A viewer suggested more for the beach, so Shiroku's shore gets a small parking lot, a sandy footpath, picnic tables, campground benches, palm trees and vending machines. Away from town, a geothermal power plant starts exporting electricity, and two large chicken farms with a temporary workers' settlement help the budget — up to Boomtown, milestone 6.
What happens in this episode
The train station from episode 3 is working: its parking lot is filling up. The trains are long regional commuter trains, almost like a fast-track train, so trams might suit the local trips better later. I’d love smaller trains for authenticity. But the focus of this episode came from a viewer, who suggested giving the beach more life.
How it was built
Getting people to the beach
The water kept creeping up the sand even after the landscaping last time, so the first step is pushing the shoreline back a little. Then comes a small parking lot in the corner by Chester Lane, on levelled ground and set slightly off the narrow access road so it doesn’t block traffic. Bushes and trees go in with the Line Tool, an essential tool that should be in the base game. Anarchy places them where the game normally refuses. A sandy footpath leads down from the parking lot and the park to the beach. A bike path would be perfect, but there were no bicycles in the game yet.
Picnic tables, palms and vending machines
Find It turned up the new beach trees (coconut palms), picnic table sets in different colours, single benches and campground pieces. Boats were all far too large. Vending machines next to the parking lot are a small Japanese touch: in Japan you find them everywhere. Bushes help the parking lot sit naturally in the landscape. At the end of the episode the first resident actually walked their dog along the beach.
Power for export
Tiny Town (level 5) brought North American mixed housing (good for redoing the station area later), vegetable farming, coal mining, the post office and radio mast, parking fees, five development points and seven expansion permits. The resource map shows good spots for hydro and geothermal. The geothermal power plant produces far more than Shiroku needs, so the surplus is exported to the neighbouring cities.
A temporary settlement and chicken farms
The power plant needs workers, so a small low-density settlement goes up next to it. It’s an intermediate fix that I plan to remove later. Two large chicken farms on the fertile land nearby help lower the monthly costs, and the town was still losing money at this point, just less than before. A puzzle with the water level near the retaining wall stayed unsolved for now.
Milestone 6, Boomtown, brought 1.4 million, six development points, eight more tiles, textile fibre farming, a heavy-traffic ban and advanced pollution management.
Video chapters
- 00:00How the train station is used
- 04:00A parking lot by the beach
- 08:21Line Tool, Find It and a beach path
- 13:27Sand, palms, benches and vending machines
- 25:18Tiny Town rewards, a geothermal plant
- 33:44A temporary workers' settlement
- 42:19Chicken farms and a water level puzzle
- 51:08Boomtown and the first beach walker
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
How do you decorate a beach in Cities: Skylines 2?
Give people a way to get there — a small parking lot and a sandy footpath — then add picnic tables, benches, palm trees and small touches like vending machines. Anarchy lets you place props where the game would normally block them.
Why build a geothermal power plant early?
It produces far more than a small town needs, so you can export the surplus. It needs workers, though — in Shiroku a small temporary settlement nearby provided them.
What does Boomtown (milestone 6) unlock?
1.4 million in cash, six development points, eight more tiles, a higher loan limit, textile fibre farming, a heavy-traffic ban and advanced pollution management.