My goal for ealy access is to:

1. Deliver an adequate city builder experience and improve the experience to greatness by 1.0
2. Deliver a great creative experience and add more content with each update

What does adequate mean?

• A game that has a fraction of the features I want by 1.0, but otherwise offers the core city builder experience
• My capacity is limited as a solo developer
• The original Cities: Skylines team was over a dozen people (at launch) with two similar games under their belt. And Cities: Skylines 2 reportedly has around 30 people

City builders have evolved a lot over the years, and Metropolis 1998 pushes the boundaries a bit more by:

• Letting the player design and see inside the buildings
• Focusing a bit more on the sims' lives
• Fulfilling demand for individual businesses instead of global e.g. "commercial" zones

What's the plan if the launch is successful? (And why will development (temporarily) slow down?)

• Move out of Vermont to a city with an active game developer community
• If possible, rent an office. Creativity thrives on IRL interactions. (Even though I am an introvert and would love to keep my 8 hours of deep work)
• Start hiring people. This is going to be a slow process. Finding the right people and training them will take months.
  
• I'll need to spend more time managing and directing people
• I've never done this before, so it will be a learning process for me
• I expect this process to take around 6 months

What if the launch is moderate/self-sustaining?

• Move out of Vermont to a city with an active game developer community
• Continue working as a solo dev and contract out additional work when possible
• PSS: Vermont is a really nice place to live, but the community majority is >= middle age (and I'm not)

Scroll below the overview for more details. Not all 1.0 features are listed yet.

Major Feature	Notes
Building Features:
Create your own buildings	Frequent content updates planned
Blueprints	Save and plop buildings
Classic zone placement	Place zones, buildings construct within
Core building / business types	Residential, business, office, municiple, and industrial options
Blueprints included with game	Content updates planned
Road & Traffic Features:
Basic road options	More options after launch
Street parking	And parking lots
Customize Intersections	Change lane connections. Change stop mechanism.
Traffic simulation	Traffic is real. Units travel from point A to B.
Unit Simulation Features:
Schedules	Units will eat 3 times a day, work, run errands, relax (leisure), and sleep
Activities	Unit are assigned a queue of activities based on their schedule
Animations	Animations are paired with activity
Jobs	Units take jobs based on their education and age
City Simulation Features:
Demand and supply	For all zone types / businesses
Municiple services and simulation	Fire, Police, Health, School. Will be improved after launch
Utilities	Electricity, water, sewage. Basic implementation, will expand after launch
City Budget & Costs
Overlays	Communciate information about your city
Environment Features:
Weather	Sunny, cloudy, and wind. Precipitation is planned for after launch
Day / Night cycle
Terrain height	Cannot build on elevated terrain at launch. Will change before 1.0
Other Features:
Micromap mode
Creative mode	Infinite funds
Modding	For now, players can share blueprints. Will expand after launch

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch)
Classic zone placement	Early Access	Limited zone dimensions for non-residential
Create custom buildings	Early Access	Expect frequent content updates (more objects, architecture, etc)
Blueprints - Save and plop buildings	Early Access
Blueprints - Packaged with game	Early Access
Residential Buildings	Early Access	All densities
Commercial Business Buildings	Early Access	Low density only for EA
Service Business Buildings	Early Access	Low density only for EA
Office Business Buildings	Early Access	Low density and one type for EA
Industrial Business Buildings	Early Access	Low density and a few types for EA
Municiple / Service Buildings	Early Access	Low density only and a few types for EA
Mixed Use Buildings	Early Access	Users can create them. Game may not ship with blueprints for EA
Building Construction	Early Access	Wood frame only. Cement/steel after launch
Custom Roofs & More Types	Early Access	Place roof tiles individually. More roof types
Blueprints on Steam Workshop	Early Access	User generated content & modding
Carless buildings	Before 1.0	Connect buildings to road network via sidewalks
Place zones/buildings on elevated terrain	Before 1.0
Building foundations	Before 1.0
Garages	Before 1.0
Interior Layout Reusability	Before 1.0	Functionality that replaces objects with appropriate type. For example, if a business closes, use the existing layout for the new business moving in.
Room Blueprints	Unsure	Save, copy, and plop individual rooms. Should be possible!
Varying room heights	Unsure	e.g. Taller rooms for skyscrapers
Basements	Unsure	Rooms below the ground with fixed camera angle may make this poor UX
Attics / Rooms under tall angled roofs	Unsure	It's possible but requires a lot of work.
Procedural Generated Buildings	Unsure
Procedural Generated Rooms	Unsure

Zone Type	Business Type	Goal By	Notes
Residential	Residential	Early Access	All densities complete
Commercial	Grocery Store	Early Access	Low density only at launch
Commercial	Clothing Store	Early Access
Commercial	Shoe Store	Early Access
Commercial	Pet Store	Early Access
Commercial	Movies	Early Access
Commercial	Music Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	Jewelry Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	Gift Shop	Before 1.0
Commercial	Outdoor Gear	Before 1.0
Commercial	Plant Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	Art Supplies	Before 1.0
Commercial	Car Dealership	Before 1.0
Commercial	Technology Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	Drug Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	General Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	Furniture Decor Store	Before 1.0
Commercial	AND MORE . . .	Before 1.0
Service	Gas Station	Early Access	Low density only at launch
Service	Cafe	Early Access
Service	Bakery	Early Access
Service	Restaurants (various)	Early Access
Service	Nail Salon	Early Access
Service	Gym	Early Access
Service	Mechanic	Early Access
Service	Dentist	Early Access
Service	Optometrist	Early Access
Service	Arcade	Early Access
Service	Massage Parlor	Before 1.0
Service	Movie Theater	Before 1.0
Service	Pet Daycare	Before 1.0
Service	Tatoo/Piercing	Before 1.0
Service	Hotels & Motels	Before 1.0
Service	AND MORE . . .	Before 1.0
Office	General Office	Early Access	Office simulation will be expanded after launch
Office	Law	Before 1.0
Office	Taxes	Before 1.0
Office	Accounting	Before 1.0
Office	Technology	Before 1.0
Office	Insurance	Before 1.0
Office	Administration	Before 1.0
Office	Customer Service	Before 1.0
Office	Marketing & Advertising	Before 1.0
Office	Banks	Before 1.0
Office	Investments	Before 1.0
Office	Consultants	Before 1.0
Office	AND MORE . . .	Before 1.0
Industrial	Farming (Crops)	Early Access	Industrial simulation will be expanded after launch
Industrial	Timber	Early Access
Industrial	Machinist	Early Access
Industrial	Gas	Before 1.0
Industrial	Oil	Before 1.0
Industrial	Metals	Before 1.0
Industrial	Silicon Chips	Before 1.0
Industrial	Chemicals	Before 1.0
Industrial	Manufacturing	Before 1.0
Industrial	Warehouse/Storage	Before 1.0
Industrial	Stone	Before 1.0
Industrial	AND MORE . . .	Before 1.0
Municiple	Fire Station	Early Access	Limited municiple service simulation at launch
Municiple	Police Station	Early Access
Municiple	Hospital	Early Access
Municiple	Doctor Office	Early Access
Municiple	Elementary School	Early Access
Municiple	Middle School	Early Access
Municiple	High School	Early Access
Municiple	Library	Early Access
Municiple	University	Before 1.0
Municiple	City Hall	Before 1.0
Municiple	Parks	Early Access
Municiple	Public Pool	Before 1.0
Municiple	Recreation Center	Before 1.0
Municiple	Sport Courts	Before 1.0
Municiple	Museums	Before 1.0
Municiple	Jail Prison	Before 1.0
Municiple	Street Maintenance	Before 1.0
Municiple	AND MORE . . . ?	Before 1.0

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch)
Essential road types	Early Access	Placement, deletion. Basic types.
Federal Highway	Early Access	Where vehicls enter/exit the map
Edit existing roads	Early Access	Change road type
Street Parking	Early Access
Municple Parking Lots	Early Access
Free placement of sidewalks	Early Access
Edit intersection functionality	Early Access	Change lane connections, add/remove stop lights, stop signs
Efficient Pathfinding	Early Access
More road types	Before 1.0	e.g. Highways, wider roads, asymmetric, bus lanes, dirt, etc
More pedestrian road types	Before 1.0
Intelligent traffic lights	Before 1.0	e.g. Count number of cars
Full collision detection	Before 1.0	Need to complete intersection and vehicle-pedestrian collision detection
Create outside road connections	Before 1.0	May not need this feature...
Road placement on elevated terrain	Before 1.0
Bridges & Tunnels	Before 1.0
Bicycles	Before 1.0
Motor bikes	Before 1.0
Busses & Bus Lines	Before 1.0
Trains	Before 1.0
Trams	Before 1.0
Planes	Before 1.0
Boats & Ships	Before 1.0
Taxis	Before 1.0
Vehicle accidents	Before 1.0
Close roads or lanes	Before 1.0	For accidents, construction, etc.
Curved roads	Unsure	Predefined (like RollerCoaster Tycoon track parts)
8 Degrees of movement	Unsure	Will be A LOT of work

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Residential Demand	Early Access	Split into low, medium, high density
Business Demand / Supply	Early Access	(Commercial, Service, Office, Industrial, Municiple). c2b/b2c demand/supply is complete. b2b will expand after launch
Commercial Simulation	Early Access	Jobs implemented. B2C implemented. Receiving goods will be part of industry update
Service Simulation	Early Access	Jobs implemented. B2C implemented. Receiving goods will be part of industry update
Office Simulation	Before 1.0	Jobs implemented. Only general office business type at launch. More business types will be part of office update
Industrial Simulation	Before 1.0	Jobs implemented. B2B after launch. Launch will not have resource & product delivery
Municple Service Simulation	Early Access	Fire, police, etc.
Affordability Mechanics	Early Access	Net demand and building size determines if building will be profitable/stay in business
Building range of influence	Early Access	For all businesses/services. Factors in net supply and distance (for building bonuses)
Visitors	Early Access	Visitors stopping by to use a service (e.g. to eat)
Tourism	Before 1.0	Anything associated with tourism industry
External jobs	Before 1.0	Citizens working outside the city and vice versa
Abandoned buildings	Before 1.0	Businesses closing, residents moving out, and no one to take their place
Disasters	Before 1.0	Environmental, sociological, economical, shortages disasters. MIGHT be post 1.0
Electricity	Early Access
Water / Sewage	Early Access
Garbage	Early Access
Cable	Before 1.0
Mail	Before 1.0
Import / Export Utilities	Before 1.0
Road maintenance	Before 1.0
City Funds, Budgeting, Costs	Early Access
Taxes	Early Access
Macro Import Tax Loss	Unsure	Anything imported costs ~30% more. This causes two problems: 1.) Citizens have less money to spend locally. Less money to tax. 2.) The city doesn't collect taxes from the creation of these goods
City Policies	Before 1.0	Lots of ideas here, too many to list.
Difficulty Levels	Before 1.0	e.g. Start with less funds, citizen/business sensitivity to taxes, etc
Talent Attraction	Before 1.0	Attract talent to your city from what it offers
Tax breaks to specific industries	Before 1.0	To encourage growth
City Council	Before 1.0	Hire "board members" to help manage city. Head of: Fire, Police, Health, Education, Religion, Transportation, Architecture, Lawyer, Treasurer, etc
City Council Simulation	Unsure	Keep board members happy, determine their salary, etc. Each will offer in game benefits. If they're unhappy, you'll lose them!
Mayor Simulation	Unsure	You can be voted out if you dont perform your job well. Lose board and other benefits. TBD
Compete against neighboring cities	Before 1.0	May limit which industries/businesses can boom in your city
Dynamic Demand	Before 1.0	Change citizen and business needs over time
Building luxury / economic levels	Before 1.0	Another way to attract talent to city
Purchase more land	Before 1.0	Expand the cities area
S-Tier Rewards	Before 1.0	Attract top-teir talent to open up a business in your city. e.g. One of a kind sushi restaurant, law firm, etc.
Counting resource/inventory	Unsure	Every citizen and business keeps track of resources they need to function. Why unsure? Because it may not be possible since traffic is real time and the days are only 20-30 minutes long
Federal Funding with Requirements	Unsure	Running short on funds? The feds got your back, but you have to build something for them... Will this be fun?
Police Chases	After 1.0	Fun bucket list goals, not promised
Visible Crime	After 1.0	Fun bucket list goals, not promised
Passage of time & advancements	After 1.0	Unlock technology, design, archicture, etc. Fun bucket list goals, not promised
Special events	Before 1.0	Special events related to your city. Parades?
Holidays	Before 1.0	Dates when people stop working
Celebrity visits	Before 1.0	Get notified when a popular person visits your city

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Unit Schedules - Basic	Early Access	Units will eat, go to work, sleep, go out for entertainment
Unit Activities	Early Access	Current schedule and location determines actions/activities unit will choose
Unit Animations	Early Access	Paired with current activity. More animations will be added over time
Unit Schedules / Network - Friends & Family	Before 1.0	Units will visit friends and extended family
Unit Schedules - Third Place	Before 1.0	Units will visit their third place (churches, communal activities, etc)
Families	Early Access	Families move into homes
Happiness & Psychology	Before 1.0
Life Cycle	Before 1.0	Born, Growth, Death
Life Cycle - Activities	Before 1.0	Change interests/activities based on unit's age
Religion	Before 1.0	Various
Object based pathfinding	Early Access	Unit activity determines object to path to
Choose pathing method	Early Access	Vehicle vs walking implemented. Once more transportation options are added, this can be completed
Individual Bank Accounts	Unsure	May be too complicated and in-game day too short to function

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Units - Current Schedule	Early Access	Color units by their current schedule
Business Supply Range	Early Access	For each business. Show range of building until net supply drops below zero, or max distance is reached
Zone Type	Early Access	Color buildings by their zone type
Business Type	Early Access	Color buildings by their business type
Road Condition	Early Access
Traffic	Early Access
Electricity	Early Access
Water & Sewage	Early Access
Healthcare	Before 1.0
Deathcare	Before 1.0
Garbage Management	Before 1.0
Fire	Early Access
Police	Early Access
Administration	Before 1.0
Education	Early Access
Transportation	Before 1.0
Postal Service	Before 1.0
Cable & Telecom	Before 1.0
Leisure	Early Access
Tourism	Before 1.0
Outside Connections	Before 1.0
Residential	Early Access	Show information about residential buildings
Commercial	Early Access	Show informatino about commercial buildings
Service	Early Access	Show informatino about service buildings
Office	Early Access	Show informatino about office buildings
Industrial	Early Access	Show informatino about industrial buildings
Building Level	Before 1.0	And land value
Company Profitability	Early Access
Natural Resources	Before 1.0
Population	Early Access
Happiness	Before 1.0
Workplace Availability	Early Access
Air Pollution	Before 1.0
Ground Pollution	Before 1.0
Noise Pollution	Before 1.0
Water Pollution	Before 1.0

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Day / Night cycle	Before 1.0
Weather	Before 1.0	Sunny/cloudy and wind implemented. Precipitation planned
Seasons	Before 1.0
Biomes	Before 1.0	Tropical, Desert, Forest, Plaines, etc.
Terrain	Before 1.0	Wont be able to build on elevated terrain at launch
Terrain Textures	Before 1.0	Texture Options
Bodies of water	Before 1.0
Map editor	Before 1.0

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Micromap mode	Early Access	Tiny map to create a single building on
Creative mode	Early Access	No money, no problem
Mayor mode	Before 1.0	Walk around your city as the mayor. Visit council members? Not promised
Scenarios	Unsure	A city has a problem you need to fix. Unsure, depends on interest
Sims-like mode	After 1.0	Fun bucketlist goal. Not promised
Multiplayer (creative mode)	After 1.0	Chill and build together. Not promised
Multiplayer (competitive mode)	After 1.0	Compete for talent for your cities against other players. Not promised
Zombie mode	After 1.0	Citizens turn into zombies. Police force attempts to defend city. Not promised

Feature	Goal By	Notes (applies to EA launch
Isometric graphics - 60 degrees	Early Access
Top down graphics	Early Access
Isometric graphics - 45 degrees	After 1.0	Not promised
Isometric graphics - 30 degrees	After 1.0	Not promised
More rotations	After 1.0	Not promised
Custom lighting engine	After 1.0	Improved version, more realistic. Not promised