There are changes in Cities Skylines 2 compared to the first title that you will need to get used to. We give you 15 tips and tricks for building your first city.
Cities Skylines 2 comes with a number of new features compared to its predecessor. A construction simulation with resource management can quickly become confusing.
To help you get started in the very realistic building simulation right from the start, we’ll give you several tips to make life in the animated world easier:
City planning and zoning
A key element for success in this game is planning an efficient road network. A four-lane central road serves as the main connection, from which smaller roads branch off into residential areas.
Place industrial zones far away from residential and business areas. This reduces pollution, noise, and traffic stress. Make sure that residential areas have access to health and educational facilities, while you should place business zones in busy areas.
Create zones and other buildings without an info view
When you want to create new zones or place buildings, it is often difficult to see the environment around them. With a simple trick, you can switch off the info view while placing your buildings.
All you have to do is click the I button while you are placing buildings. The info view switches off and you can see more.
Place power lines underground
In the game, you can lay not only low-voltage but also high-voltage power lines underground. You can place the power lines underground by clicking on the desired power line in the menu and then moving the height to the minus area on the left-hand side.
If you have several lines, including water and sewage pipes and subway tunnels, collisions may occur. You should make sure to use different heights.
Think carefully about where you place buildings
When placing buildings, such as schools or fire stations and others, you must be aware that demolishing them will only give you back 75 percent of the purchase value each time.
If you also have upgrades for this building, this can be very costly. Therefore, always consider beforehand whether you want the building in this exact location.
Watch out for wind
The wind in the game can be your friend or foe. Always pay attention to which way the wind is blowing, as toxic fumes from your factories can actually blow toward your residential areas and make the inhabitants sick.
It is also advisable to keep an eye on the wind speed to ensure optimum energy production from wind turbines. Because if this is too slow, you may not produce enough electricity.
Financial management
In Cities Skylines 2, efficient financial management plays a crucial role when it comes to successfully building and developing your city.
Money is one of the most important resources in the game. There are several ways to get more money quickly. One of them is to produce and sell green energy, for example.
Public transport and ecology
An efficient public transportation system reduces traffic problems and improves the quality of life of your city’s inhabitants.
You should therefore start expanding public transport and other alternatives such as cycle paths at an early stage so that residents are not dependent on their own cars.
Internet and postal services
In Cities Skylines 2, the communication menu allows you to efficiently manage your city’s mail system. Mailboxes offer residents additional convenience and reduce the volume of traffic.
Another component is the telecommunication services. These are not only important for the convenience of internet for your residents but also play an essential role in disaster alerts.
Buildable area
A circle around the street in Cities Skylines 2 visualizes the buildable area. This area is crucial for creating more effective and optimized city blocks. It is advisable to use this space fully, but also wisely, to maximize both the efficiency and aesthetics of the city.
Mountainous regions pose a particular challenge in urban planning. Due to the uneven terrain, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to construct regular buildings on them. Instead, you can use these natural features to your advantage to build parks and green spaces or individual structures such as monuments or observation towers.
How to keep your citizens happy
In Cities Skylines 2, you dive deeper into the complex world of city planning. From citizen satisfaction and housing design to road construction and administration, the developers have thought through every aspect.
To make your citizens happy, you have to combine aspects such as leisure opportunities, communication, education and more to increase the well-being of your residents.
How to prevent traffic jams and accidents in your city
Urban traffic planning opens up a world of possibilities for you to optimize the flow of traffic in your city and thus minimize congestion and accidents.
From traffic circles to custom curves and layouts, these tools can help minimize traffic flow problems and make your city more efficient and aesthetically pleasing.
Milestones and development points
In urban development, milestones are important progress markers that represent the success and growth of a city. With every milestone you reach, you receive development points and at the end, you have unlocked everything.
Nevertheless, these points are valuable resources that allow you to unlock new buildings or city features. It is essential to use these points wisely, as they not only give you access to new buildings but also influence strategic decisions for the future growth of the city.
Bridges do not have water and sewage pipes
Bridges help residents cross geographical barriers such as rivers to reach different areas of the city. However, keep in mind that bridges do not automatically place water and sewer lines.
This means that when building a bridge, additional steps are required to ensure that areas beyond the river receive the necessary services.
How to manage resources and production
In the game, you have the option of using natural resources such as groundwater, fertile land, forest, ore and oil to boost production in your city and reduce dependency on external imports.
Specialized industrial zones allow you to use these resources efficiently and integrate them into a complex system of production, supply chains and trade.
Your residents will live happier with these regulations
In Cities Skylines 2, you can actively influence the development of your city through a variety of regulations at city or district level. For example, you can improve the traffic situation or reduce environmental pollution.
By making adjustments to the economic panel, such as setting fees for electricity and water, you can influence the satisfaction of citizens and the profitability of companies.
You can also apply specific district policies to achieve certain goals in selected districts, while city policies have a city-wide impact. The different policies allow you to customize your city planning, with each policy having advantages and disadvantages.