Ladies and gentlemen of the class of 'Apolyton': Play Civilization.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, Civilization would be it.
The long-term benefits of Civilization have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now...
For the rest of the fun, follow the link above. -DanQ
COLUMN #112; BY GRIER
(22 April 2000, 19:01 EST/Misc) In the 112th installment of The Column, Grier grows weary as he explores the immense expectations imposed upon the upcoming Civilization III in his premier article entitled "Civ3 Expansion Or New Game".
Comments/questions are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
CTP SKYROCKETS UP THE CHARTS
(22 April 2000, 15:11 EST/CtP) In the 381st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, Civilization: Call To Power has soared from the 32nd to the 24th position. Two weeks ago the game was looming in 38th spot. An impressive 12.5% of the total votes accumulated over time have been contributed by Apolyton visitors, such as yourself, in the 54 weeks CTP has been on the chart.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
TOT STILL CLIMBING G100
(22 April 2000, 15:02 EST/Civ2) In the 381st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, Civilization II: Test Of Time has gained a notch to now reside in the #12 spot on the chart; more importantly, this is TOT's latest peak position! 4.4% of the total votes accumulated over time have been contributed by Apolyton visitors, such as yourself, in the 36 weeks CivII: ToT has been on the chart.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
MOVING UPWARD TO CONTENTION
(22 April 2000, 14:57 EST/SMACX) In the 381st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, they list the dynamic duo of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and it's expansion pack Alien Crossfire moving on up into the #4 spot from #5. Sixty-one weeks on the chart and counting, the two SMAC's peaked in the #1 position for an incredible period of 25 weeks.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! At present, visitors referred from Apolyton have contributed to 5.6% of the total votes accumulated over time. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: APRIL 15, 2000
(21 April 2000, 20:08 EST/Misc) Chart-Trak has published the Top 5 Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending April 15, 2000. Last week's number 1 and 2 titles switch positions, as is with the case with numbers 3 and 4. Star Trek: Armada drops from the listing after a one-week stay to make way for Formula 1 2000.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Force Commander | LucasArts
3) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
4) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
5) Formula 1 2000 | EA -DanQ
HOW ABOUT A "CIVER`S EDITION"?
(21 April 2000, 19:28 EST/Civ3) Our new civ3 poll coes from an idea of Yin. Would you be interested in a special "Civer's Edition" of Civ3? Before voting check the related forum thread
Vote now! -MarkG
MICROMANAGMENT YES, BUT OPTIONS ARE BETTER
(21 April 2000, 18:53 EST/Civ3) 3 Months and 2322 votes for our Micromanagment or Not? and here are the results
| Yes! |  786 / 33% |
| I can live with it | 221 / 9% |
| No! | 91 / 3% |
| Give me automation options | 1058 / 45% |
| Microwhat? | 166 / 7% |
The comments thread is here -MarkG
UPDATED INFO&DIARIES PAGES
(21 April 2000, 18:36 EST/Dino) The Information and Diaries pages have updated with content from the 6th Diary. Especially looking at the info page, it seems like we're slowly gathering some info. Still, we need more. Do you hear us Firaxis? :) -MarkG
MODIFICATION FAQ
(21 April 2000, 18:10 EST/CtP) As news have slowed down, we can find the time to do make updates with this left in our to-do list for a long time. Back in November, in a call for articles to the some of those ctp-modifying-addicts I happen to get mails from, Nordicus came up with a really good(and needed) CTP Modification FAQ. Without any further delay, check it out! -MarkG
MARCH-APRIL FORUM MAINTAINANCE
(19 April 2000, 18:08 EST/About) A round-up of the forum maintainance of the last 6 weeks:
Civ3-General: 184 threads with 1216 posts archived
Civ2-General: 123 threads with 1117 posts archived
Civ2-Test of Time: 71 threads with 478 posts archived
AC-General: 136 threads with 945 posts archived
Off-Topic: 1577 threads with 27578 posts deleted
Off-Topic: 116 threads with 7230 posts arcived
Total deleted: 1577 threads with 27578 posts
Total archived: 620 threads with 10986 posts
Currently active: 10958 threads with 128256 posts -MarkG
SMAC FOR MAC SCENARIO CONTEST!
(18 April 2000, 7:55 EST/SMAC) Aspyr is organizing a scenario contest. Taken for their latest newsletter
SMAC fans out there that have been creating their own scenarios, here's your chance to be a designer and have your scenario available to all that are ready for a NEW challenge.We will be accepting tiny to large world size scenarios until April 21. After that date Michael Rogers, President of Aspyr, will check out all submitted scenarios and choose the winner. Entries will be judged on creativity, ingenuity and good old-fashioned entertainment. The judge is a "unique" individual so anything is possible and it's tough to gauge what exactly will catch his eye. The winner will receive an Aspyr prize pack, which includes some Aspyr goodies, a copy of Alien Crossfire (when it is released) and an Aspyr game of his or her choice. That's not all, the winning scenario will be posted on our new web site for all to download and enjoy.
A few rules:
-You must be an eNewsletter subscriber to win.
-The scenario must be YOUR original work (please no plagarizing of scenarios).
-Scenarios may be based on tiny to large size planets (no custom sizes will be accepted).
What are you waiting for? Start up SMAC and let those creative juices flow. To take a peek at some scenarios and some other cool stuff that other folks have done, visit the following sites:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~smaccf
http://xenofungus.cjb.net
Good luck to all entries!!! -MarkG
SMAC-X FOR MAC ALMOST HERE
(18 April 2000, 7:45 EST/SMACX) 6 Days ago, Brad Oliver(head of the SMAC for Mac development team) says on our forums: "Alien Crossfire is final; you should be seeing it shortly" and corrects a bit later: "I spoke a bit too soon. I found out today that the docs & boxes are still being printed, so it's technically not final yet. Shouldn't be too much longer though"
4 Days ago, in the latest issue of their newsletter, Aspyr(publishers of SMAC for Mac) notes: "a final goldmaster is expected SOON!"
Yesterday, Westlake Interactive(developers of SMAC for Mac) show Alien Crossfire on their project status page as being in "Final Candidate" status, with a "soon" released date estimate
All this equals to.... "stay tuned"! :) -MarkG
BHG LOGO MAKES A SMALL TURN
(18 April 2000, 7:34 EST/Misc) Before...
and After!
 |
It sure looks like the logo of Big Huge Games made a small turn, no? Looks better imho... -MarkG
INTERVIEW WITH GAMELEAGUE
(17 April 2000, 9:49 EST/Misc) GameLeague is a free online service that provides ladder, tournament and tribe games for numerous titles that comprise Apolyton's lineup. Owned and operated by gamers, for gamers, its small but dedicated staff oversee one of the largest multiplayer gaming outfits in the Civilization community.
This morning we present an interview with two of the three administrators of GameLeague, Kent Wang and Frank Johnson. They share their thoughts on how the ride has been so far, and what is still to come. -DanQ
NEWS BOX IN THE FORUMS CHANGED
(16 April 2000, 14:02 EST/About) There is now an option on News@Apolyton drop-down menu in the forums to open the page in new browser window. Next to the drop-down menu, there are now two buttons:
"Go" opens the page in the same window
"Go(New)" opens it in a new window
We're waiting for your feedback -MarkG
ALL CIV3 NEWS IN THE NEWS ARCHIVE
(16 April 2000, 12:32 EST/Civ3) It isn't much, as the Civ3 news archive isn't big, but all the civ3 news prior to the installment of our news script are now located in our News Archive area. There, you can now find all the news of all sections after the news script, as well as the Dinosaurs and Civ3 news before it. Eventually, all news will be able to be found there. Btw, the news archive is searchable... -MarkG
COLUMN #111; BY EARTHLING7
(15 April 2000, 23:08 EST/Misc) In his article entitled "How To Run Before You Walk", first-time writer Earthing7 conveys why he will not by CivIII, but not CTPII, in the 111th installment of The Column.
Want to comment on the article? Click here. -DanQ
THE SECRET OF THE DIPLOMATS PHOTOS
(15 April 2000, 21:45 EST/CtP) This might have been mentioned in the past, but as Activision's "Mr Ogre" posted today, the images of the diplomats in CTP are actually based on team members and their families!
"CTP1 had team members' pictures for the diplomats. They were retouched by hand, but were all done from photographs of various people, mostly team members and their families. Steve was the Irish diplomat. Go check out his picture in the interview and the Irish diplomat in the game if you don't believe me."
Well, here are the two images! :)
Who are the others Mr Ogre???? -MarkG
GERMAN&FRENCH SMACX V2 PATCHES!!
(15 April 2000, 20:31 EST/SMACX) It took a long time, and it came out in an bit complex way. On February 7, the v2.0 German and French patches for SMACX had only to pass the EA Q&A tests... 2 Months later, on April 5, the German patch appears at least on a german site. We contact Firaxis, but due to a mail server error(probably on their side) our mails are bounced back. The Firaxis site has(still) only the US version. So, as I am geting ready to post a news item on the story with just a link to the german site, a brilliant idea hits me: "let's check alphacentauri.com!". Guess what? The patches are there... Lot's of things to wonder about...
Anyway, from EA's ftp server:
German Alien Crossfire v2 patch
French Alien Crossfire v2 patch
We will be providing an alternative download from our server asap. -MarkG
WE ARE READING....
(15 April 2000, 20:17 EST/CtP2) This shouldn't be news but it is. Mr Ogre, a CTP(and now CTP2) development team member replied to a thread in our CTP-2 Forum, in part to actually reply to the thread but also to make his and other team members presense on the forums more visible. Well, that was a good start(see the CTP section), stop lurking guys! 
-MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: APRIL 1-8, 2000
(15 April 2000, 13:54 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the April 1-8, 2000 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 1.9MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MARCH 26-31, 2000
(15 April 2000, 13:53 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the March 26-31, 2000 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 2.1MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
CLASSIC GAMING CHEAP
(15 April 2000, 12:33 EST/Civ2) In Miser's Guide To Cheap Games, posted yesterday on C|Net's GameCenter, lists Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition as one of the best strategy titles to buy for under $20US. If order in the listing is any indication, CivII:MGE landed in the top spot in this category.
"This classic turn-based strategy game goes multiplayer", reads the writeup. "Fusing the classic Civilization II with two previously released expansion packs (Conflicts in Civilization and Civ II: Fantastic Worlds), this extraordinary package--which includes new, additional multiplayer features--is ideal for both hard-core history buffs and those who have not yet indulged in turn-based strategy gaming. Up to seven human or computer-controlled opponents set out to conquer the world by any means necessary".
The feature also includes a link to GC's review of the game and a US-national price search. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: APRIL 8, 2000
(14 April 2000, 21:03 EST/Misc) Chart-Trak has published the Top 5 Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending April 8, 2000. The Sims and Soldiers Of Fortune have swaped spots since last week, but Force Commander still holds the throne.
1) Force Commander | LucasArts
2) The Sims | EA
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
5) Star Trek: Armada | Activision -DanQ
FIRAXIS TEAM PAGE UPDATE
(14 April 2000, 1:58 EST/Misc) The Firaxis team page has been updated with the bios of two of the recently hired people: Mark Cromer and Michael Fetterman
Mark Cromer, Lead Sound Engineer
Mark is all about sound, whether singing and playing his guitar with the Swing Central Band (a band he founded 20 years ago that has become one of Baltimore's best Swing Bands!!), recording his own music CD, or creating sound for some of the coolest computer games ever made. He is one of the most experienced digital audio engineers in the gaming business, having designed sound for games such as Magic: The Gathering, all of the Civilization II add-on packs, MechWarrior III and Falcon IV.
Michael Fetterman, Production Assistant
Michael has been an avid gaming junkie since the tender age of 6. His attraction for all things bright and noisy first surfaced during his upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michael later moved East to attend Penn State, where he created his own major in Integrative Arts and was the Computer Center Specialist for their User Services Department. He comes from the pencil-and-paper school of strategy and role-playing games, and now functions as the resident tech-head and assistant for the Firaxis production staff.
The bio of Alex Kim(who hiring was announced along with the hirings of the previous two) had been added earlier
Alex Kim, Artist
Alex graduated from the Corcoran School of Art with a degree in Fine Arts, where he concentrated on drawing and painting the human figure. Prior to joining Firaxis, Alex worked for MicroProse Chapel Hill Studios in North Carolina. He enjoys playing golf, shooting pool and banging on the old bass guitar. He's also fond of railguns and BFGs. A total Quakehead, Alex dreams of one day making it to the big leagues...
Related forum thread -MarkG
AUDIO NEWSLETTER DELAY
(12 April 2000, 19:16 EST/Misc) Yes, the audio version of the latest newsletter has been delayed; this is due to "real life circumstances". The broadcast for the March 26-31 edition of Apolyton News will be posted within the next ~48hrs. We apologize for any inconvenience.
This week's newsletter audio version will be published within the same period of time. -DanQ
PC DATA: MARCH 26-APRIL 1, 2000
(12 April 2000, 19:11 EST/Misc) For the week March 26-April 1, 2000, those listed below are the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by PCData from 17 retail chains, comprising more than 60% of the U.S. market. The Sims is once again back on top.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Star Wars: Force Commander | Lucas Arts
5) Star Trek: Armada | Activision
6) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
7) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
8) Thief 2: The Metal Age | Eidos
9) Unreal Tournament | GT Interactive
10) Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Firestorm | EA -DanQ
BRIAN ON PCGAMER
(10 April 2000, 18:04 EST/Misc) 
Hugo Rune reported to us the news item on bighugegames.com about the interview of Brian Reynolds on PCGamer:
Brian chats with PCGamer in their May 2000 issue about future BHG plans and also about why he now answers the phone by saying, "Big-Huge-Brian-Speaking".
If someone gets a hold of the magazine, please post about any interesting parts in the forums. -MarkG
SAVEGAME NAMING CONVENTIONS?
(10 April 2000, 17:51 EST/Civ3) Jeff Morris showed up on our forums once more, asking for suggestions. the topic this time was the savegame naming conventions. It's something small, but it's always cool when the civ community is asked. So, how should be the saved games be named? Post your ideas now! -MarkG
DATABASE SPRING UPDATE
(9 April 2000, 12:21 EST/Civ2) Spring has finally arrived and we celebrate this by updating the DB. Six files have been improved by their authors and are available now in a new version.
Test of Time Unit-Mania
ToT Terrain Earth Lightened
TOT Extended-Game-Fine-Tune
TOT Improved Backgrounds
CivConverter
Blob Wars
-Sven
COLUMN #110; BY ATAHUALPA
(8 April 2000, 23:50 EST/Misc) One concerned Civer would like to see us throw our support behind CTPII and give Activision an idea of what we would like to see in it.
This is the synopsis of the 110th installment of The Column, "Expectations of CTPII", by Atahualpa.
Comments/questions are welcomed in this thread in our forums. -DanQ
POSSIDENTE LEAVING MPS
(8 April 2000, 0:37 EST/Civ2) In a general announcement in our forums, John Possidente of the ToT team announced that he is leaving MicroProse as of April 15th.
"Before the speculation and questions start flying, let me tell you that I don't yet know what I'll be doing next", Possidente wrote. "I have some hopes and ideas, but no firm plans.
This doesn't mean that I won't be hanging around and posting, but I probably will come by less often".
On behalf of Apolyton, thank you for your many contributions to the Civilization community, John. Best of luck in future endeavours! -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: APRIL 1, 2000
(6 April 2000, 20:02 EST/Misc) Chart-Trak has published the Top 5 Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending April 1, 2000. Three of this week's entries are newcomers, visibly shaking the foundation of The Sims' dominance in the UK market.
1) Force Commander | LucasArts
2) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
3) The Sims | EA
4) Formula 1 2000 | EA
5) Star Trek: Armada | Activision -DanQ
ALT. CIVS. WEBMASTER APPOINTED
(5 April 2000, 22:56 EST/About) The deadline has come and gone for applications for the Alternative Civs. Webmaster position, and the the successful applicant has been notified, and has accepted the appointment.
To find out who it is, and what is to come, click here to read the full press release; in addition, the Team page has been updated accordingly. -DanQ
CIVCENTER MOVES TO Q9
(5 April 2000, 17:07 EST/Misc) This morning we received word from Martin Sellgren about CivCenter's move to Quantum9.
According to the note posted on CC's website about the move, they have "gotten ridden of it's chains... We here at CivCenter are very excited about this and hopes that this will give us the chance to become one of the top leading Civilization III web sites on the Web". -DanQ
SMAC FOR MAC EXTRAS
(4 April 2000, 18:07 EST/SMAC) If you get the Aspyr newsletter, you would remember reading the following in the last issue a few days ago: "A SMAC extras folder is now available through our web site's support page (www.aspyr.com). This folder is a collection of alternate art files for SMAC. These files can be used to modify the look and feel of the game, as well as optimizing colors for those with red/green color blindness. There are also two new scenarios folders, as well, to keep you glued to your monitor." At that time though the files were not posted on the site. We contacted Aspyr and today we got a note that the files had been posted(donwload). As some people noted(and Brad Oliver confirmed) on our forums, the issue is only for the US version. The German(and the upcoming French) versions contain the extras folder. -MarkG
PIRATES INDUCTED INTO GS HOF
(4 April 2000, 9:20 EST/Misc) This morning GameSpy inducted Sid Meier's Pirates! into their Hall Of Fame.
As Lee "Grignard" Haumersen put it, "a complete game could easily be played in the course of a Saturday afternoon, but you would still find yourself wasting an entire week playing game after game. It is this mild addiction you find for the game, in a time when graphics and sound were childish in comparison to those of today, that truly give credit to its subtle greatness".
Chalk up another success for the man who has been credited with bringing strategy gaming into the mainstream.
-DanQ
CIVII NEEDS YOUR VOTES
(4 April 2000, 9:17 EST/Civ2) Remember all the late nights and early mornings CivII gave you, emersed in its unforgettable gameplay? Now is your chance to give a little something back.
GameSpot is continuing to accept votes for gamers' Favourite Game Of All Time. At present, Starcraft currently has almost double the votes of CivII (35% and 18% respectively) with nearly 2300 ballots cast and submitted.
Vote for CivII today and help tip the scales in Sid Meier's favour! -DanQ
CTP IN MAC-O-RAMA GONE FROM TOP 10
(4 April 2000, 6:53 EST/CtPMac) The latest top ten from http://www.mac-o-rama.com shows that Call to power has slipped from it's previous position to out of the top ten list :(. I probably didn't help by pre-ordering my copy of Baldur's Gate last week. Sales still seem to be doing well, though now it is an established game sales will most likely continue to level off. -Baston
BEST OF AL&PD FOR MARCH 2000
(2 April 2000, 17:51 EST/Misc) Our Civ2 Section continued to battle with the Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite for the most rated link on the Apolyton Links&Products Directory. Also, the SMAC Planetary Pack has made it's appearance on the Top 5 Games chart.
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.73 Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
2(2). 9.36 Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
3(5). 9.25 The Spanish Civilization II Site
4(4). 9.12 Civilization II Scenario League
5(8). 8.67 Platehead's Civilization II Site
6(3). 8.62 Apolyton Civilization Site: CTP Section
7(7). 8.50 Civilization Fanatics Center @ Strategy Gaming Online
8(-). 8.50 Civilization III @ SidGames.com
9(-). 8.50 CIV LAND
10(-). 8.45 Civilization II Historical Scenarios
Top 5 Games
1(-). 10.00 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
2(1). 9.50 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
3(2). 9.00 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
4(3). 8.33 Civilization: Call to Power(Linux)
5(4). 8.12 Civilization: Call to Power(PC)
Top 5 Books
1(1). 7.50 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri : Power of the Mind Worms
2(2). 4.50 Civilization: Call to Power Official Strategy Guide
3(3). 1.50 Civilization II Strategies & Secrets
4(4). 1.00 Civilization II: Test of Time: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
Again, we ask for you ratings, to collect as many opinions as possible. Comments on the forums please... -MarkG
CTP HALL OF FAME(?)
(2 April 2000, 16:32 EST/CtP) Are you interested in seeing a CTP Hall Of Fame, similar to the one that currenty exists in Apolyton's CivII section? If so, head over to this thread and throw your support behind the idea brought to light by Andemagne. -DanQ
SID MEIER`S SAND BARON!
(2 April 2000, 16:12 EST/Misc) 
It's the best game that has never been publicized, according to C|Net's GameCenter, and it's called Sid Meier's Sand Baron. A perfect 10 out of 10 rating, of all things.
"Sand Baron is simply the finest game in any genre to be released this year and is surely an early contender for 2000's Game of the Year", says reviewer Timothy Patrick Butler. "A highly original, addictive and fun way to electronically collect, organize, and defend many interesting types of sand".
And this is a highly elaborate but pretty-easy-to-see-right-through April Fool's joke that is enough to bring tears of laughter to your eyes. As the so-called review continues, it just keeps getting better.
"Sand comes in distinctive grades, and you'd be well advised to collect high-grade sand as early and often as possible if you are to survive to the later levels. Gravel and coarse kitty litter are at the low end of the sand scale, but white Hawaiian beach sand is grainy gold".
The "review" even treats you to a screenshot of the environment. Read it today, and see if you can convince someone that this bogus title is... otherwise. -DanQ
CTP REVIEW IN MACADDICT
(2 April 2000, 9:43 EST/CtPMac) The May 2000 issue of MacAddict contains a review of CtP for Mac. They give it a "YEAH, WHATEVER" rating. The review has the same tone as the MacHome review. GOOD NEWS: Civilization was one of the all-time best games ever, and this is still Civilization. BAD NEWS: Vastly inferior new user interface. Some absurd units weaken the game. Subscribers have the issue now, the mag should be on the newsstands soon and the review posted on the website within the next week or so. -macuser
MACADDICT SMAC FOR MAC REVIEW
(2 April 2000, 9:23 EST/SMAC) The May 2000 issue of MacAddict contains not only a review of SMAC for Mac, but also a demo on the monthly MacAddict CD! They give it a "FREAKIN' AWESOME" rating! The review has the same tone as the MacHome review. Subscribers have the issue and the all important CD now, the mag should be on the newsstands soon and the review posted on the website within the next week or so. -macuser
COLUMN #109; BY HAREL
(1 April 2000, 21:12 EST/Misc) Gamers shouldn't play demi-god in the world of Civilization, Harel claims, but rather a politican. Read his article entitled "The Power Of A Good Politican".
Harel is a first-time writer for The Column.
Click here to voice your thoughts on the piece. -DanQ
FALLING YET ANOTHER SPOT
(1 April 2000, 19:22 EST/CtP) In the 378th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, Civilization: Call To Power continues its downward slide, dropping another notch and is now in 37th place.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! At present, visitors referred from Apolyton have contributed to a whopping 47.9%(!) of the total votes accumulated over time. -DanQ
TWO NOTCHES UP TO #17
(1 April 2000, 19:21 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 378th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, it indicates that Civilization II: Test of Time has once again jumped the ladder, and this time has done it in a double-step. It is now in the #17 spot.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! At present, visitors referred from Apolyton have contributed to 7.6% of the total votes accumulated over time. -DanQ
STANDING TALL IN 7TH SPOT
(1 April 2000, 19:19 EST/SMACX) In the 378th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, formerly WorldCharts, they list the dynamic duo of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and it's expansion pack Alien Crossfire holding its ground still in the #7 position. Since we began re-tracking this chart three weeks ago, it has not budged an inch.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! At present, visitors referred from Apolyton have contributed to 5% of the total votes accumulated over time. -DanQ
APP. DEADLINE CLOSING
(1 April 2000, 13:04 EST/About) No, this is not an April Fool's joke :), but rather a reminder that the date to submit an application for the position of Alt. Civs webmaster is just two days away. On Wednesday, April 5, we'll announce who the successful candidate is.
More information on the open position and how to apply is detailed below. -DanQ
MARIOTTI SPEAKS ON CTP2
(1 April 2000, 2:09 EST/CtP2) In one of the first interview of a CTP developer after the CTP2 anouncement, Steve Mariotti talked to us about CTP1 and CTP2. As it was the... one year anniversary of CTP1's release, we spoke more about it, but there was some interesting parts on CTP2
On SLIC: SLIC has been significantly reworked to
make it more powerful and easier to work with (can you say 'interactive GUI based debugger?') In fact, SLIC has been more closely integrated with actual game events, so that just about everything can be augmented in the scripts.
On our CTP2 forums: We've taken the fan feedback VERY seriously. The Apolyton group have been great at giving us very cool suggestions for CTP II.
On AAIP files(and obviously other mods): They'll be similar, but different. The concepts and techniques applied to tweaking the AIP's for CTP1 will still be valid for CTP II, but the syntax and value ranges will be different
Finally, again a hint in mods: We've also gone further in the extensibility arena, opening up even more of the engine to others. We're not offering a DLL API for the AI this time, but we're offering a lot more flexibility with just about every aspect of the game engine
Give your comments on this thread! -MarkG
OPEN API FOR AI DLL!?!
(1 April 2000, 1:58 EST/CtP) The following is not an April Fool's joke! Besides, Dan posted the Mariotti interview 48 minutes before midnight :) Anyway, if you haven't read it yet, go ahead and do it now! Those with programming skills should be interested in the following
Q: We were hearing before the release of CTP that you would be able to get into the AI dll's. How did this not work out in the end?
A: In fact we DID release the API for the AI DLL and provided some sample code for a very simple AI. Interested parties should contact me for more details.
Sounds cool enough? Steve later clarified that there was never a "big" announcement of this until now, but sample code and API documentation was provided to at least one interested developer. Stay on hold, we are working with Steve to release something right here on Apolyton. It would be good to see though if there is actual interest in this, so post on this thread! -MarkG
