The in-game Debug Tools menu has received a usability pass to make its developer options easier to understand and use. Every option now provides a description when hovered, explaining what the tool does and whether it affects the lot, city connection, server configuration, or local files. This includes the neighborhood cycle controls, simulation benchmark, connection testing tools, upgrade exporter, and server address field.
The previous server-selection toggle has also been replaced with a clear Use NewSO Server button. Selecting it configures the client to use https://newso.thenewsimsonline.com for authentication and city selection. Players who are already connected will need to reconnect for the change to take effect.
The former City Painter option has been renamed City Editor to better reflect its expanded role.
City Editor Overhaul
Introducing: City Editor
The old City Painter was almost entirely controlled through undocumented keyboard shortcuts. It has now been transformed into a visual City Editor with a persistent floating interface.
Improved editing tools
The editor’s tools are organized into four clear categories:
Roads — draw roads by dragging or hold Ctrl to erase them.
Terrain — paint grass, water, rock, snow, or sand.
Elevation — sculpt terrain or flatten it toward the surrounding elevation.
Forest — paint tree types and configure forest density.
Contextual controls only appear when they apply to the selected tool. This removes the old collection of blank or disabled buttons and makes it much clearer what each operation will do.
Brush size can be changed directly from the panel, while the original keyboard shortcuts remain available for experienced users.
Lighting preview controls
Editing terrain at night was unnecessarily difficult, so the City Editor now includes local lighting controls:
City time
Day
Sunset
Night
These settings only affect the editor’s local preview. They do not change server time, map data, or the lighting seen by other players. Normal city lighting resumes when the editor is closed.
Shard and map information
The editor now identifies the active shard and map directly in the window, including:
Shard name
Shard ID
Active city_#### map ID
This makes it much harder to accidentally edit or publish to the wrong city.
Save slots and working-copy status
The existing F2–F10 checkpoint system is now accessible through visible save-slot controls.
The editor displays:
The selected slot
The active working slot
Whether changes are saved or unsaved¡
Save and load results
The slot’s filesystem location when hovered
Loading another slot is blocked while unsaved changes are present. Closing the editor with unsaved work also requires confirmation.
Existing CityPainterSave# directories remain compatible, so previous checkpoints are not lost.
Automatic vertex colors
The City Editor can now generate vertexcolor.png directly from the edited geography.
The generator:
Assigns appropriate color multipliers to each terrain type
Produces deeper blue coloration for water
Applies elevation and slope shading
Softens transitions between terrain regions
Updates the map preview immediately
Generated vertex colors are stored with save slots and restored when those slots are loaded.
Publishing maps
Saved working copies can now be published directly to the active shard’s local map destinations.
Publishing:
Targets the shard’s current city_####
Requires the working copy to be saved first
Refuses to overwrite original Maxis maps below 0100
Creates timestamped backups before changing anything
Updates the six generated map layers:elevation.png
terraintype.png
roadmap.png
foresttype.png
forestdensity.png
vertexcolor.png
Preserves thumbnails and other supporting city assets
Verifies every written file
Reports each updated destination and backup location
Publishing updates the local shipping and server content files, but it does not hot-reload the running city. The city server must be restarted, and the updated client package must be built and distributed before players reconnect.
Together, these changes turn the City Editor from an internal keyboard-driven debug plugin into a practical visual tool for creating, previewing, saving, and deploying NewSO city maps.
Original City Editor Keyboard Shortcuts
The original keyboard controls remain available alongside the new visual interface:
R — Roads
Click and drag to draw roads.
Hold Ctrl while dragging to erase roads.
T — Terrain type
Click and drag to paint terrain.
Numpad 0 — Grass
Numpad 1 — Water
Numpad 2 — Rock
Numpad 3 — Snow
Numpad 4 — Sand
E — Sculpt elevation
Click and drag to raise terrain.
Hold Ctrl to lower terrain.
Hold Shift to sculpt faster.
F — Flatten elevation
Click and drag to move terrain toward the surrounding median elevation.
Hold Ctrl to flatten faster.
C — Forest type
Numpad 0 — Fir
Numpad 1 — Birch
Numpad 2 — Cactus
Numpad 3 — Palm
Numpad 4 — Clear trees
D — Forest density
Numpad 0 — 0%
Numpad 1 — 25%
Numpad 2 — 50%
Numpad 3 — 75%
Numpad 4 — 100%
Up Arrow — Increase brush size.
Down Arrow — Decrease brush size.
Original save-slot controls
F2–F10 — Load the corresponding checkpoint.
Shift + F2–F10 — Save to the corresponding checkpoint.
The City Editor itself is opened from the Debug Tools menu with Ctrl + F1.