Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

I know, which is why I asked like this: "Judging from the look, do you think the gameplay might very well turn out to be good?"


"Judging from the look", meaning, can you use your imagination to see if you would enjoy a game with graphics like this. These screenshots and my questions were not about the gameplay of the game itself, (politics, trading, etc) but about how the graphics can enhance the gameplay. See, if the graphics were 64x64 square, top-down terrain, then you can't connect certain gameplay aspects with the graphics if the graphics don't allow the possibility to enhance the gameplay.

I did not release the interface or units because its too much information released.

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Urban Ranger

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Registered: May 1999
Location: The City State of Noosphere, CPA special envoy
Posts: 12635

It appears your scale is much bigger than Civ, so each tile is going to cover a much smaller area.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: La Ferté sous Jouarre France
Posts: 2046

quote: I know, which is why I asked like this: "Judging from the look, do you think the gameplay might very well turn out to be good?"

Wekk, then my answer would be yes. But then I think NetHack and ADOM are good, so to me the main point with graphics is they should not slow down the game.

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Enthusiastic member of Apolyton
Posts: 19485

quote: Originally posted by Sn00py I know, which is why I asked like this: "Judging from the look, do you think the gameplay might very well turn out to be good?" "Judging from the look", meaning, can you use your imagination to see if you would enjoy a game with graphics like this. These screenshots and my questions were not about the gameplay of the game itself, (politics, trading, etc) but about how the graphics can enhance the gameplay. See, if the graphics were 64x64 square, top-down terrain, then you can't connect certain gameplay aspects with the graphics if the graphics don't allow the possibility to enhance the gameplay. I did not release the interface or units because its too much information released.

Having read this I still don't think you can expect us to make any comments on gameplay. And as I said earlier graphics are not the make and break factor for TBS. Basically, it looks fine, carry on. When there is something more concrete to comment on there will be more to say.

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Urban Ranger

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Registered: May 1999
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quote: Originally posted by Sn00py I know, which is why I asked like this: "Judging from the look, do you think the gameplay might very well turn out to be good?"

Railroad Tycoon II has better graphics than RT, but the gameplay was worse.

So, the answer is, insufficient information

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Decolonize!
Posts: 3097

The graphics, at any rate, are awesome!

I despise the graphics of Civ4, I like yours much more. On your game, however, I'll have to judge at a later time. What does a pretty look have to do with a pretty soul?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

At some point in the future we will release gameplay features of the game, but right now we want to solidify what we have done and are planning to do. We don't want to change anything after we have told everyone what is in the game.

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Registered: Nov 2001
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Posts: 337

Hrm, Sn00py, I can understand why 1024X768 seems like a good resolution, but for people with LCD displays being able to change the resolution is nice since scaled images can look like ass.

Especially people with widescreen LCD displays, going from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio is painful.

All I propose is to allow the user to change the size of their window onto the world, do not change the size of anything, just show more of it.

I know how 1024x768 looks like stretched to 1920x1200 and I take that into consideration when making purchase decisions for games I might play on my laptop.

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Urban Ranger

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Registered: May 1999
Location: The City State of Noosphere, CPA special envoy
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BTW, make sure your game can run in a window.

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Enthusiastic member of Apolyton
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quote: Originally posted by Sn00py At some point in the future we will release gameplay features of the game, but right now we want to solidify what we have done and are planning to do. We don't want to change anything after we have told everyone what is in the game.

That is fine, but it means that all that we can offer you at present is a "looks fine, keep us posted", which isn't very helpful to you.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

quote: Originally posted by Atragon Hrm, Sn00py, I can understand why 1024X768 seems like a good resolution, but for people with LCD displays being able to change the resolution is nice since scaled images can look like ass. Especially people with widescreen LCD displays, going from 4:3 to 16:9 aspect ratio is painful. All I propose is to allow the user to change the size of their window onto the world, do not change the size of anything, just show more of it. I know how 1024x768 looks like stretched to 1920x1200 and I take that into consideration when making purchase decisions for games I might play on my laptop.

You can zoom in and out. (can make the zoom level at Civ3's normal level)

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

quote: Originally posted by DrSpike That is fine, but it means that all that we can offer you at present is a "looks fine, keep us posted", which isn't very helpful to you.

Actually the "looks fine" part is very helpful and was all I was really looking for.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 337

quote: Originally posted by Sn00py You can zoom in and out. (can make the zoom level at Civ3's normal level)

But that doesn't do anything to address the stretching effect that occurs when you take a normal source (say 1600x1200 for example) and display it on a widescreen display (say 1920x1200). The net effect is that circles are slightly oval, people look extremely broad, squares appear slightly rectangular, and so on.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

Use the stretch display option on your monitor.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 337

Which will result in image distortion.

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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: of Schmooism
Posts: 6000

And is really ugly.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 5171

Really, really ugly.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: The most erratic Overlord!
Posts: 7846

Do I smell 'hidden' +1's here?

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

hidden +1's?

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Enthusiastic member of Apolyton
Posts: 19485

quote: Originally posted by Sn00py Actually the "looks fine" part is very helpful and was all I was really looking for.

Then you shouldn't have mentioned gameplay.

And if you had mentioned that 40 posts ago we wouldn't have been forced to make all these posts.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

No DrSpike, you just don't know when to shut up.

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Enthusiastic member of Apolyton
Posts: 19485

It's my duty to point out your error.

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screens look pretty good, no matter what people say about gameplay, everyone expects something easily comprehensible and good looking in order to enjoy the game more

they just seems a bit blurry but that could be the jpeg compression

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Registered: May 1999
Location: Lost
Posts: 1001

well sn00p, i'm more excited about this than civ4. keep up the good work, and if you need any beta testers, let me know

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: New England
Posts: 3425

The desert looks beautiful, although one can't really tell what the tiles are very well, which might be a bit hard to play. You can see the square that the city rests on, but other than that, it's quite good-looking. Easy on the eyes.

Re: the island. The cliffs look a little fuzzy. Fuzzyness is my qualm with the two things in general. Yeah, they do look great, and I'm really excited about this project and wish you well, but they do seem a bit... fuzzy.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: From New Zealand
Posts: 2052

Monolith, its fuzzy because of jpeg compression. (About half of original quality).

Also, the cliffs have been re-done since these screenshots, they are very sharp, rocky and merge into the water more realistically. (hills, rather than straight drops, but there are still straight drops aswell of course).

Currently I am redoing the mountains. The will be made more mountain like and slightly larger than they are now. (btw the mountain you see in the desert is actually a hill).


We hope by the end of this month or a week after to have some more to show, and give out some actual gameplay details.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: The most erratic Overlord!
Posts: 7846

'kay, let's anticipate.

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Enthusiastic member of Apolyton
Posts: 19485

Gameplay details.

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: New England
Posts: 3425

Cool to hear, sn00py, and that you see where I was coming from. I take terrain graphics quite seriously, and it seems you do too.

Also, I hope to god that you have Stalin as a leader, and that when you sign an alliance with him, he gives you a creepy smile...

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Registered: Jul 2002
Location: Mingapulco
Posts: 594

Snoopy, can you please post game design document somewhere?

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