Hey all, like they say in radio, first-time poster, long-time lurker here!
For the record, I'm a Die-Hard Civer from the moment I bought my first copy of CivII-- think I've been checking Apolyton off and on since '99-- and I'm, like you all, beside myself with excitement over CivIV. Here's to hoping the game is everything that CivII was and CivIII was not: a game of great depth and some amount of historical plausibility (ie a game that closely simulates what COULD have happened in history).
Anyway, I think its awesome that you will be able to name locations in CivIV. HOWEVER-- I have heard nothing of naming units. From what we've heard so far, individual units will be fewer in number and far more valuable than in previous Civ games, and will not only gain new abilities through battle, but will also hold onto these abilities permanently (ie even if they are upgraded).
For historical purposes then, I think it makes sense to imagine individual units as military divisions-- the special abilities can represent military skills passed down between generations of military instructors. And if we're going to be holding onto our units for much longer, it makes sense for us to name them and grow attached to them. So wouldn't it be great if we could name our soldiers "4th Infantry Division of Hamburg," or "Paris Legion," or "Republican Guard Corps," etc?
I still think CivIV can be a great game without it, I just think the ability to name units could be one of those seemingly minor things that could add an extra sense of depth and history and push CivIV over the top from an excellent game to an all-time great. Similar to the inclusion in CivII of a replay screen upon victory, in-game "demographics", and graphical flourishes such as wonder movies, advisors, and the city view.
Its clearly much too late for Firaxis to put unit-naming in to the vanilla game (I'm just about positive it won't be-- I haven't heard a peep about it). But it would be an awesome addition in a patch or expansion pack.
Failing this, I think unit-naming would be a perfect project for all you modders out there. I don't even think it would be that tough-- I would do it myself, but I'm not much of a programmer, unfortunately.
So-- I leave it to you, blessed Apolytonites:
Unit Naming-- Pro or Con? Thoughts?
For the record, I'm a Die-Hard Civer from the moment I bought my first copy of CivII-- think I've been checking Apolyton off and on since '99-- and I'm, like you all, beside myself with excitement over CivIV. Here's to hoping the game is everything that CivII was and CivIII was not: a game of great depth and some amount of historical plausibility (ie a game that closely simulates what COULD have happened in history).
Anyway, I think its awesome that you will be able to name locations in CivIV. HOWEVER-- I have heard nothing of naming units. From what we've heard so far, individual units will be fewer in number and far more valuable than in previous Civ games, and will not only gain new abilities through battle, but will also hold onto these abilities permanently (ie even if they are upgraded).
For historical purposes then, I think it makes sense to imagine individual units as military divisions-- the special abilities can represent military skills passed down between generations of military instructors. And if we're going to be holding onto our units for much longer, it makes sense for us to name them and grow attached to them. So wouldn't it be great if we could name our soldiers "4th Infantry Division of Hamburg," or "Paris Legion," or "Republican Guard Corps," etc?
I still think CivIV can be a great game without it, I just think the ability to name units could be one of those seemingly minor things that could add an extra sense of depth and history and push CivIV over the top from an excellent game to an all-time great. Similar to the inclusion in CivII of a replay screen upon victory, in-game "demographics", and graphical flourishes such as wonder movies, advisors, and the city view.
Its clearly much too late for Firaxis to put unit-naming in to the vanilla game (I'm just about positive it won't be-- I haven't heard a peep about it). But it would be an awesome addition in a patch or expansion pack.
Failing this, I think unit-naming would be a perfect project for all you modders out there. I don't even think it would be that tough-- I would do it myself, but I'm not much of a programmer, unfortunately.
So-- I leave it to you, blessed Apolytonites:
Unit Naming-- Pro or Con? Thoughts?
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