The variety of maps is an important part of Cities in Motion 2. One of the key ideas was to include a whole new map editor that would be powerful enough to create remarkably diverse maps. Moving away from the grid-based maps allowed us to have more natural-looking maps with hills, valleys and mountains – and the curvy roads to fit them.In Cities in Motion 2, landscaping is more flexible than ever before. The vastly upgraded mechanics allow us to create and modify the maps and achieve more realistic, natural areas. Maps can now feature high mountain ranges, lakes and rivers of different shapes and sizes, and thick forests (with various different trees) to name a few.When designing the maps for CiM 2, the idea was to come up with different themes for the maps. The flexible toolset we have made it possible to do just that. The bigger maps could include a lot more nature as well as a huge city, making it possible to sculpt a mountain lake where the city circles around between the mountain tops.Perhaps the most important new feature in making the levels are the roads. For the first time, we are able to create truly freeform roads. The roads are now more realistic and make real-life city designs possible. Also, the new road types help make the maps more interesting, both visually and game design-wise. Bus lanes and one-way streets give the players more options and encourage strategic thinking when laying lines. For example, it is now possible to create a New York one-way street layout of Manhattan. Also, making bus lanes speeds up player vehicles so they can move more freely through traffic. The mechanics also make it possible to create some wild highway junctions and ramps!Roads also partly determine what kind of buildings are generated in a given area. Bigger roads, like avenues and multi-lane streets, typically generate buildings for the heart of your city, such as offices, while regular one or two-lane roads tend to favor smaller, suburban buildings such as tenements and detached houses. So, when laying new roads during play, the player can influence how the cities will develop over time. Obviously, the overall collection of buildings in an area can push the development of that area in a certain direction as well.Buildings in CiM 2 are divided into 10 groups, ranging from city center buildings to leisure, shopping, residential, industry, and so on. These buildings house different kinds of people and jobs, and affect how their surroundings develop when new buildings appear in the neighborhood. Of course, there is overlapping so that the transition from one area to the next is smooth and natural.The second largest part of making the levels after the roads are laid down is the placing of buildings. Due to the dynamic nature of the game, the process is a bit different than in the prequel. The city's key areas are built by hand-placing each building manually, and when the first pass is done, the rest of the buildings are generated. Then, a second pass is made to inspect and enhance the generation process. This way, the maps stay consistent when the player starts building their network and making changes to the city through the influence of their lines and while building additional roads.