I Built a Beautiful Realistic City in Cities Skylines 2 And It Was Easier Than I Thought

My third #citiesskylines2 gameplay video, and we're supercharging the growth of our Realistic North American city Riverview, through massive suburban expansions, starting a new city across the river, implementing an additional commuter/passenger train station, and setting up the first train line, the development of a college, expansions and/or revamps of our healthcare services, police services and school system, the development of a mail sorting facility and last but certainly not least: a big zoning overhaul of Downtown and Riverview's inner-city districts, up-zoning a lot of central areas to higher densities: medium and high density residential and offices. So yeah - lots of things - lots of new skyscrapers - Enjoy!
I want to thank @paradoxinteractive and Colossal Order for providing early access to the game and giving me this opportunity to share Cities Skylines 2 content with all of you, and want to stress that this is not a paid promotion of the game.
Please keep in mind that this is a BETA version of the game and thus not the finished product and that this is not a paid promotion of the game!
Patreon with Ad-Free Early-Access to new uploads when possible other goodies! - / infrastructurist
All my Cities: Skylines Series playlists:
American Realistic County - Dakota Falls: • Realistic American Cou...
Crystal Reef County: • Cities Skylines - Crys...
Coniferia: • Sunny coastal town! - ...
The American Dream: • Cities: Skylines - The...
Project JAPAN: • Starting A Realistic J...
Building a realistic European/UK city (really old series!): • Starting A New City! -...
If you want to buy Cities: Skylines or any of its DLC and support me at the same time, you can do so at www.nexus.gg/i...
Map;
- Mountain Village
Settings;
- Everything is set to high, 1440p resolution.
Hardware specs;
- 3080, 32 GB ram, I5-12600KF.
Music;
artlist.io/
#citiesskylines #citiesskylinesgameplay #cityskylines #citiesskylinesletsplay #citiesskylinesmods #citiesskylinesdowntown #citiesskylinescanada #citiesskylinesaustralia #citiesskylineslayout #citiesskylinesdesign

[@Infrastructurist]

This is the 3rd installment of Riverview - you can check the playlist with all the other content from this city here: kzbin.info/aero/PLX9x9HoC3rHu2fkoBOWpra94JFd66oL-F For extra stuff, check out my Patreon: www.patreon.com/infrastructurist Got a question? Leave a comment! Much love, Infrastructurist

[@robynfooks4865]

As a mail carrier, watching you place the collection boxes at the same location on the opposite sides of the street had me internally screaming. Riverside's carriers are losing their mind trying to get all those scans on time XD

[@Infrastructurist]

Hahahahahah - whooops 😂😂😂

[@TimmieVD]

This is by far the best CS2 preview. You're the only one who tries to make realistic cities, instead of just plopping grid-tiles.

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you for the compliment Timmie ☺

[@melior6927]

Yeah, him and two dollar twenty done an excellent job at building a good-looking city

[@Helluscus]

Two dollars twenty is pretty realistic too, only one that reminds me of where i live as well lol

[@ricker024]

City Planner Plays also has very realistic build and development styles.

[@thespacepeacock]

Silvarrets St. Luke is exceptional too, but he went for a very specific (somewhat limiting) style. I would say Riverview is by far the most realistic looking actual ‘city’ in CS2 so far

[@nuclearpotato4073]

The ease with which you can create dynamic and flashy road systems is really impressive. I think that's been one of my favorite features in all of these preview videos.

[@Infrastructurist]

It's just so smooth and fun to use!

[@nuclearpotato4073]

@@Infrastructurist I get the feeling that intricate and wacky road systems are going to be important parts of many people's future builds. Even with road anarchy, CS1's roads can be a nightmare to work with, but here everything generally works out of the box.

[@gem6880]

Wow this city looks AMAZING! This guy knows what he's doing.

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you gem! ☺

[@IshanDassanayake07]

Best CS2 city by far!

[@JulianP-q6u]

@@IshanDassanayake07 oh wait citys skylines! idk why but my head went amidietly to counter-strike 2

[@TransportSimulatorNationTSN]

And no mods to make the game look this good😮

[@bchristian85]

Yeah if it's this good out of the box, all I'll want in terms of mods is procedural objects and probably some assets. This video makes me optimistic. I have a bad taste in my mouth about CS1 after losing my 2400 hour city because the final DLC update broke one of the mods I was dependent on. You really needed a crapload of mods to do a realistic city in CS1.

[@capnsteele3365]

@@bchristian85 just optimize the game and its alright

[@King-2077]

@@capnsteele3365some mods that were made for cs1 are game changing that it didnt just optimized the game, it enable players to do stuff the original game wouldn’t let you like move ploppable buildings anytime and anywhere you want so you can sort and make your city look good.

[@Havingfun0]

@@bchristian85yeah man I feel you. Tough loss, you get to start a new city 🤷‍♂️

[@SkullModder]

@@bchristian85 this game struggles to run in 1440p on a 4090. good luck.

[@OVERCHARGEDEGG]

That shot through the bridge arch is superb bro! Fantastic work!

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you - I really appreciate that OE ☺

[@MrMorton2u]

It feels like you’re playing CS2 like CS2 and not like CS1. You’ve embraced the new game and its game mechanics. It’s so enjoyable to watch! ❤

[@LOLWAAHH]

The improved graphics and more lively feeling of the game combined with your masterful urban planning in the context of this game really makes this city feel like it exists in real life. The cherry on top was the street level view that you did at the end. It felt like I could visit this city, and all as a result of you pushing the potential of this game even before it’s come out!

[@Infrastructurist]

Thanks for the kind words, glad you like it!

[@MartinWastlund]

Omg, trees are looking L U S H. Makes me think that I may actually learn to like the tree growth feature over time.

[@Infrastructurist]

T H I C C N' L U S H 😎

[@Likearollingstone174]

It’s growing on me too…

[@Ben_LaBroca]

Probably the best of the pre release series I think - amazing work!

[@Infrastructurist]

Thanks a lot Ben - I appreciate that!

[@jrossk]

The way you grid your cities always seems to natural and easy. It’s really inspiring!

[@davidmhaggarty]

Your distain for the failings of North American city planning cracks me up. This city you've made looks great!

[@Sap3r3Aud3]

Great city and video! I hope Paradox either reduce the (insane) amount of demand for single family detached homes, or correct the description of row houses from medium to low density.

[@Kasiarzynka]

I think I've heard somewhere that you can "trigger" demand for different housing densities based on how you build your city, what services you offer etc. I hope that's the case - I'm a fan for higher density, too, but if it's a gameplay mechanic, to actually think about how to make the city more friendly for people who'd move into your preferred density, I wouldn't mind it at all.

[@PTB_BE]

"We're gonna expand and stretch our services thin until we become financially insolvent" Hot damn son... again: the reason why we all like your content. Also, the way Caldwell is "designed" here gives me the impression it was a town on its' own until it get "connected" to Riverview thanks to zoning. So perhaps Caldwell could get its' own city centre to highlight this even more? (hint hint hint :p )

[@Infrastructurist]

Hahahah, I just had to. Good input, didn't even think of that - we could make it look more like a historical small town on its own

[@SonsOfSevenless]

@@Infrastructurist when you zoned some row houses and commercial in the core of caldwell, it made it seem like it was the old town, village or historical core of caldwell, with the town expanding via suburban subdivisions in more recent years.

[@andresmartinezramos7513]

Hard hitting truths with no heads up

[@tectagon]

​@@SonsOfSevenless I think I saw a castle in North Cadwell as well

[@Meeesa]

I would love to see Riverview continue!! Just shy of 10 days out! 🎉 I forgot to schedule the 24th off, and of course I now have 3-12 hour shifts starting the 24th. 🙃 Anywho, can't wait to see how the actual release differs from these beta releases. I wonder if there are gonna be any surprises? 🤔

[@bshipman2k]

Best Cities Skylines II city I've seen so far! I would definitely love to see this city's growth through the entire milestone tree and beyond!

[@trusttheprocess4775]

love how his city and district naming convention is so realistic. Caldwell, North caldwell, RTA, Riverline, Downtown etc etc. So authentic. Love this. So professional.

[@PrivatePreston]

One of my main issues with the first game was the strategic part of it and how easy it was, watching the first 30min of your video and you can clearly see they improved it dramatically, not being able to easily achieve max happiness of such a small 13k population is amazing. I think this might be the game that'll finally dethrone SC4

[@anoofadam351]

I am so glad KZbin recommended your videos to me. I have spent the weekend binge-watching your content and its the best weekend I had while stuck at home.

[@mikenolan1704]

Yeah I really looked forward to your videos in the build up to release. I’m part of the 1% that subscribed. Can’t wait to see what you produce after release dude. From UK

[@cravinghibiscus7901]

Trains are cool and we love trains indeed! You could think of it as a Copenhagen style light rail S-Train line. Not too far from the central station to Vesterport section, also quite short though bypassed by regional trains who take a bypass track. Maybe you can bring a more realistic element to the rail network by having a rail line for regional trains on the main lines and then rail lines that stop at every station? Personally love the look of rail corridors in cities and the creative ways city planers integrate them in different ways!

[@morganjsmith1710]

I’d love to see this city continue. I love the look of it.

[@SennaCH96]

Continue this series mate! I really enjoy watching every single second of the video. Would be amazing to see this city grow even more!

[@TINYHEAD69]

The sizes of buildings are sooooo nice in this. Way more realistic looking. I just hope it runs better at release cause it looks choppy as hell in every video I've seen so far, even on brand new cities 60 fps seems hard to hit.

[@gijskramer1702]

even though it looks choppy it does not feel like the movements are choppy. it does not seem like he overshoots with the movement like you would expect with framedrops

[@adamixa5801]

imagine the whole complex of school is the same scale as a housein cs1?

[@GraveUypo]

ah you can forget 60fps on this type of games. luckly they play decently even at 10fps

[@gijskramer1702]

@@GraveUypo 6 fps gang

[@DanielFildan]

looking at it frame by frame and counting the number of frames where nothing changes it looks pretty dire, not a scientific method tho, just a very rough indication when zoomed out and panning it looks like there is a frame every 4 - 6 frames of the video (10 - 15FPS) when zoomed in its roughly a frame every 1 - 3 frames of the video (30-60FPS) Overall the gameplay seems to be in the 20-40FPS region tho

[@PaveruHakase]

i am extremely jealous of you for getting early access!! and you should definitely keep this series coming after release!! great vid as always

[@Infrastructurist]

Fully understood, I really do feel privileged - and thank you!

[@vscagliusi]

impressive!! very good looking build, i love the use of zoning and the thinner streets! please continue this series :)

[@loic.837]

My man, this quite literally is the only good looking city out on KZbin. You’re the only one actually aiming to have the city looking realistic, super entertaining, love it

[@ChummyRocketeer]

I love your approach to making an actually realistic city! Great videos, and can't wait for the next one

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you 😊😊

[@Somber.Killer]

Wow man great work! This game looks insanely good. Can't wait to play along side you!

[@Infrastructurist]

Thanks a ton!

[@DandizzleUK]

Awesome, picked up plenty from your Riverview videos and hope that they do continue. I enjoy your style of the sped up building sections followed by commentary explaining what you've done, it allows you to add depth to your voice over without spitting your concentration between both building and voiceover which would diminish both I feel. Thanks for the videos - subbed.

[@Infrastructurist]

Thanks for the sub and the feedback! And you're completely right on the format of timelapse/commentary - it enables me to just focus on developing stuff without too much rambling ☺

[@Featherus_]

This series has just brought me so much joy. I am amazed at how east it looked to make such a realistic and beautiful looking city in unmodded Cities Skylines 2. Its all I ever wanted and more!

[@JaCrispy3060]

Game really needs fall colors now. Maybe if they had some kind of noise map for the game map that determined what color the tree leaves went to during fall it would look great. That and white and pink budding leaves in the spring and dead trees in the fall!

[@Infrastructurist]

Hi Amanda - beautiful fall color where JUST added as I was finishing up this build, so I might be able to get some fall vibes into the next video!

[@JaCrispy3060]

@@Infrastructurist 😂😂 good stuff man. I think I saw a shot of it on $2.20's video. Did they update the snow textures too though??

[@dalton-at-work]

@@JaCrispy3060 the snow has already been confirmed to be fixed by $2.20

[@grunge0023]

Definitely keep going with progressing this city's development. I love it. With the high density residence and offices, the population would increase and you would require more police, postal and healthcare coverage I guess.

[@jaegerrsf]

Look im a shooter guy, i like running, guns, lifting etc. city building is not even my interest area but art, the art is my interest and this is piece of art. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

[@pschweiz]

I think this is the most beautiful CS2 cities from all the previews. Along the straight stretch of Bedford street I would zone rowhouses, I think that would look great and bring more pax to the train line!

[@MininaBinina]

Subbed! Love how you build cities and your dry sense of humor. Looking forward to CS2 and watching what you do with it after release!

[@thespacepeacock]

Absolutely amazing job! Imho nobody has done as good a job at showcasing just how much you can do with the game as you have!

[@CJ-rt8zy]

Music and building vibes are so kino

[@morrischen5777]

[Citizen Suggestion] We need a pedestrian/bicycle bridge from Northside to Caldwell! A better and saver shortcut for the kids to access to Caldwell elementary school without going through the distance sole congested bridge to Caldwell.

[@blackineese]

As a console player I was really looking forward to this. And the console delay right before release just took the wind out my sail. On the other hand its good so they dont ship a broken game. Hopefully it fixes issues with that verson and not downgrade it, with assets disappearing when slightly zooms out and that weird circle with assets detail disappearing outsode of it.

[@MadeByMe.A]

Don’t worry you’ll get to play it eventually. Colossal order has really gained my trust. Games get delayed from time to time not a big deal, although I understand it might be upsetting to wait 🙏🏼

[@blackineese]

@finnishwilds Yeah, I'm not worried about playing. Better a delayed game than a broken one. I am hoping that to get it up and running on console, it will not be downgraded. So, I'm hoping for the best come next year. 🤞

[@Infrastructurist]

Hey man, fully understand your dissappointment - I am hopeful that they have done that with clear intents of making sure the console versions do not dissappoint in any way!

[@blackineese]

@@Infrastructurist Really hoping so 🤞

[@LorBell]

Yes, please keep up the great work! It's mesmerizing. I worried about you not being able to free-form (plop), but you're handling it really well!

[@MarTin-kq7bi]

This city definitely needs to continue. Enjoyed watching every second of it. ❤ Would love to see how you upgrade/rework the areas with more details once there are new custom assets available for CS2. However, what I am quite dissapointed with is the lack of variety of buildings, although it's much better than in CS1. I mean, I'm not fan of mixing different zones within one block - but seems it's the only way how to get some variety here in this game. Just can't accept the fact that say for example 3x3 zone tiles of the same density level allows to build only one type of building, just in different colour. Is it only me that was hoping for more? 😅

[@Infrastructurist]

More asset variety is probably a permanent wish of me, can never get enough - so I follow you! And thnak you! ☺

[@fakecubed]

Don't worry there will be hundreds of dollars of DLC to add more variety, LOL.

[@sammyp8647]

If I had never seen any other review or feature video, and had only seen this video. I would of been sold. By far the best most detailed video using the game mechanics I've seen !!. Very excited

[@LincolnDJ]

I'm in love with this vid, best development i saw until now, so conscious about the game, the demands, I've loved this content, you've got a sub for life

[@aliteralsnakewithatophat3247]

Shoutout to the devs for adding housing crisis and forcing you into unsustainable suburban sprawl very realistic

[@killslayer1526]

This city is absolutely beautiful. I love realistic designs. Really makes you appreciate the masterpieces city planners create.

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you so much!☺

[@danonck]

Absolutely stunning, missed your videos recently and you came back with a bang! Can't wait till you get your hands in some custom assets and mods! And that bridge shot.. oh my!

[@12skits63]

If you told me you had mods i would believe you lol

[@Infrastructurist]

Hahahaha, right? Game is looking pretty great!

[@Ahjusshi_Brown]

I’m so happy I discovered this channel and this game through you. You’ve definitely earned my sub. I can’t wait for the game to come out, and thanks for all you’ve taught me bc it’ll be my first city builder 🥳

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you for the sub, i appreciate it! 😊👍

[@preziplier2145]

I love this city so so so much! The layout is realistic, I like where you chose to start, the transit feels baked into the bones of the city and not haphazardly added later on and BY FAR it feels like a city built with an American mindset. I can’t wait to watch as it expands further 😊

[@CammyDoesStuff]

I subscribed thanks for the reminder watched the whole series so far and then completely forgot!! Great work looks great!!

[@Alex-ns4qk]

Really enjoying the series and I hope you finish this city even after release keeping the vanilla aesthetic you have going :)

[@AngeMakesArt]

Hey, I just found your channel this morning and I'm just blown away. LOVING your content and can't wait to watch more of your builds. Riverview is gorgeous and I'm looking forward to watching it grow.

[@Hannodb1961]

Your city is one of my favorites. I really love how you used zoning to get such a great looking skyline. I hope I'll be able to replicate it when its my turn.

[@Reniu87]

Bro! I've watched the whole thing! I can't wait for the game! Your building style is awesome!

[@erhankirkkulac1412]

Man, the city you built is inspiring. I can't wait to play.

[@mrnix1001]

I've been watching a lot of various videos recently about City Skylines and I will confidentially say you have absolutely the best music of them! :)

[@Pastamistic]

I love the way you've built this city. I need to be a lot more flexible and creative with the way I build cities.

[@nicklaskurzweil]

As a European, I think its funny, how real the mentality of development in this city is. He: "Suburbs are draining my services and increase my costs, while providing little benefit." His solution: lets build more suburbs! And this, ladies and gentleman, is why every north american city is a fincancial black hole.

[@eduardocristo2118]

55:55 dude just taking a walk with his Cerberos, great

[@ryandugan9176]

I love the way you build and redevelopment areas in an almost realistic fashion. I don't care what city you stick with but I'd love to see you keep building.

[@nexcin]

You are one of the best City builders. Whoooa your build looks nice! :)

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you nexcin! ☺

[@BodhiPolitic]

This is exactly the kind of video I always wanted from you. Very nice!

[@Epitymbidia]

The road layout looks effortless. In the most positive way.

[@lovfro]

55:56 That isn't three dogs, that's one Cerberus 😁

[@ff85478]

Having all of the creators the same CS2 vanilla game with no mods, you truly can recognise the most talented ones. And let me say Infra, your work is by far the most exciting one to see at. It’s well played, interesting how you find a way to create diversity, and you are funny on top. Please keep pleasing us with your videos as long as you can. ❤️

[@trusttheprocess4775]

very interesting and professionally acted. Love it

[@mattbeevers1132]

Best Cities Skylines content creator on KZbin. I can watch both you and Two Dollars Twenty play this game all day. The GOATS of Cities Skylines

[@Infrastructurist]

Thank you so much Matt - I really appreciate that (and I am sure the good Two Dollars Twenty does as well - my favorite cities creator) ☺

[@redcastlefan]

been looking forward to your video in particular. Glad this is generating you viewers and subs you deserve it great stuff.

[@topikbagusid]

The isometric cinematic bringing too much nostalgia...damn

[@saras1029]

I love watching you build, Riverview looks amazing!

[@tamtam38924]

Really love your high quality 4k videos and how you build your cities, very inspiring. There are so many creators being part of that CS2 coverage cycle but your videos are clearly standing out! As soon as restrictions fall, I would be very curious to see a city with 100k population, and one with 200k population, to see how your PC is handling it in terms of stutter and frame rates. You have very similar hardware specs than I have (although I play in 4k). Also, would be curious to hear if DLSS is / gets implemented finally. Thanks again for your fantastic video coverage.

[@karlitop7497]

Love this build. question I notice the two existing elementary schools were at max capacity. Ever think of upgrading them to have a larger capacity which may help with retentions excuse there's room for students?

[@justdude7222]

Love what your doing :D Can't wait for my new PC to try myself.

[@ClaxMaxtron]

Hey Infra, really nice build today! Is it possible to turn off motion blur? It seems like the city's getting kinda laggy and the low fps motìon blur feels a bit disorienting when you're moving the camera around a lot. See you next episode!

[@Infrastructurist]

I have disabled it recently - I agree it is much better! 😊

[@Infrastructurist]

And thank you!!

[@ClaxMaxtron]

Great thanks!

[@Wardino_]

@@Infrastructurist Was going to ask the same but got beat too it! Keep up the great vids, looking forward to future CS2 content

[@improve1214]

Love how the city turns out! Great talent!

[@BiffaPlaysCitiesSkylines]

Great looking city 👌

[@ex3boy91]

CS2 looks much better than CS1 and I'm in love with road tools, but there is still a problem with scaling. Your city with such a nice downtown with really high buildings and suburban sprawl looks like a 50-100 k population city, but it has only 18k.

[@Infrastructurist]

I am happy that single-family houses now have a single family - but I agree that for higher-density stuff, there is simply too few residents and jobs. ☺

[@ex3boy91]

@@Infrastructurist That's right. Also row houses and mixed use buildings bring to a game realistic vibe. It will help to make an european city much easier than in CS1.

[@ryamole]

2:03 I have been watching videos on this game here and there and been thinking "oh the performance isn't that affected" until this point lol

[@fernandoguerrerobonilla2019]

So far, my favourite cities skylines 2 series, and i've watched quite of them. Good job.

[@comrade2810]

You're the best city builder having the best-looking city in CS2!! Hats off!!!!

[@Relikvien]

The services have such an immersive breaking short coverage ... I will in an urban area in developed Norway, but the police station and hospital are 30min away. Also the school is 10min drive away. Just normal stuff.

[@frankvargas908]

I always struggle to get good looking highways, it would be great if you make a video with some tips for it, love your content

[@geertbuis154]

I'm wondering if the cities in this game would look a bit more realistic if you fill out the in-between-spaces with pavement or concrete instead of grass

[@Infrastructurist]

I am hoping for a few more detailing options at least - that would be nice! ☺

[@Redridge07]

Same issue with the population as the previous version. This city has 12,350 residents but looks like a city of 150,000 residents.

[@Viikkinu]

🤦 that city is not big. It's mostly 1 family houses and the city area is size of downtown Manhattan

[@Infrastructurist]

I am happy that single-family houses now have a single family - but I agree that for higher-density stuff, there is simply too few residents and jobs. ☺

[@Redridge07]

@@Viikkinu that is the point, its a small city that has infrastructure for a city 10x that size.

[@wloffblizz]

@@Redridge07 It's kinda on the players though, honestly. People don't want to wait until their city is actually a realistic size before building all the fun, cool stuff... because realistically sized cities are actually HUGE in terms of footprint. But if you want to do it "properly", AFAIK there's nothing stopping you from sticking to nothing but low and medium density zoning and minimal infrastructure/services until your city actually looks like a city that might consider building some real high-rise and busy downtown areas.

[@Redridge07]

@@wloffblizz then the developer should have a sandbox mode for these type players

[@boringnoninterestingname65]

Omg it looks unbelievably real

[@bitmau5]

As someone who has worked and lkived in Ski Resort towns for nearly 2 decades, the snow feels off-putting to me. A nit-pick for sure, but very noticeable. Thanks for the content, I'm enjoying this series! As an aside, I produce a little EDM here and there, and I love the beats you've selected, it's kept me engaged during the time-lapses. Great work man!

[@izayaorihara5516]

55:56 I can't believe they added Cerberus to the game! Also absolutely love your build, it's amazing how much it looks like a real city

[@CWINDOWSsystem32]

I love how suburban sprawl led to the abandonment of your downtown core - just like in real life!

[@Jigsaw5487]

Amazing job mate! Can't wait to see the next episode and also play this game!

[@earth9651]

Man, after seeing your beautiful cities, how can I ever be content with my own attempts?!? Super impressive and realistic.

[@chinolewin3335]

you did it again!! nice game play!

[@parrodice]

The new style of the buildings at night with the lights and that you can see rooms inside the windows really reminds me of Sim City 4 and that gives me a feeling of coming back home

[@Cool_penguin_X]

he is the best city designer ever

[@davidvolodja4554]

I love these videos! Keep it up mate

[@MuddahFukkah]

Beautiful beautiful city.... I love it... Was this really made without mods? Incredible.

[@alyannadenise279]

Subscribed!! Love this series

[@ollihakala710]

You and Imperatur are simply the best of Cities Skylines and Cities Skylines II -youtubers!!!!!

[@mikedavey9434]

I never watch games on KZbin. This is legit my first and wow. I'm kinda addicted. Also, I can't WAIT for this game