Tile 3 puts the heavy stuff where the wind already blows: a cargo harbour from the Bridges & Ports update, an industrial district right behind it, a separate truck entrance and as many ramps as the space allows, harbour-only fire and police stations, and detailing with concrete, dirt patches, tyre marks and cones — about seven hours of work.
What happens in this episode
As promised at the end of episode 2, tile 3 of Cedarpoint County is industry. The location was chosen by the wind: the air pollution already drifts in this direction, so the new industrial district won’t affect any homes as long as no residential areas are built further east. The port can keep growing that way instead. The full build, decoration included, took seven to seven and a half hours, the most extensive tile of the series so far.
How it was built
Port first, industry right behind it
After flattening the coast and laying the quay structure for the harbour from the Bridges & Ports update, I planned two things together: the port along the coast and a larger industrial area with factories and warehouses directly behind it, so goods can be processed as close to the port as possible.
My one big complaint about the update: the port roads are too wide. You can’t go narrower than the two-lane port road, and the quay walls are massive, so the port takes up a lot of the tile for relatively few buildings. I’d also love smaller harbour assets. I could go back to the vanilla industrial port, but I always loved the add-on packages from the first game.
Ramps, ramps, ramps
A ramp creates a second, smaller port entrance so the industries on the lower plateau don’t have to use the highway to travel between the northern and southern parts of the district. Connectivity is everything in industry, so this narrow space gets as many on- and off-ramps as possible for trucks and for workers. Extra roads through the middle make the industrial blocks smaller and better suited to smaller buildings.
Harbour buildings and services
If you haven’t used the ports package yet: everything that belongs to the harbour is found by clicking the main harbour entrance. That includes a small harbour police station and fire station, which cover the port without needing a district. I mix harbour and regular industrial buildings while placing them to keep it interesting. A port built only from the ports assets would be boring. Districts for the harbour and industrial area keep the fire department focused on them. I added some parking for port workers, though I’m still not sure how much they use it.
Details that make the difference
My main recommendation for detailing: spend time on the tiny things. Small rocks between the boulders on the slope between two roads, as if someone stopped soil washing down after rain. Cones next to dirt on the road, as if someone had warned drivers. Nobody notices them consciously, but together they make the difference. My favourite part is a messy truck parking lot with junk lying around and bins filled to the brim.
One annoyance: under the one-way ramp of the highway, the ground texture now shines through the road. That probably came with an update, and it means the area under bridges can’t be detailed properly. That’s frustrating, because driving under a bridge is exactly where you notice whether a builder stopped caring once something was hidden from above.
Concrete, dirt and tyre marks
To keep everything together, I extend the building surfaces until all the grass is covered. Industrial areas are almost entirely concrete, which is what makes them visually different from commercial areas with their trees and fountains. Dirt patches, which I normally only use on parking lots in other areas, go all over the industrial district: oil spills, debris and grime from trucks moving goods all day. Tyre and brake marks add more credibility. The port roads themselves are too bright and clean by comparison, and a darker grey would help. Farming and other specialised industry will need a different look later.
Next: tile 4, the railway depot.
Video chapters
- 00:00Why industry goes downwind
- 02:56Port roads are too wide; a second entrance
- 05:48Ramps for trucks, smaller industrial blocks
- 09:31Placing harbour buildings and services
- 12:31Parking in the port, the developer change
- 15:03Filling the port, fire districts
- 18:22Detailing: rocks, cones and truck yards
- 21:41Textures shining through bridges
- 27:34Concrete, dirt patches and tyre marks
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Where do you find the harbour buildings in Cities: Skylines 2?
Click the main harbour entrance building. All buildings that belong to the harbour — including its own small police and fire stations — are listed there, so you don't need a separate district for them.
Where should industry go in Cities: Skylines 2?
Downwind. Check the air pollution direction first and put industry where the pollution already blows, then don't build homes further in that direction.
What's wrong with the Bridges & Ports port roads?
They're very wide — you can't go narrower than the two-lane port road — and the quay walls are massive, so the port takes up a lot of land for relatively few buildings. The port roads are also brighter and cleaner than the rest of an industrial area.