Sorry but this is NOT an MMO by ANY normally accepted standard definition.

MMORPG you are playing a very dangerous game here which will bite you in the ass in the long term.

Don't play us for fools and keep this site genre specific only, your getting big headed again just like the RMT adverts.

Sorry but this is NOT an MMO by ANY normally accepted standard definition.

It is Massive, Multiplayer, and Online (Persistent world). Explain how that is not an MMO.

MMORPG you are playing a very dangerous game here which will bite you in the ass in the long term.

Wow, exaggerate much? heh heh

So you are going to stop coming here for your WoW or EQ news simply because they report stuff about MMOs you dont like? Yeah right.

Don't play us for fools and keep this site genre specific only

If MMOs are the Genre, this game qualifies. There are thousands of players on the server and their actions all affect each other. That = MMO.

It is more an MMO than an RPG.

pretending you're the Mayor of a city.. sounds like Roleplay to me..

ya know everyone cries about how companies should try new things..  yet when they do the masses start vomiting the latest line they read from the last little lemming that posted..

is this the traditional fantasy mmo model.. no..  this is what SimCity should have been if EA hadn't eaten up the franchise..  its different and fun in a different way..

and yes.. it is a MMORPG

There is a difference between a game with multiplayer elements and an MMO.

This game will NOT have thousands of players playing together, they are misrepresenting how the game works.

My main objection is not to this game, since I actually love city building games. My objection is the continued back handers certain websites take to allow almost anything to gain column space, and then try to justify it with some lame excuse.

But by all means allow the crap to continue, within a year you will have trouble finding that news on "WoW or EQ" because this whole site will be full of mainstream big money companies buying front page space and rankings with cold hard cash, and drowning out the real MMORPGs.

Soon we will see an announcement with excuses of diversification from normal MMORPG games to provide the members a more rounded look at games in general.

If I want news on mainstream stuff I will go to the sites that can do that and do it better.

This game will NOT have thousands of players playing together

According to the game's description, yes, it will. You can claim they are lying, but at this point I would say they know more about their own game than you do.

My main objection is not to this game, since I actually love city building games. My objection is the continued back handers certain websites take to allow almost anything to gain column space, and then try to justify it with some lame excuse.

Well, if this site covers MMOs and not just MMORPGs (and I think it does) then this game belongs on this site.

But by all means allow the crap to continue, within a year you will have trouble finding that news on "WoW or EQ" because this whole site will be full of mainstream big money companies buying front page space and rankings with cold hard cash, and drowning out the real MMORPGs.

This site has been pimping F2P games for years, and yet the most activity is in the Eve, WOW and EQ areas. So I dont  see your predictions coming true any time soon. This site is not hurt in any way with an occasional focus on games like CitiesXL.

If I want news on mainstream stuff I will go to the sites that can do that and do it better.

Then why are you on here?

Originally posted by MMOWarrior

pretending you're the Mayor of a city.. sounds like Roleplay to me..

By that line of thinking though, Halo and Grand Theft Auto 4 are also RPGs because you're roleplaying a single character.

"Role Playing Game" is a term that implies certain character-building and storyline game mechanics that aren't here.

CitiesXL is no more an RPG than Command and Conquer, and compared to other MMOs, it's only marginally "massively multiplayer", having more "MMO Elements" than being an MMO. But it's about as much an MMO as you can make a city builder without losing focus on the actual city building.

I'm interested in seeing how the mechanics play out.

Why not just make new subcatagories for MMO games?  is it really that hard to do something new?

MMO - any game with an online element where a player can interact with a large number of other players in real time (100+ is a good limiter for the massive definition).

Subcatagories:

MMORPG: any MMO where the intent is for the player to play a single avatar which can increase in personal power (through equipment, level, skills, etc) and progress through a story line (missions, quests, etc).

MMOFPS:  any MMO where the intent is for the player to attack and kill other players.  player avatar progression is not the main focus and is done through temporary power ups and missions or quests are non-existant or rare.

MMORTS:  any MMO where the player controls an army or individual units and there is no personal avatar (or the avatar is some kind of general or leader for the army).  the army is not made up of other player avatars.

MMOSIM:  any MMO where the player is controlling and building a simulation of some kind.  the intent of the game is to build and create while trading with others for mutual growth and expansion.  Destruction and battles are non-existant and would be in opposition to the main pupose of the game.

so, if we do this, we can see that CitiesXL should be a MMOSIM.  would this make people happy?  by all means add to the list and expand on the definitions.  give examples too.  we have an opportunity here to start a new trend.  lets create, not destroy.

as for MMORPG.com, that is the title of a website, not a category heading.  If they changed the name of the website to PurpleRainMoonStar.com it would have exactly the same meaning as MMORPG.com.  Its just a name people.

By that line of thinking though, Halo and Grand Theft Auto 4 are also RPGs because you're roleplaying a single character.

If you are playing a role, then yes, they are RPGs. IMO, those are not RPGs because you are not really playing a role...you are just using an avatar to blow stuff up or whatever. There is no character beyond that.

CitiesXL is no more an RPG than Command and Conquer

Command and Conquor doesnt involve making something unique. There is no character. It is an elaborate version of chess.

and compared to other MMOs, it's only marginally "massively multiplayer"

Why marginally? If the claims are true, it is as massive as any EQ server.

MMO - any game with an online element where a player can interact with a large number of other players in real time (100+ is a good limiter for the massive definition).

IMO, it should be at least 1000. Freelancer servers allowed for 100 players per, and I dont consider those true MMOs.

as for MMORPG.com, that is the title of a website, not a category heading.

Exactly.

As someone who's been playing in the beta for (I guess it's been) a couple weeks now, I don't think I understand why this wouldn't be considered an MMO.  Back in the early MMO games, the 'normal' multiplayer games that I recall were all maxed at maybe 16 or 32 payers when Ultima Online and Everquest really started to break open the MMO space.  I don't know what line people draw for themselves when they define something as MMO or not, but this seems 'massive' enough to me to fit the description.  On the RPG subject, if this isn't an MMORPG becuase you are a 'mayor' with a 3D toon, then I'm not sure how Eve would be one either since you're really basically a spaceship with a 2D portrait behind them, at least until they roll out the Walking-In-Stations deal...

From my experience so far, CitiesXL looks to be a unique offering in the current MMO space, and the ability to trade with other players for needed or excess resources looks to be promising.  I've never really gotten into City Sims before, but am enjoying my time in CitiesXL and plan to subscribe to it at luanch.  I look forward to seeing what else they are planning to add as the beta continues.  It's a nice change from the standard MMO fare.

Originally posted by EricDanie

It's a MMO because servers will be persistent "worlds" in which you'll be able to select an avaiable place in it, trade with other cities and maybe even do other things with cities besides ranking, events, etc, like visit them.

The details of the above are really he heart of this question, IMHO.  How much do players really interact?  Will they be visiting eachother's cities as part of normal gameplay?  In every MMO I know of, even if you don't make any effort to interact, you still see other players doing their own thing.  Even as a loner, you're not entirely isolated.  To me, that's what makes an MMO an MMO.  Not a few options that involve interaction, but being amidst lots of other players.

I've been following this game for a while now, as I do like the city building genre, but I'm having trouble imagining how it will feel like an MMO.  Maybe I'm missing something.  And in case it doesn't go without saying, my concern is with the monthly fee (not its place on mmorpg.com), if it feels like a single player game that might as well be saving to my hard drive and not a persistent world that I don't see much of, outside my own city.

To reiterate, I guess I'm asking, how much do players really experience eachother's existence in this game?

All I can say is, if you like SimCity and would to play it online with other players in a persistent mode, this will possibly be up your alley.  Enjoying The Sims may possibly help as well.

Shattered Crystal  time codes still has some Beta keys for the game available, I think.

www.shatteredcrystal.com/index.php/free_items

let me just end this convo really quick First of all the thread is How is it an MMO. MMO is Massive multiplayer online game pretty much anygame can be concidered an MMO that has online features with players who play against each other in a room in a large amount.  If you want to take it further and ask how is it an MMORPG?! Then its an mmoRPG because your playing the ROLE as mayor of a city.  You control ur city and make friends with neighboring city, conduct business that suits both of ur citys for the better and u grow ur city more. Very simple its Sim City gone online in massive amounts, whether the game will be successful idk but i dont really see my self playing this game because if its as complicated as simcity it will just frustrate me when my citizens are moving out of their appartments for no freaking reason :).

This game is nothing like sim city, and there is almost nothing in this game that would make it a pay to play game.

you will all be very dissapointed.

@Vhaln: I can confirm you that the planets in Cities XL are indeed persistent worlds.

Cities XL has been developped as an MMO. We want to offer a new and exciting way to play city-building games! As any MMO game it's going to be improving over time. New buildings will be added as well as new features,etc.

For those who have been playing the demo: as you may already know there are still core gameplay mechanics that you haven't been able to play (due to the demo limitations): Blueprints, competitions...

Hope this answers some of your questions :)

I do not know how much this will be per month. But i can ensure. its not sim city, and it can be in MMO.

Reason, you can't keep your city running, and expand to a metro, without trading resources with other players for the ones you need. you can have more then city around the planet/world.

Unless, you have lots of fuel. most likely you can survive trading extra fuel to the NPC trader for what you need.

Also, unlike sim-city it constantly is going (Real Time) and there is no reloading. you mess up, Say good bye to that town, cause your remaking a brand new one.