So, what do we have here? (#2)

[Pocus]

[arsan]

Hey! Where are the pyramids!

[PhilThib]

This is written "Alpha"...the Pyramids weren't built in a day...ok, we are late on that one, but you'll see them (btw, did you notice they were on Napoléon's map )

And to prevent further claims, this is 1850...so no Suez Canal...yet...!!!

[tagwyn]

Very interesting/promising!! t

[Ashbery76]

From a graphical standpoint it looks pretty ugly in that shot to be honest.

[arsan]

(btw, did you notice they were on Napoléon's map )

Nope!
I didn't campaign down there much on NCP But i hope i will have opportunity to notice them on NCP2

[arsan]

From a graphical standpoint it looks pretty ugly in that shot to be honest.

I think the Alpha/beta versions of the game still use low resolution region images that will be high res on the definitive versions, like on the current AGEOD games regions graphics.
(please someone correct me if i'm wrong )
Maybe the pixelated low res regions is what looks ugly to you...

[GlobalExplorer]

Excellent as always. Game is as good as bought anyway.

But I still think the terrain should be a tad sharper

[Mosby]

Yeah, that shot isn't the best.

It's a bit barren, so while too much stuff on the map is a bad thing, too little is almost the same.

Btw, is combat going to be the same as the other AGE games?

[Rafiki]

Well, can't reveal everything straight away

As has been said, there are many things that are still being worked upon and which aren't shown in the screenshot. Besides, how much info can you want about sand?

[GlobalExplorer]

It's not the lack of detail that bothers me, but it's blurry.

What kind of cartographic projection are you using for the map? Theoretically one could try to make a mod that replaces the textures with hires versions, which could be made from satellite images like this one:

[veji1]

sweet § thanks Pocus, I am glad I whinged..

[biggp07]

It's not the lack of detail that bothers me, but it's blurry.

What kind of cartographic projection are you using for the map? Theoretically one could try to make a mod that replaces the textures with hires versions, which could be made from satellite images like this one:

I know there is a Mod for the Civiization series that does this very thing. It is called Blue Marble Graphics and they are amazing for a 3D game such as that and this one. I am not smart on modding but wonder if that same mod code could be ported to this one easily somehow? I'm sure someone might already be working on it! Wish I could actually help more. But I hope I've maybe sparked an idea for some guru modder out there!

I would personally like to see this, I might even pay for it!

[GlobalExplorer]

For sure there are people who could do this. I have for instance reworked the campaign map in Battle of Britain 2. No modder before had touched this, because a couple of thousand tiles had to be processed. So the only way to do it was programmatically.

Anyway this is not something that is needed now, but it could be a nice option for the future. The only prerequisite is that the map projection used by ageod is the same as satellite data.

[RELee]

Well, I think it looks great. I'm really more interested in game play than I am eye candy anyway. Despite the blurriness, which could be attributed to any number of things besides the game graphics, I can tell we are looking down upon the Nile Valley before the Suez Canal gets built (I think). Will we see the Canal after it is built, and be able to use it in-game? That is the kind of info I would love to get from this post.

Besides, it's not so much blurry as it is...grainy, and with all the sand...well, you get my drift.

[Adlertag]

It's a bit barren, so while too much stuff on the map is a bad thing, too little is almost the same.

Sincerely, I don't know what we can add to Quattara region to make it less barren...

I think the screenshot is intended to show you more the assets, towns and the like than the sand of the desert...

[Ashbery76]

Sincerely, I don't know what we can add to Quattara region to make it less barren...

I think the screenshot is intended to show you more the assets, towns and the like than the sand of the desert...

The problem is the assets look ugly too.The sprites,cities and naval bases look out of place.

[McNaughton]

The problem is the assets look ugly too.The sprites,cities and naval bases look out of place.

That is a matter of opinion, I find that they are very visually appropriate for their role of telling information. Somewhat blending into the background, but also standing out enough so players are aware of important places. However, given that these are just opinions, nobody is right or wrong in their opinion of 'beauty'.

[runyan99]

What is the clock for?

[PhilThib]

Give you the exact time

[runyan99]

Is the game real time?

[dooya]

Sincerely, I don't know what we can add to Quattara region to make it less barren...
[...]

Lots of dromedaries. (People with dual core processors will of course see camels. )

[Rafiki]

Just like how people who get the game running on Linux will se penguins in Antartica

[dooya]

Just like how people who get the game running on Linux will se penguins in Antartica

For Mac users there will be some apples
- printed on the box!, because they never get an Mac-Version of the game.

[GlobalExplorer]

The problem is the assets look ugly too.The sprites,cities and naval bases look out of place.

You lost me there, imo they look sharp as ever. I guess that's what pulled me to the franchise at the beginning, sharp and aesthetic graphics all the way, with exemplary resolution support. Unfortunately it was Ageod themselves that have raised the bar very high in that respect. Now I'm a bit underwhelmed with the grainy look of the terrain, and how it blends with the assets. That's my only gripe, the rest looks excellent.

[heckler_rider]

Looks awesome...I do like the way the bases are presented (not sure what all the icons mean, but Im sure each give vital info -easily identified)

Just like how people who get the game running on Linux will se penguins in Antartica

If the game has penguins then I demand swallows, with a differentiation between the velocities of the African and the European varieties

[dooya]

[...]If the game has penguins then I demand swallows, with a differentiation between the velocities of the African and the European varieties

Is it the same as with elephants, i.e., do African swallows have larger ears?

[Rafiki]

If the game has penguins then I demand swallows, with a differentiation between the velocities of the African and the European varieties

[CENTER]

[/CENTER]

[gunnergoz]

I do like the colors and overall look, but I would prefer it if the cities and port symbols looked a bit more like they might look for real...not just symbolic buttons plunked down, but more "organic" as they might be seen from space. Just my opinion...but the map is definitely going in the right direction aside from these nitpicky things.

[Greybriar]

Personally, I don't find any fault with the map Pocus posted initially in this thread. As a matter of fact, I like the looks of it better than the satellite image GlobalExplorer provided. After all except for land near the Nile, most of the area on the map is desert anyway. Or am I mistaken?

The maps I have seen of the game thus far are very pleasing to my eyes. No complaints here at all.