Developer diaries

Developer diaries are articles, usually accompanied by screenshots and videos, showing the momentary state of development, describing features and explaining game design choices.

They are published by the developers Colossal Order in the game's main forum.

Base game

All developer diaries about Cities: Skylines II (base game) as well as patches.

External Link: Cities Skylines II features (Paradox Interactive)

No.	Title and Link	Description	Date
01	Feature #1: Road Tools Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Building roads is more flexible than before, helping you realize your vision for the perfect road layout. You will find a variety of new and returning options!	2023-06-19
02	Feature #2: Traffic AI Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Managing traffic in a growing city was a core part of Cities: Skylines, and for the sequel we wanted to bring you a more advanced system to make the city feel more realistic and alive.	2023-06-26
03	Feature #3: Public & Cargo Transportation Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	An integral part of a city’s inner workings is public transportation. Expand as the city grows from buses and taxis to other transportation systems such as tram and subway networks.	2023-07-03
04	Feature #4: Zones & Signature Buildings Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Various zone types create the bulk of the city: sprawling suburban areas and apartment building blocks, busy commercial districts, noisy industrial parks and sleek high-rise office complexes.	2023-07-10
05	Feature #5: City Services Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Brand-new services join the familiar city services, and while basic functionality remains the same, they have more nuanced and complex mechanics befitting a more realistic city-building game.	2023-07-17
06	Feature #6: Electricity & Water Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Electricity and water are crucial for running a city. A lack of electricity or water leads to reduced Well-being, while backed-up sewage takes a toll on citizen Health.	2023-07-24
07	Feature #7: Maps & Themes Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	A brief comparison of map sizes: A map tile in Cities: Skylines II is smaller than its predecessor - but you are able to unlock almost all tiles, giving you a whopping total of 441 map tiles.	2023-07-31
08	Feature #8: Climate & Seasons Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	In Cities: Skylines II we have a whole new feature in the form of Climates! It brings changing seasons to the game and makes each map a unique gaming experience with its own Climate.	2023-08-07
09	Feature #9: Economy & Production Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	A closer look at the economic simulation, how citizens and companies manage and use resources, and how you can build a prosperous city.	2023-08-14
10	Feature #10: Game Progression Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Game progression has two interconnected layers: Milestones that give you points to spend in your Development Trees, allowing you to unlock more advanced services.	2023-08-21
11	Feature #11: Citizen Simulation & Lifepath Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	Each citizen has their own Lifepath. They either move into the city or are born there. If they are happy, they will stay in the city and eventually grow old and die of old age.	2023-08-28
12	Feature #12: Sound & Music Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	City Service building sounds, atmospheric sounds and the sound of traffic - all these elements have been expanded to give more depth, variety, and control.	2023-09-04
13	Feature #13: Cinematic Camera & Photo Mode Paradox / CS2 Forum / Highlights / Insights	A deep dive into our new Camera & Photo Mode tools where you truly can put your city into its best light, and share your creations with others.	2023-09-11
14	Behind the Scenes #1: Modding CS2 Forum	We’re going to talk about modding in Cities: Skylines II. While modding isn’t supported at release, we want to share what modding means to us and how we approach modding support, so you know what to expect.	2023-10-17
15	Behind the Scenes #2: Editor CS2 Forum	From the start, we knew we wanted to include an in-depth editor powerful enough to bring your ideas to life. This time around we have a good sense of what modders and creators may need.	2023-10-18
16	Behind the Scenes #3: Game Balancing CS2 Forum	A peek behind the curtain as we discuss our guiding principles and challenges in balancing Cities: Skylines II. Striking the right balance is always a challenge, but reaching a good balance for the various features is an important part of how the game plays and feels.	2023-10-19
17	Introduction to Paradox Mods CS2 Forum	Paradox Mods is our own platform-neutral modding system. Paradox’s considered opinion is that mods are, and should always be, free of charge community-created content. This is not something that we will ever change.	2023-10-19
18	Behind the Scenes #4: Companies and Billboards CS2 Forum	We have given companies and their billboards a significant upgrade from the original Cities: Skylines. Companies now play a role in the game mechanics, and billboards represent the companies that reside in the buildings.	2023-10-20
19	Behind the Scenes #5: Citizen Characters CS2 Forum	We wanted our citizens to have much more variation to create a more inclusive and realistic gaming world. It was essential to us that the characters in Cities: Skylines II represent a broad spectrum of humanity, including different ethnicities and body types.	2023-10-21
20	Behind the Scenes #6: Tutorials and Advisor CS2 Forum	Our goal with the tutorials in Cities: Skylines II is to provide you with a thorough introduction to the game and guide you toward building a successful city.	2023-10-22
21	CO Word of the Week #1 CS2 Forum	CO Word of the Week history, CSII release, optimizing, patches, bugs.	2023-11-01
22	CO Word of the Week #2 CS2 Forum	Community kindness, garbage collection bug, stray dogs, DLCs, quality-of-life improvements, CO CEO pledge.	2023-11-06