The transition to Paradox Mods, Cities Skyline 2, the new modding platform, was built to improve user experience and modding security for the game’s modding community. However, within days of the move, Paradox faced an unexpected challenge: a malicious update targeted one of the most popular mods, “Traffic.” However, late on Monday, an outside party uploaded an altered version with a suspicious .dll file, which was rapidly flagged by Paradox’s security team as potentially malicious. The team responded quickly, pulling the compromised version and vowing that the game they downloaded was safe. Players who synced their game before the fix may want to scan the system for it.
This episode has modders and players here in PDX Mods reconsidering the security and access to resources inherent to their trade, especially so in light of Paradox opting to use a completely unorthodox platform for PDX Mods (Steamos, not X). While Paradox states the move was intended to centralize control and support for Cities Skylines 2, this early breach has already put the platform to the test.
Paradox used PDX in Cities Skylines 2 and got hacked
In the aftermath, Paradox has issued detailed instructions for users to inspect their local files, specifically within the Cities Skylines II mod folder, %localappdata%low\Colossal Order\Cities Skylines II\.cache\Mods\mods_subscribed\focusing on the folder labeled 80095_13. Paradox recommends immediate removal and a thorough scan with anti-malware tools for affected players. They also advise changing passwords as a precautionary measure.
Paradox has also outlined how it plans to improve security on PDX Mods going forward, including a new alert system that informs modders when their mods are updated. This feature prevents unauthorized changes, and if there ever is a problem of this kind again, it will respond faster.
While a comparison of Cities Skylines 2 certainly has some impressive things to bring, based on user feedback, it hasn’t fully usurped the original Cities Skylines for many fans. One reason is the strong sense of nostalgia and the extensive community support that Cities Skylines, over the years, has grown to the point that there are almost endless customization options available for gameplay through mods and downloadable content (DLC) lucky enough to be available for the game. In contrast, Cities Skylines 2, while more feature-rich and with new decorative options, launched with a less than full-featured product that isn’t the same game as its predecessor.
The gameplay mechanics in Cities Skylines 2, Just as other projects have gotten mixed feedback, get mixed feedback. However, some of us want fewer population milestones, more strategic upgrades, and city management choices, and the new progression system offers this. Unfortunately, this let down many happy players who remembered the little animations—like a fire truck responding to emergencies, with clear action you see on screen. Moreover, user satisfaction has suffered from performance issues for many, who report frame rate drops and other technical woes, even on high-end systems. These issues have likely contributed to the continued popularity of the first game, as users find Cities Skylines 2. Yet they still need these skylines for their city building needs, and they provide a smoother experience.
Cities Skylines still has a dedicated player base of loyal indie folk thanks to its rich community, better performance, and beloved details. Cities Skylines 2 ups the game with new advanced mechanics and depth. Many players continue enjoying the original game while awaiting improvements in Cities Skylines 2.
Image credit: Paradox
