Jun 21, 2009

Cities XL Beta

Categories: PC / Mac

If becoming a City planner is your dream job then downloading this new beta for Monte Cristo’s City MMO might just be for you. The last beta application was a closed affair, with only a few hundred people gaining access to the game. This time it’s an open beta and anyone can join in, so long as your PC is up to the challenge and you do so before it closes of course. If you would like to know exactly how good your PC will need to be to run Cities XL, you will find the system requirements below, just click to enlarge.

To receive a beta activation code, please visit one of the following sites (or visit www.citiesxl.com for the complete list) -

- Fileplanet
- Big Download
- FileFront
- Markee Dragon
- Gaming Excellence

I think it’s worth pointing out that to be a part of this online community will require monthly donations from yourself. For your money you get to access to the following features:

In Solo mode:

* 25 maps featuring varying landscapes – from canyons to grassy hills and snowy mountains
* Around 500 buildings based on various architectural styles (European, American …)
* Diverse citizen structure: Four levels of wealth, four main different needs (Services, Environmental, Prices and Traffic) split into many sub-categories (Police and Fire departments, Education, Leisure, Commerce, multiple types of Pollution, Taxes, Cost of Life, Distance to work and more)
* A rich enterprise selection ranging from agriculture to heavy industry, services, tourism…
* A complex, but easy to access, simulation based on 12 resources to trade with an opportunistic AI (electricity, waste management, agriculture, water, fuel, etc.)
* An ambitious traffic system including many type of roads (five different widths, costs, quality and capacity), highways, airports, ports, and much more
* A set of never-before-seen real-time construction tools allowing players to create curved roads, building zones of various shapes, elaborate bridges…
* An avatar studio and Web-based profile pages

The massively persistent Planet Offer.
Multiplayer gameplay both in-game and on the web:

* Trade resources with other players to develop economic strategies, specialise your cities, maximise your possibilities in a global economy
* Work cooperatively to build Mega Structures – special buildings that enhance your city aesthetically and economically
* Web-based city management — check your trade contracts, receive alerts, adjust your decisions from any computer in the world

Persistent MMO world:

* Each player receives five slots to build five persistent cities on different Planets
* Contribute to the life and statistics of the Planets (economics, population, pollution…): what you do has an impact on the world

Community features and animations in-game and on the web:

* Visit one another’s cities, see other players’ creations and content, chat with other players
* Create and participate in online events, discover virtual cities and real people

Regular upgrades :

* All Buildings, Maps, simulation and functionality upgrades are free with the planet offer

Monthly costs:

* 1 Month = 7€
* 3 Months = 5€/month
* 6 Months = 4.5€/month