Literally missing the forest for the trees. You're building a city, not a yard. I don't think making the city look procedurally worn or whatever they mean is trivial either. Feels like complaining about the graphics in Minecraft... That's not the point of the game.
Also the visuals can be misunderstood to be communicating something - e.g. the dirty walls - does that mean my city is bad in some way? Is crime increasing or is the wall being stained by pollution?
You can't just make stuff 'look nice' without affecting how the player behaves
If you’re playing a city builder to min/max but want it somewhat grounded in reality then you have to accept it isn’t an Apple Store on every block IMO. If you want perfect symmetry and cleanliness that’s valid too but it’s the default for most games, so I think they make some good points.
No big city is spotless. Anything exposed to the elements will accumulate dirt and stains. This is common sense! A little weathering can actually help players connect with the game, because it makes the city feel believable and lived-in, not artificial.
Did you read what I wrote though? Sure it will immerse you - but the game also relies on visuals to send signals to the player about how their city is doing. If things are weathered and worn is that bad? Will I be able to tell the difference between ‘weathered’ and ‘abandoned’?
esikich · · focus · HN ↗
dwroberts · · focus · HN ↗
You can't just make stuff 'look nice' without affecting how the player behaves
Forgeties79 · · focus · HN ↗
renehsz · · focus · HN ↗
dwroberts · · focus · HN ↗