The Planet Offer (Includes POLL)

[gutterclub 2,729]

I don't really understand people saying they would pay the same as they would have to subscribe to the PO to get the same content in single player..surely if you are going to do that you may as well just sign up.

How many people would play Sim City 4 on it's own without any custom content? I think everyone forgets that they were completely lucky with the fact that Sim City 4 stopped being supported by EA and people could create whatever they wanted for it, I'm pretty sure no other games allow you to just create whatever extra content you like for it..

[rss334 0]

Thank you for the explanation Mathew_MC - I look forward to the article, I'm keeping an open mind until then.

[sparky66 0]

Originally posted by: gutterclub

I don't really understand people saying they would pay the same as they would have to subscribe to the PO to get the same content in single player..surely if you are going to do that you may as well just sign up.quote>

you would get the content for a one off fee and be able to use it offline in solo mode. and you would be able to keep the content and your cities without having to keep paying a subscription. other games make alot of money from expansion packs, so why can't MC? City building does not work well in an MMO, and least not in this format. I refuse to keep paying a subscription for a chat box and a broken trading system.

[bluetooth 0]

I voted NO. But I might want to try it someday. I don't like to use my credit card on the Internet but f I can get an invoice or buy it in my local shop I will probably try it.

[ddhboy 2]

From seeing the news and re-watching the trailers from Cities XL, I'll have to say that while I'm not really interested in the Planet Offer, it seems that its the only true way to play the game. Rather than viewing Cities XL as a city builder, it seems as though the designers have created the game to function more as a geo-economic/political simulator with some city building thrown in. So while Sim City 4 was a true city builder, Cities XL will probably only be better than SC4 online, because then you'll be forced to tackle the problems that real cities (or rather countries) deal with, IE finding trade partners, growing your GDP and attempting to reach sustainable growth. Plus it doesn't help single player any that its missing key features like public transportation, which MC has so greedily made for MMO mode only, with hints that they might sell these things back to us in the form of DLC.

So will I buy the planet offer? Yes, but only for 3 months, and after that I can't really imagine going on for much longer, especially when Single Player eventually gets full transportation. The fundamental flaw with the Planet offer is that over time your going to end up with polarized cities, cities that are immensely successful, and those which bombed by over ambitious players. The cities which are successful will likely have the contracts they need and for a newer city rising up, it will be difficult to negotiate trade agreements unless you severely undercut the price of your services. On the other hand the cities that are poor will be in desperate need of your materials, but will be unable to buy them at a price that you can agree to sell them at, so you're stuck trading with other up and coming cities. These cities however will be limited once the planet (server) fills up.

Lastly, a major disappointment with the planet offer is that there is no real way to make formal alliances with groups of players. Say I wanted to build a train corridor that passes though 8 or so cities allowing us to trade materials and workers with ease. I can do that in Cities XL, but I can't do that with any official ties. If I'm an oil producing nation, I can't create a Cities XL OPEC and try to control my oil prices, and if my city is a major economic force, I can't go out and create the Cities XL G20 to continue development. In fact, the only way MC has bothered to include this co-operation concept was in the form of blue-prints

[Chocopud 0]

Anybody know how to access the sandbox mode mentioned above?

[david1314 44]

Wow, so having played SC4 for about 7 years, I spent only about $70 on it in total with Rush Hour.  I have a city simulator that can....(I don't know where to begin, and this needs no elaboration).  This is without a doubt one of the best purchases I have made in terms of enjoyment for the buck.

Cities XL with PlanetOffer, assuming it has the same longevity as SC4, would cost for 6 years (72 months) about $540.  I get some spiffy graphics, and a long-overdue gridless game play but an otherwise stripped down city.  The breaks I take from SC4 for months at a time after it bores me would likely spell doom for my hard effort in Cites XL.  And finally, I don't consider city simulating to be the most social activity (for me it is perhaps the most antisocial, in fact) so I don't want to be forced into an online environment when I'm wanting to play.

I think this one is a 'pass' until what is actually gained by the rather steep purchase price is a bit more clear.

[deanco 0]

Well, my 7 free days were up, and sure enough, I get a nag screen. A nag screen, on a game I paid 45

[EAGCE 2]

I plan on it eventually.  I"m still on my 7 day trial.  It's so laggy and I get disconnected a few times and lost progress.  I think I'll wait for the kinks to get worked out and some more content to be released before I start paying a monthly fee.

[Androv 6]

The trade is working a lot better after the latest patch

[bweb 0]

Originally posted by: deanco

Well, my 7 free days were up, and sure enough, I get a nag screen. A nag screen, on a game I paid 45€ for. "Ready to sign up?" The choices were 'Sign Up' and 'Not Yet'.

The option, 'It Will Be A Cold Day In Hell Before I Give You Another Cent Of My Money' was, sadly, absent.quote>

I'm feeling the same way. After a few days of buggy gameplay they didnt convince me to sign up. First off  the price is too high for what they're offering, and only 7 free days! They should have given at least a free month, so people can see what it's like without the huge bugs and to allow you to get into it more.

[whrm33 2]

Originally posted by: Albatross Domain

What they should do is what games such as Runescape that not only allows non-members to play (f2p) but with limited abilities and such, and those that are members, to have access to everything. So if those people should decide they want to go p2p, they will have that choice also. I also understand that bandwidth could also become an issue. however I also agree that as long as the person logs on at least once per 6months, they will be able to keep their account.quote>

Lame.

[HeroIV 0]

My guess is that they will release the first content patch before the first month after release is over.

This to make people who did subscribe "happy"...

[feelgood 0]

It looks like a good game and I would like to try the game. I don't like any online gaming but I might give Citiesxl a try. The only problem now is my PC can't support this game and I can't get a new PC until maybe next year. By then, I think, this game will be better ... or do I really that optimistic??? I still have faith in citiesxl...

[Don Fonz 0]

I will be buying the PO subscription, lets be honest if your an adult and working,

[Shakkara 0]

I believe it should be free, as it is nothing special and there is no meaningful interaction between players.

Guild Wars has no monthly fee either, and offers much more gameplay and interaction.

[FusionBunny 0]

41% currently voted that the online pay to play element is unworthy of attention, I recently returned to SC4 deluxe version and I have to agree with the results so far, is it bad or are we so used to the sim city way of things that we are just not used to the idea?

Personally I want to see how popular the game is before I even think of paying for something that might easily fade out when the other big games hit like AC2, MW2, Sims 3 WA, DAO and L4D2 and thats not including Diablo 3, SC2 and Cataclysm for 2010.

Cities XL is really going to have to impress to get a massive (and staying put) community that can survive, Ultima Online is the best example of staying power, 10+ years and still they play...it's amazing LOL

[bweb 0]

Originally posted by: JanYpe

-swat

 - C.

quote>

 

Are we supposed to know what this means?

[Androv 6]

It means:

JanYpe is confused, and scared, because the swat duck and ninja C's are coming to get them.

[smg77 0]

Originally posted by: FusionBunny

41% currently voted that the online pay to play element is unworthy of attention, I recently returned to SC4 deluxe version and I have to agree with the results so far, is it bad or are we so used to the sim city way of things that we are just not used to the idea?quote>

No, it's that SC4 (even with its faults) is a complete game that offers a ton of gameplay without having to pay a monthly fee. CXL isn't the next version of the SimCity franchise like many people had hoped. It's more like SimCities: Societies and Hellgate: London got together and birthed a game that doesn't make sense.

This long after SC4 no city building game should ever launch without things like mass transit, useful economic and budget tools, region play, and an open framework that allows the community to add mods so they can shape the game however they want. CXL lacks all of those things.

[Flexor 0]

I've been playing the SP mode (as the 7 day trial was way too short - I have another life, after all!) and it's a real pain in the butt not being able to trade with anyone else but the computer at really terrible rates. It's just way too difficult to manage once you start getting a larger city.

I'd like to play the online mode, but only if it's HEAPS CHEAPER! US$2/mth would be my max - after all, the game itself was US$40 so it ends up being an expensive game after a year plus all the add-ons they also want you to pay for! The add-ons are fair enough (for the right price) but restricting the SP mode or having to pay a high monthly fee just to get all the features of the game is just downright poor.

Can we petition for a lower fee??

[smg77 0]

Originally posted by: Flexor

Can we petition for a lower fee??quote>

Sure but every indication is that MC only cares about people who are currently paying for PO. If you are just interested in the single player game or unwilling to pay the current monthly fee they couldn't care less.

[Kittani 1]

Originally posted by: Soulchaser

I don't have to wait for the offers, as I never play online if I have to pay extra.

quote>

Then stick with Sim City 4 as the game is one big advertisement for the planet mode... it annoyed the heck out of me to the point where I didn;t even bother finishing the tutorials.

[MINIggy03 227]

I just found out they are still going to charge for extra content to those who pay $6+ a month. What the heck??????? I thought the incentive of planet offer was to get the addons for free while those who don't subscribe pay for it like mini expansions.. They think $6+ a month+who knows how much for GEMs and minipacks, values a game I can get for $10 that's been out for 6 years but with MORE content? I don't recall being nickel'd and dime'd for trains, subways, bus stations, etc...

It's just too bad Simcity 4 still sells decently, otherwise EA would actually care about this genre.

I hate this generation of gaming we're moving into where developers think they can charge for content that we've been getting straight out of the box for decades. Trains? No, of course not...trains were in a game in 1989? Whatcha talkn about...? Terraforming? No way...it's too complex for a "modern" city builder...subways, busses, trains? No, that calls for years of community content to be delivered at an extra price tag....

[keddegari 0]

My 7 days free planet offer was over today. Im not gonna subscribe. Probably not play the game again ever. Maybe in a year if things are better.

[mirrors20 0]

I will subscribe, yes.

As soon as my 7 day free trial runs out.

Hey i have a question. I checked about a week ago and it was

[AngoraFish 0]

The only advantage that PO offers for me over offline mode is that online the trade module isn't deliberately crippled. If for no other reason than as a matter of principle, I refuse to cough up more money to a company that has already charged me $40.

A gentle reminder:  Please don't bash MC.

Thanks.

--Liv

CXL Forums Moderator

[cheuk18me94 0]

I won't subscribe to Planet Offer even mass transit is added.

MC is too afraid of pirates. So they made Cities XL a MMO and no custom content without MC's approval.

This game will not last long.

[vonhaubitz 5]

Alright, I was a hard critic of PO and incomplete game, but I installed the game and played a bit and I have to admit I liked it. Yes, I still think it is incomplete because of missing mass transit, but I will give it a try and really do hope there will be interesting mass transit, not only buses. If there will be even light rail/tram I might even get addicted.

So, I liked playing the game and I subscribe PO. And to be honest: where's something like a city simulator/builder currently in the market. I like playing SimCity 4 ith addons, but in the end it's too unstable and really old.

To sum up, I am curious what will come in the next months and I am willing to pay a few EUROs for that - even now.

[Stef42 0]

exactly!

The price for the PO is understandable, but theirfor MC must make the content packs for free.

Because if we have to pay of the game, the online function, extra online content etc. , you haven't seen me..