If What We Have Seen Of Civ III's Terrain Is All There Is, It Sucks!

[Sabre2th]

Great graphics are nice to look at, that's all they're good for. I would rather see Firaxis spend their time making an unbeatable AI and absolutely stunning diplomacy first.

This does not mean I don't care about the graphics. I am somewhat disapointed by the hovering road, but I won't lose any sleep over it.

[CyberbugFredrik]

Simply the graphics won't make a good game, thats for sure. But if there is any kind of graphics that they should devote time to, it is for sure the map landscape and all the terrain details. I mean, thats what you will be looking at for most of the time you are playing.

As it looks in these screenshots, I am not impressed. In fact I'm disappointed. I thought we could expect at bit more from a game that's being released in the end of 2001. Although it's not a "graphics-game", graphics is still really important. Otherwise you might as well make the whole game text based. I guess the map view would look alright if they improved some things, such as the road across mountains, the irrigation and those ugly blurry trees and make then terrain more shifting and all the map features less blurry and unclear. Also they should include very small levels that would eliminate the feel that those mountains are sticking up from nowhere. Get those designers working overtime on this if you really wanna contribute to the Civ series, Firaxis.

Animated AI pictures is fine, but some eycancy landscape has definatly got a higher priority - at least that's my opinion.

[tniem]

I guess I am just worried about the map and graphics. See I have been trying to get a few of my friends into Civ. And I have succeeded with many of them, but I had better success getting them to like SMAC than Civ II because quite simply the graphics in their and my opinion were better. They were more updated. The map came alive as you went up and down rolling hills and as alien life forms grew closer to your base.

When I have showed some of my friends that I play MP SMAC with (and always beat), they are not looking forward to Civ III simply due to the graphics. They say it looks old and it quite simply it does. Other people that have not played TBS games that I have talked to will not even give Civ III a look due to the graphics.

And the e3 reviews tell you what reviewers think.

I just think that the graphics aren't there. The non-TBSers will not like the graphics and will not become new customers, reviews will sink the game. Sure it will sell a bunch of copies, but it will not gain a new audience and it could very well be the end of the road (yes a floating road) for the genre unless MoO3 rescues it.

[Kevin Ar18]

I hope they will detract from that painting enough to put some green into the terrain (and white for ice capped and snow areas)

I simply don't like this puke green for grass and even a bit in the color of the oceans. In fact, I don't really know anybody that's overly fond of puke green.