Screenshots (Pre-Release)

[Evillions 552]

Wow those graphics and all that realism in this game is a must have. Never thought this game can step up in city building games. It might compete with Simcity then.

[Atomic_Sheep 0]

I prefer SC4... lacks something... a certain feel that SC4 had... this one seems dead kinda. Maybe it's due to the fact that the textures are reused a lot or what not, but I would much rather have less 3D capabilties and better textures like in SC4 than a fully 3D city that ends up looking like the city from the game mafia which was released about 10 years ago. If it looked a lot more like this: http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/8577/shot33v196nz.jpg, or then I would have been impressed because if anything SC4 looks 100 times better than what cities XL does atm.

[+Guest]

One thing that I hope this game can dispell is the very rigid, square overtly clean edges of all the buildings. It really took away from the realism of SC4.

[Patricius Maximus 236]

Yes, I'd be willing to sacrifice full 3D for better graphics. They need it to be more detailed. It looks like a good game overall, but the "feel" from the shots is wrong. I just can't explain it.

With SCS, when I saw those screenshots I thought, "This isn't Simcity."

But CXL is different. It is kind of like a shadow of Simcity -- all is in place, but there is something missing.

However, we'll see when it gets released.

[skyjuice 12]

Sim City Society sucks more than my vaccum cleaner, and it

[toxicpiano 125]

[gabry85 2]

^^^ Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Philippeville!

Here are a couple of screenshots I made of a city I started last week. quote>

[toxicpiano 125]

HO KMY GOD THSI IS TEH BEEST THING EVVAR!!!!!11!!1!11!!1

[villagemayor 0]

I just saw the trailer for the game, and it looks real good. Certainly more realistic than SC Societies

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Originally posted by: gabry85 ^^^ Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Philippeville!

Here are a couple of screenshots I made of a city I started last week. quote>

quote>

now i know why Philippe hasn't been on the citiesxl.com forums as much just recently!

[Godzillaman 21]

Say goodbye to the grid everyone!

[metasmurf 705]

Last image looks a bit like SCS Otherwise, I'm looking foward to the game for sure.

[dabadon5 295]

Cool real cool. good thing EA is not behind this !

[plasticboy 36]

The first image was very difficult to see, so I made a couple corrections to it to bring up more intricate details:

[Namesys 3]

On the left you can clearly see the (residental?) zones. At least they're out of individual ploping which is good

[BurroDiablo 222]

Originally posted by: metasmurf Last image looks a bit like SCS Otherwise, I'm looking foward to the game for sure.quote>

Not that I want to judge the entire game from a few screenshots, but I was thinking the same thing wich is dissapointing, I was hoping from something less 'chunky'.

Still, hopefully this is just the con of seeing a Beta (if not a late Alpha)... the final stages of the game will hopefully be more promising... whenever that may be.

[hunkske 53]

Looks nice so far.. I'm really curious about the gameplay though - and the possibility to create unique styles/neighbourhoods/etc.. Talking about it is nice, but we'll have to wait for the final game, as El Burro said...

[aking88 7]

These screens could be thoroughly analyzed based on earlier ideas.

But il keep it short for now. I agree that the second screenshot looks a bit "SCS'ish". Which is not good. If reflections are to demanding to do realtime, maybe they can be done in the textures? I think that the stadium rendering video showed on the citiesxl website some time ago was superb though, s maybe its something else. Definitely want buildings to be better defined.

I want to make some suggestion.

1. Ports and airports; it would be beneficial if one could choose between pre-fabricated versions and custom ones made with modules.

2. Sidewalk size customization, or at least alternatives (larger sidewalk/smaller sidewalk).

3. Making simple custom buildings in-game with modules so as to be able to fill in arbitrary areas. The module collection could later be expanded by modders and the modules could be categorized by the player by category (industry, euro residential, japanese residential, high-tech, logistics...) and type (roof, base etc) and could all be placed at arbitrary angles or a collection of angles. The plot itself could also be marked out arbitrarily and to make it a bit more fun, the properties one could give it (as to number of people to live there, work there etc) could be based on one hand on the modules pre-set properties, and could be tuned according to the market value of the area its built in (the higher, the better properties you can give it, other things could also help with this, such as being technologicly developed, wealthy, have high rankings etc, or it could come as awards, I know that Monte Cristo has my online ideas list and I do believe i touch on issues that tie in to this there.

4. Wealth effects from infrastructure, this is not visible but need to add in case it has not came through before. The impact of trading possibilities (ports, port-train transitions, port-truck transitions etc) on the wealth of the city and corporate and industry development , dont forget that. And also private ports etc, im a libertarian, give me a choice to simulate a libertarian city and localities. I want to be able to get initiatives from the citizens about wanting to invest in a port, airport or whatever, this could come when the industry etc is developed, and they would pay for it, the city / citizens would approve it. And the corporation could go ahead, you would choose where they could build it and maybe design it but would not as a city ahve to pay for it because the enteprise investing would do so. (The general capacity would be lower though as the enterprise itself would occupy much of it leaving less capacity to be rented out to other producers/services).

5. Darker textures, more "gritty" surfaces, rain effects, sunshine effects on reflection etc, ground that is not so perfectly green (altough one could plop or even better "paint" grass). Did i mention reflections already? Dont forget flooding catastrophies especially for rivers and waterways . This would force traficants to take different routes.

Also, imperfections, the world is not perfect, oil stains on the roads reflecting sunshine...

Im sure it will all look better with more varied forests / flora, with fauna and pedestrains/citizens added (maybe they could all have an ID number! What a simulation that would be).

6. Please do the traffic lights etc so that they are in a category and we can add modds to choose from in game, which traffic lights type will be used. Such categorization and software interface openness will help in modding. Or maybe we could add different types of roads to build each with their own set of traffic lights, marking (this would make the "Cities XL Mars Mod" prospect especially interesting.

7. Viaducts, please dont limit the number of levels we can used. You do this in 3D, so make use of it. Highway over avenue, monorail over the elevated highway, three, four level interchanges, highway tunnels... etc etc.

It looks promising keep at it MC.

This is definitely an alpha verison at best, its the first time they have put the software together and launch it. I suspect that things are going to pick up pace henceforth.

[Micah 16]

I actually didn't like the last two shots... they reminded me too much of SCS.

[jawcheats 0]

after the horrible game they made of City Life which sucked big time i dont know if Cities XL will be any better but we will see

[Morofry 41]

If I may interject; what we could use in the game is that there be no rule requiring that zones be built directly next to roads. In SC4, the PedMall tiles could really come to use if some zones could be built next to them instead of roads. This could greatly expand gameplay value and diversification. Also it would be great for roadless and island communities.

[panthersimcity4 162]

Originally posted by: Mysteryous If I may interject; what we could use in the game is that there be no rule requiring that zones be built directly next to roads. In SC4, the PedMall tiles could really come to use if some zones could be built next to them instead of roads. This could greatly expand gameplay value and diversification. Also it would be great for roadless and island communities.quote>

I second that. It also wouldn't hurt for there to be more diversity as far as roads go, like have one-way roads, small streets, maybe even cobblestone?

[patriots_1228 51]

First pic is good, it shows we can build on the odd shaped road. Second pic is a bit dissapointing, looks cartoony and unrealistic. I'd like to see grittier factories like jestarrs BATs.

[068664663 2]

First is good, but the second pic shows the extremely disgusting (in my opinion) "huge slope foundation sickness" on some of the buildings.

[333365 2]

Were those picture textures used on the buildings in the second shot? The buildings had a bite size feel, as if the were too small, and without a hint of uniqueness; as if they were mass produced!

[333365 2]

Now that I'm really noticing things, such as the size of that truck down there, the problem in the second picture isn't the design of the buildings, it's the setting and lighting of the shot. I have a big grudge against SCS, and this shot reminded me of it.

[mazman34340 1]

This may just make Simcity 4 out of date. I can give a honorable retirement. This looks alot better than societies. I cant believe I bought that game.

[TimeMaster 4]

um... what if the gameplay is sort of like SCS? I mean im not going to play it if you build your own houses (like in SCS)

[Godzillaman 21]

Originally posted by: TimeMaster um... what if the gameplay is sort of like SCS? I mean im not going to play it if you build your own houses (like in SCS)quote>

Seriously, are you blind? There are zones in the last picture...

[underwearman2007 0]

hopefully my computer won't blow up if i install it.