Why are the leader heads so ugly?

Only a few of them look decent. The rest are just comically ugly (cough *teddy*). Even the female leaders aren't that great. What happened?

I find them quite okay, nothing realistic but this game doesn't really need that angle.

"ugly" is subjective. Firaxis decided to go with a stylized look instead of a photo realistic look. So, the leaders look more like what you would see in a Pixar animation. I think they look quite good for the style that Firaxis decided to go with.

I like how they look and move. The comical look matches their exaggerated reactions. I don't want them to be realistic in appearance (but in clothes, language etc.), but they should be recognizable if you know how they looked from pictures/statues whatever.
Only thing I find 'ugly' is how they breath when they wait for your action in the diplomatic screen. Seems unnatural.

You look at Hojo and tell me do you still think that's ugly lol. I think he's the best looking CIV leader ever.

Soronery said:

Only a few of them look decent. The rest are just comically ugly (cough *teddy*). Even the female leaders aren't that great. What happened?

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SupremacyKing2 said:

"ugly" is subjective. Firaxis decided to go with a stylized look instead of a photo realistic look. So, the leaders look more like what you would see in a Pixar animation. I think they look quite good for the style that Firaxis decided to go with.

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Pixar! Thank you. I've been trying to think what the style looked like.

Now I kinda want a Pixar movie with Pedro.

I love how expressive they are.

I think it will help getting invested in singleplayer matches.

I suppose the leaders are styled that way for entertainment factor. Otherwise, this game would be tooooo serious.

sonicmyst said:

I suppose the leaders are styled that way for entertainment factor. Otherwise, this game would be tooooo serious.

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The fact is that Firaxis has always gone for an entertaining "fun" look to their games. Just look at Sid Meier's Pirates!

I very much like the current leader heads -- "even" the female ones (is there a higher standard of attractiveness for female leaders? hm.). Much more interesting than the bland Civ 5 ones. In fact, is this the first civ where most of the civ leader's body takes up the entire screen?

The leader heads in Civ 4 were also cartoonish IMO

I like the new leader heads. Not that realistic, but it's all just a game, it doesn't have to be that serious.

I agree with OP. I quite like the minimalist art that a lot of the game has (the sparseness of the map is a relief from civ5), but I do find the leaders too cartoony and ugly.

The leader style is very inconsistent between them.

In a game that deals with subjects like enslavement, war, and religious bigotry, having a cartoony art style can take the edge off.

I don't understand the point that they are ugly. You mean the historical leader himself was an ugly person? I prefer this art style than the mannequins in Civ5.

It matches the art style for the game, IMO. I just hope they add more to the background of the leader screens. They were lively in Civ V so it would be a shame for them to be a 2D image this time.

ImperialChaos said:

It matches the art style for the game, IMO. I just hope they add more to the background of the leader screens. They were lively in Civ V so it would be a shame for them to be a 2D image this time.

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I don't think just because the leader is 3D the background should be as well. The background could use more color that's for sure, but I get that they are going for contrast. That said, I prefer that they focused on character animation as oposed to overly detailed backgrounds like in civ5.

Zanteogo said:

The leader style is very inconsistent between them.

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More than the design, I'd say it's the animation, it's like Firaxis got a really damm good animator and, well, he/she can't work on all the leaders. You can see it if you compare Cleopatra, Phillip and Catherine to Frederick, Teddy and Qin Shi Huang. Tho maybe it's just a matter that the more limited ones where worked on first, and they got better with the rest. If anything I'd say dlc leaders are going to keep looking great.

TheMarshmallowBear said:

I find them quite okay, nothing realistic but this game doesn't really need that angle.

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Exactly, Civ5 realistic leaders with super detailed backgrounds are the anomaly in the series, if anything Civ6 leaders feel more like a return to leaders with interesting personalities and depictions, and I for one, love what they are doing with the character animation.

Also, the cartoonish style I love, maybe I'm crazy but I see some Asterix and Obelix inspiration when it comes to the style, cartoonish, detailed hands, very strong facial features. (it's perfect for the style of character animation they are going for)

I mean Pedro's design could come out of one of the comics, Cleo is only missing the larger nose, Phillip looks like a centurion, and Trajan, well tell me you don't see some inspiration.



I know it's Caesar, but you get the idea.

To be honest, I really like the new graphics style.

I mean, look at the leaders pics until CIV3 - they look horribly.

CIV4 was okay, but not more, CIV5 was already quite good. I would say CIV5 and 6 are equal on that.

Pedro is the only one that I think looks outright ridiculous. The rest are fine, and a few of them are magnificent.

I think they look more "alive" then in civ V