Solo Trading

[evan38109 0]

 Since PO trading seems to be non-functional at the moment,  I decided to try solo again.  I was able to get up to around 50,000 citizens before I started running into serious trade-related problems.

In solo mode, the only available trading partner is Omnicorp.  You can trade pretty much all resources, selling at $25 and purchasing at $100.  This means that you need to sell four tokens for every one that you can buy.

Cities XL, however, is built with trading in mind.  Maps aren't generally designed for well-rounded, sustainable cities - most lack major resources - and part of the fun is, of course, specializing.  

Even after covering pretty much all my arable land and harvesting the available water, I just couldn't trade for enough of what I needed at the 4-for-1 trading rate.

Anyone else had this issue?  Anyone have any tips for trying to build a more specialized city or developing the less balanced maps?

[8elhaj 0]

Yes thats actually the first or second biggest problem.

There is regionplay in Solo Mode so you cant get one of your cities trade with another one of your which makes specialization obsolete which takes off the point of building a city because you will always have to build the same kind of city which boring.

They really have to fix that soon.

[theonesim 0]

I asked in another thread if trading between your own cities was possible and someone replied with the thumbs up, but this post sounds like you can't trade in solo mode with your own cities. could someone please clarify this?

[DjluckyN 0]

I also have the same problem. I started to find the game really interesting until I got to the point that I had no resources left but needed to exchange tokens for food and oil. I'm stuck there. There's nothing I can't do unless I get in crazy debts and the city becomes an extreme failure. One of my friends, he's also playing in Solo mode and happens to be in the same situation. Oh ya, for my Oil problem, I don't even have a check-mark to enable trading.lol

I strongly believe that we are playing an unfinished version of the SP mode. MC didn't take time to create the trading system for a SP, they just took the same they created for PO and decided to create the fictional Omnicorp and set up a trading rate of 4 for 1. As for the check mark, they come-up randomly, whenever the game feels like activating them. Sux that MC only wants our $$$

[logan86 1]

they do only want our money. there is no intercity trading in single player, which means all cities must be identical. there is no specialisation, and dont let anyone try and fool you to think otherwise. things like specialisation and other things that should be in any game, you will have to pay a monthly fee for.

[barryrs 0]

Submitted as a bug, Trading with the Omni-present Bernie Madoff sucks! The game can't function on it's own without inter city trading!

[esa1234 0]

Aside from the aforementioned issues, does anyone else notice that you have to physically exit your city to the main menu and re-enter your city in order for all resources to update properly? I've got 2 500k+ cities in SP that exhibit the same problem.

It's also worth mentioning, again, that all these issues were identified during closed beta. The beta was PO, and the problems were abated, but never resolved. Extremely dissapointing to find the same issue in the release version.

[evan38109 0]

Originally posted by: barryrs

Submitted as a bug, Trading with the Omni-present Bernie Madoff sucks! The game can't function on it's own without inter city trading!quote>

Ooo!  How do we submit bugs?

There are lots of bugs - large and small - that I'd like to submit.  (e.g., the rail connections overlay in the info panel when there is no rail system in the game, inconsistencies and UI issues with the time controls, etc.)

I'm trying to take a positive attitude here; I'd like to try and help make this better.  If that's possible...

[n88tr 0]

Can I trade with a city I built on the world map to the left or right of a city?? Like in SC4 I could make connections with electricity, roads, water, for income?

[Androv 6]

You can only trade with OmniCorp, I think it's to try and get more people into the Planet Offer. I reckon you should be able to trade with your other cities

[deanco 0]

Originally posted by: Androv

 I think it's to try and get more people into the Planet Offer.quote>

I don't "think", I'm 99% certain they gimped single player to do that.   I have the French version of the manual.  There is quite a big section on Madalff, going on and on about how he's a heartless bastard whose great joy is driving cities bankrupt.

At this point, I'd call single player a demo of the 'real' game, which costs a monthly fee.  You can get your cities to a certain size in single player, but if you want them bigger, cough up the cash.

[sparky66 0]

they should have had more than one company to trade with, each offering different rates for different goods. they should have also made it so you can trade with all your other single player cities. so you could have a city specialising in say, oil, which supplies oil to all of your cities, another city specialising is something else etc.

[rhenry 1]

I was looking for people talking about this today. I am pretty much convinced by now that it's just not even possible to build a very large city without being on the PO. When it comes time to buy resources from Omnicorp, you never have enough money or he's not selling any to begin with. The only maps that have a respectable amount of oil have no water and visa versa.

I thought maybe if I just started buying oil from him as early as possible, before I even needed any, then it might help but it doesn't seem to help at all.

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses.

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.

[CanyonVR 0]

In the PO can you trade between your own cities?

[n88tr 0]

I can't think of any good reason to screw the solo mode players with a ruthless trader like Madoff. There should be several to pick from. One is just poor options and game planning. Give me some choice!

[mrvector 0]

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses.

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.quote>

Be aware though, the trading system is really really really messed up in PO at the moment. I havent played for 2 days, and I wont play until this is fixed because it ruins the fun.

Even though my expecations were high and I liked the demo alot, I could'nt ever imagine that one of the essential functions fo the game, the trading, would fail after just 1 day. Not good MC.

[deanco 0]

Originally posted by: rhenry

You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

quote>

No, you absolutely do not do that.  You go to your window, you open it up, stick your head out, and yell, as loud as you can, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!'  And then you keep yelling it.  'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!'

[Psycho_Teddy 25]

I think this was a poor design choice on MC's part. There are a lot of people that are angry that they MUST have a reliable internet connection to play this game. Solo mode should always be an option in this type of game. Also, I think that, if you pay the monthly fee (as I am currently doing), you should have rights to trading with more companies in solo as well. Something I have yet to see.

[His Divine Hand 244]

Originally posted by: Psycho_Teddy

Solo mode should always be an option in this type of game. Also, I think that, if you pay the monthly fee (as I am currently doing), you should have rights to trading with more companies in solo as well. quote>

Actually, not it doesn't.  Funny thing is that a gaming company can do whatever the hell they want to with their product, including making it have NO solo mode at all.  Infact, how many MMOs even have an offline, solo mode?  Not many.  

[Psycho_Teddy 25]

My argument is that this is a game that you don't necessarily have to play online, it can be done alone (as the inclusion of a solo mode implies).  The market that MC is vying for is not one that wants to be forced to:

A.) Pay additional fees

B.) Collaborate with others (it's a game for control freaks afterall)

C.) Have limited resources and options, open-ness is crucial here

[CanyonVR 0]

The online PO seems more of just a solo plus chat. Trading as the only "mmo" aspect is weak at best.

[CanyonVR 0]

Is there anywhere that gives a nice concise and clear explanation of trading.  I swear when I am trying to sell something it goes into the buy column!   HELP!

[Psycho_Teddy 25]

Also, if they had no intention of fully supporting their solo mode then it should not have been included in the game in the first place.

[rhenry 1]

Originally posted by: mrvector

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses.

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.quote>

Be aware though, the trading system is really really really messed up in PO at the moment. I havent played for 2 days, and I wont play until this is fixed because it ruins the fun.

Even though my expecations were high and I liked the demo alot, I could'nt ever imagine that one of the essential functions fo the game, the trading, would fail after just 1 day. Not good MC.

quote>

But doesn't it at least make it possible to build a larger city? I get my city moving along and I've got like 25000 surplus each round and I'm getting up to like 6 million c and then my factory starts "more fuel!" and within minutes my entire economy has collapsed and I'm deleting my city to look for another map.

At the very least I would like a cheat to bypass the fuel/water issue.

[rhenry 1]

I find that if I hop in the car and drive around the neighborhood yelling it to random strangers it relieves even more frustration than simply yelling out the window. Sometimes I might even throw ice water at them.

[Jokurr 175]

Originally posted by: deanco

Originally posted by: rhenry

You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

quote>

No, you absolutely do not do that.  You go to your window, you open it up, stick your head out, and yell, as loud as you can, 'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!'  And then you keep yelling it.  'I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!'

quote>

This is mass madness, you maniacs!

[PyroMancer 0]

Originally posted by: rhenry

I was looking for people talking about this today. I am pretty much convinced by now that it's just not even possible to build a very large city without being on the PO. When it comes time to buy resources from Omnicorp, you never have enough money or he's not selling any to begin with. The only maps that have a respectable amount of oil have no water and visa versa.

I thought maybe if I just started buying oil from him as early as possible, before I even needed any, then it might help but it doesn't seem to help at all.

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses.

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.quote>

Or you could just wait until a Hack/Mod comes out. I'm sure one will be out eventually after all the game hasn't been out a full week yet so there hasn't been much time for that yet.

I mean after all people talk about how SC4 is superior because of all the "fan support" along with the fact it has better simulation. But the "fan support" is nothing more then hacks and mods to the game. Cities XL is a nice pretty gfx engine from what I've seen. I'm sure in time some people will make some kick ass mods. And probably even ones that do stuff like unlock Mass transit and lower Omnicorp's trade prices.

And personally there is nothing wrong with that. Once a person buys software, such as a game, they have the right to use that software however they see fit for their own "personal" use. So if they want alt it so Cities XL looks like it's on say Mars (SimMars Mod hehe) when in SP then they are perfectly within their right to do so. Now if they try and sell it they might have some legal issues.

[0wn3d 2]

Originally posted by: mrvector Be aware though, the trading system is really really really messed up in PO at the moment. I havent played for 2 days, and I wont play until this is fixed because it ruins the fun.

Even though my expecations were high and I liked the demo alot, I could'nt ever imagine that one of the essential functions fo the game, the trading, would fail after just 1 day. Not good MC.

quote>

That was a one day thing and has been largely fixed.  As of now trading is basically working (Although its slightly laggy, but its always been like that).  But, you can actually receive credits from your trades, so its not impossible to sustain a big city anymore (People were at like -100000 cash flow >&lt.

[Jokurr 175]

Originally posted by: PyroMancer

Originally posted by: rhenry

I was looking for people talking about this today. I am pretty much convinced by now that it's just not even possible to build a very large city without being on the PO. When it comes time to buy resources from Omnicorp, you never have enough money or he's not selling any to begin with. The only maps that have a respectable amount of oil have no water and visa versa.

I thought maybe if I just started buying oil from him as early as possible, before I even needed any, then it might help but it doesn't seem to help at all.

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses.

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.quote>

Or you could just wait until a Hack/Mod comes out. I'm sure one will be out eventually after all the game hasn't been out a full week yet so there hasn't been much time for that yet.

I mean after all people talk about how SC4 is superior because of all the "fan support" along with the fact it has better simulation. But the "fan support" is nothing more then hacks and mods to the game. Cities XL is a nice pretty gfx engine from what I've seen. I'm sure in time some people will make some kick ass mods. And probably even ones that do stuff like unlock Mass transit and lower Omnicorp's trade prices.

And personally there is nothing wrong with that. Once a person buys software, such as a game, they have the right to use that software however they see fit for their own "personal" use. So if they want alt it so Cities XL looks like it's on say Mars (SimMars Mod hehe) when in SP then they are perfectly within their right to do so. Now if they try and sell it they might have some legal issues.

quote>

It's not that simple, you might want to read the EULA. I know MC have said they will support custom content, and that is good, but to what end seems a bit hazy. From the way MC have worded their posts relating to custom content, it sounds like we won't have as much freedom as we did with modding SC4.

[His Divine Hand 244]

Originally posted by: Psycho_Teddy

Also, if they had no intention of fully supporting their solo mode then it should not have been included in the game in the first place.quote>

I fully, 100% agree with you here.  

Originally posted by: PyroMancer

Originally posted by: rhenry

I was looking for people talking about this today. I am pretty much convinced by now that it's just not even possible to build a very large city without being on the PO. When it comes time to buy resources from Omnicorp, you never have enough money or he's not selling any to begin with. The only maps that have a respectable amount of oil have no water and visa versa.

I thought maybe if I just started buying oil from him as early as possible, before I even needed any, then it might help but it doesn't seem to help at all. 

So the basic conclusion after 4 days with this game is that solo mode is just a demo version for the PO mode. You play solo until your frustrated with your limitations and then you give up and buy your online membership.

I'm 100% certain of it.

I've already found myself trying to dig out my old wireless adapter to put my game computer online, which I did not want to do out of fear of viruses. 

but if I want to play the game to it's full potential, what choice is there?

Resistance is futile. You must assimilate.quote>

Or you could just wait until a Hack/Mod comes out. I'm sure one will be out eventually after all the game hasn't been out a full week yet so there hasn't been much time for that yet.

I mean after all people talk about how SC4 is superior because of all the "fan support" along with the fact it has better simulation. But the "fan support" is nothing more then hacks and mods to the game. Cities XL is a nice pretty gfx engine from what I've seen. I'm sure in time some people will make some kick ass mods. And probably even ones that do stuff like unlock Mass transit and lower Omnicorp's trade prices. quote>

Absolutely.  I had said it before, that so long as MC provides a game that people want to play, and more importantly, improve upon, then there will be mods, whether MC wants them or not.  The key is if the  right people want to make the tools to make this possible, and if the game allows for relative ease to add things to it (which, with the GEMs, I imagine it is quite possible).

And personally there is nothing wrong with that. Once a person buys software, such as a game, they have the right to use that software however they see fit for their own "personal" use. So if they want alt it so Cities XL looks like it's on say Mars (SimMars Mod hehe) when in SP then they are perfectly within their right to do so. Now if they try and sell it they might have some legal issues. 

quote>

. . . And here you fall off the boat.  You see, things like movies, books, music, and yes, video games fall under a different area of ownership.  You see, the code that your computer reads to play games like CXL is under the ownership of the game creator, not you.  All you own is the disc it comes on; the company so kindly lets you lease their wares for only the original purchasing cost.  Intellectual Properties, how loved you are.