Introduction to maps and terrain props, tree noise reduction and new animals

Tree Noise Reduction Effect

Today's topic is one that we all must've been waiting for:We've designed 5 new maps to fit the theme of Parklife DLC which means the maps will have forests, uneven terrain, ruins and other terrain features that offer good opportunities for building interesting Parks and Cities. Now I am going to give you all a sneak peak into one of my favorite new maps: Pine Rivers which has a Boreal theme. Pine Rivers is ideal for nature paths through the forests, creating huge Park Areas and specializing in ore industry. It has multiple smaller rivers that I think forms an interesting base for a City. But you don't have to take my word for it. Check it out yourself!It is also worth to mention that new terrain props together with new trees and vegetation are included in free update so even without Parklife you are able to beautify your maps with park-like areas! And those who will own Parklife should remember that placing these terrain props inside your Park Area also increases the Park's total Entertainment value!As a part of the free update we have redone the logic for tree props, like in real life the tree will now reduce Noise Pollution!To achieve this the system will calculate the density of tree in an area and create heat map based on that data. Places that have higher concentration of tree will have more pronounced effect.Let's imagine this scenario from in-game. You've built a new fancy train station near the residential zone so your Cims can more easily access work from their homes, you'd imagine they would be super happy? And you would be correct, there is less traffic and everyone gets to work faster. But those ungrateful Cims now complain about the Noise pollution coming from the train station. So a decision was made to plant new trees facing the residential zones to reduce the Noise Pollution. Now your Cims can fully enjoy the convenience of nearby train station without having their ears bleed all day.For further gameplay tips we would like to remind that a lonely tree won't do much. But a small forest between a highway and residential area will help keep your Cims ears in much better condition. And also the distance is a factor. The further away the trees are from the source of the Noise Pollution, the weaker the dampening effect is.Parklife DLC comes with a horde of new animal models that can be used on maps by placing down Exotic Wildlife Spawn Points in the Map Editor. These markers then spawn suitable animals for the map's theme and also work in water so now you can spot Dolphins, Manta Rays and Humpback Whales swimming around! In Asset Editor you can place Animal Markers of a specific animal type on your creations. You are able to choose for example from Antelopes, Chimpanzees, Flamingos, Giraffes, Gorillas, Lions, Reindeers, Swans and Rhinos. Note that Bison and Moose markers are included in free update! Creating your own animal parks has never been this easy.