I agree with everyone who thinks that CS:L ist not really suitable as a game for teaching the basics of city development.

Like someone else already mentioned, crime, the plague of our time, has nearly no impact, and one or two police stations are all you need to virtually eliminate every criminal in your city. Garbage management is a no brainer once you have the incineration plant, since you can just burn all the trash, something that is not possible at all in reality. Every Cim will become the new Einstein eventually, even if you're not having enough schools in your city.



The only thing it does well is its traffic simulation, and even that is all but well implemented. Cims are to dumb to use every available lane, so roadbuilding centers mostly around that issue. So, what are you teacheing those kids? That there is no need build a road with more than one lane in both directions, because your citizens ain't using the extra lanes anyway? That you only need a handfull of police stations to litterally anihilate crime in a metropolis? That everyone will become a supergenius eventually, you just need enough schools? That you can solve all our garbage issues if you just build enough incinerators?



Don't get me wrong. CS:L is a good game, it is fun to play, for a time, but it is not a good simulation. As many flaws as SC13 had, the simulation was one of the few things that worked. CS:L wouldn't have had a sliver of a chance, if SC13s agent system wouldn't have had those design flaws.



I mean, it should be quit easy to adress the most flaws.

Crime should always be a thing, even if every second building is a PD. Not every Cim should go all the way to university by default. Having not enough schools should have a real impact, as far as I could see in my last cities, it still has no impact aside from happiness. Incinerators should only be able to eliminate a certain percentage of trash. And in regards to the onipresent traffic issue: Cims should be more inclined to use that second lane, on which they also can make that left turn they need to take to go to the mall. Because at the moment, if there is more than one possible lane, they just use one. That is neither reallistic, nor an intelligent behavior.



So, to make it short: it's nice that you think your game is able to teach children the basics of city planning, but I really think you are a bit overconfident in your game. Especially since it still has elemental flaws in its simulation and serious issues in regards of realism and depth.