Bring back the movies

rcoutme · Apr 22, 2004

I miss the great wonder movies. When my civilization has gone through all the trouble to build a GW, I would like to have a better personal reward than patting myself on the back. I also liked the 2001 Space Oddesy ending in Civ2. This was a nice reward for finishing the game.

It may be childish of me, but hey, I never really grew up anyways, or I probably would not spend so much time playing Civ in the first place.

Shyrramar · Apr 22, 2004

Yes they would be nice. It is a real anticlimax to build a wonder as it is. The spaceship-movie is well done, but perhaps it could be a bit more personal than a spaceship going up, eh?

EDIT: Yeah, you're a real baby, rcoutme. Why don't you just grow up? Sheez...

Pook · Apr 23, 2004

I agree, bring back the movies. They gave me a sense of accomplishment at finishing a wonder. I've heard that they were not in Civ 3 because of file size, but I'm sure that we could make room for them somewhere in those 700+ megs.

sealman · Apr 23, 2004

I would rather have them work on the game mechanics and improving AI over the visual eye candy. But that is my 2 cents.

Please warn me before you start throwing the rotten veggies my direction.

Balam · Apr 23, 2004

Why not both? Bring back the movies though, its kind of like the reward for making the wonder (aside from its effects or expiration-date effects). Plus it was kind of like a travel brochure for each of the wonder/countries, which I thought was kind of nice. I went to what was left of the Great Lighthouse in Egypt precisely because of the video from Civ2. It even looked like that (it was a pretty rough day for weather)!

Arathorn · Apr 23, 2004

I'm with sealman...I'd rather see the dollars/time of the company go into improving the gameplay than "wasted" on eye-candy.

I'd go one step further and eliminate the city view, myself!

Arathorn

sealman · Apr 23, 2004

Good, at least I will have someone else with me covered in rotten veggies.

While we are at, lets dump the palace view as well.

Actually, I don't care if it is included but if it is a choice of the eye candy over an AI who understands that his one city empire, surrounded my much larger empire, can not afford to enter into ANY military alliances against me. I would take the smarter AI any day of the week.

Pook · Apr 23, 2004

Given a choice, I'd take a smarter AI any day. One that actually knew how to use artillery, one that could conduct a competent amphibious invasion, and one that would use its 34 unit Stack Of Doom to attack a city defended by three infantry rather than taking several turns going around it to attack a city defended by two infantry.

I agree with getting rid of the city view and the palace view. If I had to choose among city view, palace view, and wonder movies, I'd take the wonder movies.

Padma · Apr 23, 2004

I love the "eye-candy" myself, but I would rather do without it if it would be at the expense of gameplay/mechanics.

Now if they can afford to do both....

Balam · Apr 23, 2004

I agree with Pook, I'd take the movies over the city and palace view anyday. If I had to get rid of one, it'd be the city view (sometimes the palace is nice). But better AI is always a plus.

sealman · Apr 23, 2004

Originally posted by Pook
Given a choice, I'd take a smarter AI any day. One that actually knew how to use artillery, one that could conduct a competent amphibious invasion, and one that would use its 34 unit Stack Of Doom to attack a city defended by three infantry rather than taking several turns going around it to attack a city defended by two infantry.

Actually, in my current game, I am at war with the Iroquios and they have sent artillery pieces to within 2 tiles of my invading army and shelled them. I keep sending out an armor to kill the two infantry guards and capture another piece for my growing army. It took me a few turns to wonder what was damaging my units since I already destroyed his bomber force.

King Aldous XI · Apr 23, 2004

What exactly did the movies do? (PS: I am a newb)

warpstorm · Apr 23, 2004

Originally posted by Balam
Why not both?

Because Firaxis is only given so much money from the publisher (Atari) to make Civ4. I would rather that this limited budget be spent on gameplay rather than movies.

When Civ2 was made Microprose was both a development house and a publisher, but those days are over...

Jawz II · Apr 24, 2004

whoa check it out,theres another movie thread

there was on the main page like 3 days ago

makes me wanna go start one of my own,why not

Denarr · Apr 24, 2004

I missed the exterior palace view when it disappeared in Civ II.
I also missed the wonder movies.
I'd like to see the city view more reflect which terrain squares are being worked by the citizenry, as it did in Civ I.
For me, a game isn't worth much if there is no eye candy. That is why I steer away from text-heavy games. Heck, the only reason I switched to Civ III was becasue it was prettier, not because I wanted smarter AI. (The smarter GoTo feature is awfully nice, though.)
Granted, the more features added to a game, the bigger the game. Things like movies could remain on the disks, but some of the features (even in Civ III) just seem to be a waste of space, if they aren't being used. City governors comes to mind.
The movies, for the most part, have already been made, it wouldn't take a great deal of effort to slap 'em into the new game.
Maybe they could have the optional features as patches, so that those who don't want them could save space by not installing them.

warpstorm · Apr 24, 2004

The movies, for the most part, have already been made, it wouldn't take a great deal of effort to slap 'em into the new game.

The movies from Civ2 aren't owned by Firaxis. They would need to get permission (read this as "Pay Money") to use them. In addition, you might be surprised at how old they look now.

...save space...

Denarr, the fundamental issue isn't space. Even if it went to multiple disks that wouldn't raise the cost significantly. The issue is how much it costs (time and money) to make these animations. Any time (any the money involved with paying the people working on it for their time) spent on making movies, is time (and money) that could have been spent on things like unit animations and better in-game artwork (since it would be the same people doing it).

Making them patches does nothing for solving the opportunity cost problem.

metalhead · Apr 25, 2004

Yeah, the wonder movies are great! I feel a much greater sense of accomplishment when I click off a movie as soon as it appears rather than a splash screen!

perryrutherford · May 4, 2004

what i remember hearing from firaxis is that the movies don't make the cut by cost-benifit analysis because we all watch them a couple of times the first time we build the wonder then click on them to skip it for the rest of the gamelife.

my take is there should be plugs/tags in the program where you can buy a dvd of movies/sound bytes that you use as the playdisc, that would be an optional updrade that would cost like an ex-pack.

I'd also like to say that I liked most of the movies in Alpha Centari (SMAC) And I liked the liturature/philosphy voice overs-- wouldn't it be cool to hear james earl jones nararate the pyramids civolopedia when they were constructed -- or alan alda for battlefield medicine? -kpr

Dida · May 5, 2004

movies are nice, but I can do without.

warpstorm · May 5, 2004

Originally posted by perryrutherford
-- wouldn't it be cool to hear james earl jones nararate the pyramids civolopedia when they were constructed -- or alan alda for battlefield medicine?

It'd be cool but cost the entire budget of the game. I heard James Earl Jones got $1,000,000 just to say "This is CNN".

Bring back the movies

Emperor

Warlord

Bloviating

Hater of Babylonians

Sacrificial Victim

Catan player

Hater of Babylonians

Bloviating

the Absent Admin

Sacrificial Victim

Hater of Babylonians

His Royal Eminence

Yumbo? Yumbo!

Oh Dear

Warlord

Yumbo? Yumbo!

Angry Bartender

Chieftain

YHWH

Yumbo? Yumbo!

Similar threads