9 Years Celebration
THE YEAR IN HEADLINES - PART 1
July 2006
July 27 CIV4: WARLORDS RELEASED
“Firaxis has announced the release of the Sid Meier`s Civilization IV: Warlords to retails stores. Sid Meier`s Civilization IV: Warlords is the first expansion pack for the award-winning game that has become an instant world-wide hit. Civ IV: Warlords will include new civilizations, leaders, units, and wonders that will offer even more fun and exciting ways for players to expand their civilization’s military power as they strive for world domination.”
July 27 GAMESPOT: 8.6, YAHOO: 4.5/5
“Gamespot says (8.6/10):
The Good: It’s Civilization IV, only bigger and better than before; six challenging, new historical scenarios that rewrite the civ rules in different ways; ability to finally play as the barbarians and wreck havoc on those haughty civs. The Bad: A few minor bugs.
Yahoo says (4.5/5):
Warlords is just the kind of expansion that a game as open-ended and infinitely replayable as Civilization IV needs: one that adds enough new stuff, while also changing up the basics so thoroughly, that you might as well be playing a whole new game.”
July 27 FIRINGSQUAD DARK AVATAR INTERVIEW
“FiringSquad has published an interview with Brad Wardell regarding the upcoming expansion, Dark Avatar. In the Dark Avatar campaign, you take on a faction of the Drengin Empire, the Koranth, which is bent on not only enslaving the universe, but exterminating all of the races that inhabit it — that desire to take it a step further puts the Koranth at odds with the rest of the Drengin Empire.
The interview mentions some of the new game features, like asteroid fields and different environmental types of planets. Expansion will make the most of the new engine and as a result the ships and such will look a lot better.”
July 29 WARLORDS GET 4.5/5 ON GAMER REVOLUTION
“Gamer Revolution’s author Russ Fischer has published his review of the Warlords expansion, giving it a 4.5 out of 5 grade. Among the good points listed are awesome replayability, enhanced military approach, Barbarian and Mongol scenarios, cool Great Wall wonder. The bad point is ot much here for pacifists. The conclusion is that what Warlords adds is exactly what Civ IV needs.”
July 29 GAMESPY: 3.5/5, SHOULD’VE BEEN MORE
“GameSpy’s reviewer Allen `Delsyn` Rausch has published his review of the Warlords expansion. It gives the expansion 3.5/5 rating and questions worth of the expansion. New scenarios and features are praised in the review, but couple of issues are also mentioned. Allen concludes that Firaxis adds some great new stuff but too bad there isn’t more of it, though.”
July 29 SECOND FIRAXIS PODCAST PUBLISHED
“The second official Firaxis Games podcast has been posted on the company`s website. Host and Firaxian artist Steve Ogden first talks with designer Soren Johnson and artist Dorian Newcomb as they relive the adventure of bringing Civilization IV from concept to reality, followed by designer Jon Shafer wielding an axe for his interview and chatting with Sid Meier about what technology is in use for the first time there.”
August 2006
August 2 A06: BHG `LEAD-UP & TOUR` (PART 1) VIDEO
“As part of the ongoing, exclusive ApolyCon `06 coverage on Apolyton Civilization Site the first instalment of video documenting the "Big Huge Gaming" event on Friday, July 7th has been published.”
August 11 A06: FIRAXIS GAMES VIDEO TOUR (PT. 1/3)
“Hours before ApolyCon `06 in Timonium, Maryland got underway last month [see website], Apolyton Civilization Site (ACS) Co-Owner/Administrators Daniel "DanQ" Quick and Markos "MarkG" Giannopoulos were treated to a tour of the offices of Firaxis Games in nearby Hunt Valley. The company`s Online Marketing Manager, Dennis Shirk, served as their guide.”
August 15 `ACSR WEEKLY` CANCELLED
"The first edition of Apolyton Civilization Site Radio (ACSR) "Weekly"`s newest incarnation came on and for March 7th, 2004. This series successfully completed two full seasons (52 editions apiece), but due to lack of listenership and reception it is being officially cancelled today just 17 editions into its third season.
All broadcasts in this series remain available for listening live-on-demand. ACSR Station Manager Daniel "DanQ" Quick is starting work on a possible replacement in the service`s broadcast schedule with more details to come."
August 20 FORUM CONSOLIDATION AND AN OPENING
“In response to user inquiry and an ongoing interest in improving the accessibility and functionality of Apolyton Civilization Site’s (ACS) forums, there was considerable consolidation earlier this evening (EST). All forum categories have been impacted in one way or another where the most common change is re-allocating a number of less frequented forums as sub-forums of related, moer trafficked ones. While no forums were closed, one was opened: a Play-By-Email (PBEM) tracker forum for Civilization III.”
August 21 A06: `MODDING` VIDEO (PART 1/5)
"As part of its ongoing ApolyCon `06 coverage, Apolyton Civilization Site starts its five-part video series on "Modding Civilization IV" with two representatives from Firaxis Games."
August 21 A06: `PROTOTYPING` VIDEO (PART 1/5)
"As part of its ongoing ApolyCon `06 coverage, Apolyton Civilization Site starts its five-part video series on "Prototyping for Civilization IV" with two representatives from Firaxis Games."
August 24 `AON` EPISODE 108 RELEASED
"After a three-month hiatus, Season 1 of Age of Nations (AoN) returns with its eighth episode "The Best of Plans" being released. Written by Daniel "DanQ" Quick, [t]he three military leaders continue to bicker over best courses of action, though ultimately come to a tense compromise. As this unfolds business interests advance, research starts to accelerate and an unexpected countermeasure threatens to disrupt it all."
August 28 SECOND `FREECIV` 2.1 SERIES BETA
"Version 2.1 Beta 2 of Freeciv is now available. In this latest update for the freeware, multiplayer strategy game, several serious bugs over Beta 1 along with some new graphics for the King units and a few improved flags."
August 29 INTERVIEW WITH JESSE SMITH
"GameProducer.NET has published an interview with Civilization IV and Civilization IV: Warlords producer Jesse Smith of Firaxis Games. In the interview, Jesse discusses what it’s like to be a producer for a company like Firaxis and on a game like Civilization IV."
August 29 BOTH CIV4 AND WARLORDS SELLING WELL
"For the month of July 2006, Civilization IV was the 13th best selling PC game in North America according to NPD Group which tracks unit sales across the continent. This is 3 places up from June but the same as last May. Despite only having been released on the 24th of July, the expansion pack Civilization IV: Warlords also made it onto the month`s top 20 listing, debuting on the 16th spot.”
August 30 WARLORDS COMING TO MAC
"Aspyr Media, publishers of Civilization IV for the Macintosh platform, have announced that they will be publishing the game`s expansion Civilization IV: Warlords for the Mac as well, as reported by MacDailyNews. The anticipated release date of the expansion that was released for the PC last month is November 2006 and will be developed by Aspyr Studios."
August 30 SID SAYS CIV5 IS COMING!
"Civilization guru Sid Meier attended the German computer game convention simply titled Games Convention last week and gave a number of interviews to German game magazines. The magazine PC Games was among these and asked him in a video interview, that will appear on a DVD that will come with their November 2006 issue, whether or not there will be a sequel to Civilization IV. Meier`s answer according to the magazine: Yes, there will be another Civilization sequel! The first ideas are already forming in the head of the creator, but at the moment he cannot give us any further information."
September 2006
September 7 V1.3 IS HERE
"Stardock Systems today released an update to Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, namely version 1.3: This new version of Galactic Civilizations II is dedicated to PC gamers everywhere who have ever bought a game, really liked it but after some months of play had put together a list of things they wish were tweaked or altered but knew would never be because the developer had long since stopped making new updates.
The new update includes major AI improvement, user interface enhancements, new difficulty levels, game balance changes, bug fixes and more. You can find a full list of changes from the GalCiv2 website and download the patch from Stardock Central."
September 7 `CIVILIZATION CHRONICLES` ANNOUNCED
"Gaming site WorthPlaying reports that 2K Games and Firaxis have announced today that they are releasing a new product: Sid Meier`s Civilization Chronicles. This is a behemoth package composed of all 4 base Civilization games and 5 expansions: Sid Meier`s Civilization I, Sid Meier`s Civilization II, Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds, Civilization II: Conflicts in Civilization, Civilization II: Test of Time, Sid Meier`s Civilization III, Sid Meier`s Civilization III: Play the World, Sid Meier`s Civilization III: Conquests and Sid Meier`s Civilization IV. The latest Warlords expansion for Civilization IV will not be part of this set."
September 13 AC STORY CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED
"The first edition of the AC fiction contest is now officialy over. The submissions were recieved and ranked by a three member committee and results are as following:
Report to the Privy Contest by Hydro won the first prize and four months of Apolyton Plus.
But for the Grace of God by Rand Al`Tor won the second prize and two months of Apolyton Plus.
Endings by WotanAnubis recieved the third prize and a month of Apolyton Plus.
Congratulations to the winners."
September 13 A06: `THREE MEN AND A VICTORY` VIDEO (PART 1/10)
"As part of its ongoing ApolyCon `06 coverage, Apolyton Civilization Site begins a ten-part video serial on the Civilization IV multiplayer tournament between three representatives of the game`s developer Firaxis Games at the event."
September 14 AMONG THE HAPPY FEW
"For the month of August 2006, the Civilization franchise did well in the sales charts in North America, according to NPD Group which tracks unit sales across the continent. The top six of last month`s ranking is dominated by only three franchises: World of Warcraft is on top of the chart as usual while the number 2, 3 and 5 are claimed by The Sims II and two of its expansion packs (Family Fun Stuff and Open for Business respectively). The remaining two places are for Civilization IV: the original game climbed 7 spots in the chart compared to July, landing on 6th place, while the expansion Warlords rose to the 4th spot in the ranking, 12 places up from the previous month. The full listing for the month is available at IGN here."
September 21 `AON` EPISODE 109 RELEASED
The ninth episode of Age of Nations (AoN), "Aftermath", has been released. Written by Daniel "DanQ" Quick, [h]ardening attitudes and bitter realities cost a despondent general dearly. Then, an ordeal by fire awaits two of his untested colleagues when a neighbour`s plan for retaliation gets an unexpected push into motion."
September 22 NEXT-GEN INTERVIEWS SOREN
"Next Generation, a website devoted to the game industry, has posted an interview with Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson. The article shows a more personal side of Soren than most will be used to. In 15 questions it reveals his favourite part of the working day, what he was into as a child, how he spends his weekends, his biggest hero from history, his favourite movies, games, books and sports team and more."
September 29 FRANCHISE WEBSITE
"An official website for the entire Civilization franchise has been created by publisher 2K Games. At present it contains links to existing official websites for Civilization III and expansions, CivCity: Rome, Civilization IV and its expansion Warlords, as well an overview of what’s included in the game collection Sid Meier’s Civilization Chronicles that’s set to be released in October. You can find the site at http://www.civilization.com/."
September 29 BRIAN REYNOLDS ON CIV2 DEVELOPMENT
"Fellow Civilization fan site Civilization Fanatics Center has posted an interview with Brian Reynolds, who was the lead designer on Colonization, Civilization II, Alpha Centauri and Rise of Nations and founder of Big Huge Games. This interview was conducted by Troy Goodfellow and was originally intended to be part of the 96-page book The Chronicles of Civilization that will ship with the upcoming Civilization Chronicles games collection but was ultimately cut from it. In the interview Brian gives six very detailed answers to questions about the development of Civilization II."
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