"All cities have been redesigned from the ground up" Iva, one of our Map Designers tells us, "We deleted the previous map, which did not represent the Rhineland region very well. Then, we created a completely new urban structure that reflects the area around the Rhine more. We tried to make the most of our spatial capabilities in the map and capture the Rhineland as realistically as possible, which includes the population density, industries and ultimately, its size. It will be a huge change from the base map."
"One of the biggest changes players will notice is the density of the road network." Iva explains "It will now be possible to look into the very heart of some of the cities and discover the contrast between the industrial zone and the centre itself. I dare say, we captured the best of each city!"
Cologne
When reworking the city of Cologne, one thing we wanted to make sure to capture was the size of the Rhine River, which passes through several cities in the area, and most famously Cologne. With this inclusion, it is now possible to drive right alongside the riverfront and admire the iconic buildings and landmarks of Köln.
This includes bridges such as the Hohenzollernbrücke, a pedestrian and railway bridge with its three charismatic wave-like arches, located nearby arguably one of the famous landmarks in the city, the Cologne Cathedral. You may have even travelled over this bridge if you have ever arrived by train (often delayed) into Köln Hauptbahnhof, the main train station of the city.
Other landmarks include Kölner Dom, The Lanxess Arena and many other iconic buildings. You can also look forward to seeing trams running through the city. These trams will also be found in all the other cities mentioned in this blog too. We are also excited to announce the addition of the A3, a major autobahn route which connects Cologne to Frankfurt! We hope you enjoy re-discovering this popular city destination.
Düsseldorf
Love landmarks? Then be sure to visit Düsseldorf, as it features many of them, waiting for you to discover. From the addition of two new churches to modern architecture, there are plenty of reasons to travel on our new roads, some which travel right through the city.
If sightseeing is not your thing however, you can look forward to delivering loads to and from the Steelworks and Car Factories located near the centre of the city. If you're looking to take your delivery to new heights, you can also find the Düsseldorf Airport, which features an animated Skytrain!
Dortmund
If you prefer driving through Industrial areas, Dortmund is for you. With winding roads and large intersections, you'll find some of our biggest industry depots here which include familiar in-game companies such as IKA, LKW and ITCC.
Don't miss out on delivering to and from this busy hub, there will be plenty of job contracts available from this city. Don't forget to also sport the local football team's colours, yellow and black!
Duisburg
As many of you may be familiar with already, Duisburg is a busy city, and not just when it comes to population, but its roads! Located between several other major cities, it serves as an important hub for industries not just by land but also by water.
Located on the Rhine River, you'll find one of the World's largest Inland Port, Duisburger Hafen, which is the leading logistics hub in Europe, processing over 20,000 ships and 25,000 trains per year. The port handles a huge 3.6 million containers per year! This is one massive industrial area we could not miss.
You will also have the opportunity to drive into the centre of the city itself, where you'll find the Rathaus Duisburg (Town hall), churches and the Schwanentorbrücke, a iconic vertical-lift bridge located in the city.
Players will also be able to drive across the Ruhr Brücke, alongside two new bridges which will connect you to the other side of the city, where you can find many other landmarks. You will also be able to travel on the E-40 highway, which runs through the city, and features the iconic Kreuz Kaiserberg intersection and much more.
There is so much more to discover that we we could not fit into this blog, including some roads which are best kept hidden. Over the past 2 years, our small team of made up of mostly 2-4 people has managed to rework this area of 4 cities that can almost visually merge into one mega city in the UI.
We really hope you appreciate the time and effort that has gone into this region, and we are even more excited for you to explore it for yourself. Until then, we look forward to hearing your thoughts on this mega-project and what you look forward to most.