Modern city view VERY disappointing!

[Ilkuul]

I have to say I was very disappointed with the modern city view from Avault.

The artwork is beautiful; but what's all this empty space everywhere inside the city??? Do they imagine a modern city has vast tracts of empty land in its suburbs? The downtown skyscrapers are fine; but the rest looks like an unfinished building lot with occasional city structures scattered about at random!

Neither Civ1 nor Civ2 were like this -- esp. Civ1 showed the city all together in a compact area with the improvements and wonders distributed among the other buildings in a much more natural way.

Anyone else feel the same?

[SerapisIV]

I agree, skyscrapers next to open fields and a few houses? Hopefully though the city-view was from a cheated map as it appears that it's a very low population city and has way, WAY too many wonders to be a city in a regular game game.

[EnochF]

It could be better, there's no doubt, but I'm not complaining (much). It's very tricky mixing in ancient, medieval, industrial and modern graphics.

I'm more concerned about the banks with the drive-up windows in the Renaissance and the "ancient" wooden courthouse with white painted windows.

[Earthling7]

You mention Civ1 + 2. Civ1 was fine, but the Civ2 city view was useless. I never even bothered to look at my wonderful cities. They effectively removed the cityview from Civ2 as far as I'm concerned.

[Hakkapeliitta]

I agree also. That looks quite stupid with all the empty space. I really hope that is a low-population city. I didn't like Civ2 city view either, maybe because big cities looked like small villages. Civ1 had a good city view, I liked that. I also liked the marching animation(s) when you captured a city.

[Steve Clark]

But...this screen has absolutely no bearing on gameplay, it's just for cosmetic and flavor. So who care what it looks like since no gameplay decisions are made from it? IMO, it's just another example of Firaxis wasting time on needless art when such resources could have gone into gameplay issues.

[RobC]

Originally posted by Steve Clark
But...this screen has absolutely no bearing on gameplay, it's just for cosmetic and flavor. So who care what it looks like since no gameplay decisions are made from it? IMO, it's just another example of Firaxis wasting time on needless art when such resources could have gone into gameplay issues.

^ What he said.

[Steve Clark]

This is like Uber arguing vehemently that the color the Jaguar Warrior's underwear was wrong.

[Boris Godunov]

Um, this shot is kinda old---from the preview video for the LE. And more recent city shots of even the ancient city showed every tile filled with buildings. This was just a test shot.

Cheers.

[Akron]

Originally posted by Steve Clark
But...this screen has absolutely no bearing on gameplay, it's just for cosmetic and flavor. So who care what it looks like since no gameplay decisions are made from it? IMO, it's just another example of Firaxis wasting time on needless art when such resources could have gone into gameplay issues.

Well, if they are gonna waste their time with city building art, they should at least do it right.

Good thing it has no effect on gameplay.

[Pembleton]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
Um, this shot is kinda old---from the preview video for the LE. And more recent city shots of even the ancient city showed every tile filled with buildings. This was just a test shot.

Cheers.

I suspected this and wanted to post my guess but I wasn't sure.

It's funny how so many criticisms here are based on misunderstood or false information.

[Adm.Naismith]

Originally posted by Steve Clark
But...this screen has absolutely no bearing on gameplay, it's just for cosmetic and flavor. So who care what it looks like since no gameplay decisions are made from it? IMO, it's just another example of Firaxis wasting time on needless art when such resources could have gone into gameplay issues.

IMHO IF it is a main city view in a real game (not a "just for screenshot" mock-up) it will probably show an "half backed" result of a mandatory in modern games Firaxis effort not good enough for modern standard.

But, really, I don't want to start another thread about "graphics vs. text only" I'm already tired of it, sure you are too, Steve

[Steve Clark]

Originally posted by Adm.Naismith


IMHO IF it is a main city view in a real game (not a "just for screenshot" mock-up) it will probably show an "half backed" result of a mandatory in modern games Firaxis effort not good enough for modern standard.

But, really, I don't want to start another thread about "graphics vs. text only" I'm already tired of it, sure you are too, Steve

Oh yeah, but I had to get in one last cynical slam before we move to the Civ3-Strategy forum and discuss things that really matters.

[Ilkuul]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov

Um, this shot is kinda old---from the preview video for the LE. And more recent city shots of even the ancient city showed every tile filled with buildings. This was just a test shot.

Originally posted by Pembleton

It's funny how so many criticisms here are based on misunderstood or false information.

Well, I'm glad to hear that this may be an 'old' screenshot, and I really hope you guys are right about that. I'm not one to criticise just for the sake of finding fault, and I'll be only too happy if the real game shows well-filled cities!

I agree with others who've posted here that the city view is a minor matter of eye-candy compared with the really important issues of game-play; but I would also echo Akron's comment that "if they are gonna waste their time with city building art, they should at least do it right"!

[donarumo]

Also, although we will find for sure in less than a week, the large modern buildings may be some sort of wonder - like the pyramids or hanging gardens. It looks out of place enough like these other large structures.

[Ilkuul]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
More recent city shots of even the ancient city showed every tile filled with buildings.

Could someone tell me where these more recent city shots can be found?? I've tried looking here at ACS without success...

[Jaguar]

If that is what modern cities end up like, I'll be pissed, but I don't think thats final.

[Inverse Icarus]

eyecandy is shit.

[FrostyBoy]

Uber, watch that swearing , MarkG probably doesn't care about your 'protests'


Anyway, the no anti-aliasing leaves me to believe that even the city view can be edited.

[Comrade Tribune]

Originally posted by Steve Clark
IMO, it's just another example of Firaxis wasting time on needless art when such resources could have gone into gameplay issues.

Nooooo. Art is not needless. It creates the atmosphere. Atmosphere is one half of the appeal of civgames. Otherwise, you could just crunch numbers on a black-and-white computer screen. Pure gameplay!

[for once passionately defending Firaxis]

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by Ilkuul
Anyone else feel the same?

I agree. At least in past Civ games, the "empty" spaces were filled with resdiential housing! A large modern city would have a lot of housing structures for its citizenry.

[connorkimbro]

i like the city view. it's eye candy, and i won't use it TOO much though. unless they bring back the city view animations from civ1, those were cool. but not necessary.

[Provost Harrison]

Sheesh, what an awful display of pedantry I am witnessing here. It looks fine. Central Park sits right next to a bunch of skyscrapers, or Hyde Park to the major shopping centre of London, for example. For goodness sake, if you are really looking this deep for problems, you really do have a sad existence

I think it looks fine, it appears to be a picture of a prominent but small city...

[SerapisIV]

Originally posted by UberKruX
eyecandy is shit.

Then how come there were tons of arguements complaining that borders cut through mountains and the forests looked ugly? Or that the mountains don't have snow caps and don't look realistic.

"I hate eye candy...I want Civ3 with ASCII art !!!"

[Executor]

All that blank space is for the Wonders that I'm going to build in my capital. I never build Wonders in any other city.

[Inverse Icarus]

ROMANS USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS! .................NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED............. ..........NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED..... .....NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED .....NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED .....NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED .....NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED .....NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED ......NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED.... ..........NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED..... ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. ......................NUKEDNUKED.................. .................NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED............. .........NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED...... .......NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED... NUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKEDNUKED *******************GROUND ZERO********************

[Lorizael]

Uber, what was the point of that?

I think that an animated gif of a nuclear attack would look much better, especially if it used the Civ III graphics engine and was used against a city built with the Civ III graphics engine.

[Wittlich]

Lorizael, what are you trying to do?! Give Uber a challenge!?!

[Lorizael]

Since Uber got unbanned, he's been increasingly... how do I put it... childish.

I got banned for a week after only being registered (in reality) for four days! And I'm fine now!

[Lawrence of Arabia]

I think that the tall buildings must be the small wonder Wall Street