The Rise and Fall of Sid Meier's Civilization

If they're going to make the visuals in the same way they made the preview screenshots, then it is going to suck shit. Come on. How can Civilization have cartoon graphics?
 
Wooz said:
If they're going to make the visuals in the same way they made the preview screenshots, then it is going to suck shit. Come on. How can Civilization have cartoon graphics?
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They aren't cartooney, they are just stylized. The engine is clearly from Sid Meier's Pirates!. In fact, I'd say Civ IV represents a significant visual improvement over Civ III and Alpha Centauri (the latter being uglier than shit, but nonetheless one of the greatest strategy games of all times).
 
Because obviously, from the earliest days of the original Civilization, the graphics has been the mainstay of the series? Furthermore, the stylized visuals will have a vast, negative impact on the game-play?
 
Kotario said:
Because obviously, from the earliest days of the original Civilization, the graphics has been the mainstay of the series? Furthermore, the stylized visuals will have a vast, negative impact on the game-play?
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You'd be surprised. For aesthetes like Wooz poor and tasteless visuals can have an incredibly detrimental effect upon overall game experience. I don't see why anyone would be repulsed by Civ IV visuals, though, as they are more than adequate for an isometric strategy game (though I would prefer prerendered or hand-drawn props and units). It is balance and mechanics that we will thoroughly scrutinize and judge the game by.
 
Obviously, the game's primary focus isn't eye-candy or effects, but the graphics in the game make the units and faction leaders look like models out of Toy Story. As Ratty pointed out, at least for me, it spoils the entire gameplay.

Also, they *are* cartooney. The proportions and stances are exagerated, the colors are too bright and the overall feel of these screens makes me think they really aren't adequate fot a "serious" game such as Civilization. Imagine a sequel to Rome Total War with "Asterix & Obelix" roman legionnaires.

The style would be adequate for a game like Evil Genius, not to a strategy as elaborate and complicated as Sid Meier's other creations. Furthermore, I believe Alpha Centauri's graphics were better than these. They weren't perfect, but suited the genre much better.
 
comparison7yx.jpg
 
The bad attempt at converting Civilization to 3D isn't the reason it'll suck. All this "streamlining" talk, less units, less cities, and faster gameplay are more than enough hints to go by.
 
I actually kinda agree with this duder, all of this could mean that they are making the game more "user friendly" and that usually means that they will be dumbing it down for the kiddies. We have been burned like that many times before, it's no wonder we are sceptic, and the fact that it's a part of the Civ franchise might not mean squat when $ are involved...
 
Wooz's screens and the idiotic concept of 'powerups' in civ is the reason I call it civcraft, and will not get it. My following of this series of games ends with Civ 3.

The thought of getting powerups for the units winning combat just makes me want to retch. :puke:




Thorgrimm
 
Powerups?

Experience, I understand. Powerups? Care to clarify, please? Linky or something? Pleasey?
 
Jesus, Thorgrimm. Civ IV was going to be the only game I was going to buy between now and the end of the year.

First I discover that Age of Empires III has managed to become even shittier than Age of Mythology, and now this talk of bullshit streamlining and 'power-ups'?

Link, please! I beg of you!

EDIT: And the mod looks fantastic, by the way. Particularly the 'ruins' shot. Nice work Thorgrimm and crew.
 
I think the summary on the official site (which contains rife grammatical and spelling errors, by the way) and the IGN interview best sum up the team's ambitions for Civ IV:

Official Firaxis site said:
2005 will witness the release of Sid Meier's Civilization IV, the latest and coolest installment in the greatest strategy game series of all time. Civilization IV features breathtaking 3D graphics, cool reward movies, brilliant audio and music, and, most importantly *, the best and most addictive gameplay of any strategy game ever created.
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* Most importantly? Yeah, right.

IGN interview said:
IGNPC: Players of Alpha Centauri enjoyed the ability to tailor units for specific tasks. Are the units in Civilization 4 going to be adjustable in any way?

Barry Caudill: I think the promotions will add this type of customization in a much more fluid manner since the units are upgraded "on the fly" (i.e. with each new promotion) and you don't have to have researched a certain tech to gain access to them all. * Some of the promotions include: jungle or forest bonuses, city defense, city raider, flanking, or just simple power bonuses. You will be able to make units that are specialized without changing all of a certain type and you can change "paths" as your situation dictates.
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Translation: Our target audience includes lazy and mentally impaired players, so heavens forbid if we include something that might add a bit of depth and complexity to the otherwise repetitive and ubiquitous concept of churning out hordes upon hordes of generic units.

IGN interview said:
IGNPC: Maybe I'm sick but I really miss being able to poison a rival city's water supply. Are you going to be including new options for espionage and its more "honorable" cousin diplomacy?

Barry Caudill: We will not be including any espionage options that are terrorism related. You will, however, create spy units and move them around as you did in previous versions of Civilization. In diplomacy, you will be able to broker peace between two warring Civs or ask a Civ to go to war with another even if you are not currently at war with that Civ.
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Fuckers. One of the things I enjoyed about Alpha Centauri was wreaking havoc on enemy cities by infecting their populace with retroviral agents. Oooh, but heavens forbid if Firaxis developers don't jump on the ubiquitous anti-terrorist political-correctness bandwagon like a bunch of 60-year-old pussies.

P.S. Maybe it would be a good idea to move the Civ4-related posts from this thread to the General Gaming forum.
 
Heh. Now those are good reasons for pessimism. Much better.

Civilization 4 discussion has rather taken over the topic, hasn't it?
 
What I mean by 'powerups' is that once a unit has enough 'experience' you can choose new abilities, (read powerup) like 2 square view, road travel rate.

Abilites that are not part of the unit when the game began. this is one of the new features the idiots are putting in to make it 'more like' other strategy games, (read RT).

Here is a link explaining what I mean.

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=27859



Thorgrimm
 
On a slightly different topic, I would give anything short of an organ to have Alpha Centauri 2. And I wish wish wish Sid would make it already.

(Unfortunately Brian Reynolds left Firaxis, so it would be difficult to have a team-up between them again. Sigh.)
 
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