Behind the Scenes #6: Tutorials & Advisor Hello everyone! It’s time for another development diary, the last one in our mini-series taking …
Hello everyone! Today, we have a development diary for you that introduces the content in Detailer’s Patch #2, but stick around even if that isn’t your preferred playstyle because this one is focused on roads and has both new features and assets that may be handy for you no matter how you play Cities: Skylines II.
With 8 new roads and the new Traffic Routes feature, improving traffic in your city just got easier. The new Parking Lots, Halls, and Roads bring new and more flexible ways to offer your citizens parking downtown, while the new cul-de-sac variations bring a touch of realism to your suburbs. And last but not least, the Line Tool and Roadside Tree Selector allow for new ways to decorate the city, alongside the 10 Pocket Parks that fit just about anywhere. So without further ado, let’s dig into the details.
Managing traffic flow is part of managing a successful city, but it can be hard to determine where traffic is headed and how to improve your city to lighten it. That’s where Traffic Routes come in. When you select any vehicle, pedestrian, road, or building, you will see the Toggle Traffic Routes button in the Selected Info Panel. When toggled on, routes are displayed for the selected item and stay on until you turn it off again. Routes are split into traffic types: Road, Water, Air, Rail, and Pedestrian, each with its own color to distinguish easily between them. Routes are shown based on the selected segment and wider lines indicate heavier traffic so you can find your busiest routes at a glance and make adjustments accordingly.
Speaking of adjustments to the road network, we have 8 new roads to choose from. Starting at the smaller end of the spectrum we have 3 new one-tile-wide one-way roads with a familiar feel. Whether you’re building rural roads or trying to save money, the One-Way Gravel Road is there to help you direct traffic. Or you can go with its paved relative and use the One-Way Alley for those small city streets. Both of these have roadside parking spaces so your citizens have a place to park. But if you’re building for pedestrians and not cars, you may very well be more interested in the new Small Pedestrian Street. With space for pedestrians taking priority, service vehicles using this road will have to contend with it being one-way and you’ll have to offer them another return route.
Next, we have 5 new asymmetric roads expanding the lane combinations for Medium Roads, Large Roads, and Highways. The Four-Lane Asymmetric Road is perfect for areas with a lot of traffic in one direction as it offers a 3-plus-1 lane setup. In the large roads category, we have two new roads. The Six-Lane Asymmetric Road offers 4 lanes in one direction and 2 in the other, but if that isn’t enough, the Seven-Lane Asymmetric Road swoops in with 5 plus 2 lanes. Last but not least we have 2 new asymmetric highways. Both are ideal for those tight spots in the city where you need a lot of highway lanes. The Four-Lane Asymmetric Highway offers a 3-plus-1 lane setup, while the Five-Lane Asymmetric Highway adds another lane so you get 3 lanes in one direction and 2 in the other.
Now, we’re not quite done with roads as Detailer’s Patch #2 adds brand new parking roads named so because they offer a lot more parking space than their regular counterparts. With both perpendicular and angled parking we have included 12 new parking roads that allow for very flexible parking lots. Create curved parking in front of a tourist attraction, a small parking alley behind your commercial, or line your transportation hub with rows of parking lots. In the Small Roads category, you can find Two-Lane Parking Roads, Two-Lane Divided Parking Roads, One-Way One-Lane Parking Roads, Parking Alleys, and One-Way Parking Alleys. In the Medium Roads category, we have their “big brothers” with Four-Lane Parking Roads with both perpendicular and angled parking.
If you prefer to plop premade parking lots or want even more variation, then we have 9 new parking lots and halls for you. Starting small, the Small and Medium Gravel Parking Lots may be just what your rural build needs, but if you’re looking for simple paved options, then the Small and Medium Single-Row Parking Lots may do the trick. We also added the Moderate Parking Lot as a new option when the Medium Parking Lot isn’t quite big enough and the Large Parking Lot is too big.
Are you looking for something that fits a large, modern city better? Then perhaps the two Solar Panel-Covered Parking Lots will fit the bill. They come in small and medium versions and, thanks to the solar panels, don’t consume any energy. They also feature a lot of space dedicated to electric cars, making them perfect for a more environmentally friendly city. If you’re trying to squeeze in more parking space downtown, then the two new parking halls may be exactly what you need. At half the size the Small Parking Building offers roughly the same amount of spaces as the Medium Parking Lot, while the Multi-Level Parking Building takes it to a whole new level with an upgrade for additional levels that brings it to 300 parking spaces.
Before we move on from the topic of parking, we have one more thing to cover: Service Vehicle Parking. Base game service buildings that send out vehicles, such as police stations or hospitals, have been updated with dedicated space for service vehicles to park when they’re not in use. Not all buildings have room for service parking and some use a mix of garages and service parking on the lot, but most now have their respective vehicles parked on the lot. Any existing buildings will need to be re-plopped for the new spots to be available, but then you’ll be able to watch your patrol cars leave the station to keep your city safe or taxis head out of the new Small Taxi Depot to pick up passengers.
Let’s switch gears from paved parking lots to green spaces and take a look at the 10 New Pocket Parks we’ve added to the base game. As the name suggests, these are very small parks that fit snugly in between buildings or on the corner of an intersection. The one-tile parks can fit in almost anywhere, while the larger 2-by-2 and 1-by-6 parks require a little more planning. The parks come with randomized props and surfaces bringing lots of variation with a myriad of flower beds and seating options. They’re all a part of the basic Parks & Recreation service and unlock once you hit the Grand Village milestone.
While not parks, roundabout decorations can bring a pop of color and variation to your city streets, and Detailer’s Patch #2 expands the options with 7 new roundabout variations. Each variation comes in 4 different sizes from small to very large, so whether you prefer the Striped Roundabout with a Flower Bed or Mosaic Roundabout, there’s a size that’s just right for your intersection. Related to the roundabouts, we have a new category in the Roads menu: Cul-de-sacs. There you will find 3 new cul-de-sac variations, that work very similarly to roundabouts, but have been designed specifically for cul-de-sacs. The Asphalt variant gives you that classic paved-over look, while the Grass and Tree variants add more life to your dead-end streets.
This wouldn’t be a “Detailer’s Patch” without tools to control the details of your city. Keeping with our road theme, we have the Line Tool and the Roadside Tree Selector. The Line Tool can be activated when selecting a tree or prop and is found alongside the option to place one item or use the brush. It comes with a Straight and a Curve function, and when selected, you can adjust the spacing between items. Specifically for trees, you can also choose the different life stages, making it quick and easy to plant a line of trees that match the surrounding landscape.
The Roadside Tree Selector includes the same level of control, allowing you to select the age of trees added to roads. Pick your favorite tree, and place it on the road segment of your choosing. If the road already has trees, they are upgraded to the ones you selected, but you can also place trees on a road without the tree road upgrade this way, making it fast and easy to add your favorite trees to roads. Like the tree road upgrade tool you know, you have full control over which side of the road gets trees and, if the road supports it, if they’re added to the median. Lastly, if you just want bushes lining your roads, you’ll be happy to know that everything in the Vegetation menu works with the Roadside Tree Selector.
That brings us to the end of this development diary and overview of what you can expect from Detailer’s Patch #2. Along with the new features, we have a bunch of bug fixes, which you can find in the patch notes, once the update is available. We hope you will enjoy the new tools and look forward to seeing the creative ways you end up using them. Which feature do you think you will use the most? Let us know in the comments.
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