The production panel shows surplus everywhere except coal, so Takaoka buys four tiles on an ore deposit and starts coal mining: terraced landscaping, a small mining centre, parking and decoration. Output stays low at first (0.9–2.5 tonnes) and buildings don't spawn as expected, but Grand City (milestone 14) arrives along with a recycling centre — at 75,000 residents.
What happens in this episode
First, a recap of episode 13, because the recording had glitched: the parking lots are all functional except the decorative industrial one with trash trucks and parked vehicles, and the United Mall has arrived (the City Mall will follow later). Then the production stats for Takaoka show surplus everywhere except coal.
How it was built
Finding the coal
With the natural resources view showing only coal and ore, the best spot is clear, and four tiles are bought over it. The resource sits right next to a tree I decided to keep for now. The area is terraformed into a terrace-like layout before the industry goes in.
A small mining centre
After the first industrial zone for coal is placed, the game runs to see what happens. It crashed, and I placed things again. A parking lot and some decoration finish the small mining centre. Output was low: between 0.9 and 2.5 tonnes. A stone quarry nearby might use the area better, while keeping the shape of the land.
Why doesn’t anything spawn?
The mining zone wasn’t developing: no buildings, no cars. The farming area and oil fields worked fine, the oil fields almost at level 4, but not this. I also wanted coal pile assets I’d seen in another YouTuber’s video for a visible coal storage. That had to wait for part 2.
Grand City and a recycling centre
Electricity and water are more than enough. With 34 development points available, I unlocked the fire watchtower and solar power and considered the city hall. Grand City, milestone 14, arrives with more points. A recycling centre goes into the area to reduce ground pollution, even if it adds traffic.
Wrapping up
More parking lots go in, though I started to wonder if this area really needs so many, plus green space around the facilities and the train station. Two buildings lack customers, probably because there aren’t enough homes nearby. Next up: a freight rail link so coal and stone can leave the area. The island still has plenty of empty land, and Takaoka now has 75,000 residents.
Video chapters
- 00:00Recap: parking lots and the United Mall
- 08:44Coal shortage and four new tiles
- 17:27Terracing the mine, low output
- 22:49Why nothing spawns, development points
- 28:23Grand City and a recycling centre
- 33:15Parking, green space and 75,000 residents
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
How do you start coal mining in Cities: Skylines 2?
Open the natural resources view and show only coal/ore. Since Economy 2.0, ore deposits can be mined for coal. Buy the tiles over the deposit, landscape it, and place the extractor and mining area on the resource.
Why is my new mine producing so little?
A new extractor starts slowly and efficiency depends on the resource under the area and on workers. In Takaoka the first output varied between 0.9 and 2.5 tonnes before improving in part 2.
What does Grand City (milestone 14) unlock?
More development points — I had 34 to spend at that point on things like the fire watchtower, city hall and solar power.