3 ms·

You might be more interested in the Anno series then, of which 1800 is the most recent release: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1800 https://en.wikipedia.org

You might be more interested in the Anno series then, of which 1800 is the most recent release: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1800 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1800 It's set in the early industrial era, so a lot of sails and rails and small colonies exporting things all over. I can't remember if there are cars yet, but if there are, it's not a major focus. Some of the levels have you revamping existing towns, while others let you start from scratch. (Edit: Anno 1800 is actually free to play on Steam this weekend: https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/) An older title, Anno 1404, had a Venice expansion too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1404#Expansion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anno_1404#Expansion All of them are playable on Ubisoft+ for $15/mo (I think?), so it's a pretty low-risk investment if you want to try them. If you don't have the hardware, you can also stream them on GeForce Now and, I think, Amazon Luna. Games are super accessible these days!

notahacker 3y ago
I'd love to see something with the flexibility and sandbox nature of Skylines and the historic themes of the Anno series (which has pretty graphics but is ultimately tied to a grid and more about sticking buildings on the right tiles to maximise efficiency than worldbuilding)
- solardev 3y ago
  Have you tried 1800? The grid there is a pretty "soft" one, meaning it's more like a visual guide than anything enforcing gameplay. It's not that different from zoning and road-building in Skylines, where your beneficial buildings (like hospitals and police stations and schools) also have a limited radius of effectiveness. Gameplay vid with no commentary, if you wanna see: https://youtu.be/jxm_ZroHj3E?si=qDnn1AK1d2kdVAf-&t=68 https://youtu.be/jxm_ZroHj3E?si=qDnn1AK1d2kdVAf-&t=68 The campaign might be linear, but the sandbox mode feels like a mix of Cities and Civilization to me. It kinda scratches that sandbox itch, though the focus on trade (vs city-building) got a bit tiresome for me. I think CS:2 also copied some of the mechanics from 1800 (like the customizable placement of farms around production buildings), trade buildings for lumber, ore, etc.
- solardev 3y ago
  PS: 1800 is free this weekend, if you wanna try it https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/

notahacker 3y ago

I'd love to see something with the flexibility and sandbox nature of Skylines and the historic themes of the Anno series (which has pretty graphics but is ultimately tied to a grid and more about sticking buildings on the right tiles to maximise efficiency than worldbuilding)

solardev 3y ago
Have you tried 1800? The grid there is a pretty "soft" one, meaning it's more like a visual guide than anything enforcing gameplay. It's not that different from zoning and road-building in Skylines, where your beneficial buildings (like hospitals and police stations and schools) also have a limited radius of effectiveness. Gameplay vid with no commentary, if you wanna see: https://youtu.be/jxm_ZroHj3E?si=qDnn1AK1d2kdVAf-&t=68 https://youtu.be/jxm_ZroHj3E?si=qDnn1AK1d2kdVAf-&t=68 The campaign might be linear, but the sandbox mode feels like a mix of Cities and Civilization to me. It kinda scratches that sandbox itch, though the focus on trade (vs city-building) got a bit tiresome for me. I think CS:2 also copied some of the mechanics from 1800 (like the customizable placement of farms around production buildings), trade buildings for lumber, ore, etc.
solardev 3y ago
PS: 1800 is free this weekend, if you wanna try it https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/916440/Anno_1800/