COLUMN #119; BY KEN BREGGOT (10 June 2000, 20:16 EST) Ken Breggot has the honour of being this week's featured writer in The Column, Apolyton's long-running weekly series of articles by and for Civilization fans that examine in the ins and outs of the Civ series and its global appeal.
In his article entitled "Moderation Is A Virtue", Ken worries that trying to make Civ too complex will make gameplay too cumbersome. Comments/questions about the article? Speak your mind.
On a related note, the second installment of Markos Giannopoulos' newest column series, "Freedom & Obligation: CTP2", will surface in a few weeks. -DanQ
COLUMN 118, FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION: CTP2 (3 June 2000, 18:05 EST) Our latest column, the first of a trilogy of articles(!), titled "Freedom and Obligation: CTP2". MarkG explores the expectations behind a game. Comments are highly welcome. -MarkG
CIV3 SECTION REVIEW (1 June 2000, 5:52 EST) A "review us" box was added on the side menu of the main Civ3 page, to make it easier for you sent us feedback on the Civ3 section. Your review and rating will be added in the entry of our Civ3 section on the Apolyton Links&Products Directory.
BIGHUGEGAMES.COM REDESIGNED (8 June 2000, 15:18 EST) Big Huge Games has launched their re-designed website, opping for a lighter colour-scheme over the old one and improved navigation. On the content side, There is an article on the game industry by Brian Reynolds. If you want to get into the industry, or if you're just interested in the topic, check it out. -MarkG
TIM TRAIN ON GAMEOPOLIS (7 June 2000, 16:40 EST) Anew fan site, Gameopolis, posted an interview with Tim Train today. Nothing new(unfortunately), but do check it out... -MarkG
Apolyton News
1-10/June 2000
CALL TO POWER
FLAT MAP SUPPORT!! (10 June 2000, 2:51 EST) Wonderfull news for scenario makers! Flat map support is now possible, yes in CTP1, with SLIC. No wait for CTP2! Read all about it and download the file on the forums. WesW's new beta 5 of the Medieval Pack v3 includes flat map support. Hopefully, it will be soon be done for the Apolyton Pack as well. -MarkG
WORLD 2M SCENARIO (9 June 2000, 9:36 EST)A new scenario just came in today! Simple but convenient(if you like the idea): World map for 24 players in the year 2100. Each player has 1 land , 1 sea and 1 space city and various units in addition to 3M Gold and 1 M PW and all non-future science. The creators suggests: Choose some useful wonders, balance your civ at the first turn and choose a productive government. It uses the scenario pack feature, so unzip it in it's own directory under the scenarios folder Download now! -MarkG
CIVILIZATION III
LINUX/MAC VERSIONS: IT`S HASBRO`S DECISION (6 June 2000, 16:46 EST) Spekter re-opened the linux port issue on the forums. Yeah, it would be cool if a linux port could be out at the same time with the windows version. Jeff Morris brought us down to reality though: As I understand it, this is up to the publisher. The primary determination is whether or not the game sold well enough to justify the additional development cost. With SMAC it was, so EA contracted a linux and Macintosh port. One point worth making is that Firaxis didn't handle the SMAC ports in-house. Aspyr (Austin, TX) did the Mac port and Loki (Tustin, CA(weird)) did the linux (both professional and talented outfits). My conclusion? Expect the linux/mac ports 6-12 months after the initial (windows) release... Thanks to Ken Bregott for sending us a note about the thread -MarkG
YAGIOA: SI (5 June 2000, 6:27 EST) YAGIOA: Yet Another Great Idea On Apolyton :) SI: Social Interaction. A new model suggested by The Joker. Lots of great ideas that could totally change how we play civ games -MarkG
MISCELLANEOUS
CHART-TRAK: JUNE 3, 2000 (8 June 2000, 9:38 EST)The Sims remains the Top Selling Game in the U.K. for the seventh week in a row, according to Chart Trak for week ending June 3, 2000. Eidos' Championship Manager: Season 99/00 and Activision's Soldier of Fortune moved back up the charts to take hold of the number two and three spots again.
1) The Sims | EA 2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos 3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision 4) Age of Empires II | Microsoft 5) Tachyon: The Fringe | NovaLogic -DanQ
PC DATA: MAY 21 - 27, 200 (7 June 2000, 16:12 EST) For the week May 21 - May 27, 2000, those listed below are the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by PCData based in Reston, Virgina. This chart is developed from data provided by 17 retail chains comprising more than 60% of the U.S. market.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire -- 2nd Edition holds onto the top spot for the second week in a row while Microsoft's Motocross Madness 2 debutes at number 6.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire -- 2nd Edition | Disney 2) The Sims | Electronic Arts 3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive 4) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts 5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft 6) Motocross Madness 2 | Microsoft 7) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios 8) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive 9) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney 10) Starcraft | Havas -DanQ
A new scenario just came in today! Simple but convenient(if you like the idea): World map for 24 players in the year 2100. Each player has 1 land , 1 sea and 1 space city and various units in addition to 3M Gold and 1 M PW and all non-future science. 
