dsk2293: There is literally a "More Shit on Map"(tm) option where empty tiles get 2x, 5x, or 10x more groudcover. I accidentally turned it up and it very quickly did away with the barren stretches Enjoy!
esrever: Yeah, the conversation gets difficult when people start asking for more 'stuff'...part of the reason we picked the style we did was the contrast between the wide swatches of color with spots of detail where necessary.
http://marinacorreia.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/mucha3.jpg
Which, in my mind, is perfect for a game where you want to immediatly know where the important parts of the map are. You see a huge, spwawlying town and it feels important, opposed to it just being another busy spot on an already busy composition.
Okay, by reading my post, you understand I'm not whining, I just care about the game. It it sounds whiney, that's because it's over the internet and 3/4ths of written stuff sounds that way.
Okay, the fact that you say there is LITERALLY an option named that is just too funny
. Personally, I'd probably turn it on.
I was watching the videos over at gametrailers (the ones that weren't intended to be released...) and the demo is set in a desert, and it's all spiffy and cool. However, allow me to quote myself:
"That said, the research, the city building and all that SHTUFF looked nice. I think someone above mentioned the land being dull. Now, it's true that it's based of the desert, but I've noticed that before. The land looks very... undetailed. The tiles that have things on them are very nice, but there's a sharp contrast between "important" tiles and "normal' tiles. You mentioned in the modding video you posted a few days ago that you wanted to see animals running around on the ground. Any chance this will be in? What about some birds flying overhead, or some vultures that circle you in the desert? These are little touches that make the game seem more detailed, which is a good thing in my opinion."
I think this level of detail would add flavor to the game without cluttering the art-inspired landscape. Oh, and boogie, I await those screenies. I'm still on the fence regarding the art, myself.
I think TucoBenedicto is getting at something I've felt myself. That second image feels alive, the first does not (again, keep in mind, I haven't SEEN this stuff in action). I'm not trying to go whiney, I mean that the second has detail that brings the world alive, but it is still VERY clear what is interactive and what is flavor. To me, flavor is important, as it sucks you into the game world more. I don't need a "goodie-hut" every three tiles, but flavor, those whimsical little details that make the world seem alive, are important. Right now, from what I've seen, this flavor isn't there. In the videos, Brad transforms the world from desert (understandably barren), and besides grass, it's still just as barren and undetailed, which just feels unnatural.
I like the artstyle, but I likes mah flavor.