Cities Skylines 2 just dropped a massive update on both public transport and cargo, and it has the Colossal Order city-building game‘s community losing it. From trading with other cities to complete control of buses in Cities Skylines 2, the absolute control you have will help you create the perfect metropolis in no time. All we have to do now is wait for the Cities Skylines 2 release date, which is easier said than done.
Colossal Order’s deep dive into cargo and public transport is finally here, and much like when we got the Cities Skylines 2 traffic breakdown, this is about as in-depth as it gets. In the sequel every single land-based form of public transport has a depot now, meaning buses, taxis, trams, subways, and even water and air transport all need hubs to function properly.
There’s also a new Cities Skylines 2 video, which says “You can trade with other cities,” which already has ignited the community, who are very excited about the possibility of trading with friends, or even your own city saves. If that gets you so excited you just can’t wait, we’ve got the best Cities Skylines 2 pre-order sale for you already.
You’ll start with buses, which can be either fuel or electrically operated, with the latter being environmentally friendly. After you build a bus depot you’ll also be able to make intercity lines, which you can set yourself (don’t worry, we’ll get to it).
Taxis don’t operate on lines as they all function differently depending on where the messenger wants to go, but this does mean “they are low capacity, contribute to the city’s traffic congestion, and are also held back by it,” according to Colossal Order.
Trains will require a Rail Yard to operate, where you can build tracks for trains to follow, and while “train infrastructure is a high initial expense” it’s “due to their transport capacities, they more than make up for the initial cost over time.” You can also create train bridges, elevated tracks, and two-way and double tracks too.
Trams are similar to trains but can have their routes built on roads, or have specific routes laid out to circumnavigate traffic altogether. Keep in mind they require a tram depot though. The subway can also be built underground like in the original game, and can often be a person’s best pathfinding route if they value their time.
You’ve also got air and water transport, with the latter naturally requiring a harbor and access to seaways, with the former just needing an airport. Airports take up a lot of room though, and while they’re the fastest routes for people and cargo, they also have very little capacity. It’s all about the trade-offs (pun entirely intended).
Now we get to the good stuff, the new functionality of the Cities Skylines 2 line tool. “The Line tool functionality has been standardized to provide a more simple gameplay loop between all the different transportation options, including both passenger and cargo transport,” Colossal Order says, as you’ll need to get the tool function from depots, then build stops and stations, then tracks and roads, and only now can you design individual lines.
You can set these lines and how they navigate between different stations. Buses can even have their own priority lanes or completely separate roads if you so choose. You can then give the bus waypoints so it avoids busy areas, intersections, or anything that would slow it down massively while setting the specific drop-off and pick-up points. Naturally, this doesn’t apply to transport on tracks or planes, because one is so free it doesn’t need them and the other is on a predetermined path already. “Similar to train stations, harbors need to be connected to the seaways with the Seaway tool. After this, you can create Ship Lines traveling between the city and the Outside Connections or between harbors in your city,” the video adds.
The way you unlock all these transport options has changed too, in the original game you’d need to reach population milestones, but in Cities Skylines 2 you’ll need to use development points (which Colossal Order will be explained in a later diary). Only buses and taxis unlock with milestone progress in Cities Skylines 2.
You’ll also be able to see everything you need about public transport and cargo in the Transport Info View. This feature also clearly marks all the lines in your city and all the transport vehicles with clearly visible icons, giving you a clear view of your city’s transport at a glance. There’s even a line panel that gives you all the info about specific lines while lighting them up on the map. So you can see the number of stops, length, current passengers, and even their usage percentage, to see how effective they are. There’s so much to get hyped about in this new update, that’s for sure.
If you’re worried about your rig working with the game, we’ve got the Cities Skylines 2 system requirements for you alongside the best management games to keep you occupied in the meantime.
