The pics look extremelly impressive. The art people at firaxis are super pros, for sure!
It looks like the civ3 units will lok very cool, indeed!

EDITED: Just thought I'd put these here for people to easily see. If the page loads too slowly, I can take them out. Thanks to Diplomat for the info (and for letting me hijack this section of his post). --Yin

I'm trying to imagine the kind of map and look Civ3 will have if the units are going to be 3D and that detailed. Actually, it makes me kind of hopefull that the units themselves will be color-coded by the color of your Empire (American musketmen have blue shirts, Brittish ones red and so forth).

It was really nice of Firaxis to give us something to think about while we wait for the new site opening `early' next year.

At the very least, we thought you'd appreciate a little taste of what's to come. Hope you all enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Dan
Firaxis Games, Inc.

I've seen few games that have graphics of that quality....

don't know how they'll look shrunk down to normal Civ playing size, but if those are any indication.... looks like the wait for CivIII will be worth it

Good job guys, and keep up the good work

Enjoy, everyone. Thanks again, Firaxis!

The phalanx looks like it will be, I can see the polygons, the others are highly rendered, so if the phalanx one is the ingame shot - WOW!

If not, I can see how detailed the game is going to be, because you guys would have been using the structure of those rendered units to make the units in the game look similiar to those ones.

not that ctp graphics are bad. . they're decent. .

Or name it tank but do the model after a REAL one!

The colors on the tank also makes me think that this now identifies the unit, right? Is the shield finally gone?
I do hope so!

quote: Originally posted by ContradictioN on 12-20-2000 04:07 PM geezuz you're right, those blue colours are representing the civ, I didn't notice that, brilliant again!

Check out the rifleman. He dont have colour-code (unless brown is the code).

Anyway, they look great - imagine these units animated, strolling around on the map - which also have animated sea-, -ocean and river-tiles. Maybe swaing forrest-tiles, who knows.

Tank missing a treead....

The happy face on the shield turns to a sad face...

I love the short barrelled Panzer III, with the exception of the bright red and blue bits.

The Phalanx is very colourful but seems to be a bit challenged in the spear department. I'd expect him to chuck a javelin that size not lock shields and brace for impact.

quote: Originally posted by Evil My only complaint is the rifleman: Civ 2's rifleman (in case you didn't know) was a Union soldier, presumably with a springfield. As far as I'm concerned there are three real rifleman designs you could use: Union troop, Colonial conquoror (Red coat with white helmet, a la Zulu) or Napoleonic rifleman (British regiments, green uniforms) If it isn't too late please change the hat, it just isn;t right.

I agree totally, which is actually what I came to this forum to say. The rifleman in real life was a late-19th century unit; the musketeer was the 18th-century equivalent. The unit shown for the Civ3 rifleman looks like something out of the 18th century. Oh well. The detail on all three units is really nice.

quote: Originally posted by Pangaea on 12-20-2000 04:26 PM The happy face on the shield turns to a sad face...

the happy face is gorgo medusa, a favorite motive on the greek hoplon (shield of the hoplites).

quote: Originally posted by Evil Capitalist on 12-20-2000 04:36 PM And a guarantee that there will be no unit workshop!

I didnt think of that. But now, then your mention it, i agree. No unit workshop. good!

The rifleman (that looks like a musketeer) is likely to be available as a 18:th century tech in the game. So, it should be a quick job changing the name-convention to the proper one: musketeer.

It just could be that they are acknowledging the ones who were the first to take real advantage of the Tank in warfare, or maybe is it that the Technology around World War 2 is more represented in Civ3.

I've seen posts from Firaxis which have stated that Leader Unit's, and the ability to cut certain supplies to a Civ are featured in the game. All feature's suited to WW2 Style Warfare, especially Supply.

So are we perhap's going to see unit's such as Dive Bombers (Stukas), or Stormtroopers, U-boats, Flying Bombs or Suicide Pilot(Kamakazi)? All Units which hint at a particular country, but named in a way not to sound too specific to one particular Civ, but rather specific to a Facist or National Socialist Goverment type.

Will there be an advanced type of tank that comes available later in the game that replaces the Panzer Tank?

'Panzer' tanks could belong to any country, but the worrd 'panzer' is not a military unit in Germany, its word that means, "Tank" in the German language (so essentialy it is a german), so I dont know why they called it the 'panzer tank'. cause thats just like saying tank twice in a row, once in English, once in German. please, Firaxis, if its not too late, please change the name to something more realistic, something like, 'MBT', meaning: Main Battle Tank. or just something way simpler, like, Heavy Tank, or something. oh well, if you cant, thats alright, I wont complain about the very first thing we've gotten for civ3 from you.

quote: On another note, the release of unit graphics means that there will not be a unit workshop

Well, to be fair also SMAC unit has some graphics
but I see your point and I'm afraid you are right.

What a pity!

To be true I think that released images are more artwork than real unit look, because that detail can't been sustained at normal unit dimension... at least if not played on a 42" screen at ultra high resolution.

Also CTPII first images come from artwork AFAIK...

I believe "Panzer" in German actually means "Armour" not "Tank". Although tanks in Germany are refered to as "Panzer's", it's only like how in the UK/USA a Division of tanks is refered to as a Armoured Division (German=Panzer Division). It's just that when it comes down to individual unit's we like to call them "Tank's".

first of all, please dont miss-understand this, I do NOT want to start an argument, I just want to verify your post. In English terms today, 'Armour', and 'Tank' are pretty much the same when it comes to military divisions. also, I am studying German right now, the word 'Panzer' does fit with both phrases, 'Armour' and 'Tank'. I was just saying that Panzer Tank would be like saying, "Armour Tank." (as you put it) or "Tank Tank." in English. but then again, I am not exactly sure, if there is a German guy here, please verify this.

OMG CIV3 NEWS!!!

Oh yeah wakes up from coma
very nice...

I think we both agree that "Panzer" can mean "Armour", so I think the description of "Panzer Tank" comes down to personal taste. "Panzer" or "Panzer Tank" it doesn't make much difference to me!

On to a few other point's...

Like I have said previously, I think Firaxis are perhap's trying to represent in their Unit's, the first Civ that made effective use of a Unit. Hence the Germans with the Tank.

But this would also apply to the Rifleman that looks a bit like a Musketeer. I'm no expert on this part of history, but if the Rifle was first used effectively in the late 18th Century then what's wrong with depicting the Unit in that time? A Rifle does not have to be of the breech loading variety! Maybe the Musketeer looks like a 16th Century soldier, we just don't know yet.

Incidentely, I love the Soldiers posture. It reminds me of the Sharpe films with Sean Bean, how they used to patrol around ready to fire at any time. I hope the Unit walks around the map in a similar style.

Nor does it mean that there is no unit workshop. It just means that if there is one, they put a hell of lot more time into the alteration of the unit picture when the basic unit is changed. I for one would like to see a workshop.

quote: Originally posted by zyxpsilon on 12-20-2000 11:47 PM Freaky-surreal, full-of-details, my mind is swiveling on its axial... professional artwork, THEY ARE! If this is what WE can expect from the final distributed product; i can't even begin to dream about the Terrain's files and the interface. True to reality THREE-D for, and exclusively designed for, Civ THREE. Phalanx is afraid of the painting on the Panzer (No wonder, he's from another era!) Rifleman can even stare back at you. Zooming in and out of history on a playing field or should i say, battlefield. PLEASE, show us the SUBMARINE!

Ayx, if you look at my new thread, Email from FIRAXIS on the matter of the Newly arrived civ-3 units, I said that I sent a E-mail to Dan Magaha on the issue that is those pictures IN-Game, or not, he plainly said they were not, and the artists are still working on unit appearances. I for one hope that the units will look this cool, but you never know.

I like what I see.

Now if I just could have them lets say 300dpi 50 by 85 cm big and on paper to hang on my wall, that would be great

About the unit workshop.
I am not at all convinced that it couldn't be used after seeing these pictures. Look at Phalax and Rifelman. Difference is that Rifelman has better wepon, but lacks armor. (OK, I don't know what armor on Rifelman should look like ) Same way we can have all the different tanks.