Gamespot has new preview

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:09

Gamespot has a new preview, haven't read it all the way through yet but some cleaned up screenshots from old mag scans. Check this one out in particular:

Gamespot Screen 1

It shows the Baltimore city-screen from CGW, but you can see better. There's artillery units placed all along the highways, and also the roads are no actual paved roads, not just the old dirt-paths. In addition it appears as if there are small towns outside of the city-radius. Can't tell what the are, any ideas?
[This message has been edited by SerapisIV (edited May 16, 2001).]

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:13

Nothing new otherwise in terms of screenshots, but E3 is only 24 hours away!

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:17

quote:

From Gamespot
Brute military force is no longer the only option you have for conquering enemy civilizations--now you can join together through culture.

Civilizations joining through culture? This sounds like the old CivI feature of "Enemy City X amazaed by the glory of your City Y, decides to join your civ" or something like that, or could it be something different. Culture wars?

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:20

quote:

Gamespot"Suppose I have four elephants and my friend the Egyptian has no elephants--they want the elephants because they make people happy," Briggs explained.

The Egyptians are a civ in the game

Jeje2 · May 16, 2001, 09:21

Hey,
in the picture pyramids is an improwment liks colosseum or aqveduct.

What happened to pyramids being an secret project???

Buck Birdseed · May 16, 2001, 09:23

No it isn't. The wonders are also pictured in the City view...

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:26

quote:

Most of the work on the visual side of Civilization III seems to be near completion. Firaxis has made a few subtle adjustments to clean up various interfaces so that they don't break your connection to the game.

Well, looks like any screenshots we get tomorrow from E3 will be 95% of the screenshots we see when we actually play the game.

Jeje2 · May 16, 2001, 09:26

quote:

Originally posted by Snapcase on 05-16-2001 09:23 AM
No it isn't. The wonders are also pictured in the City view...

Yeah, stupid me who forgotten something that essential...

Thx, for the fast reply.

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 09:28

quote:

Firaxis and Infogrames are currently aiming for a winter 2001 release for Civilization III

Translation: we're aiming for Xmas 2001, but don't hold your breath.

Damn my girlfriend is gonna be pissed when I miss Valentines Day because CivIII just came out.

Grumbold · May 16, 2001, 09:52

There are several things about that screenshot that just look very odd to me. Most things in the illuminated area look washed out and it is not clear why.

The diplomat · May 16, 2001, 09:55

Civ3 is going to rock! I love what they have done with trade, ressources and culture. I can't wait to play it.

It looks like civ3 will play very differently than what we were used to. A lot of the usual strategies probably won't work so well anymore.
Hopefully we will see more screenshots from E3, especially the diplo screen and the other advisor screens.

------------------
No permanent enemies, no permanent friends.
[This message has been edited by The diplomat (edited May 16, 2001).]

Buck Birdseed · May 16, 2001, 10:03

quote:

Originally posted by Grumbold on 05-16-2001 09:52 AM
There are several things about that screenshot that just look very odd to me. Most things in the illuminated area look washed out and it is not clear why.

Oh, totally. It's as if there were two screenshots superimposed on each other. What are those vague figures? What's that blue haze at the bottom? Why are there two roads on the same stretch, one faded out? Why is the Oil resource so massive?

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 10:12

Along those lines, how come it state the year as 1997AD, yet says Baltimore, established 2001?

I'm not really looking at the screenshot as a regular city-management screen, we had it as a screenshot too long ago for that, I'm just using as a line into finding units, general graphic asnwers and game concepts.

There is a battleship in NE corner of the screenshot. ALso the howitzer units confuse me. Anti-aircraft guns?

Most confusing to me is the small buildings just outside the city radius. What are they? Colonies? The firaxis tutorial said colonies disappear when national borders overtake them, and by 1997, you should have borders that reach outside your city radius.

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 10:16

Taking a look at the resources in the top right, they appear to be

(top row from left to right)
horses (or deer), elephants (or ivory), fish, cattle, gems (or diamonds), ???, wheat, wine (or grapes).

(bottom row left to right)
coal?, gold, oil?, spices (look like salt, pepper, etc), paper, ???, thread (or cloth), ???

bagdar · May 16, 2001, 11:09

It'll be SO complicated that neither my IQ nor my computer will be able to handle it...

Frugal_Gourmet · May 16, 2001, 11:41

quote:

Originally posted by bagdar on 05-16-2001 11:09 AM
It'll be SO complicated that neither my IQ nor my computer will be able to handle it...

That's my worry as well.

If it gets to be as complicated as other games which required heavy resource management then....uh...boring.. As long as it's done in fun, streamlined fashion that doesn't add to the micromanagement problem the Civ series already has to deal with I guess I'll be ok with it...

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 11:43

I'm not so sure, I think it'll be much easier then it appears. Special items have their usual production bonus in cities, and then have either an effect of allowing certain production or adding luxuries. I don't think you need certain kinds of luxuries, just that the more you have, the easier it is to keep people happy and can therefore spend more income on research and taxes. Also it may have a side benefit of more culture? I think only a small number of resources will have manufacturing benefits. Obvious ones like oil, rubber, iron, horses. I don't think it'll be overly complex, more just commons sense requirements, not something like needing magnesium to make the filaments in lightbulbs or anything that micromanaged.

Roman · May 16, 2001, 11:49

quote:

Originally posted by SerapisIV on 05-16-2001 11:43 AM
something like needing magnesium to make the filaments in lightbulbs

I thought they usually use tungsten.

Anyway, I agree that they will probably include only the most important resources, which makes sense.

007 · May 16, 2001, 14:10

Looking at the graphics is easy to assume that our eyes will get tiered really quickly. It will be always a strugle to destinguish an object on the map (unles units are constantly moving , scratching in the nose... etc). Right now everything rend to blend in into the map, When what we need is to immediately spot the objects that we need.

007 · May 16, 2001, 14:14

and then another thing, even thou i respect taking all colours from one classic painting only, but the water represintation SUCKs. How come rivers and ocean are the same sick cyan color? What if in the oceans it would be wite ripples that move towards cyan and back to white very,very slowly so it doesn't distract from gameplay?

SerapisIV · May 16, 2001, 14:34

As you said in your first post, things are going to be moving. Firaxis appears to be making a big deal over animation and movement on the map and units to make the gameworld appear more alive. The water appears to me as if it is rippling along the shore, however the screenshot only catches one frame instead of the full motion. Hopefully after E3 we'll get a full motion video or animated gif showing what gameplay will look like with the animations included

Steve Clark · May 16, 2001, 15:50

quote:

Originally posted by The diplomat on 05-16-2001 09:55 AM
Civ3 is going to rock! I love what they have done with trade, ressources and culture. I can't wait to play it.

It looks like civ3 will play very differently than what we were used to. A lot of the usual strategies probably won't work so well anymore.
Hopefully we will see more screenshots from E3, especially the diplo screen and the other advisor screens.

I think this sums up my sentiments exactly. Looks like they are using the resource model from Railroad Tycoon, combine that with the tech tree cause & units effect of Civ and you have the basis for a great game.

ancient · May 16, 2001, 16:03

is screen shot 4 you militiary advisor in different ages?

Kautilya · May 16, 2001, 16:06

Well the gameplay improvements sound great but I am really worried because there is no mention of any special effort to improve the AI. All the cool gameplay options will mean squat if the AI is too dumb to use them properly.

[This message has been edited by Kautilya (edited May 16, 2001).]

St Leo · May 16, 2001, 17:16

Well the gameplay improvements sound great but I am really worried because there is no mention of any special effort to improve the AI.

Why should there be a special effort? The SMAC AI seemed pretty good to me.

------------------
Leons Petrazickis (St. Leo)
http://aventine.cf-developer.net/minizigg/
petrazi@sprint.ca

Adm.Naismith · May 16, 2001, 17:22

quote:

Originally posted by ancient on 05-16-2001 04:03 PM
is screen shot 4 you militiary advisor in different ages?

So it seems to me.

------------------
A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind. The mind was the first and final battleground, the stuff in between was just noise.
- Admiral Naismith

Bereta_Eder · May 16, 2001, 17:27

quote:

Originally posted by SerapisIV on 05-16-2001 10:16 AM
Taking a look at the resources in the top right, they appear to be

(top row from left to right)
horses (or deer) -Yes-, elephants (or ivory)-yes-, fish-yes-, cattle -yes-(cow?), gems-yes-(diamonds) (or diamonds), ???, wheat-yes-, wine -yes-(wine) (or grapes).

(bottom row left to right)
coal?-????- gold-yes-, oil?-????-, spices (look like salt, pepper, etc)-yes-, paper-yes-???-hmm some sort of fountain? healing waters?? or natural gas??, thread -yes-(or cloth), the last one incense?? ???

ancient · May 16, 2001, 17:31

ooh and look at this little goodie it seems the game has a tool to make your own leaders http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories...837-10,00.html

Krypter · May 16, 2001, 17:53

Uhh, no, that's Lightwave, a popular commercial 3D construction package. I don't expect it will come with Civ3 (what a deal: Civ3 + Lightwave only $50!!!)

Woooo, everything is looking good, and the addition of culture is just awesome. I always wanted to conquer world using the power of ideas! (hmmmm, wasn't that a Trevor Goodchild thing?)

horg · May 16, 2001, 19:43

i know its out of the topic but i need to know...

i am a maniac of civ 1 and civ 2,,,
but i need to know if the litlle animated seqence with the evolution of your civ on the world map that was there in the first vresion will be back... its was for me a real deception to see it was not on civ 2 .
this little feature at the end of the game is realy important for a player who spends HOURS and HOURS on a game , its the gift of the winner...
it help to continue the game till the real end and stimulate player when he fell down,,, it create the game more addictive!!! ;-)

so i hope this fresh feature will be back with some improvement like:

-a remote to see the evolution on the map clik by clik

-and big title of big battle or revolution

-the evolution of the culture influence on the world map with evry cities
and colonies

thanks , i hope this notice will bring back the coolest feature of the game back in the days...

HORG

ho and what about bring back the news paper NEWS with the music of the nation ... i was loving this in civ 1