Authored by pdx_Peanut with contributions from Macwelshman and Rik4000
Greetings, everyone! Welcome to this week’s developer diary! It’s your host, Pdx_Peanut, and I’m thrilled to offer you a glimpse of the process behind the creation of the UK Pack, expertly crafted by the talented duo, Macwelshman and Rik4000!
Download the remarkable UK Region Pack for free from Paradox Mods: https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/mods/92859/Windows
These two creators are renowned for their incredible contributions to the Cities: Skylines workshop. Macwelshman skillfully blends UK and American architecture, while Rik4000 captures the essence of UK urban and suburban landscapes. Both have been influential community members since the game’s inception in 2015, and it’s fantastic to see their work evolve into Cities: Skylines II. When we decided to develop a UK Region Pack, they were the natural choice to lead the project!
Concept and Inspiration
From their prior contributions, I had complete faith in both creators to infuse the pack with realism, and they have surpassed all expectations. Their journey began with an exhaustive research of iconic buildings and common structures throughout the UK to find the most illustrative examples for inspiration. Their ambition was to showcase the UK’s architectural richness while presenting an array of styles that would authentically fit various contexts. Exhibiting everything from Georgian and Victorian elegance to the unique 1930s designs and modernity of the 2000s, they’ve ensured the pack exemplifies the UK’s architectural spectrum in meticulous detail.
Architectural inspirations featured in the pack.
Among my favorite inclusions is the UK Hospital General Infirmary. As the principal healthcare facility in the pack, it holds a pivotal role in any UK city build. Taking inspiration from the Victorian-era General Infirmary in Leeds (seen above), this building adds a historical yet timeless flair, merging traditional design with modern healthcare needs.
Incorporating the building into the game entails numerous planning phases. Initially, 3D design is mapped out by shaping simple forms and layouts to gauge scale and dimensions. Here, we witness the team experimenting with various preliminary designs to ensure the inspiration’s architectural elements are represented accurately. They also test gameplay features, such as upgrade placements, to ensure the structure is not only visually pleasing but functionally sound in the game.
Preliminary concept models of the General Infirmary
Once the main design is solidified, creators refine it by incorporating intricate details. This includes adding doors, windows, decorative trims, and other features that endow the asset with authenticity. These details are vital for the building to feel grounded within the game’s world. Below, you can observe the following iteration of the model, developed in Blender, exhibiting added features that bring depth and realism to the structure.
The initial textured iteration of the building is displayed as well, where Adobe Photoshop was used to expertly craft and apply materials and colors like stone and brick that give the building its authentic, lived-in look. This stage marks the emergence of the final asset – evolving from a model into the pack’s centerpiece.
UK Hospital General Infirmary detailing and texture work.
Propping extensive structures such as the General Infirmary can be a repetitive task in the initial asset editor. The screenshot below illustrates the importance of ensuring all props requiring path access are suitably connected for efficient routing, enabling smooth interaction of vehicles and pedestrians with the props. Furthermore, each prop offers a probability slider, allowing the determination of its random appearance, adding realism though necessitating meticulous adjustments for the desired outcome. Creators can set a prop’s probability to 100 if they want it to consistently appear.
Beyond just props, creators have to place every functional marker precisely. These include markers for doors, access points, ambulance operations, fire effects, sound effects, and lighting. Each marker is vital for ensuring the building integrates seamlessly into the game’s environment. This process involves hundreds of precise mouse clicks, ensuring the building meets both aesthetic and functional standards.
Propping details for the UK Hospital General Infirmary
The pack is rich with an impressive variety of zone types within different density demands, allowing us to devise more specific zones where feasible. This logical method affords players a wider selection of building styles while maintaining compatibility with the game’s zoning plan, ensuring variety and consistency within the game’s structure.
This zone epitomizes the typical low-density housing model, permitting a single household to reside within. In the UK, such housing is called a detached house, and the creators diligently included this term to bolster authenticity.
The housing selection spans several eras, from the 1930s through the 2000s, with some spacious lots featuring Victorian-style homes. This assortment mirrors typical detached houses in the UK, offering players a genuine portrayal of the nation’s suburban landscape over time.
Below is a chart illustrating the zone’s property evolution from level 1 to level 5, left to right. As the building progresses, the lot and house enrich with additional elements suggestive of increased occupant wealth, such as intricate landscaping, premium materials, and luxurious details reflecting an elevated living standard.
Development stages of Low-Density Detached Housing
The medium residential demand category provides the most variety in zone types. The initial architecture on offer is the standard UK Medium-Density Housing, providing compact apartments for residents. These buildings span several decades, primarily from the 1950s to the 1980s, with some harking back to the 1920s. The number of available households per structure aligns with medium density housing in the base game.
Medium-Density Housing development stages
The next offering is the UK Medium-Density Semi-Detached Housing. Positioned within the medium density category, these buildings act as a progression from the low-density sector. Rather than hosting several apartment households, each unit in this zone accommodates two households – just one more than the low-density counterpart. It provides a harmonious balance between density and space, reflecting a prevalent UK suburban housing style.
Final Semi-Detached House designs
Further, the UK Medium-Density Terraced Housing offers variation. Initially uncertain about how Medium Row Housing zones would function, we chose to infuse a slight distinction in their behaviour despite their similar functionalities.
During the planning phase, we realized that authentic UK terraces typically aren’t as broad as 8 meters (a single game unit). To maintain proportion, we created assets with 3 to 4 genuinely-sized households over a 2- or 3-unit-wide lot, meticulously managing the number of households to retain the authentic UK terrace layout.
Lastly, the medium density category includes UK Mixed Housing, featuring custom UK-themed storefronts in apartment buildings, achieving a hybrid of residential and commercial zoning.
This zone is characteristic of the high-density towers found across UK cities. These structures blend core UK urban architecture with Victorian estate elements, combining modern high-rise living spaces with historic architectural nuances. The design embodies the essence of densely populated urban zones while retaining historical ties. Below, you can follow the developmental phases of these residential complexes.
Planning stages of High-Density Housing
The UK pack boasts an extensive array of signature buildings, encompassing residential, commercial, and mixed zones.
Within the residential tab, you will spot the Executive Mansion and UK City Apartments. Let’s delve into the Executive Mansion. Inspired by a perceived Georgian-style mansion encountered during the conceptual phase’s search for architectural stimuli, this building exemplifies the refined elegance of classic British architecture. Extensive detailing, such as ivy creeping over the facade, was carefully rendered using alpha cut-out texturing to achieve a naturally layered appearance.
Executive Mansion comparison: real and virtual.
For commercial landmarks, we included a selection of classic Welsh and English-style pubs. Each style presents three variations, allowing you the choice between a small, compact model or larger versions with added parking space and features. This versatility enables players to select establishments that suit their city’s design best, ranging from quaint local pubs to prominent venues catering to more visitors and vehicles.
Beyond pubs, other commercial assets include country hotels, petrol stations, and a substantial British supermarket: Morrissey’s Supermarket! These buildings epitomize quintessential elements of British life, offering players an array of choices to enrich their city’s commercial landscapes.
Differentiating meshes on Country Hotels.
Props were a later addition to the packs due to doubts about the import pipeline’s readiness to support them, which is why not all Region Packs have custom props. However, upon the opportunity arising, the UK team eagerly embraced the idea, ever enthusiastic about employing custom props to intensify their buildings’ authenticity. Now complete, the pack flaunts an impressive 135 custom props, with 78 accessible in the newly added props menu – 76 for residential use and two for commercial.
Variety of wall props employed in the UK Pack.
The UK team encountered substantial hurdles during the creation and refinement of this extensive pack, demanding rigorous effort. Each building and prop had to be meticulously crafted from scratch, with new meshes and textures. Further demanding was importing each asset into the game’s editor, a lengthy undertaking.
Additionally, each building faced hand-detailing. As seen with the Hospital General Infirmary, this required adjusting prop probabilities, and precision aligning, a detailed, labor-intensive process necessitating patience and precision to ensure each asset is aesthetically pleasing and functionally effective in the game.
And that concludes today’s diary! We trust you’ve enjoyed this look behind the scenes at the UK Pack’s creation and the details that foster its authenticity. Thank you for joining us, and we eagerly await seeing the spectacular UK-inspired cities you craft!
Feast your eyes on some of our favorite assets captured below:
Get your hands on the fantastic UK Region Pack for free on Paradox Mods: https://mods.paradoxplaza.com/mods/92859/Windows
In a fortnight, we’re set to journey further than ever – next stop, Japan!