Why are Rome I&II so bright/shiny?

[Acroneos]

After reading a thread here about the campaign map and their coasts, somebody mentioned that the map is kept bright and shiny. The map was also bright and shiny in Rome I. The whole game was in fact bright and shiny. My question is - why do we always imagine those world as such a sunny place?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

We all know the truth - living in antiquity was in no way better than living in the middle ages. Death, crime, slavery, diseases, war - all those things were common. Also, the climate was the same.

Nevertheless, we still imagine the antiquity as a bright and shiny place - look at Age of Mythology, look at Caesar IV. Or Rome: TW. Now compare it with Medieval II or Assassins Creed.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Thats why I crafted myself a mod, which tends to be more "darker" than Rome vanilla. Interfaces, lights, water etc. I think it all should be a bit in a darker tone, not in that shiny style. This is not Pokeworld where you catch Pokemon and no one ever dies. This is antiquity. A dark and interesting age of course. But really, if I look on the map, I could first think, this is a new Pokemon game, if I never had played TW before. No doubt, the map is beautiful and CA did a great work on it. I respect that very much. But I am just curious why they always make the decision to make an antiquity game in that bright mode. Not only CA, but also Ensemble Studios and many others!

I know, CA will not change this as the game is done now. But hey, at least they made the interface of dark colors like bloodred and black. Thats why I like it on the screens. But the campaign map... However, discuss, why antiquity is show so wrong in Rome, in Age of and in many movies like Alexander or Troy.

[Spartacus041]

Because the Mediterranean is always bright and sunny.

Unlike Germania

[Gnufan]

The real world is pretty bright and colorful unless it's a cloudy day. Also that Shogun 2 picture is from before the game was released, the final product ended up much brighter.

[Acroneos]

Might be true but think for example about the interface of Rome I! All white, grey and yellow-gold! For example.

[HinFoo]

because everything is grey in realife.

[Raikou]

Shine bright like a diammmondddd

[ashbery76]

It does not look so shiny in Barbarian lands.

[familyguy1]

Because its a freaking game....

[Acroneos]

Because its a freaking game....

Come on man... I know! As I said, I am interested, why antiquity is always shown in games movies or whatever as a bright and shiny place!

[DogSoldierSPQR]

OP, I understand your concern. However, judging from the Nile gameplay, you could see how Egypt was bright, shiny and very atmospheric. However, when they zoomed all the way to Germania, that atmosphere was no where to be seen. It does differ from area to area. It's just that CA likes showing Italia and areas around the Greek Peninsula which are sunny etc.

It's in there, mate

[SinerAthin]

OP, I understand your concern. However, judging from the Nile gameplay, you could see how Egypt was bright, shiny and very atmospheric. However, when they zoomed all the way to Germania, that atmosphere was no where to be seen. It does differ from area to area. It's just that CA likes showing Italia and areas around the Greek Peninsula which are sunny etc.

It's in there, mate

Indeed.

I'm not sure what this thread is about anymore

[Balthazzar The Merciless]

Yes, a mod would be good giving a moody filtered look to the campaign! (Battles looked pretty grim anyway, esp. Carthage & germania)
It would probably be quite simple; just find a way to turn a big instagram filter on!

[Manuel I Komnenos]

Germania was snowy and dark, the Mediterranean is sunny and bright, what's the odd thing about that?

[Lord Dakier]

Yeah I'm pretty sure the game is already well done in this regard. Maybe a slight differential between sunny and cloudy but it's nothing major.

[Templar Spartan]

I think it looks good, although to be honest I haven't seen most of the battle maps so it's too early to really tell. But I would definitely have it like we have seen over something drab and lifeless like the AC picture in the thread. Life doesn't have the contrast setting on low!

[Sherm]

The reson is linked to the view of history through the centuries.

Yet in the renaissance, the view of the intellectuals was "Ancient world, a lost golden age that must be recovered", and "Middle Age, A dark age were the knowledge and the wise of the ancient world were corrupted and lost"

and that influenced the vision of the two eras over the centuries, and even when it has been refuted by modern historiography, it has remained in the collective thinking.

About FotS the reason is the same, the 19th was the age "Iron, Steam and Coal", view that of couse was strenghtened by cities like London.

[Jester]

well, OP is right. games & movies about ancient times are usually shown in a bright and sunny way. games & movies about medieval have usually a dark and dirty tone, including rainy, hazy weather conditions.

however, i dont think this is a bad thing. it s primarily an artistic decision and also understandable. the "center of the world" of ancient times was the mediterranean area which actually is more sunny. games & movies of medieval times often take place in england or france, and we all know for a fact that in england it s raining 365 days a year

also, an artist s or director s job isnt to make documentaries and display the reality. they can do whatever they want. they stylize and exaggerate to create a certain mood or to meet the common expectations of the audience. imagine Monty Pythons Life of Brian with excessive bright and sunny weather like a summer vacation in italy or spain. wouldnt feel right. or imagine it would always rain, in every single scene in HBOs Rome series lol

[Marcus Aemilius Lepidus]

Dear OP you are wrong if you say the clima in the antiquity and the medieval times was the same. Specially in the time of 100 BC till 500 AD we have a warm period which is called http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Warm_Period Roman warm period.

[Mbern45]

I'm honestly not sure if this is a troll topic or not.

Of course the games would be bright, the real world is a bright place. The middle ages were pretty bright too. I hate how all medieval movies always portray the world as a dark place, this is even worse since most medieval movies take place in England where the weather sucks and they built everything out of wood.

If you look at some medieval town that still exist today in Southern Europe you can see that were bright places with houses painted bright colours and cobbled streets so that there wasn't mud everywhere.

[General George S. Patton]

Because it looks amazing