Cities: Skylines II News

[p][/p][p][/p][h2]Bridges & Ports - Status of Mods​[/h2][p]
The latest patch for the new Bridges & Ports DLC for Cities: Skylines II changes quite some stuff under the hood. This requires many mods to be updated to be compatible with the new version, even though no major changes in the Mods' code should be required.

If you're a modder yourself, most mods should work fine after recompiling again after the update, so if your mod is included in a list as "broken", it could be as simple as that.

This thread should help you get a quick overview of what you can expect, how you can help yourself, and the current state of the mods for Cities: Skylines II after the Bridges & Ports release.

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Table of Contents:
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1. [p]Patch Day 101 - Basic information[/p]
2. [p]Back up your save files[/p]
3. [p]Dealing with broken mods[/p]
4. [p]The community has done the heavy lifting![/p]
5. [p]Is your game still broken?
   [/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]1. Patch Day 101 - Basic information​
[/h2][h3]First question first;​[/h3][p]Do you play without custom content?
[/p]

• [p]If you play without any custom mods, you are good to go at the time of release! (Assets like the Official Region Packs are not affected.)[/p]

[p]Do you play with custom content?
[/p]

• [p]If you do use mods, you might encounter issues if you try to launch the game at the time of release. This is because some mods you rely on may need to be updated, and might not work as intended immediately at release. Some mods might also cause your game/specific save to not work without a mod that might be broken, and it will be altered/glitched/unbootable.[/p]

[h3]Patch Day 101​[/h3]

• [p]Everyone receives the new patch.[/p]
• [p]Because new features and code changes are introduced into the base game, mod creators may have to implement their code in a new or different way for their mods to function again.[/p]
• [p]Mods shown as "Compatible" by Paradox Mods don’t necessarily work in the new patch immediately. This is due to many modders marking their mod to be compatible with all 1.3.* versions - with Bridges & Ports being 1.3.6f1, this means it might automatically show as compatible, without the modder actually having updated the mod yet.[/p]
• [p]Many mod creators have been given early access and have been able to work on their mods ahead of time, but these might not update immediately when the Bridges & Ports patch is released.[/p]
• [p]Please be patient. Everyone, even Cities: Skylines II mod creators, has a personal life and might be unable to update a game mod immediately at launch. Do not bug creators to update their mod.
  [/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]2. Back up your save files​[/h2][p][/p][p]Something that could happen if you try to play before all your mods are updated is that you can accidentally overwrite the city you're working on, so it's always good to back up your save files.[/p]

• [p]The easiest way to do this is to load into your game before the release on the 29th of October at 18:00 CEST, and create a manual save file (from the escape menu in-game) and name it something different; this means it won't be overwritten by autosave, which can potentially lock any harmful effects permanently into your save file.[/p]
• [p]You can also make a backup of your most recent save file by copying it to your desktop. Once your required mods have been patched, copy this file back to the previous folder, and you should be able to load it safely. The save file location is as follows:[/p]

  C:\\Users\\%username%\\AppData\\LocalLow\\Colossal Order\\Cities Skylines II

  [p][/p]

[hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]3. Dealing with broken mods​[/h2][p][/p][p]The creators of many of the most popular mods on Paradox Mods have had Early Access to the update and have prepared patches for their mods for this release. If you are already subscribed to these mods, you will receive the updates automatically once their creators publish the patches to Paradox Mods (unless you have specifically chosen not to use the latest mod version).

In the days after the release, modders often release multiple patches as they address unexpected behavior, so you might see a large increase in updates on Paradox Mods.

Remember, mod creators have real-world commitments that may mean they can't immediately publish updates to the Paradox Mods, even if they have confirmed to us that they have an updated version ready to go. Please have patience, and don’t go out of your way to pester, complain, or harass these mod creators while they work towards updating their mods.

TLDR;[/p]

• [p]If you use a mod that you know to be broken, DISABLE IT or REMOVE IT FROM YOUR PLAYSET.[/p]

[p]No sense in using mods that you know are not up-to-date.​[/p]

• [p]You can use the third-party software Skyve to check the status of your mods.[/p]

[p]Skyve is a great tool if your mod collection is starting to grow quite big, and can help you identify issues with outdated and/or incompatible mods you're currently subscribed to.​[/p]

• [p]Respect modders' personal lives and give them time to update their mods.[/p]

[p]They’re all human and work on these mods out of love for the game and the community, so be nice to them with this large update.​
[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]4. The community has done the heavy lifting!​[/h2][p]
Many community volunteers have made the gargantuan effort of compiling a list of popular mods and their status after the patch. Please note that this list is not a complete list of all mods that are on Paradox Mods, but a collection of the most popular ones.

You can find the sheet thatkjmcihas created with the help of many other community modders and testers here:[/p][p]https://bit.ly/ModsBnP

[/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h2]5. Is your game still broken? Here's how to get help:​
[/h2]

• [p]If you have a mod that you know is broken, REMOVE IT FROM YOUR PLAYSET.[/p]

[p]Nothing good can come from knowingly playing with mods that you know are broken, and if you want to play the game before a specific mod updates, you will experience glitches, big or small.​
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• [p]Check this forum post for solutions to many common issues.[/p]

[p]We have shared a list of the most common issues so that you can help us by helping yourself in diagnosing and solving common issues. Give this a look over to see if you can recognize your issue here before moving on to #3.​
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• [p]Report bugs in the Bug Reports forum.[/p]

[p]If you have ruled out mods as the cause of your game acting weird, please head over to our bug reporting board on our forum to get help from Paradox directly. Filling in a form with all the information about your game really helps us diagnose game bugs. Any bug related to the usage of mods needs to be reported on the mod itself and addressed by the modder themselves.​
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• [p]Go to our Discord’s ⁠#cs2-tech-support channel and follow the steps there.[/p]

[p]Our official Discord server has many good resources that could help you fix your game, and the members on there are usually happy to help you try to fix your game. Just one quick reminder: our dear moderators and tech-support are volunteers, so please thank them for their help. During large updates like this, there’s usually a large influx of people needing help, so please be patient and allow them time to answer.​
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• [p]Want to turn your mods off until they’re updated?[/p]

[p]If you want to play the Vanilla game while you wait for mods to be patched but don't want to remove your mods, you can create an empty playset or temporarily add --disableModding to the game's launch options to disable all mods.​[/p]

[p]Welcome back to the second Bridges & Ports development diary. We covered our motivation for the expansion’s theme and the new bridges it includes in the first diary, “Bridges,” found here. Today is all about the Port and its many upgrades. If you have dreamt of quays lined by cranes and container stacks as far as the eye can see, you’re in for a treat! But the Port can be so much more than that. With its various storage upgrades, you can customize it to match the area it serves, whether that’s an offshore oil industry, a small fishing town, or a dryport in the mountains servicing your mining areas. Or you can take it in a different direction entirely with the Passenger Terminal and combine it with the new waterfront businesses, parks, and ferries to make it the beating heart of a holiday destination city. The choice is yours.[/p][p][/p][p]We will go through the different parts that make up the Port, how they are unlocked, where to find them, and what you can do with them, so you’re ready to customize your coastlines when Bridges & Ports is released on the 29th of October. And without further ado, let’s get started.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p][p]The flexibility of the Port lets you build a harbor that fits your unique city.[/p][p][/p][h2]THE GATE IS JUST THE BEGINNING[/h2][p]No matter what type of port you set out to build, they all start with a main gate. Once you have unlocked the Water Transportation Menu, you have access to the Small Port, Medium Port, and Large Port. Each size varies not only in cost and building footprint but also in the amount of traffic they can support and the building upgrades, specifically extensions, each has available - more on those later in this development diary. While you can expand your port with Auxiliary Gates to create more entry points to the port and distribute traffic, you cannot change the Port main gate once you start building your port, so choose wisely. [/p][p][/p][p]Once you place your Port gate in a suitable location, select it to open the Upgrades Menu to see everything you can build. Right away, many of the upgrades are locked, at least if you don’t play with Unlock All enabled, as they require you to ship certain amounts of cargo to unlock them. But fret not, you have everything you need to get started shipping cargo in and out of your city: Four different small storage facilities to store your cargo, a Cargo Crane to load and unload your cargo ships, a Port Quay to place your crane on, a Seaway to connect your port to the outside world, and a Cargo Ship Route to bring in ships importing and exporting cargo.[/p][p] [/p][p]In just six steps, you have built a custom port that is ready to import and export cargo.[/p][p] [/p][p]You do not have to follow the steps outlined above exactly in that order. For example, you may want to line the shore with Port Quays, which can also be found in the Water Transportation Menu, if defining the shape of your port is the best starting point for you. Or you might decide to add the storage facilities last instead of immediately after placing your Port gate. You just need to keep in mind that the upgrades must be placed within a 1 km radius of the Port gate.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]While there are limits, the Port complex can be very large, and you can always build another next to it if needed.[/p][p][/p][h2]RUNNING A TIGHT SHIP[/h2][p]A port needs storage to be functional, and while every storage facility adds to the port’s overall capacity, they are tied to different resources. This enables you to specialize your port with, for example, Tank Farms, which only store oil, petrochemicals, and chemicals, or diversify your harbor with a combination of some or all options. There are four different types of storage facilities: Cargo Warehouses, Cargo Container Yards, Tank Farms, and Bulk Storage Yards, which all come in Small, Medium, and Large sizes. [/p][p]
To see all the resources your port can and has stored, all you need to do is select the Port main gate.[/p][p][/p][p]With a storage facility in place, your port is now open for business, meaning trucks can start to deliver and pick up cargo. While trucks can enter the port and reach the storage facility using any available road, all depending on which has the lowest pathfinding cost, the key to running an efficient port is the Gates. Gates control traffic in and out of the port, and bypassing them with a non-gated road results in a 50% reduction in Efficiency. When you first build a port, you have just the Port main gate, but as you ship more cargo through the port, Auxiliary Gates unlock, allowing you to add multiple entry points to the area, ensuring full Efficiency and smooth traffic in and out.[/p][p]
The new notification warns you if a bypass into the port exists.[/p][p][/p][p]To unlock all upgrades, you need to transport a lot of cargo via ships. While one Cargo Crane and one Ship Route can certainly get the job done, you can add as many cranes along the quay as you can fit. The Cargo Crane serves as a place for Cargo Ship Routes to stop, and while several lines can share a stop, more stops let your ships dock at the same time, meaning more cargo can be shipped in and out simultaneously.[/p][p][/p][p]However, trucks and ships aren’t the only traffic visiting the port. Once you have your port up and running, you will see a new type of vehicle driving around the port: the Reach Stackers. These specialized vehicles are designed to transport cargo containers around the port, and as they are wider than other vehicles, they are only allowed to drive on the new Port Roads. These special roads can be found in both the Port Upgrade Menu and the Water Transportation Menu. If you prefer to use normal roads in either most or just part of your port, you can absolutely do that. Cargo is still transported to and from ships and storage facilities, even if your Reach Stackers cannot get there. [/p][p]
No cargo port is complete without Reach Stackers moving containers back and forth[/p][p][/p][h2]UPPING YOUR SHIPPING GAME[/h2][p]Now that we have covered the basics, let’s discuss how you can expand and personalize your Port through its various upgrades. First, we will have a look at Extensions. These are added to the Port main gate, and only the Medium and Large Ports have them. The Medium Port can be upgraded with a Customs Office, which reduces the risk of crime in the Port, but at the cost of lower profit for companies. The Large Port also has the Customs Office, but offers one additional upgrade: The Reach Stacker Garage Extension. This upgrade adds a garage to your Port gate, increasing the speed of loading and unloading cargo for an even more efficient harbor. [/p][p][/p][p]Next, we have Sub-buildings, which can be placed anywhere within a 1 km radius of the Port building. All three Port sizes have access to 21 sub-buildings of varying size and function, unlocking as you ship more cargo through your Port. With 12 storage facilities, two cargo cranes, and two auxiliary gates covered in the previous sections, we are left with five sub-buildings to discuss: The Employee Canteen, the Port Security, the Emergency Response, the Intermodal Train Station, and the Passenger Terminal.[/p][p]
[/p][p]As you ship more cargo through the port, new upgrades become available.[/p][p][/p][p]The Employee Canteen provides a place for port workers to take a break and get a bite to eat, which makes for happier employees. Happy employees work more efficiently, and increased Efficiency means more available vehicles to distribute cargo around the city. But the upgrades aren’t just about efficiency. They’re also about keeping your Port safe, and that’s where the Port Security and Emergency Response upgrades come into play. The Port Security reduces the Crime Accumulation in buildings nearby, which is the risk that a building is chosen as the scene of a crime. Similarly, the Emergency Response building decreases the Fire Hazard nearby, so all your cargo doesn’t go up in flames. All three of these sub-buildings are Unique, meaning they can only be placed once per Port.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Employee Canteen, Port Security, and Emergency Response sub-buildings help keep your port running smoothly.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]PICK YOUR PORT[/h2][p]Next, let’s talk about the Intermodal Train Station and Passenger Terminal sub-buildings. The Intermodal Train Station adds two train tracks to the Port, so you can connect Cargo Train Routes either to other parts of the city or to an Outside Connection. Meanwhile, the Passenger Terminal adds a place for passenger ships to dock, providing both citizens and tourists with a new way of entering or exiting the city. Once unlocked, both upgrades can be added to an existing Port or used in a separate one to create a custom dry port or passenger port, respectively.[/p][p] [/p][p]Yes, that’s right. While cargo transport via ships is the main focus of the Port, its flexibility allows much more. To create a dry port, all you need is a Port main gate, an appropriate storage facility, and the Intermodal Train Station connecting it to your harbor, city, or Outside Connection. It can serve as a more flexible option to the Cargo Train Terminal, storing as much or as little cargo as you need. [/p][p][/p][p]Build a dry port with just the amount and type of storage your industrial area needs.[/p][p][/p][p]Or take your port in a different direction with the new Fishing Industry and Offshore Oil Industry coming in Bridges & Ports. While we’ll let you explore the details yourself, both of these can be found in the Specialized Industry Menu and have a main building, just like the Port. You build out their piers, storage facilities, and extraction areas to best utilize the resources on your map, and set up Pipelines, Boatways, and Routes to connect the main buildings and extraction areas – all through the Upgrade Menu. Then you can sit back and watch the waters of your city come to life with fishing boats and oil tankers.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Fishing offers a new way to provide your city with locally-sourced food.[/p][p][/p][h2]ALL ABOARD[/h2][p]Before we end this dev diary, let’s take a step back from the industrial side of ports and talk about how the Passenger Terminal can be used to build a tourist-focused harbor using just a Port main gate and any number of Passenger Terminals that make sense for your city. You can even start small and expand it with multiple terminals if the area gets busy over time. Add any of the existing tourist attractions or leisure piers to the area, or dive into the new parks, lighthouses, or waterfront businesses included in Bridges & Ports to make the area the highlight of your city.[/p][p][/p][p]In cities with a lot of waterways, you can also add ferries to connect your passenger port area and the rest of the city, letting citizens and tourists hop on a “water bus” cruising the waterfronts and beating traffic to their destination. While passenger ships bring people to and from your city, ferries are all about moving them around inside your city. Bridges & Ports features both a small Ferry Stop that can be placed on quays and a larger building that can be placed on shorelines, but for a busy harbor, you might want the Ferry Terminal, which can be extended with additional stops along the piers or upgraded to house a bus terminal.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Ferries go well with a passenger port, taking people further into the city through its waterways. [/p][p][/p][p]With that, we have reached the end of this development diary. Thank you for reading along. Did it spark any new ideas for your cities? Do you already have a plan for how to use the new content? Tell us all about it in the comments below. We look forward to seeing your ports and waterways buzzing with new life, and hope you will enjoy everything Bridges & Ports has to offer once the expansion is available on the 29th of October.[/p][p]
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[p]Hello Mayors![/p][p][/p][p]The second Feature Highlight has been shipped right to you, with more information on the new Ports, the new Fishing and Offshore Oil industries, and the new citizen transport method; FERRIES!⛴️[/p][p][/p][p]Only 8 days left until Bridges & Ports![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Your city’s waterfront is about to get a serious upgrade. Bridges & Ports, the next major expansion for Cities: Skylines II, launches October 29, 2025, and it’s all about bringing life to your shores.[/p]

[h2]Hello Mayors! [/h2][p][/p][p]With our first expansion, Bridges & Ports, just around the corner, we’re taking a closer look at what you can expect from the expansion. We have two development diaries for you, creatively named “Bridges” and “Ports,” where we cover the features we’re most excited about. We hope you will have fun exploring everything Bridges & Ports has to offer when it releases on the 29th of October.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Today is all about bridges, but before we dive in, let’s talk about how we picked the theme for the first expansion. Cities: Skylines II has a lot of potential, and we had no shortage of ideas from both our team and all of you. We looked at what would be new and exciting to explore and quickly settled on waterfronts as an overarching theme. However, we couldn’t cover every water-related idea in one expansion, so we chose to focus on ports and thus, Bridges & Ports was born. With customizable ports, offshore oil industry, industrial fishing, and ferries, you will have a lot of ships and boats on the water, and building bridges with enough clearance for them can be tricky. You will need some new additions, and we have you covered with 20 new bridges!
[/p][p]Let your citizens cross waterways in style using one of the 20 new bridges.[/p][p][/p][h2]MOVE THAT BRIDGE[/h2][p]We’re excited to introduce ten movable bridges that halt traffic and open to allow ships clear passage. While they are constructed in a way very similar to other bridges in the game, the movable section only appears when they cross a Narrow Seaway, meaning you can use them anywhere in your city, not just across the water.
[/p][p]Five of the movable bridges are drawbridges, also known as bascule bridges in real-world terminology. They all have two sections that swing upward to allow ships to pass safely, while traffic waits for its turn. Our drawbridges come in various sizes, and you can find them in the Small, Medium, and Large Roads Menus, as well as in the Landscaping Menu under Paths for pedestrian-only versions. [/p][p][/p][p]Watching the new drawbridges open and close can be mesmerizing, but don’t forget to check on your city once in a while.[/p][p][/p][p]The remaining five bridges are vertical-lift bridges, or just lift bridges for short. As the name implies, these have a section that is raised vertically to create enough space for ships to pass underneath. Lift bridges require less counterweight than drawbridges, making them better suited for heavy loads like trains, which is why many real-life rail bridges use this design – and it’s why our rail bridges are also lift bridges. You can find four of them in their respective Transportation Menus as they cover train, tram, and subway, while the double-decked option, combining double train tracks and a four-lane highway, is found in the Highway Roads Menu.[/p][p][/p][p]The Four-Lane Highway Double Train Track Double-Decked Lift Bridge has quite a name and an even more breathtaking design.[/p][p][/p][h2]HOLD UP, SHIP COMING THROUGH![/h2][p]Both drawbridges and lift bridges are closed by default, allowing pedestrians and vehicles to cross unhindered until a ship approaches. At this point, traffic at either end of the bridge is stopped while any vehicles or pedestrians already on the bridge make their way to the other side. Once it’s all clear, the bridge begins to open, and once it’s fully up, the ship passes through. Then, you guessed it – the bridge closes again, the traffic control beams open, and traffic resumes crossing the bridge. 
[/p][p]As you can imagine, this process takes more time than a red-to-green traffic light cycle, meaning movable bridges can cause more of a delay in travel time when a ship needs to pass through. Keep this in mind as you design your city – you may not want your busiest crossing to be a movable bridge, at least not if you have many ships coming in and out of your port area.[/p][p]
The bridge stays open long enough for the ship to pass through. Once closed, traffic proceeds to cross the bridge.[/p][p]
[/p][h2]DOUBLE THE DECK, DOUBLE THE FUN[/h2][p]The double-decked lift bridge isn’t the only double-decked bridge we have for you. Though these do not open, we have two additional bridges that stack various networks on top of each other, combining them into one cohesive bridge. Let’s start in the Medium Roads Menu, where you can find a new bridge with a two-lane road above the larger four-lane road. This extradosed bridge is a great choice for busy crossings, offering a total of six lanes of traffic, or for connecting areas with tiered road networks. Instead of building two bridges, you just need this one. [/p][p]
Connect each deck of the Two-Lane + Four-Lane Double-Decked Extradosed Bridge to different parts of the city, or continue the stacked network through your city. [/p][p]Moving into the Highway Roads Menu, we have the Three-Lane Highway Double-Decked Suspension Bridge, complementing the first double-decked bridge you got in the Quays & Piers update. With its double three-lane highway roads stacked on top of each other, it saves a lot of space and cost, making it a great option when you’re expanding your highway network. [/p][p][/p][p]The Three-Lane Highway Double-Decked Suspension Bridge gets you two highway roads for the price of one! [/p][h2]JUST BRIDGING THE GAP[/h2][p]Bridges don’t need new flashy features or multiple networks to be both functional and visually interesting, so naturally, we have eight regular bridges for you. Let’s start small and work our way up to the largest bridges. For pedestrians, we have a new bridge in addition to the two drawbridges. This wooden bridge is covered, sheltering pedestrians from the weather, and uses the new Wide Pedestrian Path for those busy areas. In the Subway Transportation Menu, you’ll find Double Subway Track Truss Arch Bridge, while the Small Roads Menu now houses the elaborate Two-Lane Suspension Bridge, complete with protective barriers to keep pedestrians safe. [/p][p]
Your choice of bridge can define the look and feel of your city, and the Two-Lane Suspension Bridge is a stylish option.[/p][p][/p][p]For Medium Roads, we have three new additions, two of which share the same design. First, the sturdy Four-Lane Truss Arch Bridge with that classic look. But fret not, if you’re looking for a more modern design, the Four Lane Extradosed Bridge offers just that, and with its one-way and two-way options, it offers just the solution you need. All can, of course, be upgraded with bus lanes or tram tracks for all your public transport needs.
[/p][p]The Four-Lane Truss Arch Bridge can handle a lot of traffic, or be upgraded with bus lanes and tram tracks to support your public transit network. [/p][p][/p][p]In Large Roads, you will find two new suspension bridges that live up to the “Large Road” name, as both can span not just Narrow Seaways, but also Medium and Wide Seaways, making them perfect for crossing wide fjords or bays. The Six Lane Suspension Bridge offers three lanes in each direction, while its one-way counterpart is ready to tackle even the heaviest traffic. [/p][p][/p][p]The impressive Six Lane Suspension Bridge comes in both two-way and one-way versions.[/p][p][/p][p]With so many new bridge options to choose from, we hope you find a new favorite as you’re building your cities along rivers or across canyons. Do you already have your eye on one or a spot in your current city that will be upgraded with one of these new bridges? Let us know in the comments below. Next time, we dive into the details of how the Port works and take a quick peek at all the port-related features in Bridges & Ports, but you will have to wait until the 21st of October for that.[/p][p]
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[p]Hello Mayors![/p][p][/p][p]Have you been curious what's included in the new Bridges & Ports DLC? GREAT! We have information to share! 20 new bridges are coming with the new DLC, including drawbridges and lift bridges! [/p][p][/p][p]The first Feature Highlight is out, and now we can all learn more about the infrastructure that will carry your citizens across your waterways!
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Your city’s waterfront is about to get a serious upgrade. Bridges & Ports, the next major expansion for Cities: Skylines II, launches October 29, 2025, and it’s all about bringing life to your shores. [/p]