Themed unit looks based on Civ/Lattitude

[Pingu:]

I know this is far too late to actually have an impact on the development of CivIII, but I would like to see units which vary not just by technology, but also by the Civ which produced it.

For example, you could have a Eruopean stlye 'theme' of units, which would affect mostly the appearence of the units, and to a limited extent, the type of units available.

Also, you'd get a Arabic, Asian, African, Indian, Native American(North and South too?), Steppes( Mongols and perhaps Chinese) and a few barbarian 'themes'.

These themes would be VERY different in appearance at the start of the game, 'Europeans' fighting 'Native American' would look really interesting....

As the game progresses, more technological units would begin to converge onto a single, Utility oriented look. No bones and feathers for decoration, just combat fatigues...
By the Genetic age (sorry a CTP reference....) teh units would be more or less identical, although perhaps with different colored camoflage for desert cultures and Northern cultures....

The appearence of theses 'themes' shopuld be based on historical things as much as possible.

e.g. Europeans would look like, say, Celtic warriors, Pikemen, Muscateers etc.
Not much of a difference in the Renaisence units onwards for the European theme, although the early units would be quite different, with there defensive units looking like more Norhtern European rather than (Greek/Phonecian) Phalanxes. Their offensive infantry would be knights on foot, not Samurai.

For more unusual 'themes', and those which were dissolved into the Western European forms in OUR history, some imagination would be needed. For example the Native American warriors and cavalry would be historical, but what would a Native American Muscateer look like, if they had invented gunpowder themselves, and not been conquered???? Pretty cool I'd say, getting practical and uniformed, but still decorated with feathers and fetishes (as in spirit items, not kinky leather boots, although that would make a good 'modded' theme all by itself ....)

Anyway that's more or less it, although....

Which theme each civ prouduces would be dependant on:
a) the Civ name
b) Lattitude of Civ's origin, so you wouldn't get African style units attacking you from the poles... This might imply some lattitude based restriction on a Civ's starting locations....


Pingu:

[Biddles]

I like the idea, and I think you'll find a lot of people here do to. However the argument that comes up most is that you'd be sitting there going "what does that unit do?" for half the game. If you have seven triremes, then it is a lot harder to remember them all.

Hmmm, I like the idea. I found it a bit silly in CTP for instance when the French attacked me with samurai. Having units 'themed' towards their particular civ would be nice and make a lot more sense (though obviously not essential).

[airdrik]

No, no, no, Biddles, you have it all wrong. Your civ would have a trimeme that looks like a viking longboat, and over there the Romans have a trimeme that has a different shapped hull and different designes on it's sail. Also your standard infantry looks like the civ 2 barbarian while their standard infantry looks like the civ 2 legion. Both units have the exact same atributes, just different pics.

I like it it gives other ways to distinguish between civs, as well as allows you to have japanese samuri rather than japanese european knights.

I agree whole-heartedly, but to ease the burden of civ3's artists (and our own memories), I suggest there be only 4 or 5 different types - that are tied to the "architecture type" of the civ. It would simply be too much to ask for an entire set of units for each civ in the game!

[The Viceroy]

Given enough unit slots, im sure you could do something with a scenario ... or even a mod .. Trick would be to have parallel technologies, so that the civs stay more or less on their own track until they diverge later on.

I personally think the idea would make for a more colourful game .. but to be honest .. give me a better AI, maps that can be as large as I want, diplomacy with real function and effect .. and let chaps like yourself spend the time building the scenario's which fire your imaginations...

Thats what CIV should be all about, letting each one of us focus on the aspects of the game we most enjoy .. and letting us mod stuff we don't like too much.



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"Wherever wood floats, you will find the British" . Napoleon

[Grumbold]

I'm firmly hoping that they will leave in the ability to tag a different set of unit graphics to each nationality even if the game only ships with one flavour. Then if the game proves a huge hit they can release more skins themselves, or just leave it to the fans to publish their own.When being attacked by a wave of funny looking barbarians, the only way to find out how deadly they were was to get in a fight and try and kill them. Seeing everything as 2-2-1 or 2-1-2 units just turns it into a clinical calculation of the odds.

[Pingu:]

Yeah, the AI, a better map(playing on a bucky-ball would be really cool), better climate system and all that are much more important, but the look of the game could do with more realism too....

I'm not sure that teh technologies need to be differetn for each Civ, it's just that Iron Working would give you the option yo build 'Advanced Ancient Infantry' which would be a legion, or heavy infantry, or warriors dressed in Aligator Skins depending on which Civ you were..... All these units would be the same unit, just with a different name and appearence.

Pingu:

[Urban Ranger]

Interesting but impractical idea. For three reasons:

1. You are spending a lot of effort on "chrome" that adds no functionality to the game

2. You make the game more confusing ("What the heck is that three-eyed bird unit?")

3. You make the game more difficult ("What the heck is that three-eyed bird unit?")

[Henrik]

The 2 last points arre the same, right?

[raingoon]

I agree, this is a good idea. I keep hoping the legions at Firaxis (and I mean the mouse & keyboard wielding kind) are reading a book called, "Guns, Germs and Steel." Which this idea brings to mind. Certainly latitudinal influences were more profound than historians generally have realized in the past.

Actually I would prefer knowing that France could not, as a rule, produce samurai, nor the Japanese a Roman legion. In fact, the problem I sometims had in the past was that such units seem like they SHOULD have the same attributes. It would make the game EASIER for me if I knew that all ancient infantry units had the same attributes. In Civ 3 if a Russian MIG comes up against an F14, I would prefer they be the same in attributes, not different. Good idea.

[Biddles]

quote: Originally posted by airdrik on 02-22-2001 12:09 PM No, no, no, Biddles, you have it all wrong. Your civ would have a trimeme that looks like a viking longboat, and over there the Romans have a trimeme that has a different shapped hull and different designes on it's sail. Also your standard infantry looks like the civ 2 barbarian while their standard infantry looks like the civ 2 legion. Both units have the exact same atributes, just different pics. I like it it gives other ways to distinguish between civs, as well as allows you to have japanese samuri rather than japanese european knights.

Sorry, I didn't explain myself well. What I was meaning was when that funny looking boat comes up to you, you'd be sitting there goign "Well is it a trireme or a longboat". You don't know which it is (it might have trireme stats but might look like a long boat, or a junk or something and you don't know what it does). (This doesn't mean I'm against the idea)

Actually, I like the idea of tying the unit appearance to architecture. Come on, a Zulu spearman versus a Roman legion isn't that confusing (both ancient infantry units). A medieval Arab horseman versus a Teutonic Knight won't confuse anyone either. Besides, by the time you get to cavalry, cannon, and riflemen, everyone looks about the same. Main thing with this idea is to have enough but not to many architectural styles (balance, balance, balance!).
[This message has been edited by Mister Pleasant (edited February 24, 2001).]

[Theben]

I like the idea, but remember it's just eye candy. Concentrate on the AI.

A very good idea. I like it and yes it is candy, that is why I like it.

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