Redmond (Starter City)
Redmond by FilterHQ
Map: Cartagena
Population: 75K
Money: 25M
This city started off as an experiment. Usually my cities would end up sprawling over 6-9 tiles with loads of assets and detail work. But, at around 50-60K, it would take forever to upload, and have a terrible frame rate. So, I stripped back my assets and only used the mods that I felt essential. I kept the city at 2 tiles and only built high residential housing. This has vastly improved the game quality, with everything running well, even at 75K (and growing). Employment is at 100%. Traffic is generally good. It is busy in a couple of places, but keeps moving. Demand is balanced with an ongoing small residential demand which will allow for steady building. There are 2 main Westbound conections out of the city towards the open area to the left of the city, ideal for buying the next tile (3rd) and growing the city that direction. This would suit low residential areas if you so choose.
This would be a good starter city for anyone who struggles with initial road layouts and zoning. The asset count is minimal, with only some added schools, fire/police stations, parks/parking and a few RICO buildings, a small selection of trees and fences etc.
The city has:
Working harbour/industry
Ferry terminal
3 train stations
Subway lines
Bus routes
2 entrances/exits
2 Universities
The main culprits for long load times and game slow down are: Too many assets. Too many tiles. Too much detailing/props.
Note: If you download the city to play and expand on, please double check the traffic light placements, as on loading, it sometimes puts traffic lights on a junction, where there should be none, or just stop signs. There are only a half dozen junctions that should have traffic lights. I changed the roundabout by the stadium to a normal junction with lights..seems to work better.
Update 20.09.17 My experiment has been successful, as I managed to get 100,000 population for the first time in a city. Don’t laugh..I play this game on a potato, and it’s managed really well so far. :p
