This is why I don't go out and buy PC games any more

[Paktu]

I'm a big fan of Simcity, and noticed this new game called Cities XL had come out so I decided to buy it. I got started playing it, and while it does have some major flaws it's a pretty impressive and enjoyable game. One day last week, a new patch comes out. I install the new patch and load up my city, and within a minute I get a CTD. I try several more times and then try reinstalling the game, still have the same problem. Each time you launch the game checks to make sure you're using the current patch so going back to the working one is impossible.

I emailed the developer, who told me to send my log files for the game and some other stuff. Tech support then tells me that my X800XT PE is below the minimum requirement and thus is not supported (yet the X1300 is supported, go figure). I asked if I could have the old patch back, and they said that that's not possible, I'll have to wait for the next patch (if there is one) and hope that it starts working then.

Lame.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

so you ignored what the box says, and that's simcity's fault? ok.

 

[Farang]

reading this post may have been the low point of my life

 

[The Boston Dangler]

reading this post may have been the low point of my life

that's not true. remember the time there was a hostile take-over of your face?

 

[olds]

reading this post may have been the low point of my life

7 posts in 6 years. It must have affected you to have to post that.

 

[CRXican]

X800XT

old school

 

[rubix]

block the game from connecting to the internet through a software firewall or your hosts file.

also pirate every single game this company ever makes again.

edit: also, ati tray tools lets your create game profiles and in the profile you can change your card's "adapter identification" to pretend it is another video card for the game. you will have to find out the vendorid and devideid of the card you want to "spoof" for it.

 

[SunnyD]

block the game from connecting to the internet through a software firewall or your hosts file.

also pirate every single game this company ever makes again.

Can't play CitiesXL offline.

Of course if the OP bothered to read the posts about it in PCG, then the OP likely would have known better than to buy the game.

 

[SandEagle]

reading this post may have been the low point of my life

what happened to your post count?

 

[oogabooga]

Is Cities XL the game that is charging for MMO-like multiplayer with features only available through there? After you pay for the single player...

There are plenty of problems with PC Gaming as it is today. I dont know that this is one of them...

 

[theflyingpig]

Mac users don't have to put up with this garbage, because there are no games for the Mac. Everyone knows this.

 

[SunSamurai]

Whats with the trolls here?

 

[rudder]

you probably are the type to get an overdraft on your debit card from buying the game... then blame the bank.

 

[Farang]

what happened to your post count?

I formally withdrew my other posts.

 

[SunnyD]

what happened to your post count?

Al Franken took them in the recount.

 

[amdhunter]

WTF is a CTD?

 

[BurnItDwn]

so you ignored what the box says, and that's simcity's fault? ok.

According to their website ....

What are the minimum system requirements for playing Cities XL™?

For a desktop
* Processor : Intel Pentium 4 – 2.5 GHz (or AMD equivalent) or higher
* Memory : 1 GB (XP), 1.5 GB (Vista)
* Video Card: nVidia GeForce 6600 GT / ATI Radeon X1600 or higher.256 MB minimum of graphics card memory


If the baseline performance is 6600 GT or x1600, well, X800xt is much faster than both of these options, thus, it certainly exceeds the minimum specs.


Now ... according to citiesxl support page the "recommended" video cards are as follows:
Video Card : nVidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850 or better. 512 MB VRAM or better.

OK, those are both better performers than the X800xt .... Still, it's well above the "minimum."

 

[BurnItDwn]

WTF is a CTD?

crash to desktop

 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm glad I'm not into gaming much. I find now it's ridiculous how it works now. You pretty much need a new video card every time a new game comes out. What's wrong with the features of last month's card?

 

[Chriscross3234]

What do you expect from EA other then to get completely screwed over?

 

[duragezic]

I'm glad I'm not into gaming much. I find now it's ridiculous how it works now. You pretty much need a new video card every time a new game comes out. What's wrong with the features of last month's card?

What?

The X800XT is 5 years old.

I upgraded from my 7800GT to improve Crysis and Stalker performance, but for the most part everything I play these days would be fine using my 7800GT still. The rest of my system is far from new yet I still play games at native res, mid to high details.

It doesn't take much at all to play PC games.

The OP's problem is kind of shitty, but any brief research into that particular game should tell you to stay far away anyway.

 

[OCGuy]

Because your PC came out of a time capsule?

 

[amdhunter]

crash to desktop

Ah, I'd have never known this since I have a real computer.

 

[Anonemous]

I thought this would be about borderlands but I guess it isn't... Kinda sux that pirated versions of Borderlands can play COOP online.

 

[Red Squirrel]

What?

The X800XT is 5 years old.

I upgraded from my 7800GT to improve Crysis and Stalker performance, but for the most part everything I play these days would be fine using my 7800GT still. The rest of my system is far from new yet I still play games at native res, mid to high details.

It doesn't take much at all to play PC games.

The OP's problem is kind of shitty, but any brief research into that particular game should tell you to stay far away anyway.

The issue I usually see is not so much that the card is not powerful enough, but that the game uses some kind of feature that JUST came out, and only new cards have it. You can have all the GB of ram you want on the card but if you don't have that one feature you're screwed. Stuff like pixel shader 1, 2, 3 or whatever they're at now. They seem to just be pumping these things out way too fast.