A viewer's tip about overlapping industry zones and specialisations unlocks whole new types of factories in Verville. Train crossovers keep freight moving, flood walls protect riverside buildings, a scenic national road leads to Fairview, my biggest nature reserve yet with campsites and lookout towers, followed by self-sufficient eco housing, a tourism district, an IT cluster, taxi stands and unique buildings — and Verville passes 200,000.
What happens in this episode
Episode 15 separated freight from passenger trains and gained about 15,000 citizens. Then a viewer pointed me to overlapping industry zones and specialisations, which I’d never heard of. Time to find out what that does.
How it was built
New kinds of industry
A large area becomes industrial. Usually I leave the props the developers placed, like the industrial ruins, but some had to go here. The trick is to paint a blank district and give it an industrial specialisation alongside the industry area. Different factories appeared: fashion-related ones, Garmin, Frank Fish, Ready-to-Wear. It’s a whole new set of industries, though they fill slowly. Meanwhile citizens were leaving, so the fixes started.
Ramps, crossovers and traffic
My compact off-ramp design gets lane rules and no U-turns. Train crossovers between parallel tracks, placed with Anarchy, let trains switch lines instead of getting stuck. A new eco water outlet helps sewage. Traffic hotspots got yield rules, no left turns, speed limits raised to 80, no pedestrians on busy roads, and lane rules.
Flood walls
Riverside buildings kept flooding, something I still don’t understand. I tried quay walls for the first time and levelled the bank so the river has more room. The new industry draws far more trucks than the old one, so a new train connection serves it too.
Fairview nature reserve
A national road sneaks through the countryside, with no parking and no buildings allowed, like a scenic drive. It leads to Fairview, my biggest nature reserve ever, on top of the mountain. It has a small parking lot, its own water source, paths to the cliffs, campfires, tents, shelters, a viewing deck, lookout towers, a boulder site, hunting cabins, a fire station and a doctor’s office. Near Washington DC I once saw a wild deer up close in a nature reserve, an experience that makes you feel connected to nature.
New districts
Offices filled fast, homes and Heathen Meadows park followed. The Realistic Population settings may have caused some households to leave. A new self-sufficient eco housing district gets high-tech housing, recycling centres, and the traffic lights at the tram junctions are switched off.
Landmarks and 200,000
The big malls, the transport tower, the Fountain of Life and Death, a post office at Fairview for postcards, a large taxi depot and stands at stations, the stadium, the university and attractions. An airport is tempting but huge. A tourism district (Birch Heights), an IT cluster (Pine Heights) with electric car and lightning-rod policies, and Verville passed 200,000. More farming zones come next.
Video chapters
- 00:00A viewer's tip: overlapping industry zones
- 05:31A blank district, new factory types
- 11:05Ramp lane rules and train crossovers
- 16:18Sewage and traffic hotspots
- 21:53Speed limits and lane changes
- 27:07Flood walls by the river
- 32:24A scenic national road
- 37:47Fairview nature reserve
- 53:30Offices, homes and Heathen Meadows
- 1:04:18Self-sufficient eco housing
- 1:17:14Unique buildings, taxis and an airport idea
- 1:28:20Tourism, IT cluster and 200,000
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
What are overlapping industry zones in Cities: Skylines?
Painting an industry area and also giving the district an industrial specialisation brings in different types of factories than plain industrial zoning — in Verville, fashion and other new factories appeared.
Can trains change tracks between parallel lines?
Yes, with crossovers between the tracks. In Verville they needed the Anarchy mod to place, but trains used them straight away.
Does a nature reserve need its own water?
Not necessarily, but I gave Fairview its own water source — it makes sense for a remote reserve, so there's no need to connect it to the city network.