Cities Xxl Steam Reviews

It is basically like you say in the very last sentence. let's say in other games, such as battlefield and AC: Unity, all my cores go between 90% and 100% percent and my gpu goes to 99% percent to give a smooth performance. CXXL uses (total out of 4 cores) 25-40% of my total cpu power (except when layering out roads; then it goes to crap and they all act like a stress test which is OBVIOUSLY very, very bad code being run).

 

Apart from ACU not being good example for this discussion. From what you wrote, it does seem odd. But sadly, this is not yet a proof that multicore is implemented badly. In the end biggest problem is parallel processing. If there is not much that CAN be processed at the same time then it may be fundamental issue of engine itself. And that is Moonte Cristo fault.

I'm not saying you are wrong, just that there is not enough info.

 

Also keep in mind that CXXL is a DX9 game. In DX9, only the first CPU core can communicate with the GPU. So even if all the cores were used to calculate the scene, they would have to communicate with the main thread on the first core to actually send this to the GPU. DX9 is also less efficient with more draw calls and inherently a higher dependence on single-threaded performance compared with DX11.

 

I knew there was something up with DirectX. Why don't they use a newer version? It's not 2002 anymore..

 

What I see from playing while monitoring is indeed poor cpu0 being overused while the rest is chilling. If it is a DX9 problem than it is just that..
ACU has its issues but atleast it uses all of the pc to perform.

 

Even DX11 works like this, the workload is spread accross driver threads. It follows a master-slave scheme. You have one main thread that dictates which one is served first. Even if they can comunicate with the GPU separately, they are still passive. That means they have to comunicate with the main thread everytime. The first core spikes up because of the greater draw calls I think, with the aspects of the simulation now being distributed more efficiently.

Only in Mantle/DX12 the CPU threads are truly independent.

 

Yes, there are still limitations in DX11, but it's a vast improvement over DX9. Basically, in DX9, only the main thread can talk with the GPU, in DX11, cores (threads) can negotiate with the main thread to take turns talking with the GPU, and in DX12 as you say, they're completely independent.

As for why CXXL isn't DX11..well for the same reason it doesn't feature a completely overhauled simulation, entirely new game engine etc. It is what it is - an iterative, incremental improvement over previous versions.

 

As I suspected, they simply offloaded some processes onto other cores and labelled it multicore. While this helps, it's a very small improvement compared to what everyone else was touting. Rewriting the entire engine for proper multicore support would never be worth it, but it seems they did the best they could. It looks like there are some worth while changes. Personally I probably won't be buying it until there is a good steam sale.

 

wheres your review !!

 

whats the title of this thread @snick

If you can tell us if its worth buying in this thread, tells everyone hes a beta tester but he can write up how good the game is or isn't - then people will only conclude that nothing much has changed......

 

At the time of writing this post, your figures at the top showed 56 votes YES vs. 35 votes NO.

I read all the reviews at Steam to date, plus reviews from fans at other websites. Here are exerpts from reviews made by various game sites (not fans). There will be more, I'm sure.

"Cities XXL’s biggest new addition is an engine that isn’t archaic, and it’s hard to get enthused about under the hood stuff. The issue with the previous engine was that it didn’t have multi-core support, and performance - even for those with monstrous machines - could be quite abysmal. That Cities XXL does have multi-core support welcome change, but it’s not a glamorous one. And performance is still awful."

"So little has changed, in fact, that even with a new engine, performance issues that plagued the previous games persist, including input lag, uneven frame rates regardless of the rig, and memory leaks. These are familiar problems, in a familiar game."

"It’s not surprising that fans are angry and incredibly disappointed with Cities XXL. The game is receiving heavy negative reviews from fans on Steam and elsewhere."

"Here’s the thing, much of what was wrong with the previous XL games still remains. XXL is not really a “new” game, and that’s the most important thing any owner of the previous Cities games should know before thinking about spending any cash on this one."

"Cities XXL is not really an improvement when it comes to the visuals, either. The buildings look the same, as do the maps. Sure, there are some new buildings and minor lighting effects but it still feels the same. There are options to select building types through filters if you’re looking to create a specific style of city, but again it’s all just a little messy and disjointed. As for the citizens of XXL? They’re freaks. Every single one of them looks like some weird mutant human that moon-walks forwards, if such a thing even possible. I’ll have to consult the ghost of Michael Jackson later to find out."

"This new game does appear to have at least some of the promised multi-core support and Steam Workshop integration, which is at least something for players who took advantage of a 50% discount for owning the previous game. But whether that’s enticing enough (and how well the multi-core support is functioning, given the performance hiccups I had) is debatable. It’s not a terrible game by any means. It does what the previous Cities XL did with a few improvements, but it’s very expensive at £30 given how little has actually been changed or added. As a fan of the genre Cities XXL is a disappointing release, and I think only worth picking up if you’ve never played a previous release from the series. Even then, it’s probably worth waiting for a sale before you do that."

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At the time of writing this post, there were 858 reviews - 24% positive vs. 76% negative on Steam's website. These are not good percentages in such a short time. There were many legitmate complaints from previous owners of the game, some well written comments with detailed information. Not everyone is a "troll" or "stupid".

I really don't like some of the name calling that I've read in this thread and other threads in our forums - peasants, stupid, trolls and so on. The feedback on Steam's site and other sites, are mostly from unhappy players, previous owners, who where MISLED and got SCREWED again. I guess you could call me a troll, peasant or whatever as well, because when I upgraded to 2012, I, too, got SCREWED back then and I DON't LIKE BEING SCREWED! Do you like being screwed? But I was lucky, because, by that time I was no longer playing Cities XL. I switched to Cities XLN which I'm still playing today. XLNation changed the game. As I've said in the past in the old XLN website and here, XLN made this game a success, not FHI. Through XLN I've learned to improve the game with tweaks, new buildings and other things that has made the game enjoyable.

I hesitated to jump into XXL in view of FHI's previous upgrades. In previous posts I said let's wait and see and give FHI a chance. Now, my impression is that they blew it and made very minor changes. They had lots of time since they took over Cities XL from Monte Cristo as well as lots of feedback from the XLN and CXL Forums. Did they suddenly show some enthusiasm because a new player came town called Cities Skyline? By the way, I read all the threads in the Skylines Main Forum. I was really impressed with TotalyMoo introducing himself and answering a lot of questions. I got the impression that they were really interested in getting feedback. They now have a golden opportunity and I wish them success.

Instead of name calling, we should be promoting and encouraging these unhappy "Trolls" to join XLNation. Let's show them some compassion and understanding. Honey draws more flies than vinegar.

There are many out there that are not members, who explore our website and read our forums. Join XLNation and you will enjoy the game much more, whether you have an older or newer version of Cities XL! Again, the real name of the game is Cities XLN.

 

I agree that discovering XLN was a game changer.
What the site did for me, it showed me different way to play CXL. Instead of simulating a city I can build my own city of dreams like those in CJ's. I have yet to finish one to my satisfaction, but that is beside point.

What this mean is that CXXL does not need to be a "new game" for me. Upgrades in engine are enough, but if this is all I get (+ 5 more maps and some new buildings, UI changes) then it needs to be priced right.

That is of course relative to everyone. For me 10€ would be about right, this is my opinion and you can have yours but it will not change mine.

Of course I will also wait for mods to grow. If RHM will not get "ported" to CXXL, then I'm not interested.

 

There is much in this thread that is indeed wise to evaluate. I hope FHI is watching and listening, but also not discouraged. It takes a lot of money these days to get anything done. Who knows how much it costs to get what they've done accomplished, aside from that, my point is this: I hope Cities XLN never dies and the game improves and lives on...even if it only manifest itself as a 'new and improved' engine.

People need to recognize games like this don't happen like they use to...it doesn't feel like a game to me so much as an opportunity to create like a painter creates or a film maker makes films. I can communicate an idea through building a city that I never knew...perhaps if the ancient Greeks had this ability, they might have mastered real life city building... Just plug in the right attributes and hit go and see what happens.

Perhaps a kickstarter is the best solution for a game like this...have everything heard and accomplished at a level agreeable to all involved. Democracy amiright?

 

I agree many of us don't know how much it costs or how long it takes to get anything done. But what seems to me is that some people here can for example produce top-notch content, and some of it in very short time. Why doesn't FHI get in touch with them and offer them direct cooperation? Plus there are designers selling their models online, who I believe wouldn't mind selling them. This is an easy way to get things done and avoid clients' disappointment, at least in this department.

Also the city-building idea needs an overhaul. Some people like to build a perfect static city (including me), which needs no restrictions whatsoever - get rid of money, energy, blah blah blah, just go wild. Then we have people who want to play the mayor (me again), but for this there needs to be more than just running after higher population and unlocking new buildings. Why not start in the middle ages and work your city through the centuries? Specific buildings, means of transport, needs and utilities unlock with the size and the time... Then you might get something more interesting to strive for...

And as Sabertooth written, I too play Cities XLN, and probably switch to Cities XXLN when the time is right.

 

Is there a problem using the No Car Boxes mod in Cities XXL?
I extracted the config files from both Platinum and XXL, and the XML files under data\config\rendersettings (High.XML, Low.XML etc.) are identical between the two versions of the game.

The box cars mod only makes four changes:
MeshMaxDistance and MeshMaxHeight have been changed to 62000 in two places (<Miniquads> and <MiniquadsCharacter>), and underr <Vehicle>, the two farthest LODs have been changed from 1 and 0.15 to 0.

 

So is Altiris recommending we don't use mods on Steam, or at least the original 52, forget the rest?

Should we just stick to XLEX like we always did?