The Mass Transit Discussion Thread

[_MostlyHarmless 17]

I haven't read the whole thread, but this is dispickable! I WAS really looking forward to this game. I WAS going to order it ahead of time. I WAS going to donate money towards it. Not anymore it seems like. I'll just have to get it like I get all of my other games. Sorry MC, you really dropped the ball on this one.

[Mathew_MC 0]

Asheroo wrote:

So what could happen is that Matthew might trick us for a little beta forum fun, or maybe to test the NDA or something. Some of you more panic-stricken ones though might say that the NDA was supposed to stop this hidden information behind the lies of MC, but I think of it as the lies of Matthew that were never supposed to go out of the beta forums.

I have a different idea of fun than playing tricks forums

You are right on one point though, miscommunication might happen sometimes and things have not been as clear as they should have regarding mass transportation.

The glimpses of mass transportation material you can see come from the fact we have long thought we would be able to deliver some additional transport systems at release, but development has proved otherwise and it has become a feature that we'll have to add later and won't be in the solo part of the game.

Though it might not be the most pleasant thing to hear as expectations might have been different, I can confirm that this is how things stand on this matter.

[honderich 0]

Thank you Mathew for clearing the confusion I have had with this issue.

Good luck with CitiesXL.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Oh, that is too bad. I thought that 10kmx10km would warrant the use of at least heavy rail. Hopefully the price of the Planet Offer will lower or rail will eventually be usable in Solo Mode. I use rail in medium and large cities and to connect 2 or more cities. I use them in 1/3 of my small cities also. I like rail but I am a college student with part time work for minimum wage (plus tips). It is such a shame but the game is still looks fun and I do not plan on canceling my preorder.

[dedgren 830]

So now it would appear, based on what Mathew has confirmed, that CXL has gone from "mass transit (except buses) available only in the Planet Offer" to "mass transit not available, period, at release."

Perhaps our friend might take a minute to come back and tell us when mass transit is planned by Monte Cristo to be available. Is it really reasonable for MC to expect folks to buy the game on faith when a key feature (mass transit in a city builder) is only promised (to some- see first line of the post) to be made available "later?"

How much later, Mathew? A month after release? Two months? Six months? Remember, please, that this is time going by that MC is charging the Planet Offer player for. There should be some reasonable disclosure here so people could make rational decisions about whether to purchase the game on release or to wait.

My 2c.

David

[geek12 0]

*sigh*

I really wanted to get this game

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

[vonhaubitz 5]

Originally posted by: swat-medic

Originally posted by: LordOscar

Originally posted by: LordOscar

Do moderators here have personal interests with all this? Not to be disrespectful or something.

Originally posted by: swat-medic

Of course we do.quote>

quote>

Can you develop please? Will you get a free CXL copy for instance? (-- this is not unconstructive or provocative comments. I'd just like to know.)

Posts massively disappeared lately. Or is it me?

quote>

Nope, we'll have to pay.  We aren't "Above" anything..

---

Now, Ilikeseattle has said something very valid and important.  We need to remember how minimal simcity 4 was originally.  Is it really fair, at all, to compare CXL to today's SimCity 4?  In my opinion, no it is not.

CXL will be expanded. I am sure that MC will see that Rail is an important part of any city, and should be included in the single player, no matter what kind.  (Subway is a fine example).

Also.. this comes to mind.

This is something we cannot repeat enough: SC4 has seen litterally years of additionnal content, it is something that it is not possible to compete against at release time. That will come with time, but we need a bit of trust and support for this. What we can do however is to add new features to bring some fresh air to the genre: non-grid based construction; full 3D rendering, whole new online gameplay, GEMs, regular content updates etc..

So yes, in a sense it won't be 'complete' at release time, in the same sense that SC4 wasn't; because our plan for Cities XL is to keep it ever-evolving, to add continuously to it. (both content and gameplay) We are already doing it in the beta; and it will only get better and bigger with time.quote>

-Gregory, from Monte Cristo.

quote>

Sure, fair to say. But also fair to say that I will wait for later development of CXL and I will not accept by any chance that mass transit is not part of the SP. SC4 had this in from the beginning. I am not going to pay extra for basic features. This is the joice the free market offers. I don't have to switch from SC4 unless something better will be offered. And curved roads is not enough to convince me, also MMO does not - not at all to be exact.

[pharmist 0]

Originally posted by: Mathew_MC

You are right on one point though, miscommunication might happen sometimes and things have not been as clear as they should have regarding mass transportation.

The glimpses of mass transportation material you can see come from the fact we have long thought we would be able to deliver some additional transport systems at release, but development has proved otherwise and it has become a feature that we'll have to add later and won't be in the solo part of the game.

Though it might not be the most pleasant thing to hear as expectations might have been different, I can confirm that this is how things stand on this matter.

quote>

Hello Matthew,

Thank you for the information regarding Mass-Transit in the Solo version of Cities XL.  We have become aware that the only form of Mass-Transit that will be available in the Solo game will be buses.  I have a question about the other forms of Mass-Transit that will be available after launch in the online "Planet Offer" that I have not read an answer in this forum or others.

If we subscribe to the Planet Offer will we be able to use the Mass-Transit features as well as other content which are released later in our Solo game Offline?  If the answer is yes to my first question then, will we be able to use the Mass-Transit and other future content in the Solo game Offline if our Planet Offer expires or we decide to cancel?

I believe this is important information and would be required to divulge to those who would join the Plant Offer subscription in the terms of use agreement. 

Thank You for your comments

John

[Duke87 1,070]

Originally posted by: abcvs

quote>

Yes, the mod shield. Care to elaborate upon this rather ambiguous and abstract posting?

"Say something bad and it's getting removed"?

"Remember, I'm watching you"?

"I has a sheild, you cannot hurt me"?

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, Duke,

Hee, hee, it's nothing so involved as all that.  It was Craig's idea to just mark the point in the thread to which we have checked,  for the next mod's referral. Then all the mods don't have to read every post, hence eliminating repetiitive work. 

[wondergreat 0]

Originally posted by: Mathew_MC

Asheroo wrote:

So what could happen is that Matthew might trick us for a little beta forum fun, or maybe to test the NDA or something. Some of you more panic-stricken ones though might say that the NDA was supposed to stop this hidden information behind the lies of MC, but I think of it as the lies of Matthew that were never supposed to go out of the beta forums.

I have a different idea of fun than playing tricks forums

You are right on one point though, miscommunication might happen sometimes and things have not been as clear as they should have regarding mass transportation.

The glimpses of mass transportation material you can see come from the fact we have long thought we would be able to deliver some additional transport systems at release, but development has proved otherwise and it has become a feature that we'll have to add later and won't be in the solo part of the game.

Though it might not be the most pleasant thing to hear as expectations might have been different, I can confirm that this is how things stand on this matter.

quote>

So no room for doubting, thank you. The subcription fee of CXL is so cheap compare to WOW. WOW is just boring, so the PO is an amazing offer. Just few more buck and you will soon receive the mass-transit, multiple lane update. Let's stop complaining and give it a shot, not a great deal.

[DCMetro34 576]

@ASheroo,

Let's give it time and let it play out. Predicting is hard, and I think MC is being honest for the most part.

Well, they (the lies) got out, I guess, and now everyone knows. Who cares what was on the beta forums, and who cares how thw beta was like. For those of you that say the beta was bad, the release version will be better. I've already heard positive things about Tropico 3.

 

[ch0c0 13]

looks like everyone's missing the catch-22......

if they cannot offer enough basic city-builder features to attract an ample amount of subscribers, then there's a definite possibility MC will not have enough revenue to pursue additional content or features. unless upper management are completely inept, i cannot believe MC would continue funneling money (in the form of labor) into development of a game that is a financial failure.

[sepperl 0]

disapointing!

I think it is all about transportation when building a city. When the city is growing and the traffic is increasing extending roads rails, stations, subways etc. is the most fun for me. What I actually expected was sometging like an integrated NAM but more sophisticated and easier to use. If the transport thing is missing the game is worthless for me.

[Asheroo 53]

Originally posted by: Mathew_MC

Asheroo wrote:

So what could happen is that Matthew might trick us for a little beta forum fun, or maybe to test the NDA or something. Some of you more panic-stricken ones though might say that the NDA was supposed to stop this hidden information behind the lies of MC, but I think of it as the lies of Matthew that were never supposed to go out of the beta forums.

I have a different idea of fun than playing tricks forums

You are right on one point though, miscommunication might happen sometimes and things have not been as clear as they should have regarding mass transportation.

The glimpses of mass transportation material you can see come from the fact we have long thought we would be able to deliver some additional transport systems at release, but development has proved otherwise and it has become a feature that we'll have to add later and won't be in the solo part of the game.

Though it might not be the most pleasant thing to hear as expectations might have been different, I can confirm that this is how things stand on this matter.

quote>

Ok, I've already said something in the beta forums.

To sum it up, yes you guys win, I lose. But hope still goes on. Custom content guys, it exists, and you may never know what could come out of it. I still see potential through custom content and I'm sure there are a number of modders from here who will get custom content into CXL, and even get trains and all that into it, just like you guys got trams into SC4.

Also, you know about the GEMs, ever thought of a Rail GEM? And yes, GEMs are for solo mode as well. And yes, MC has mentioned of a Rail GEM before. So, who knows? We could get that. If not, maybe sometime in the future they may give it, and if not, custom content ftw!

@ Those people saying to give the PO a shot - Well, basically said, MC have got us in the trap. But, there are some of us here, like me, who don't really like multiplayer too much, especially Co-op for me, because there are always problems with other players, as I have found out through the beta. And, we'll only have the trains online, unless there is some work around by modders to get them in single player, and it's likely to happen too, so once that happens, better get it quick.

But as I said, I am kind of thinking of going on the PO, it's pretty good, but I prefer solo mode, and the trains will only be online (I think). But, from a message from Matthew, he also told me that the additional content does go into your game files on your computer, so the data for it is stored on your computer.

[LivingInThePast 364]

Originally posted by: Da_Brain

Originally posted by: niloluiz

Mathew, one of the community managers from MC just confirmed that the public-transport will be EXCLUSIVE for the PO subscribers. There won't be any stand-alone package (even paid) for single-player to upgrade the game.

As it is, CXL is a MMO-oriented game with a pay-to-play model.... so everybody here should keep this in mind...

quote>

And you can Add this from a recent MC Mathew Post today:

However, I have to reiterate my previous statement: The Planet Offer is what will allow us to support further developments to the game and keep it evolving, and as such the new features will be made available to PO subscribers.

This means that these new features, including additional transport systems, will not be made available in solo mode.

So there you have it! They may as well just abandon the Solo Player.  Why would anyone want it in the very limited mode that it will be as they stated above?
quote>

Monte Cristo: Don't delude yourself into thinking that you can only support the game through PO. You CAN release downloadable patches.

Originally posted by: edcase2k4-thugangel1983

Originally posted by: LivingInThePast

@edcase: I'm interested in putting that list in SimCity blog (you will get credit, don't worry) but I'm a little confused. What do the asteriks mean? Does it mean it was inducted into Cities XL?quote>

i'll get back to you on that. although i have a copy of that list i posted at home, i copied that particular list above from a google cache of the citiesxl.com forums which have now been taken offline, as i'm not at home. unfortunately i never had a copy of the details i wrote on what we knew or thought we knew - which is what those asterisk parts mean (have to point out: some of it was speculation, or result of misleading or incorrect information from MC or third parties).

but i'll be able to retrieve all of that from google's cache of the CXL forums... up to a point, so i can't leave it too long (i also could retrieve a copy of all the articles i wrote there... as some are pretty thorough and i would like to recover them).

quote>

or use archive.org.

[Evillions 552]

Well no mass transit for offline players is confirmed. Everyone, they've said it and there's no need to continue this anymore.

(Edited my post due the thingy on the bottom.)

[sthudig 0]

Once again, Matthew, I appreciate the information.

I wish your company the best of luck with your new game - I think you are going to need it!

[Livin in Sim 83]

[Davir 1]

Bus or Taxa when can i user it

[RegisterST2 0]

Originally posted by: Davir

Bus or Taxa when can i user itquote>

Two things need to happen.

1)  They need to add them to the game.

2)  You need to subscribe to PO.

As far as I know, buses are supposed to be added sometime in December.

[rss334 0]

Originally posted by: RegisteringSucks

Originally posted by: Davir

Bus or Taxa when can i user itquote>

Two things need to happen.

1)  They need to add them to the game.

2)  You need to subscribe to PO.

As far as I know, buses are supposed to be added sometime in December.

quote>

Added in December?  I'll ask this question again, so a core gameplay feature won't be added for about 2 months yet they want to pay them 20 dollars to wait?   Are they goofey?

[LBII 3]

I just CAN'T believe that people STILL don't know about the mass transit issue! A little shopping and research before buying is always a good thing, people! Sure, a game is not a car or a house, but still, knowing a little more never killed anybody before.

...

Back to the topic, yes, what you call a

[moaku 74]

He is not the only one thinking it as a core feature... I think only MC see it differently yet, even if 1-2 years ago they were considering it as a core features, or at least that's how their posts sounded on the main site good old forums. Let's hope that kind of things will improve with time now that they are not in the "We need to release it soon !" rush anymore

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Thread Merged

[Asheroo 53]

I will just say again in this thread (since its more relevant) about potential mass transit for single player...

Matthew told me that he has passed on the suggestion and interest of a mass transit expansion pack for single player,so they are talking about it, and it could well and truly happen. It makes perfect sense, and will be a massive win/win situation, with MC getting lots more money and support, and us getting mass transit in single player. Nothing is official yet though, but it is a lot of potential and hope, and it could happen, so don't jump to conclusions yet on mass transit in single player.

[IronRaptor 0]

I certainly understand the need for Monte Christo to make money, that's for sure. There are a small handful collection of games I'll actually buy. Team Fortress 2, and yanno.. I bought SimCity 4 because I loved SimCity games. Honestly, people who you play with online, majority of which are what Red Foreman from That '70's Show calls a dumbass. Mass transit, as many who live in big cities know, that it is at the very VERY heart of any successful city. You don't have a mass transit system, you will eventually stagnate your city and it's citizens. I think that this feature could've and should've been implemented at launch. The choice to only implement it in PO mode has made me suffer from buyer's remorse with regards to pre-ordering it.

MC can still redeem themselves, but as for me... I'm... not very impressed with switching to an MMO format. City building is NOT a social activity...

[JanYpe 17]

Originally posted by: IronRaptor

City building is NOT a social activity... quote>

What, you've never gathered the family around the healthy glow of your monitor for a wholesome evening of city building?

[sparky66 0]

Originally posted by: ASheroo

I will just say again in this thread (since its more relevant) about potential mass transit for single player...

Matthew told me that he has passed on the suggestion and interest of a mass transit expansion pack for single player,so they are talking about it, and it could well and truly happen. It makes perfect sense, and will be a massive win/win situation, with MC getting lots more money and support, and us getting mass transit in single player. Nothing is official yet though, but it is a lot of potential and hope, and it could happen, so don't jump to conclusions yet on mass transit in single player.quote>

that would be brilliant! there is still hope yet. it would really be a big win as MC would probably get more sales and we would get mass transit. even if you have to pay for this single player mass transit expansion i would gladly buy it.