NT CORRECTION December 29, 1998
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Guy Gascoigne for pointing out an error in a news item we posted earlier this week. In our December 23rd article ""It's Alive"... Under WinNT", we mentioned that DirectX 3 support was present in WinNT Service Pack 4. This is, in fact, incorrect. As NT patches are cumulative, the fixes in SP's 1-3 are in SP4, plus the new ones exclusive to that update. The minimum SP required for any NT DirectX support is SP3. Sooner or later, Guy tells us, they [Microsoft] will provide support for an up-to-date DirectX version under NT, but at the monent this is scheduled for NT 5.0 (to be released sometime next year, at present).
In short, the fact is that both SP 3 and SP4 contain DirectX3 for NT. Again, we at Apolyton apologize for the error.

CHAMPIONSHIP APPROACHES December 30, 1998
It's almost time for the Champsionship Game over at CivLeague. Take a look and see how the competition is stacking up!

PATCH PROGRESS December 28, 1998
MicroProse representative William Denman informed me [Dan] today that more progress has been made with the MGE patch. The U.K. version is currently being tested as things wind down towards completion.
Denman also said that the AI's speed/intelligence during latter stages of the game has been greatly improved in the patch. He also confirmed that those without the patch installed will not be able to play against those who do to avoid 'loophole explotation'. It will be, reportedly, released in a matter of days.

MAC PORT NOT FORGOTTEN December 27, 1998
MacSoft, which ported the 'original' CivII to the Mac platform last August, is set to do the same with CivII: MGE next January. Since its announcement in a June 3^rd press release, the Mac flavoured version of the latest installment in the Civilization series has been equally (and eagerly) awaited by its faithful following as it was by Windows-based Civ'ers^*. During a visit to Macsoft's website earlier this week, the company had entered the home stretch of its development. In addition, a full preview has been promised and will be online soon. We'll keep you up-to-date with the latest developments as they are made available to us.   * MGE is not yet globally available for the Windows OS.

HAC OPENS!
(Dec.24) Hodadian Awards Central opens its doors to the public today! Please drop by and welcome them aboard!

"IT'S ALIVE!"... UNDER WindowsNT December 23, 1998
We have received a report from Trey Morita that MGE works fine under WinNT 4 with Service Pack 3. Shortly thereafter, Timothy Trimble informed us that he successfully installed MGE also under NT but with SP4. He believes that because SP4 provides support for DirectX 3, it is the reason as to why it is working. Thanks, Trey & Tim, for the emails!

GAMESPOT UK PREVIEWS! December 23, 1998
GameSpot UK Editor Ian Bloke got in touch with us earlier this week to let us know of their War And Peace: Strategy Games Special feature. The titles under the TBS ladder include MGE and Test of Time, as well as others historical and sci-fi products. But this is only the start of its coverage and after all, have the fun is in the discovery!

MGE PATCH UPDATE December 23, 1998
MGE Lead Designer and Programmer William Denman has informed us that the MGE patch is in the process of being approved. In the meantime, he sent us a copy of the 'Readme' file. Not only does it explain what fixes are included in the "first patch" (indicating that there will be others?), but it also includes a better explanation of how to setup one-on-one games through Dial-Up Networking.

ONE-ON-ONE POSSIBILITIES December 19, 1998
Since MGE's release, there has been heated debate over the different types of multiplayer capabilities available. One of the most notable is perhaps modem-to-modem, aka direct connection. Many have questioned how to do it, and some have come to the conclusion that it's simply not possible, and understandable so.
However, take a look at your "Readme.txt" file where you installed MGE (default is '/MicroProse Software/Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition'). In there look under the heading Setup Procedure For Direct Connect Multiplayer Games, or click the preceeding link to view.

SMAC FINISHED! December 19, 1998
It's finally true! SMAC(short for 'Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - A Brian Reynolds Design') is ready!! A 100-turns demo will be available in the next days, certainly until Christmas. Find out more on our GS affiliate, Beyond AC, as well as the official forums and the comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic newsgroup, where Brian Reynolds himself answers questions about the game.

ONE HOT ITEM!
Is it safe to assume that CivII: MGE has proven itself a Holiday Success? Although it is still too soon to tell, it has certainly gotten off on the right foot: EBWorld reports that it is one of the Top 5 PC Games in demand at their online establishment.
On a similar note, we have gotten word from Nicolas Holzapfel that MGE has finally been released in the U.K. at a retail price of £29.99 (EB and Virgin Megastore anyway). At the same time, Derek Lande has informed us that it will not be available in Ireland until after Christmas. We really appreciate these updates. If you have any MGE related news in terms of availability (or lack thereof) in your area, please email Dan.

Finally, we have gotten a number of emails regarding MGE's system requirements. They are as follows (minimum): * Pentium or later compatible; * Windows95 with DirectX; * 16MB RAM; 95MB HDD Space Free; 2X CD-ROM; Super VGA graphics for 640 x 480 x 256 colours. MPS recommends at least a: * Pentium 90Mhz compatible or higher; * 4X CD-ROM; * Win95-compatible sound card. For multiplayer capabilities, the following is required: * Null-modem serial cable (2 players); * 28.8kbps Win95 compatible modem (2 players); * Local area network with TCP/IP or IPX protocol (2+ players); * Internet play requirements 28.8kbps or faster connection (2+ players).

MGE REPORT SUBMITTED
(Dec.14) We would like to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of ourselves and MicroProse, all those who submitted CivII: MGE bug reports in recent weeks. Dan submitted the completed report, three weeks in the works, to MicroProse earlier this evening.
Feel free to continue to submit bug reports to MicroProse, and to us either by email or on our forums. On a final note, a future publication of this report is now being taken into consideration.

OPERATORS STANDING BY
(Dec.12) No longer anonymous after 'going public' on our forums earlier today, Hasbro Interactive representative William Denman, who spearheaded Multiplayer Gold Edition's development, has informed us that they have se tup a new email address, civ2@microprose.com, which you can use to get in touch with the crew directly. Feel free to get in touch with them with any comments/questions/criticisms you may have about MGE or an y other CivII related product. They cannot promise a personal reply to everyone, but they are going to do their best. They wish to make it clear from the getgo that any flame will be ignored... as Will advises, quote, "chill baby".

Also along those lines comes word that they [MicroProse] are currently working on a complete, extensive overhaul of their CivII website. It is currently being tested on the company intranet and the 'Net launch' should take place sometime in the next couple of weeks.

THE TIME HAS COME December 15, 1998
The time has come for you to prove that you're the best civer in the world! :) Go over to CivLeague and sign-up for the first Tournament as well as the Ladder! The tournament starts on Friday. Are you ready?

MGE ON THE SPOT December 15, 1998
Our first feature review of CivII: MGE is now live! Jeff Olson, aka Saganaga, has kindly submitted his review to us. In the coming weeks, we hope to have the opportunity to post additional reviews of this latest addition to the Civilization franchise. We want to hear your take on MicroProse's latest efforts! If you have a review to submit, please address it to Markos.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!
(Dec.10) As lots of people are starting to get MGE, CivLeague is organizing the first Civ2 Multiplayer Tournament! If you're a member of CivLeague you've goten a mail about it, here is the whole announcement for the rest of you.

CIV2:MGE IN STORES NOW! December 4, 1998
(2:30am) And a couple of hours after me posting a news item with that exact title you see below, Jeffrey Olson(Saganaga Canoer) and Eric Luttrell were buying their copies of Civ2:MGE from their local BestBuy stores at $19.99!! Yeap, it's out there! Check your local stores (BestBuy or not BestBuy, of course) and tell us if and where MGE can be found! Saganaga for example lives in Minnesota. Also, Derek Lande from Ireland has been told that MGE will be available in the GAME stores on Dec 11th(next Friday). See you on the battlefield!
(3:50am) Patrick Coville reports that MGE is available in Washington at Best Buy, Futureshop and Computer City for $19.99 and at Electronics etc. and EB (despite the page on the site) for $29.99. Check them out!

APOLYTON IN PRINT!
(Dec.1) Do you read PC Games? Well, get the December issue and go to page 42. A pretty interesting article on the participation of fans in development of games, mentions Apolyton twice! Not exactly everything is accurate but you can't everything in this life...

SQUISH THOSE BUGS!
(Dec.7) Not long after Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition hit the shelves did the complaints of bugs start rolling in both on our forums and mailboxes. Due to such a strong outpouring of information, we have decided to compile a list of them! If you have a bug to report, please drop Dan a line and explain the problem as detailed as possible. He is constantly updating his list and will be passing it onto our anonymous source at MicroProse in one week's time. As mentioned in our exclusive MGE preview, MPS recognizes that there are some bugs and are already working on a patch.

TECH TREE TUMBLE
(Dec.7) If you've had the opportunity to purchase and play with MGE for a while, you have likely entered negotations with other human players throughout the game. You may wonder why in some situations when you're talking to an opponent you see the entire technological tree when looking to exchange knowledge! Our anonymous MPS source has provided us with the following, logical reasoning:

    "If the list pertains to your advances on your machine, [MGE] shows exactly what you have, not the whole list. However, if on another machine, a list refers to your advances, [MGE] lists all of the advances. The design reasoning is that we do not want to give away to an opponent knowledge about 'where you are' in the research tree".

FIRST LOOK AT MGE Apolyton CS Exclusive
(Dec.4) We promised and we have delivered. On the day of Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition's release, we are proud to present your first look at this long-awaited product (unless you have already raided your local computer store and purchased a copy :)). Apolyton's own Dan Quick took MGE for a test drive a couple of weeks ago and his preview begins here. Enjoy!

SLEAGUE IS COMING!
(Dec. 7) If you have visited Scenario League's website recently, you already know that it will be moving to Apolyton within the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for the official launch announcement!

HOLD ON A BIT MORE... December 3, 1998
From what it seems, we'll have to wait a bit more MGE. Gamespot's list from December 4th to 11th doesn't include MGE, and EbWorld now says December 8th(from 4th). Chips&Bits has updated the date and now says Dec/98 from Nov/98. Meanwhile, Russel Waymire contacted Hastings and he was told that it was due in last tuesday(Nov.24) but that it is on backorder. Finally, 'My Wife Hates Civ' posted on the Civ2 General Forum that he called MPS and they said that it will be available Mid December. Oh well, at least there is an official response! Our thanks to Joel Siragher, Jeffrey Sisk, Jim Burck for continuously notifying us.

SEE ALSO:
MARCH '99 NEWS ARCHIVE
FEBRUARY '99 NEWS ARCHIVE
JANUARY '99 NEWS ARCHIVE
NOVEMBER '98 NEWS ARCHIVE
OCTOBER '98 NEWS ARCHIVE
SEPTEMBER '98 NEWS ARCHIVE
AUGUST '98 NEWS ARCHIVE
JULY '98 NEWS ARCHIVE

BACK TO NEWS ARCHIVE