Computer Games Cover Story - Page 2

lockstep · August 31, 2001, 04:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns

I think that each city's border size is directly related to the amount of culture that that city produces.

Proof at http://www.civ3.com/gallery.cfm , middle right, the cultural advisor screen.
Under influence, each city has either a 3 or a 4, and ive seen ones with 0, 1 and 2 before as well...

I have to admit that you seem to be right. I checked also older screenshots of the Cultural advisor, and the city´s "influence" was called "city border size" there. The best evidence for city-individual borders, however, is the mini-map on the screenshot you cited: The green and the yellow civ both seem to have cities with a border size of 1 and cities with a border size of 2 or 3.

Provost Harrison · August 31, 2001, 06:11

Is there any chance of getting any scanned pictures, if there are any decent new ones?

jsw363 · August 31, 2001, 09:58

I agree. I think that individual cities' cultural points contribute to the civ's culture. Borders are determined city by city, but obviously cities' borders connect and form a larger border. But each city creates its own contribution to the larger civ culture based on the buildings within that city. So though borders are a national thing they are determined city by city. Did that clarify anything?

Also thanks to Falconius for his contributions...

Deathwalker · August 31, 2001, 10:22

They don't mention it in the arrticle, but will there be Sea Cities in the game? I hope not because I hated them in SMAC it and the other square improvments made the map imposable to look at.

Skanky Burns · August 31, 2001, 10:33

Quote:

Originally posted by Deathwalker
They don't mention it in the arrticle, but will there be Sea Cities in the game? I hope not because I hated them in SMAC it and the other square improvments made the map imposable to look at.

We dont know yet... If they did exist, they would probably only exist in the modern era, and Firaxis arent showing those screenshots yet

Id prefer them not to be in as well

Grumbold · August 31, 2001, 10:44

The cultural border expansion certainly sounds city specific. I'd be a little unhappier if the cultural victory relies on a single city reaching the set total. All sorts of silliness like packing all the cultural wonders into one city would come into play. Why should one nation win if it reaches 100,000 in its capital and only 50,000 in its next best if a second nation has ten cities at 80,000+?

The ironworks wonder also sounds odd. If one nation has a dozen cities packing iron and coal why shouldn't they all be industrial marvels? If another nation imports all its coal and iron, whats to stop them shipping it all to a dedicated industrial centre of their own? This sounds far less of a unique item than a spy centre or military headquarters where more than one is pointless. Some sort of fudge to get a production wonder, no doubt.

SerapisIV · August 31, 2001, 10:45

I doubt there will be sea cities or space cities as some people have requested. The full tech tree on Gamespot is almost a mirror reflection of the Civ2 tech tree, at least in terms of future-techs, or the lack there-of. For that reason I think its a pretty safe assumption that sea and space cities will not be in Civ3.

Off-shore refinery tile improvements may exist in Civ3 however. The tech is making a return from Civ2 and as long as its only useful on specials resources in the ocean, not every tile as in SMAC, I think it'd be pretty cool to see a few scattered off-shore refineries in Civ3. However I suspect that they'll remain as city-improvements instead.

Provost Harrison · August 31, 2001, 10:48

Quote:

Originally posted by The diplomat
I wonder what "Heroic Epic" or the "IronWork" do.

I reckon the latter will endow some kind of production bonus, either a percentage (10% or something) or a number (+2 resources per base) I reckon...

And as for Heroic Epic, well I suppose it establishes a kind of storytelling tradition and a story which will fascinate millions. So obviously it will help quell unhappiness, methinks...

Urban Ranger · August 31, 2001, 13:17

My take is "IronWorks" is similar to "CIA." You have to first build IronWorks before creating units using iron weapons.

As for "Heroic Epic," it sounds like some big literary work a la Homer's Odessy. Seems like it will add to a civ's cultural rating.

Ralf · August 31, 2001, 14:06

Quote:

Originally posted by dainbramaged13
I liked the city-individual borders a lot better, and realy theres no real evidence against them yet. i dont think

I certainly agree with above. City culture-borders must be city-indevidual, depending on cultural city-improvements in that particular city. Otherwise you have the same stupid erratic "instant border-boxing" phenomen as in SMAC.
And with 1-pop newbie-cities founded far away on other islands, and instantly granted with a huge overproportional culture-borders from the very start, for no other reason then the city belonging to an culturally advanced Civ.

Oh God, I really hope that collectively expanding city culture-borders only is a grave missunderstanding!

Free collective bonus-layers as a result of cultural Big Wonders, yes - but nothing more then that. And only to cities above a certain threshold-level.

Ralf · August 31, 2001, 14:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
I think that each city's border size is directly related to the amount of culture that that city produces.

Proof at http://www.civ3.com/gallery.cfm , middle right, the cultural advisor screen.
Under influence, each city has either a 3 or a 4, and ive seen ones with 0, 1 and 2 before as well...

Thanks Skanky Burns!

I feel a whole lot better know. Phew!

seer_98 · August 31, 2001, 15:02

"The Culture victory is another peaceful option, and perhaps the most intriguing. It requires that you build up a Culture rating high enough to extend your borders six tiles out from at least one of your cities, establishing your tribe as the most influential (and therefor dominant) culture in the game." This means 100,000 culture in one city and that city radius is specific by city.

Ozymandous · August 31, 2001, 15:18

I agree, seems the city radius/border will depend on the individual city culture rating. Heh, if the cities are like the one pictured in the article (has Palace, Temple, Marketplace, Library maybe more) that only produces 28 culture per turn, has been around from 3650 BC till 1880 AD and has 5396 total culture it may be very hard to win this way.

One other thing I am not sure if anyone mentioned...

"...(once an elite unit is promoted to a leader) If you send a leader back to one of your cities, he can do one of three things: he can finish production of whatever project the city is working on, he can lead an army, or he can build a military academy that allows the city to produce armies that don't require leaders."

Not sure if it had been covered before about leaders building a military academy or not, but I wonder if the player can even build an army, even if he/she has more than 4 cities, until a leader has built an academy?

Anyone know?

The diplomat · August 31, 2001, 20:15

Quote:

Originally posted by Ozymandous
"...(once an elite unit is promoted to a leader) If you send a leader back to one of your cities, he can do one of three things: he can finish production of whatever project the city is working on, he can lead an army, or he can build a military academy that allows the city to produce armies that don't require leaders."

If Great Leaders can finish Wonders, then it looks like they have replaced the caravan has the "Wonder rusher".

I think this is good. It was way too easy in civ2 to have one city build a Wonder, and have other cities build caravans to finish the Wonder in just a few turns. The production capacity of a city no longer really mattered. With Great Leaders, this will be more interesting. Unlike, caravans, we won't be able to simply mass produce them to finish any Wonder. With GL's we will have to decide whether to finish a Wonder or use it to stack an army. These kind of decisions are what make civ such a compelling game to play!

Provost Harrison · September 1, 2001, 08:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
My take is "IronWorks" is similar to "CIA." You have to first build IronWorks before creating units using iron weapons.

I doubt it, if you see the little walkthrough for use of resources, there is no evidence that an iron works is required before you can produce iron based units, although you never know I suppose...

Admiral PJ · September 1, 2001, 09:29

Its a great improvement to need conditions for 'small' wonders (i prefer the term minor though i guess they aren't all that minor)
I hope you have the same for Regular Wonders, with hoover dam needing a river, and Copernicuses Observatory needing a hill(to make it higher up to get past more of the atmosphere)

Wonder conditions should add a nice new strategy element, encouraging you to diversify your cities to meet the conditions (like build some equator cities to get desert /tropical resources..)

Admiral PJ · September 1, 2001, 09:35

if you need to get a border radius extension of 6, surely that would be 1,000,000 culture points not 100,000 if your starting with 10. 100000 would be if you started with a border of 2 surely..

lockstep · September 1, 2001, 09:44

Quote:

Originally posted by Admiral PJ
Its a great improvement to need conditions for 'small' wonders (i prefer the term minor though i guess they aren't all that minor)
I hope you have the same for Regular Wonders, with hoover dam needing a river, and Copernicuses Observatory needing a hill(to make it higher up to get past more of the atmosphere)

I really hope that the Hoover Dam is a 'small' wonder now. A tremendous dam to yield energy is a good example for a civ-wide achievement, bad a bad example for 'can be built only once in the world'.

Imran Siddiqui · September 1, 2001, 15:46

Just got the magazine, and they have a 'modern' era shot and it looks absolutely beautiful! JPEG compression was the culprit, it seems!

lockstep · September 1, 2001, 16:03

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Just got the magazine, and they have a 'modern' era shot and it looks absolutely beautiful! JPEG compression was the culprit, it seems!

A beautiful modern era shot? Perhaps including the 'pink French'? This makes my mouth water!

Could you give us some details, Imran?

Imran Siddiqui · September 1, 2001, 19:04

Yes, including the Pink Germans (you can change colors for nations in each game it seems) assaulting the Grey Russians. They have musketeers, cavalry (it seems), and naval units and it looks very nicely done.

tniem · September 1, 2001, 19:34

Imran, mighty news editor of ACS, any chance you could scan the modern shot and put it up for us poor college students to see?