Feedback needed on city graphics

[Steph]

I'm trying to make new city graphics for my Napoleonic scenario. They will be be usable for 18th century Europe.

I'd like your feedback about the size. I've started a new thread to have a poll.

First, a version of the city with "more" buildings, and a size reduction of 20%. Many details are lost. You can see the large pictures "real size" in the spoilers.

Small city

Spoiler:

Medium City

Spoiler:

Large city

Spoiler:

Now, the large city with a size reduction of 30%. I can't have as many buildings, so it looks less like a city, but of course the details are better.

Spoiler:

I'd like you to tell me what you think is better. I have many cities to do (16 I think), and I can't really afford to make two versions.

I'll try to post a ingame screenshot this evening.

[nick0515]

I like the 20% one with more smaller buildings. Even though you lose the detail the over all effect is much more city like.

How are you generating those cities? Where do the graphics come from? Are you making them yourself or are they from another game?

[Steph]

They are from Cossacks, and I spent hours trying to get them right

[Kyriakos]

Just use my cities instead

[Steph]

@Varnwos: sure, give me the link where I can download city graphics for each of the civilization in my Napoleonic scenario, in late 18th style.

Here is an ingame screenshot

Cities at 20%



City at 30%

[Civinator]

Steph, in my eyes the bigger houses look much better (may be with 35 % they would even look another bit better than with 30%) .

[elenar]

I think these smaller look like they sit in the mud. So larger houses looks better to me too, because they do not have those city roads. Don't know how would smaller one look like without roads.

[Balam-Agab]

I definately think that the larger one looks better. The smaller one only shows detail well if you're really close to the screen, otherwise it simply looks like a confused mess with a couple of towers in lt.

[Blue Monkey]

I like more detail - so fewer & larger.

[timerover51]

I voted for the smaller sized one, since most European cities of the Napoleonic era were densely packed conglomerations of various sized buildings.

[Steph]

Here is a new version. I placed the Church, and then added some buildings around it, and tried to reduce the size the less I could. You can see the church takes most of the height of the city, I couldn't really make it bigger.

Then, I used this scale setting for the other city size. I also reduced the grey streets, so they don't extend outside the city center. Is it better?

[Arexander]

It looks greate!

on those cities!

[Steph]

French cities for comparison



When I see the quality of the original graphics, I think it's really a shame we cannot have bigger cities

[Plotinus]

They certainly look better without the grey splodge.

I have to say I think the models are just too fussy for display at that scale; I think the cities would look better if the individual models were simpler - the building equivalent of the PDM, as it were.

[nick0515]

I like those last two versions a lot better than the either of the first options. I think they look great! Definitely better without so much grey streets.

I did originally like the smallest size with maximum buildings but the more I look at them the more I think they don't really fit that well with civ. You do really lose too much detail.

[Steph]

Just a small reminder. The grey splodes served a purpose. As the graphics are big, they are likely to extend a little in the sea for coastal cities. It may look a bit silly to have a building with water around it, hence the small grey part I added to prevent that.

I can do one more test run, this time putting the Church at the bottom, to make it even a little bigger. But it means a little less buildings, and as the Church will be at the bottom, it means it will be in the foreground, at the edge of the city, and not in the center of the city.

Do you think it is worth it?

[Steph]

Ok, last attempt. I tried to have the largest building, here the Church, as big as it can get. Compare to this morning version.



I need to make a final call before starting production. What version should I use?

[Ares de Borg]

I'd say I like the previous version better.

[Arexander]

I prefer this morning's graphics. They have enough detail and are more city-like. They're just plain awesome. Good job on those cities!

Je préfére les graphiques du matin. Ils ont suffisant détail et ils ont plus de cité dans leur. Ils sont magnifique! Bon travail par ceux cités!

I hope that is written correctly enough to be read-able for French people.

[Steph]

Je préfére les graphiques du matin. Ils ont suffisant détail et ils ont plus de cité dans leur. Ils sont magnifique! Bon travail par ceux cités!

Nice try!
Je préfère les graphismes de ce matin. Ils ont suffisamment de détails et ils ressemblent plus à une ville. Ils sont magnifiques! Joli travail sur ces deux villes!

I'll make an ingame screenshot of the large city in morning/afternoon version before taking a finale decision about the scale.