Cities: Skylines 2 is one of the most anticipated games for many people, but it’s also an evident technical disaster. Its performance issues are not just noticeable but absolutely horrendous, and so far, neither the developer nor the distributor has provided a solution. This has led to certain theories about why such dismal performance occurs in a game that seems relatively simple. While there are explanations that sound convincing, those involved in the game have come forward to debunk them.
During this week, a post on the Cities: Skylines subreddit claimed that the performance issue was due to the game engine individually rendering the teeth of NPC characters. Each and every one of them. Without adjusting the level of detail. Even when we were viewing them from very far away. What does this mean? It means the processor has a significant constant load of unnecessary processing, causing the game’s performance to suffer. It contributes nothing due to an apparent lack of optimization.
However, in the game’s publisher, Paradox Interactive, they have wanted to deny these claims through a statement. Because even though Molargate sounds convincing, they say, it is not affecting the game’s performance. Or not exactly.
According to their statement, the “citizen lifepath” functionality is not tied to the geometry of the citizens and does not impact the characters’ performance. The problem, they state, lies in “missing level of detail adjustments affecting certain performance aspects.” This inconsistency in the statement leaves it lacking credibility, as they initially deny the connection and then admit the opposite. While it may not specifically be the teeth, it does seem that the issue revolves around the NPCs.
In any case, according to Paradox, this level of detail in the characters will be important for the future of the project, even if it doesn’t seem so right now. If you want to check it out, Cities: Skylines 2 is available for PC and has been delayed for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S until next year.
