CitiesXL Preparation!

[Abc987 3]

I know that there seems to be very few of us left that are planning to buy CitiesXL. Personally, I'm buying it just to see what it's like. If it doesn't seem to be interesting after a few weeks, then fine, I'll just stop paying for the Planet Offer.

But anyway, if you are planning on buying CitiesXL, have you been doing anything to "prepare"? You know, cleaning your hard drive, defragging your computer, etc.

If you aren't planning on buying the game, there's no need to post in this thread complaining about why you aren't, and then criticizing those of us who are.

-Jason

[LordDwarf86 0]

Hey Jason,

i am going to buy it. And i am really looking forward to as many other...well, maybe only in my home country But it seems as if there was no one from the german community around this place. Well, there is a nice community at our inofficial german forums (www.citiesxs.de). Recognizing what is going on here influenced us on maybe preparing a english forums on our originally german forums to invite you as english speakers to a really nice and positive community looking forward to Cities XL. If you want to, you may hop over. But still it seems not possible to embed the site to a complete english application form. Maybe you'll find your way

If you want to see where the people waiting for cities xl are from, just take a look an this map http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104845902970100426915.000469308c19b2232149e

See you soon, latest at October 9th

[manuelandrei 0]

Hey Jason and LordDwarf86,

The only preparation I have done so far is to book some vacation in my calendar. I defenetly need some days off when XL launches. Also trying to learn as much as possible about the game.

I found some pretty interesting topics on www.citiesxs.de. I had to use Google Translator in order to understand.

I hope once the game launches that more players will find their way to www.simtropolis.com so we can have some interesting discussions. I have ofcourse already pre-ordered the game and I will sign up for at least 3 months of PO.

[pipvac 0]

I feel like I'm cheating a little relative to the OPs reply requirement, but anyways...

Despite the posts on this forum I am excited about the launch of Cities XL, and am likely to buy the game for the single player aspects initially. The game is due to be reviewed by PCZone magazine (published on 28th October). This review together with feedback from the early adoptors (you guys?), will dictate whether I plunge into the Planet Offer or not.

I'm one of those players that likes the 'Plop 'n Play' method of positioning your buildings, as the idea of having greater impact on my cities aestetics (for good or bad), really appeals to me.

Hopefully you guys will continue to post your feedback on Cities XL, especially the PO, after launch, assuming you can drag yourselves away that is?

[baertooth 330]

One thing you should think about some is figure out the logistics of recording what you're doing. Such as are you going to be doing city journals? How about interaction between different players and their cities? How will that be covered? How about clans or other alliances?

I would also suggest to anyone here who is going to get the game to get the fastest cpu possible. 2ghz quad or better recommended. And move to Vista or Win7 to avoid any complications with XP's problems with handling files 2gigs or bigger. That's just my suggestion but ymmv.

Also, any thoughts on what type of terrain you might like to use for your first city? I would probably do a beach city first, and probably the most remote beach I could find (hopefully an island).

[soldyne 111]

I am building a new PC complete with a 3.2Ghz quad core, Windows 7 and a ton of RAM. of course I have to wait for windows 7 release date in late Oct, but, that gives me some time to save up for the PC components. i have already converted one of my older 80GB HDD to a data only drive. I plan on having 3 HDDs in the new comp, one for the OS, one for games and one for data (pics, docs, etc).

now all I have to do is wait.............

[Asheroo 53]

I've really got nothing to do for prepare for it. All I need is right here with me and I've got plenty of hard drive space. I just wonder how long it will take to get here down under, especially since we're on the exact opposite side of the world as Monte Cristo.

I must admit though, the first thing I like to do with every game I get is read the manual, and I do that rather on the way back from the shops (but I'm getting CXL delivered from MC) or while installing the game.

[8elhaj 0]

Originally posted by: soldyne

I am building a new PC complete with a 3.2Ghz quad core, Windows 7 and a ton of RAM. of course I have to wait for windows 7 release date in late Oct, but, that gives me some time to save up for the PC components. i have already converted one of my older 80GB HDD to a data only drive. I plan on having 3 HDDs in the new comp, one for the OS, one for games and one for data (pics, docs, etc).

now all I have to do is wait.............quote>

I will build a new desktop too, but i am interested in what you said, why would you have 3 HDDs, 1 for os, 1 for games and 1 for data?? is it gonna be faster? do you think doing that is faster than a single 500GB 10000rmp HDD?

Please explain?

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I am going to trade out my 3GB of RAM (2 1GB disks and 2 512MB disks) for 8 GB ram (4 2GB disks) and get Windows 7 Ultimate x64. I might eventually replace my Intel Q6600 and nVIDIA GeForce 8500GT.

[manuelandrei 0]

Originally posted by: 8elhaj

Originally posted by: soldyne

I am building a new PC complete with a 3.2Ghz quad core, Windows 7 and a ton of RAM. of course I have to wait for windows 7 release date in late Oct, but, that gives me some time to save up for the PC components. i have already converted one of my older 80GB HDD to a data only drive. I plan on having 3 HDDs in the new comp, one for the OS, one for games and one for data (pics, docs, etc).

now all I have to do is wait.............quote>

I will build a new desktop too, but i am interested in what you said, why would you have 3 HDDs, 1 for os, 1 for games and 1 for data?? is it gonna be faster? do you think doing that is faster than a single 500GB 10000rmp HDD?

Please explain?

quote>

3 HDDs is a waste. 1 Intel X25-M G2 does the trick.

Read/Write performance of mechanical disks sucks. You can improve on that performance by letting the OS work on one disk (swapping for example) and games using another disk. I don't think you will see any large performance gain in CitiesXL even if you use an SSD disk.  You need a fast CPU the higher the frequency the better. When playing at 1920x1200 with 8x FSAA you also need quite some GPU power as well. In my case I might need to add another Radeon HD 4850 to my setup.

[Talc 0]

I was so excited and drunk when I ordered the game that I can not remember if i ordered the download or boxed version. Now I daily sit by my letterbox and check emails to see what happens. I'm giddy as a school girl, waiting. On an even more stupid note, I started clearing closet space thinking I was going to get a real "T" shirt until i sadly realized it was for my avatar. :-)

[JakeMD 107]

aye-aye, capt'n!

[darkknight49 0]

I have no prob running the thing. I'm just waiting to see if it is worth it. I enjoyed the demo and love the freedom the game provides in creation. If it at least seems like an updated sim city 4, i'd seriously consider getting it.

Does anyone know if you have to pay for the online content? I'm not exactly sure.

[manuelandrei 0]

Originally posted by: darkknight49

I have no prob running the thing. I'm just waiting to see if it is worth it. I enjoyed the demo and love the freedom the game provides in creation. If it at least seems like an updated sim city 4, i'd seriously consider getting it.

Does anyone know if you have to pay for the online content? I'm not exactly sure.quote>

Hello DarkKnight49 and welcome to Simtropolis.

The short answer is yes. For more information please visit the official page on the Planet Offer here:

www.citiesxl.com/component/option,com_community/Itemid,136/task,planet_offer/

I can also recommend reading through the official FAQ here:

www.citiesxl.com/content/view/360/134/

Good luck!

[hanskamp 1]

I have a laptop that I bought in January this year. It is an HP Pavilion dv7 with 4 GB of RAM. I was forced to buy it, because my previous laptop, a Toshiba, broke.

I still want to buy a new laptop if:

- that has more than 4 GB of RAM;

- that is 64 bit;

- there are more 64-bit software, not only Firefox, but also Cities XL 64 and World of Warcraft 64. Only Firefox 64 exists. Cities XL 64 and WoW 64 do not exist, and I don't know whether there are plans to port those games to 64-bit platforms.

I tested Cities XL demo on my laptop, and it ran smooth, as long as I don't use the Middle or High Graphics settings, but use Low settings instead. With low settings the graphics are still acceptable.

[Kingdom of Hispania 4]

i haven't done anything, just wait for the download links to be mailed. i hope that in the end Custom Content will find his way into Cities XL and i'm anxious to test the complete spectrum of the planet offer

[Abc987 3]

You guys are lucky, with all the computer upgrades. I'll be running the game on literally the bare minimum (In fact, I honestly don't even meet the requirements). But I tried the beta, and it worked fine, and they said that they've made improvements so that the final game will be faster than the beta. Let's hope so...!

[soldyne 111]

Originally posted by: manuelandrei

Originally posted by: 8elhaj

Originally posted by: soldyne

I am building a new PC complete with a 3.2Ghz quad core, Windows 7 and a ton of RAM. of course I have to wait for windows 7 release date in late Oct, but, that gives me some time to save up for the PC components. i have already converted one of my older 80GB HDD to a data only drive. I plan on having 3 HDDs in the new comp, one for the OS, one for games and one for data (pics, docs, etc).

now all I have to do is wait.............quote>

I will build a new desktop too, but i am interested in what you said, why would you have 3 HDDs, 1 for os, 1 for games and 1 for data?? is it gonna be faster? do you think doing that is faster than a single 500GB 10000rmp HDD?

Please explain?

quote>

3 HDDs is a waste. 1 Intel X25-M G2 does the trick.

Read/Write performance of mechanical disks sucks. You can improve on that performance by letting the OS work on one disk (swapping for example) and games using another disk. I don't think you will see any large performance gain in CitiesXL even if you use an SSD disk.  You need a fast CPU the higher the frequency the better. When playing at 1920x1200 with 8x FSAA you also need quite some GPU power as well. In my case I might need to add another Radeon HD 4850 to my setup.

quote>

because I already have 3 HDD from previous builds and I don't want them to go to waste just sitting there collecting dust.  also, its more about data protection then speed.  having games and saves on one drive and data on another, if I get a virus or something happens to the OS drive then I can do a low level format/reinstall of that drive and don't have to worry about the information on the other two (I still use optical back ups of course from time to time) (assuming the virus did not jump to the other drives...).  I might have to reinstall the base games but the save data and mods will be safe.  it is sort of like using partitions on a single drive.

I can't do raid since they are all different sizes (80, 250, 500).  also, I will be using the fastest drive with the biggest cache for the OS/drivers and other small utility progams which should allow the system to boot faster.  

3 HDD will not make CitiesXL run faster, thats what the 3.2 Ghz quad core processor, 8GB DDR3 ram and 8800GTX GPU is for!

what it boils down to is that you don't have to seperate your OS, Games and Data if you don't want to.  I happen to have 3 HDDs and want to make use of them, some people on another tech forum suggested seperating the information out like this and so I will give it go and see how it works out.  also, I am a very neat and orderly person so I like having things organized like this.  just personal preference really.

[lococard 0]

I was actually looking for a decent fansite community to join.

This one seems to be full of people complaining how $5 a month is alot.

I am going to buy the game and i will be giving it a fair shot.

[8elhaj 0]

Originally posted by: lococard

I was actually looking for a decent fansite community to join.

This one seems to be full of people complaining how $5 a month is alot.

I am going to buy the game and i will be giving it a fair shot.quote>

i think its 7 bucks but yeah its not that much if they give us more than 5 cities

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]

Originally posted by: jrhnemo

If you aren't planning on buying the game, there's no need to post in this thread complaining about why you aren't, and then criticizing those of us who are.

-Jason

quote>

Just remember guys, this thread is for people that are planning to buy the game,  and what they might be doing to get their computers ready and so on.

There are plenty of other threads available to discuss things like pricing and give your 'opinion' on it.

[Soviet779 1]

Originally posted by: soldyne

Originally posted by: manuelandrei

Originally posted by: 8elhaj

Originally posted by: soldyne

I am building a new PC complete with a 3.2Ghz quad core, Windows 7 and a ton of RAM. of course I have to wait for windows 7 release date in late Oct, but, that gives me some time to save up for the PC components. i have already converted one of my older 80GB HDD to a data only drive. I plan on having 3 HDDs in the new comp, one for the OS, one for games and one for data (pics, docs, etc).

now all I have to do is wait.............quote>

I will build a new desktop too, but i am interested in what you said, why would you have 3 HDDs, 1 for os, 1 for games and 1 for data?? is it gonna be faster? do you think doing that is faster than a single 500GB 10000rmp HDD?

Please explain?

quote>

3 HDDs is a waste. 1 Intel X25-M G2 does the trick.

Read/Write performance of mechanical disks sucks. You can improve on that performance by letting the OS work on one disk (swapping for example) and games using another disk. I don't think you will see any large performance gain in CitiesXL even if you use an SSD disk.  You need a fast CPU the higher the frequency the better. When playing at 1920x1200 with 8x FSAA you also need quite some GPU power as well. In my case I might need to add another Radeon HD 4850 to my setup.

quote>

because I already have 3 HDD from previous builds and I don't want them to go to waste just sitting there collecting dust.  also, its more about data protection then speed.  having games and saves on one drive and data on another, if I get a virus or something happens to the OS drive then I can do a low level format/reinstall of that drive and don't have to worry about the information on the other two (I still use optical back ups of course from time to time) (assuming the virus did not jump to the other drives...).  I might have to reinstall the base games but the save data and mods will be safe.  it is sort of like using partitions on a single drive.

I can't do raid since they are all different sizes (80, 250, 500).  also, I will be using the fastest drive with the biggest cache for the OS/drivers and other small utility progams which should allow the system to boot faster.  

3 HDD will not make CitiesXL run faster, thats what the 3.2 Ghz quad core processor, 8GB DDR3 ram and 8800GTX GPU is for!

what it boils down to is that you don't have to seperate your OS, Games and Data if you don't want to.  I happen to have 3 HDDs and want to make use of them, some people on another tech forum suggested seperating the information out like this and so I will give it go and see how it works out.  also, I am a very neat and orderly person so I like having things organized like this.  just personal preference really.

quote>

Why only an 8800GTX? Thats pretty ancient compared to the rest of your components.

[tbro221 0]

Ugh-will install it then will have to reinstall once Windows 7 arrives as I'm going to do a clean install of Windows 7. Putting more mem in computer to get better overall performace boost. Should help with CitesXL.

[Naviss 0]

Not really JUST for this game, But bought a eVGA GTX 275, To replace my two GTX 8800 KO's, Plan to keep one of the 8800's though for PhysX. Should run nicely.

Waiting till Windows 7 is out for awhile before I do a new build altogether.

[soldyne 111]

8800GTX is actually comparable to the GTS 250. it has 128 stream processors, 768 MB ram, direct X 10, open GL 2.0. it may be old, but, it can still hold its own against current models which cost around $120 -150.

If I were going to upgrade I would get a GTX 275, but, the increases are not enough to warrent the $250 price tag. perhaps when the 300 series is released and the 200 series goes down a bit I will think about upgrading.

also, I have decided to stick with 2 HDD and save about $60 on the new build. if I start to run out of space I will get a new HDD then.

[Naviss 0]

Yea, The 8800's has been really good to me. But I use to upgrade every other year. Just slacked here haha. The 275, Has 240 Streams so I'm expecting a pretty decent improvement.

[830point35 8]

If it works on Fusion, I'll buy it too.

[SimBurger 0]

I wouldn't say that only a few people have purchased this game. We have every reason to believe they've sold well over 40,000 copies of it even before its been released. That's a decent amount isn't it?

[TBD-TooBusyDisorder 0]

I pre-ordered the limited edition of the game and I am looking forward to giving it a go. As for the planet offer I think I'll give 2 months a shot; to be honest, it's not really that expensive, so why not?

If anyone has a link to the system requirements, that would be nice, but if anyone knows a lot about specs, I have a laptop with 4 gigs of ram, 250 gb of hard drive space, and runs at 2.00GHz (Vista 64-bit, might upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out).

[Craig-Abcvs 1,595]