What's in Civ4. Just the facts, ma'am! (2nd edition)

[self biased]

that's always been my biggest pet peeve with the series. damn you soren, damn you!

[Rommel2D]

I can't figure that one out either- isomectric maps have all the involved coding and complex calculations of hex maps, but the flawed movement scheme of a plain grid. It's the worst of both worlds really...

[self biased]

you could even create the illusion of a spherical map with an overlapping cube.

[Modo44]

Originally posted by Rommel2D
I can't figure that one out either- isomectric maps have all the involved coding and complex calculations of hex maps, but the flawed movement scheme of a plain grid. It's the worst of both worlds really...

Well, it seems as though the CIV map is not isometric, but a plain grid...

[Rommel2D]

That would make sense- streamlining the code for the new graphics engine...

[Shogun Gunner]

I would have welcomed the hex to world of civilization.

[Adagio]

Speaking of a plain grid map, from the video we see that you can view the game from both the Civ1 view (with squares) and the Civ2/3 view (with diamonds) by doing a quick change within the game, but doesn't this give a little "problem":
If we say the standard is squares (from the look of the screenshots this seems to be the case) we have the northpole in the north and the southpole in the south, but if we use the diamonds view wouldn't that make the northpole go to the northwest and the southpole to the southeast (or whichever way it turns)... so to do a "normal" scroll to e.g. the east you actually have to scroll to the northeast otherwise you'll just end up looking at the southpole

[Modo44]

No problem at all. You make one line that fixes the north-south direction. You put a circle around it, add some simple graphics, and there is your compass. No more confusion.

[Rommel2D]

The only spherical screenshot I found with a quick search had the grid lining up square. I'd assume the graphics engine lets you skew the grid and view it as iso, but the world map would remain a plain grid. (If the cardinal directions were to line up with the corners of the squares, it would be an iso map with all the superfluous complexity it involves...)

[GAZ082]

There is no way to make 'millions of hours of manpower' to be disposal in the game. There are 38 Firaxians, lets say, 12 new interns. Working 12 hours a day, ALL the friggin year, makes 219.000 work hours. Multiply by 3 or 4, does not reach even a million.

Correct please.

[Theseus]

Originally posted by vovan
Chalk up Axeman on the unit list.

When I first read that, I saw Alexman.

[Theseus]

Towards the end of the video (which is *awesome* btw), Soren pulls back to the globe view, and you can see the top down view 'wrap' to a globe. Very cool.

[Xorbon]

It's cool looking, but it's still not a globe. I hope people aren't getting too excited thinking the map is finally spherical. The globe view is just a sort of 'reverse'-Mercator projection of the map.

[Theseus]

How is a 'reverse'-Mercator not a globe? I mean, I understand that it's not the same as unprojected or conformal maps being 're-globed', but in the process of stretching the Civ map onto a globe, you still get, well, a globe.

[Rommel2D]

I'd guess the coordinates still work out to be a cylander- longitudes not decreasing in circumference and poles not crossable.