Stories 2022-08-22 Desert Pass Game-play
2022-08-22T21:22:00Z Started savegame on Desert Pass, all but ship outside connections, suitable area for building 89%, base theme: european.
Goal is to reach population 100k today as quick as possible while still enjoying the game.
Addons used: 81_tiles, CargoHoldFix, ChirpyExterminator, CinematicCameraExtended, CitiesHarmony, ExtendedGameOptions, FirstPersonCamera_Updated, LifecycleRebalanceRevisited, RealPopRevisited, TMPE, TransferManagerCE. However this list is not completely accurate, these are the main addons I'm using and recognizing by dir name, there are few others which names escape me now. All in all having hard time making this list other than listing all the dirs which doesn't work anymore as I don't use all the addons found in the dir, err heh. Sorry 
Okay so this is the first savegame started where I'm using 81 tiles addon to get access to all the terrain grid tiles right from the start. Now is this a cheat like lets say money cheat, no not in my opinion, the most restricting and claustrophobic stupid thing in Cities Skylines is the small grid tile where you begin savegames.
I want freedom, I need my freedom 
Here is very basic starter setup, simulated 0/180 arterial road, 90/270 collector road and the ones with zoning are local roads. I wont be doing the cheaty 1x1 unit square setup this time, especially as I now have freedom with full 81 terrain grid tiles available, I want to spread my wings
2022-08-22T21:28:00Z Unpaused the game, lets start this thing.
This is hardcore on new version of realistic population addon. Total of 45 workers in generic industry building, whoah 
2022-08-22T21:33:00Z Little Hamlet population 440.
First save game for Desert_Pass_1 file name.
Turned TMPE vehicle de-spawning OFF.
Yikes 90 workers!
2022-08-22T21:40:00Z Worthy Village population 900.
Saved game for Desert_Pass_2 file name.
2022-08-22T21:50:00Z Tiny Town population 1.4k.
Saved game for Desert_Pass_3 file name.
2022-08-22T21:54:00Z Got arterial and collector asphalt roads done now with 1.7k population. Switching to two lane asphalt roads for local roads now instead of dirt.
This is bizarre terrain as its european style in desert climate heh. Err, ok 
But I get great performance with this terrain, its quite flat, australian looking besides the stupid euro trash building types of course. I kind of like planning a city here, not too much water or any dumb mountains that looks pretty for little girls.
2022-08-22T22:02:00Z Boom Town population 2.6k.
Cemetery and bus depot became available in this milestone, cemetery is essential for life heh.
Got a commercial zone building with 31 workers, nice.
Its really nice to have full 81 terrain grid tiles available now and other addons up to date.
2022-08-22T22:28:00Z Busy Town population 5k.
Saved game for Desert_Pass_4 file name which is the last of the four rotating file names.
Coming along nicely.
2022-08-22T22:51:00Z Alarm went off for a meal, will let game run in 3x time acceleration speed while eating.
2022-08-22T23:06:00Z Feeding time is over, back to desert city.
Goodness gracious those industrial districts are massive vehicle spammers 
2022-08-22T23:37:00Z There is crazy number of private cars on the roads, not sure why and what addon causes this, previously when I played with older addon versions I did not see this kind of behavior.
Overview shot of zoning, hmm yeah there are few commercial, but... I don't think that causes huge numbers of cars yet. Hmm.
2022-08-23T00:00:00Z Need to take a short break to do a chore, saved game and leave it running 3x speed after de-zoning 80% of the industrial district and the commercial buildings seen in previous screenshots (I think), hopefully nothing burns down hehe.
2022-08-23T00:18:00Z Back. Okay so nothing burnt down, at least not very bad as things are still running here heh. The traffic issue is now gone because so many industrial and commercial buildings are gone too, so that is good, lets call this a base line to start with adding one small 4 x 4 unit square zoning at the time and observe traffic for a while before adding more.
2022-08-23T00:55:00Z Uuh these problems with traffic, private cars mostly at least that is the most noticeable change since my previous "differently modded" savegame. Its just insane how everyone thinks its cool to drive their personal cars everywhere.
Currently 0% residential demand, 50% commercial and 100% industrial, hehe. If I add more industrial then flood gates open with the traffic again.
Found setting from life cycle balanced addon, there was percentage chance of specific residential and age groups taking car, bike or taxi, the chance for adult to take a car in low density residential was SIXTY (60) percent, I changed it to same as high density residential which is very low.
Overall I'm now feeling very frustrated with these new updated addons, game was much more enjoyable with my previous addon-set, hell even addon free version might be better than this flood of private cars.
Decided to try taxi for the first time in my life (on Cities Skylines, heh). Not that I think it would solve any issues, but seems like... "why not", heh.
2022-08-23T02:38:00Z Tested "mail" postal service too the first time ever. Well honestly, not in a mean way, but... post/mail service feels just stupid. I mean its a building and car drives around... for what, delivering snail mail in 2022? Eh?
Placed two post offices in other ends of the city, their delivery vans drove around and the post office info view turned from red to blue building designating the efficiency (red low, blue high) of post deliveries. The color shade started to shift back towards red slowly but immediately, this is one of those futile never ending loops. I just don't know but this feels silly, there is no "meaning" in post snail mail, for example garbage / dead body collection leads to death if its neglected, but this post thing is just so stupid.
This was pretty much my first and last time trying post office service building, I just cannot imagine myself playing Cities Skylines using this service.
2022-08-23T03:12:00Z Big Town population 8k.
High density zones, metro, incineration plant and university are now available. Finally, this felt like it was taking forever.
2022-08-23T03:40:00Z Small City population 11k.
This milestone gives us cargo train station and two good policies. Activated small business enthusiast and big business benefactor policies.
2022-08-23T03:49:00Z Not enough educated workers, hmph.
2022-08-23T03:57:00Z Big City population 18k.
Crematorium, large water tower and advanced inland water treatment plant are now available.
2022-08-23T04:21:00Z Grand City population 22k.
2022-08-23T04:50:00Z Capital City population 36k.
Cargo harbor is now available.
2022-08-23T05:16:00Z Colossal City population 48k.
This milestone gives nuclear power plant and cargo hub (ship + train terminal).
2022-08-23T05:34:00Z Uuh too tired, cant keep eyes open, saved game and shutdown Cities Skylines, time for sleep.
2022-08-23T11:32:00Z New Cities Skylines building day has started, woke up and just finished morning computer chores, now launching the game with last nights savegame and will let it run 3x speed while eating days first meal. Hopefully nothing breaks during that time.
I have to say that my motivation this morning is a bit low, the new and updated addons are not the "cool stuff!" you would have expected, mostly I feel like spoiled kid who was better off playing with his old default toys instead of getting brand new ones which are no good after all the hype.
2022-08-23T11:52:00Z Feeding time is over and city is still in one piece, okay lets continue.
Last night I had a good feeling about this flat and large australian terrain, however as said above today I have a faul mood with the new addons and shit, so lets see how things develop in this european objects using australian terrain savegame.
2022-08-23T13:28:00Z When zoning high density residential in big mass blob blocks for example road grid 30 units x 10 units blocks several of them, maybe 5 x 3 blocks (get it? 30u * 10u * 5 * 3, yes? hehe), that generates over hundred households and who knows how many individual persons. This causes these people to move into the buildings by arriving in some manner, usually by private cars through highway outside connection. Now it doesn't seem related in any ways but if you mass blob zone like this you can TEMPORARILY cripple your industry districts nearby or connected to the same highway intersection. Trust me this has happened to me in several terrain savegames. My advice is to only zone one 30u * 10u road grid block at the time and wait until you see a convoy of private cars driving into the buildings and people going in. Later Edit: or do it right in the first place: intercity bus station, passenger train station or passenger ship harbor, connected to the new high density residential zone(s) with metro subway lines. These will pretty much eliminate all those private car convoys rushing to the citys new zones.
Noticed that saving games has gotten slower to 2-3sec saving time with these new addons I'm using. Guess some of them are saving a big data.
2022-08-23T15:22:00Z Metropolis population 70k.
2022-08-23T16:02:00Z Feeling a bit tired and need to re-arrange my sleeping schedule so going to take a nap, as long as possible. City building continues after that.
2022-08-23T19:48:00Z Back, we continue.
Checked why one of PMC Industrial 2 districts building is abandoned and was shocked to see this old district having "not enough educated workers" issue, err guess our population lived to an old age and died away with their education because nothing else makes sense.
Education status, elementary eligible 7.4k capacity 13.2k graduated 55%, high school eligible 9.2k capacity 13k graduated 26%, university eligible 9.4k capacity 13.5k graduated 9%. Workforce uneducated 43%, educated 33%, well educated 15% and highly educated 9%.
Highly educated being such a tiny number on game year 2059 makes no other sense other than many many people, I'm guessing an generation, have died, right?
Was really careful how big chunks of high density residential zoning is done at one time, but still managed to cause a slight traffic jam.
2022-08-23T20:35:00Z Going to grab something to eat while that tarffic congestion clears up, saved game and let it run on 3x speed while I eat.
2022-08-23T20:50:00Z Feeding time is over, back to the city.
Created PMC Oil 1 district which is going to be our oil supply, this terrain has huge loads of oil and ore, no farmland and very little forests.
Whoops forgot to check outside connections, now our oil imports are 458 and exports as expected 1, basically none. Imports should not drop a lot depending if I zoned enough oil district.
2022-08-23T21:09:00Z Hmm oil district started to send outside connection export trucks from the pumps, now exports for oil increased to 57.
Looks like the random generated industry building thing created all extractor buildings only one processing building, so I assume now we have a huge surplus of export oil RAW MATERIALS and very little oil products to offer for our generic industry. This is how I understand how industry works. Later Edit: indeed, if you have very rich natural resources then pretty much 95% buildings created are extractor, very very few processor buildings. You should always zone kind of like processor area on the side maybe completely without this natural resource.
These blue oil trucks, the closest to the camera is also doing what the dialog says delivering oil products for "goods from oil ltd." building, the middle truck is exporting oil products (raw materials) to outside connection.
Later Edit: "these" what are "these"? Somehow it sounds like a screenshot is missing from here, as below screenshot has no blue oil tanker truck with an dialog. Hmm.
Our small little oil field has not generated traffic jams so I'm feeling bold enough to add two more road grids to it.
2022-08-23T22:21:00Z Now PMC Oil 1 district is ready, dunno if I dare to expand it further than these two road grids.
Imports for oil products are 292 and exports 499. I monitored some semi-trucks driving in this district and they are delivering "oil products" to our PMC Industrial 2 district buildings, so its working fine.
2022-08-23T22:31:00Z PMC Oil 1 district is not importing anything, well none of the buildings show color for import type, outside connections does show oil products 319 and export 594.
Looks like PMC Industrial 2 district is importing oil products, wonder why it doesn't get enough locally, hmm. Maybe not enough processor buildings? Dunno.
RCI info bar for commercial is 100% as we have so little commercial zones, but I am terrified about the amount of traffic these bitches generate with those box trucks and van delivery vehicles.
But guess I'll have to add 4 x 4 units I think these are called, block zone for high density commercial in this high density area and monitor traffic for a long time that it wont sneak up on me.
Created two 4 x 4 unit high density commercial zones, they do get deliveries but acceptable amount so far, no rush or traffic jam by those vehicles. Its hard to put a number how many vehicles have brought deliveries but less than 10 within 3x time accelerating while writing this paragraph and observing those people walking into the zone.
It looks OK so far.
PMC Offices 1 district has finally reached enough educated workers state, no icons come up but not all buildings are filled up to the brim with workers either. Going to start add more office zoning here too now.
2022-08-23T23:35:00Z Created this kind of outside looping road for our garbage trucks to drive so they have access around the city blocks into the side roads, then used TMPE to restrict access to all vehicles except "ambulances" aka emergency vehicles and garbage trucks, hmm should have probably left buses too dunno.
Unfortunately that didn't work, AI vehicles are like water drops they are seeking the shortest fastest and most straight path between A and B, so obviously garbage trucks will not use the furthest path of them all which is my outside lane. Guess I somehow assumed that because all other traffic is restricted then garbage trucks AI sees its like "high priority high mobility" road, guess not... OK was worth the try, now I know not to never do it again.
So now we are in emergency mode, I placed temporary incinerator plant by this new road in such location that it should do a good job.
Geez
2022-08-24T00:42:00Z Still waiting for that traffic to clear, been doing some tweaks for the arterial collector traffic light, it helped a bit. Traffic flow percentage is still low but much of the red has shaded closer to green again around that intersection area. There is just insane backlog of traffic towards the highway outside connection, what I can gather its many private cars, which might be my fault by zoning too much residential and office spaces all at once and now it takes a very long time to clear up.
PMC Industrial 2 and PMC Oil 1 are messed up because of it, hopefully we don't get many abandoned buildings because of this.
This is taking a really long time in real life to sit here and watch in 3x time acceleration speed, going to actually open firefox into right side monitor and start googling some traffic tips again, just to pass the time.
Oh and just as I finished writing the above the highway red traffic flow starts to have light at the end of the tunnel, much of it in the back end horizon has already turned green, hopefully this will be over soon.
2022-08-24T01:10:00Z Megalopolis population 90k.
Was configuring TMPE timed traffic lights for the adaptive flow of traffic, very cool stuff, when that milestone interrupted me heh. Luckily this time when using 81 tiles addon there is no need to buy all the terrain tiles now, we already own them
2022-08-24T01:28:00Z Chow time, will leave game running in 3x speed again after saving game first.
2022-08-24T01:51:00Z Feeding time is over, back to traffic lights.
2022-08-24T02:49:00Z Created cargo train terminal to take a load off from the horrible traffic gridlock we have going on and its a good idea otherwise too.
2022-08-24T04:01:00Z Last few thousands of population needed, I have to say I'm so sick of this savegame already, it feels like this has lasted forever, been a slow and struggling progress.
I'm getting desperate, going to grow those "PMC Residential *" districts which are low density, but maybe that would push us to the goal, the HD Rez area seems so traffic gridlocked again that it just frustrates me.
New PMC Commercial 1 district is open right next to industrial one.
Added a bit too much high density commercial which spawned SATAN'S SEEDZ with those delivery trucks, some of them are from PMC Industrial 1 district so they have to take the highway.
Man, Cities Skylines game-play is just one traffic jam after another...
2022-08-24T05:50:00Z Needed to do a chore, saved game and let it run on the background normal speed, hopefully nothing breaks.
2022-08-24T06:59:00Z Back, oh man that took a while, in total over an hour. I did the chore and then ate a meal. My sleeping schedule is way off so I think now its already my bed time but heh, we'll keep going for several more hours as I just ate
Current population is 94k and its been like that for a while, actually it was 97k already some hours ago, but yeah now we need to do a final push to get it to our goal number. Got about 60% RCI info bar for residential so should be doable, unless we get traffic gridlocked again.
New residential districts started, just nick of time, eh.
2022-08-24T07:47:00Z Hooyah! Goal reached, 100k population, yeah baby, finally! 
There would be plenty of do in this empty flat australian looking bizarre european theme terrain, but for me now this savegame is on archive until such day that I want to continue.
2022-08-24T07:49:00Z Saved game and shutdown Cities Skylines, g'day mate!