We should harness the neurodivergent power of paradox map painting game dudes and direct their obsession into top down economy managing simulators instead.
I’d rather be having bros autistically obsessing over supply lines and infrastructure than the ww2 borders of a fascist yugoslavia. Map painting games, city builders, and political sims all push the same dopamine button in the brain. You give a dude a map of earth and tell him to build communism on it and he will spend the next twenty four hours arguing with similar nerds in a forum about entirely fictional models of resource deposits in Africa being entirely unbalanced. Let’s focus the analytical mind towards coming up with highly unrealistic plans for managing the global economy than making war.
I haven't played C:S2 yet, but in the original, I just turn on infinite money, make all the amenities free for my citizens, and then try to make a beautiful, efficient place where everybody is happy. The mass transit and park DLCs both added a lot to my enjoyment. Every city I make has at least one giant park with preserve areas and accessible trails.
Sounds like a blast! I know I picked it up as an EGS freebie, but I have to see what DLCs it included. Cities: Skylines has that too many DLCs problem like The Sims and all the Paradox map painter games
you can turn off a lot of things like energy/water/waste management and set it to unlimited money and easily pleased citizens and play it pretty casually.