GameSpy preview including two new screenshots!

[Ralf]

quote: Originally posted by DaveV on 05-17-2001 02:28 PM The rules on irrigation seem to have changed. I don't think any of the irrigated squares to the east of the city has access to a river or an ocean square, and the single irrigated square to the south definitely doesn't. So none of those squares could be irrigated in Civ 2.

Check out the city "Hippur" in the background: they also have tiles that couldnt be irrigated with Civ-2 irrigation-rules. I hope they havent chanced the old rules - only irrigating tiles next to river/sea/ocean/irrigated tile seemed sensible. Perhaps thet have done it anyway in order to make it easier on the AI.

Three food-outputs i irrigated desert-squares (but only two foods from irrigated plains) seems strange. And what about that eye-icon? Perhaps an on/off-button for the graphic tile-output info - click on it, and the eyelid shuts.

[Nikolai]

quote: Originally posted by vgriph on 05-17-2001 02:53 PM The picture of the production doesn't seem to be a Colosseum to me. I guess it's a temple. The Cityscreen has changed a lot since the Baltimore screenshot, and that icon isn't probably working jet. Still I think that the graphics and numbers that showed production in the Baltimore Screenshot looked better.

well, it STANDS "Colosseum" under the picture. Therefor I really think it must be that. Don't you?

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Who am I? What am I? Do we need Civ? Well....

[Gramphos]

quote: Originally posted by Nikolai on 05-17-2001 02:44 PM *The colosseum in the city screen looks like a mayan temple...

That Icon was named Temple in the Baltimore screen. (You beat me with it as I double-checked my sources)

[Ralf]

quote: Originally posted by Nikolai on 05-17-2001 02:58 PM well, it STANDS "Colosseum" under the picture. Therefor I really think it must be that. Don't you?

NO, its definitly NOT a "colosseum" by any stretch of the imagination. And I dont care what it says under the picture. Well, anyway - the game is simply not finished yet. The last figure I heard was about 50% complete (probably more) - many tweaks and adjustments to go before the release-date, I guess.

[Nikolai]

quote: Originally posted by Ralf on 05-17-2001 03:09 PM NO, its definitly NOT a "colosseum" by any stretch of the imagination. And I dont care what it says under the picture. Well, anyway - the game is simply not finished yet. The last figure I heard was about 50% complete (probably more) - many tweaks and adjustments to go before the release-date, I guess.

Well, anyway... I did also think it was odd.

[N35t0r]

well, on the new screenshot of the city view @ Firaxis.com there is a colosseum and the temple-like structure...

also, in that city it can't be a temple as the improvements list mentions one... maybe it's something to prevent the accumulation of shields, if the production has changed but the icon hasn't due to a bug or something like that, it would explain it...

[Harlan]

Cool. I'm very pleased with the city screen. It looks like Firaxis has avoided one of CTP's biggest faults: the presenting of info through numbers only or mainly, rather that visually. Its so much better to actually see food, shields and so forth, rather than just read a number.

If there are any Firaxis people reading these boards for reactions, one suggestion: the improvements section shows only 4 improvements at once, which is not enough. There's gonna be a ton of scolling up and down that menu if you keep it that way. That sucks- I want to see everything I need in one glance. I assume the space next to it is gonna be used for wonders, once the city starts having some. But if you reduce the spacing around the words "Improvements", "Garrison" and "Pollution" like you do with "Production", and reduce empty space below Garrison, narrow the width of Pollution (so more units in Garrison before you have to scoll), you'd be able to fit 6 instead of four Improvements and Wonders before needing to scroll. I assume the unit pics next to each improvement are placeholder graphics for where little graphics of improvements will be. Maybe have a graphical option not to include those little graphics, in which case the words that could fit would double, and scrolling would be very rare.

I also second the notion mentioned above that roads (or possibly fortresses) create border effects of their own. Maybe this too could be related to culture: only civs with strong cultures get roads and borders outside their city limits to have borders. At first just the squares they're on, later the squares next to them as well. Cos as mentioned above also, culture and political control does flow much more along roads and controlled points than in a perfect circle out of a city.

Perhaps, rather than simply huge leaps from having borders of 1, then 2, then 3, if you give effects to roads and/or forts, you could have more gradients of the culture effect. For instance, at first you get borders on roads or forts within two squares of existing borders, but later within 4, and so forth. These could be intermediate steps between making the big leaps between radiuses around your cities.

Oh yeah, one more thought. The graphic for Irrigation sucks. These look more like chicken scratches than anything. And the advisors: why does everyone working at Firaxis have to be a white guy with close cropped hair or no hair? How am I supposed to keep straight which advisor is which? Even if everyone in the company looks the same, can't you at least pretend, and make them look more unique - someone grow a beard or long hair, for crying out loud. Get a little crazy and hire a non-white or a female.
[This message has been edited by Harlan (edited May 17, 2001).]

[aCa]

In Gamespy img 18 I was wondering one small thing. Why is there no line around the city Bactra. I know u get no border when setteling a new city, BUT the city Onnontare have a no border, BUT have a line around. What do this mean?

Yeah and the shore line looks nice

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aCa (a Civilization addict)

[Ralf]

quote: Originally posted by Harlan on 05-17-2001 05:04 PM If there are any Firaxis people reading these boards for reactions, one suggestion: the improvements section shows only 4 improvements at once, which is not enough. There's gonna be a ton of scolling up and down that menu if you keep it that way.

Agree! Firaxis, please minimize scrolling/clicking as much as possible.

quote: I assume the space next to it is gonna be used for wonders, once the city starts having some.

For Wonders? Is that likely? A single city have (at most) 3-4 Wonders and most cities dont have any Wonders at all. I say DONT split the city CI:s/Wonders information into two seperate scroll-sections. Its too inefficient. I want to see at least 8 improvements at once, before I am forced to scroll.

quote: Oh yeah, one more thought. The graphic for Irrigation sucks. These look more like chicken scratches than anything.

Actually, Im getting chinese ricefields associations then I look at them. Alternatively; swamp or marshes. Its just too much water - just way too much. They should at least make the water-canals more thin - and more straight; so that it looks obviously man-made. Also some slightly protruding wheat (or whatever) between the thin canals. The existing irrigation graphics have "water-sick land" stamped all over it. Change it, please.

[This message has been edited by Ralf (edited May 17, 2001).]

[me_irate]

"Jeff Briggs, president and CEO of Firaxis", this is the words used at gamespy. when did briggs become pres and ceo? Did anyone else hear anything about this? i dont remeber hearing about this before.

[MarkG]

quote: Originally posted by me_irate on 05-17-2001 07:11 PM "Jeff Briggs, president and CEO of Firaxis", this is the words used at gamespy. when did briggs become pres and ceo? Did anyone else hear anything about this? i dont remeber hearing about this before.

since the beggining....

[Zanzin]

It looks like your units are colour coded!! Yeah!

In image20 the civ is red and the units have red armour and the like on them! (Has anyone else seen this?)

In imaage18, the Americans are a light blue civ...notice how their units have light blue colours on them?

I think this is a really great feature. Definately adds to you sense of "civilization"

[senowen]

quote: Originally posted by aCa on 05-17-2001 06:00 PM In Gamespy img 18 I was wondering one small thing. Why is there no line around the city Bactra. I know u get no border when setteling a new city, BUT the city Onnontare have a no border, BUT have a line around. What do this mean?

What the borders tell us is how many culture points those cities are generating. Bactra (apparently) has no culture rating, which probably means they have only produced military units and have no luxury items or inprovements that creates culture. As for Onnontare, it probably just built an improvement of some sort so it finally has a border, but just around the main city, but since cultural improvements create more culture with time, this city's border will eventually grow larger.

[SerapisIV]

What the heck are the giant "C"s in the northwest of the regular map in the first Gamespy screenshot?
http://www.gamespy.com/asp/image.asp...v3/image18.jpg

[Captain]

hey this might be an ignorant question, but what is the screenshot of the pentagonal thing - is that a cityview? I know the other is a diplomacy screen, world amp screen, and bunch of heads screenshot, but I can't figure out what the other one is supposed to be. maybe my browser just sucks.