Differences between SimCity 4 and CitiesXL

Question

Can you tell me the main differences between those two games? Which one is more suitable for a less casual gaming experience?

Asked by happy_emi

Answer

Cities XL's big feature was the online multiplayer, but that has been shut down now. Cities XL's gameplay allows you to build cities that are more varied in appearence than those in Simcity 4, with features such as curved roads and different types of zones (linear - think inner city with houses on edge, freeform, curved (good for suburbs), compared to Simcity 4's grid. Some of these can be replicated manually in Simcity, like the linear zones, while others like the curved and freeform zones can't be.

However, Simcity 4 is the more in depth of the two in most aspects with features such as garbage disposal and pre-game terraforming, but there are a few cases where Cities XL has more detail (specific bus routes as opposed to just plopping stations everywhere).

For the less casual gameplay then, I'd go with Simcity 4, but Cities XL isn't entirely lacking in depth either.

Answered by Macha

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Cities XL System Requirements

Question

What are the system requirements of Cities XL.

I have
Motherboard: Intel DG35EC
Processor: 2.0ghz Dual Core
RAM: 1GB DDR2 Graphics: Onboard 384MB (I can play splinter cell chaos theaory, City life with very good performance and graphics)

Can i play Cities XL with good graphics?

Answer

Taken from the game's own site, the recommended requirements, which would allow for nicer graphics, are:

For a desktop

• CPU : Intel Core 2 or higher
• RAM : 1.5 GB (XP), 2 GB (Vista)
• Video Card : nVidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850 or better. 512 MB VRAM or better.

For a laptop

• Platform : Intel Centrino 2 w/ nVidia or ATI GPU w/ 512 MB VRAM
• RAM: 1.5 GB (XP), 2.5 GB (Vista)

However, your rig seems much closer to the minimum requirements (available through the link), so you may not get good graphics out of the game. Of specific concern is your graphics card, since I find it difficult to compare onboard cards (which in my experience are notoriously weak) to dedicated graphics cards which are commonly listed in system requirements.

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