note: This is The Column, a part of Apolyton where anyone can write about whatever he/she wants :) If you feel like writing, submit your article via the article submission page

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#100 BRIAN IS GONE BUT CIV3 IS STILL GOING STRONG Brian (Reynolds) may be gone, but don't anyone give up on Civ3, korn469 persists. #101 INTERNET COMMUNITIES Online communities are all over the place, CyberShy says, and all you have to do is look. #102 THE ESSENTIAL CTP2: BEYOND THE PR STUFF (PART 1) MarkG hopes that fans and reviewers alike will better receive Activision's next CTP project. #103 THE ESSENTIAL CTP2: BEYOND THE PR STUFF (PART 2) MarkG takes one more day to say his peace on the attitude Activision should take towards CTP2. #104 MICRO FOCUS IN CIVILIZATION KILLING CIVILIZATION III Jason Beaudion surfaces to share his thoughts on micromanaging in Civilization. COLUMN ARCHIVE

1. "Have you guys been approached by companies wanting to pay you to be webmasters or designers?"

Yes, we [Markos and I] have been approached by companies on this matter. We were asked if we were interested, and we said we were. However, as plans changed at the companies, this no longer became an option. We are not ruling out the possibility of offers coming our way again -- we would certainly entertain and welcome them -- but it is not an avenue we are actively persuing.

2a) "With what frequency is Apolyton contacted by game development companies such as Firaxis?"
b) "With what frequency does Apolyton contact these companies?"

A) This primarily depends upon the stages at which the companies are in development (if at all) of a Civilization-related title. One month we may exchange emails once or twice a week, and then the next (month) maybe scarcely a word passes between us. We at Apolyton consider ourselves fortunate to have strong and healthy ties to the companies that have developed the games that we cover, and we are always working to further those relationships to become even more than was originally conceived.

B) Basically the same answer as A), only this time looking from opposite sides of the fence. For example: during times of late breaking news, such as the relase of Civilization: Call To Power, the announcement of Dinosaurs or the availability of a new patch, I think we give our email servers a little workout ;).

3. "What do you REALLY think about SidGames [website]"?

I believe that they have their own strengths, weaknesses and aspirations just like we do. SG is leaning more and more towards being a 'genre-wide' strategy gaming website, covering both TBS and RTS titles and those in and outside of the Civ series. For the time being anyway, we are sticking to our roots as a "Civilization" website. As a result, our paths are starting to cross less and less, but it is still a daily occourance. I would be lying if I said our intersite relations were never strained, never buckling, but hopefully those days are behind us. For most of our sites' history, we have maintained and fostered a mutual respect for one another.

They are a worthy competitor in the gaming sections that we offer mutually (it is not our place to comment on the other areas of their gaming coverage), and we both compliment the online Civilization community by showing that there is room for two titans to operate... and butt heads from time to time. :)

4. "Why is Apolyton _the_ best Civ-Fansite on the web?"

First off, thank you for the assertation that Apolyton is the best Civ-fansite on the Net. {BLUSH}

I never think of Apolyton in terms of being better than another site but rather in what we offer, and what else we can offer, to make us better. We have been recognized on numerous occasions in magazines, other websites and by word of mouth about the tremendous job we have done to take Apolyton this far. If we were to stop alongside the road to admire ourselves, we would lose focus on what we are doing this for in the first place: to serve the public, end of statement.

I can speak from experience that the Civilization-themed websites of today are, for the most part, larger, more popular, and more community oriented if less numerous than they were three and a half years ago. In addition it is a challenge for me, and other webmasters as well whom I'm sure will agree with me, to "keep our faces" visible behind our nicknames so we do not lose the personal touch with our visitors that I believe has helped Apolyton achieve the successes it has to date. It is a challenge we welcome and relish in tackling.

Call it a corny, off-handed remark if you will, but it really serves no useful purpose -- from our stand-point anyway -- to convince ourselves we are the best in what we do; besides, we have our fans who graciously tell us all the time. :))

5. "How much space (MB) does the site take up?"/"In Megabytes, how large is Apolytons forum?" etc.

In the hundreds. Honestly. Now that I've given you some general idea of the disk space Apolyton takes up, you're probably thinking:

a) "DanQ is full of sh1t" or something along those lines.
My response? If that's what helps you sleep at night... hehehehe

b) "Now that he's given an inch, we'll take a mile". In other words, "now that he's given us a range, we'll starting guessing/pushing for an exact #".
'fraid not! Even if I was to give you an exact number at this very moment, there's an excellent chance there would be a noticeable difference in that value a week or so later. We're not in the business of misleading the public, so.... :)

6. "Have you ever wanted to just get rid of Apolyton and start all over?"

There have been some difficult circumstances in the past that forced such thoughts to the surface in my mind, but I knew that such thinking was only out of frustration and would obviously create more problems than it would solve!

I have learned from painful experiences in the past that when one starts to think this way, it is best to take a breather and get away from the PC for a good, long while. Nothing like a good book or an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to take one's mind off things. :)

7. "Would either of you ever consider making Apolyton your full-time occupation?"

These questions are just being answered by me...

As for myself, I would certainly take upon the opportunity to work more on Apolyton if and when the opportunity arises. However, I doubt I would make it a "full-time occupation", or even in terms of "part-time". To me "occupation" implies work, and if I started thinking about what I do on Apolyton as work, I am afraid I might not enjoy it as much as I do now. To say that I am perfectly happy 100% of the time while I am sitting in front of the PC working on this site would be a bold-faced lie, but I certainly wouldn't still be doing this if it was not in the least satisfying.

To sum up my thoughts, I would prefer to keep Apolyton as a hobby. I work on Apolyton to relieve stress, not create it by putting the pressure of having this as my "job".

8. "Ever been hacked into?"

No, but the threat exists, as it does with any other website. We have been warned in the past of such possible aggressions, but fortunately none came to pass. I hope this streak will continue for a LONG, LONG time. Hackers do what they do not only to get attention (those are crackers), but to cause damage. Needless to say if anyone took this step against us, like any other webmaster, we would take action.
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About the author: Apolyton Co-Owner/Administrator

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