billmallon

I will concede to the experts and more accomplished game players that this is probably just a fresh coat of paint on an old barn but I'm satisfied that $19.99 (US) was a good purchase price for the latest version of CXL. The download and activation process was very straightforward and I did not experience any of the issues that were noted by other contributors on the forum....I was playing the new version of the game within 15 minutes after the process was completed. The activation process even allowed me the option to incorporate my existing city from the old version of the game. Again, with concession to the original owners of the game and the more experienced players, some of the 'new' features probably should have been part of the game from the beginning but now that they are available, they do make the game more interesting and a little more challenging. I also like that players did not have to 're-learn' the game with many of the previous features of the old version being part of the new game. It may not be the 'perfect' next-generation city builder game but I think Focus Interactive has a good opportunity to move the game forward to the next level if they continue making the effort to be responsive to the community.

thank you joshphillips999 for the explanation. from your previous reply about graphics cards, I realize that my laptop is about half way between the 'required' and 'recommended' ratings so I'm probably going to have to upgrade to be able to appreciate the game graphics. I'm reluctant to invest in something now with a faint hope that MC will actually release CitiesXL 2011 and it may need more than 'power' than the current game. Do you think that should be a legitimate reason to wait to pruchase something now ? again, thank you for the reply.

to joshphillips999: in your reply to this post you mentioned the term 'anti-aliasing'. I have seen this term before but I don't really understand what it means and what its effect is on game play. Can you help with a very simple explanation that a dummy like me can understand ? thanks.

IntoxiNation: Thanks for correcting my error...the number is greater than 1/4 but less than 1/2 million....but I hope it doesn't diminish the point that there ARE people playing this type of game and interest IS still growing in it. The 'numbers' may not be the kind that put dollar signs in the eyes of the marketing people for this type of game but in spite of the financial problems of Monte Cristo and no other entries on the horizon from any other game developers, the number of 'registered users' in the Simtropolis community IS still continuing to increase. You are right that 'active' participation in the community may not be equivalent to the size of its membership but I think your additional comments also confirm that there is 'potential' for the future of this type of game....and that is what I hope the companies that produce these games can appreciate. Thanks again for your input.

I think the 'basic' idea of an open letter to Monte Cristo is a good idea but I think it should be written on behalf of the entire community of city builder/simulator game fans. The Simtropollis Community alone shows a statistic of more than three-quarter of a million 'registered ' users. Obviously, not every member plays the Cities XL game but it should be worth recognizing that there is a significant number of people that enjoy this type of game and want to see it continue. Whether Monte Cristo wants to cut their losses and abondon this market, they still have the chance to show any perspective buyer that there is still a potential to be profitable in this type of game. In the brief time that I have been a member of the Simtropolis community, I have realized that it's members are very intelligent and have a passion and loyalty for playing this type of game. Much of the frustration and disappointment that accompanied the release of Cities XL was due to the fact that 'basic' features of game play already established by the SimCity franchise were not included in this 'next generation' game. Monte Cristo should release a patch (as they did with the bus system when they ended the PO) of any 'basic' features that they have available to re-establish credibility within the gaming community. They should also make a 'price list' available for any additional content (such as the GEMs) so the community can purchase the items they want to improve their game. That may be expecting a lot but I think it gives both sides the opportunity to 'put their money where their mouth is' and allow this game format some hope for the future. Respectfully submitted.

Does anyone know if the Avatar Park (City Services/Environment tab) is a worthwhile investment of city budget money ?The description of this feature is that it: 'Allows players to meet each other'....which seemed relevant when the Planet Offer existed. I have also read a posting from the Simtropolis Omnibus that suggests that the Avatar Park 'works relatively well to increase environmental satisfaction'. Since it is still an available feature, does it have an effect when used or is it just wasting 3000C each game cycle? Thank you.

don't know if this will help.....after completing a line back to the terminal and 'clicking' the mouse, the line will briefly 'blink' and then go to a 'solid' line outlining the route. if there is a problem at the time, I think the line will continue to 'blink' and maybe you could 'right-click' the mouse back to the point where the line is broken and fix the problem (like constructing a road and encountering an obstacle). i have 'broken' a bus line but it was due to accidently remodeling a subdivision where the line travelled and my only solution was to delete the line and start over. there is also a topic in general discussion that I originated when busses came to solo game play. i have received good feedback from more experienced players in this post and it may be worthwhile to enter your question there to see if it gets any replies.

there is a topic title in this forum ...CITIES XL MANUAL: how to play, general info... originated by member 'soltangris' that may give some clues to your problem. in an article explaining COMMERCE-offices, the writer notes that offices 'consume' business hotels and high-tech INDUSTRY (only medium and high density). He also notes in a separate article explaining INDUSTRY-farms, that farms produce 'food industry' which is further consumed by RETAIL. If your 'city' is mostly an agrarian economy, may be that you need to add some RETAIL (shops) and upgrade the high-tech industry to the medium or high density. This is purely speculation on my part but I think the author's suggestion seems to be that there is a relationship (dependence ? effect ?) that each of the buildings have to each other. You may try to experiment and find which of the types of buildings are the right 'combination'. Still learning much of this myself and I constantly refer to posts of this experienced member (and others) for reference. Hope this is helpful.

kiwispanker: your 'experiment' to test the concept of citizens transferring between bus lines was an interesting read on how you resolved that question (# 1689844 on 2-26-10). do you create (and then delete) cities to test your ideas or do you apply them in a 'functional' city ? As a new 'mayor' to game play, I have difficulty maintaining a 'budget' (providing the costly 'services' that the citizens need) and often become frustrated if I 'build' these but end up deleting them because I can't 'maintain' them. I am also trying to understand if there is any value to adding a bus line to a 'congested' street (as identified by 'color codes'....using the economy/traffic filter) if traffic is 'flowing freely' (as indicated by hovering the cursor over the color dot on the information 'panel') of a particular 'length' of a roadway. Any thoughts or suggestions ? Thanks also to slickster 79 for the comments and advice contributed to the original post on this topic....very helpful.

the route is mainly a loop....only the closer it gets to the terminus, it runs briefly on the same road from which it departed. i switched to the 'mini-bus' and that made a significant change both in the operational cost and the average occupancy.with some of the costs saved, the streets department 'upgraded' some of the major roads on which the route travels. don't know if that will speed-up trip times or just add more automobile congestion. maybe the citizens just need some time to adjust their lifestyles.....i also want to experiment with running the smaller size busses 'through' the small roads of the residential areas rather than 'around the perimeter 'of the neighborhood to encourage use of the bus. i would greatly appreciate any advice from more experienced players.

the symbol looks more like a 'cluster' of trees. it is the first 'button' for the tools available when the' decorations' icon is opened (the other items are 'areas',' landmarks', 'terraforming' and' blueprints'). the mayor's handbook (game manual ?) uses different terms for some of the symbols i am trying to describe.....for example: when i hover the pointer over the symbols on the game screen, the fountain is shown as 'decorations' (the manual calls this 'ornamentation'),'areas' are called 'plazas' in the manual and' landmarks' are called 'parks & monuments' ('terraforming' and 'blueprints' are correctly identified). maybe this IS only a feature that will be revealed in a future improvement to the game but thank you for your interest in trying to help.

is the PARKS tool on the construction menu only available to subscribers to the Planet Offer ? This feature has been 'greyed-out' in solo game play even though citizens have asked for more parks to combat pollution or to beautify their neighborhoods as the city grew larger. I mistakenly thought that the wooded park 'decoration' would satisfy their complaints. before the electorate starts looking for a more sympathetic mayor, could anyone offer some advice ?

on the subject of efficient bus lines....i have attempted my first bus line to serve the perimeter of a low density 'unskilled' workers residential area and through the neighborhood of a medium density 'skilled' workers area to serve a nearby industrial development. the entire line is about 7 km. and uses typical urban style busses (medium by CITIES XL definition). stops are roughly 2 'blocks' apart. the route is costly to maintain and ridership seems to be unappealing. any thoughts on ways to improve service and operate more efficiently would be appreciated.

Thank you for this information. It is exactly what I was looking to find. Very helpful. Thank you.

Now that busses are available in solo game mode (thank you, Monte Cristo), is there a tutorial, handbook, manual or download available that explains how to use this option. I would appreciate any advice, suggestions or help that the community is willing to offer.