The Histograph

[Bandit65]

Anyone else find this little graphical thing almost worthless?

The score, and the histograph I just cannot read at all...

I don't understand the use of it.

I guess I would have designed something better.

But I am posting here in case I do not understand what it is displaying, and how that information could possibly help me...

I might just be missing it...

[Jaybe]

It's a vague, general sort of thing.

As I understand it, the histograph (in score mode) is displaying your score as it was in each turn in the game. Since your score is on the left side, you can easily see how it has been growing (or shrinking). Comparing the other civs is somewhat more difficult as theirs (other than the one on the right side) don't have a straight edge to them. You have to compensate by how the other side of their graph is going.

Are you improving at this point compared to 'x' years (turns) ago? How about compared to the other civs?

Note that your score does NOT seem to have anything to do directly with 'Power' or 'Culture'. Of course, if you don't have a sufficient military, a neighbor may feel inclined to impose on you for a little [money, advances, territory]. If you have insufficient culture, you are going to be as sick as the AI civs, because you won't have the happiness (SCORE item), science, or territory (SCORE item, culturally determined).

[Herder]

Think of each color like a slice of power.

The top of the slice is the start of the game, the bottom is the present.

[Trifna]

I think it could be better. From what I saw (cuz I didn't played yet: university), it doesn't have some quite important things to me, such as important discoveries by boat (as Vasco de Gama and all these men). Also, important battles, and major falls of cities, etc.

I think that Civ III could have lurned more from Age of Kings, which has a really GREAT historiograh, at the end. Well all the info given at the end are just perfect.

[Skanky Burns]

The problem is if Firaxis copied the AOK histograph too closely, they would soon be visited by lawyers and have all sorts of problems...

[Alex 14]

Sid did say that AOK was one of his favourite games...

Thats proberly where they got the idea for civ-specific units.

[Purple]

I'm glad you brought this up, Bandit. I was about to do it myself. I'm no statistics expert, but I thought histographs are supposed to show aggregate growth (or decline) of several factors over time. This one shows proportions of the whole over time. Pretty useless, unless you are obviously way ahead or behind the other civ you are comparing with.

Solution: 1) replace the histograph with a line graph (a la SMAC/X) or 2) at the very least give a toggle between the two types. It would also be nice to have line graphs that measured the various components (power, culture, etc.).