March 2001
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 23-29/MAR/01
(31 March 2001, 17:52 EST/Misc) Black&White hit the top of the Chips&Bits on it's first week!
Here's the latest that's moving online. BLACK & WHITE PC is this weeks big release at #1. EUROPA UNIVERSALIS PC has slipped a spot to #2. ICEWIND DALE: HEART OF WINTER PC is in the #3 spot.
1. Black & White ($44.95)
2. Europa Universalis ($39.95)
3. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter ($28.95)
4. Space Empires IV ($42.95)
5. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel ($42.95)
6. Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle ($39.95)
7. NASCAR Racing IV ($42.95)
8. Fighting Steel ($19.95)
9. Hollywood Mogul ($28.95)
10. Fate of the Dragon: Three Kingdoms ($34.95)
-MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAR. 18 - MAR. 24, 2001
(28 March 2001, 19:03 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the March 18th - March 24th, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live on demand in RealAudio© format. Total running time for this week's installment is 11m:56s.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.4MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
SCREENS FROM CGW PREVIEW
(28 March 2001, 18:22 EST/Civ3) Many thanks goes to Kull, the Diplomacy leader and Web editor for Clash of Civilizations, who posted and another fellow Civer who emailed us scanned in copies of the Computer Games World preview of CivIII [see news item below]. It was Shuttleswo who scanned in the screens that Civers from around the world can now enjoy.
While the CGW preview is not available in all areas across North America yet, and availability elsewhere is also limited, we have mirrored the scanned in images of the preview in the following four files: one (213K), two (831K), three (51K), and four (189K). -DanQ
FORUM DIFFICULTIES - SOLVED
(28 March 2001, 17:20 EST/About) All problematic forum logins should be functional. Each affected user should be recieving or has already received a mail with his username and password.
Some data (signatures, location, etc.) could not be updated or lost. If this is the case with your account, you are asked to update your account yourself as need be. -MarkG
AUDIO NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE OFFLINE
(28 March 2001, 17:07 EST/Misc) The archive of the audio versions of our weekly newsletter have been temporarily taken offline. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be back up by Tuesday of next week.
We thank you for your patience. -DanQ
FORUM DIFFICULTIES
(28 March 2001, 12:38 EST/About) We are aware of the difficulties surrounding the problems at the moment, in particular user accounts, and are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to correct them.
Problems will be dealt with in order of severity followed by the order in which requests for assistance are sent to us.
We thank you for your patience. -DanQ
CGW PREVIEW -- WITH SCREENSHOTS
(27 March 2001, 23:36 EST/Civ3) Shuttleswo reported in our forums earlier today that the April, 2001 edition of Computer Gaming World magazine cover story is none other than on Civilization III. He says that it is similar to the recent GameSpot UK interview [see story below], but it is way more detailed plus having some early screenshots to feast over.
Shuttleswo has kind enough to make the time to type up some of the information found in the CGW feature. Here are some excerpts:
Material Goods
Each raw -good icon supplies an entire civilization with that particular good. Resources such as iron and uranium allow a civilization to produce certain goods. Luxuries such as ivory make the population happier. [..]
Culture
Each civilization accumulates cultural points based on the types of city improvement built and how long they've been around. When one civilization takes over a foreign city a stronger culture rating will make the assimilation easier and avoid debilitating unhappieness. RULES If you build cultural improvements (a library, a wonder) early in the game these enhancements will generate cultural points the entire game. [..]
In addition to this, our said forum poster comments that the last line of the article says to expect CivIII this November or December but that it was the article author's input and not a quote or otherwise from a staff member of Firaxis Games.
Dan Magaha, Firaxis webmaster, had this to say about learning of the CGW write-up and its contents.
If you were quick, you might have noticed that I alluded to this (magazine features) in an earlier thread, he writes. We were told the CGW issue would hit newsstands towards the end of April, so this is quite a surprise. =)
If you've got it now, all the better for you. For those of you frothing at the mouth for screenshots, this will probably just whet your appetite, but nonetheless it should be worth the cover price. -DanQ
APOLYTON NEWS 18-24/MARCH/2001
(27 March 2001, 17:25 EST/Misc) With a... small delay due to the preparations for our Centauri Dawn contest, here are the news of the week. The main headlines for March 11-17, 2001 are:
Hannibal CTP2 Scenario
Sid talks to Gamespot
In a flash: Sid talked to Gamespot UK, giving some information(but not too much). New ctp2 files have been released or updated, included a Hanibal scenario(the ancient one, nothing to do with the movie). Finally, GameLeague extended their tribes feature to include CTP1.
Until next week... -MarkG
CURSORS, ADVANCE IMAGES, FIXMOD
(27 March 2001, 0:21 EST/CtP2) Three new files in the CTP2DB today
CTP Advance Images for CTP2 (All CivCTP advance pictures. These images allow you to change the CTP2 age background of most advance pictures)
Collection of Cursors (A collection from ACS combined in one zip file)
Fix Mod (This mod is not a real mod but more like a patch that Activision should have made, it corrects some errors that are possible to correct without changing the source code of the .exe itself)
-MarkG
CTP1 PBEM CHART 25/3/1
(26 March 2001, 16:06 EST/CtP) The latest chart is here! Klair, Mobious and Swissy continue to lead.
RANK NAME................... RATING WIN. LOSS NAT.TR
0001 KLAIR.................. 23.256 0027 0000 FRA...
0002 MOBIUS................. 23.248 0020 0000 GBR.EN
0003 SWISSY................. 21.840 0009 0001 USA.IL
0004 STAVROS................ 21.647 0048 0017 GER...
0005 RICK_ELKINS............ 21.583 0012 0008 USA.NY
0006 QUINNS................. 21.130 0039 0031 USA.CA
0007 THEBIRDMAN............. 21.005 0053 0040 DEN...
0008 SLAMP.................. 20.964 0022 0008 FRA...
0009 MAX_WEBSTER............ 20.674 0016 0011 CAN...
0010 BERXPERT............... 20.380 0009 0001 MEX...
The full list and more at the forum -MarkG
SUCCESSION GAME!
(26 March 2001, 16:03 EST/CtP2) Probably the most recently discovered way to play a civ game has been "copied" from the civ2 forums to the ctp2 ones. The first ctp2 succession game will start on April 1st, with 6 people playing the same civ in the same game in turns(each player playing 20 turns). For more information, especially if you want to join in, see the related forum thread. -MarkG
WHAT DO YOU WANT IN SMAC2?
(26 March 2001, 15:56 EST/SMAC) Since Civ3 is going to soon be a reality, it's probably time to start dreaming of something else: SMAC2!
So, what could be added in a SMAC2? Should it be a return to Earth? Or a colonization of a new planet, while being able to play at Alpha Centauri at the same time? Give your ideas at the forum! -MarkG
WHAT TOPS YOUR LIST?
(25 March 2001, 22:33 EST/Civ3) The strategic branch of the GameSpy network, StrategyPlanet, wants to know which TBS game is atop your list to purchase in the near to distant future.
As of the posting of this article, Black & White is in a sharp lead overall others with a blow-out 69.3% of the total accumulated so far, which is more than 1,700. Civilization III is currently tied with Empire Earth for second with 6.9% of the total vote. The other titles are, in order of popularity to date, Battle for Dune, Cossacks and Simsville.
4.6% and 3.4% of all ballots cast are for the "Other" and "Where am I?" categories respectively. -DanQ
CENTAURI DAWN CONTEST!!
(25 March 2001, 18:11 EST/Misc) 
Apolyton is proud to preent the CENTAURI DAWN CONTEST!
It's only our first Alpha Centauri relared contest, but we are very proud of it. And that's because this is not a simple "give away presents" contest, but a pure effort to produce lots and good smac fiction!
Click on the banner for more information! -MarkG
C#159: CIV II VS CTP2, TOT, AC, ETC...
(24 March 2001, 20:42 EST/Misc) Some good people have taken the big step to give everyone a brake and stop me from writing more articles for the Column.
The very first was was Hoek with his (nominated for biggest column title ever) CIVILIZATION II VERSUS CTP2, TOT, ALPHA CENTAURI, ETC... article.
Got a comment? In the related forum thread please. Got a column to submit? Pay a visit to the article submission page! -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 16-22/MAR/01
(24 March 2001, 20:28 EST/Misc) No changes at the top 3 for Chips&Bits sales chart.
EUROPA UNIVERSALIS is unchanged at #1. ICEWIND DALE: HEART OF WINTER is still at #2. SPACE EMPIRES IV is hanging at #3.
1. Europa Universalis ($39.95)
2. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter ($28.95)
3. Space Empires IV ($42.95)
4. NASCAR Racing IV ($42.95)
5. Grim Fandango ($9.95)
6. Fighting Steel ($19.95)
7. Hollywood Mogul ($28.95)
8. B-17 Flying Fortress 2 ($44.95)
9. Fate of the Dragon: Three Kingdoms ($34.95)
10. Championship Manager (5) 00'-'01 ($42.95)
STARSIEGE TRIBES 2 and BLACK & WHITE are coming out soon and are expected to hit the top, according to C&B -MarkG
RECENT EMAIL DIFFICULTIES
(24 March 2001, 15:23 EST/About) About a day or so ago our host's mail server experienced some difficulties and service was only fully restored earlier this afternoon. The nature of these difficulties meant that anyone who emailed "dan@apolyton.net" (not "markg@apolyton.net") in the past ~36hrs. or so may have had their email bounced back to them with any kind of error in response.
If you did email "dan@apolyton.net" in the last ~36hrs. and did have your email bounced back to you, please resend it (or them as the case may be). If you did send an email to the said address during the said time period but did not receive an error, please re-send anyway to ensure proper receipt.
We thank you for your co-operation. -DanQ
HANNIBAL`S WAR SCENARIO
(24 March 2001, 12:12 EST/CtP2) "Hannibal Ad Portas" released the BETA of his second scenario. Titled "Hannibal's War", it deals with Carthage and their 2nd Punic War with Rome, regarded by most as Hannibal's War.
Hannibal with his army arrives north of massilia heading for Italy,
Scipio, a roman consul, by chance puts in at massilia for supplies
for his army in route to Spain where he expects to find Hannibal, a
sharp cavalry action follows and Hannibal force marches to the alpine
pass he has selected to lead him into Italy. A second consul is tasked
with the complete conquest of sicily. At this point history is now
yours to make as the creator describes.
The scenario contains new/modified units, and incorporated the diplomod, along with other changes in the AI(more at the related forum thread). If you dont care of of the beta status and have no problem downloading a 6MB file, get it now! -MarkG
GAME ON-PC REVIEW IN
(23 March 2001, 0:05 EST/CtP2) If you thought all the substantial reviews for CTPII were already in, think again. Game On-PC staffer Alessandro Martini recently gave the game a 74% overall score. -DanQ
GSPOT-UK INTERVIEWS MEIER
(22 March 2001, 12:12 EST/Civ3) We receieved word from GameSpot UK's Production Editor Laura Stobart that an interview with Sid Meier was posted on their site earlier today.
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
GameSpot UK: The Civ series is still rated one of the best strategy games of all time - is it possible to improve on perfection?
Sid: Yes! We're taking the "light-hearted" fun elements of Civ, the depth of CivII and the technological advancements of Alpha Centauri, refining and improving them, and adding many new features and ideas we've gathered from years of Civ player feedback, to make CivIII the best Civ experience ever.
GameSpot UK: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your career as a games designer and why?
Sid: The gaming fans have been and continue to be my biggest influence. The messages I receive from people who play my games, whether in the form of support, encouragement, criticisms or suggestions, influence my game-making the most. And I really appreciate all of it.
GameSpot UK: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing games developers today?
Sid: It costs a lot of money to make games unique and exciting for today's gamers and it's more difficult getting the attention of consumers because of the number of titles out there. And technological advancements have presented more opportunities to create better looking and playing games than ever before.
Last but not least, GSpot-UK asks Meier to look forward to the future in the twenty-first century.
GameSpot UK: What do you think of the battle of the next-generation consoles?
Sid: The future will show that there will be distinct segments in the gaming market - single player, multiplayer, console, online only - and each segment will grow along side each other, not at the demise of another. -DanQ
HANGDOG REVIEW, BY PHRED
(22 March 2001, 11:57 EST/CtP2) Hangdog, a start-up gaming network, posted two reviews to launch their site and spark the interest of its visitors -- one of the said reviews is their take on none other than CTPII.
Here's what staff reviewer Phred had to say on various aspects of the game:
Nice intro sequence (once installed!) giving me the flavour of what was to come. [..] Graphics colourful, neat and tidy, interface a bit intrusive. Okay, now we're getting started. [..] The background music was repetitive, as you might expect. After a few hours of playing, the same little ditties keep spinning again and again. However, the music was generic and unobtrusive enough to avoid making a nuisance of itself.
The micromanagement aspect has been toned way back from, say, CivII. I don't have to worry about what unit was produced in what city. I don't have to worry about what citizen is working at what terrain square, as the cities just pull in resources from their radius of influence. [..] ... now increasingly pleased with the lack of micromanagement. The more I play, the more I appreciate the removal of the heavy micromanagement. [..] Build queues, national management tools are really sweet things!
And what do these items equate in terms of a conclusion? The answer is only a scroll away.
Sure it's a CIV clone...but it's more accessible for the new player. The absence of micromanagement means it's not as deep as CIV so experienced players need not apply (although they might enjoy the AI), but if you're looking to try a turn-based strategy game for the first time it's a good launching point - and a lot of fun!
Phred gave it an overall score of 76%. -DanQ
PCDATA CHART LISTING DISCONTINUED
(22 March 2001, 11:47 EST/About) If you have been a regular visitor to Apolyton for at least a month, you may have begun to expect a weekly posting of the Top 10 Selling Computer Games for the PC platform to be posted in our Miscellaneous section.
We are now serving notice that we have discontinued providing this service ourselves but wish to alert you to the fact that our host, the GameStats News Network, now carries the weekly list themselves. We recommend that you visit GameStats and bookmark the aforementioned page to get your dose of the top of pops four times a month -- they update their listing every Thursday. -DanQ
INFLUENTIAL FORCE IN GAMING
(22 March 2001, 11:38 EST/Misc) GameSpy UK has posted its second round of "The Godfathers of Gaming", their feature of the sites editors' 24 most influential forces in gaming; included in this list is none other than Sid Meier.
just having Sid Meier's name on the box is almost enough to guarantee a hit, GSpy UK writes. He's a game designer par excellence whose skill is to develop original titles where gameplay is measured in months rather than hours, and where hours pass like minutes.
Our thanks to GameSpot UK Production Editor Laura Stobart for the newstip. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAR. 11 - MAR. 17, 2001
(21 March 2001, 19:59 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the March 11th - March 17th, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live on demand in RealAudio© format. Total running time for this week's installment is 8m:26s.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.0MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
CTP TRIBES ON GAMELEAGUE!
(21 March 2001, 18:07 EST/CtP) March 8th was a great for CTP(1 not 2!). GameLeague announced the expansion of their tribe feature to include CTP. 8 Tribes have already formed. Let the battle begin! -MarkG
DIPLOMOD 3.4 & DINO/JAP&KOR MAPS
(20 March 2001, 16:43 EST/CtP2) 
The AI Diplomacy mod have reached version 3.4. Try it today if you havent already.
Also, two new maps from Omnigod(who now has 15 in a total of 91 files in the database!) and Eric McIntyre
Map of Japan & Korea
Dinotopia Map
Btw, show your appreciation to the creators, review some files! -MarkG
HANGDOG.CA: STAFF WANTED
(20 March 2001, 0:14 EST/Misc) We received an email message from Johnny Was, Editor of HangDog.ca, saying that they are looking for staff members for their start-up gaming site. From their website:
Do you love to play games? Can you form coherent thoughts and put them in an email? Do you own your own pants? Do you believe that the novels of Martyn Iannece are pretentious $%#*!?
If you answered YES to any of these questions you might be right for a career in politics. If, however, that doesn't appeal to you [or you're already a politician] maybe you'd like to write game reviews n' stuff here at hangdog!
You can email Was at abandoned@sympatico.ca. -DanQ
APOLYTON NEWS 11-17/MARCH/2001
(19 March 2001, 17:52 EST/Misc) Here is your weekly dose of civ news! The main headlines for March 11-17, 2001 are:
One Year of GG&S!
Chart Mania!
In a flash: We've got all kinds of charts, from smac pbem to chips&bits sales and more. Meanwhile, the GG&S team quietly celebrated one years of endless discussions (not really, development has begun! :))
Until next week... -MarkG
CTP PBEM CHART 18/3/2001
(19 March 2001, 17:49 EST/CtP) The chart has been updated, here it is straight from Solver's desk
RANK NAME................... RATING WIN. LOSS NAT.TR
0001 KLAIR.................. 23.256 0027 0000 FRA...
0002 MOBIUS................. 23.248 0020 0000 GBR.EN
0003 SWISSY................. 21.840 0009 0001 USA.IL
0004 RICK_ELKINS............ 21.583 0012 0008 USA.NY
0005 ST_JON................. 21.160 0034 0034 GBR.EN
0006 STAVROS................ 21.004 0044 0017 GER...
0007 KRALJ_MATJAZ........... 20.982 0024 0003 SLO...
0008 SLAMP.................. 20.964 0022 0008 FRA...
0009 QUINNS................. 20.951 0033 0030 USA.CA
0010 LUNG................... 20.924 0015 0008 AUS.SW
Details at the forums (as always). -MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAR. 4 - MAR. 10, 2001
(18 March 2001, 23:27 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the March 4 - March 10, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.2MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
TOP CTP2 FILES FOR FEBRUARY 2001
(18 March 2001, 17:21 EST/CtP2) Since the numbers of reviews has reached a sufficient number, we are posting the first Top 10 chart for CTP2 files, based of course on YOUR reviews and ratings.
Top 10 Files
1(-). 9.33(-) Map of the World
2(-). 9.00(-) Chariot Unit
3(-). 8.80(-) AI Diplomacy Mod
4(-). 8.50(-) Map of the North Atlantic Ocean
5(-). 8.00(-) (Official) CTP2 Patch
6(-). 5.67(-) (Official) World War II Scenario
ACTP2DB Stats
Total Files: 79
Total Reviews: 38
Average Rating: 8.12
Total Downloads: 30271
Average Downloads/File: 340.12
Note: due to delayed time of this posting, the total number of downloads is not accurate. -MarkG
C#158: THREE POLLS FOR CIV THREE
(17 March 2001, 23:51 EST/Misc) Our latest column is here, for yet another week. The author of this news item comments on the three open civ3 polls, in the article titled Three Polls for Civ3 Three. Comments can be given on the related forum thread.
Btw, in case you havent heard, we are in need of articles. Just think that you wont have to read my writings! Submit a Column today! -MarkG
TOP CIV2 FILES FOR FEBRUARY 2001
(17 March 2001, 23:38 EST/Civ2) The increast of the minimum amount of votes needed to get into the top 10 brought many changes in our chart. Half of the files came for positions below the 10th. Here's the full list:
Top 10 Files
1(3). 9.67(9.67) Patch for Civilization II (2.42)
2(4). 9.42(9.42) HiRes
3(1). 9.33(9.90) Lord of the Rings
4(2). 9.33(9.80) Colonies III
5(-). 9.00(-) Death and Resurrection of an Empire
6(-). 9.00(-) Techtree
7(-). 9.00(-) Civ2 No Limits add-on
8(7). 8.86(9.33) Day of Treason
9(-). 9.67(-) GIF Xtractor beta 3
10(-). 8.40(-) Star Trek Wars
Database Stats
Total Files: 463 (463)
Total Reviews: 310 (300)
Total Rated Files: 120 (119)
Average Rating: 7.35 (7.36)
Total Downloads: 179497 (170391)
Average Downloads/File: 388.52 (369.98)
-MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR FEBRUARY 2001
(17 March 2001, 23:24 EST/Misc) January's surprise("Civ3: The Third Time's the Charm"), dropped to the more "logical" 5th position in February Top 10 Chart. Here's the full listing.
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.69(9.69) The Spanish Civilization II Site
2(4). 9.38(9.38) Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
3(5). 9.37(9.37) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
4(3). 9.31(9.40) Apolyton: CTP2 Section
5(2). 9.30(9.56) Civ3: The Third Time's the Charm
6(6). 9.25(9.25) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
7(7). 8.92(8.92) Civilization II Scenario League
8(8). 8.90(8.90) Colonization Home Page
9(9). 8.89(8.89) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ3 Section
10(10). 8.83(8.83) Civilization II Historical Scenarios
AL&PD Stats
Total Links: 238 (230)
Total Reviews: 803 (791)
Total Rated Links: 129 (129)
Average Rating: 7.00 (6.99)
Total Hits: 89487 (85181)
Average Hits/Link: 376 (370.35)
-MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP10 9-15/MAR/01
(17 March 2001, 4:28 EST/Misc) Through our affiliation with Chips&Bits, we are receiving (among other stuff) their top selling chart. So why not start posting it? Without further comments...
EUROPA UNIVERSALIS PC is still at #1. ICEWIND DALE: HEART OF WINTER PC is unchanged at #2. SPACE EMPIRES IV PC still occupies the #3 position.
1. Europa Universalis IBM CD ROM ($39.95)
2. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter IBM CD ROM ($28.95)
3. Space Empires IV IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
4. NASCAR Racing IV IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
5. Axis & Allies IBM CD ROM ($14.95)
6. Fate of the Dragon: Three Kingdoms IBM CD ROM ($38.95)
7. Grim Fandango IBM CD ROM ($9.95)
8. Championship Manager (5) 00'-'01 IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
9. B-17 Flying Fortress 2 IBM CD ROM ($44.95)
10. Hollywood Mogul IBM CD ROM ($28.95)
The chart reflects sales only on Chips&Bits, one of the bigest online computer games stores. -MarkG
WORK-AROUND: MAC MGE PATCH ERROR
(16 March 2001, 19:00 EST/Civ2Mac) CmdrSalamander has recently discovered a work around for a "feature" that was preventing Mac users from applying the Civ2 MGE Ver. 1.1.1 patch:
I figured out how to update Civ on the Mac from 1.0 to 1.1.1. Before this, I just kept on running the updater and getting an error with a code number that made no sense to me or to anyone I knew. Then I tried this and it worked.
You have to rename the application from "Civilization II Gold 1.0" to "Civilization II Gold 1.1". Sounds stupid, doesn't it? But it works.
This useful tidbit will be added to the Patch notes on the ACS Mac-Civ2 page. See the Forum discussion to pass on a word of praise and thanks to Salman. -macuser
REALISTIC HUGE EARTH MAP
(15 March 2001, 1:11 EST/CtP2) 
One new file has found it's way to our CTP2 Database. It's Dorian Crede's Realistic Huge Earth Map. Based on Omnigod's gigantic worldmap, it is a 400x400 map with 8 nations(Germans, Indians, Chinese, Australians, Native Americans, Incas, Zulus and Mayas). Enjoy! -MarkG
HYPERACTIVE REVIEW
(14 March 2001, 22:32 EST/CtP2) Hyperactive PC staffer James Cottee reviewed CTPII for the site and gave it an overall "hyperactivity" grade of 75.
Sid's on the job making the official version of Civ 3 as we speak, Cottee writes, so while CTP2 may be a welcome treat for fans of its predecessor, it'll offer less to veterans of Meier's reign.
The review is three, brief paragraphs and one screenshot. -DanQ
ONE YEAR OF GG&S!
(13 March 2001, 4:19 EST/Alt) Actually, one year and one week. Still, the guys from the Guns, Germs & Steel team were not too celebrational about it. Anyway, since codnig has begun, i'll just ask the question every designer loves to hear:
Where are the screenshots? :D
Since there are no screenshots yet, check out the design doc. Oh, and happy birthday GG&S! -MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: FEB. 18 - MAR. 3, 2001
(12 March 2001, 19:58 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the February 18 - March 3, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.8MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time.
In addition, this and all previous installments of the audio newsletter now have minute and second indicators beside their file download size. We hope that this information will be useful to the listeners of our "newsletter program" if not on a regular basis then from time to time. -DanQ
APOLYTON NEWS 4-10/MARCH/2001
(12 March 2001, 18:41 EST/Misc) The mail version was sent on time, but the web one was unfortunately delayed for a days
The main headlines are:
- Medieval Pack II Beta
- Bugs & Chronicle Civ3 Polls
In a flash: Wes released the beta version of his Medieval Pack for CTP2. Omni continues to make ctp2 maps. We continue to make new civ3 polls. And your continuing posts on Europa Universalis makes us create a separate forum for it. -MarkG
SMAC PBEM CHART 11/3/1
(12 March 2001, 9:19 EST/SMAC) New chart, Solver grabs the first place from Stuntman!
POS....NAME............ RATING
001....SOLVER.......... 21.812
002....STUNTMAN19...... 21.421
003....BIG_CANUK....... 21.186
004....TAU_CETI........ 21.186
005....GOOGLIE......... 21.000
006....MISOTU.......... 21.186
007....REDFRED......... 21.000
008....DILTHIUMDAD..... 21.000
009....MARK13.......... 20.843
010....RYNN............ 20.159
The full thing on the related thread -MarkG
C#157 CIV3 MEETS CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER!
(10 March 2001, 21:16 EST/Misc) Me, myself and I wrote the 157th article for the Column, titled: Civ3 Meets Championship Manager. Comments are always welcome on the forum
And if you find that the article was badly written, then submit a column and we'll see who's the best! :) -MarkG
THE WORD FROM FGN
(10 March 2001, 13:57 EST/CtP2) Those CTPII reviews haven't stopped coming in yet. FGN's Ed Dille recenty had his views on the game published just recently.
The famed Civilization series, sans Sid Meier, gives the franchise yet another offering, says Dille. However, this is a title that may appease new comers to the series, but for those enamored with games such as Age of Empires, this Civ seems somewhat dead in the water.
Dille gave the sequel to C:CTP an overall 'C' game rating. -DanQ
MERCATOR SITE MOVE
(10 March 2001, 13:23 EST/Misc) Jorrit Vermeiren, owner/webmaster of Mercator's Civilization site, informed us that his site has moved from SidGames to a home on his university's server.
As a solution to the horrific SidGames.Com server I moved the site to my University webspace, Vermeiren writes in a news item on his site on the issue, which fortunately increased my maximum account size to 95MB. Not only does this get rid of the unreliable SidGames management and servers, it also means no more banners! Let's hope the university server doesn't crash.
The link in our Links Directory to Mercator was updated by Vermeiren earlier this week. -DanQ
MEDIEVAL PACK II BETA!!
(7 March 2001, 12:28 EST/CtP2) Yeap, this is it(almost)! Wes Whitaker's Medieval Pack II has gone beta, and can be downloaded from the official site. if you're not familiar with the Medieval Pack or mods in general, be sure first read the installation and introduction thread. But here is a really short description of the Medieval Pack II
The Medieval Pack II combines the Medieval mod with customized versions of Harlan's Graphics mod and Dale's Diplomod, plus SLIC triggers from Locutus, Dale and others. The Medieval Pack II adds many new units, both player-created and from Ctp1, 60 new advances, 3 new improvements and 3 new governments, as well as numerous smaller changes.
In other news, Omni has released his BMP World Map, a 21600x10800 bitmap along with instructions on how to create a map of any part of the world -MarkG
THE OMNI MADNESS CONTINUES
(6 March 2001, 17:51 EST/CtP2) 
And Omni continues to make maps...
Map of North America
Map of Italy
Omni could use some help with the rivers. If you want to share the fun... -MarkG
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT BUGS IN CIV3?
(6 March 2001, 17:38 EST/Civ3) Ok, this will be the last poll for a couple of weeks. What do you think will be the case with bugs in civ3? Hell or heaven? -MarkG
ENG GAME REPLAY LIKE STARS CHRONICLE??
(6 March 2001, 17:20 EST/Civ3) (One of) our latest poll(s)! Check the link before voting... -MarkG
DIVIDED OVER UNIT WORKSHOP
(6 March 2001, 15:50 EST/Civ3) The positive response to Firaxis' announcement that Civ3 will NOT have a smac-like unit workshop won our poll, but only with a small difference. The full results| Civ3: No Unit Workshop in Civ3 | | Option | Votes / Percentage | | Good, I dont want it! |  58 / 43% | | Bad, I want it! | 51 / 38% | | No difference | 24 / 18% | | Total Votes: 133 | View Comments
Forums Discussion |
|
-MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: FEB. 11 - FEB. 17, 2001
(5 March 2001, 21:59 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the February 11 - February 17, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.3MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: FEB. 4 - FEB. 10, 2001
(5 March 2001, 21:59 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the February 4 - February 10, 2001 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 1.1MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
UNBELIEVABLE GAUL?
(5 March 2001, 18:44 EST/Misc) Civers from around the word may be contemplating any varying degrees of unbelievable gaul they feel over GameSpy Industries staffer Joe "The Acolyte" Silvagni's Top 10 Revolutionary Computer Games list in which all Civillization series titles missed his countdown.
Half-Life, Everquest and DOOM came in third, second and first respectively.
To voice your pleasure or displeasure, you can either email Silvagni or post your beef in GameSpy's forums. -DanQ
EUROPA UNIVERSALIS FORUM
(5 March 2001, 13:05 EST/Misc) Seeing the interest for Europa Universalis rise in the Other Games forum, we decided to give the (existing) request a chance. So, heave over to the Europa Universalis forum and discover one of the hotest games of the year(hey, if it interestes even some of the civers, it must be good!) :) -MarkG
CIVERS WANTED FOR SACRIFICE :)
(4 March 2001, 20:52 EST/About) of some of their free time :D
We are looking for two people to join the Apolyton Team:
- CIV2 DATABASE MANAGER
After over 2 years and hundreds of files, SvenM is resigning for his position, effective March 30. We can not even dream of finding someone that will have his devotion and love for the job! If you think you can fill his shoes read on:
The task includes
- Accepting files via e-mail(via a special apolyton.net account)
- Creating(if needed) thumbnails
- Uploading files and validating file submissions via a web page
- NEWS EDITOR
We need someone who is active on the forums to post news items separated in the following categories
- Regularly appearing information(PC Data and G100 listings, PBEM Charts, Monthly Apolyton Charts)
- New stuff from the forums(new site announcements, news about files, new findings around the games, etc)
Stuff from the first category can be found at certain places at certain times or will be sent to you. Stuff from the second will have to be hunted by you in our forums
Both jobs dont require over a few hours per week, but what IS required is devotion. If you're going to suddenly realise that you dont have the spare time after 10 days on the job, then please dont apply. Your only compensation will be your own apolyton.net e-mail, a special forum title and perhaps a few thank you mails from visitors :)
If you have reached this line and feel determined, mail us at markg@apolyton.net, dan@apolyton.net :)
If you got any questions, you can ask them on the Apolyton/Community forum -MarkG
APOLYTON NEWS 18/FEB-3/MAR/01
(4 March 2001, 20:03 EST/Misc) Last week we didnt send the newsletter due to low news traffic, so here is a double issue :)
The main headlines are:
- Hot Civ3 Info
- 6 New Ctp2 Files
In a flash: Firaxis finally made an update on the official civ3 site and a good one! Some so called civ3 "previews" have been published, but with nothing new. 5 New maps and 1 scenario have been posted for CTP2. And we run an "MGE vs TOT" poll in the forums.
If you too want to recieve the news of the week in your mail, sign-up now! -MarkG
C#156 CTP2 PBEM-SHOULD WE GIVE UP?
(3 March 2001, 23:21 EST/Misc) Solver is discussing the possibility of ever being able to play pbem on ctp2 in this week's column: CTP2 PBEM-SHOULD WE GIVE UP?. Comments can be posted in the forums
Do you want to say something to world? Say it via our Column feature
-DanQ
OMNI GOES MAD (5 NEW FILES)
(3 March 2001, 19:54 EST/CtP2) Help! Omnigod has gone into a "creative craziness" state, doing one map after the other :)
Map of Ontario-NY and surrounding areas
Map of Middle East
Map of Africa
Map of the United Kingdom
Also, an excellent new scenario by "Hannibal Ad Portas" has been posted
Ancient Meditteranean Scenario - SPQR (6MB!)
These should keep you busy for the weekend... :) -MarkG
IGN-PC PREVIEW
(3 March 2001, 0:18 EST/Civ3) GameSpot UK is not the only online gaming network to create a preview of Civilization III based on information obtainable from the official CivIII website in recent days [see story below].
IGN|PC has posted a similiarly-styled preview of the game with eleven screenshots, compiled by IGN staffer Steve Butts.
The one additional and distinguishing feature of this preview is a poll put to viewers asking what their favourite current Civ title is. At the time of the posting of this news item, CivII is in a commanding lead with 57.7% of the popular vote followed by Alpha Centauri at a distant 21.1%. Civ, the classic title that launched the franchise, stands in third at 14.7% while both the original and sequel Call To Power titles are tied for last at 3.1%. -DanQ
FIRST CIV3 PREVIEW
(2 March 2001, 11:30 EST/Civ3) Laura Stobart at ZDNet contacted us this morning to let us know of GameSpot UK's just posted two-page preview of Civilization III. This is the first known preview of the much talked about upcoming addition to the Civilization series.
And what a sequel it promises to be, writes the previewing team. Although few details are known about the core gameplay elements, several postings on the Firaxis website have provided an insight as to what new features players can expect.
The preview is built entirely on the information presented on the official Civ3 website which was updated just yesterday [see story below]. Eight screenshots accompany the text. In conclusion, GSpot UK's preview team comments on the game's anticipated release.
The last whisper heard from Hasbro, before being swallowed up by Infogrames, suggested a Christmas release was on the cards. Although the we are licking our lips in anticipation of such a timely release, Sid Meier's drive for perfection is likely to make an early 2002 launch more realistic.
And to be honest, we've waited this long, so another month or two shouldn't be a problem. -DanQ
BUG REPORT FROM U. OF T.
(1 March 2001, 20:00 EST/SMACX) A University of Toronto student has discovered an interesting bug in Alpha Centauri, one that is also present in the expansion Alien Crossfire. Andrew Krupowicz emailed us the following report:
I've noticed there's another bug in SMAC (which also happens in Alien Crossfire), which affects both single and multi-player games: you can control the allocation of workers in an opponent's bases!
All you need to do is infiltrate another faction (or become its pactmate). Then open up the base reports screen (F4) and click on the citizens (not the name of the base). Continue clicking until all the workers have turned into doctor or empath specialists.
Consequences
AI: I tried this against the computer and hypothesized that it would reset its citizens back to the original setting. It didn't.
The lack of workers started a nutrient shortage, so the AI put a few workers back to work, but not all. Production & Energy collection were therefore crippled.
Humans: A human opponent who doesn't get a nutrient shortage type message may have one base, or several bases, crippled for an extended period of time unless s/he personally investigates every base.
Countermeasures
Clearly this is a bug and not a game feature, so my hope in bringing this to the attention of the SMAC community is to make this another cheat that must be officially "outlawed" at the outset of multiplayer games.
Krupowicz told us that he originally posted a note about this bug in the alt.games.firaxis.alpha-centauri newsgroup. -DanQ
CIV ICQ ACTIVE LIST
(1 March 2001, 19:33 EST/Misc) Pieter-Jan Schut, who goes by the nickname "AnArChY", informed us via email this afternoon that he has setup an ICQ Active list for all Civilization players out there.
The list ID# is 110102795. If you have any questions/difficulties with the list etc., contact Schut directly. -DanQ
SMAC PBEM CHART 1/3/1
(1 March 2001, 18:06 EST/SMAC) PBEM chart updated, here it is
POS....NAME............ RATING
001....STUNTMAN19...... 21.421
002....BIG_CANUK....... 21.000
003....DILTHIUMDAD..... 21.000
004....GOOGLIE......... 21.000
005....MARK13.......... 21.000
006....MISOTU.......... 21.000
007....REDFRED......... 21.000
008....SOLVER.......... 21.000
009....TAU_CETI........ 21.000
010....REGGY........... 19.283
More on the forum -MarkG
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND MAP
(1 March 2001, 17:56 EST/CtP2) 
Omnigod is done with extra large world bmp, and the first resulting map from it is a 210x105 one of Australia and New Zealand. It doesnt have any start locations, goods or rivers yet though. A "version 2" is expected, any Australians willing to help? :) -MarkG
CIV3 SITE UPDATED!
(1 March 2001, 13:42 EST/Civ3)
Dan Magaha kept his promise and the official civ3 site was updated today.
Some most interesting quotes
- while we have kept the conversational interface for new users, we have also created a "bargaining table" for advanced users
- Want to offer a Peace Treaty to the Iroquois, but only if they will pay 5 gold per turn? Just make the demand.
- For example, your relations with the Zulus might include a peace treaty as well as a mutual protection pact, a right of passage agreement, and a trade embargo against the French.
- Units that have a speed advantage over their opponent will be able to retreat from combat
- We're not quite ready to show it off yet, but to answer your question, terrain features will definitely not be flat. You will also see combat benefits depending on the terrain you occupy when you attack or defend.
- We will definitely have a replay function similar to the replay system in Alpha Centauri. We're also considering adding some new features to it, but at this point, nothing has been finalized.
- Yes! You will be able to create your own custom civilization using our editing tools.
Lots of stuff to discuss, let's hope the next update doesnt take that long ;) -MarkG
