What I want (need?) for my mods, is reasonable in-game 3D graphic representation of each item I custom design! This could easily be done by providing a very generic graphical representation of every item displayed in the game.
The most unpleasant aspect of modding in Civ 5, for me personally, is the lack of reasonable ability to mod in-game graphics. I can create great mods which "do" exactly what I want. However, they look pathetic and "feel" pathetic because all my mods are not appropriately represented graphically in-game.
In Civ 5, I have only two options.
i) "Borrow" an existing graphical representation for ambiguous re-purposing.
ii) Design my own graphical item.
Neither of these options is very helpful or practical for me (and most other modders).
i) Using a graphical representation from a different item leads to in-game ambiguity (2 different items with identical graphical representation). It also obscures and hides the aspects of my newly created and designed mod item, while inappropriately visually indicating the aspects of the original unit "borrowed" from.
ii) It would take me a long time to learn animated 3D graphical design (in general, as well as the specific tools used for Civ 6). Then it would take a long time to gain experience in successfully designing graphics for practical applications. I would constantly find myself watching a swordsman fall down, turn into a red cube, simply disappear, or worse yet, crash the game, just before battle, because I wasn't aware of some higher level aspect of animated graphic design.
Please provide non-animated, extremely generic, graphical representations of each item type for in-game use by mods!
These would be professionally designed, non-distinct, graphical representations of items which I could select to use for my mods.
When I say "non-animated", what I really mean is graphical representations, whose animated activity is to only stay constantly stable and motionless. Like pieces on a chess board in a world of active critters.
I, like most modders, have reasonable abilities in creating 2D items, such as icons. But 3D graphics is a completely different world. And animated graphics make customization even less attainable.
We have wonderful tremendous capability in modding almost all other aspects of game play.
Even if sometimes, dreaded Lua coding might be involved, which always creates the undesirable possibility of causing game instability due to lack of understanding the entire system. We do have the capability to do a whole lot with very simplistic changes to the Lua code.
The modding community has been provided the tremendous opportunity and ability to invent, design, and create a radically distinct unique complex modification of the base vanilla game. Moddability is one of the largest aspects of the Civilization series, which keeps it as one of my favorite game series.
Most of us modders are completely helpless regarding modifying animated graphics. Yet graphics are a very important aspect of games, evidenced through the redesign for Civilization 6 graphics. And graphics are critical in creating the "look and feel" our modification efforts deserve.
The state of technology necessitates and demands experienced understanding and capabilities for even minor changes to graphics. If the developers were to try and make 3D animated graphic modifications more accessible and available to casual inexperienced modders, the game engine and development process would necessarily suffer in some very concrete ways. That would not seem to be the best approach. Nor a reasonable solution.
I believe a very practical compromise is possible with only a relatively small effort by game developers.
The solution, which seems potentially helpful, would be along the following lines:
Game developers could provide very generic professional quality animated (but not actually moving) graphical representations, for every item displayed in game. Modders could simply select those generic graphical representations for any newly designed or modified item.
For example, if I modify a melee unit, I could simply change the XML from "<graphical_representation>UNIT_GRAPHICS_IMMORTAL<graphical_representation>" to "<graphical_representation>UNIT_GRAPHICS_GENERIC_MELEE<graphical_representation>".
This is by no means, a perfect solution. The ultimate solution would be for every modder to have the abilities of the professional graphic development team, and use that ability in creating their mods. That would most likely never come to be. However, I would greatly prefer this "compromise" solution regarding in-game graphics over what has been provided in Civilization 5.
If the developers could provide very generic, aesthetically appealing, professional quality graphical representation of every displayed game item, I could create a much more palatable mod. The modders could always select very generic graphical representations for any newly created item in the game. It would definitely be second best, and a compromise. Yet would be profoundly more aesthetically and functionally appealing than what was available to us in Civilization 5.
Unit: A very generic graphical representation fitting all units (perhaps just a single unarmed human). A very generic graphical representation of each unit type would be even more helpful (mounted, ranged, melee, air, naval, civilian, great person). The in-game graphical representations of a generic unit would be most helpful if they did not move. Rather, simply a unit standing still. Because movement is indicative of specific actions or capabilities. Movement is also much more difficult to causally mod in a successful way.
Building: A very generic graphical representation fitting all buildings. Perhaps simply a square cinder block building. Over-simplified customization, such as color changes, or size of the cube, or a symbol or letter appearing on the building might be reasonably available for modders wishing to take the plunge in learning to "dabble" with 3D graphics.
Terrain: A very generic graphical representation fitting all terrain types. Perhaps a flat neutral colored tile. Maybe graphically representing a "real life" slate gray colored concrete floor.
Resource: A very generic graphical representation fitting of all resources. For example, a simple gray colored sphere which would graphically appear on tiles containing a resource. Other possibilities could include a three dimensional statue of a gold coin, production hammer, smiley face, dove, or generic statue representing culture. It would also be nice to have a physical foundation under such three dimensional mini-statues, which the statue rests upon, to indicate the type of resource. A square foundation could represent bonus resources, a round foundation for strategic resources, and a fancier foundation for a luxury resource.
Leader: Very generic graphical representations of a leader. Perhaps a human not portraying a particular race in very non-distinctive gray colored clothing in an abstract gray background containing no particular specific items. One female and one male would be nice. We would need the animated interface screen (appearing when we discuss trade and diplomatic options), and the other movie (I think there are 2 videos for each leader), the portrait backdrop painting appearing in the Civilopedia, and all the rest of the complete leader graphics set, including all associated icons and other imagery for my generic leader.
Technology: All graphical components representative of a technology. Perhaps a simple gray background with text defined in an XML file for display on the graphic. If that would be too difficult, simply a set of maybe ten gray base graphics, each displaying a unique number or symbol. Such as "Technology 1", "Technology 2",... Technology is not really represented graphically in-game in main map mode. I am aware of difficulties or limitations in having the Technology tree adequately or perfectly reflecting mods visually.
Tile Improvement: Perhaps just a statue of a "plus" sign to indicate that a tile has been improved in a very generic manner.
This notion may seem silly to some, but a very reasonable compromise to me. I would much rather play the game with a gray non-distinct (chess piece statue) human as my special melee unit. Instead of using an "African Elephant" to graphically represent my fire breathing dragon.
I would much rather have a concrete floor represent my new "rain forest" terrain than choose between jungle or forest representations, which would be visually identical to legitimate jungle and forest tiles.
If such extremely generic graphics are provided to the community with game release, modders could use them "as is". Modders would also have a much greater opportunity to slightly modify the generic graphics by simply "dabbling" in the graphic design tools. Working with over-simplified, "gray" colored", non-moving graphical representations would be a much more feasible starting place, than highly detailed representations intentionally designed to exaggerate highly specialized or special aspects and attributes.
It is much easier to add graphical features to a bland non-distinct starting representation than to remove very specific features already designed into a highly specialized representation, in order to later reach a "base" starting generic unit.
For example, my very non-distinct graphical representations could probably easily be color coded with only a very simplistic inexperienced use of the graphics tools. I could create 20 items which are identical in graphical representation except for only color differences. This is something I might be able to quickly learn how to do with the 3D graphics tools. Or perhaps, I could create 30 units, identical, except for an overly exaggerated defining helmet or headgear. Or perhaps, I could put a very distinctive weapon (which I graphically design) into the hand of the generic unit which simply stands as still as a statue in-game.
Even more helpful, would be an ability to choose 2D icons as the 3D representation of items. For example, I might prefer that my newly designed and created unit be graphically represented, in-game, by a "coin" which displays the 2D icon graphics on both faces of the coin. Buildings could be 3D cubes with the 2D circle icon visible on all visible faces of the cube. Terrain could be a flat gray "floor" with the 2D circle icon displayed upon the floor.
If this could be pulled off, most modders could obtain a very reasonable and feasible "look and feel" for their mods. The major aspects of their invented items would successfully be displayed appropriately through 3D representations of the 2D icons. Even they might appear a bit quirky or weird in a gray, black-box, overall generic appearance. At least the item would successfully represent a distinctly unique, new and different item created by the modder.
This is a much more appealing solution to me than only the ability to choose preexisting graphical representations which have distinctive distinguishing features having nothing to do with my newly designed item.
If I could simply place a text or number on very generic "gray" representations, it would much better help me "feel" like my items are reasonably represented in game. And at least the appearance of such items would seem reasonably appropriate, instead of unreasonably representing a completely different "original" item in a very "wrong" way.
Game developers are creating dozens of animated graphical representations of every in-game item for display. It would not seem to entail a whole lot of extra trouble, to also create an extremely generic and bland 3D graphical representation of each item.
Please seriously consider this suggestion. I believe it would go a long way with both modders and mod users.
I guess the second best possibility regarding my suggestion, would be for a modder proficient in 3D animated graphics to create this set of items for the community. I wouldn't dare ask, hope, or expect a game player, or fellow modder would accommodate me by granting such a favor.
I would love to see a Civ 4 level of moddability, even though I doubt that will happen in 2016. You could literally change the core of the game to replace the pathfinder and add multiple maps to play on in the Civ 4 engine. What I suspect this quote means is that they have set up the lua/whatever scripting language they chose this time around to be more generic (so you aren't for instance limited to whatever CvLuaBuildings exposes like we were in Civ 5 until the DLL source was released). But truly getting moddability like we had in previous games would require the gameplay C++ source.
