Cities: Skylines 2's latest patch has introduced quays and piers after seeing players using makeshift substitutes: 'We know how challenging they can be to build'

Cities: Skylines 2's latest patch includes a bunch of new fixes, and introduces actual quays and piers, which means players no longer need to play Frankenstein with their shoreline.

"We’ve seen how you have used the cut-and-fill roads to create makeshift quays in your cities, but we also know how challenging they can be to build," a blog post says. "Where roads and pedestrian paths are designed to follow the terrain, creating retaining walls and bridges only when there is a significant elevation change, quays detect the slightest change in elevation and create a retaining wall on the lower side."

You'll be able to choose between three different quay sizes. There's a narrow option which only s pedestrians, while the medium and wide options both pedestrians and vehicles to different degrees.

Like most features in Cities: Skylines 2, there'll be an option for you to be lazy or exceptionally detailed with how you construct these quays. If you're not feeling like going through a ton of work then there's the 'Snap to Shoreline' feature, which does as the name suggests. It'll quickly stick your quay to the closest shoreline and will keep "a consistent height above the water surface, which can, of course, be raised based on the selected elevation steps."

On the other hand, if Snap to Shoreline is disabled, quays won't just connect to the nearest shoreline, but will instead follow the terrain height at water level instead of keeping a consistent elevation.

"If you have a specific vision in mind and want more control over where and at what height the quays are placed, disabling 'Snap to Shoreline' is the way to go," the blog post says. "While quays do have a lower limit for how close to water they can be, so they’re not flooded, we hope that the snapping option, along with all the regular options for networks, allows enough freedom to create the waterfronts you dream of."

You also don't need water to construct quays, which lets players create neat little verandas. Maybe you just want a house to have a cool terrace, create a cliffside walkway, or just have a nice viewpoint: As long as there's a slope or cliff edge then you'll be able to plonk a quay down.

Then there are piers. Similar to quays in function, these are "all about leisure." Being pedestrian-only, they can be found in the landscaping menu under paths. There are also narrow, medium, and wide options which can all be combined to "create intricate pier networks," the blog post explains. "Similar to bridges, they have a minimum height, and they can be built stretching into the water or as a viewing deck overlooking the city."

Speaking of bridges, two new bridge types are also being added as part of this patch. A Truss Arch bridge which s two train tracks can be found in the train transportation menu. "This classic style bridge provides a stunning visual regardless of whether your train tracks cross a gorge or waterway," the blog post says. "And if it’s built at a high enough elevation, it can easily cross a narrow seaway."

A double-decked bridge is also now available. Combining a four-lane two-way highway on the upper deck with a double train track on the lower, it's a "cheaper option when you need both a highway and a rail bridge."

Then there are all the bugfixes, many of which are specifically aimed at the Bridges and Ports expansion, which was delayed again. "Since cargo transportation is part of the Bridges and Ports gameplay, it was important to us that we also looked at the base game and fixed as many issues related to the flow of goods as we could," the blog post continues.

Other fixes include:

• Trucks stop visiting the Cargo Harbour when deactivated after completing their already begun trip.
• Fixed high number of taxis and visitors arriving at small parks.
• Fixed cargo ships overlapping when arriving at a deactivated Cargo Harbour.
• Fixed the amount of cargo not being displayed in the Cargo Train Route Selected Info for stations that use building upgrades.
• Fixed an issue where trucks with trailers sometimes did not subtract the correct amount of resources from the target storage when loading cargo.

We may not be getting the Bridges and Ports expansion until later on in the year, but it pays to be prepared I guess. There are even more updates, which you can read in the full patch notes.