soltangris

Wooooow..... 3D and curvy roads? Wait, we have this in Cities XL already..... We also had Online in Cities XL..... Jacksunny, I admire your optimism 4 years ago I was feeling the same about CXL. But you know what? Since then I've come to realize that city building is, indeed, a solitary task. I think the current version of Cities XL, where you have multiple cities that are interconnected into a global economy, but are controlled entirely by you, is the best compromise. I simply don't see how I could enjoy planning and executing my vision, while constantly having to worry about the price of Coal rising because of all these people that don't have the minimum foresight to build more advanced power plants, and always go with the cheapest option; or the price of food rising because nobody wants to bother with building farms..... Unfortunately, the level of interconnection that Sim City 2013 promises is gonna lead to this exactly. You'll have to worry more about making connections with your neighbors and planning the global economy with them, than developing your own city. And there will be no option to simply 'plug off' - if you want your cities to stay afloat, you'll have to log in at least once a day and manage stuff. In WOW there is at least the option to play or not to play, if you wish, and no harm done. Here if you don't play I suspect you'll risk serious damage to your cities. I remember in the times of the CXL PLanet Offer I missed to renew one single crucial contract for Heavy Industry, and my city entered into a catastrophic loop that almost led to bankrupcy. I don't see how the new Sim City would be different. If EA plans to create a game more exigent of your attention and commitment than WOW, than they're going the right way. But somehow, I never connected this to Sim City series....

Wooooow, I never thought I'd hear such comment from a Simtropolis member Too much micromanagement??? Anyway, a hint: check your Freight/Passenger services. In 8 cases out of 10 they are the reason for bancrupcy

Well, I would suggest you look at the latest Pharmist experiments; I think he updated most of them for CXL 2012.... And if it isn't there, I can't help you , sorry

I thought the Traffic overlay displays exactly that... Red is heavy traffic, yellow-medium traffic, green-no traffic

I simply don't see the logic of all this, that's it. How can you create a credible simulation of an individual Sim unit, if it keeps changing his residence? What about the workplace, is this gonna change as well? Like every cycle the engine is gonna calculate the nearest job suitable for the agent? Such level of randomization really amazes me, and I don't see how it helps the simulation. It's simply not the same thing to have the simulation centered on a static building (and consequentially taking into account only its surroundings), and to have it centered on the living citizens, with their own needs. For example, the living citizen will keep into account not only the services and environmental conditions available at his home, but also travel time to his job, the type of job, the type of vehicle used to travel, etc. I don't see how this will be possible without keeping persistent Sim Units! How, for example, you'll be able to calculate a credible Traffic statistics if the Agents forming the traffic always have different start/end points of their journeys???? On the other hand, if the engine somehow is centered only on the Residence as a persistent Unit, and creating citizen units as Agents for each cycle, I fail to see the logic behind all this. Why randomize their movement like this? Won't it be more simple to have them always have the same start/end point of movement, and simply recalculate the route according to current traffic conditions? I'm all for innovation, but this looks a bit too much for me, sorry. This looks more like a shortcut, a convenient trick of the engine, rather than an improvement of game simulation, which we all are hoping to see. But then again, we don't actually know how all this will fir into the game..... I guess wait and see

Chokolate, Yes, RHM1 was a veeeeery big challenge to built correctly. Even a single wrong connection would render the whole thing unusable, and I had many problems until I figure out the correct way of connecting the gazilion pieces. I'm not surprised at all that you had problems.... RHM 2 is much, much, MUCH more user-friendly, because it combines the invisible with the visible connector pieces, allowing you to visually see if a connection is as it should, or not. So, once it's released and working flawlessly, it'll make building highways much easier. On the subject of crashes: I bet it's those damn invisible connectors, that only appear as arrows. I myself had a crash problem like that, I had to put back RHM1, open the city and examine the ground where the highway used to be one meter at a time, until I found that bastard arrow I don't wish to talk bad about Pitty (RHM's creator), he was just doing what was possible at the time.... But RHM was indeed a pain in the arse to use. RHM2 promises to be a loooot better.

LOL, you mean that you get up in the morning, leave your nice house which you had taken pains to acquire and furnish, go to work, work your but off the entire day, and then come back...... home? Oh, wait, the traffic engine decided that today you're gonna sleep at your grandma's, because there's too much traffic to get home! And the next day you might sleep at your colleague Jane's... (mmmm, wonder what your wife would think about that). There's so many things wrong with that concept I don't even know where to begin. Even if you leave on one side how ridiculous this concept sounds in real life, how can you create a persistent Traffic satisfaction for a House unit if its residents keep moving every day? What about the resident's Environmental satisfaction, that should change every time he sleeps in different house? Is this gonna be centered around the House, or around the People that live in there? Can a House be satisfied with its Desirability factor? Maybe the House would think there aren't enough schools and playgrounds around for its little houses, and then pick up its foundations and move to another neighborhood?????? If that's correct, I'm lifting my hands from Sim City. A more stupid notion I haven't heard in my entire gaming life.

Yes, that's right. There is no limit, but there is demand to take into account. Or rather, the factor that inhibits demand, which in most cases is indeed unemployment. However the word 'Locked' sounds a bit strange..... I've never seen it for a residential building. Where does it say 'Locked'? In the info tab of the lot?

Are you sure you you guys really understand the RHM principle? Here is the hub for all RHM information, there are even video tutorials: http://xlnation.net/content/realistic-highway-mod-0 The way to connect the RHM roads to normal roads is to simply.... connect them Keeping in mind that the RHM lane tools are almost exclusively one-way, you might connect a 1-lane tool to the correct side of a normal road, just like any other road (you'll get a traffic light, of course). Or you could connect the 2-lane tool to a Normal Road which you make one-way..... It's much more difficult to actually make the interchanges (there you need to combine the lane tools with the invisible transition pieces and the visible expansion/shrinking pieces). By the way, RHM2 is under development, and is much more simple to use. I really don't understand how everyone thinks CXL isn't going anywhere, considering the amazing mods that have appeared in the last three months.... I guess you're not looking at the right place - anyone checked XL Nation already?

Oh yeah..... so we'll end up with a second Planet offer

Yeah, I've seen the recent mods for CXL and I must say that I am impressed. CXL is finally getting some mods that actually improve the gameplay instead of just adding more eyecandy. I'll continue to keep an eye on CXL's development; perhaps by the time the new SC comes out CXL may have finally been modded into a fun game. Wow, that's a revolutionary comment here.... I was starting to think that Simtropolis has developed selective denial feature (i.e. If it's not created and hosted at Simtropolis, the mod doesn't exist)...... I'm glad someone here still keeps an eye on CXL By the way, the latest mod for CXL allows precise digging into the ground. Also, we're discussing creating smaller lot standards for our modelers to play with

I don't know..... On one hand, FHI claims they still have plans to really develop the game somehow (which will require hiring a real game developer - their own development team is obviously not up to the task, as CXL 2012 showed). And who knows - when they are presented with a direct competitor for the market (Sim City), they might actually come back to life On the other hand, CXL modding is doing wonders right now - something that noone here seems to be aware of. Yes, I get it - everyone is thinking Sim City right now, but did you know that the transport for CXL got a major overhaul thanks to modders? That the simulation is getting more and more depth thanks to modders? (there is Crime now, for one, better Health, and Education mod planned, etc.) Not to mention that despite all difficulties 3D modelling for CXL is getting well underway?

Part of NEXL is out already - we have the New Vehicles pack, the Quad Bykes Leisure pack and the Trams. Hosted over at XL Nation - where you have to register, sorry

You all should be aware that Cities XL is getting better by the day.... while SC4, Deluxe, normal or whatever, with 500000 mods, is staying the same as always..... old and at this point quite ugly. Check out all the new CXL stuff at xlnation.net.

Welcome to the Crime and Leisure add-on, a pack of changes that will alter significantly the way Commerce is handled in Cities XL, making it much closer to reality. Uploaded with ImageShack.us The CLM includes a number of changes, the most significant of which is the introduction of a new negative effect - Crime. From the thugs in the streets that are gonna rob you for money, to the drunk bullies that are gonna beat you up just because you are a fan of the wrong team, to the high-profile business criminals, which sit in comfortable chairs at the top of shiny superbuildings... Your Police will now have something real to do. At the same time, your Holiday hotels are now affected not only by the paysage nearby, but also by Crime and by Leisure services. They will also need much more Shops to feed their clients. And if that weren't enough, you will now have a new Leisure-providing category - Entertainment, which won't depend on the city, but will be Private. If you think your cities can handle a more complex, more realistic simulation, head on to the official CLM page for download! There you will also be able to learn much more of the mod, and its development! http://xlnation.net/content/crime-and-leisure-mod

Thanks user, but the link you included here doesn't work.... Still, I made another that does work Everyone can now head to XL Nation - the best CXL community online, and check out the complete CLM!

This is a mod conflict. 1. Go to C:Users/[your name here]/AppData/Local/Focus Home Interactive/CXL 2012/log/ 2. Find the last log generated right before a crash 3. Copy last few lines of the log and post them here - then someone might be able to help you what the conflict is exactly.

It will work, don't worry. Also, chances are it will work better than on Windows XP, because of W7 optimization of hardware usage.

TheeLord, I'm gonna try to recap the modding possibilities so far, (although my own modding experience is still limited: - 3D models can now be imported, which means new buildings, furniture, and even animation (although nobody has attempted that so far). Also, you can only import from 3dsMax 2008. - Existing models are being modded so that new visual effects are achieved - buildings can literally be 'fused' together, to create new, unique looks of continuous rows of houses/warehouses/factories, etc. - Buildings and roads over water already exist. - Functionality changes - many parts of the simulation are moddable - you can change existing effects in the game, increase or decrease them, change how different buildings react to the sim environment, etc. Even now there is a big mod in the works that adds a brand new negative effect - Crime, along with the necessary building reactions, and even a new Leisure category. - Transportation changes - another big mod in the works (NEXL) is adding a score of new transportation options (trains, trams, water transport, etc.), which are fully functional. Some of them are even private firms, as opposed to state-run transport. - A mod exists (RHM) that allows building of realistic highways, and almost limitless possibilities for interchanges. - Modular infrastructure - a mod exists already for a harbour built in parts (docks, cranes, warehouses, etc.) All of the modular buildings are fully functional, with roles in the sim. Other similar mods are being developed. - UI modding is possible, and is already under way. New buttons are being added for new functions and new building categories. - Besides this, many of the locked buildings have been unlocked and made functional (that is, fully functional, not only eye candy). - Even the GEMs that were half-ready may soon be fully functional. When this happens, you'll be able to build ski resorts in mountains and summer resorts on beaches. All this is done without any help from Focus Home. And we're still in the beginning of modding.... imagine what will be possible in a year or so, when the immense possibilities of the engine have been fully investigated.

Hm yeah, there seems to be some problem with the link.... probably the way that site is being handled. Try to access manually by going to: http://xlnation.net/xlex then search for The Crime and Leisure add-on. The mod is still being developed, but the current stage is fully functional, featuring the Crime effect and many changes to the way Hotels and Retail are handled.

Cities XL modding is in its spring right now, some amazing mods have appeared already that open up the possibilities of the game. Also, the NEXL (which is CXL's NAM) is comming up and will redefine the transport aspect of the game..... Modders are only now digging into the simulation aspects and discovering how to change/enrich them. I highly recommend you check out XLNation (http://xlnation.net/), and up-and-coming community that currently gathers the best modders for CXL. There are some amazing projects there..... In contradiction to all others here I think that CXL has a much, much, much better future than Sim City 4. Let's put it that way: the latter has reached the end of its days (after thousands of mods), while the former is just starting.

The Real Highway mod is capable of making real interchanges

And you could always activate Expert mode, unlocking the Environmental menu instantly

I'm not sure what you mean by CXL: CXL 2009 (The one with the Planet offer), or 2011? If it's the first, then definitely yes, it's worth it. If it's the second... opinions are split. My personal opinion is - yes, go for it. There are many new buildings that make a difference in the visuals of the city, and there are cool new maps as well. The problems and bugs that exist right now will get sorted out.

Cities XL 2012 This is an expansion for Cities XL 2011, which some people call also DLC (downloadable content), because there aren't gameplay changes, just additional maps and buildings. Note that it is sold in two separate versions: - An expansion pack for owners of CXL 2011 - it requires this game installed. This version is priced around $15 (varies in parts of the world) - A standalone game, which doesn't require CXL 2011. This version is sold at full-game price, around $40. The expansion contains 300 new buildings, spread around all building categories, and including the Beach and Mountain (Ski) pack buildings. We also have special buildings that add resource bonuses (for example +20% Office production, etc), but there are no new Megastructures or Landmarks. Finally, there are 15 new very nice maps. Again, there are NO functionality changes, or gameplay additions, so please don't post here asking where are those. There have been reports by some players that CXL 2012 runs a bit smoother with high population cities, but this is unconfirmed. According to official information, there have been to engine improvements. - Note that the Beach and Mountain packs are NOT GEMs! The packs only include the buildings, with normal functionality (most of them are either Leisure, or Shops). - Installation: You just need to download and start the Setup file. If you're expanding CXL 2011, you might run into a bug that prevents Beach and Mountain packs from appearing in the menu. I had to uninstall both games, and re install them again (CXL 2011 first, then 2012) - don't worry, this procedure won't cost you an activation. When prompted whether you want to revoke your activation during the uninstall process, answer YES. - Importing CXL 2011 cities: CXL 2012 won't recognize automatically cities from 2011. You'll need to import them manually. The procedure is as follows: 1. Locate the folder where your cities are saved: c:/Users/[your name]/AppData/Local/Focus Home Interactive/Cities XL 2011/live/offline/solo 2. Each of the folders here represent one saved city. Unfortunately, it won't show the city name, just the map it's on. I assume you'll want all your cities imported, so just go ahead and copy all contents of the folder 3. Install CXL 2012 4. Locate the corresponding file (the same path, just switch Cities XL 2011 with Cities XL 2012), and copy all data there (replacing the original three files that appear - they represent the trading settings and are necessary). 5. You should now see and be able to play all your 2011 cities in CXL 2012 Known issues: There are a number of new buildings presenting problems: - Some residences never connect to a road, and are thus non-functional (they appear already with the 'Not connected to City Hall' icon). We have noticed specifically a Medium density Skilled residence, and a High density Executive residence. - There are issues currently with the residences, included in the Beach and Mountain packs - they don't fill up with citizens. This is a bug, the same as the American pack Skilled houses. - Some of the new Service buildings don't function properly, for example a Clinic displays a maintenance price of 16000, but when built doesn't cost you anything, and also has no Health effect. - There are graphical glitches with some buildings - they spread outside their lot, covering roads or even other buildings. - The Pier connections included in the Beach pack don't function properly, and don't connect anything.