Line #1 VideoGame/CitiesXL


1	[[quoteright:344:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4eab2db436bba318562f8dbaaf43d967jpg.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:344:''[[{{Tagline}} Virtual Cities, Real People]].'']]
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4	'''''Cities XL''''' (formerly ''Cities Unlimited'') is a city-building computer game in the same vein as the ''VideoGame/SimCity'' series, developed by Monte Cristo, which has prior development experience in ''City Life''. It was originally scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2009, but was eventually released on October 8, 2009. The game allowed players to play online and interact with others on massive persistent planets, and to work together by trading resources or building blueprints in order to satisfy the needs of city inhabitants. However, on March 8, 2010 the online service was closed and the game became single-player only.
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6	Focus Home Interactive acquired the franchise in June 2011 and released ''Cities XL 2011'' on October 14, 2010. ''Cities XL 2012'' was released on October 20, 2011 and its expansion, ''Cities XL Platinum'', was released on February 6, 2013. The newest release, ''Cities XXL'', was released on February 5, 2015.
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8	Common complaints of ''Cities XL'' are poor programming leading to a still-unfixed memory leak bug, as well as a perception that there is little change between the 2011 version, 2012 version and XXL version; the latter is probably justified, considering they have little to no perceptible features added to the descriptions of newer releases.
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10	Not to be confused with ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines''.
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12	----
13	!!This game provides examples of:
14	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Just like ''VideoGame/SimCity'', Residential zones are green, Industrial zones are yellow, and Commercial zones are blue.
15	* EndlessGame: Combined with PermanentElectedOfficial, as unlike ''[=SimCity=]'' you are not ousted for running into the red. You simply cannot build anymore stuff until the treasury is refilled.
16	* ExpansionPack: Since Focus Interactive acquired the title, each new installment of ''Cities XL'' has basically been this.
17	* {{Gonk}}: The citizen models are this. It's better than the advisors and petitioners of ''VideoGame/SimCity 3000'', but that game only has a handful of them.
18	* NotInMyBackyard: [[SarcasmMode Go ahead. Build that landfill next to the Elite residence. I'm sure the CEOs would love it.]]
19	* RealTimeWithPause
20	* RecurringRiff: The chorus of the ThemeTune is more or less present in about half of the music tracks. (C G A# A# F...)
21	* StrictlyFormula: Pretty much every game in the series after the 2009 original, including ''XXL'', is simply the same game with some new maps and buildings added in, so much that each subsequent title can be seen as an expansion pack to the previous. No effort has been done to improve the gameplay and the engine apart from ''XXL'''s multi-threading compatibility and performance boost. Compare this to ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'', which has different gameplay features across its five iterations.
22	* TerrainSculpting: [[DownplayedTrope Barely there.]] The most control you have over the terrain of your city is to level the general area.
23	* WideOpenSandbox: People disappointed with ''VideoGame/SimCity2013'''s ''microscopic'' city size found themselves some solace in ''XL''. That is, until ''VideoGame/CitiesSkylines'' came along.

Context VideoGame / CitiesXL