Firaxis: Civ4 graphic improvement?

[Zurai]

Animal resources ARE animated - they've stated that before. I expect buildings like mines, windmills, watermills, etc will be animated. Reflections on water are very expensive on the graphics card even currently, as are realitic shadows, and Firaxis specifically targeted very low end systems for the game.

 

[KrikkitTwo]

Well, now that I am quite accustomed to Civ4 graphics, I can note that they are pretty lower than what I was expecting. But this is not because it is just me. It is because they should have to be fantastic. In comparison, Civ4 actual graphics are just "correct", "honest", what is just a shame in comparison of what they could have been.

I would have wanted the screen in any time flooded of light. Where is the sun in Civ4? I would have wanted shadows on every objects, reflects on water, flutters on soldiers helmets and pikes, glimmering colors of the ground... the game to be a representation of the elements union and dance, a water and light ballet that would splash the screen... Where are the whales dancing with the elements of gleaming water all spred on the screen in an affront of the Great Order, defying the heat of the land? Yes I'm asking this to you, Firaxis developpers... IMPROVE THE GRAPHICS!!!

Well, hmmm, or... well as long as the game isn't out yet... maybe I just couldn't notice it? Yeah, let's hope that one didn't miss a revolution! : prey:

I seriously disagree, In a game like this the graphics should strive FIRST to be useful, then as pretty/realistic as possible without cluttering up the usefulness.

 

[Phoenix_56721]

Most people here have concluded that the graphics in Civ4 are sub-par, I Respectfully disagree, the game isnt out yet and no one here has actually played it! I think we need to give Firaxis's the benefit of the doubt, untill we have it loaded into out computers! After that one can make a fair criticism.

 

[Deep_Blue]

Iam one of those people how prefer great gameplay with graphics like civ2 rather than great graphics with awful gameplay (priority is for gameplay when talking about civ). One of my favarote games is championship manager (CM3 & CM4) which is a text game with no graphics at all. However I appreciate eye candy graphics and ultra fine rendered 3d environments. Good gameplay doesnt prevent good graphics and vice versa (as far as our PCs can handle those graphics, hopefully in the next few years we will have more powerful PCs), Our ultimate game is a game that have great graphics and gameplay.
Lets dream about Civ5 (maybe in 2008) with graphics like the following:

(Age of Empire 3 screenshots)

 

[TopDog]

Wow those are really really good! If Civ 4 graphics are half that I'll be impressed, as long as the gameplays as good as the rest of the civ series.

 

[troytheface]

yes, those were impressive indeed. Color and effects using realism as a guide- if civ could not sustain the graphic requirements for such then they could also use a more impressionistic (optical realism) approach instead of symbolic- but i am not sure realism is the point of civ graphics- (actually symbolic is exactly what civ graphics are-and in such an art form alot of realistic/illusterative tricks are left out-maybe they should get out of the "this represents that" mode and get into the "this is it" mode.

 

[nicae]

they chose to make the graphics like they did because they didnt want to exclude their main core of players, aware that people with old machines are the ones that play old games like theirs. moreover, they did the graphics like they did because they knew that if they made them revolutionizing, they would face the million civ fans complaining how they ruined it all, that its all confusing, that they preferred the old style model, the square tiled flat ground. even though they knew that doind it the way they did, they would face those who have great machines (or can pay for one) complaining how the graphics suck and the other games are so much better. even MOREover, they came to the conclusion that it would be more adequate to reuse the gamebryo engine on which they were familiar with because of pirates, and that would save a good amount of cash, which would have been spent on making a new one or, even worse, buying a new one. and thats not to mention the time they would lose - changing our wait until 2008 from civ5 to civ4.

huff puff

 

[Phoenix_56721]

@ Deep Blue

It sounds like even people with the top of the line computers, will be dreaming of playing AOE3 at its fullest, I was reading a review of AOE3 on ING website and they said that there are graphic capabilities in AOE3 that cant even be unlocked with todays best ($600) video cards, it will take a couple of years for cards to catch up! But As far as the Civ. goes the games are good enough that they dont need to waste that kind of reasouces towards graphics, They dont really fit into the TBS genera, there better left for RTS. I think they struck a good balance with Civ4, they updated the graphics but didnt waste everything on them.

 

[Naokaukodem]

i wish they made graphics so good, but SO good that civ4 wouldnt run on your PC

Civ4 will NOT run on my PC...

I could say because I am just a civ fan, I didn't feel the need to upgrade it since I played only civ until now... and now that Civ4 is going to be released, I will probably buy a new one... so who matters if the graphics are "tolerant" with older computers, as civ fans ones would be at the very top... though, they will not be that tolerant with old PCs... if you have an old PC like me, you will have to upgrade, and many players are in this case. So why bother to have lower graphics than we could have, many games are on the top of the technology, and their sellings don't suffer from it. Look at Doom 3, Half-Life 2... it should be the same for Civ4, unless its authors don't consider that it worth the cost to upgrade both computer and Civ, considering that a computer upgrade would not serve only for Civ4.

 

[nicae]

everybody will upgrade his computer for civ4 just like you? everybody has money for that like you? the extra market of low-end is not interesting for firaxis? the speed and cost bonus of reusing same engine as pirates is not worth it for firaxis? earning revenue now is not better for firaxis/2k than waiting for people to upgrade? etc etc etc

 

[Naokaukodem]

I seriously disagree, In a game like this the graphics should strive FIRST to be useful, then as pretty/realistic as possible without cluttering up the usefulness.

My vision of Civ IS usefull, it would deserve the ambiance. It may not bring anything more to gameplay, but it would anyway bring MUCH to the game, for not that many efforts IMO. When I talk about glimmering colors, I don't mind if it is hard-coded or not, I just care the result. The color of the ground could as well change by themselve in accordance with the sun course. Though, I have no clue of how do it on water, I don't even have an idea of what type of reflection (full sun, diffused light...?) to use.
And why fear that it would take a part of the gameplay away, when the gameplay of Civ4 seems already enough OK? That said, Civ4 gameplay is mainly Civ3, Civ2 and Civ1 gameplay... It would not even cost money as someone pointed, as money is just for human labor, and as specified before, there is an artist working on it, I don't know if he is doing other programming also, or gamedesign or anything else though.

 

[Naokaukodem]

everybody will upgrade his computer for civ4 just like you?

Yes, from Civ3 to Civ4.

everybody has money for that like you?

I don't have much money, but could envision to upgrade anyway. Not sure if I will really do though.

the extra market of low-end is not interesting for firaxis?

Seems not, heh, or they would not have made Civ4 3D, they would have keep 2D.

the speed and cost bonus of reusing same engine as pirates is not worth it for firaxis?

Pirates'engine is sure an advantage to Firaxis: why wouldn't they do it? But it does not prevent to use extended part of this engine, on the other hand, it prevents the game to run on my PC.

earning revenue now is not better for firaxis/2k than waiting for people to upgrade? etc etc etc

The game is not out yet, heh. For my part, I would upgrade somewhen after Civ4 realease, and as well for any "Civ fan" who would do like me.

 

[Naokaukodem]

Most people here have concluded that the graphics in Civ4 are sub-par, I Respectfully disagree, the game isnt out yet and no one here has actually played it! I think we need to give Firaxis's the benefit of the doubt, untill we have it loaded into out computers! After that one can make a fair criticism.

You're right, Civ4 graphics are quite well advanced enough already.

I just would have wanted to see added some details that are not even in all cases a graphic engine upgrade or something.