So, despite recently diving back into EVE and getting that old familiar itch for Caldari steel and space pirates, I still wanted to make room over the weekend for something a little calmer. A little greener. A little less likely to pod me. And that meant heading back into Foundation, a city-builder I’ve already sunk just over 50 hours into (so far), and one I keep finding myself returning to when I want that meditative “one more tile” flow. I've still got a long wait to go to push pass the 518+ hours spent/sunk/wasted/enjoyed in Cities Skylines though!
And the timing couldn’t have been better, because the first Quality of Life Update 1 just dropped (last Wednesday, November 26th) and honestly? It’s a nice little upgrade pass that fixes a bunch of those small frictions you don’t notice until the game quietly removes them. The devs even call it their "more freedom, less friction" update. That's exactly what you'd call it!
I actually hit pause on my current village, Brackenwood (above screenshot), right as the update landed.
Something about the new tools and cleaner systems made me want a real fresh start, so I wiped the mud off my boots and founded a brand-new settlement: Greenshire. New land, new plans, new opportunities. You know the drill.
Here’s what the update brings us...
New Tools That Actually Matter
The devs added two features I didn’t know I needed until I used them:
- Selection Tool: Move entire monuments at once. Even the little unattached bits.
- Replace Tool: Swap parts within a building category—doors, walls, towers—without demolishing anything. Most settings carry over. You get refunded for removed stuff. Super slick.
These feel like the kind of upgrades you get only when the devs actively listen to the community and play the game themselves.
Walls That No Longer Fight You
Remember placing walls and then realizing they were facing the wrong way? Or manually splitting a wall just to squeeze in a gate? Yeah—those days are gone.
- Gates now snap right in.
- Inside-out walls can be flipped with a single click.
This is one of those fixes that feels small but changes everything.
Cleaner, Smarter Info Layers
The UI pass is so much better now:
- Resource tracking is centralized.
- Taxation has its own proper slot.
- Housing occupation and downgrade views actually help you make decisions.
It’s just easier to read your settlement now.
Patrols You Can Actually Understand
This was overdue, but worth the wait:
- Assign patrol areas per building
- Scale patrols more efficiently
- Better visual indicators for safety progression
- Clear diminishing returns when you overdo it
Feels like the system finally has a heartbeat.
A Bunch of Nice Touches
Not headline features, but they add up:
- Refined housing shapes for denser, more natural neighborhoods
- Windmill storage add-ons
- New stone bridge gates
- Improved city belfry
- Customizable monastery roofs
- Updated villager and visitor outfits
- More free-time activity spots
And as a thank-you, a brand-new Modest Church monument, free for everyone. Aww, well thank you devs!
Here's their announcement video:
So Why Restart?
Because this update changes how you think about your layout. Foundation’s charm is strongest in those first few hours where anything is possible and you’re just sketching out the bones of a world. Which is why I keep starting new village all the time!
With all these tweaks, it felt right to put Brackenwood on hold and start fresh with Greenshire. It scratches that meditative city-planning itch perfectly. Even while EVE is happily chews on the dark cutthroat sci-fi side of my brain again.
Sometimes you need a break from lasers and missiles, and a peaceful little medieval town is exactly the antidote.
Resources
Here are a few handy links if you want to dive deeper:
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