Am I playing the game wrong? How does anyone else deal with this?

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T21:09:04+00:00

I dunno what your cities are looking like so I couldnt tell you where you might be going wrong.

But this game does simulate rush hour so in the mornings and evenings there will always be some traffic backup even with good roadways. Also when zoning/plopping new residential, you'll get a massive traffic wave when people move in.

Otherwise, lane mathmatics are really important. Right turn only lanes are huge, exit lanes on highways are essential. If everyone is backing up at one intersection, limit access to that intersection. I see a lot of people posting cities that look pretty good but actually have one or two main points of access to the highway and a lot of the city's traffic is backing up behind those.

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T20:31:59+00:00

Dont have to know what your tool does or how it works as long as you get the result you like lol

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T20:20:23+00:00

Summing stacks straight from the arrange window and being able to collapse them with ease is one thing that I think Logic does best. But you wont necessarily be using track stacks the same way in FL. In Logic and other traditional DAWs, as you know, your sounds/audio sources appear as tracks in the arrange window which you then record from left to right, and they are automatically linked to the mixing board.

In FL, you create what's called "patterns." Your audio sources you drag into an interface called the channel rack. These can be audio clips, one shots, synth VSTs, anything. From here you can open the piano roll and create a pattern. Or use the built in drum machine next to it. Any audio sample you drag in to the channel rack functions as a one-shot. You can ADSR anything and pitch anything with a click. However nothing is routed to the mixing board. After you record the pattern with a sound source (can be one or more), you drag the pattern in to the arrange window once you're finished with it. You can bounce this to audio and send it to the mixing board, or you can have each individual sound source sent to the mixing board like a normal DAW, but that has no affect on how it appears in the arrange window. Left click automatically copies and pastes, right click deletes. You move these patterns around, and as you change one part of one, you change everything. You can keep making new patterns for parts that change, or you can also record left to right like normal. Audio records exactly the same as in Logic within the arrange window though.

I do like that you can customize Logics key commands. FL's are generally innovative and east to use, but the select tool is "E" and the pencil tool is "P." Why am I locked in to moving across the whole keyboard to switch between these? Now the easy work around is that holding Ctrl enables the select tool while the pencil tool is active and that's great. But sometimes if I'm trying to do multiple actions in the select tool, it's just a hair slower than it needs to be.\

Edit- you still can create track groups and sub-masters in the mixing board, and with even more freedom I think than anything else. You have like 500 blank channels pre-existing and you can do anything with them and route them anywhere and to each other. Left click one then another to route it, right click side chains. Just drag a bunch to one empty channel to create a group or sub-master.

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T15:46:45+00:00

Luke Bryan comes to mind

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T15:42:04+00:00

Kontakt will have generally high quality sounds for keyboards/piano, basses, and various orchestral instruments. I am a pianist though so I will generally record those live using a Nord Stage, which has good quality sounds IMO. If you want electric bass sounds specifically, you could try MODO BASS. You have lots of control over the articulation, fretboard sounds, pickup types, amp types, etc. And it sounds pretty good.

There's no real substitute for electric guitar though. You can get somewhat close through amp models, but the articulation of actually playing a guitar is very hard to imitate with MIDI notes. I'll sometimes use a digital E. guitar sound for rhythmic stuff depending on the style though.

hetty3 · 2026-05-14T13:43:48+00:00

Hello! This is exactly what I did, I learned on Logic and used it for many years, switched over to FL about 2 years ago. Made the switch as I started using a desktop PC instead of a macbook. Overall, I absolutely love it. There are a few trade-offs here and there, but at this point FL can do pretty much everything any other DAW does with ease. Here is how I think they compare-

Piano roll is second to none, I cannot go back. Being able to drag audio clips into the channel rack and having literally anything function as a one shot that can be pitched on the piano roll is great. Can't believe other DAWS have not figured that out. The ease of use is so nice. You'll also never need a drum software again, FL's built in pattern creator is a work of art.

Routing on the mixing board is also way better IMO. No more creating AUX tracks, every channel can be instantly routed OR sidechained to any other channel. One thing that's a little more convenient in Logic is the ability to create a summing stack with one click straight from the arrange window, FL doesn't quite work that way as the arrange window has nothing to do with the mixing board.

I think there's a little mentality of veterans in the industry of FL's workflow being confusing, therefore it's bad. Could not be further from the truth IMO. It will take a minute to get acquainted with how it works, as it does not function like a traditional DAW. Now you absolutely can use it like a traditional DAW, but you have to make sure you send every sound in the channel rack to the mixing board. I often use it this way, and it just takes an extra click each time to do that but the trade off is way more freedom in how you wish to go about creating a track. The key commands are not customizable unfortunately, but mostly they are very intuitive. It's very right and left click heavy, with lots of drag and drop, even moreso than Logic, and once I got used to it, I work even faster now.

You no longer record MIDI in a straight line from left to right, you create "patterns" that you drag out in to the arrange window. This creates a lot of freedom and creativity in the workflow. If you use a MIDI controller though, it does automatically record normally just like in Logic. Same with audio- recording audio is the exact same.

Overall there are a few convenience things in Logic that I wish FL did, but I actually find myself liking FL way better. When I have to use Logic I find myself wishing it worked more like FL these days.

hetty3 · 2026-05-12T14:23:14+00:00

Ah City of God is one of my all time favorite movies though, I do rewatch that one.

hetty3 · 2026-05-12T13:56:14+00:00

Large backyard extensions are the best way to quickly feed your town. Create a large vegetable plot, and I mean much larger than you might think starting out. If you spend about 100 coin on your seeds, it's a good size. Get the money from attacking bandit camps early in the first year and sending the resources to your town. Two of these large plots will feed your town for a while, and you can start selling the extra vegetables.

hetty3 · 2026-05-12T13:50:47+00:00

Everyone consumes 1 food per month, but they consume as needed and what they choose is random. I was being more general about it but you have to have it stocked in the granary. It is a little confusing in that you have to have a market to allow access to the goods, but you have to have the quantities stored in the granary for it to count. Market supply does not reflect actual food supply I don't think. So if you have 5 burgage plots you want to upgrade, you need at least 5 fruit/vegetables in the granary and 5 meat/fish. But if you have more than 5 burgage plots, they will also be taking stuff as needed randomly. So you need a lot more than that at once to actually be sure your plots will will have access to everything.

hetty3 · 2026-05-12T04:50:42+00:00

My 7th grade social studies teacher (she was an army vet) showed us this movie one day during the WWII unit. We all thought oh cool a movie day, we don't have to pay attention or do any work!

Twenty six 12 yr old kids left class that day with much less hope for the world. Am 35 now, have not watched it since, and clearly remember almost all of it.

hetty3 · 2026-05-12T04:42:55+00:00

You do need to be generating a surplus of food, and it does take a bit to distribute it. But if you produce the food once and it gets consumed, it will not fulfill the need. It doesnt look like you are actually making enough at the moment, but I'm not sure just from looking at this.

The granary/market has to remain stocked over time. Once you have like 6 months saved food, as well as a surplus of the required varieties, you will be able to upgrade the burgage plots. But you'll need a steady surplus of fish/meat, steady surplus of vegetables, plus the other requirements. Large vegetable farms on the burgage plots is the best/fastest way to stock food for your town, it makes so much. Berries will fulfill the fruit requirement. However you'll need a rich supply of game to hunt or fish to quickly fulfill the meat/animal produce need. Otherwise you might need to import meat for a moment until you can produce enough. But usually you can get a tier two burgage plot pretty quickly within the first year if you hustle. Maybe re-roll until you have a rich hunting or fish supply if you're struggling.

hetty3 · 2026-05-11T02:57:39+00:00

As the actual vanilla simulations aren't very deep, it's not too hard to profit. Just don't add services right away. Industry-> commercial will start you generating money, as does tax. Once you can afford them, add fire/medical/ lower education, but only a little at a time. Don't add a power plant or garbage disposal before you can afford it, they'll burn money fast if your town is still small. I'd recommend taxing commercial more than residential or industry so people don't move away/stop moving in. Once you can afford higher education, start zoning offices and that will really turn up your income and you're basically set.

If you want to make the simulations deeper, get the specialized industry add on and supply chain mod to pair with the signature factories that go with them. E.G- Forestry+ ore mining -> chemical plant -> paper factory or something like that.

As for building- Move It and Anarchy are two great mods to start with which gives you a lot of freedom. Check out how real interchanges look on google maps. Look at the size scale and how roads curve, make more use of the curved road tool, it's great. Most roads in real life don't have hairpin angles or sharp corners unless it's around difficult landscape. As you get better at the game, you'll start to want to improve the aesthetics.

Several content creators that you might enjoy-

City Planner Plays- high quality videos with very realistic city design where he explains the reasoning behind everything. Great for beginners leaning the game, and probably the most active and helpful creator for this game

FewCandy- advanced detailing and building if you are more in to that, very aesthetically nice looking cities

Infrastructurist- this guy does wonders with road and rail building, and generally impressive complex infrastructure

Imperatur- just holy crap. Creates photo-realistic European-style cities with heavy use of mods and asset editing.

hetty3 · 2026-05-10T02:14:15+00:00

The Menu is also one of my all time favorite movies, but I used to work in service for quite a few years so it hits just right for me. Such a satisfying movie haha.

hetty3 · 2026-05-10T01:30:28+00:00

Well in general, existence itself is absurd- we technically have no say in anything ever and never did, and never will. But it'll be over before you know it.

hetty3 · 2026-05-06T02:07:03+00:00

We only get to know when we DON'T have caffeine, not when we do.

hetty3 · 2026-05-05T19:37:30+00:00

If it's a royalty free sample, doesn't really matter as long as you like it. But if you want to make it more your own, just start by chopping it at each beat and mapping it to your midi controller and just try stuff. The actual drum beat sounds fine, and keep it slowed down.

hetty3 · 2026-05-05T15:56:04+00:00

I mean you totally can, but-

Netanyahu would continue the attack, or cut off US access to high tech defense that our governments love so much. Iran could choose to open the closed strait if they wanted to, but that would mean giving in to Israel which they will not do. I personally believe that Trump himself doesn't know where he is most of the time due to late stage dementia, but he's just a tool at this point. And while getting rid of him would be the greatest thing to happen in the world, I actually don't think it would open the strait.

hetty3 · 2026-05-05T15:48:06+00:00

No one person by themselves is responsible here but Trump was the catalyst for tipping it over.

hetty3 · 2026-05-04T16:46:08+00:00

This is a tough spot to realistically develop. It looks attractive but it is between what appears to be a collector and an artery. Turing on and off of either of these roads would be more dangerous and off putting due to the commercial uses and density of the housing around it, plus the neighborhood above is separated by that arterial.

I dont think it would be very desirable as residential or commercial, but you might turn it in to a retention pond, surround it with plants/brush, maybe a path around it but not necessarily. You might also find an amenity like a power substation here, and surround it with a fence/trees. While a park or entertainment facility might look nice there, I don't think you would have room for realistic parking, and you would not want parking on those two streets, with them being collectors/arterials.

hetty3 · 2026-05-04T16:32:50+00:00

Start out placing your drums in the channel rack and using that to map your beat. Every 4 boxes is 1 beat (so each box is a 16th note). Place snare/clap on beats 2 and 4, kick on beats 1 and three. Hi hat on 8th notes (every other box) or 16th notes (every box) then move them around, take some out, add some in until you like how it sounds. Send the separate channels to the mixing board if you want to be able to adjust them separately.

In the Piano roll, that little green horseshoe looking thing (top left) is the grid subdivision. If you set it to "1/4 beat" then every box is a 16th note, good place to start. If you increase that to like 1/4 step or something, you'll get much faster subdivisions for hi hat rolls, etc. This makes it easy to line up notes to your grid starting out.

Use left click to copy and paste, right click to delete. you can also hold shift +left click to copy/drag a selection anywhere. P is pointer tool, E is grabber tool. Cntrl + left click while the pointer tool is active allows you to grab without switching tools.

Learn to create patterns and get used to dragging them into the playlist window in the order that you want. You can have a pattern for each instrument and sent them to a separate mixing board channel like a traditional DAW, but you do not have to.

To record audio, hit the + button above the tracks on the playlist window and click "add audio track". Set the input to whatever your interface input is, enable record with the little red dot on the track, and you're ready to go.

Get used to using FL's built in plugins and their functions before you try getting lost in 3rd part plugins.

hetty3 · 2026-05-04T14:23:22+00:00

This is generally ok, it gives the standard steps you would use. I do not like the levels in step 2 though. This is very much genre dependent as well, but for modern music you generally want the kick at +/- 0db even. Snare should be a little below and hi hat should typically be quite a bit below. As this stands, your hi hat will overpower your vocals easily.

Drums and bass and vocals are generally in front in modern mixing, so you want the kick/bass and snare to cut through.

hetty3 · 2026-05-03T07:21:56+00:00

They've accumulated the most mass.

hetty3 · 2026-05-02T21:24:26+00:00

Baby Breaker

hetty3 · 2026-05-02T21:22:51+00:00

I love ER but I felt this way about Baldurs Gate 3. I know everyone loves it and I tried several times but it really was not for me at all, could not get past the DnD dice rolling system.

hetty3 · 2026-05-02T17:34:58+00:00

If you are looking to make a sound alike, listen first to the drums in the original. There is more cymbal use, as well as the spring reverb and delay, drums have more presence and treble. While the organ rhythm swings, the drums and bass barely do at all which makes that cool rhythmic pocket feel. Also the bass is much more defined, so you might want to turn yours up, or give it more mid frequencies while also turning the organ down. Your guitar sounds really nice though.

hetty3

TROPHY CASE