What we (thought we) knew about CITIES XL...

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

FOR THE SAKE OF PRESERVATION OF PIECES FROM THE HISTORY OF THE CITY-BUILDING GENRE, IF NOTHING ELSE, I HAVE ADDED BELOW A SALVAGED COPY OF THE ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM THIS SAME THREAD THAT EXISTED AT THE FORMER CITIESXL.COM FORUMS.

CONTENTS:

This thread will be continuously updated.

*click links below to jump to the relevant information*

CORE ASPECTS

Custom Content / Modding / Free Rotation for Content Placement / Content Scaling & Proportion / Complexity & Options / Budgets / Planet Idea / Online & Multiplayer

NATURAL WORLD / GEOLOGY / TERRAFORMATION

Terraforming / Climates / Weather / Natural Resources & Utilities / Terrain Generating & Importing Terrain Data

ZONES / LOTS / BUILDINGS / LANDSCAPING

Number of Buildings Available & Building Repetition / Zoning / Plopping / Designing Features & Laying Out Modular Content / Waterfronts / Airports / Mixed-Use Buildings / Varying Lot Shapes & Sizes / Civic Services / Upgrading Facilities / Parks & Countryside / Precision Landscaping Tools / Building on Slopes

TRANSPORTATION

Roads / Railways / Pedestrian & Cyclist Networks / Bus Services / Water Transport / Integrating Transport Networks / Bridges / Tunnels / Elevated & Sunken Networks / Curved Networks / Non-Work Commuting & Travel / Parking / Network Levelling

INDUSTRY / TRADE / BUSINESS

Freight & Goods Transportation / Farming & Fishing / Billboards & Advertising Spaces

EXTRA BUILDINGS / AMENITIES / LANDMARKS

Government Buildings / Community Buildings / Educational Buildings / Sports Event Buildings / Zoos / Theme Parks / Performance Arenas / Monuments & Statues / Ski Resorts / Motor Racing Circuits

USER-INTERFACE & DATA

Data Maps / Statistics / Graphic User Interface (GUI) / Menu Customisation & Searching

MISCELLANEOUS & ADDITIONAL GAME FEATURES

City Events / City Life / Construction & Deconstruction / Customising Graphics Effects / High-Quality Rendered Screenshot Captures / Disasters / Crimes

__________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION:

I decided to work on a collection of short pieces of text featuring currently-available information on the game which also relates to any of the ideas in my unofficial surveys. Scroll down this page for more details!

You can view the current results of the unofficial top 100 most requested features by following this link.

__________________________________________________

All members: please add your votes in the Unofficial CITIES XL Surveys, to help show Monte Cristo what features should receive the most attention from the development team!

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Core Aspects

Custom Content & Modding:

It has become clear, most notably from this thread that CITIES XL will allow user-made custom content to be added to the game. The process, however, will be quite different from that of SimCity 4 as converting the content from its design form to something which can be understood by the game will have to go through Monte Cristo. They have stated that they are committed to this side of CITIES XL as custom content is one of the game's features that will help sales continue for a long time after the game's release. It has also been stated that user-made custom content should be available for free as it is with SimCity 4, despite the staff at Monte Cristo having to spend their own time on converting it for the game.

Modifying the game and/or creating mods which can be installed is still a grey area. At present, it looks unlikely to be supported by Monte Cristo.

Multiple Alignment Angles & Free Rotation for Any Item Placement:

This feature was already available in City Life, and was thought to be already set for CITIES XL. It was confirmed by screenshots included with an official blog update:

This ability should also be applied to the placement, shaping, drawing or marking-out of absolutely anything within the game.

Real Scale/Proportion: Building/Lot Size, Travel Distance/Speed, Effect Radius, Building/Transport/Utility Capacity:

Philippe stated in this post within the "Questions about the stadium from the blog" thread created by Bountytaker:

I know our artists do make a real effort into making sure every single building has a realistic scale with the overall landscape and other graphical elements such as other buildings, roads, etc...

It is currently unknown if the following will also be set to realistic scales: commuting distances, buildings and transport capacities, and the spread or radius of positive/negative effects.

Complexity Settings & Advanced Options: *UPDATED*

The Work, Work, and Build a House! article published at German gaming website www.gamers.de gives an idea of the different levels applied to advanced options that will feature in the game. Thanks to André090904, the relevant part of the article roughly translates to:

André090904 wrote:

"There will always be the possibility to pursue a meticulous micromanagement when following one's organisational tasks [like choosing his favorite colour for street signs]. If you are not interested in micromanagement but in being creative, the computer may undertake the task."

This would indicate that there is a degree of automation which would be applied to many of the advanced and in-depth customisation options for the more inexperienced players or those who do not wish to adjust so many fine details; while those who do wish to have more control also have the ability available to manually adjust the different options.

In another official blog update. Our answers to your 'Simulation blogs' questions, some information was given on how players can be helped with the complexity of the game, or have the option to play the game outside of the standard rules:

SamFisher asks:

Management possibilities seem rather broad, I was wondering whether difficulty settings were planned?

A tutorial and councilors will be there to guide you through your first steps; and you will be able to disable them at any time. Also, the amount of money you have when you start on a map may vary and it will be possible to unlock some loans, if you have temporary money issues.

Finally, a 'cheatcode' mode will allow you to develop a city without any money restrictions. But not on a planet where other players are playing ‘by the rules’.

This would confirm the presense of advisors (possibly similar to those in the SimCity series) to help inexperienced players, and also the option to start a new city with different levels of funds (again, an option available in the SimCity games). It also confirms the presence of a "sandbox mode" whereby there is no city budget, or infinite money.

Regional & Local Budgets: *UPDATED*

Monte Cristo's official blog entry Money, money, money! gives us the first details on economics and budgets in CITIES XL which appears to show they are taking this aspect many steps closer to reality! However, there have been no details yet on whether we will have separate budgets for local expenses and for the infrastructure serving a greater regional area.

A more recent blog update The Cities XL Simulation Part 3: Agents and more also confirmed some apsects of the system behind the city budget in CITIES XL, which seems on par with the SimCity series:

The mayor will have access to 3 types of action. First of all, he will set taxation levels. These taxes will reduce the agents' satisfaction levels but will provide him with the means to run his city!

Using tax revenue, the mayor will be able to pay for public services (police, electricity, etc.). These services are very expensive but will meet some of the expectations of citizens and businesses.

Finally, and most importantly, the mayor will need to manage the urban space.

In simtropolis.com's article we have also had a small preview of the budget window in CITIES XL:

Planetary Idea / Multiplayer & Online Play: *UPDATED*

With the official press release for CITIES XL, it has become clear that there will be an entire planet system for playing online.

However, it is still unknown whether we will be able to build a beyond a standard "city map" to create a larger regional area to whichever size we desire, and whether or not we will have an entire planet to build on in single player mode.

In a new article posted at a French gaming website, www.gamekult.com, more information was revealed of the online aspect of CITIES XL, also confirming that there would be a galaxy of different planets to play, not just one planet:

To avoid the fragmentation of the community, the online portion of Cities XL will focus heavily on the centralization of information through an Internet site that will offer many features such as a profile editor, avatar, or communication tools that will manage a network of friends, or create "city newspapers" which are very blog-esque in spirit.

Beyond all these gadgets, at the official website we will also be informed in real time on the latest developments, and keep an eye on events taking place in our city or to follow the course of our favourite ones. This is also where we can, ultimately, visit a special shop, which should allow everyone to buy new buildings that developers will make available as and when. It is a priority for this transaction system not to require the player to obtain everything, since each pack's content will be for a certain type of town or function that is not necessarily of interest to everyone.

It will be a monthly subscription, which should turn around €5 per month, for indulging in this online part of Cities XL.

At the launch of Cities Online, we found a login screen, just like in an MMO, which then will give us access to a view of the galaxy so that we can choose a planet. Once our selection is made, we have a view of the world and who is active on the screen, illuminated by as many small lights as there are cities in the world. While we will consult the general information of the corner on the side of the screen, it will embark on hunting a plot of land, casting an eye on the exploitable resources available at each location.

The article also states that the location we choose on the planet will affect our city's development - as proximity to other cities, not just resources, and connecting to global transportation infrastructure is a vital key to boosting growth. However, it is also noted that it would not be impossible to build a successful city in the most inhospitable location, such as a desert, and this would provide more of a challenge for the most determined and hardcore players.

More info can also be found from Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL at wired.com:

Particular areas on a planet will provide specific resources, which will be crucial to your development: You can't build a ski resort in the middle of a desert, nor will you find much water, but you more than likely will have access to an abundance of oil.

Social networking will be intertwined with the MMO experience. Those who participate in the Planet offer will be granted a player profile, listing all the stats and details of their cities, and any friends they may have made along the way. From the profile, you'll be able to leave comments for others, write entries and post pictures in a journal (I had my first riot today!), or chat with other players and discuss business agendas and fiscal schemes, all from the comfort of your browser.

More recently, the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview gave us an idea of how various online players will be able to trade with other players on the same planet:

These deals are mainly comprised of city resources, such as water, power, waste management, jobs, workers and even vacation spots. "Tokens" are the currency for your resources, and you sell and swap them as you please. The game engine does not impose any inherit value on them, so their value is entirely subjective. For example, you might have an excess of power, but you are short on Qualified Workers. You open a contract proposal with a nearby city, offering your surplus power tokens, in exchange for Qualified Worker tokens (or whatever else you might need). If the other player accepts, then you have a deal. The deal will be set for a certain number of days, and you would each be responsible for holding up your ends of the bargain. So, for the duration of the contract, you are obligated to provide a certain number of power tokens, and you would expect to receive your Qualified Workers.

The article also featured a screenshot of the online trading interface that will feature outside of the game, at the official website:

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Natural World / Geology / Terraformation

SC4-Style "God Mode" Terraforming Tools: *UPDATED*

According to the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview, it may be possible that CITIES XL will include basic terraforming options:

The build I played had a terra-forming menu option, but was not functional. Monte Cristo has yet to determine the extent of terra-forming options for the player. My sense is that there will be basic terra-forming options while in the game such as leveling terrain, but the ability to do map-level terra-forming is unclear.

It is unknown whether this will actually feature in the initial game's release, or whether there will be wide-reaching terraforming tools for shaping the overall terrain of our maps.

Different Climates: *UPDATED*

In screenshots of CITIES XL we are shown that there will be some different climates available in this game. Here, a snowy location can be seen in the mountains:

Also, we can see a canyon located in an arid desert landscape:

Also, according to an official press release from Monte Cristo, Design the CITIES XL Collector's Edition!, the game will feature a variety of climates:

The maps feature a variety of environments: mountains, hills, canyons, beaches and islands, all set in different climates from tropical to desert, Mediterranean to temperate.

Visual Eye-Candy Weather Effects: *UPDATED*

In the German article, Work, Work, and Build a House! published at www.gamers.de, a reference was made to weather effects in CITIES XL. Thanks to André090904, the text roughly translates to:

André090904 wrote:

"Although having a dynamic weather and time-of-day cycle, natural catatrophes like earthquakes will appear in specifically marked zones only."

This would appear to imply that weather will feature in the game in some form or another. However, it is unclear if there will be any visual effects for different types of weather and if so, how this will be rendered realistically or interact with the landscape and city, visually.

Natural Resource Extraction Facilities / Realistic Water Supply Facilities: *UPDATED*

In this article posted at French gaming website www.gamekult.com, some information was revealed on natural resources in CITIES XL. Different parts of the world, and different types of terrain will have better chances of finding resources available for improving trade and your economy. It is also thought this will mean that pumping of water to provide supplies will be more successful at locations closer to bodies of water or with a higher "water table" level (higher amount of underground water).

Oil and water resources were also mentioned at wired.com in the preview article Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL:

Particular areas on a planet will provide specific resources, which will be crucial to your development: You can't build a ski resort in the middle of a desert, nor will you find much water, but you more than likely will have access to an abundance of oil.

It is presumed that the game will feature various types of facilities to extract, process, store, and otherwise exploit natural resources: such as farms, mines, quarries, on-shore and off-shore drilling, water pumps, water treatment plants, water towers, and reservoirs, but this is still unconfirmed.

The blog entry Crisis? What Crisis? gave us an idea of what may feature in future "Game Extension Modules" (GEMs) expansion add-on packs that are released, such as micromanaging mining companies and oil companies:

While most of the following elements appear in the original version of CITIES XL, the GEMs will offer you more detailed management options for these fields. For example,

• Agricultural, mining, and oil companies

Leisure companies: amusement parks, zoos, theme parks

Terrain Generating & Importing Terrain Data:

It is thought that CITIES XL will allow importing of greyscale terrain heightmaps - as this was a feature available in City Life. There are also a lot of details related to terrain generating in the official blog update: Genesis of a world.

According to wired.com's preview article Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL, we will be able to buy heightmaps for CITIES XL. This may confirm that we can also import our own greyscale heightmaps:

At the Cities XL website, you'll also be able to shop for GEMs, new building models (if you'd like to take the customization even further) and topographic maps: buy a New York setting and you'll get a detailed replica of the city, so you can finally add the maximum security prison Central Park so desperately needs.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Zones / Lots / Buildings / Landscaping

Huge Collection of Buildings: *UPDATED*

In the official press release from Monte Cristo, Design the CITIES XL Collector's Edition!, it is stated that the initial game should feature building architecture influenced by three main styles:

CITIES XL allows gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures and monuments based on American, Asian and European-influenced architectural styles.

Monte Cristo stated in

this interview

at Simphoni.net, that the team will be commiting more resources to creating a large amount of content for CITIES XL:

Q:

Building repetition was a bit of an issue in City Life. How will you change the system this time around to get rid of that problem?

A:

The difficulty here for a game development studio in producing enough assets for such games is that it requires time and artists.

To avoid getting into the mentioned issue, we will commit far more resources before and after the release of CITIES XL to guarantee a huge variety of content.

In addition we have some secret cards in our sleeves that we can’t talk about yet.

In jeuxvideo.com's preview of CITIES XL, it was stated that there will be nearly 600 buildings of European and American architecture styles included.

More Zoning Options & Control / Plop or Zone Everything & Design/Lay Out our own Customised Non-RCI Features: *UPDATED*

In this official CitiesXL.com blog entry, David described details of the "Mass Placement Tool" that the MC team have been working on; and how it can be used. He also stated that for plopping fans, the option to place any building in whichever location you wish will still be available.

David also went on to describe how the concept of *tags* will be incorporated into the zoning system. Using these tags we can set many more parameters than before, that will determine which buildings are permitted development within a zone and which buildings are not.

In CITIES XL, all the buildings will have "tags" that describe their function (such as Residence, Commercial Service, Hotel, Industry, etc.) and other important characteristics (such as size, level of wealth, architectural style, geographical origin, and so on).

Moreover, each individual building is identified by a unique tag so that you can choose specific buildings. Finally, we also want players to create their own custom tags and define their own sets of tags (« My Clean Industries set »

.

What will the mass placement tool allow? It will enable players to select a zone and the set of building tags they want to see appear in that zone. The result should be that the buildings which appear in the selected zone correspond to the functions and other characteristics expressed by the tags. The tags will be used as a kind of sorting system: by selecting a set of tags you will actually be selecting a set of buildings.

Read more: Blog: To Zone or Not to Zone?...

It has been confirmed that buildings will "grow" within our zones over time based on a desirability and demand system akin to SC4.

Also, in the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview at simtropolis.com, it was stated that there will be four developer types of zone: Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Leisure; and that there will be three zone densities available for each.

This means there is no separation of "Commercial Service" and "Commercial Office" as two distinct zone types; but providing there are *tags* for each commercial building which relate to these differences we will still be able to effectively create Office-only zones, and Service-only zones, and much more.

Waterfront Infrastructure / Improving Airports / Ability to Upgrade Facilities / Custom Parkland & Other Green Land: *UPDATED*

Although SC4's features for parks and greenspace, airports, and waterfronts were not great, the amount of custom content available at website such as Simtropolis.com offered us the ability to create large customised parks, realistic ports and airports, recreational waterfronts, and more. With CITIES XL, we may be able to create similar large customised features or projects, as this was one of the official poll questions posted by Monte Cristo: here.

By having the tools available to lay out and design our own projects, this may also give the player the ability to "upgrade" facilities and increase their capacity by adding new buildings to civic facilities, terminals and runways added to airports, extra docks added to seaports, etc. This should always be at a hefty cost so players should only expand such facilities if the demand is there, and they have enough cash for construction and are making enough profit to afford the maintenance.

It has been confirmed that we will be able to upgrade airports in at least one way. The new article at www.gamkult.com states:

From the point of view of airports, they will also be relatively inspired because we can customize to the length of runways (at the same time changing the size of aircraft available), even if it is also possible to automate this process for players.

A recent blog article about GEMs also featured a screenshot of a beach on the waterfront, giving an idea of this particular aspect of CITIES XL's waterfront features:

Since then, two more screenshots have surfaced showing waterfront development along the beaches:

Improved Handling of Buildings & Structures on Slopes:

In this screenshot of CITIES XL we can see that the retaining wall texture for some buildings built on a slope are a great improvement from those of SimCity 4.

However, it is still not completely clear whether the open space of the Lots around each building will be able to change and slope with the landscape as some but not all do in SimCity 4.

Mixed-Use/Purpose Buildings:

In the following new screenshot of CITIES XL found at many sites with recent previews of the game, it looks like there Mixed-Use Buildings may be included:

The building on the left-hand side looks like it features Retail or other Commercial Service space in the ground floor, with Commercial Office space in the upper floors.

The following building also shows that there are retail outlets on the ground floor:

Varying Lot Shapes & Sizes *UPDATED*

Although the initial release of CITIES XL will almost certainly only feature rectangular Lots for standard types of buildings, farms would appear to be at least one type of "Lot" which we can create in any size or shape:

It is unclear whether there are any size restrictions when creating individual farm fields.

It is hoped, but unconfirmed, that this may also be applied to the city features which we may be able to "lay out" ourselves using modular content: such as airports, seaports, marinas, power or massive industrial or plants, and grounds of civic facilities.

Improving Civic Facilities *UPDATED*

The official blog entry The Cities XL Simulation gives us an insight into how the effect and coverage of civic services has been improved from the radius system used in SimCity 4.

Instead of effect coverage being tied to a fixed distance from a civic facility, it is tied to the time taken to travel using available transportation infrastructure - in the same way as work commuting.

It would also seem that the idea of "unlocking" larger and higher-capacity civic facilities has been taken from SimCity 4, according to the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview:

I didn’t see any notifications, so I had to go in and check my menus to see what new options became available, for example a bigger school or hospital or higher zoning densities.

Precision Landscaping/Grading Tools: *UPDATED*

The article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview states it may be possible that CITIES XL will include basic terraforming options:

The build I played had a terra-forming menu option, but was not functional. Monte Cristo has yet to determine the extent of terra-forming options for the player. My sense is that there will be basic terra-forming options while in the game such as leveling terrain, but the ability to do map-level terra-forming is unclear.

It is unknown whether this will actually feature in the initial game's release, or whether there will be a full range of precision landscaping tools for grading land in a number of ways to be suitable for developments and infrastructure.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Transportation

Roads & Highways Options/Customisation: *UPDATED*

City Life allowed some road customisation features. However, many improvements could be made with many more features available (see: Roads & Highways unofficial "Concepts" article). Adding more lanes to roads, for example, was available before but the way it was implemented was not ideal. This early blog entry by Monte Cristo describes some of the details surrounding road customisation features in CITIES XL: Hit the road again!

More recently, Philippe shared with the community some new screenshots focusing solely on (hopefully just some of) the possibilities we could create using road customisation features in CITIES XL:

In the later blog entry Honey, I shrunk the sidewalks!, we can see some more different road configurations:

We had our first glimpse of what looks like a plopped "pre-made" roundabouts in CITIES XL, thanks to the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview at simtropolis.com:

Although it is hoped we can create our own unique roundabouts and traffic circles of any size and shape using the customisable road tools, and the ability to modify how two or more roads join (such as removing traffic lights, and setting priorities to specific directions of traffic).

An extra built-in automated feature was revealed in the Preview: CITIES XL article at www.bigdownload.com:

Zoom in closer still to watch cars pull out of lots and wait for a safe opportunity to merge with highway traffic.

This confirmed that Lots will have automatic driveway connections to adjoining roads for which we should visually see vehicles enter or exit the Lot.

Integrating Transport Networks: *UPDATED*

The blog entry Our answers to your 'Simulation blogs' questions here gave us a hint that it may be possible to integrate our railway lines for trams into road networks:

Just like in reality you can't enlarge a road without destroying the nearby buildings you can't do that in the game either. However, it will be possible to modify existing roads to enhance the traffic (by adding a lane at the expense of sideways), or to make them more beautiful by adding trees.

There may also be specialized lanes for certain transports like buses and maybe even... tramways.

Bridges & Tunnels Options/Customisation: *UPDATED*

A recent official site blog update featured a new screenshot showing two bridges, and a tunnel:

One can be seen crossing the water in the above screenshot, with another crossing a valley/depression near the bottom-right of the image. The latter also shows the bridge crossing another road network. Also, near the bottom-left of the image, a large road can be seen ending abruptly when some green land is reached. The road can then be seen continuing at the very bottom of the image. This would clearly indicate a road tunnel being used there.

The official blog entry Road, Bridges & Tunnels Construction from Monte Cristo gave us our first look at the simplicity in creating bridges and tunnels in CITIES XL with two new videos of the game. Within these videos we can see the following being created with ease: suspension bridges, curved bridges, sloped bridges and tunnels (with the entrance/exit on each side at different heights on the terrain), and possibly curved tunnels too.

Some new screenshots also show us that we can create at least two different styles of bridges so far:

It has also been confirmed by Philippe that we can create underwater tunnels in CITIES XL.

It is currently unconfirmed whether we can create tunnel entrances/exits on flat land, arched bridges, or a single bridge/tunnel structure that is designed for use by multiple types of transport network (such as a double-decked bridge with rail lines on a lower level, below a road at a higher level).

Railways Options/Customisation: *UPDATED*

An early prototype image from Monte Cristo showed us that they wanted to include railways in CITIES XL, as we can see from the elevated railway line here:

The new article at French gaming website www.gamekult.com also states that we will be able to create subway networks and tram networks.

As everyone knows, transport management is without doubt one of the biggest headaches offered to city-builder players, and Cities XL will be no exception. Each of our workers will be subject to the effects of a tolerance / preference for different means of transport. For this, it will obviously require a road network but also the need to develop alternatives, such as railway stations, bus services, or a multitude of subway lines (with management of their connections), and trams.

The article goes on to say that we can also use trains to ship cargo:

The placement of warehouses that will store various products and resources from our companies should be the capital of a logistical point of view, much like the installation of a highway network or even the use of trains and cargo vessels for shipping goods.

The Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview article gave us an insight of how we may be able to micromanage railway routes:

First, you plop down a bus terminal which will designate where you bus line starts, then you plop down an end terminal. Along the way, you plop down bus stops. It’s worth noting that a bus stop will occupy the road and sidewalk tile so you don’t need to destroy any buildings. The system seems very precise and knowing exactly how your bus routes are set up is going to be immensely useful in planning your transportation network. The same deployment system would apply to trains, subways and other types of rail.

It is not yet clear whether this will feature as a part of the initial game itself - or feature in a "GEM" (Game Extension Module) expansion pack add-on.

It is hoped that when we create railway line routes that we can use any types and sizes of stations available as terminals to routes - and not be required to create a specific "Depot" station for terminals. It is also hoped that any single station which we have placed can function as a combination of both 'stops' and 'terminals' for multiple different railway line routes.

So far, we have no confirmation on whether or not there will be other types of railway networks (such as steam rail, high-speed rail, monorail, maglev, etc.) or whether the game will feature service yards, sidings, and roundhouses for our trains.

Improving Features for Buses: *UPDATED*

This article at French gaming website www.gamekult.com states that we will be able to create bus services in CITIES XL.

We do have confirmation of the ability to place bus-stops more realistically on the sidewalk, rather than taking up unecessary extra land space:

Also, the preview Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL at wired.com stated that we can "tack a few bus-only lanes onto your four-lane highway to convince people to use public transportation", confirming that we will be able to create bus lanes in CITIES XL.

The article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview gave us an insight of how we may be able to micromanage bus routes:

First, you plop down a bus terminal which will designate where you bus line starts, then you plop down an end terminal. Along the way, you plop down bus stops. It’s worth noting that a bus stop will occupy the road and sidewalk tile so you don’t need to destroy any buildings. The system seems very precise and knowing exactly how your bus routes are set up is going to be immensely useful in planning your transportation network. The same deployment system would apply to trains, subways and other types of rail.

However, it is unclear whether this will feature as a part of the initial game itself - or feature in a "GEM" (Game Extension Module) expansion pack add-on.

We also got to take a look at a "Bus Depot" in CITIES XL:

It is hoped that when we create bus routes, we can also use standard roadside bus-stops as terminals to routes - and not be required to create a large "Depot" for terminals. It is also hoped that any single bus-stop or depot which we have placed can function as a combination of both 'stops' and 'terminals' for multiple different bus routes.

It is unconfirmed whether we will be able create even larger bus depots/stations featuring dozens of self-contained bus-stops, and garages or service yards for our buses.

Elevated & Sunken Transport Networks:

In the official blog update, Roads, Bridges & Tunnels Construction, we were shown two new amazing videos of CITIES XL. In one of these videos we can see the creation of Elevated Road Networks. Some of the features that will be possible include: creating elevated road networks across land, adjusting the height of elevation, and crossing the path of both ground and other elevated road networks at any angles. It is hoped that we will also be able to create elevated networks in the same way for other forms of transport, not just for roads; and also change the appearance styling used for elevated networks.

We have not yet seen any information on crossing multiple networks at different elevations over the exact same spot, creating multiple networks along the same route (such as stacked road networks, or elevated rail above roads), or sunken transport networks.

Bends of Varying Radii:

Another feature which appeared to be available in City Life, which was also noted in the official blog entry for CITIES XL: Hit the road again!

And for those who may be wondering… Yes! These are curved roads!

Also, the recent official blog entry teaser "It's a long way home" shows how free-forming curved road networks can be laid out in CITIES XL. It also shows that long gradual curves can be created. It is hoped that this ability to create gradual bends will be applied to all types of transport network, including pedestrian. With higher speed networks we should be able to create bends with the greatest radii, to allow gradual and safer changes of direction at high speed.

Non-Work-Related Travel:

A short portion of text at the end of the official blog entry, All road lead to Rome!, reads:

Up to now we have only dealt with the traffic generated by the citizens’ journeys between home and work. To make things more realistic, we would like to include other elements such as the traffic generated by the city’s tourist attractions.

Paris

for example, which is a city we know well

, has a lot of traffic concentrated around its historical monuments such as the Louvre or the

Eiffel

Tower

which disrupts the local traffic. We would like to make this happen in your cities in the same way. We are also thinking about adding traffic related to the attraction of certain buildings such as shopping centres which generate many crowds.

There are many types of non-work related travel that occurs throughout the world, making up a large amount of traffic. This is especially noticeable around the times of public holidays. It would seem at this point that Monte Cristo intends to also represent this in the game.

Parking Infrastructure: *UPDATED*

Some early prototype images of CITIES XL showed cars parked on the roadside. Here a car can be seen parked on the kerb at the far-right:

So far we have seen no evidence of roadside parking in "actual" screenshots of the game's progress, or other parking features such as: roadside parking (on-street and off-street), lateral and parallel roadside parking bays, surface parking lots, multi-storey parking garages, individual parking garage units, adding/removing parking meters to receive revenue, or adding/removing parking restrictions on roads.

Pedestrian & Cyclist Infrastructure: *UPDATED*

The preview Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL at wired.com stated that we will be able to "add pedestrian-only thoroughfares to cut down on noise pollution in quiet neighborhoods, tack a few bus-only lanes onto your four-lane highway to convince people to use public transportation, establish bike paths to please those environmentally conscious hipsters who want to pedal to work" confirming that we will be able to create both pedestrian-only and cyclist routes in CITIES XL, which can be used for commuting and travel within our creations.

In the official blog update Honey, I shrunk the sidewalks!, we were shown how "pedestrian lanes" on our roads have been reduced in width - to half the width of a "motor vehicle lane".

This allows us to create realistically narrow sidewalks and should, in addition, still allow us to create wider sidewalks by adding multiple "pedestrian lanes" side-by-side using the in-game road customisation tools. This assumption is backed-up by the following image which shows sidewalks that are both half the width and equal the width of road lanes:

Network "Auto-Level" Option:

In the following screenshot, it was noticed in the background that the road network "cuts" into the terrain after leaving the bridge - to create a flattened stretch of road while the terrain conforms to it on either side. You have to look very closely to notice as it is not shown up-close in this image.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Industry / Trade / Business

Improving Freight & Goods Simulation:

The new article at French gaming website www.gamekult.com outlined details of some improvements we may see in the way transportation of freight and goods is handled by the game. Rather than simply disappearing of the edge of the map as in SimCity 4, it would seem that these products and materials will have actual destinations when being shipped:

The exchange of raw materials, finished products, or services is indeed one of the most important aspects of gameplay in Cities XL, and we will obviously have more incentive to settle on a fertile land rich in minerals and near a beach, than in the virtual equivalent of Siberia. Given the importance of import / export with neighbours, it will also give importance to the proximity of our city with the rest of the world, since a desert island in the middle of nowhere is bound to be a little tougher than connecting to a hub located in the heart of the continent.

 

Developing transport for workers will not be our only challenge to be slaughtered for smoother traffic, since we must also take into account the trips of heavy goods vehicles transporting raw materials and finished products to or from adjacent cities. When one knows the heavy usage of these roads is considered a significant nuisance by the citizens of our cities, one imagines we may need to draw some alternative routes away from residential habitation. The placement of warehouses that will store various products and resources from our companies should be the capital of a logistical point of view, much like the installation of a highway network or even the use of trains and cargo vessels for shipping goods.

It is currently unclear how this will relate to the single player mode, or whether freight within our own city will also be taken into account as well as freight between cities.

Realistic Farming & Fishing Features *UPDATED*

The official blog update A day at the farm, more information was released about farms and agricultural content in CITIES XL.

In the screenshots, we can see the current look of some of the types of farms that will be available in the game:

The blog confirms there will be both crop farms and pastures/meadows for cattle farms, which will contribute positively to both the environment and towards the economy through the resources it provides.

At present we do not know what types of animals that will be seen on the cattle farms for livestock grazing, and there has been no confirmation so far of farms with stables and paddocks for horses.

It is hoped that the types of crops which can be grown on our farms will be climate and terrain dependant.

It is thought that further improvements will be made to the visual apperance of our farms such as the option to add hedges, fences, walls, ditches and irrigation canals surrounding and dividing farm fields, and yards or gardens around farm buildings as opposed to the farm field ground texture also appearing around the farm buildings.

Currently it is unclear if farms can be built over uneven and sloping terrain as they can with the default Maxis farms in SimCity 4.

Billboards & Advertising Spaces:

Although only an early prototype image, this shot shows an advertising space shell on the side of a bus shelter:

This also shows a "real" company's advertisement appearing. This prototype may have shown that real advertising will be included within the game to provide extra funding for development/publishing. It is hoped that various types of billboards and other advertising spaces can appear within the game for the sake of realism. However, most players wouldn't mind if the companies and products themselves are fictitious, or even satirical spoofs of real companies/products; and preferrably customisable with our own advert images too.

Though indistinguishable, this new screenshot also shows what looks like an advertisement on the bus shelter:

According to the French article Games Convention '08: Presentation of Cities XL at jeuxvideopc.com, in the online mode there will be advertising featured which can be set up to raise citizen awareness of your own leisure or other facilities, by setting up deals to advertise within the cities of other players. It also seems to imply that there will be real-world companies and advertisements featuring within realistic locations, such as on bus shelters, or real-world car manufactureres included for automobile showrooms and advertisments, for example.

In this newer screenshot, we can also see an advertising board:

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Extra Buildings / Amenities / Landmarks

Government & Community Buildings:

It has been confirmed that City Hall buildings will feature in Cities XL, when a competition was held. See the Point, Shoot, Win! 2 blog entry for the three winning real-world City Hall entries that will be recreated to feature in the game.

However, it is not yet known whether there will be a wider selection of City Halls to choose from, in a greater variety of architectural styles; or whether the City Hall will be the first building we are required to build - as it was with Monte Cristo's previous city-building game: City Life. It would be preferred for us to be able to place City Halls at any point in time, whenever we desire; and also for additional buildings to be included such as smaller Town Halls, a Village Hall, and different types/sizes of Courthouses.

Additional Educational Buildings: *UPDATED*

The German article Capital Flight at onlinewelten.com implies that there will be Universities in CITIES XL:

It seems as if Cities XL has a very good urban-design simulation environment. I build a few houses here, then a small industrial park, a supermarket... magnificent, the city developed slowly. Indeed, already 100 people in ten minutes? Great.

How about a small amusement park at this point and then a small farm, so that the low unemployment disappears?... Two hours later... Now my people ask for a university. Well, 56,000 people in the education, I can certainly understand.

It has been stated that there may be different sizes of school available (which are to be unlocked), according to the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview:

I didn't see any notifications, so I had to go in and check my menus to see what new options became available, for example a bigger school or hospital or higher zoning densities.

We do not currently know whether there will be different museums catered to different topics, and private schools; or whether there will be multiple different sizes available of each, with different architectural styles.

Sports Event Buildings: *UPDATED*

In the official blog update Let there be light!, we were shown and given many details on some of the graphical capabilities of CITIES XL. This update featured a stadium model for the purpose of showing the visual results with screenshots and a video - confirming that stadiums will appear in the game.

The stadium can also be seen, used in these cities:

In the more recent blog update On your marks... get set... vote!, it was revealed that a series of polls are to be held where visitors to the official website can vote for their favourite stadium from a list, for each type of sport.

The blog and the polls so far have mentioned the following sports: soccer, basketball, american football, rugby, and tennis. It was also confirmed that there will be a stadium for baseball in CITIES XL:

It is not yet known which other types of sports will be catered for by stadiums and sports arenas in CITIES XL, such as: athletics, badminton, bowls, combat sports, cricket, cycling, field hockey, greyhound racing, gymnastics, ice hockey, ice skating, motorcross, olympics, roller hockey, swimming, and volleyball.

For stadiums and sports arenas which are capable of hosting different types of sporting events, it is hoped that we could choose from a list which sport it will be used for when the structure is built ourselves with our own funds (much like when a stadium was built in SimCity 2000), as there wouldn't be any real structural changes to the building model itself, with only the playing field/area layout changing accordingly. However, this has not been confirmed.

Currently, there would appear to be no sporting popularity, teams, or leagues systems in place. A good system would be where having many highly-used and well-maintained public sporting facilities/grounds will mean we have local club teams forming competing in minor or unofficial local/regional leagues. If we invest a lot in sporting facilities for a specific sport and they are maintained to a high standard, and see a higher level of usage - it eventually would trigger a stadium or arena reward where a developer wants to invest in the sport talent and popularity brewing in your city. When rewarded (and paid for by the developer), the stadium or arena will automatically be for a sport which is clearly prominent in the city through sporting clubs and public sporting grounds, and it would be built in the location we choose. However, when we build a stadium/arena by ourselves at any time we choose - without meeting a requirement for it to be rewarded (and is therefore paid for by the player), then we would be able to choose which sport(s) will be played ourselves.

Once we have built stadiums and arenas, any local but prominent club teams will have the facilities available to move-up and compete in the bigger and official national/international leagues.

It is hoped that Monte Cristo may implement a system along those lines, but currently we have no indication of this whatsoever.

Additionally, the article Cities XL Preview at French gaming website jeuxvideo.com has revealed that Olympics will feature in the game as a "blueprint" - a type of Landmark available in the online multiplayer ('Planet Offer') side of the game. It is presumed that this is referring to a type of Olympic Park:

This official website will also provide "blueprints" of the plans offered at random, that will allow construction of unique buildings directly from the real world. The construction of these will be take place in several phases, each one requiring that the player reaches a high quota of population and generated resources. As a result, there will be a clear bonus for the city where this type of building is constructed. For example, if you build an

Eiffel

Tower

in your city, you can expect to see the arrival of cars full of tourists. Logic...

Some of these features (such as

Cape Canaveral

) will require the construction of other infrastructure, e.g. laboratory research facilities... The idea will be pushed even further in the case of the Olympic Games released as several separate "blueprints". For this project, it will require more players to join.

Zoos / Theme Parks: *UPDATED*

In the official blog entry Crisis? What Crisis?, we are given an idea of what may feature in future "Game Extension Modules" (GEMs) expansion add-on packs that are released, such as micromanaging zoos and theme parks:

While most of the following elements appear in the original version of CITIES XL, the GEMs will offer you more detailed management options for these fields. For example,

• Agricultural, mining, and oil companies

Leisure companies: amusement parks, zoos, theme parks

This should indicate that both zoos and theme parks will feature in the game. However, it is unclear whether they will be pre-made ploppable features, or whether we will have to purchase the GEMs in order to design and "lay out" them using modular content.

Indoors & Outdoors Performance Arenas:

In the CITIES XL blog update Think massive, think online, think CITIES XL here at the official website, it was revealed that music concerts may be held within our cities. This would imply that outdoors or indoors performance arenas may feature as one of the extra amenities available with the shipped game:

The game's online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players.

Monuments & Statues: *UPDATED*

In the following screenshots, we can see two different monuments/statues that will feature in the game:

So far, we have seen no evidence of smaller statues - such as those in parks, plazas, or at memorials.

Ski Resorts: *UPDATED*

It has been confirmed that ski resorts will be one of the extra amenities/features we can create in CITIES XL:

More information was provided about this in wired.com's preview Be a Massively Multiplayer Mayor in Cities XL:

You'll be able to design a vacation resort from the ground up to complement your city, map out ski slopes with varying trail difficulties to sate the desires of novice and expert skiers, construct lifts and, of course, offer amenities and gift shops to help your patrons part with their hard-earned dollars.

If you'd like to see how you're doing with your resort, just click on a patron and you'll get a dossier of their experience. You can find out what socioeconomic group they belong to, how much spending money they've brought along with them on their vacation (making adjustments to their quality of living back in the city as necessary), what they thought of a particular set of slopes (too difficult? Not as difficult as they'd like?), how many days they've been on vacation and how much money they spent on a particular day.

Further information has been released about the Ski Resorts in CITIES XL, which can be seen in the official blog entry here: Mountain tops, snowflakes and winter fun!.

This blog also featured three new screenshots:

Motor Racing Circuits: *UPDATED*

The article Cities XL Excels at pcformat.co.uk revealed that there may be a Racing Track GEM (Game Extension Module add-on pack) released for CITIES XL in the future, according to Monte Cristo's International Product Manager, Alexandre Zambeaux:

If that's not enough, there are also "GEMs", which incorporate sub-management games into your city. If your city is near some mountains, you can purchase a "Ski GEM" and build a ski resort. It's a bit like Theme Park, but it impacts on your city's economy, as well as other cities close by. Zambeaux has grand plans for "GEMs" in addition to the ski resort one, suggesting theme parks, sports arenas and racing tracks.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

User-Interface & Data (Maps / Graphs / Tools / Citizen & City Feedback)

Improved Data Maps & Stats: *UPDATED*

It has been confirmed by Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview article at simtropolis.com, that the game will feature: pollution maps/overlays, traffic maps/overlays, (non-intrusive) advisors, population statistics, property occupation rates, immigration rates, job availability statistics, unemployment rates, demand statistics, and budget statistics.

We can also see an image here showing some of these stats:

It is assumed, but not confirmed, that there will also be maps and statistics for the following: crime rates, education levels, health levels, desirabilitiy, traffic congestion and traffic volumes, zoning, land values, property values, mayor ratings, population ages, etc.

There has been no mention of population density, demand, or growth maps in order to show these statistics on a very local basis.

Graphic User Interface & Game Menus Customisation/Searching: *UPDATED*

We caught a glimpse of some parts of the GUI from CITIES XL, with the article Cities XL First Impressions: Hands-On Preview, as seen in the following two screenshots:

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Miscellaneous & Additional Game Features

City Events & Life: *UPDATED*

In the recent article posted at French gaming website www.gamekult.com, it was revealed that there would be different events that may take place within our cities:

To avoid the fragmentation of the community, the online portion of Cities XL will focus heavily on the centralization of information through an Internet site that will offer many features such as a profile editor, avatar, or communication tools that will manage a network of friends, or create "city newspapers" which are very blog-esque in spirit.

Beyond all these gadgets, at the official website we will also be informed in real time on the latest developments, and keep an eye on events taking place in our city or to follow the course of our favourite ones.

 

Monte Cristo bases a lot of hopes on the whole community aspect of Cities XL, and will organize a few events including mass on the occasion of Christmas, or the Olympics, and will distribute awards to cities with certain achievements, such as those being more "green", or the best oil resource magnates, etc.

The official blog update Think massive, think online, think CITIES XL also revealed that music concerts may be held within our cities:

The game's online features and services will allow players to create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. Mayors can share and trade with one another, specialize their economy and team up with befriended cities to create sprawling metropolises. Life on the planet will be punctuated by events and competitions - a concert held in one town may, for example, be attended by visitors from other areas who can also enjoy a walk around the city to admire the urban creations of multiple players.

More Realistic Construction & Deconstruction: *UPDATED*

The recent blog entry New screenshots, and upcoming blog entry gave us our first glimpse of building construction in CITIES XL:

It is thought that these structures we can see being constructed are known as "blueprints", an exclusive form of Landmarks. Gregory revealed some information about them in this post, quoted here:

Gregory wrote:

Right now (that might change before the game is released) we have 3 'categories' of building:

- 'Regular' buidings; who makes up for 90% of a city

- Landmarks; those are nicer buildings, often inspired by real buildings; such as the London town hall.

- And finally we have the Blueprints which will give you access to some specific buildings. Those are very specific structures, often bigger, but not always. They will be very expensive, very long to built, and you will need help from online friends to build them. That is why they will be kept for the online game. Unlike other buildings you can't get them right away, they will require some specific steps and a bit of luck to be accessible; but that's another story.

We may have a blog entry dedicated to those, and detailing the various categories of buildings.

Here, we can also see the real-world EiffelTower landmark at different stages of construction:

At present we have only seen landmark structures shown at construction phases, and so it is unclear whether we will see any of the game's regular buildings pass through similar phases as they are built.

Customising Graphics Effects:

City Life 2008, the predecessor to CITIES XL featured an "Editor" which allowed customisation of some graphical effects in the game. It had options such as customising the terrain, switching the camera between free range and first-person perspective, and customising the day/night cycle and palette. It is hoped that this visual-enhancement feature will return for CITIES XL, and preferrably become more integrated into the game; with new features such as customising nightlighting of buildings and particularly skyscrapers, street lighting effects, season effects, weather effects, pollution effects, automata levels of pedestrians, traffic, wildlife, etc. However, none of this has been confirmed as of yet.

High Quality Rendered Screenshot Captures:

In the "Screenshot Mode" thread, Philippe stated:

We implemented a mode in CITIES XL called the "MegaScreenshot" mode which allows you to take a picture of your city with the rendering settings set to the highest similar to how some 3D modeling software renders a scene.

But there's more!

We are in the process of redecorating our offices in

Paris

and we obviously wanted to take some screenshots of the game to put them in the wall. But the resolutions we use on screens did not allow us for good printing quality when quitting the standard sheet paper sizes.

So our kind developers worked on the Mega Screenshot feature and gave us an option that allow us to render a view of the game at any resolution: you are just limited by the processing power of your machine.

With this, we have made some screenshots that can be printed on boards of 2m by 2m

They will fit just great in our offices!

Imagine whay you will be able to do with it on your side... Printing a map of your city and get it on your walls... Associated with some features like the ability to see your transport maps, that should bring some cool stuff, shouldn't it?

Disasters: *UPDATED*

The French article Urban Planning, Management & Land Usage at linternaute.com revealed that disasters will feature in the game:

Risk

A word about natural disasters, a real fear for this style of game. How many players have pulled their hair after the surprise passage of a tornado on the most beautiful residential neighborhoods? For Monte Cristo, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are not excluded, but the player will be notified if built in areas at risk and have the technical means to limit the extensive damage due to construction adapted.

Crimes: *UPDATED*

The article Cities XL Preview: Building fans - Here comes the new SimCity! at German gaming website pcgames.de, implies that we may see crimes happening visually within our cities. Thanks to André090904, the information roughly translates to:

André090904 wrote:

"Your inhabitants are going to follow a dynamic daily-routine. If the crime rate increases, you will see grandmas being mugged."

[Andre090904 0]

Great! Another one who has saved some important stuff!

I do not know whether the following list is helpful or not but I have saved some posts made by the admins in the old forums. You may find even more sources or just refer to it...

List: CitiesXS.de PS: Some posts are in German as I included some posts from the German "Articles, Interviews, Press Releases % Screenshots" thread which was invented by trouble.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

thanks André. you did great work compiling those posts, and i'm glad a few of us salvaged some of the forums content before it was exterminated.

where possible, i may be able to link to your copies of posts and edit some of the above content in this thread. of course, that's whenever i can find time though as it's always in short supply for these sorts of things these days...

[City Planner 121]

I'm slightly saddened on this rememberance of what was to be Cities XL. But appreciate the time you took to put this together, it's a shame that the pictures couldn't be preserved.

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

indeed. it shows quite a different picture to reality, in some areas.

i'll do what i can to restore pictures but i don't think i'll be able to get many of them back.

[Asheroo 53]

Do you think it's possible to go back into the site cache to find my Micro Management Article? How about my super duper incredible amazing thread Airport Management?

[DazzaDazza 29]

Good stuff.... +1 karma to you.......

O'h...... wrong site

[edcase2k4-thugangel1983 1]

Originally posted by: Asheroo

Do you think it's possible to go back into the site cache to find my Micro Management Article? How about my super duper incredible amazing thread Airport Management? quote>

sorry Ash but google's cache of pages on the CXL forums is long-gone now. there are a few sites which keep 'permanent' copies of cached pages from some websites for historical reasons, so i could have a look on there but i wouldn't hold your breath.

the only other hope is if anyone nabbed a copy of them before the site went down, or while google still had cached copies? seeing as i'm not the only one who saved some things...

[ScaryMonkey 0]

Originally posted by: edcase2k4-thugangel1983

Originally posted by: Asheroo

Do you think it's possible to go back into the site cache to find my Micro Management Article? How about my super duper incredible amazing thread Airport Management? quote>

sorry Ash but google's cache of pages on the CXL forums is long-gone now. there are a few sites which keep 'permanent' copies of cached pages from some websites for historical reasons, so i could have a look on there but i wouldn't hold your breath.

the only other hope is if anyone nabbed a copy of them before the site went down, or while google still had cached copies? seeing as i'm not the only one who saved some things...

quote>

Ephemeron has a bunch of saved stuff (which is what I've been posting at Metropolis), you might want to ask him about it.