THE PLANET MANUAL. The Planet Manual

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2 The Planet Manual Contents 1. Subscribing to the Planet Offer Planet Interface Playing in Planet Mode Meeting other Players and Chatting Visiting your City or another Player's City Moving your Avatar Chat Interface Contacts Resources and Trade Basic Principles The Trading Process City Links The Game on the Web Your Profile Page Your City Page Trading Resources on the Web Blueprints and Megastructures P age

3 Welcome to the Planet Offer! The Planet Offer is Cities XL 's online game mode. Try out the Planet Offer and join a community of mayors and builders to push the boundaries of your creations! Experience a whole new world in which your imagination is the only limit! Discover an incredible universe based on trade and competition! Influence the future of your Planet by making a variety of choices: Will you build a city specialized only in tourism, industry or agriculture? Will you favour Heavy industry over other, more environment friendly activities? All you decisions will have an impact on the Planet on which you will establish your city! What will your contribution to this New World be? The Planet Offer is: A multiplayer game both in the game and on the Web: Trade resources with other players to develop economic strategies, specialize your cities and maximize your opportunities in a global economy! Collaborate with others to build Megastructures, special buildings that will improve your city's appearance and economy! Manage your city on the Internet: Check your commercial contracts, receive alerts, and adjust your decisions from any computer around the world! A persistent, massively multiplayer world: Each player receives 5 slots to build 5 persistent cities on different Planets! Play a part in the Planets' life and contribute to their stats (economy, population, pollution...). Yours actions will have an impact on the world! Community features and special events both in the game and on the Web: Visit other players' cities and discover their creations, chat with players from all over the world! Create and join online events, discover virtual cities and their creators! Regular updates: The Planet Offer provides new buildings, maps, simulations and features, free of charge! NB: Because we care greatly about the quality of our Cities XL game, Monte Cristo will always listen to players. That is why, in order to meet everyone s expectations as best as possible, all the menu and game interfaces are open to change. You can find the latest version of the manuals at Hhttp:// 3 P age

4 1. Subscribing to the Planet Offer To access all the online features offered in Cities XL, you must subscribe to the Planet Offer at the end of your free trial period. To do so, go to your Profile page by entering the following address: Click on "My Account" under your Avatar in the top right corner of the screen or click on. Follow the instructions below: 1. The status of your subscription is displayed on the right of the screen. If you have not subscribed, the link "Subscribe to the Planet Offer" is displayed. 2. Click on this link to view the various types of subscriptions available: 1, 3 or 6 months (prices vary). 3. There are many payment options for you to choose from. Select the one you would like to use. 4. You will be asked to provide a number of details depending to the payment method you select. 5. Once the payment has been processed and confirmed, you will have access to all the Planet Offer features. 2. Planet Interface Once you have started the game and logged in, the Main Menu appears on screen. This menu offers different options (from top to bottom): Play online. Access your personal Webpage. Access the Avatar Editor. Play in Solo Mode. Access the tutorials. Adjust game options. Display credits. Quit the game. Click on "Play online" to display the Planet Selection menu and choose the planet on which you would like to play. You can to sort the planets by language. Note that you can play on different Planets or you can choose to build your cities on a single Planet. 4 P age

5 Once you have chosen your Planet, you are taken to the Planet screen. Return to the main menu Your cities 1. Planet Information and Trade Menu 2. Your details 5. Planet search filters 4. The Planet 6. Chat Interface 1 Planet Information and Trade Menu 3. Navigation modules From left to right: Access the Trade interface. 5 P age

6 Search for a city on the Planet. Display the Planet statistics: Production, geography, economy, taxes, population, expenditure Show the rankings of cities on the Planet. 2 Your details Username. Name of the last city played. Back to the current city. 3 Navigation modules Zoom in. Zoom out. Rotate left. Rotate right. Rotate upward. Rotate downward. You can also use the arrow keys or the mouse wheel to move the Planet around. Use the arrow keys: - Up to move toward the Northern Hemisphere. - Down to move toward the Southern Hemisphere. - Left to rotate the Planet to the left. - Right to rotate the Planet to the right. Scroll the mouse wheel: - Up or press the Pg Up key on your keyboard to zoom in. - Down or press the Pg Dn key on your keyboard to zoom out. - Press on the mouse wheel to rotate the Planet. 4 The Planet The Planet features white, green, and red dots. 6 P age

7 - The white dots represent the locations where you can build a new city. Zoom in on these to see the location's features (beach, mountain, oil, water, etc.). - The green dots represent the cities whose owners are currently online. - The red dots represent the cities whose owners are currently offline. 5 Planet Search Filters Display the available terrains : From left to right: Filter by region: o Mountainous locations o Fertile locations, ideal for agriculture o Desert locations where water is scarce o Islands o Seaside locations Filter by resources: Display the cities that have a strong need to import or export a given resource. Filter by Token: Display the cities that have a surplus or deficit of a particular Token type. 6 Chat Interface See chapter 4.3. The Chat interface. 3. Playing in Planet Mode Before playing in Planet Mode, we recommend that you play the tutorial and create an avatar. You will find these options in the Main Menu. To create a city, choose a white dot on the Planet. Enter the name of your new city and click on. 7 P age

8 To connect to one of your cities, click on it and press Enter. Use the search filters to choose a city according to its environment and the resources you wish to have. Depending on your choice, your city will be able to produce a certain type of resource, which you can later trade with other players on the Planet. To trade resources, you must create international transportation services and build CityLinks (see Mayor's Handbook, 6.4 "City Links"). Both of these symbolize your links to the world at large. By building and upgrading external transportation infrastructures, you will increase your trade opportunities with other cities. Important note! You can only trade with the cities on the same Planet. Destroying your City To destroy one of your cities, simply select it and press the Delete button. Warning! This action cannot be undone! 4. Meeting other Players and Chatting 4.1 Visiting your City or another Player's City On the Planet, select the city you wish to visit and click the Enter button. You can then explore the city, in the same way you would one of yours. You can also chat face to face with other players in the city, especially if you wish to discuss the terms of a commercial contract between your two cities. When playing in your own city, you can switch to Avatar Mode to explore the location or chat with other players. While you do so, the mayor can continue to expand the city as he/she normally would. 4.2 Moving your Avatar Movement: To move about in Avatar mode, simply click on the location you wish to go to. If this movement is possible, the avatar will walk to the corresponding destination. If not, your avatar will tell you that he or she cannot reach the specified location. If the location is accessible but too remote, the avatar will "teleport" directly to the destination. 8 P age

9 Avatar Actions (emotes): In Avatar Mode, you can choose the actions you wish perform or the emotions you want to express. The Avatar Action interface consists of four categories: Emotions to express sadness, happiness, anger, etc. Dances. Chat actions: approve, nod, yell... Funny actions: mimic a monkey, a lion, play dead... Click on a category to display the available actions and then click on the action your avatar will perform. 4.3 Chat Interface To access the Chat Interface, click on the white box on the bottom on the bottom left of the game interface. This will display the interface : In the text field, you can enter different commands to ease the chat process: Chat Commands: /w <avatar name> < message >: speak directly to another avatar. /r <text>: reply to the last player who messaged you directly. /mute <avatar name>: ignore the avatar's messages. /unmute <avatar name>: stop ignoring the avatar's messages. /join <channel name>: display the messages of a given channel. Example: /join planet /leave <channel name>: stop displaying the messages of a given channel. Example: /leave planet /planet <message>: chat with all the players on the same Planet. /trade <message>: chat on the trade channel for your planet. 9 P age

10 /city < message >: chat on the channel for the city you are currently in. If you enter a message in the text field without adding a specific channel or command, you will chat on the last channel used, if there was one, or else on the default channel. If you are in a city, the default channel is that of the city, and in Planet view, the default channel is that of the Planet. Social Interaction Commands /invite <avatar name>: invite a friend or avatars in the city you are in to join you. /inviteall: invite all the current city's visitors to join you. /goto <avatar name>: meet up with a friend or avatars in the city you are in. /friend <avatar name>: ask an avatar to become your friend. 4.4 Contacts In the Contact management interface, you can view and edit your friends list. Here you can start chatting or enter into contracts. You can visit your friends or invite them to your city. You can also view and edit the list of people that you have ignored. a 5. Resources and Trade 5.1 Basic Principles Depending on the city you choose, you will have access to various resources. Use the Filter search option to view the Resource Areas. Click on the white dots to view details on the map's geography and available resources. 10 P age

11 You can choose a location for your city according to the type of resources you favor. If you want to build a farming city, use maps that have the highest Agriculture level. When you have a surplus in a particular resource, your city produces Tokens. These represent the Resource surplus you can trade for other players' resources. To do so, you must negotiate a trade contract with them that you will have to honor (see 5.3, "Trading Process"). You can use this system to compensate for deficits in a particular type of resource in your city or to build Megastructures (see 6.2, "Blueprints and Megastructures"). Note that a shortage in a particular resource can lead to economic difficulties in a city (bankruptcies, dissatisfied population...). Tokens are renewed each day and are not carried over. For example, if you produce 6 Water Tokens on a given day and 4 more Water Tokens the following day, your total will be 4 and not 10. It is therefore important to maintain the balance of resources in your city to ensure smooth economic growth. 11 P age

12 5.2 The Trading Process The Trading Process in the game In the game, you can trade resources: In Planet view, by clicking on in the top left. Directly in the game interface by clicking, in the top left, on the Modes menu and then on. The only difference is that when you are on the Planet, you will be asked to select the city you will be trading as. When you are directly in the game, your current city will be selected by default. Once you have selected your city, the Trade panel will appear. The process is the same in the game and on the Planet screen. 12 P age

13 The Trade Overview Panel Navigation buttons. Use them to return to the Marketplace to trade or to display your city s status. 2 Summary of money Tokens and transportation capacity. 3 Summary of Tokens produced and required by your city. 4 Summary of contracts and their status. 5 Tabs for navigating between the different contract types. 6 List of contracts. Click on "Marketplace" to open the Trade panel and enter into contracts. 13 P age

14 Trading with Other Cities The Trade Panel Click on the Marketplace to trade Number of tokens you own. 2 Selected resource. 3 Fluctuation of the selected resource s price over time on the Planet Summary of the resource in your city. 5 Create a new sale or purchase offer. 6 List of sale offers: list of cities selling this resource. 7 List of purchase offers: list of cities prepared to buy this resource. Select the token you re missing by clicking on the buttons: 14 P age

15 A list of sale and purchase offers will then be displayed in windows 6 and 7: If you have the means to make the trade, click on. The contract will remain valid for 5 days provided both parties have the production capacity required to meet its stipulations. The contract is automatically canceled on the sixth day. It can also be terminated if either party can no longer meet the stipulated production levels or if either party intentionally cancels it. To create a sale or purchase offer, you must specify in window 5: If you want to sell or buy the resource you ve selected. The number of Tokens you either want to sell or buy. Your estimate of the tokens sale or purchase price. The price per unit will be displayed automatically. If the sale or purchase offer meets your requirements, click on Submit. There are three types of Tokens: Industrial and Utilities Tokens, which require freight transportation. Services and people Tokens, which require passenger transportation. Non physical Tokens, such as money and electricity, which do not require transportation. An industrial production Token consumes one transportation unit in both the importing and the exporting city. The total number of industrial production Tokens that can be traded between two cities therefore depends on both cities transportation capacity. The same applies to passenger transportation. Trading with OmniCorp You can also trade with OmniCorp. This method is quicker, but also much much much (etc.) less profitable. About OmniCorp OmniCorp is a multinational headed up by that "international business shark" Don Madalff, a nefarious character who has no scruples and whose ambition has no limits. This company is omnipresent and almost omniscient in the Cities XL universe. For more information on OmniCorp, please refer to the Mayor's Handbook, section P age

16 5.2.2 The trading Process on the Web Please refer to 6.3, "Trading Resources on the Web". 5.3 City Links Please refer to the Mayor's Handbook, section 6.4 "CityLinks". 6. The Game on the Web When you subscribe to the Planet Offer, you can access many different features on your Profile page. To go to you Profile page, open your Web browser and enter the following address: This page contains all the information on your account and your cities. Some actions, like trading Tokens or building Megastructures, can be played both in the game and on the Web. 16 P age

17 6.1 Your Profile Page P age

18 Your Profile page and that of other players are laid out in the same way and provide the following information: 1. Friend and City Search Bar Find other players by entering their username in the "Player" field. To add a friend, search for the player with the search bar from any page of the community website and click on "Add to friends" acquaintances.. This player will then appear on your Profile page as one of your Your new friend will then receive a message indicating that you have added him/her to your friends list. If in turn, that player adds you to their list, he or she will be displayed as a friend. You can also search for cities by entering the name of the city you are looking for in the "City" field. 2. Player Information This section displays the avatar, the ingame username and your connection status. You can find the same information on any other player's page: The player is neither logged on to the game nor on the Web. The player is currently connected on the website. The player is currently playing. Note that you can also modify the short description under your avatar. 3. Player's Friend List This section shows six of your friends and displays their status and number of friends. Simply click on another player's avatar to access his/her Profile page. To display all your friends or players on the Profile page, click on "View all". 4. On your Profile page, click on My Inbox to access your personal . Use this feature to send messages and receive s from other players. The same icon is displayed in other players' Profiles. You can click on it to send a private message to the corresponding player. 18 P age

19 5. Accessing your Account Details or Adding a Friend On your Profile page, click on "Display my Details" to access your account details. In this section, you can modify your username, address and password. This page also displays the status of your subscription to the Planet Offer and the number of CXL Points you can use in the Cities XL Store. You can also find information on your purchases and your Customer Support tickets. If you have technical problems or are stuck in the game, you can contact Customer Support by creating a ticket on your My Account page. You will be asked to fill in a form so that your request can be dealt with as quickly as possible. On another player's page, this icon is replaced with the "Add to friends" button. 6. RSS Feed The Cities XL website is meant to be as user friendly and pleasant as possible. So, in keeping with the Web 2.0 philosophy, you can access any player's Profile page and register to their RSS Feed. You will then be informed about all that player's activities and can view the corresponding information at any time. This can help you track your activities or that of others without having to access to the corresponding Profile page. 7. Overall City Statistics This section includes: The total population for all a player's cities. The number of Tokens traded. The number of rankings in which the player appears. The number of competitions the player has won. 8. Blueprints This section lists all the blueprints you can activate on your Profile page. You can also ask your friends to make a donation by clicking on "Send a request" (see 6.4 "Blueprints and Megastructures"). 9. Managing Trade, Blueprints and Megastructures In this section, you can manage your trading activities, your Blueprints and the Megastructures you are building. 19 P age

20 Trade Manage your sent and received contracts or the contracts at risk by clicking on the corresponding links. Blueprints Manage the Blueprint requests you have sent or received. Megastructures under construction Click on the activated Blueprints to check the progress of your Megastructure and view the missing resources. 10. Information on your Activity This section displays all your recent activities: creation of new cities, activated Blueprints, recently added Friends, comments on your City Journal, etc. 11. Cities XL News This section contains all the latest news on the game and keeps you informed on what is going on in the Cities XL universe. 12. Your Cities This section lists all the cities you have created and includes a summary of their stats. To access a city's page, simply click on it (see 6.2 "Your City Page"). 13. Date, Time and Activity of Live ingame Events The date and time are displayed at the very bottom of the page. Here, you can also view the live ingame events: when a player logs on, when a city is created Your City Page 20 P age

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22 1. City Information This section contains all the info on your city: The Planet on which it is built. Its Budget: the difference between revenue and expenses. The money available. The unemployment rate. The number of visitors. The number of tourists. The number of citizens. GEMs will also appear in this section if the city has them. 2. Player Information This section contains the avatar, the ingame username and the connection status of the city's owner. If you are visiting one of your cities' pages, you can also modify the city's description under your avatar. 3. Recent Activities in the City This section displays all the city's recent activities: contract offers, updates in the City Journal Rankings If you have subscribed to the Planet Offer and created at least one city, this city may rank amongst the best performing cities on the Planet in one of the many areas Cities XL offers. If you have a large population, an enormous budget, many tourists or very low pollution levels, you will certainly find your way into one of the numerous rankings. You can also compare your cities with your friends' and challenge them on many different statistics. The Cities XL website organizes events and competitions with specific constraints and goals on a regular basis. Try to win these contests to receive many prizes, including Blueprints! 5. Megastructures under construction Click on the project to display the building stages, and check the progress of your Megastructure or view the missing resources. 6. Trade Contracts This section contains all the information on the trade contracts, completed or ongoing, and on the city's Tokens surpluses and shortages. 22 P age

23 7. Completed Megastructures This section displays all the city's finished Megastructures. 8. City Journal Cities XL is first and foremost a city builder game and we wanted to give you the opportunity to share your creations with other players. To this end, we have included, in your City Page, full blog features, which you can use to express yourself and include screenshots of your cities. Your friends can leave comments on the articles you have posted and this allows you to discuss a wide variety of subjects. To create an article in your City Journal: Access your Profile page. Select the city you want to associate to the article. Click on "Add a new article" at the bottom of the page. Write your article and add screenshots or videos (optional). Click on "Post the article". All you have to do now is wait for your friends to post their comments! 6.3 Trading Resources on the Web You can trade resources directly on the Web without having to log on to the game. To do so, log on to your Profile page and click on one of your cities. On your city's page, check all the info you need on your contracts, available Tokens and Tokens shortages. Click on "Find resources". The Token trading process is the same as in the game (see 5.3 "The Trading Process"). Indicate which Tokens you need and search for the cities that could potentially meet your request. To trade with a city, click on and specify the terms and conditions of the contract (number and type of Tokens to be traded and duration of the contract). 23 P age

24 You can also visit another player's City page by clicking on or compare your resources with theirs by clicking on. 6.4 Blueprints and Megastructures Blueprints are basically construction plans you can use to create Megastructures, exceptional buildings inspired from real life landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building or the Rhodes Colossus. These Megastructures enhance your cities and make them more attractive. As with parks and monuments, Megastructures also increase the satisfaction level of citizens living nearby and provide additional resources to your city, including tourism. All players regularly take part in a draw to win Blueprints. These documents are rare, so be sure to check your Profile page on a regular basis to see if you have received one! To build a Megastructure, you must first activate the corresponding Blueprint on your Profile page. Please note that you must activate it before the next prize draw, as you will lose your Blueprint if you do not. Once the Blueprint has been activated, a new option appears in the game's Construction menu. You can then lay the foundations of the Megastructure in one of your cities! Warning! You can only use a Blueprint once! You must have the necessary resources to complete your Megastructure and the only way to achieve this is to trade with other players or with OmniCorp. To check on your Megastructure's progress or to view the resources you need, go to the webpage of the city where you have laid the foundations. Click on the project to display the construction stages (these stages are also available in the game). Blueprints have a limited life span, so remember to activate them if you want to start building the corresponding Megastructure. If you do not want to use it, but do not wish to waste it, you can also give it to a friend. Such donations are only possible if one of your friends is interested in one of your Blueprints and asks you for it. On one of your friends' pages, if a Blueprint interests you, ask for it by clicking on "Send a request". 24 P age

25 Your friend will receive your message in his/her Cities XL Inbox. They must accept your request to give you the Blueprint. You now know all there is to know about creating the city of your dreams and building the modern empire you have always wished for. Have fun! 25 P age