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Author Topic:   SMAC Units !!!

DJ RRebel posted 11-19-98 09:20 AM ET
Is it just me, or do you all find the units a little too "loud" (for lack of a better word !!!) ... I had a second look at some of the screen shots, and they seem to have so much info on them, that they take away from the flow of the map !!!
I know you all had a thread on this before, but as we get closer to the demo, I think the chances of the units changing are slim !!!
So .. what do you think ???�
MikeH II posted 11-19-98 09:22 AM ET
I believe you can specify how much info your units show. I think I read that somewhere. I think I'll have max info on though, I need as much data as possible.
DJ RRebel posted 11-19-98 09:27 AM ET
I agree with you, but those tanks looked was too big .. plus those big colourful flags look rather anoying !!
On top of that, the health bar looked quite unclear !!! I hope it was just because of the screen shot !!!
I was hoping the actual unit would be coloured by it's faction colours ... and wouldn't need that anoying flag !!!
MikeH II posted 11-19-98 09:32 AM ET
That might be difficult if you can choose your own faction colour. Plus if you are making custom units it's not just a matter of seven colour schemes for each unit. I am happy with the flags, they're not much bigger than the old Civ shields by the look of things.
I want big units, I intend to play on the highest resolution I can so I want to be able to see them
dushan posted 11-19-98 09:41 AM ET
I also quite like the flags. Did you see any high-res screen shots? You can see a lot more on those. I find the flag/health indicator quite funky :-)
Size of the units: well, it will probably make it easier to recognise different units quickly, so that's ok with me too.
Loudness: if it's true that it can be customised, that's also fine. I just hope that you will be able to customise the amount of info shown, rather just a simple on/off setting, so that everyone can find their personal favourite setting.
Dushan
MikeH II posted 11-19-98 09:49 AM ET
I am fairly certain there are more than 2 settings.
DJ RRebel posted 11-19-98 09:52 AM ET
yes ... I also hope there are settings for size !!!
I like to use smaller res screens so as to be able to see more of the world on one screen !!! I really hated having to jump around all the time !!!
MikeH II posted 11-19-98 09:55 AM ET
I meant settings for the amount of info on the units not the size of units.
You will be able to change resolutions but FIRAXIS coudn't tell us for definate what resolutions they were going to have in the final game last time we asked.
DJ RRebel posted 11-19-98 10:54 AM ET
Yes .. I know that's what you meant .. I just wanted to also see options for the size of units relative to map res !!!
Anyways, graphics aren't all that important in this game ... as long as they're clear !!!
OmniDude posted 11-19-98 11:56 AM ET
I suppose there will be a number of zoom levels on the map like in CivII. Wouldn't that solve your problem, DJ?
DJ RRebel posted 11-19-98 01:19 PM ET
Nope .. what I meant was relative size of units compared to the size of the map !!!
Like you can have different sized fonts on the same screen !!!
The units I saw in the screen shots so far looked way too bulky !!!
MikeH II posted 11-19-98 03:41 PM ET
Just making sure you knew what I meant.
Gord McLeod posted 11-19-98 04:31 PM ET
I haven't heard any indications that you'll be able to choose the size of the units as depicted in the game, but I'll be willing to bet a great deal that you'll get used to it very quickly. I'd much rather have big bulky units than smaller ones that are harder to see...
Wraith posted 11-19-98 10:12 PM ET
Hail,
If I remember past reading correctly, the unit size (as displayed on the map) depends on the unit's power. The stronger units look bulkier than the wimpy ones. Makes sense, yes? Perhaps what's shown in the shot is a powerhouse tank?
Wraith
"Multiple exclamation marks are the sure sign of a deranged mind."
Terry Pratchett
DHE_X2 posted 11-19-98 10:18 PM ET
I don't care about the "loudness". The more info, the better. Sizes look ok. Also, i remember hearing that they still had graphic work to do, so we might not be seeing the final product.
Shining1 posted 11-20-98 07:58 PM ET
I have to dispute that graphics aren't important to a game. Okay, they're not the ONLY thing that matters, but a poor display can detract as much from a game as a poor interface. Just look at Warlords III - the many stupid looking units (particularly the heros) tend to detract from what is otherwise a pretty good game.
Graphics do matter, in the same way that marketing does - neither will make the gameplay any better, but clunky, badly drawn, or dumb looking units tend to detract from the quality of a game.
Spoe posted 11-20-98 08:23 PM ET
Yes, graphics are important, I suppose. But only as a secondary consideration. I don't really care how flashy the graphics(in non-action type games) are as long as they do their job with the interface -- getting me the information and control I need over the game in an efficient manner. Here's how I rank the parts of a game:
1. Gameplay(how well the behind the screen rules work, the design of the game it self)
2. Interface(how well you can interact with the game; grpahics does overlap into this a little bit)
3. Game graphics(how clean are the units, maps, etc.)
4. Cut screen graphics, videos, etc.(They can be nice, but they are essentially fluff to me)
Unfortunately, as the gaming market has grown, marketing has often tended to drive graphics quality up at the expense of other aspects of game design.
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Author	Topic: SMAC Units !!!
DJ RRebel	posted 11-19-98 09:20 AM ET Is it just me, or do you all find the units a little too "loud" (for lack of a better word !!!) ... I had a second look at some of the screen shots, and they seem to have so much info on them, that they take away from the flow of the map !!! I know you all had a thread on this before, but as we get closer to the demo, I think the chances of the units changing are slim !!! So .. what do you think ???�
MikeH II	posted 11-19-98 09:22 AM ET I believe you can specify how much info your units show. I think I read that somewhere. I think I'll have max info on though, I need as much data as possible.
DJ RRebel	posted 11-19-98 09:27 AM ET I agree with you, but those tanks looked was too big .. plus those big colourful flags look rather anoying !! On top of that, the health bar looked quite unclear !!! I hope it was just because of the screen shot !!! I was hoping the actual unit would be coloured by it's faction colours ... and wouldn't need that anoying flag !!!
MikeH II	posted 11-19-98 09:32 AM ET That might be difficult if you can choose your own faction colour. Plus if you are making custom units it's not just a matter of seven colour schemes for each unit. I am happy with the flags, they're not much bigger than the old Civ shields by the look of things. I want big units, I intend to play on the highest resolution I can so I want to be able to see them
dushan	posted 11-19-98 09:41 AM ET I also quite like the flags. Did you see any high-res screen shots? You can see a lot more on those. I find the flag/health indicator quite funky :-) Size of the units: well, it will probably make it easier to recognise different units quickly, so that's ok with me too. Loudness: if it's true that it can be customised, that's also fine. I just hope that you will be able to customise the amount of info shown, rather just a simple on/off setting, so that everyone can find their personal favourite setting. Dushan
MikeH II	posted 11-19-98 09:49 AM ET I am fairly certain there are more than 2 settings.
DJ RRebel	posted 11-19-98 09:52 AM ET yes ... I also hope there are settings for size !!! I like to use smaller res screens so as to be able to see more of the world on one screen !!! I really hated having to jump around all the time !!!
MikeH II	posted 11-19-98 09:55 AM ET I meant settings for the amount of info on the units not the size of units. You will be able to change resolutions but FIRAXIS coudn't tell us for definate what resolutions they were going to have in the final game last time we asked.
DJ RRebel	posted 11-19-98 10:54 AM ET Yes .. I know that's what you meant .. I just wanted to also see options for the size of units relative to map res !!! Anyways, graphics aren't all that important in this game ... as long as they're clear !!!
OmniDude	posted 11-19-98 11:56 AM ET I suppose there will be a number of zoom levels on the map like in CivII. Wouldn't that solve your problem, DJ?
DJ RRebel	posted 11-19-98 01:19 PM ET Nope .. what I meant was relative size of units compared to the size of the map !!! Like you can have different sized fonts on the same screen !!! The units I saw in the screen shots so far looked way too bulky !!!
MikeH II	posted 11-19-98 03:41 PM ET Just making sure you knew what I meant.
Gord McLeod	posted 11-19-98 04:31 PM ET I haven't heard any indications that you'll be able to choose the size of the units as depicted in the game, but I'll be willing to bet a great deal that you'll get used to it very quickly. I'd much rather have big bulky units than smaller ones that are harder to see...
Wraith	posted 11-19-98 10:12 PM ET Hail, If I remember past reading correctly, the unit size (as displayed on the map) depends on the unit's power. The stronger units look bulkier than the wimpy ones. Makes sense, yes? Perhaps what's shown in the shot is a powerhouse tank? Wraith "Multiple exclamation marks are the sure sign of a deranged mind." Terry Pratchett
DHE_X2	posted 11-19-98 10:18 PM ET I don't care about the "loudness". The more info, the better. Sizes look ok. Also, i remember hearing that they still had graphic work to do, so we might not be seeing the final product.
Shining1	posted 11-20-98 07:58 PM ET I have to dispute that graphics aren't important to a game. Okay, they're not the ONLY thing that matters, but a poor display can detract as much from a game as a poor interface. Just look at Warlords III - the many stupid looking units (particularly the heros) tend to detract from what is otherwise a pretty good game. Graphics do matter, in the same way that marketing does - neither will make the gameplay any better, but clunky, badly drawn, or dumb looking units tend to detract from the quality of a game.
Spoe	posted 11-20-98 08:23 PM ET Yes, graphics are important, I suppose. But only as a secondary consideration. I don't really care how flashy the graphics(in non-action type games) are as long as they do their job with the interface -- getting me the information and control I need over the game in an efficient manner. Here's how I rank the parts of a game: 1. Gameplay(how well the behind the screen rules work, the design of the game it self) 2. Interface(how well you can interact with the game; grpahics does overlap into this a little bit) 3. Game graphics(how clean are the units, maps, etc.) 4. Cut screen graphics, videos, etc.(They can be nice, but they are essentially fluff to me) Unfortunately, as the gaming market has grown, marketing has often tended to drive graphics quality up at the expense of other aspects of game design.