GeneralZIft
Enigma
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2019
- Messages
- 707
No sign of Gandhi? In the one game he seems to be the best fit for... It's a bit strange
What do you think of the Leaders?
- Thread starter thecrazyscot
- Start date
So to you they don't, really? To me they do (in the reveal videos). Confucius probably not, but didn't see the video of him. Ofcourse some older people just look very young nowaday, possibly due to plastic surgery, but well OK some just look young without any surgery, but it is not that common even today, I would imagine would be even more rare in ancient ages.
Confucius.. yeah not a teenager
Tecumseh seems to have a little bit of maturity
Xerxes.. well his beard makes him look older
The rest could easily be low 20s
gdr_willter
Korean Civ Fan
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2024
- Messages
- 423
They look young and healthy, but not little. Many ancient leaders ascended their positions at quite a young age, so I'll not be surprised when we actually meet teenager leaders, but the leaders we have for now look aged enough.
Well yeah, on these pictures, but in the video, their face is clean as a newborn baby, plus their animation and body language, they are jumping and bumping like Tom and Jerry in the kitchen - which factors alltogether gives me this overall impression of "teenager haloween carnival". I mean I can understand if someone likes this style, like many older people like to watch Disney. Dont know, just asking ...
Who are you referring to? The only one that I could consider looking like a teenager might be Augustus, but no one else.
Confucius and Xerxes aren't clean shaven, and Tecumseh looks like an adult as well.
Confucius is probably OK (I didn't find his video). The others look like teenagers dressed up for halloween -> or don't know how you call that party when you dress up into somebody. Xerxes is not clean shaven, but I mean behind his beard, his face looks very young. Tecumseh's scars look like they are just painted on a young face etc.
Boris Gudenuf
Deity
And remember, Augustus worked very hard to have every depiction of him show a very young and vigorous man in his early 20s, even when in reality he was pushing 70. In effect, the game is reflecting his own wishes and Imperial Propaganda at the time.
Oh, I see. Well that is why I asked, that do you think this is historically accurate. And so do you like this kind of method of depiction in a civ game? To me somehow this does not fit its atmosphere, I personally would've liked something more serious.
The_goggles_do_nothing
Prince
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2021
- Messages
- 359
I think they are trying to make "Civ 7 Characters" in the same way there are "Disney Characters". I still remember the advisors from Civ 2. People recognize leader styles from specific versions.
FishFishFish
Warlord
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2021
- Messages
- 279
What would even be the point of Gandhi when we already have Ashoka's peaceful persona filling a similar role?
Boris Gudenuf
Deity
Well, given the consequences to anyone who tried to show Augustus as he really was rather than as he wanted to be shown, I'd say it was deadly serious.
But I know what you mean.
The problem is, the game does not and cannot show everyone 'exactly as fthey were' because we can't always be sure of their real appearance. Augustus was not the only ancient/classical/medieval ruler who 'massaged' his appearance: other Roman Emperors changed from clean-shaven to bearded or back and old to young depending on the conventions of depiction and even according to fashion. Female Pharaohs were usually shown with fake beards. This kind of 'propaganda' is still with us: Stalin had a face disfigured by smallpox scars since he was a child, but you will not see them on any portrait of him produced under Communism, including photographs that were all carefully 'retouched'.
So, the game takes liberties: Hatshepsut will not be shown wearing a fake beard, Augustus will be shown as he wanted to be (and as all surviving portraits, of which there are a great many, show him) and other Leaders and characters will doubtless be shown as approximations rather than Forensic-style reconstructions.
GeneralZIft
Enigma
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2019
- Messages
- 707
Didn't consider Ashoka, so I suppose you're correct. But series veteran who is the only non-ruler in previous games to miss the game where the non-rulers are allowed to play seems strange to me.
Feels like they will hold him for some DLC... But that doesn't quite make sense since he's almost always got abilities on the... Lower end of the power scale
Well OK, so Augustus then explained. But what's with the others, why are they so young (except for maybe Confucius)? They all resemble teens to me, which is ofcourse just an impression, but I guess we can agree that they are very young, so seems to be some sort of a tendancy here, to depict them young.
BlueWildRye
Chieftain
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2024
- Messages
- 11
Honestly I can kind of see it with Augustus, Machiavelli, and Trung Trac.
Lord Lakely
Idea Fountain
Machiavelli is fairly easy: the art team used this sculpture (in the Uffizi in Florence) for reference
and he looks pretty young in this one. As far as the Trung Sisters are concerned, I believe both of them died fairly young in that rebellion.
So ultimately it makes sense for all three to look fairly young. (though Augustus should technically be renamed Octavian for that purpose...x)
and he looks pretty young in this one. As far as the Trung Sisters are concerned, I believe both of them died fairly young in that rebellion.
So ultimately it makes sense for all three to look fairly young. (though Augustus should technically be renamed Octavian for that purpose...x)
The Fanatical
Warlord
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2016
- Messages
- 273
Don't worry, Gandhi will arrive at some point with super nukes and a game-breaking bug. I'm certain.
FinnWilson
Chieftain
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2024
- Messages
- 8
I don't think they will do this, but I think it'd be fun if they have two versions of Gandhi, one that represents the real-life figure, and one that is hell-bent on thermonuclear annihilation.Don't worry, Gandhi will arrive at some point with super nukes and a game-breaking bug. I'm certain.
The Fanatical
Warlord
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2016
- Messages
- 273
Don't take it too seriously, I was just joking, but Gandhi can't be absent from a Civilization game. It's a principle.
Boris Gudenuf
Deity
Did a quick look up:
Amina: took the throne at age 43, died aged 77
Asoka: took the throne at age 36, died aged 78
Hatshepsut: took power aged 38, died aged 49
Napoleon: made his reputation for the Revolution at Toulon aged 26, became Emperor aged 35, died aged 52
Tecumseh: Noted war chief aged 26, died aged 45
Xerxes I: took the throne aged 32, died aged 53.
So, basically, every one of them "came to power" in their twenties or early thirties except for Asoka and Amina, and also except for those two, none of them lived past their early 50s.
Based on this, they are not far off the mark: virtually all of them were, by modern standards, fairly young when they first made their mark and except for Ben Franklin, Confucius, Amina and Asoka, all died relatively young - and I think Franklin and Confucius show their age well. Asoka and Amina could possibly be aged a decade or so, but the rest are well withn the range I would expect to show them 'in their prime', so to speak
