Blueprints are now available in Cities XL, which means players can build Megastructures that are inspired by real buildings like the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. More information on blueprints can be found in this FAQ or this article on the game's official Web site.

Since many players may want to check out how blueprints work before subscribing to the Planet Offer, Monte Cristo is giving every player who registered an account a free weekend to try them out on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Current Planet Offer subscribers will have the two extra days of game time added to their accounts.

Monte Cristo has introduced some changes to the way in-game trading is being handled by the Cities XL servers, which should improve the game's performance for players and solve lag issues in the Marketplace. While most of the modifications won't be visible to players, the team did make two noticeable changes regarding contracts.

Trade offers will now be removed from the Marketplace after two days if they have not been accepted by a player. Contracts that can't be fulfilled will be put "in danger," which means they will be canceled after one hour if the issue can't be sorted out.

According to the post, the team's "next step with the trading is to improve the feedback provided by the trade interface so that messages about contracts are clearer." Also, the first blueprints should be released soon.

Today marks the official launch of Cities XL across Europe and other areas, including the UK, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Australia and New Zealand. North American players are going to have to wait until tomorrow to get their hands on the sim-building MMO, although there's still time to pre-order the limited edition on Steam and Direct2Drive.

In addition, Monte Cristo has published the second Cities XL gameplay presentation video. The first one focused mainly on the solo mode, while this one shows off the online portion of the game. Here's some more details from the post: "With the Planet Offer, you can play online with other mayors, either from the game or from the website, in order to trade resources, visit their cities, build new friendships and collaborate to enhance your cities' attractiveness and efficiency.

The announcement regarding the European release can be found after the jump.

Cities XL is scheduled to launch throughout the world this week on Oct. 8 and 9, and Monte Cristo has published a gameplay presentation video to demonstrate the core elements of the game, both in solo and online modes. If you're a SimCity fan, you may want to watch the video to see if Cities XL piques your interest.

We published a beta preview of the game back in June, so feel free to check it out for our thoughts on the game as the launch approaches. Players who live in North America will be able to get the game on Friday. Do you plan on trying out Cities XL?

Cities XL is scheduled to launch on Oct. 8 and 9 in numerous countries, which means prospective players only have about a week left to pre-order the limited edition for $39.99, which is the same price as the standard edition. The limited edition includes five additional maps for solo mode, five more buildings, an exclusive city hall, a T-shirt for your avatar, a poster, postcards, a web badge and two megastructures.

You can pre-order Cities XL through this page on the official Web site. In addition, Monte Cristo just announced that the game is available to pre-order as a digital download on Steam. Of course, the poster and postcards are not available through any digital download offers.

Cities XL launches in North America on Oct. 9. Will you be playing the sim-building MMO?

Monte Cristo has released its fourth and final video in its "What is Cities XL?" series. This one asks whether you'll opt for open trade or self-sufficiency in your city and shows off the game's Avatar system, which allows you to create a character within your virtual world.

As we've reported, the Cities XL demo is now available to download until Oct. 6. It lets you create a city of up to 22,000 citizens on one of three map and contains approximately 10 percent of the full game. You can download the demo from eight different Web sites or look for it in the magazines PC Zone UK or PC Gamer UK.

The Monte Cristo team has officially launched the new Cities XL Web site to update the design and add all sorts of resources for players, including a community section where you can view your player profile, write a City Journal and manage your trade contracts.

In addition to the site upgrade, Monte Cristo has announced that a Cities XL playable demo will be available for download starting Sept. 8 that lets you create a city of up to 22,000 citizens on one of three maps. According to the FAQ, the demo contains approximately 10 percent of the full game and will be playable for seven days once you've launched it. The demo will be available until Oct. 6 and will be playable until Oct. 7.

The Cities XL team has also released the third video in a series of four to show you some of the options you'll have in the full game. For example, will you give priority to education or invest in security for your citizens? The choice is yours.

The unique sim-building MMO Cities XL is confirmed to launch in North America on October 9, 2009, according to an announcement posted yesterday on the official website. Developed by the European video game company Monte Cristo, Cities XL aims to be the world's first MMOCBG, or "Massively Multiplayer Online City Building Game." For more information, check out our beta preview of the game, published back in June.

The headline "hitting shelves" isn't quite accurate, because the game will initially be offered via mail-order or direct download. By visiting the official website, you can order the "boxed version covering USA and Canada" with no shipping charge, or download the client directly. Monte Cristo says the game client will also be available at Steam, Direct2Drive, Trygames, Impulsedriven and Gametap, and to check back with the website for "more info on special promotions" up until the release date.

Cities XL is scheduled to be released in numerous countries in early October, and Monte Cristo Games has released details on what you can expect to find in both the standard edition and limited edition boxes once the game hits shelves.

The standard edition will include the installation DVD, two instruction manuals, a week-long trial code for the online Planet Offer and a trial offer on a second DVD for a friend. If you're looking for more Cities XL merchandise and in-game items, the limited edition will have exclusive maps, landmark buildings, a city hall, blueprints, an in-game T-shirt, a medal for your profile page, three postcards, and a poster for your wall.

You can read more about both editions below. Pre-order information for U.S. players will soon be available on the game's official Web site.

Monte Cristo has announced that the release date for Cities XL has been pushed back to early October "in order to meet high expectations." The launch will occur in numerous countries on Oct. 8 and 9, but information regarding a North American date has not yet been revealed.

In addition to the release date news, Monte Cristo has announced the signing of a distribution deal with Namco Bandai Partners. Through Namco, Cities XL will be distributed in UK, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Italy on Oct. 9, and Australia and New Zealand on Oct. 8.

France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria will also get the game on Oct. 8 through Focus and Flashpoint.