Tile 6 builds a beach right below the central station: the old rail bridge and tunnel are rebuilt, two raised roundabouts link downtown to the new waterfront, tunnel portals are hidden under concrete slabs, waterfront estates and beachfront shops line the sand, and the beach is painted in the right order — dry golden sand, medium wet, dark wet at the waterline.
What happens in this episode
Tile 6 of Cedarpoint County is the one directly below the central station, and it becomes a beach district in the south of downtown. A lot of the time went into decoration again, and into a few tunnels that didn’t want to cooperate.
How it was built
Fixing the rail bridge first
I never liked the tunnel and bridge from episode 2 that carry the line from the central station across the sea to the islands. So they went and were rebuilt, keeping the option to connect the third rail entrance later. Then come the arterials and a little land expansion for a wider beach.
Raised roundabouts and wider ramps
The original highway connection straight into downtown went too. Expecting traffic problems, I built two roundabouts to link downtown, the station and the new beach. They’re raised above ground level, which looks a bit unnatural, and I may change that later. The on- and off-ramps on both sides get extra lanes so traffic can merge into downtown more easily. I still don’t like the traffic behaviour in Cities: Skylines II and miss the fine lane control that TM:PE gave me in the first game.
Where a new rail tunnel comes out under a residential area, horizontal concrete pillars cover the exit like a roof. The roads here are less block-shaped than in the earlier tiles.
Waterfront estates and a touristy mix
Along the water, residential waterfront buildings look like small estates. There isn’t much room, so the land is extended again for a sandy beach. Behind them, beachfront commercial buildings keep the look consistent, and hotels and motels add tourism. I still miss the specialised hotel, commercial, industry and parks districts from the first game; natural reserves can only be faked now. A new elementary school gets two parks and playgrounds.
A bike tunnel that crashed the game twice
Pedestrians and cyclists needed an easy way from the plateau neighbourhood down to the beach, so a mixed bike and pedestrian tunnel runs underneath it. It crashed the game twice, probably because I was doing something the game doesn’t expect, but it worked in the end. Where the tunnel left gaps, shorter concrete pillars cover them.
Towards the highway, high-rise apartments and a subway station prepare for a future subway network that will bring people from downtown to the beach. Mid-rise homes mixed with shops create the transition in between.
Concrete slopes and cobblestone walls
For the first time I covered a hillside next to the highway with a concrete surface. It looks much safer than open soil. Around the school and its playgrounds, small cobblestones cover the retaining wall. I hadn’t seen that used anywhere before and it looks great.
Painting the beach properly
I made a mistake at first: a white sand texture that didn’t match the beach next door at all. Redone in the right order: dry golden sand first, then medium wet sand, then dark wet sand at the waterline. The border between sand and the walkway and bike lanes shouldn’t be a hard line, so it took a while to soften. Palms, parasols and loungers finish the beach, and a custom playground in a park uses an irregular circle of sand with play equipment. Leftover open spaces get grass textures, trees and bushes so the whole tile blends together.
Episode 7 was a choice between an airport and a shopping mall district. The mall won: tile 7, the shopping mall district.
Video chapters
- 00:00Rebuilding the rail bridge and tunnel
- 03:42Two raised roundabouts into downtown
- 06:39More ramp lanes, a covered tunnel exit
- 09:11Waterfront estates and beach shops
- 14:57A bike tunnel under the plateau
- 18:52High-rises and a subway station
- 29:14Concrete slopes and cobblestone walls
- 31:48Painting the beach in the right order
- 35:09Promenade, parasols and a sand playground
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
In which order should you paint beach textures in Cities: Skylines 2?
Dry golden sand first, then medium wet sand, then dark wet sand at the waterline. I started with a white sand texture the first time and the new beach didn't match the old one, so it had to be redone.
How do you hide a tunnel portal in Cities: Skylines 2?
Lay horizontal concrete pillars over the opening as a roof. It covers the gap and the graphical glitches and works for rail tunnels and pedestrian or bike tunnels alike.
Are there hotel districts in Cities: Skylines 2?
Not like the specialised hotel and commercial districts of the first game. For a tourist beach I mix hotels and motels from the commercial zone between the residential and commercial buildings.