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H Tower
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mountain ranges, not just individual mountains next to each other.
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Kiev
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I'm honestly confused as to how Firaxis let the game get this far with such poor graphics. I absolutely appreciate the amount of effort that they've invested into such things as animated resources, representation of city improvements and the diversity of tile improvements. I even don't mind the unit/city size ratio in the least, as it seems to be a sticking point for others. However, that doesn't change the fact that the base geography graphics are completely underwhelming.
http://home.comcast.net/~maginnis/civ4.jpg
This picture sums up my concerns. The 90 degree tile partitions are utterly obnoxious. Nearly every interview/preview so far has mentioned how it's possible to rotate the map at will, but in all the screen shots I've seen the right-angled tiles just jump out at you. I'm really baffled as to how they thought this was a good look to go for.
It's not a question of cartoonish, it's a matter of being grossly simplistic. World of Warcraft can be interpreted as having a cartoony style of art, but the game still generates a tremendous amount of atmosphere and aesthetic depth. The geography of Civ4 seems devoid of any visual personality; it seems to reduce graphics to a purely utilitarian function rather than a source of appreciation. The flat, bland coloration of grass/plains does nothing to draw the player in, it simply lets them know how much food that tile produces. I might as well be looking at a black and white map key.
It feels like they decided to not even bother investing in a sense of immersion, but rather simplified the landscape to a point where tiles look more like placeholder art than a finished product. Considering how appealing the new gameplay mechanics sound, I feel frustrated that I'm going to spend so much time looking at such unappealing graphics.
Anyway, specifics:
If possible, find a way to degrade the rigidness of tile borders. Please.
Mountains should be craggy, not mounds. A quirky detail might be to add clouds hovering around the peak.
Hills should be bumpy, not plateaus.
Add some texture to the grassland and plains art.
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Atahualpa
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Hawthrone
Mar 1999
time: 06:37
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The forest here: http://image.com.com/gamespot/image...9_screen003.jpg looks pretty dull. I've seen trees having shadows in another shot, but here it was turned off and it just looks ugly. The terrain below should be darker.
Mountains here:
http://image.com.com/gamespot/image...9_screen004.jpg
They could e.g. have more than just one top. Unfortunately I think this will increase polygoncount and thus decrease performance. Anyway I can perfectly imagine a combination like this in the real world, although it'd be more interesting if one was e.g. higher than the other.
Terrain here:
http://image.com.com/gamespot/image...9_screen005.jpg
A good example of what's wrong with the terrain. Without any of those mills, it would look really boring. Also there are lots of errors with the roads.
Anyway, I've selected about 60 photos showing parts of Spain (Mountains, farming land, limestone-formations), Portugal (beaches) and Austria (mountains, lower lands). Some cities as well (like Lisbon, Port of Malaga, Granada, Cadiz) and the fortress of Saguntum (that Hanibal besieged and attacked in 219BC). I can send them to you if you like (~7MB all; 1024x768; 80% JPEG for preview, I have higher res versions of most pictures as well).
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Senethro
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The units need to be bigger.
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Jaybe
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Las Vegas, NV USA
Sep 2001
time: 21:37
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I would like forests where trees are more proportional to city buildings. Almost (gasp!) Civ3-ish, where a single tree is not bigger than 1 or 2 small buildings, and may be smaller -- not all trees are huge oaks (in fact, most aren't). 
In addition to different forest types (evergreen and not), there might also be solid, dense forests and less dense forest, in addition to forests which are "clumpy" with open spaces intermixed (I'm referring to within a single tile) where movement might not be restricted, but may still offer defense advantages.
With the graphics available, the game may be moddable to add more forest types with different affects.
Rambling done,
Thanx
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vStauffenberg
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i agree about the trees: way too big. also they should be closer together. units and city size is fine, everyone knows it's just symbolic representation, has to be big so one can see it, but nature needs to be more realistic (smaller!), to give the impression of a huge land. suggestion: maybe totally replace single-tree forest concept with one-green-mass forest block concept.
some other suggestions:
-roads a little smaller (narrower)
-grassland a little more saturated green
-forests a little darker green
concerning water:
-ocean surface could be a darker blue. most water surfaces look more black than blue from far above (not all oceans are clear, calm and blue like the caribbean sea in "pirates")
-water should be less transparent
-beaches should be a little narrower
Last edited by vStauffenberg on 18-09-2005 at 17:42
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vStauffenberg
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beaches look too caribean to me. they should be:
- more narrow
- darker, different texture alltogether (some stones, gravel, dirt)
- some cliffs, at least some large rocks
- more clear cut, less frayed (smaller and fewer sand banks)
http://www.civfanatics.com/gallery/...&original=1&c=2
Last edited by vStauffenberg on 18-09-2005 at 13:13
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15-09-2005 06:28
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