Takaoka expands along the highway into a new seaside district with beaches, parks by the river and a mix of high-rises and Japanese mid-rises facing the sea. Almost 10,000 people move in — and many of them die soon after. Pollution maps look fine, clinics are green, more elementary schools go in, but the cause stays a mystery until the next episode.
What happens in this episode
Note: on YouTube this episode carries the title of episode 9, but it’s episode 10, the new seaside district.
After the oil fields and the stone quarry in episode 9, Takaoka expands onto a completely new stretch of land along the highway. The view of the coast from there is stunning, and it fits the downtown perfectly: beaches, parks along the river and maybe a second downtown with tourism.
How it was built
New tiles and a transition
There were 75 tiles to choose from. Buying four of them pushed the land upkeep to about 129k a month, which is fine for this city. Money ran short for more, so the rest had to wait. The industrial area extends slightly into the new land, and the road layout creates a transition between industry and the new residential district, with a smaller on- and off-ramp than usual.
A quick look at one of my favourite neighbourhoods, the low-rise area between the train lines, shows the skate park is rarely used. No surprise.
A skyline facing the sea
The zones go in: medium and high density mixed with Japanese medium-density buildings, the bigger towers in front of the sea. I like how the transition between them turned out. The passenger line is extended with a new waypoint, a Japanese post office is squeezed in, and parking is added.
People moving in — and dying
Almost 10,000 new residents moved in during this episode, and then they started dying. Hearses everywhere, in nearly every new building. I checked everything: a little air pollution reaches part of the area, two low-rent houses might be affected, but water pollution, ground pollution and noise looked fine, and clinics showed green. Garbage, fire, welfare: all fine. It made no sense.
Education was also behind: elementary capacity covered only about 16,000 of 20,000 children, so several large elementary schools with urban playgrounds went in. That still didn’t explain the deaths.
I ended the episode asking viewers for ideas. The answer came in episode 11: adding a water pump elsewhere stopped the deaths, which pointed to the water. The district itself turned out nicely, especially the large buildings by the sea.
Video chapters
- 00:00Buying tiles for a seaside district
- 04:20Road layout for the transition
- 12:33Zoning — and the first hearses
- 17:05Extending the passenger line
- 29:25Searching for the cause
- 33:42Schools and an open question
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Why are so many citizens dying in a new district in Cities: Skylines 2?
In Takaoka it turned out to be water pollution. The pollution maps didn't make it obvious, but adding a water pump elsewhere in the next episode ended the deaths. Check where each district actually gets its water from.
Is this episode really episode 10?
Yes. On YouTube it was uploaded with the title of episode 9 (Farms, Oil and Stone Quarry), but the content is episode 10: the new seaside district.
How much do extra map tiles cost in upkeep?
It adds up. With the tiles bought here, upkeep reached about 129,000 a month — fine for a city earning well, but worth checking before buying many at once.