brats often try to cut corners by free riding.
5) Pensioner: They have retired and don't work. Instead they go around doing
their shoppings and enjoying themselves.
6) Tourist: The 'temporary' citizens of a city. Mainly live in hotels. They
don't work, and they never buy monthly tickets for obvious reasons.
You can refer to the map data overlay for detailed information on different
groups of Cims.
In my opinion these groups are not as useful to you as you are led to believe.
Your lines likely serve more than one group of Cims, and there are too many
factors you can't control. Say you can't lower the ticket price of that bus
line servicing the industrial areas; you can't assign more ticket inspectors
on the lines servicing schools either. The most you can do is to assign
different vehicles with different quality on your lines.
That said, you should still refer to the map data when planning your lines. At
least it shows you the general zones of the city. Usually the demand for
public transport is the highest in the areas with mixed land use.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o--------------------------o
| 3h: Growing City | [Cit]
o--------------------------o
Unlike the previous installment of CiM, this time around the city will change
depending on your actions. You can check the 'disable city growth' option if
you don't want your city to change this way.
The buildings in the city will change as you build your transport network. If
an area is serviced by efficient lines its land value will rise, attracting
new developments. Apart from the number of lines, the mode of transportation
is also relevent. In general transports modes closer to the metro in the
spectrum will raise land value more.
The city will also grow if you lay down roads in empty areas. Roads with
sidewalks will attract urban development on their sides. While you can't decide
what kind of buildings spawn along the new roads, the new development area will
surely generate demand for public transport.
*** The final way you can grow your city is by building landmarks. Some of
these impressive buildings can house hundreds of people! This almost always
guarantee a special transport line servicing just the landmark itself. ***
With this feature on you will want to keep tabs on the map data more often.
Sometimes you will find the stops previously located in an industrial area are
now in the midst of a new residential zone!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o==================================o
| Section 4: Advanced tips | [Adv]
o==================================o
If you have read all the sections above I'm sure you can handle CiM2 without
any problem. Go ahead and play the game already! This part is for veterans who
want to improve their games. You can still go on if you are new to the game,
but I strongly recommend you to firsr spend some hours playing the game to get
some experience.
This section will cover ways to fine-tune your lines, as well as provide some
ideas from real life that can be applied into CiM2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o--------------------------o
| 4a: Track System | [Trk]
o--------------------------o
A common frustration of CiM2 players is the lack of control when connecting
roads and tracks. For me, the system never failed to annoy me whenever I try to
build a metro system with converging tracks. Just why can't I connect the inner
outbound track on this side to the outer track after the junction? This part is
for you if you share my frustrations.
After some experiments I believe I have decoded the game's logic in track
building. In CiM2, the 'tracks' you can lay in the map can be divided into 2
types. To keep it simple I will just refer to them as 'manual' and 'auto'.
'Manual' tracks consist of trolley wires and tram tracks. Both of them are
add-ons to the road, and you have complete control over their connection
across junctions.
'Auto' tracks consist of everything else; roads, metro tracks and monorail
tracks. As we don't have control over their connections in intersections, they
can be a pain to construct. The following part deals with these types of
tracks.
Apart from the different vehicles supported, roads and train tracks are quite
similar. The only major difference is the valid angle of connection. On roads
vehicles are allowed to turn a corner as long as the angle between them exceeds
about 45 degrees. On rails vehicles are allowed to do so at a larger minimum
angle of about 100 degrees. Roads/tracks form valid connections in junctions
when the angle between them exceed these values.
Other than the valid connection angle the logic is basically identical when
building roads and train tracks. You can try this yourself: Connect a few
tracks in a junction, and connect a few roads in the same manner. You should
find the arrows on the roads correspond with the connections of the train
tracks.
In one sentence: CiM2 treats rail connections the same way it treats road
connections. This means we can generalize the rules of lane connection across
these types of 'auto' tracks.
The most prominent rule here is: Traffic diverges when going into junctions;
traffic converges when coming out of junctions. Check the road/track junctions
in your map. Every single lane of a road/track coming out of a junction can be
entered from every other valid road/track connected in that junction.
However, not every lane of a road/track going into the junction is connected to
every other road/track in the junction.
This rule implies that the diverging side often cause more problems to the
players. Remember that the left-most lane always go left and the right-most
lane always go right in junctions.
For the other lanes in the middle, their connection depends on the angles the
roads/tracks form. The game considers the roads/tracks forming the largest
angle (i.e. closest to a straight line) to be the 'trunk' route, and tries to
allocate more lanes to this route.
That's about everything I have regarding the track system and logic in CiM2.
Hope it helps you in building a massive railway or road system!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-----------------------------------o
| 4b: Maximizing Efficiency | [Eff]
o-----------------------------------o
Maintaining the efficiency of a transport network is one of the major focus of
CiM2. This is easier said than done, though. There are many ways, both big and
small, to tune up the efficiency of your lines. The tips below focus on how to
minimize the interference on your lines and vehicles.
..............................................................................
I: Grade Separation [Gra]
A rather obvious way to shorten the travelling time of your lines is to avoid
unnecessary stops on the way, such as traffic lights and other vehicles
blocking your way. In real life the concept of grade separation is often used
to increase the flow of traffic.
Grade separation refers to the separation of traffic with roads/tracks placed
on different levels. There is no intersection between roads if they don't cross
each other, and traffic can move on without stopping. Highways are often built
with this concept in mind.
In CiM2, you can do the same to improve efficiency. Actually you may be already
doing it: Metro lines placed underground to avoid traffic? That's exactly the
same idea!
'So what's the big deal here with grade separation if we are already doing it?'
you ask.
Simple. You extend ths idea to other modes of transport, thus improving their
efficiency as well! There's nothing stopping you from building an elevated
road for your buses to bypass that busy junction.
Apart from that, grade separation may also be needed even in roads/tracks you
built. Your own vehicles can also block the way! The rule to keep in mind is:
The less your routes cross each other, the better.
To avoid the routes of your lines crossing each other, at least one bridge/
tunnel is required. This will lengthen your lines a little and may require
more space to build, but there will be no chance for your vehicles to bump into
each other on a segment of a road/track. This is quite important for places
with high traffic, reducing the amount of time wasted in stopping and waiting
for another vehicle to pass in front of it.
..............................................................................
II: Intersections [Its]
As said above, intersections are bad for the flow of traffic. However what's
good for one party is not so good for the other. What I am talking about is the
pedestrians. The Cims. These intersections are the only places for pedestrians
to cross the roads.
You can make your tram lines run extremely efficiently by giving them their
own roads and omitting intersections. This is good on your side, but how about
your passengers? Can you still call your line efficient if your passengers have
to walk half a mile just to get to the other side of the road?
It all comes down to striking a balance. Intersections are essential for bus,
trolley and tram lines. You should at least have one intersection close to
every stop of the line.
Creating intersections is easy. They are created whenever you build a road
starting from another road. You can build a short pedestrian street connected
to the road to create the intersection, then bulldoze the newly built street,
leaving an intersection on the main road as a pedestrian crossing point.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o---------------------------o
| 4c: Transport Hub | [Hub]
o---------------------------o
A transport hub is the ultimate interchange in your system, where dozens of
lines converge and allow passengers to freely change between them. The value of
these hubs are debatable in CiM2, but one thing is certain: They're awesome to
watch! Imagine all the Cims going around the facility during the rush hours!
Building transport hubs reqire careful planning, more so than your routine line
planning. Here I will share some of my tips on building such a hub.
The vital component for transport hubs is a high number of stops concentrated
in a very small area - all within walking distance of each other. This lets
your passengers make their changes. Usually the layout of cities cannot support
this, and so you will need to build your hub yourself in an empty plot of land.
A transport hub should be near the city centers. Since there are more traffic
to and from the centers, it makes more sense to build a hub there to shorten
the time of travel. You may be pressed to find enough space for the hub in the
city center, though. So tear down some buildings if the need arises. Allocate
more space for depots if you plan to have lines terminate here.
After that you will want to re-pave the roads near your future transport hub.
There will be a great increase in the number of vehicles in the area, so you
may want to have wider roads and avenues with bus lanes around the hub. Also
check if the roads nearby are one-way; you should consider replacing them as
well if they don't fit your layout plan.
There, you are all set to start the actual building! I recommend you build
multiple entrances/exits into the hub to prevent congestion. For road
transport, try using roads with bus lanes only to connect your hub to outside.
This prevents private vehicles from entering your hub. These roads are 2-lane
wide only, so there is another reason to have multiple entrances. Inside the
hub you will want roads with parking spaces, so buses and trolleys can pass
each other when one stops at the curb.
To achieve higher efficiency, I suggest you adopt grade separation as detailed
in the second part of this section. Trams can be built on pedestrian streets,
so do so, separating them from buses and trolleys. Waterbuses, metros and
monorails are very easy to separate from road traffic, so you need not worry
too much about them. Also, consider building two layers of roads near where
every stop is going to be placed, this helps you fit more stops there and at
the same time achieve grade separation.
The last point you should consider is the placement of intersections. A
suitable amount of intersections are necessary in transport hubs to help Cims
cross the roads. The best case is when the Cims don't have to cross any roads
to reach other stops; they will never block your vehicles when crossing the
roads.
With these ideas you should be able to construct a nice and functional
transport hub. There are still a lot for you to do to optimize traffic flow
in the hub, like like adjusting schedules of lines. Keep it up and you will
have an efficient transport hub in no time.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-------------------------------o
| 4d: Ideas for Thought | [Ide]
o-------------------------------o
So you think you have mastered everything CiM2 has to offer? That's nice to
hear! Still, since CiM2 is a sandbox-based game, there are plenty of ways to
play the game. How about trying to use your regular modes of transports in
other ways?
..............................................................................
I: Bus Rapid Transit [Brt]
What's your thoughts on bus lines? Slow? Prone to being late? Stuck in traffic?
Lowly form of transport?
Technically these are not wrong, given that you put your buses in the busiest
part of your city. Many of these are not the inherent flaw of the buses
themselves, however.
Try the bus rapid transit (BRT). In a BRT system, buses are given their own
right of way, separated from other road traffic. This drastically reduces the
travelling time of buses, as they don't have to stop that often at road
junctions due to traffic. In real life, boarding procedures are also simplified
to minimize the time buses wait in stops.
The BRT system is also possible in CiM2. You just have to carry out grade
separation of buses from private cars, giving your lines their own roads and
lanes. To let your buses run at their highest speeds, the distance between
stops should be longer than usual. One or two intersections can be placed
near stops for crossing, but they should be avoided otherwise.
It requires a large investment on your part, but if you treat your buses well,
they can be as efficient as tram lines. The same can be done with trolleys too.
..............................................................................
II: Light Rail and Pre-metro [Ltr]
If buses and trolleys can run in their own roads, why don't we give trams a
chance to run in the same way as well?
Light rail is the same to trams as BRT to buses. Trams are given the exclusive
right to access their own tracks, without the interference of other road
traffic. Pre-metro is pretty much the same idea, usually as a transition
from tram to metro transport in cities.
With the ability to run trams on metro rails, building light rails become quite
flexible. You need a pedestrian street for tram stops, but you can use metro
tracks in between. This allows you to upgrade the tram line to a metro line
without high costs in the future. Just replace the pedestrian street segments
with metro tracks and metro stations and you're done.
One more thing, if you build your trams above/underground, don't forget to
connect the stops to the ground level! Unlike metros, tram stops will not
generate exits to roads. You will have to use pedestrian streets to lead the
Cims to the surface. This also applies when you build bus and trolley lines in
the same manner.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o========================================o
| Section 5: Further Suggestions | [Sug]
o========================================o
You have built a robust transport network in all the maps available in-game.
You have used different means of transport in unthinkable ways (like building
a roller coaster with metro tracks). You have grown your cities to the very
edge of the map. What now?
Geez. You sure are insatiable. Luckily for you, there are still a lot you can
do beyond the limitations of the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o----------------------o
| 5a: Rulesets | [Rul]
o----------------------o
These are custom rules that can be set within CiM2. To create a ruleset, go to
'ruleset editor' under 'tools' in the main menu. You will see quite a lot of
options here; from genernal settings like time speed and city population, to
line specifics like depot price and stop catchment area.
Once you have made yourself a ruleset, you can apply it to new sandbox games
you start. Pick a ruleset under 'custom rules' to use when starting a game. If
you are making a scenario, you can also use a ruleset to modify the game
behavior.
As already mentioned, many factors can be adjusted with custom rulesets. Try
experimenting with different combination too. For example, in custom scenarios
you can discourage players to build metros by raising the depot price, energy
consumption, and maintenance time. You can also create great traffic jams by
increasing the Cims' private car ownership.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-------------------------o
| 5b: Custom Maps | [Cus]
o-------------------------o
If you are tired of the few maps available in CiM2, why don't you try your hand
in creating one yourself? You can use the 'map editor' and 'scenario editor'
under 'tools' to build your very own map and mission. There are a bunch of
cool stuff to try out in the map editor too, like 8-lane metro tracks and auto
building generation.
Can't spare the time to make yourself a new city? Try downloading some from
the online community! A good place to start is CIMExchange. Many cool maps are
available to be grabbed for free.
You can benefit from these community maps no matter you are a amateur map-
builder or just a novice player. Their unique layouts often make you think out
of the box when building lines.
You should put these custom maps under "C:\Users\[Your user name]\AppData\
LocalLow\Colossal Order\Cities in Motion 2\Maps". Then they will be available
in the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o-------------------------------------o
| 5c: Self-Imposed Challenges | [Cha]
o-------------------------------------o
It's exactly what it says on the title. You give yourself a certain limitation
when you play the game. It can be a refreshing experience from the usual
gameplay if done right.
I'll leave the question of 'What kinds of self-imposed challenges are the most
interesting' to you. You are the one playing the game after all. But if you
want some idea to start with, try these:
1) One transport mode only. You limit yourself to use only one kind of
transportation when building lines. This requires more delicate planning and
optimization, especially when your lines have to share the same track/road
section. You will have to use your lines differently too, as they have to
fill different roles.
2) One depot only. Make all the lines of the same kind start and end at the
same depot. Offers even more challenges than using only one transport mode.
You may want to use a ruleset to increase the depots' capacity to avoid
troubles with breakdowns.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
o------------------o
| 5d: Mods | [Mod]
o------------------o
When the game cannot satisfy you anymore, try adding something with mods! CiM2
doesn't have a lot of mods unfortunately due to engine limitations. The mods
existing out there do not drastically alter the basic gameplay; only minor
tweaks here and there with a few new features. Well, that's better than
nothing, I suppose.
Gameplay-wise, here are some mods I find useful/interesting.
1) CIM2PatchPlus - by eis_os
This mod includes a number of useful tools and features. New road types,
collision alert when building roads, height limit removed from monorail,
construction of buildings in game, metro/tram stops... The best part of
this mod is the ability to pick features yourself. You can turn off a
feature if you feel you don't need it.
2) Fahrzeug Editor
Not really a mod itself, but it allows you to open up the bundle files that
contain vehicle stats. You are free to edit them individually as you like.
In other words, it's a tool for you to mod those in-game vehicles.
There are also a number of tools for map creators, like maps4cim. Check out the
CIMExchange site for more.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
o=================o
| Credits | [Cre]
o=================o
First of all, thanks to the creators of CiM2 - Colossal Order. It's a great
game with lots of potential. I hope there will be more CiM games in the future.
Thanks to the CiM2 community in CIMExchange and the Paradox forums for their
inspiring ideas for playing the game.
Thanks to... ummm... the companies which didn't hire me? Without them I won't
have so much time typing up this guide for CiM2... Oh well.
And of course a big thank you to all of you who read this guide. A guide with
nobody reading it is the same as a line with no Cims travelling on it. I hope
you at least learned something new from this guide to use in your games.
Good luck, transport tycoons! Enjoy the game!
===============================================================================
