On the other hand, damming only part of a river will cause water to flow around it instead of through, and players will spend 3,200 per week on a two-way bridge they can't upgrade.ĭams have the potential to produce more energy than a nuclear power plant, but a regular river crossing will barely produce enough energy to compete with a wind turbine. By narrowing the river, the water will speed up. By lowering the river height below the dam, the dam's effective height will go up and help it produce more megawatts. More speed means there's more water trying to cross the dam at any one time, and more height means the water will spend more energy falling through the dam's turbines.īecause of these factors, and because of the complex water system, players can use the landscaping tool to make dams more effective. The first is how fast water is flowing down a river, and the second is how much of a height difference there is between water above a dam and water below it. What all this means is that there are two big factors that decide how much energy a dam can produce.

And if players use the landscaping tool to block off a river, the river water will overflow its banks and flood the surrounding area. A canal doesn't automatically come with water, players have to connect it to existing water sources and wait for water to pour into the canal. If a dam doesn't produce enough megawatts to be worth this cost, players should avoid building one.Ĭities: Skylines has a dynamic water system that can change flow speed and direction based on what players do to the environment. Even a solar power plant has an upkeep cost of just 1,200. A single dam costs 3,200 per week to maintain, while the cost of a wind turbine is 80 and an advanced wind turbine is only 200. Players should also be aware that the upkeep cost of a dam is very high.

This works like a regular two-lane, two-way road, but while players can connect this road to the rest of their network they can't upgrade this road or widen it. Something else the dam comes with is a road along the top. Players can also see the expected megawatt output the dam will create, but be aware that this may not be the real result.

Stretch the dam to a point at the same height on the opposite shore, and the game will automatically create a dam that arches towards the water source. Once it's available, select the dam and then choose a point on a shoreline that's high above the water level. This will unlock the dam option in the electricity section of the build menu. The first thing players need to do is reach the Small City milestone.

Creating map water in cities skylines