GAME ATMOSPHERE (ver 1.1) hosted by Dominique

[Imran Siddiqui]

I also agree with the previous suggestion of nation specific music (if it isn't too hard or takes too much time). That could be very nice!

[NotLikeTea]

Or at the least region specific music.. one song per civ might be too much, but some Asian music, some African, etc would be managable...

[EnochF]

Dammit, when I'm playing in the Nuclear Age, I want rock and roll! No more of this chanting and panpipes in 2003!

In fact, with Civ 2, you could actually play the game with one of your own music CDs playing. Call to Power can manage it occasionally, too. Slight problem, though. It will never play Track 1 (because it thinks that's where the game data is stored), and it only rarely plays the higher tracks. Let's redesign the game so that you can "Play With Music CD" and it will give you real random play. Yeah, I'll conquer the world listenin' to Oasis, then settle down and build city improvements to R.E.M., then begin the colonization of space to Thomas Dolby...

(Oh, here's something that occurred to me a few months back and which I quickly rejected: If Firaxis could somehow hire big-name music talents to write some incidental music... I dunno, maybe Peter Gabriel could do something quasi-African, Enya could do a Celtic track, Trent Reznor could do a future techno thing... then mix it in with professional symphony orchestra renditions of classical music, the inevitable "sitar" track by someone we've never heard of...)

[Cartagia the Great]

Yes, your right, the lsit was incomplete, which is why I segested more of it I still hold that cities, and leaders should have more historical, or ethnical accuracy. One reason I'm glad that Stalin isn't the leader of Russia, he wasn't even Russian

I also agree that there shoudl be a selection of music for each civ based on the age and civilization in question. And no bags and pipes in 2020? ho depressing, I love music like that Although Rock would be neat. Maybe get soem old Simon and Garfunkle to paly there, Scarborough Fair would sound EXCELENT around that time period. AS for Celtic, you've GOt to get Loreena McKennit, the avatar of the goddess of Music in my humble opinion

[Ecce Homo]

If Firaxis would hire a celebrity for making the soundtrack, I would suggest E-Type. In my opinion, he is not only the King of Euro-Disco, but a universal genius of music. He has made excellent soundtracks for several Swedish TV programmes about archaeology and history. (His father is one of Sweden's most popular TV producers.)

[Eggman]

While we are on the subject of music, everytime I use the catapult, I want to hear the Stray Cats playing "Rock This Town".

"We're gonna rock this town, rock it inside out.
We're gonna rock this town, make 'm scream and shout..."

Yes, I have too much time on my hands...

[Alex]

Uhh... Firaxis could not hire Enya because she has... well... passed away. Overdose. Strange, isn't it?

[EnochF]

Er. What an odd thing to say. I shall require a second, more reliable source. I'm not saying you're wrong, merely that if you're right, she passed away without her fans, her record company or in fact anybody but you knowing about it.

In any event, I certainly hope no one goes around spreading rumors about Thomas Dolby. "Oh, I heard he was in hospital, blinded with science last week..."

[Bubba]

I'm new to the Civ III forums so please forgive me if these are repeats:

1. I would like to have the leaders pictures of Civ I back (suitably up-dated of course) instead of the heralds of Civ II or CTP. It almost felt like one was speaking to Lenin or Gengis Khan and this added atmosphere.

2. I also like the CTP system of Ages but would like more of them (something like ANCIENT, CLASSICAL, MEDIEVAL, RENAISSANCE, INDUSTRIAL, MODERN & COMPUTER) m with city graphics that changed for each age and were different from each civilization or groups of civilizations, (Northern European, Oriental, New World, Meditarean, Near East, Native American, Indian (sub-continent), Russian & African) at least until the modern age.

3. There should be multiple Leaders that change over time for the AI controlled civilizations (at least one leader for each age if a system such as CTP was adopted). Additionally, when there is a revolution a leader should also be replaced. Each of these leaders should have a different personality that would effect the game play (Washington [no alliances, allows slavery] different than Lincoln [no slavery] who is different than Teddy Roosevelt [foreign expansion, alliances]). The number of revolutions could be dependant upon the civilization which could have a revolution variable/coefficient, e.g., it could be high for the French and lower for the British, etc.

4. Someone mentioned that they would like a General/Commander unit that would give a bonus when combined with a stack of units that would become an Army. Others thought that this was overkill and wouldn't add much fun to the game. A fun version of this might be a GREAT LEADER special unit/s for each civilization that MIGHT appear randomly throughout the game and that would have to effect of either a defensive bonus or offensive bonus while in a stack (like a General) or a happiness or scientific bonus for a city (perhaps like plus 5 happiness/science). These units could not be rebuilt once destroyed and would be specific to the age in which they arrived. Moreover they would last only as long as that Age to represent their life span (Modern, Renaissance etc.) Some of these could be for example, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Churchill, Wellington, Richard the III, Gandhi, Lincoln, Hitler, Shakespeare, Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Newton, Plato, Einstein, Lenin, Mao etc. In some senses this would allow one to get rid of some of the Wonders that are tied to people and in some ways is like Colonization, except that enemies could try to destroy these units. This would help to make every game special.

5. Bring back the city national Flags of the scenarios. I loved these and they added atmosphere. Something else which would be nice would be to have smaller versions (or related versions) of these on ships.

6. For those that would like it should be possible to name ships and units/stacks to add atmosphere. When a battle was won the computer could say: "Prime Minister, the DREADNOUGHT or INVINCIBLE has won a great battle and has been promoted to veteran status!" or "Mr. President, the 5TH ARMY has taken Midway Island!".

7. I also like (for those that want it) the ability to name mountains/rivers, special natural resources (as some have called for). Then when you discovered something the computer could say: "My liege, we have discovered X, what should we name them?". These then could be used later for the end of game wrap-up, as was mentioned before.

[Shah of Persia]

I think I have an idea that might enhance the "feel" and atmosphere of the diplomacy screen in multiplayer games. In addition to having those in-game pictures that are shipped with the game, it would be quite cool if you could scan your own picture, and attach it to the diplomacy picture frame. So you would no longer be represented by for example an ugly, bearded fool, but by your own picture, which would add to the "I am the leader" feel of a multiplayer game. It would take you one step closer to being truly and fully THE leader of your empire.
If you don't think you're very photogenic, then you could go for the included pics instead. And obviously this idea would only be of any value in MP games.
Apart from being a boost to your ego, you get to see your opponents, which is more exciting that seeing the same animated pictures over and over again.

[Shah of Persia]

I think the idea of de-emphasizing on winning could be a very important factor in making Civ even better. Take Simcity for example, you can play that game for months without getting tired, but there is no winning scenario. What drives you is achievement, success and expansion (for example trying to get your Sim's IQ highest in SimLand, trying to get enough cash for a new airport, linking up the suburbs to the centre with a new railway line, etc). You could call the successes in Simcity "projects". You set a task for yourself, and then strive to get it. When achieving something this way you get a much genuine feel of success (or maybe that's just me), than just amassing your army and wiping off every other country, and then what, game finished. No, game should go on, your Civ should prosper open-endedly. This does have implications in terms of game design,(e.g. how can you keep technology going "for ever"). But that's a question to discuss in this thread, in order to expand on an idea which might revolutionise Civ completely.

Just before I finish off, I sometimes get an "empty" sort of feeling after I have finished off the last Civ in my games. It roughly feels like all the hard work put into my empire is wasted, and to play I have to start over again. Some games are not meant to be open-ended (i.e. never ending), but I feel Civ is one of those games that really should be.

[Alexander's Horse]

Enough of the humour thing.

I would like to see some improvements to the atmospherics of warfare. The game would be improved if it reflected the damaging effects of warfare better. Some suggestions:

. When a city is conquered, it gives off a pall of smoke for a set period. This could be linked to a period in which the city is unproductive, possibly even until some reconstruction cost is paid or work is done. May inhibit civs without funds launching mega wars and could give the graphic effect of a swathe of burning cities where warfare is intense.

. Pillaging doesn't just remove improvements, it leaves a scar upon the land. This could be represented by a symbol similar that for pollution in civ I, or smoking ruins. To bring the land back to full production, the war damage would have to be removed first in the same way as pollution. Nuclear pollution should have permanent effects until a tech is developed (a future tech, not much we can do about it with current technolgy - witness Chernobyl, that part of the Ukraine is still unusable).

. Cities that are destroyed in gameplay are marked by ruins.

. Major land battles are marked by "trophies" (the Greek idea), a flag on the site or possibly war grave icons. Possession these sites may give a points bonus.

Anyone else have ideas along these lines?

[NotLikeTea]

I don't know about the nuclear pollution.

Chernobyl is still unusable.. but look at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. People live there today.

[Alexander's Horse]

yes, there are pros and cons to the nuclear pollution thing.

[EnochF]

Cool idea, Horse. Not that I need any discouragement when it comes to warfare. But I think it would be a real plus for Civ III to start presenting war, especially in the Modern and all post-Modern eras, as the horror it really is. Enough of this "We're doin' great, General!" and the drunken medieval knight. War is hell. When the enemy is shelling the crap out of your cities, it's going to take some time to recover.