Cities Xxl Steam Reviews

The game does use Multicore, however very little.

80% of the work still seems to be done by the first core.

 

Well, I'm interested the most in two factors: multi-thread performance and map size.
I'm no specialist on software coding but I've heard the threading of an application is always a task in all fields. Maybe the improvement is not that ideal for some guys, but we shouldn't lay too much complaint as Rome was not built in one day. Afterall the original XL is not that bad itself. We just need to do some Save'n'Loads when it becomes jamed.
For map size, I say if would be perfect if it is 1000 km^2 as the real cities are common to be larger than this and the models in the game are bigger that the reality. However, currently a map is big enough to occupy you a few months if you really wish to build a full city.

 

I don't know if, a bigger map is out of the question totally, but I did notice that Funky and Skulls are in the credits.
So I would imagine that at some point in the beta they would have tried to load a bigger map size.
I have always wanted a bigger map, not for Population but form more realistic layouts, primarily more room for parking and modular designs, take for instance PJ gated elite rez pak it s way out of scale, but its all he could do with the base dimentions.

@Funky Are we still locked into map size or can we hope for bigger maps some where in XXL future?

 

I voted no and agree with this. CXXL is a patch and not worthy of the price tag of a standalone game. I would expect more new features for the price.

 

Its a patch
http://www.incgamers.com/2015/02/cities-xxl-players-very-unhappy-with-new-focus-release

It even says citiesxl in the task bar !!!!! some people are so blind

 

I've no skills in softwarethings and how to create mods, but i really wonder why FHI obviously changed the software/engine/codes of CXXL compared to CXL 2012/Platinum, to boot it's only another updated version. So it's not possible just to copy and paste the paks-folder from platinum to cxxl, but it should. FHI couldn't be so blind having not realized that the mods, and only the mods are keeping this game alive. So why changing the game that way. They could have been much more successful in keeping the old version and only add the multicoresupport.

 

@ Funkymonk I will play it/buy it , when I know what I am buying . Right now I think FHI needs to take a long look at themselves. I don't pay for broken games twice. My son works in the gaming industry and we have this argument all the time about broken software and games. according to those guys there are still issues with lag.

You were a play tester so you are not looking at objectively.

 

So @MuxLee , having different opinions about a game has already lead to you
starting to calling people on XLN blind? It is still a game, nothing to to raise a gun
to one's shoulder...

I yet haven't bought it, but watched several videos about it,
e.g. Auriga's and Vallamir's ones; I mean, I also want to
know whether the game was worth the money.
Auriga actually tells that the number of FPS has increased,
and that the game all in all runs smoother.

Also, there are at least some noteworthy additions,
for instance the skies. i don't know whether you once in your
CXL life have tried to work with Photoshop or another program
to replace the ugly in-game sky. It takes hours over hours,
but it always was worth it. A game also improves when the
atmosphere gets closer to reality, not?
I really think this sky improvement should be taken more into account
when judging about the game.
Also, pollution e.g. does orientate after the micro-climate
of the city if I understood it correctly in the videos...

Of course, you are right with several points:
We are in 2015 now, and there is Cities:Skylines
with a 9 people development team that apparently
has created an awesome railway network.
CXXL should have such a feature right from the start on, too.
Maybe it is true, and FHI was a greedy as we think they are,
who knows... maybe they hope that some clever modders will
add railways now, such that they don't have to pay developer
costs...
Also, I really had hoped for some more buildings, I am a bit
disappointed at the moment about this. Why not adding
e.g. 300 to 500 more buildings?
And well, €40 for someone who is new to the series,
as well as €20 for people who had played CXL 2012 and
Platinum before is about €5 too much in both cases,
at least in my eyes. Don't forget that you other games
demand the same for just patches that still don't fix anything.
This rather was a common problem, not something specific
about FHI...

 

Actually @kipate bit of an over reaction there >) . If a company releases a game but cant be arsed to check they have the right code identifiers showing in the taskbar then they are blind IMO nobody bringing guns except you. As for the other games this is the only game I play on PC at the moment basically the quality is not there and I am not in the habit of paying for bug fixes. I will play racing sims on the pc I am building now I have had enough of GT6 .

 

More buildings means they would have to have a bigger team for sure, same for trains. I don't think that's a possibility. CXXL is a take or break. It's their opportunity raise funds to the series or go bankrupt. Instead of bashing the game, take it for what it is. Otherwise the city building genre will miss a great contender (being known for tiny city tiles, washed out building and a stubborn placement system - I'm looking at you simcity).

The average consumer has a bit of lag too. Simcity is now being touted as THE sim city 4 sucessor. It improved a lot since release, that's for sure. Still, let's think of it. Do you think EA would have tried to push that City Life bs if sim city wasn't a renown series? Even with the sub-par reviews it lived up to the nostalgia effect. Platinum on the other hand was a mistake. If they picked up Platinum buildings and CXXL improved engine they could have had far more positive reviews and sales, consequently. But what happens when you get bad reviews year after year. You're stuck in the 'mighty spiral of death of unpopular video game series'. If you like the game (genre), support CXXL. (at least for now)


I, for one, quite like the additions to the game. Having trains would be awesome, but I can live with the above ground metro.

 

For the price its not worth it id say, but i did notice a few new elements not in the release notes, one of them is free fly camera(simply go to ground level view then take off using the arrows and mouse), which is nice. The new maps are nothing special, and I havent noticed any larger maps. The multicore support seems like a hoax from what most people are saying, I cant test it on my large cities due to mod incompatibility.

I have already gotten the game because I play cxl too much not to, but i'm not going to play until the vast majority of the available mods work, since most of them dont work now.

 

Let's face it guys and dolls, most here if not all take their city building seriously and any improvement in our fantasy world building is an improvement "."
Now that the pusher has us hooked he can take us for what ever it's worth and we'll pay! I still love the game, still the best CBG out so far. unfortunately for me I don't have a computer with the minimum requirements too support cxxl If I did I would have my fix (jonesin)

I want to thank all the XLN wizards that make the game truly fun and enjoyable with what they have to work with. Thanks, Cj

 

That and I'm not sure? but if mods are having to be downloaded on steam dose that make that mod property of focus? I'm just asking?

 

Okay guys...a big skeptic here (after the initial reviews) BUT I went ahead and took another leap of faith last night and purchased CXXL for $20US...

I figured I have downloaded hundreds of mods from the community at no cost (other than a couple of donations to the XLN site...which everybody should do by the way....!) A twenty dollar bill for potentially hundreds of more hours of enjoyment is worth it...

I played for a few hours after launching a new city and started importing my "essential" and "favorite" mods just to see what happens...other than a few "where is that now" issues, I had no OMG moments either way....

Unless I am really missing something, it feels like this is the entire game and not an update...meaning: I could start with CXXL and have never purchased anything before and this "new" game has everything minus all of the community updates...and I can deal with that because if it removes a few of the worst parts of its predecessor, then perfect for me...!

I have reads the reviews, watched the videos and now spent an equal amount of time playing the CXXL version...and I can actually enjoy it again....!

Those who have bashed the game were expecting a brand new Mercedes or Ferrari...well its the same car without the crap design flaws (or at least a few of the big ones)...but it's still a Mercedes or Ferrari...! No, it's not perfect, but it's damn sure better than what we have had...

I'm not a coding genius but I do know it takes a massive effort to fix jacked-up code...if FHI had minimal resources to work on this inherited original piece of "insert adjective here", then perhaps that is why it took so long to fix....and as has been said above, maybe now we will see more resources put back into the project IF CXXL becomes a revenue generator...(an understand for FHI, it's a business and not a favorite game to them....if the project is profitable, you move forward...if not, it dies...Business 101)

Your choice is simple: "play or do not play"...or perhaps, wait for Cities: Skylines and see if they have a killer game...worse case is we now have two beasts in the city building genre and that only generates more attention to the genre...and long term, more enjoyment for guys like me (and you)...

The modding community will "fix" the older mods to make them work...give them some time to figure out what works and what doesn't BUT won't we STILL HAVE A BETTER GAME NOW...?!?!?!?!?!

Cheers!

 

Toast back to you, And I like your justification on your purchase.

 

MOD EDIT: Chill out. You can have an opinion without telling others to "shut up".