Mod support was still months away, so Fair Banks stays vanilla. The highway is extended over the rail line towards a planned industrial area — not pretty, but it should work — fertile land is marked so farming isn't blocked later, and low-density zones fade the dense city into a looser neighbourhood. More residents than jobs points to the industry still to come.
What happens in this episode
Official mod support was announced for the end of March 2024, so Fair Banks County stays vanilla. Episode 13 works on the transition between the suburbs from episode 12 and the rural land beyond. Chirper had never shown a game at the American football stadium, and its parking lots might be oversized. More shops and offices could fill some of that space.
How it was built
A highway towards the future industry
An industrial area is planned on one side and further down, and it needs a highway connection, but the highway currently ends in a roundabout. Extending it without destroying too much of the city meant going over the railway. A first attempt replaced the wrong tracks (they weren’t tram lines). Raising the road to 30 m didn’t work, and around 25 m with some reorganised parking lots did. It’s not beautiful, it would have been impossible in the first game, maybe for a good reason, but it should work. An on- and off-ramp follows.
Marking resources
Before going further, I checked the ground resources again and marked the fertile land and other deposits, so future farming doesn’t get blocked. Two chicken farms are already in place, since they don’t need fertile land.
A softer edge
A looser residential neighbourhood starts the fade from dense downtown into low density and eventually the countryside. The arterials stay, though one may go because a large arterial already carries the traffic. A busy junction loses its pedestrian crossings, and some drivers mysteriously ignore an easier turn.
More residents than jobs
The residential stats show an “availability of jobs” issue: more people than workplaces. Money is more than fine. The farming and industrial area comes next, as two fires are put out nearby.
Video chapters
- 00:00A lake without mods? The stadium car park
- 04:14Extending the highway over the rail line
- 09:37An unusual connection
- 15:29Marking fertile land
- 20:04A looser neighbourhood
- 26:48Fading out the dense city
- 30:50More residents than jobs
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
How do you keep track of resources you want to use later?
Mark them. I check the natural resources view and draw a district or road around fertile land and other deposits, so I don't accidentally build homes on top of them.
Can you build a lake without mods in Cities: Skylines 2?
I wanted one here but, without water tools, bringing water from the sea or river would have needed careful planning from the start. I decided against it and built a park instead in the next episode.
What does 'availability of jobs' mean in the residential stats?
There are more residents than jobs nearby. It's a sign the area needs industry, offices or commercial zones — here the planned industrial and farming area.