Why So Many UGLY Leader Portraits?

[Halcyan]

Forgive the shallowness of this topic but...

After seeing the screenshots for the upcoming BTW expansion (which are pretty cool, BTW), I've noticed a disturbing trend - why are so many of the Leader portraits so unattractive?

Things are pretty good with the female leaders. Small sample size, but 4 out of 5 are hot or at least decently pretty. (Victoria's the odd girl out, but you know that saying about there always being an ugly/fat chick in any social clique...).

But when it comes to the male leaders, just about all of them seem to range from "normal" to just plain ugly. I know the designers are trying to maintain some historical accuracy, but you'd think that some historical leaders would be good-looking! At least some of this could be ameliorated by representing the leader in a different period of his life (i.e. the "youthful" portrayal of Catherine the Great, whereas they could easily have made her more akin to Victoria).

So what's up with this? Does anyone actually find any of the male leader portraits to be pleasant looking?

 

[Colossian]

It's a war game.

 

[Lucky The Fox]

I suppose leadership and good looks just don't go hand to hand. It's really the unshaven look that makes Napoleon and Caesar look like they're having hangovers.

Dunno what makes me think that Asoka is kinda cute though. Erm, moving on!

 

[mice]

I agree with Halcyon. We dont need more unpleasant leaders. Hatty and Gandhi are nice to deal with. It adds depth to the game. If most of them are difficult it gets a bit the same.

Catherine is hot, and I hope Boddy will be too. I like Izzey too. Another 2 or 3 of those would be nice.

 

[SkippyT]

Bull ****.
Louis XIV is what keeps me going.

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[Azander]

Alexander is kinda hot .....

 

[GrandSultan]

Caesar always freaks me out because he looks like an emaciated, balding child.

Alexander looks extremley short and kind of cartoonish.

Mansa Musa, Augustus Caesar, Asoka, Hannibal, Shaka, Wang Kon, and Quin Shi Huang all look relatively normal. The rest have really odd body proportions; too short, too tall, emaciated, etc... and they look like cartoons.

IMO, Victoria has a very well done leadhead, and while she isn't pleasing in a sexual manner, she is very nicely done artistically.

Civ 4 Leaderheads definatley leave me pining for Civ 3 leaders. Yes, even ugly Catherine.

 

[SkippyT]

Theodora of the Byzantine empire was hot !

 

[Lockesdonkey]

Well, she was an actress...

 

[NYHunter]

I understand people don't want to look at something ugly, but I don't consider most of the leader heads to be ugly. Victoria is really the only one that disturbs me. The new screenshots so far all look decent in my opinion. At least I can look at them without having to run to the toliet (unlike Victoria)

 

[Padraig]

Well, the leaderheads could all be replaced...George Clooney for emperor of Rome!

 

[Tronicoz]

Caesar always freaks me out because he looks like an emaciated, balding child.

Alexander looks extremley short and kind of cartoonish.

Mansa Musa, Augustus Caesar, Asoka, Hannibal, Shaka, Wang Kon, and Quin Shi Huang all look relatively normal. The rest have really odd body proportions; too short, too tall, emaciated, etc... and they look like cartoons.

IMO, Victoria has a very well done leadhead, and while she isn't pleasing in a sexual manner, she is very nicely done artistically.

Civ 4 Leaderheads definatley leave me pining for Civ 3 leaders. Yes, even ugly Catherine.

how can u see the height of a leader ehwn u only see the head? :O

 

[Pres. Slayback]

Meh, I like historical accuracy over good looks...

the only thing is that some of the male leaders' noses are too large in proportion to their body...I mean, even Louis XIV has a huge nose for himself...

 

[bode404]

I've already seen this pic of Louis, and yes, Civ is really accurate!
But I have to agree that leaders in general are still ugly in some manner. I mean, the portraits could be more impressive.

 

[stwils]

I never thought about them being ugly. Churchill? Roosevelt?

Of course none will ever be as beautiful to me as King William of the Dutch in Civ 3 Conquest.

(Go back to Civ1. None of the leaders were nice looking when they were your enemy.)

stwils

 

[Da_V_Man]

I don't have a problem with any of the leader leads, aside from Hannibal, Hatty, and Asoka.

Hannibal looks like a stone age man

And hatty, well, she just looks weird

 

[Grit]

I think alot of the leaders from CivIV look funny actually, like Gandi, I don't know whether to laugh or not when I'm dealing whith him.
The Khan, Stalin, and Agustus look ok though.
Seriously though alot of the leaders look like cartoons even the new licon looks silly compare to his CivIII counterpart.

 

[benjamin28]

Haha, this kind of discussion can only happen at Civfanatics Forum!

I guess Boudicca will be very hot, and that will be annoying.
Anyway, I don't agree with some of you, I think some leaders are nice to be seen: Washington, Roosevelt, Brennus, Shaka and Ghengis Khan. Cyrus and Tokugawa are elegant men. Frederick has a pretty and gay face when he's happy. And Hannibal is very hot...

I suppose leadership and good looks just don't go hand to hand

If I pay attention to my country, except if you put in Eva "Evita" Peron, they all be ugly leaders. I don't know what about your countries. Nowadays, the Democrat Party at USA has Hilary and Barack as its beautiful people.

 

[Lucky The Fox]

If I pay attention to my country, except if you put in Eva "Evita" Peron, they all be ugly leaders. I don't know what about your countries. Nowadays, the Democrat Party at USA has Hilary and Barack as its beautiful people.

Well, come to think of it, our current prime minister was considered the sexiest man in Finland some time ago.

 

[cybrxkhan]

the reason all the female leaders are hot and male ones are not because the female ones have ridiculously godess-like skin. its much smoother, my point.

and the male ones skin are much more realistic.