duckbilled

Hello, It has been a while since I have been on here. I was a big fan of SC4 and I waited patiently for SC5 but it sounds like it is not my cup of tea. This post is more of a confirmation of what I am thinking rather than a question. I have read a number of posts and I think I have come to a conclusion. I'm looking for a SC4 replacement that I can play offline. I really like to have SC4 for play when I can't connect to the internet - mostly when I am on vacation in areas with spotty connections or flying - this rules out SC5 from my understanding. I think this leaves me with two options - re-install SC4 or buy Cities XL I think the thing with SC4 that I have issues with is the development algorithm seems off sometimes. For example, adding greenspace or industrial buffers didn't always seem to work as expected. I know, it is only a game (and a older one) but if I purchase Cities XL, I'd like to see better modeling of the results of implementing best practices in the planning field (and unintended consequences, of course). Does Cities XL do a little better job with this than SC4? Second, I will be using Cities XL on a notebook. It's a decent system but not a thoroughbred. Will I be OK? 2.5 GHz dual core I5 with up to 2.9 turbo on 2 cores (3.1 single) 8 GB Ram 1024 MB dedicated VRAM but a 500 MHz clock for the card DX11 Windows 8 64 bit Third, If Cities XL is the best option, where is the best place dowload and which version should I buy? Thanks for the help! Jeff

To clarify, can you use Cities XL bought through Steam with no internet connection (except during install, of course)?

Thanks, It doesn't have to be anywhere close to perfect. I'm mostly looking for a more modern version of SC4 that I can run offline and still run on my system. Really, this won't be a full-time project for me - just something to keep me entertained when flying and when drinking beers after the wife passes out. SC4 has its shortcomings - you need a lot of mods to be able to add transportation options and the mods never really seemed to spawn TOD. I just want to see development that generally makes sense in my mind. I am actually a planner but in the end, I recognize it is a game. Also, I got a little tired of having to conform to the SC4 grid. Curved roads, rail and highways would be nice. If Cities XL has the same constraints, I'd probably stick with SC4 (yes, I know there are SC4 mods that address curved roads but I doubt I will be interested in downloading and installing mods). Really, I loved SC4 and I would consider reinstalling. Also, I may be off on SC4's shortcomings because I haven't fired it up for a couple years. Still, I have no problem with buying Cities XL as long is it doesn't seem like a complete waste of money.