sparky66

Originally posted by: simidavid Although I don't agree with MC's approach to only providing free content to PO subscribers, Solo players should at least have the right to pay a small fee for the extra content. I feel that MC has strayed away from making a game that would blow a city builder's mind away, to making a game that could line their pockets with money This game has a lot of potential, but it will only be realized after MC puts it's act together and starts including Solo players into all the fun, because we paid for the game too!quote> i agree! solo players paid for the game too MC. i personally don't like online gaming and it would be great if MC let us buy PO content for single player (and keep it too, no subscriptions). i would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if they released PO content to single players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content (including mass transit). That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefiately. it could also mean that alot of the people that aren't buying this game because they don't like the PO will buy it. i just don't like thae fact that i can pay all that money and as soon as i stop paying i loose all my cities and my extra content.

it does almost seem that the game has been released in an unfinished beta state. the problem is, if MC don't release expansions for single player, the PO will gradually turn into a finished game, but if you stop paying you will be left with the unfinished beta again. please MC, i think cities xl is an OK game but it has the potential to be a great game if you just release expansion packs for solo mode for a one-off payment. otherwise we will just be stuck with an unfinished game. i would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if they released PO content to single players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content. That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefinately.

imagine if you had SC4 with rush hour and lots of custom content. now imagine you had to pay a subscription to keep that content and all your cities and regions. imagine you come back to SC4 after a few months not playing and all your cities, regions, rush hour pack and custom content are gone. that is what CXL is like. if they let us buy expansion packs for single player like i said earlier that would solve all those problems. about the petition, if you make one i will sign it. maybe you should start a new thread for it so that more people notice it.

Originally posted by: dasilva Hi guys, We wanted starting a city to be no brainer so that players concentrate first on the tools learning curve. As you said, the more you grow, the more questions are arised and the more difficult it is to balance your city needs. But the difficulty grows also depending on how you specialize your city. The more you specialize it, the more reward you get from your different achievements but the more difficult it turns Anarcho-X, it's definitivelly your choice to like or dislike the game in the current situation and share it with others. However, the current released version is for us just the start and we will move on the game based on our players base. As for custom content, we already started talking to a bunch of guys around but we are for now concentrating on the release. Once we'll get some time, we'll again try to help as much as we can creative players that want to participate to the adventure quote> yes, but you will only be improving the game for PO subscribers. solo players will be stuck with the original unfinished game. here is my idea: i, and many others, would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if MC released PO content to solo players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content (including mass transit). That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20.00 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefiately. it could also mean that alot of the people that aren't buying this game because they don't like the PO will buy it. i just don't like the fact that i can pay all that money and as soon as i stop paying i loose all my cities and my extra content. what do you think Philippe? could you talk to MC about it?

i posted this elsewhere but though that it would be relevant here also. READ THIS MC!!! i would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if they released PO content to single players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content (including mass transit). That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefiately. it could also mean that alot of the people that aren't buying this game because they don't like the PO will buy it. i just don't like the fact that i can pay all that money and as soon as i stop paying i loose all my cities and my extra content. also, has anyone considered starting a petition to make MC make PO content availiable to solo players (for a one off fee of course, i don't expect anything free).

i posted this elsewhere but though that it would be relevant here also. READ THIS MC!!! i would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if they released PO content to single players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content (including mass transit). That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefiately. it could also mean that alot of the people that aren't buying this game because they don't like the PO will buy it. i just don't like thae fact that i can pay all that money and as soon as i stop paying i loose all my cities and my extra content. also, has anyone considered starting a petition to make MC make PO content availiable to solo players (for a one off fee of course, i don't expect anything free).

READ THIS MC!!! i would gladly pay a one off fee to be able to use PO content in single player. Perhaps if they released PO content to single players every six months, in a expansion pack that contained the last six months PO content. That would mean that PO subscibers still have the advantage of getting extra content first, but solo players would still be happy because they would get the content in the end. like i said, i wouldn't mind paying up to £20 for that, which is about six months PO subscription anyway, but i would get to use the content in solo mode and keep it indefiately. also, has anyone considered starting a petition to make MC make PO content availiable to solo players (for a one off fee of course, i don't expect anything free).

The sytem requirements page seems to have been removed from the cities xl official site. i could find it a week ago but it seems to have gone (they have re-written the FAQ page in was in and removed the specs). Does anyone know what the minimum and recomended system requirements are?

Originally posted by: ASheroo I will just say again in this thread (since its more relevant) about potential mass transit for single player... Matthew told me that he has passed on the suggestion and interest of a mass transit expansion pack for single player,so they are talking about it, and it could well and truly happen. It makes perfect sense, and will be a massive win/win situation, with MC getting lots more money and support, and us getting mass transit in single player. Nothing is official yet though, but it is a lot of potential and hope, and it could happen, so don't jump to conclusions yet on mass transit in single player.quote> that would be brilliant! there is still hope yet. it would really be a big win as MC would probably get more sales and we would get mass transit. even if you have to pay for this single player mass transit expansion i would gladly buy it.

i think that there should be no login screen and the game should be offline until you click 'multiplayer'. then you should have to log in. but for playing single player it should stay offline.

Originally posted by: michael63000 Is that good if two industries or buildings are developing next to each other are the same type?quote> depends how you look at it. i live in the UK and the houses along my road are all 1930's semi detached houses all built to the same basic design plus a few bungalows and detached houses of a similar style. they were all built with minor detail variations e.g. different design of bay windows, some built without bay windows, different bricks, colous etc. but are basically the same. also, often when a developer buys a plot of land big enough for a couple of houses they will be built to the same design to save money.

Originally posted by: tbro221 I just got done playing off-line. If your not connected to the internet on the splash screen where you put you password in, there is at the bottom where it says you can play offline. Hit it and it will let you play offline.quote> so you can play offline? the log on screen should only appear after you click multiplayer.

so the moment you activate the game and create an account your 7 day free trial automatically starts?! thats rubbish. i was going to wait a while until some content was released before using mine.

Originally posted by: manuelandrei Removing mass transit from the PO and making it a GEM or expantion removes a part of the value with having a PO subscription. They need to have PO specific features beyond chat, trade if they expect people to commit to a subscription model. quote> the PO gets extra buildings and maps, and megastructures.

Originally posted by: abcvs Originally posted by: sparky66 i am hoping we will see a lot of nice screenshots once people start getting this game.quote> Once the screenshots of the released game start rolling in we will most likely retire this thread and start some "Show us your.... type threads." Brace yourself Effie... quote> thats probably a good idea. can i sugest some ideas for 'show us your..' threads? show us your... Road networks and traffic show us your... skylines (overall pictures of a city) show us your... bridges show us your... industrial areas show us your... parks show us your... residential areas show us your... commercial areas show us your... monuments show us your... avatar show us your... unusual stuff is that enough?

i am hoping we will see a lot of nice screenshots once people start getting this game.

i think loosing your cities if you don't load them once every 3 months or whatever and also loosing them if you stop playing for the PO is one of the problems of the PO. If they let us keep PO content and use it in single player that problem could be solved because you could keep your cities and play them in single mode if you loose the PO. I don't know about you but i seem to get quite attached to my cities. i sc4 i had about 6 or so large cities that i played on a regular basis, all with high weatlh skyscrapers and apartment buildings. Sometimes i would fancy trying something different and would start a new city but plan it differently. around these cities i had some 'less loved' cities, whose only purpose was to develop landfills and dirty industry, and i used these so i didn't have to have any of that in my 'nice' cities. I also had some 'rural' cities, with farms and maybe one or two small towns, but i rarely visited these after they were finished. with CXL, there is none of that. OK the amount of space you get to build your city on is the size of a small SC4 region, but it just doesn't have the same feeling of 'achievement' that SC4 had.

I was just looking at some of the quotes on the official cities xl site from gaming websites and magazines etc. and here are a few that made me laugh: PC Gamer: "Cities XL has something that so many other MMOs lack: true purpose." You mean pointless trading with other players, a pointless chat box and being able to aimlessly walk around other peoples cities. Is that 'true purpose'? ign.com: "It looks like everything you would want in a city building game." Except mass transport, regions, mass terraforming, irregular lot sizes etc. Colony of Gamer: “The planned co-op experience looks spectacular. The amount of work that has gone in to making it a real community experience is great to see.” Don't make me laugh. Gamespot: “If you haven't played a good city-building game in a while, you may want to keep an eye out for Cities XL” Well I have played SC4. Eurogamer.net: “Crucially, Cities XL is already capable of providing that handful of magical moments that only strategy sims can, those looking for something different in an MMO – a bonsai garden to maintain rather than a rugged wilderness to conquer - may find Monte Cristo's polished oddity exerting a gentle fascination…” Since when do you maintain a bonsai garden? PC Format: “What's really impressive is that your cities are incredibly easy to build exactly how you want them.” Not really (OK easier than SC4 maybe but still not that easy). Simphoni:“It’s not a city builder it’s much more” Whats that supposed to mean? Play.tm: “Cities XL looks to be the answer to fans' prayers, offering the most complete city building experience possibly ever conceived.” Well it would be complete if they didn't remove features for the PO. Gamer Limit: “Nothing groundbreaking is shown, but it is certainly looking like it’s on track to be a good game.” What! But it has curvy roads! (sarcasm). Total PC Gaming: “Cities XL offers an impressive range of depth and scope, and its online functionality seems considered and well planned rather than a tacked on novelty.” I would say that the 'online functionality' is more of a tacked on money maker. Gamezone: “CITIES XL has high ambitions, aiming to bring in players of other game types, while pleasing fans of the core genre.” Are we all pleased? Game Vortex: “Keep an eye out for this game to become available to everyone. You're going to want to try it out!” Whilst i do want to try it out i don't want to try the PO. Kokatu: “Think of Cities XL as a sort of spiritual successor to Sim City Societies, but with less emphasis on the people-please and more emphasis on playing God.” Oh dear. So, what do you think of these comments?

Originally posted by: beebs So far as I know, you'll need to create an account and activate it online before you can play it, but after that point the single player game will be strictly offline. If you sign up for the Planet Offer, there will be a monthly fee for that and you'll need the internet for the multiplayer, of course. quote> i think thats right. people have got their copy early and have installed it but can't play it yet because you need to register your copy online.

i pre-ordered mine from play.com. i got the boxed version of the limited edition for £30.00, plus you get an exclusive nelsons column building. i have ordered tons of stuff from play.com and never had a problem. also the last couple of times i pre-ordered games from them they arrived 2-3 days early! but i have heard you need to register your copy online before playing (wherever you bought it from), even for single player. so even if you get it early you still can't play it until the official release date.

play.com have a pre-order chart with the most popular games to pre-order. Cities XL: Limited Edition is No.12 Cities XL is No. 27 so it seems more people, including me, are paying an extra £5.00 for the limited edition. also, 12th isn't that bad, when you look at the other games in the chart. also, play.com have changed the product status from 'pre-order' to 'in stock and ready to dispatch'.

Originally posted by: swat-medic Originally posted by: sparky66 also, single player doesn't get something as important to city builders as mass transit, but they get silly pointless things like 'running an airline'. Surely the most popular request for single player is mass transit, so why not make a GEM for it. It would probably sell better than 'ski resort' or 'beach' Gemsquote> Good point for MC to consider. If I do get the game, i'd rather pay for GEM on mass transit than monthly for the MMO. quote> i agree. i have pre-ordered the game but i won't be subscribing to the PO as i am just not interested. i will definately pay a one off fee for a mass transit GEM though. also, surely once the mass transit is made for PO subscribers, it would be easy for MC to stick it in a GEM for single player and make more money from it? and if you don't want to call it a GEM, call it a 'single player expansion pack' or something.

Originally posted by: mirrors20 So, just to make sure i understand.. I am buying the planet offer, (once i get a none empty envelope) , see other thread for more on that. I buy the skii GEM, and i get the mass transport, but then 5 months down the line i have to cancel my subscription for some unknown reason, do i then lose access to the GEMs and the mass transport? or do i keep access to them? quote> keeps the GEMs (they are for single player too). loose all additional content e.g. mass transit.

i think maybe we would be better waiting for one of the better gaming websites to review this game. rather than reviews written by angry shouty people!

Originally posted by: Mathew_MC sparky66 wrote: so MC, does that mean that there will be a transportation GEM for single player?with buses and trains etc? that would tempt me.quote> GEMs (Gameplay Enhancement Modules) are small expansions that kind of "plug-in" to the game to add a separate management gameplay. For example, the Ski GEM will let you manage a ski resort. Successful management will impact your city (better attractiveness), but the ski resort gameplay is independent from the actual city building gameplay. So, if we make a GEM linked to transport, it will be more in the line of actually managing what happens inside of an airport for example, or an airline company. What we call future features are features that will be added to the core city building gameplay and online Planet gameplay. Mass transportation tools allowing you to build bus services or rails directly in your city are part of these.quote> but those 'future features' will only be for the PO, correct? also, single player doesn't get something as important to city builders as mass transit, but they get silly pointless things like 'running an airline'. Surely the most popular request for single player is mass transit, so why not make a GEM for it. It would probably sell better than 'ski resort' or 'beach' Gems