PC Zone: 10 Screenshots, 7 Videos

[Steve Clark]

I haven't paid much attention to screenshots before (who knows what we are seeing?) and even though I am not picky about graphics (only about customization and the AI), I think the artwork of the roads and mountains doesn't look good. It really does look like the roads are on a different plane so you can't tell if it goes around the north or south or over the mountains. It makes a difference tactically if you are moving units.

[Provost Harrison]

Another nice touch would be if the roads went through a clearing in forests as well...

[wotan321]

Originally posted by LaRusso

Dear Wotan,
Can you really look at the pictures and say that you see screens of the game you will like to look at. We all used to play pong and space invaders but it's 2001, game has been 2 years in development and I guess it's time to move on.

Maybe its just personal preference, but I like the colors and the look of the terrain. Okay, the roads on the mountains is kinda disturbing.... but the graphics are still a vast improvement over the cartoony look of Civ2.

Originally posted by LaRusso

As for our complaining - this is not a real, official update. That aside, why oh why was it a problem to add these couple of pathetic screens to the official (and soon to be defunct) civ 3 site at firaxis. why did we have to have snapcase dig it out of nowhere? this is the kind of stuff that really should appear first on the official site.

Yes, your points are good ones, they could have handled it differently.

But we wanted changes, and when they bring out changes we complain about them. I understand that there is no way everyone could be completely happy with whatever product they produce, but I am dissappointed that the community of most dedicated and attentive Civvers is taking out its frustration over waiting by slamming anything they now present to us. Lets hope Firaxis doesn't take all this vitriol as the common feelings the gaming community has for its years of effort on this game.

If they released the game tomorrow, from what I have seen and read, I would rush out and buy it. But hopefully the criticism we are providing will be taken as constructive and changes will be made before release in a few months.

[Provost Harrison]

Well the only thing you can hope is that if Firaxis were not concerned about this aspect of the graphics that this will motivate them. Don't get me wrong, I like the graphics, but it just needs tidying up around the edges...

[Adm.Naismith]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
It would be nice to have some different mountain types, but I am not that concerned, I think the present mountains looks fine, very 'sugarloaf'

Well, come to see the Alps here in Italy (or Switzerland, France, Austria...) and you will think different... IMHO

[Grumbold]

I haven't looked at the AVI's but from the shots alone my first concerns were:

> where are the colonies? Not a single one visible on any screenshot.
> where are the farms and railroads? No modern shots.
> industrial age seems to have been reached with most cities still in the 8 size range and none over 12?
> units seem to be more colour coded to their respective nations. Knights in head to foot pink wash?
> cities seem to be packed in quite tightly so optimising city space does not seem to be high on the priority list.
> very few workers out and about. Are they too expensive to maintain?
> the road/mountain overlap issue (enough said). Snow capped mountains would be nice!
> I don't much like the light green mushy forest/jungle or the overly sparse conifer forest gfx. Trees in general seem to be very rare too.