Buildings in the water, Americas pack
This content pack was the third to be added to the game with Cities XL 2011 .
The Americas pack is unique because it introduces for the first time in the game structures built in the water. This is, in fact, its main theme, rather than some more specific American-style housing. Thus, we could also call it 'The Marina pack'.
The buildings in the pack are divided in two categories: Coastal houses (buildings placed on land) and Sea houses (buildings placed in the water). Of course, all these must be connected by roads to the City hall, which raises the logical question, How do you build roads in the water?' Well, we have the Roads on stilts.
This is the first pedestrian-only road in the game (until the NEXL mod is ready), and is basically an wooden pier built on pylons, that can extend into the water. You can then build buildings alongside it, just as you would alongside a normal road on the land. This option creates very unique neighborhoods, which could technically extend deep in the sea for kilometers!
There is, however, a catch: the pedestrian roads are the worst service conductors in the game. So, services will hardly reach the houses, situated farthest from the shore. Additionally, citizens leaving in the water-houses still need access to transportation, and when your house is only connected to a pedestrian path, you can't use a car! This poses a unique challenge for the mayor, as he has to reconcile his desire for creating interesting neighborhoods with the practical needs of the citizens, living there.
The style of the American pack's houses is quite 'vacational', with elongated, low wooden houses and buildings, mostly single or two-storied. They are not that brightly painted as Asian buildings, but still convey a cheerful feeling, complemented by unmbrellas and sunbathing gear on the decks. A plaza with palm trees completes the exotic impressions.
The most interesting functional addition in the pack are the Marina buildings: one of them (the Small marina) acts as a restaurant (Shop ), the other (the Big marina) is a true pier for yachts, stretching deep into the sea, and providing a big Landmark effect. We are eagerly expecting to see these buildings soon take their rightful place as providers of Water transportation options for rich citizens, with the arrival of the NEXL mod.
Apart of the marinas, there are a coastal restaurant and a Holiday hotel. At 150000 population we also get the San Francisco City Hall, a huge Landmark.
Also see Buildings Pack or Blueprints
