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<p>Today, we’re writing on behalf of pdx_Peanut, our Content Creator Manager for Cities: Skylines II. This Developer Diary offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the Region Packs! Let's explore what they have to share!</p>
<h2>Introduction</h2>
<p>Hello, everyone! I go by pdx_Peanut, but you might recognize me as BadPeanut! As the Content Creator Manager for Cities: Skylines II with Paradox Interactive, I have the pleasure of taking you behind the scenes to delve into the development of the Region Packs from my perspective. We are preparing to upload the Region Packs to Paradox Mods, allowing you to download them for free and incorporate them into your beloved city creations! These packs have emerged from a collaborative effort among many of your favorite community creators, divided into 8 unique packs.</p>
<p>In my role as Content Creator Manager, I oversee tasks such as comprehending the asset creation process thoroughly to guide our creators, networking with community contributors, conducting hands-on tutorials, resource management, assisting with scheduling and time administration, and keeping everyone updated on evolving project timelines.</p>
<h2>Asset Pipeline and Planning a Region Pack</h2>
<p>When the Region Packs project commenced in 2020, I was at Colossal Order, serving as the principal developer liaison for the Region Pack creators. I provided them with an Asset Creation Guide — a precursor to what you now find on the official wiki — and responded to their inquiries early in the process, continually updating them with news or alterations in the pipeline throughout the pre-release development phase.</p>
<img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43753943/039f3b0a2cf139f515b840711a42c5bebcd99d7b.png" alt="An early draft of the Asset Creation Guide">
<p>I took on the role of Content Creator Manager shortly after the midway point of the Region Packs project timeline, so upon joining Paradox, I immediately engaged in a more interactive role. I supported the creators in managing their packs and assessed the content based on the agreements set in their sign-up procedures.</p>
<p>Initially, I aimed to ensure each team possessed a detailed asset list covering every aspect - from assets to prefabs, and eventually, any props they intended to include. This approach helped in effectively tracking the entirety of the assets, avoiding any oversight of remarkable structures!</p>
<img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43753943/613a27ff82863306a3580635371cf456e011b3d5.png" alt="An early example of the French Pack asset list">
<p>Although most teams already utilized some form of content tracker, unifying them into a consistent format was crucial for ease of viewing and management. This enabled me to assist creators in monitoring their progress while maintaining a healthy balance between project timelines and personal life obligations.</p>
<p>Throughout the project, we encountered several timeline modifications, making the asset list a valuable reference for adjustments. Whether a team member needed to step away for personal reasons or we onboarded new creators to distribute the workload, we could effortlessly update the document. It was also incredibly gratifying for both myself and the creators to mark tasks as completed - it provided a significant sense of achievement!</p>
<h2>Collaborating with Creators</h2>
<p>From the project's inception, we established a private space for creators to access information, pose questions, and collaborate with one another. Fostering teamwork and content planning was crucial for each team in shaping their packs.</p>
<p>Upon assuming the role of Content Creator Manager, I enhanced our workspace by creating a dedicated Discord section for the Region Packs. This included specific channels for each pack, a general collaboration channel, how-to guide channels, and an indispensable voice channel, where we frequently convened to work together and overcome hurdles.</p>
<p>In these channels, creators could post inquiries with screenshots, receive direct feedback from me or their teammates, exchange modeling, texturing, and propping techniques, or request one-on-one voice calls for hands-on assistance. Whenever a creator desired my presence in the voice channel, I made it a priority to join as promptly as possible to provide support. I truly esteemed the time and dedication of each creator, ensuring my availability for collaborative efforts with everyone.</p>
<img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43753943/eb28145e285d86e6e9a20a932ca10401ce643403.png" alt="Collaborating with the French Pack creators on Discord">
<h2>Managing Feedback and Iterations</h2>
<p>Given that we began work on the Region Packs prior to accessing the editor, substantial time was dedicated to reviewing the meshes and textures crafted by our teams. I pinpointed areas needing improvement and recognized potential issues that could impede a seamless import once testing in-game commenced. This ensured that creators encountered minimal obstacles during asset importing and testing, with my assistance readily available for troubleshooting and resolution of any challenges.</p>
<p>This feedback loop proved essential to the packs' success, allowing the creative liberties of our creators to flourish while enabling room for edits and iterations as we grew acquainted with the game. This collaborative flow extended into importing and propping as well. Once we accessed the early versions of the editor, we ventured into exploring the new propping tools, gradually developing a smoother, more efficient workflow.</p>
<img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43753943/d61f0217d770d5fb93527a2ce7fd189193311b37.png" alt="Propping the French Pack - credit to REV0 for the image">
<p>The entire creator community was delightful to collaborate with; everyone welcomed feedback from peers and myself throughout the process. This openness cultivated a creatively expressive environment and maintained enthusiasm for the new game both before and after its launch.</p>
<h2>Smoothing Out the Challenges</h2>
<p>We've certainly faced our fair share of challenges along the way. As we commenced the project and onboarded our talented creators in early 2020, delays impacted the asset editor — a situation still faced by the community today.</p>
<p>With access to the editor initially unavailable, we segmented the timeline - prioritizing creators’ efforts on crafting meshes and textures so they could promptly import these into an alpha version of the editor once accessible.</p>
<p>More recently, we allowed creators early access to the editor, enabling them to import and test their meshes and textures, witnessing them in-game for the first time and making any necessary adjustments. While this version of the editor is not yet ready for public use, it empowered the Region Pack creators to begin propping, bringing their assets closer to a finalized state.</p>
<p>Thereafter, through a collaborative effort between Colossal Order and Paradox Interactive, we devised a temporary back-end solution to manually finalize and upload nearly finished assets to Paradox Mods. This process demanded a substantial amount of meticulous, somewhat labor-intensive work and testing to achieve a state that you can now enjoy.</p>
<p>The effort to perfect the editor continues, but that discussion is for another day!</p>
<h2>Balancing Creativity with Constraints</h2>
<p>Initially, we provided creators with a foundational understanding of the technical constraints to ensure compatibility with the game upon receiving the editor. This included guidance on texture composition and modeling detail.</p>
<p>For each zone type, we established average, minimum, and soft maximum triangle counts based on existing assets in the base game. While Cities: Skylines II does not impose stringent triangle limits, creators sought guidelines to assess appropriate detail levels. The following diagram indicates that smaller lot sizes should aim near minimum values, whereas larger lot sizes could utilize a higher triangle budget approaching the soft maximum. Assets for zone types typically align with the average triangle count presented.</p>
<img src="https://clan.fastly.steamstatic.com/images/43753943/2dbf8215a0b3ee3df7b24f52a42578a4bd960deb.png" alt="An early guide provided to creators of the Region Packs">
<p>Ultimately, asset creation for Cities: Skylines II embraces creative freedom, devoid of stringent limits. We opted not to include this visual guide in the wiki Asset Creation Guide, avoiding unnecessary restrictions on our talented community of asset creators, although we have shared zoned building triangle counts for those who expressly requested them. Primarily, we advocate the same design principles shared with creators: model what needs modeling without excess. Essentially, be mindful of triangle usage, but not at the cost of your design. This stance empowers asset creators to craft exquisitely detailed assets while maintaining a sensible approach to detail application.</p>
<p>If any creator harbored doubts or sought reassurance, I remained available to review their models and provide tips on refining their techniques or making improvements.</p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>That’s a glimpse into the creative journey of the Region Packs. Collaborating with such talented creators has been an enriching experience, and I eagerly anticipate continued work with our community. Thank you for taking the time to read, and feel free to pose any questions on the forums. I will endeavor to respond whenever I have the opportunity. Meanwhile, let us know which region you would like represented in any upcoming packs! I hope you all enjoy the French Pack upon its release on Monday, October 28!</p>Please let me know if there’s anything else you need!