NOTE: This is The Column, a regular feature on Apolyton where anyone can write about anything to do with Civilization or the gaming industry as a whole. If you feel like writing, please visit the article submission page.

PREVIOUS ARTICLES

#130 INTO THE MYSTIC Raingoon takes us on a guided journey that draws him into Civilization. #129 MICROPROSE SHOULD RELEASE THE CIVILIZATION II SOURCE DarthVeda pleads to MicroPROSE to release the source code of Civilization II. #128 MY LONG TERM LOVE AFFAIR WITH CIVILIZATION Father Beast fondly remembers of a unnamed game he, his older brother and stepfather played long ago. #127 THE "REAL" CIVILIZATION II Christantine The Great is appalled with what he saw as MicroPROSE milking off of the success of CivII. #126 THE PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTION Kent Wang divulges in his receipe on the elements needed for a truly addictive gaming experience. COLUMN ARCHIVE

In the summer of 1998 the web trembled and Apolyton was born. The site quickly became an oasis for the tired surfer, a civilisation paradise for novice players and experts alike. These were the days when winning the space race with a single city or as early as 6 AD not only was unheard-of, it was unthinkable.

I used to come here several times everyday and read the boards for hours and hours. It was hard to keep up as new threads were born continuously and grew fast. True, the forums were less diversified than today but the overall activity was tremendous. Many posters impressed me deeply with their knowledge about the game, their wit and their benevolence towards newcomers. Soon, people I had never met (and probably never will meet) felt like family. I felt silly about it because in those days I viewed Internet communities as superficial substitutes, as something for people with no social abilities whatsoever in the real world. My Apolyton addiction soon matched the one I had (and have) for Civ II.

Today, however, the forums seem awfully slow to me. Hours and sometimes even days pass without a single post in some of them. Hence my concern and the reason for writing this column: Is Apolyton dying?

The first objection is obvious: Apolyton is not only its forums. True, but are they not the heart and soul of the web site? Are they not the main reason for a majority of us to come here? Discussing with other people, whether it is on- or off-topic, is the most fun part of Apolyton (at least to me). I doubt I would be here as often as I am if I only could download scenarios or read about upcoming civilisation events.

Second objection: The off-topic forum. Vivid, heated, vibrant and (mostly) a lot of fun. Yes, but what happens when the overall interest in the game slowly fades away? Can the off-topic forum alone save Apolyton? I think not.

Third objection: The interest in the game is not fading away, on the contrary the game thrives. We play multiplayer and challenges like OCC. We eagerly await Civ III, which is just around the corner. While I have confidence in MP as a temporarily savior, most posts in the MP forum are about finding players and getting games going. Fine, but not something to drool over for hours and hours. As for Civ III, I guess that it can boost the forum activity but I feel rather pessimistic about it. Test of Time and Call to Power were disappointments to a lot of people, right or wrong. Sometimes I feel that I expect too much of Civ III, that it will bring back that nostalgic addiction to the game (highly unlikely). Sometimes I fear that it will deviate too much from Civ II and that it will end up collecting dust on a shelf.

What are your opinions? Am I being too pessimistic?

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The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of Apolyton CS or GameStats. They are just the personal opinions of the writer.