Quote:
Antonin said:
I don't see how focusing any programming energy on 3D graphics will make a better game.
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I never said it would make it a better game heh heh, its just one of my "wishes" like having someone do my laundry for me. I haven't tried starfury yet, but somehow I'm doubtful it can compete with the likes of the Doom 3 engine or Unreal 2k4 engine... so selling the game on its graphical merits would be a stupid idea. Don't overdo the "3D" promotion when ur selling it, or you'll be a laughing stock lol and it will turn off the die hard SE:IV fans (like Antonin =)
I think though there can be strategy in 3D... 3D combat introduces a whole new dimension. Also being able to customize the look of your race "in the game" without being a modder has some appealing aspects, roleplaying and such. Imagine rather than requiring a graphics artist to draw your shipset, you could customize the look of your ships "in the game".
I dunno if anybody has mentioned this, but there should be improvements to the music. Hell, forget 3D. If SE:V was exactly SE:IV but with an incredible soundtrack, I would get it just for that. Do the music and sound effects right this time. Having audio for the built-in races and maybe 20-30 voice sets for people to choose when building their empire would be awesome too... I liked Dues Ex not because its graphics were cutting edge, but because I loved its music =)
Also the RPG elements. I wonder if adding in more native RPG elements would be a possibility... for example, designing your leader, along the lines of Antonin's "governor" idea, but being able to design a leader archetype for your race... maybe the leader gains "experience" as he makes good decisions, and dies off after a certain number of turns, leaving his progeny with a percenatge of his predessor's experience al la Romance of the Three Kingdoms... when the leader dies, there could be a short period where another empire could take advantage of it. The diplomacy model of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was one of the most fun things about it.
Culture should have more effect than just percentage modifiers on building and research and the like, it should actually affect your diplomatic interactions with other races. Combining RPG elements such as leaders, artifacts, actual diplomacy/spies may be too much detail, but who complains about more detail in a kind of game like this. Hell, I wouldn't even object to ships' captains, we have fleet experience already why not have an actual "military" screen where you can promote/appoint governors/admirals/captains and the such.
Anyway maybe I'm from a different generation. But the most important thing to me is having the races come "alive" somehow, and the game come "alive". The atmosphere of the game is generally lacking. I don't know how to put it into words. Bad music + dated graphics are possibly the only turn-offs from reaching a wider audience. You underestimate today's gamers if you believe the detail of SE:IV turns them off. Gamers today play incredibly complex games with complex "tech-trees" and complex strategies. If there was a better implementation al la better graphics, or more accurately "atmosphere", I'm sure SE:V will have more sales. Get a freaking good composer to do the music, pay him whatever you have to. People will buy the game just for the soundtrack
There are some who will stick to their eye-candy, and there will always be some who stick to their strategy. But I don't believe these concepts have to be mutually exclusive (as I said before lol), and can complement each other. So called Eye-Candy can add to strategy, and certain strategies can be eye-candy. etc.
Brian