'Civilization 6' release date news: Game out this fall with distinctive art style from predecessor

Civilization VI Firaxis Games

Developer Firaxis has gone all out for "Civilization 6," making sure that the game will still look good and detailed even when zoomed out all the way. While shooting for this feat, the company also made sure to pay homage to previous "Civilization" installments.

The game studio knows how important it is for players to recognize all the elements of the game from afar. Firaxis promises that even with the whole locale spread out and all zoomed out, players will still recognize which is which.

"It's obviously a little more readable if you have different silhouettes to things. Warriors are definitely bigger. They've got a very thick silhouette and are just big massive guys," "Civilization 6" art director, Brian Busatti told IGN.

"And you have smaller guys who are still heroic, but leaner. So you can tell the difference right away between an Archer and a Warrior," he added. Busatti promised that "Civilization 6" will look even better when zoomed in.

He said that even his team paid attention to the littlest elements that differentiate characters from one another. Not only will gamers will be able to tell a Pikemen by the shape, how the pikes on its helmet are design will give it away too.

The user interface of "Civilization 6" also got an upgrade. Inspired by the Age of Exploration -- the 15th and 16th centuries -- the theme should now display travel elements like compasses and astrolabes.

Firaxis also improved Fog of War in "Civilization 6" by designing unexplored areas as a "blank parchment with longitude and latitude lines on it. But as you explore that you start to open things up." The mid-fog is now in "map style" instead of a darker terrain.

"Civilization 6" will be released on Oct. 11. Lead designer Ed Beach promises that the game will "feel different each time you play."

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