While there had been many hints that MP would be available at the launch of CivIII the truth was soon to come out. We were dreaming about a new MP game we could play. It would be a grand new adventure… a game that solved all the problems that were in CivII. While there was some skepticism, we also had hope. Finally, we would have something to replace the aging game that we had played for years. But alas, that wasn’t going to be the case. It was a major bummer for the MP community .

It was the best of times...

The CivII MP forum, while past its peak, was still going strong. The Aussie bunch was a strong force. Alexander’s Horse and his herd: Hydey, finbar, deity, Rasputin and sometimes Makeo were playing and spamming… opps, I mean posting. Nothing was sacred, as they made fun of each other and the rest of the remaining MP crowd. Then there was the Diplo crew… OzzyKP, The Capo, Frank Johnson, drake, belinda9, Prometheus and others were weaving tales of glory and defeat as the History Of The World was continually being rewritten. You could still count on Slowwhand, boann and the rest of Tribe Tuatha to try to keep Tribe play alive… Then there was the “I am the Best” crowd… Eyes of Night had just been banned from CivFanatics, so the discussions got even hotter at Apolyton. StrategicKing, General Maximus, markusf, Kuja, Species8472 and a host of others continued to amuse the MP community with their outrageous (but well deserved) claims of greatness. Cavebear was performing above and beyond the call of duty as he kept the “PLAYERS TOURNAMENT” alive and running.

The “Setting Up IP Game” crowd (or as some called us, the old farts) led by Rah and myself, was going strong… The group has included an incredible list of players: ARII , BARONO, BEEFHAWK, BERZERKER, BIZZARO, BIRD, BOANN, BOLO, BROCHER, CARNIDE, CAROLUS REX, CORNMASTER, DANGIME, DARKSTORM, DDP, DEITY, EASTHAVEN, EMPRESS, EPIK, HYDEY, JOHN B., JEDISCUM, KENT-JO, MAKEO, MARKUS, MATT AND LINDA, MAUD'DIB, MERCATOR, MILO, MWHC, OEDO, PAUL, SERGENT SHEETS, SMARTFART, SMASH, SUPERSNEAK, TAZIDUDE (REST HIS SOUL), TOADKILLER, WAR4EVER, XIN YU, ZYLKA and others. It was easy to get a game… on many nights, multiple games were being set up.

And there were many other people who posted regularly in the MP forums a year ago. There were even some days that the MP Forum saw similar levels of activity as the Off Topic Forum. It was indeed the best of times! And then… things changed as we moved past the 3rd Birthday of Apolyton. With the eventual release of CivIII, people starting drifting away. Many people found the lure of a “new” game, and the sense of new discovery, far stronger than their attachment to that “old game”. Others just tired of the game. Slowly but surely, the CivII MP Forum began to die. It didn’t happen over night, but the writing was on the wall…

The Aussie group started posting less… Diplo games fell by the wayside as rules arguments ended some games before their conclusion… Tribe play ceased… The “I am the best” crowd stopped posting… The “Players Tournament” didn’t continue… The “active” members of the “Setting up IP Games” crowd got smaller and smaller… All the other CivII forums were seeing the same thing… little activity, and only the real hard cores left.

It was the worst of times…

But as in all things… the cycle turned again. Many people had mastered CivIII or found it to be lacking in what they were looking for. The AI no longer posed a challenge for some, and without the ability to play “smart” humans, people started to remember that “old game” where you still could challenge the best and the brightest. Activity in the CivII MP Forum started to pick up. The Aussies returned in force… The “I am the best” crowd is back to amusing us with their claims of greatness… It’s now getting easier to set up a game… Newbees looking for a game are popping up… Even some of the OTF’ers are joining in the fun (probably because they know that their posts there still count)…

As we celebrate the 4th Birthday of Apolyton, there is still some life left in that grand old game called CivII. Who would have thought a game that old could still generate the passion that can be found in the CivII Forums of Apolyton. As we move into the next year, nobody knows for sure what will happen. The release of CivIII PTW will surely have an impact… We shall just have to wait and see. To all whom have ever posted in the CivII forums, you have my thanks. To those I forgot to mention, my apologies. I came to Apolyton for the CivII forums, and they are still very important to me. If you haven’t posted there… check them out. Dust off that old copy of CivIII give it a try again… match wits against newbees, hard cores, and the Pros… It’s still a GREAT GAME.

Keep on Civin’