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

I will be setting up quite a few polls to gather information from people.

Please remember that we are creating a game that people have been hoping for.

Infact, I read the CivIV wish list recently, and I was surprised that a lot of what is in there is in/going to be in Humanitas.
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Poll 1: Please tick what you believe should be in the game.

Please give reasons and/or suggestions if you like.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: soon to be a major religion
Posts: 2837

wonder movies - yes: it is always great to see when you had to work hard to get a wonder a movie of it...just an nice extra

animated terrain - yes: it is a nice tweak to see a world that is alive...but it is totally not importent

leadheads - no: it is nice to have but also not needed...it makes more sense to have a couple of different dimplomatic heads to talk to i guess

end game movies - yes: hell yes it is the same as with the wonder movies it makes the win just that extra fun

from the 4 they are all not really needed but i think then the movies are the most importent

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Bubblewrap
Posts: 1892

None to be honest ...though after a long game it could be dissappointing to just see a "You won"-screen, so End Game movies if any of these.

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

I would go for wonder -and end movie(s), with after that animated terrain. But I realise that the latter will take a tremendous amount of work and time, so perhaps that after a sort of demo release?

Leaderheads I don't find necessary. Always found it akward in other civ games that the same guy keeps on staring at me throughout a couple of millennia's. Perhaps some sort of paperroll screen (or computer screen transcription in modern times) instead, as like the 'official' documents are passed to and fro.

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Registered: Nov 2001
Location: CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Posts: 4327

While all 4 would be nice, I've only voted for leaderheads and ending movies. However, Wonder movies are a really really nice extra

Leaderheads don't have to be fully 3d and animated IMO, but I think they need to be there. They're the embodiment of the country you're dealing with, and their mimicks allow you to see immediately their stance toward you. I find it saddening, for example, that there are no leaderheads at all in EU2, and that leaders play no role whatsoever in Victoria (both excellent strategy games)

Ending movies are a must. Humanitas is likely to be a game where the player spends much time on. There has to be a reward at the end. The Space ending of Civilization 1 was absolutely epic, and you felt like you had just led mankind from being unwashed hunters/gatherers to the peak of its glory and knowledge. Since Humanitas is going to be an epic game, it can do no less than an epic victory movie

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Unreported loss of streaming in atomic read operation
Posts: 2320

None. Graphical gimmicks .

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 18

The movies and splash screens do make the game for newbies.
I think that when I first played civ II the wonder movies added to the game play even though they do take time and cpu resources. I know that most veteran players skip the wonder screens, but thats because they have seen them for hundreds of times.

On the leaders, imo they help, but they do not have to be in the game. For Civ games it just seems to be a 'must have' just because people have grown used to seeing them.

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Stuie

Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Have a beer!
Posts: 1565

End game movie would be nice; the rest are unnecessary.

By the way, I've always loved your graphic mods Sn00py! Really looking forward to a game built with your stuff from the ground up.

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Posts: 3291

End game movies and wonder movies Definitely need those.

I voted for animated terrain, too. But IMHO it's important that this aspect not be overdone as to distract the player from the game. If implemented just a bit, though (for example, trees gently swaying in the wind, waves breaking at the shore, smoke from settlements), it can really make the game seem more alive.

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Solver

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Latvia, Riga
Posts: 8794

Leaderheads should NOT be in. Reason: that way, you can add more different civs/leaders without having to worry about creating leaderheads. Just use a portrait instead, Civ2-style, or maybe Civ1-style.

Animated terrain CAN be in, but should be turn-offable. Reason: it's nothing but eye candy, but should be possible to turn off so that older dinosaur computers could play.

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Kloreep

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: of the pillow
Posts: 6924

End game movies are the only thing I voted for, as that's the only thing I consider truly important. Getting something more than "You won!" helps keep the illusion that you've done more than sit at the computer for hours.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 5171

Endgame movies and maybe animated terrain.

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Adagio

Registered: Jun 2001
Location:
Posts: 7812

I never really cared about movies in Civ2. Sure they were nice to look at, but I would defently prefer to have some a world that looks alive than to have some wonder/end game -movies that you only see a few times each game

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Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 1995

I also go for none of the above. I would always pick AI over eye (and ear) candy.

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Registered: Dec 2002
Location: Celebrating Macedonia, the country north to FOPOG
Posts: 807

Wonder movies : It's always rewarding to see that you have actually complished something.

Animated terrain : Might be distracting and become quite repeative after a while.

Leaderheads : It adds personality and immersion. You don't have to anything better than static one-era pics.

End game movies : Same reason as wonder movies.

Of course, anything above isn't a must-be, but adds "that something" to the game.

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Registered: May 1999
Location: Lost
Posts: 1001

I think game play is more important than these particulars, but overall aesthetics are important...

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

None is mandatory.
Animated terrain should definitely be possible to get rid of if it's in. I always find animations to be a nuisance.

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Registered: May 1999
Location: Lost
Posts: 1001

Also, I hope the units aren't some ridiculously large monstrocities like in civ 4

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Registered: Sep 2001
Location: Sunny Old England
Posts: 159

quote: Originally posted by Kaak Also, I hope the units aren't some ridiculously large monstrocities like in civ 4

Dam, who told you what we were doing

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: New England
Posts: 3425

I don't like animated terrain at ALL.

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: Dance Dance for the Revolution!
Posts: 7508

End game movies a must, I'd like animated terrain, don't care for wonder movies at all. After the 1st 2-3 times I'd turn them off.

I like leaderheads. For me civ1 did the best job of making me feel like I was interacting with a leader of any of them.

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

Theben, I think that is because you could see more of the background and he had his advisors next to him. So it felt like you were actually meeting him.

Civ3 and Civ4 just seem to be an animated portrait.

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Posts: 161

Heads n' terrain! Who cares about end movies, in fact, i play for the joy of ruling a nation, i usually dont 'finish' a game.

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Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Milano - Italy
Posts: 1524

I'm borrowing Pave post... I'm kind of a lazy man today.

quote: Originally posted by Pave Wonder movies : It's always rewarding to see that you have actually complished something.

I agree.

quote: Originally posted by Pave Animated terrain : Might be distracting and become quite repeative after a while.

Mostly afree. Only a few here and there can live up your attention (kind of "easter eggs" here and there: sometime an unexpected changed sound can give the same effect).

quote: Originally posted by Pave Leaderheads : It adds personality and immersion. You don't have to anything better than static one-era pics.

Well, I hope in a very different leader approach, so this will become unimportant... more suggestion in a future post of mine.

quote: Originally posted by Pave End game movies : Same reason as wonder movies.

A good end of the game is the most relevant touch of the bunch, IMHO. My vote, BTW.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location:
Posts: 710

none. animated terrain is probably easiest to do and can be somewhat nice looking if kept simple. movies are a good reward but not really needed. though i do hope you include extensive replays and stats at end game. leaders heads are a negative imo because they don't tie into gameplay and at best make you confused about the ai's real intentions.

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 679

I am probably in the majority among veteran players in that I never turned off the wonder movies. I love 'em. Makes a nice little break.

On the other hand, I detest animated features on the game map. Just makes each turn take longer as more resources are 'stolen' from the AI calc routines.

On thing I would like is the 'newspapers' from Civ I. The 'lists' in civ ii and iii were boring, but the newsies from civ I had style.

Oops, just saw the features thread. Newsies are back! Yippee!!

That feature alone is enough to make submit a pre-order.

Last edited by Kinjiru on 08-07-2005 at 20:56

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Registered: Jan 1970
Location: Sorekara no Nanimo
Posts: 2247

Wonder Movies - What sort of wonder movies should we expect? I hate crappy 3D movies (e.g. CtP, ToT) with a passion. If it's gonna be anything like that, don't bother. I did like the civ2 movies a lot, but since that used actual video footage and music, that'd probably cost you ( But I also liked the "animated" movies in civ2, like the end game movie). And you can wonder if the effort to make a stunning 3D wonder movie really is worth the effort. Maybe a really nice picture will do.

Animated Terrain - Well, it can be nice. The animated rivers and shores in Civ1 (though that didn't work on my monitor) were quite a nice touch. The animated resources in ToT are okay. But this really isn't necessary. It can help add some atmosphere to the game though, as long as you keep it subtle. Maybe background music or sounds work better.

Leaderheads - Civ1 was the best

End Game Movies - Kind of the same thing as with the wonder movies. Somehow I'm thinking about music again. I'm wondering if maybe the music in the Civ2 end game movie was more rewarding than the video itself.

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Registered: Dec 2002
Location:
Posts: 1995

Though I don't really care for animated terrain I did like the dancing desert trees in Super Mario Bros 3.

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location: The European Union, Sweden, Lund
Posts: 3573

• Wonder movies a la civ 2
  
  
• Animated terrain
  (the exception would be rivers with running water a la atleast the mac version of civ 1)
  
  
• Leaderheads...
  I'm indifferent to those. They where kind of neat in civ 1 though (especially with the advisors that changed clothing and appareance depending on both govt type and tech, the modern day despotism advisors where great )
  
  
• End Game movies
  (not as important as wonder movies but you do want something when the game is over, not just a bland screen that says well done...)
  

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location:
Posts: 14

Too be honest none of them really bother me. I suppose to be rewarded with a little movie at the end is cool.

And to feel like you dealing with another person (though youd actually be dealing with an emiisary or ambassador...)

Really i think its more important to have a replay function. I always love to see my colour spread across the globe like a plague.... ^^

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