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May 2000
FREECIV QUICK START
(31 May 2000, 23:18 EST/Alt) Zop has written a FreeCiv Quick Start guide which was posted today on FC's official website, freeciv.org; the document details how to start a game, the goal, dealing with cities/research/government, winning strategies and more. -DanQ
INVIGORATING TBS GAMES?
(31 May 2000, 22:52 EST/Civ3) GameSpot poses the following question in their weekly poll: which upcoming turn-based strategy game will reinvigorate the genre? Some gamers may contradict that TBS' do not need any reinvigorating, but for others the question looms in their mind.
Of the nine possible choices, all are games save the last one which says "none of them will". The clear choice for any Civ fanactic is to vote for Civilization III, right? Let your voice be heard.
At the time of this posting a little more than 3,000 votes have been cast, and CivIII is indeed on top with 24% of the total tabulations, but closely tagging behind is Master of Orion III with a 21% share of the votes. As for the notion that no game can revitalize the TBS genre, 11% of those who have participated in the poll have subscribed to this notion.
Lastly, for the record, none of the GameSpot staff who commented on this matter believe that TBS games are a thing of the past; however, most of them do agree that it has some catching up to do with other genres to regain some lost ground. -DanQ
PC DATA: MAY 14-20, 2000
(31 May 2000, 22:40 EST/Misc) For the week May 14 - May 20, 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.
Disney and Will Wright's latest installments in the long-running Sims series are the big winners, once again, for this week.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
5) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
6) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
7) Starcraft | Havas
8) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
10) Sim Mania Pack | Electronic Arts -DanQ
NEWEST FIRAXIAN INTERVIEW
(31 May 2000, 9:14 EST/Misc) SidGames was recently given the opportunity to talk one of the newest members of the Firaxian family, Michael Breitkreutz, a long time programming veteran in the gaming industry.
In the two-page interview, Breitkreutz relays what projects he has been assigned to at Firaxis Games and why he left his position at DreamForge to join the Hunt Valley, MD company in the first place. -DanQ
MOST ESSENTIAL IMPROVEMENT?
(31 May 2000, 5:20 EST/CtP2) Here is our new ctp2 poll:
Stacked Combat
Public Works
Units, Terrain, City Graphics
Wonder Movies, Music
Customizability
Don't know/Don't Care
Results
Discussion thread -MarkG
YOUR REACTION TO THE RELEASE OF CTP2!
(31 May 2000, 5:04 EST/CtP2) Our 2nd ctp2 poll(How would you react to the release of CtP2?) has ended, with very interesting results| Head for the car and speed to the store! |  327 / 30% | | Wait for better weather to go to the store! | 58 / 5% | | Wait for the review on Apolyton | 154 / 14% | | Wait for detailed Reviews and Player-comments | 364 / 33% | | Wait if someone recommends it you | 28 / 2% | | Wait until the price drops a lot | 78 / 7% | | You dont care at all | 76 / 7% |
(1085 total votes)
That 14% is a bit frightening I must say... :)
Comments forum thread
-MarkG
LINUX PORT EARLY LOOK
(30 May 2000, 9:22 EST/SMAC) As first reported by Linux Games, three screenshots from the beta of the Linux port of SMAC has been posted on utter-macabre.com.
Furthermore, Loki Entertainment's Andrew Henderson sent LG a screenshot of the design workshop (for those who do not know, this is a SMAC innovation where the player can create new units utilizing a diverse range of technology), and LG' Crusader posted a couple pics from his own recent adventures on Planet. -DanQ
STEADY AS IT GOES
(28 May 2000, 14:06 EST/CtP) In the 386th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power holds steady this week at #32 just ahead of Soldiers Of Fortune.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
STILL IN THE RUNNING
(28 May 2000, 14:05 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 386th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time continues to prove the long-term fanfare over the series since Civilization II was released four years ago. This week the game falls one to the 14th spot in the listing, but is nonetheless an impressive showing given the intense competition from other titles across all genres.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
UPHILL BATTLE
(28 May 2000, 14:04 EST/SMACX) In the 386th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire has put the petal to the metal in jumping two spots up to #4 on the countdown.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
CIV-THEMED CARTOON, PART 2
(28 May 2000, 13:44 EST/Civ2) CapTVK informed us of his second Civ-themed cartoon, featured this week on thebench.org, entitled "Civ 101 - Gabe Learns To Bribe". :D -DanQ
MAC PATCH V1.2B (HQX)
(27 May 2000, 22:17 EST/CtPMac) MacSoft released patch v1.2b in SIT format some time ago, followed by the 1.7MB HQX equivalent which is now available for downloading directly from Apolyton CS.
A quick re-cap on the fixes included in this version:
Fixed problem that caused a "NavigationLib not found" error.
Fixed problem with arrow keys not scrolling the map.
Fixed the "Could not restore AI" error that would sometimes occur while loading a saved game. This fix should also improve stability of large saved games.
Music now plays correctly. Track Selection is in sync with the CD-ROM, Auto Repeat works, and Random Playback works.
Fixed CD-ROM "thrashing" problem when the Great Library window is displayed.
MacSoft has issued a note asking users to ensure that they have the latest version of Aladdin Systems' Stuff-It Expander before downloading. -DanQ
COLUMN #117; BY KEITH MEDLIN
(27 May 2000, 15:25 EST/Misc) Keith Medlin showcases Alpha Centauri for its historical applications in his article entitled "Historical Application Of Alpha Centauri".
Comments/questions are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
GOTO HOME CITY
(27 May 2000, 1:07 EST/Civ3) Do you use this command? How often? Chris Pine(the Firaxian of course) is wondering on the forums. Answer! -MarkG
DIPLOMACY EXPLAINED!
(25 May 2000, 9:46 EST/CtP2) Wonderfull information on diplomacy from St Swithin
Stuff you can demand/offer/give/swap:
cities
maps
gold
advances
It's not only 1-for-1, you can give a map for a city, gold for an advance, etc. You can also give gold and offer a peace treaty, or offer a cease fire and request an advance.
You can only make a counter proposal to an original proposition. If a proposition that you sent is rejected, that is the only time you can threaten. So for example:
1) The Americans offer you Religion for Iron Working. You counter propose trading Religion for Monarchy (or you reject or accept).
2) You request the Irish map. The Irish offer to give you their map if you give them 1000 gold. You threaten to invade their land if they continue to refuse. They will either give in if they're weaker or refuse if they're stronger.
Related forum thread -MarkG
PC DATA: MAY 7 - MAY 13, 2000
(25 May 2000, 6:36 EST/Misc) For the week May 7 - May 13, 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 has packed a punch, rising five notches to #1, and displacing The Sims in the process. Starcraft returns to the chart this week, as does Hoyle Board Games 2000 and Soldier Of Fortune.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
4) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
6) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
7) Starcraft | Havas
8) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) Hoyle Board Games 2000 | Havas
10) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision -DanQ
THREE NEW SPRITES
(24 May 2000, 22:23 EST/CtP) Three new sprites have been added to our file database, all courtesy of the renowned Tom Davies: Medieval Cog (190K), Ironclad (201K), and Medieval Bombard (350K). -DanQ
PC DATA: APRIL 30 - MAY 6, 2000
(23 May 2000, 12:30 EST/Misc) For the week April 30 - May 6, 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 takes back its #2 spot, while The Sims hangs tough staying in residence at the top for another week. However, the just released Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: 2nd Edition may give it a run for its money.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
3) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
4) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
6) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
7) Grand Slam Bridge III | Electronic Arts
8) Jane's WWII Fighters | Electronic Arts
9) Alien vs. Predator Gold | Fox
10) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive -DanQ
FIRAXIS SMAC SITE NOW OPEN
(23 May 2000, 12:19 EST/SMACX) Firaxis webmaster Dan Magaha has been busy putting the finishing touches on the company's Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri website, and his work was unveiled this morning on firaxis.com.
"This site is intended to be a wealth of information for the SMAC and SMACX player", introduces the visitor to the site and this is already proving to be true to its word.
Sections include the story behind the game and the expansion pack, Alien Crossfire, detailed profiles of each of the factions, a database of the vast technology available to the player, and even a page on the various forms of native life to be found on Alpha Centauri. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: APRIL 20-30, 2000
(23 May 2000, 10:12 EST/Misc) The audio version of the April 20th - April 30th, 2000 newsletter is now broadcasting in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ or installed on your system; you can left-click on the link to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended) or right-click to download the 2.4MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
BEOS GUIDE PART 4
(23 May 2000, 9:45 EST/CtP) Part 4 of beGamer's CTP How-To Guide, written by Justin Sherill, examines CD Audio usage, Animation, Viewing Movies, and last but not least Speeding Up The Game.
Sherill says that Part 5 is to be released shortly, and will probably be the final installment of the series. -DanQ
FIRAXIS HIRES PROGRAMMERS
(22 May 2000, 13:23 EST/Misc) FIRAXIS Games today announced the addition of three programmers to the company, as they continue to ramp up their development teams and further the growth of the organization. Michael Breitkreutz, Soren Johnson and Jacob Solomon bring a wide array of programming knowledge to the deeply talented and experienced teams at FIRAXIS.
Michael Breitkreutz is a veteran game programmer having spent the last six years as Lead Programmer at DreamForge Intertainment. He's been on the programming team of games such as Ravenloft: Stone Prophet, Chronomaster, Sanitarium and 101 Dalmatians: Escape From DeVil Manor.
Since 1994, Soren Johnson has been immersed in the study of computer programming and design at Stanford University where he recently received an AB in History with honors and a MS in Computer Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction. While at Stanford, he was an intern at Electronic Arts, where he worked as part of the programming team for Knockout Kings 2000 and 2001 for the PSX.
Jacob Solomon is a recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he earned a BS in Computer Science while working as a Computer Graphics Teaching Assistant.
FIRAXIS has doubled their number of employees in the last year and recently expanded the size of their Hunt Valley offices, as they continue to grow to meet the needs of the production teams dedicated to each of their projects.
"We're excited to have these new programmers on board", said Jeff Briggs, President and CEO of FIRAXIS Games. "Together they bring a great mix of experience, knowledge of state-of-the-art game programming techniques and plenty of exciting new ideas. Both the Dinosaur project and Civilization III will benefit from their talents". -DanQ
DISCUSSION: RIPOFF MOD
(21 May 2000, 21:47 EST/Civ2) We recently had the opportunity to talk to Dracon, author of the second incarnation of his RipOff MOD Pack for Civilization II, about the method to his madness behind it all. The collection contains more than 30 units "ripped" from other leading strategy games.
"Well, I had this Ripoff Idea last year with the release of Call To Power", Dracon recalls. "I thought that maybe I could somehow convert CtP units to Civ2 format. CtP units were difficult, so I decided to try some other games. Alpha Centauri cities were very easy to convert, as were Age of Empires Units. This basically made up Ripoff Pack version 1. St. Leo was also good at doing this, having Ripped off AOE and Caesar II graphics.
In the latest Ripoff Pack, I have inproved and increased the number of SMAC cities, including some from Alien Crossfire, I have added many Warlords 3 units and also SMAC terrain. You will have to cut out the graphics that you wish to use, and paste them in their appropriate places in the Civ2 graphics files. In the future, well, I'm always looking for new games to Rip Off :-)"
Downloaded more than 450 times since it was first released last July, click here to grab the latest version. -DanQ
DOWNWARD TREND CONTINUES
(20 May 2000, 11:57 EST/CtP) In the 385th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power continues to lose ground as it falls to #32 on the countdown -- two weeks ago it was at #30.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
STRONGHOLD IN THIRTEENTH
(20 May 2000, 11:55 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 385th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time is once again moving on up in coming in 13th this week.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
THIS WEEK AT NUMBER SIX
(20 May 2000, 11:53 EST/SMACX) In the 385th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire has fallen another notch to #6 on the countdown. This marks the second week in a row this duo has dropped a spot.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
COLUMN #116; BY MISTERHUNGRY
(20 May 2000, 11:48 EST/Misc) MisterHungry is taking Civilization head on in debating its historical roots in his debute article "Why Civ Is The Greatest And Worst Game Ever".
Comments/questions welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
6000+ FORUM USERS
(19 May 2000, 23:50 EST/About) Today the 6,000th user registered in our forums, a collection of message boards on various topics from the games that we cover to the operation of Apolyton itself.
Are you not yet apart of our growing community? A great way to get involved and in touch with other Civers from around the world is to register in our forums --- it's free and only a few mouse clicks away.
On behalf of the staff and administration of Apolyton CS, thank you to one and all for making us a leader in our neck of the vast online gaming culture. This latest milestone is just one of many testaments to that fact.
Keep On Civ'in! -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: MAY 13, 2000
(19 May 2000, 22:59 EST/Misc) The Sims was the Top Selling Game in the U.K. for the fifth week in a row, according to Chart Trak for week ending May 13, 2000. Eidos' Championship Manager: Season 99/00 and Activision's Soldier of Fortune also held onto their respective positions for the third week in a row.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Starlancer | Microsoft
5) Delta Force | NovaLogic -DanQ
SLIC 1.2 DOCUMENTATION!
(19 May 2000, 21:07 EST/CtP) Better late than never. Joe Rumsey, one of CTP's programmers, and SLIC expert, sent us the documentation for SLIC, updated with the changes of the 1.2 patch. We still have several months until CTP2, it will be certainly helpfull.... Thanks Joe!
Comments on the CTP Creation forum
-MarkG
GAMESTATE EVENTS!
(19 May 2000, 20:53 EST/CtP2) The surprise Mr Ogre promised in the The CTP2 Modification Suggestions List thread, came out to become a surprise for him as well! :) Details in the "CTP2: Gamestate Events" By Joe Rumsey thread...
Oh, and thanks Mr Ogre! CTP2 is sounding cooler every day... -MarkG
APOLYTON NEWS APRIL 20-30, MAY 1-10
(19 May 2000, 20:44 EST/Misc) With some delay, the newsletters for April 20-30 and May 1-10 were sent and posted this week. News of three weeks summed up in six pages, it can't get any more convenient than that :) -MarkG
NEW MEMBER OF HAC FAMILY
(19 May 2000, 12:33 EST/HAC) We here at HAC are pleased to announce the hiring of WarVoid as Assistant to the Director. His responsibilities will include assistance in preparation for the Hodadian Awards and a review column each week beginning in September on the SDC entries, in addition to the general needs of maintaining the site. Please join the Director is welcoming him to the HAC family. -reismark
THRICE PRIDE, A SECOND TIME
(19 May 2000, 12:31 EST/HAC) Our latest foray into the Pride of the World database has come up with three winners: for March, Carl's Scenarios for Civilization II; for April, the Civilization Fanatics Center; for May, the Cradle of Civilization. Congratulations! -reismark
SDC UPDATE
(19 May 2000, 12:23 EST/HAC) We are pleased to announce that the Scenario Design Contest staff has decided to extend the deadline for submissions to the Third Scenario Design Contest. The final day to request codenames has been changed to Labor Day; September 4th, while the final day to submit entries is now September 18th. In other SDC news, the Scenario League has developed an information page on the FW/MGE platform of the contest; for the full scoop, check out the rules. -reismark
CHART-TRAK: MAY 6, 2000
(18 May 2000, 21:10 EST/Misc) Chart-Trak has published their list of the Top 5 Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending May 6, 2000.
In short: The Sims' dominance rolls on.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Starlancer | Microsoft
5) Delta Force | NovaLogic -DanQ
PC DATA: APRIL 2000 HITS
(18 May 2000, 21:04 EST/Misc) The Sims was the Top Selling Game on U.S. retail sales charts according to PCData for the month of April, 2000.
The "top ten" for this period are:
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire | Disney
3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Urban Operations | Red Storm Entertainment
5) Age of Empires II: Age Of Kings | Microsoft
6) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
7) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) Grand Slam Bridge III | Electronic Arts
9) Starcraft | Havas
10) Sim City 3000 | Electronic Arts
Based in Reston, Virgina, PCData generates its lists from sales figures of 17 retail chains comprising more than 60% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
PROJECTED 2001 RELEASE
(18 May 2000, 20:55 EST/Alt) According to a report from Computer Games Online, Stardock Systems' revamped Windows version of Galactic Civilizations is set to go public beta this summer and be released early next year.
The game is being recreated from scratch, but is taking advantage of much of Stardock's in-house technology, including its artificial intelligence engine known as the SDS/AI, used in Stardock's last game title, Entrepreneur.
-DanQ
SMAC AND SMAC-X FOR LINUX: COMING NEXT WEEK?
(18 May 2000, 20:32 EST/SMAC) Looking on Amazon for the SMAC-X for the Macintosh, I discovered the entry of SMAC for Linux instead. But it's not just smac. Amazon's entry is Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri with Alien Crossfire to be exact. Apparently, there will be a "pack" option availiable only. Pre-ordering is possible and the listed price is set at $49.99. Perhaps the most important is that the page mentions May 27 as the release date. Loki's page for SMAC doesn't offer any more information on this nor is SMAC availiable for pre-ordering on Loki's electronic shop. We'll have to wait and see... -MarkG
MAC SMAC-X REACHES GAMERS
(18 May 2000, 20:07 EST/SMACX) iMac722 is probably the first Apolytoner who got SMAC-X for Mac. At least he was the first to post about it. If you too got SMAC-X for Mac, please post your impressions on the forums -MarkG
MANY MAPS ON NEW SITE
(17 May 2000, 23:55 EST/Misc) The Civilization community is growing again. Azenion's Civilization II Site was just launched recently and contains 91 original maps, from the same author to boot, available for download in a single ZIP file. Each map comes with an online preview in the form of a screenshot. -DanQ
SUGGESTIONS FOR A CHAT SYSTEM?
(17 May 2000, 19:32 EST/CtP2) It's really encouranging when you have developers answer questions on the forums. People get useful information on the details that really make the differences, beyond the generic previews and the even more generic official pages. It's even better when developers ask for suggestions. Osco wondered about the chat system of CTP2 in multiplayer games. "Actigrammer" Mr Ogre replied with a question: What games do you think have really good chat systems?. Sounds like there is room for suggestions to me. Answer the question on the forum! -MarkG
UNITS NOT UPGRADEABLE
(17 May 2000, 19:21 EST/CtP2) Did you like the option to upgrade your units for a cost when they are made obsolete in SMAC? Don't wait to see it on CTP2. Slax made the question on the forums, and St Swithin(an Actigrammer using Slingshot's terminology :)) gave the answer
The AI will not retain units which are obsolete, so the AI won't have warriors running around after your Cyber Ninjas. However, the player can keep them around for as long as they want to. I find that it's usually best to disband the unit inside a city, so that I can recover some of the production that originally went into the unit. But the units will not upgradeable. Sorry.
Check out the whole discussion on the related forum thread
-MarkG
ANOTHER EIGHT FILES IN THE DB!
(17 May 2000, 15:58 EST/Civ2) Here are eight new files in the DB processed by Tim Davis. We have 424 files now with over 135,000 downloads. Who wants to submit No. 500? Send your scenarios!
Star Wars
Death and Resurrection of an Empire
Harald Fairhair
Europe_s
Hovercraft
Narfton
New Units
Interface Changer
-Sven
FLAT MAP SUPPORT
(16 May 2000, 1:09 EST/CtP2) A long time demand of CTP1 MOD-makers will become reality in CTP2. Flat map support will be there, allowing for types of scenarios that were simply not possible in CTP1.
Related forum thread
-MarkG
HOW THE COW GOT SLAUGTHERED
(15 May 2000, 4:08 EST/CtP) One of the most discussed units that never made it on CTP, was the cow unit. If you dont remember, the cow units looked like a... cow, and could boost the food production of a tile. Since it was a unit you could move it wherever it was needed. In the end, the unit was cut, but the sprite was there(check out Mr Temba's Cow Mod that enables it).
Today, Mr Ogre of Activision, when the question of whether the cow unit will be back was posted, answered negatively and explained how it got... slaughtered the first time...
We all got a real kick out of it too, and it was useful for its intended purpose, but it was also far too useful as a defense against stealth units. No, it couldn't see stealth units, but you could build cows all around your city and effectively stop stealth units from getting to it. We called it the Wall of Beef defense. We could have made cows more expensive to make that unreasonable, but then you'd have been better off just building more farms. So they had to go. -MarkG
CLARIFICATION ON FARMS
(15 May 2000, 3:56 EST/CtP2) The IGN preview left the impressions that placing farms is now fully automatic. Activision's Joe Rumsy (a.k.a. Mr Ogre on the forums) clarified that you are still able place the farms wherever you want. But there is now the option to let the mayor of the city do it for you. The mayor seems likes the good-old Civ2 city advisor with more... responsibilities.
Mr Ogre also gave us the bad news: the cow unit is not returning! :D More details about that in the CTP section. -MarkG
PC DATA: APRIL 23-29, 2000
(14 May 2000, 13:53 EST/Misc) For the week April 23-29, 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.
Disney's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire was bumped down one spot by 989 Studios' EverQuest add-on, Ruins Of Kunark. Other debuts/returns to this week's charts include Phantom Menace, Soldier of Fortune and Jane's WWII Fighters.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
3) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
4) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
6) Solider Of Fortune | Activision
7) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) Grand Slam Bridge III | Electronic Arts
9) Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace | LucasArts
10) Jane's WWII Fighters | Electronic Arts -DanQ
WHICH IDEA DO YOU LIKE BEST?
(14 May 2000, 7:58 EST/Dino) Our 4th poll is about some of the ideas mentioned in the 6th Diary.
Here is the exact part of the diary
1. Create a head dino character, an "alpha" dino or King/Queen Dino. This would be a single dino around which the rest of the herd revolves. This 'HeroSaur' could have special traits
2. Humanize the dinos. An interesting solution. One easy way to do this is through the baby dinos. When a new dino hatches, it would actually come out as a baby, and would follow its mother around until it gets old enough to go out on its own.
3. Emphasize the story of these dinos so that players become invested in that story. A simple technique Sid is experimenting with is the DinoCam, a kind of window on special events in the game, such as births, battles, and deaths
4. A vicious enemy. Be it the terrible harshness of the environment or an enemy dino so huge and violent it makes the player's heart leap
5. A home. Allowing the dinos to influence the environment, through nesting, digging, "fertilizing," or otherwise shaping an area to the player's liking, would create a physical space into which the player has invested time and effort
6. Expressive animation. Giving the dinosaurs more character than the grim reptilian faces they probably possessed would engage the player and help them to project emotions into the dinosaurs.
7. Big goals. Give the dinos something to drive them forward to the endgame. Give the player something big to grasp for, such as evolving a dinosaur to stand the test of time. =)
Comments forum thread -MarkG
AVERAGE INTEREST IN DINO`S SO FAR
(14 May 2000, 7:52 EST/Dino) Our 3d Dinosaurs poll, titled "Your interest in Dino so far?", has ended with a total of 505 votes. Here are the full results
| 5(already an addict) | 65 / 12% | | 4(I've started renting movies with dinosaurs for some reason) | 28 / 5% | | 3(looking forward to more info) | 206 / 40% | | 2(when I hear more about it, perhaps...) | 120 / 23% | | 1(bah! who care about dinosaurs...) | 58 / 11% | | don't know what you're talking about | 28 / 5% |
The average vote was 2.83
Comments forum thread -MarkG
CGO FIRST LOOK
(13 May 2000, 22:14 EST/CtP2) In a follow-up to their general announcement article, Computer Games Online has posted a brief preview of CTPII from the last day of E3 in Los Angeles, California USA.
"Call to Power 2 should rise from the murk of pre-history this fall, when there won't likely be a huge number of competing turn-based strategy games on the market", reports previewer Robert Mayer.
They are promising that there is more to come on the game as they sort through the slew of information that came their way these past few days. -DanQ
COLUMN #115; BY ALEXANDER SESCUAN
(13 May 2000, 20:57 EST/Misc) Alexander Sescuan, an experienced Civ2 and Smac player, makes suggestions for future civ games, in our latest article: Column #115 entitled "Terraforming Alpha Centauri". -MarkG
FIRST LOOK ON CTP2!
(13 May 2000, 17:37 EST/CtP2) IGN also published the first preview of CTP2. Some quotes
On AI and borders
"We've made the AI a lot more robust," explains White, "it understands a lot more about borders and if you're friendly it won't come into your territory. Of course, it will also expect the same behavior of you."
On the Combat model
"We've changed the entire combat model," says White. The first (and in my opinion most important) of those changes is the addition of an armor attribute to each unit. This means that the phalanx will no longer be able to stand toe to toe with a tank – it simply won't be able to do much damage even if it hits.
On stealth units
"We've done a lot to simplify the stealth aspect of units," White explains. "Spies will let you see any approaching hidden units." While you'll still need the appropriate defense team to stop the approaching stealth unit (legal team to combat legal team and so on), just knowing why your city has suddenly stopped production will go a long way towards eliminating some of the frustration associated with Call to Power's end game.
On the Interface and new easy ways to do things
Units can now be moved in a myriad of different ways. Players can click on a unit and drag it to the location they wish it to move towards, they can right click on the unit to get a menu of its available options, or they can use one of the several included keyboard shortcuts to get things underway. Actual placement of individual farming units has been completely eliminated and now the only thing players will need to worry about is selecting the number of farmers, entertainers, scientists, etc. How much of the land that can be utilized around the city is determined now by the city's influence (how big it is and how long it's been around). If someone feels overwhelmed by the prospect of city micro-management, all they have to do is click on the mayor option in the city they no longer wish to worry about. Mayors will run the city automatically for the players focusing on the player's choice of growth (in which they will attempt to increase the city's size), production (improving the city's ability to build) or science (focusing on generating as many research points as possible). Trade options have also been improved so that cities can now trade food with each other – pretty handy if you have one big fat city and a ton of other cities that are starving
On new units, wonders and advances
...city planner, an advanced settler option that allows users to build cities that come with basic buildings already included and that have a higher population, the game will also have loads of new sea units for player to choose from. We managed to catch a glimpse of the Moray, a super fast and agile defensive vehicle, the Kraken, a slower offensive unit and the Scout Sub, a weak unit that enables the player to see hidden units in a very wide radius. A full 20% of the advances in the game are new and the team has removed a few of the old ones that didn't make any sense within the new game's parameters (the space playing level has been completely removed from the game). A full half of the wonders are new and include the Empire State Building, which gives players a trade, gold and diplomacy bonus and the Data Haven, which gives its builder the equivalent of a free e-bank in every city. The team has also added Feats of Wonder, a lower scale version of the standard wonder that give the player a small bonus for a set amount of time. For example, the first player to sail around the world gets a water movement bonus for a few rounds. And as evident from the new unit types mentioned above, Call to Power II will place a great deal more emphasis on undersea development. Two new terrain types, the kelp bed and the coral reef have been added to the game to make life in the water a little more enticing.
At last, lot's of stuff to discuss! Thanks to Paul for providing the link -MarkG
ONE MORE SCREENSHOT
(13 May 2000, 17:35 EST/CtP2)  Searhing the net for E3 news, here is un-published screenshot from IGN. It looks like a part of an intro movie, doesnt it?
(Comment Thread)
In related news, Mr Ogre of Activision verified on our forums that the sketch art in yesterday's news item is indeed the new "urban planner" unit. -MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR APRIL
(12 May 2000, 23:48 EST/Misc) Good efforts are awarded on the Apolyton Links&Products Directory! Recently added, the OCC Guide and the Colonization page grabbed high places during April
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.61 Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
2(3). 9.40 The Spanish Civilization II Site
3(2). 9.33 Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
4(-). 9.20 Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
5(-). 9.14 Colonization Home Page
6(4). 9.11 Civilization II Scenario League
7(5). 8.67 Platehead's Civilization II Site
8(10). 8.50 Civilization II Historical Scenarios
9(7). 8.50 Civilization Fanatics Center @ Strategy Gaming Online
10(8). 8.50 Civilization III @ SidGames.com
Top 5 Games
1(1). 10.00 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
2(-). 10.00 Civilization II Gold(Mac)
3(2). 9.33 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
4(3). 9.00 Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
5(5). 8.40 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 your ratings in order to collect as many opinions as possible. -MarkG
(DEVELOPED) CITY BUILDER UNIT?!?
(12 May 2000, 5:18 EST/CtP2)  Interesting news are coming from E3. Atahualpa reported us of a news article at the German site Gamestar. Here is part of the article translated by Ata, focusing on a new city-building unit
"The sequel to last years published Call to Power from Activision makes great progress. Graphics and Interface will only be improved in details, but therefor, the developers looked to get most of the lacking points of CtP1 straight! New Units like the City-builder bring more diversity into the game, as with him you can build _already developed_ cities in later stages of the game."
And here is the translation of the full article from Babelfish. It's not perfect as you can see, but it's something
"The second section in the last year call to of power of Activision appeared makes large progress. Diagram and control are improved only in the detail, but to have itself the developers very strongly to the removal of the points of criticism made. New units as for example the staedtebauer provide for still more alternation, because with it localities already developed can be established at later times in the play. A majority of the innovations concerns the diplomacy. Thus alliances are closed not only as usual and signed trade agreements, but with direct threats and offers even many engagements on now the persektivisch represented battleground can be avoided. Planned erscheinungstermin is Christmas 2000."
Looking at the images we have seen so far, the unit might be the one on this news article... -MarkG
OFFICIAL SITE FIRST GLIMPSE
(11 May 2000, 23:22 EST/CtP2) The official website for Call To Power 2 is currently under development, but is available for preview. A general description, including the following, is presently available:
"Rewrite History Your Way
Built-in scenarios allow you to relive some of the world's greatest battles. A map and scenario editor allow you to build your own historical or fictional situations".
The credit goes to Locutus for stumbling upon this and pointing it out. -DanQ
GALCIV FOR WINDOWS: E3
(11 May 2000, 19:48 EST/Alt) Games Domain in the UK is reporting from E3 2000 at the Los Angeles Convention Center that Stardock Systems is diverting more resources in developing a Windows version of Galactic Civilizations; this will be an ongoing process over the next 18 months. GalCiv will also be a vehicle to help promote Stardock's forthcoming Drengin.net service. Drengin will be a low fee subscription service that will make episodic "AAA quality" games available over the net.
More to come. -DanQ
THIS FALL?
(11 May 2000, 16:45 EST/CtP2) Well Rounded Entertainment is reporting on location at E3 that Call To Power II is set for release sometime this fall. This backs up an earlier claim by C|Net's GameCenter in February shortly after the game's official announcement.
Is it true? Can a more precise date be pinpointed? Stay tuned. -DanQ
MORE SCREENS
(11 May 2000, 16:38 EST/CtP2) More Call To Power II screenshots have been released from the floors of this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles, California.
There are eight pics available for viewing from Well Rounded Entertainment's website. -DanQ
REYNOLDS INTERVIEW & FEATURE
(10 May 2000, 23:39 EST/Misc) Computer Games Online posted both a feature about and an interview with Brian Reynolds, President of Big Huge Games.
In the former Brian discusses each of the games he has worked on in his years in the computer gaming industry in brief. On CivII:
"I was living in Richmond, North Yorkshire, in England for most of the writing of this game. I guess the countryside view was inspirational -- I think this is my best game, and it was also the most fun to make".
And on SMAC:
"I always wondered if my degree in Philosophy would ever come in handy for something. My favorite part of this game was developing the characters and factions, and the AI to give them divergent personalities and agendas".
The latter of the two articles is a candid talk with Brian about the past, present and future. Excerpt:
CGO: What is your overriding goal for future products from Big Huge Games?
"If there’s one vision we all share it’s to aim for the brass ring, to always try for Triple A quality in every category of production, and to build all of our business and business model and publisher relationships around that central goal". -DanQ
BEST CIV GAME VOTE
(9 May 2000, 23:36 EST/Misc) The official FreeCiv website is conducting a vote on what the best Civilization game is. Of 133 votes tabulated at the time of the posting of this article, FreeCiv itself is leaving the others in its dust with 74% the game of choice of ballots tabulated. Civilization II and Alpha Centauri are neck and neck in, in effect, a dead heat (17% and 16% of the vote respectively) for second place. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: APRIL 29, 2000
(8 May 2000, 23:53 EST/Misc) Chart-Trak has published their list of the Top 5 Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending April 29, 2000. The top three spots retain their stronghold, while Delta Force jumps from #8 last week to squeak in at #5 this time around and ousts Star Wars: Force Commander in the process.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Formula 1 2000 | EA
5) Delta Force | NovaLogic -DanQ
THIRTY-ONE ON G100
(8 May 2000, 23:26 EST/CtP) In the 384th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power has dropped again, and is now sitting at #31.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FOURTEENTH SPOT
(8 May 2000, 23:24 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 384th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time is residing in 14th spot; last week it reached its highest point in recent memory at #11.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
LITTLE SLIP: G100
(8 May 2000, 23:22 EST/SMACX) In the 384th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, it appears as though the Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire duo fell down one to the #5 spot on the chart.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FIRST CTP2 SCREENSHOTS!!
(8 May 2000, 10:00 EST/CtP2)  E3 is almost here, and it looks like we'll have a flood of ctp2 information! It has actually already started, as Adrenaline Vault posted the first in-game screenshots. See all of them here. Many thanks to Palpatine who posted about it.
-MarkG
C.I.V. SURFACES
(7 May 2000, 16:05 EST/Misc) The "Completely Insane Vegetables" website has surfaced -- yes, you read right, "Completely Insane Vegetables" is its name. You can find it at home13.inet.tele.dk/cpj. As the address might imply, it's the newest in a string of Civilization III sites making its presence known on the Net.
Owner/webmaster Jacob Jester promises some big upgrades are coming in the next month.
Welcome to the online Civilization community, Jacob! -DanQ
FORUM MAINTAINANCE
(7 May 2000, 9:13 EST/About) Between April 26 and May 5, the following forum maintainance occured:
Civ3-General: 99 threads with 608 posts archived
Civ2-General: 64 threads with 528 posts archived
Civ2-ToT: 67 threads with 460 posts archived
Civ2-Multiplaying: 58 threads with 1790 posts archived
Civ2-Strategy: 180 threads with 2594 posts archived
Civ2-Creation: 153 threads with 847 posts archived
CtP-General: 167 threads with 1241 posts archived
CtP-Creation: 218 threads with 1222 posts archived
AC-General: 105 threads with 840 posts archived
Scenario League: 57 threads with 2245 posts archived
S&D: 66 threads with 279 posts deleted
S&D: 50 threads with 2202 posts archived
Off-Topic: 566 threads with 9482 posts deleted
Off-Topic: 65 threads with 4232 posts archived
Total deleted: 632 threads with 9761 posts
Total archived: 1477 threads with 18809 posts -MarkG
COLUMN #114; BY BAUSER
(6 May 2000, 18:12 EST/Misc) The 114th installment of The Column brings a piece by a first time author in the series, Bauser. "CivII: Deity Style" examines winning strategies at the Deity level in Civilization II.
Comments/questions are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
REVIEW OF BEOS PORT
(6 May 2000, 17:57 EST/CtP) The BeOS Journal has made their review of the BeOS port of CTP. Written by by Ryan C. Christiansen, the same person who chronicled his experiences with the came in the form of a journal, praised among other things the excellent support given customers by Wildcard Design.
We extend our gratitude to beGamer.com for digging this up. -DanQ
BEOS GUIDE, PART III
(6 May 2000, 17:50 EST/CtP) The third installment of Justin Sherrill's CTP Playing Game is now live. In this edition Sherrill touches upon picking a game type and picking a fight.
For previous issues, check the two earlier news items below. -DanQ
BEOS PATCH R5 AVAILABLE
(6 May 2000, 0:06 EST/CtP) On April 13, Wildcard Design Inc. released the R5 patch for the BeOS port of CTP. This version also contains minor fixes, such as compatability with Windows for email games, for v4.52 users as well.
As of today, you can download the patch directly (3.4MB) from the Apolyton CTP Files Database. -DanQ
MAC PORT UPDATE V1.5
(5 May 2000, 23:54 EST/SMAC) The v1.5 patch for the Mac port of SMAC was released by Aspyr Media just yesterday.
A reasonable 1MB download, the update fixes numerous bugs and adds some new options. A full list of changes is included with the update in the "Version History" document.
You can grab it directly from Apolyton. -DanQ
SMAC-X MAC: GOLDMASTER
(5 May 2000, 23:40 EST/SMACX) The Mac port of the SMAC expansion pack, Alien Crossfire, has gone gold! According to Westlake Interactive's website, the game CD's should be ready to ship out from Aspyr in a week or so. It is currently only available for order direct from the publisher, so if you're a Mac gamer and this is something you have just got to have, then head over to Aspyr Media to order your copy now!
Goldmaster, or "going gold", is a term used to indicate that the final CD for a game is delivered/being delivered to the publisher. -DanQ
CIV-THEMED CARTOON
(5 May 2000, 19:13 EST/Civ2) CapTVK sent us a copy of the cartoon strip to be featured this week on thebench.org -- anyone familiar with the Civilization series should be able to appreciate this.  -DanQ
FIRAXIS NOT AT E3
(5 May 2000, 19:04 EST/Misc) As first reported by Gamer's Voice, Firaxis will not be making an appearance at this year's E3 Conference. Both Civilization III and Dinosaurs are, quote, "too far out from their release dates".
Thanks to the Civilization III Civilopedia for passing this our way. -DanQ
PC DATA: APRIL 16-22, 2000
(4 May 2000, 19:46 EST/Misc) For the week April 16-22, 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.
This week saw the return of Star Wars: Force Commander, Unreal Tournament, and MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
5) Rainbow Six: Urban Operations | Red Storm
6) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
7) Grand Slam Bridge III | Electronic Arts
8) Frogger | Hasbro Interactive
9) Star Wars: Force Commander | LucasArts
10) Unreal Tournament | GT Interactive -DanQ
EC3 LIST REACHES CIV3 TEAM
(4 May 2000, 13:04 EST/Civ3) After a long delay, an "official" mail (with a nice introduction by korn469) was sent to Firaxis yesterday. A reply came today with thanks ("for all of your hard work!!" was the exact wording :)), and a note that it has been forwarded to the Civ3 development team.
So, are we done suggesting and making lists? :D -MarkG
REYNOLDS ON CIVILOPEDIA
(4 May 2000, 10:15 EST/Misc) The Civilization III Civilopedia, part of the gamers-lounge.com network, has posted an interview with Brian Reynolds of Big Huge Games.
"In this interview, Brian and I discuss the future of Big Huge Games, as well as its potential impacts on the PC Gaming industry", says Dustin Bainbridge, webmaster of the Civilopedia. "A great all-around interview". -DanQ
HI-RES V2: EXCLUSIVE RELEASE
(4 May 2000, 10:11 EST/Civ2) Apolyton CS is proud to exclusively release v2.4 of Tim Smith's Hi-Res MOD Pack this morning. It can be played on CivII version 2.x and/or with Multiplayer Gold Edition.
"HiRes can be installed as either as a graphics patch OR as a mod pack", documents the ReadMe included within. "As a graphics patch, HiRes will replace most of the original Microprose graphics without changing any other aspect of the game. If installed as a mod pack, HiRes makes some modest changes to the unit line up, giving a bit more detail to the development of aircraft and armored warfare. Optional sound files can be installed either way, including sounds for the new units found in the mod pack as well as replacements for some of the Microprose sound files". -DanQ
HI-RES VER 2 ADDITIONAL UNIT FILES
(4 May 2000, 8:16 EST/Civ2Mac) I regret to say that the original HiRes ver.2 post lacked two units files: UNITS.PICT and UNITORIG.PICT. Go to unitpicts.sit if you downloaded prior to 3 May 00, 18:30 EST US time. The current HiRes file is complete. I performed penance last night by watching the KC Royals loose 14 to 5 to the Oakland A's. -macuser
THREE NEW FORUMS!
(4 May 2000, 3:13 EST/About) That's right, three new forums in one day!
Alternative Civilizations for all the small civ games
Free Civ for the greatest civ clone of all
Big Huge Games for the most civish real-time strategy game making company :)
Also, Civ Comparison/Other Games has been renamed to Other Games/Civ Comparison to match better it's current discussions... -MarkG
ALTERNATIVE CIVS AND FREECIV FORUMS
(4 May 2000, 2:56 EST/Alt) The Alt.Civs section has got it's own forum again, in a second try for discussion around alternative civ-games created by fans not big companies.
Along with it, probably the most important alt.civ game, Free Civ has it's place on Apolyton as well.
Check them out at http://apolyton.net/forums -MarkG
HI-RES V2 COMING
(3 May 2000, 23:21 EST/Civ2) The next incarnation of Tim Smith's Hi-Res MOD Pack, "Version 2", will be released exclusively here on Apolyton sometime tomorrow.
Bookmark this page to keep your eyes (and keyboards) peeled. :) -DanQ
SEARCH ENGINE FOR CIV3 SECTION
(3 May 2000, 19:25 EST/Civ3) The Civ3 Section now has it's own search engine. Over 80 pages iwth civ3 suggestions are waiting for you to search them :)
Try it out! -MarkG
HI-RES VERSION 2, MO`PRI MAP AND THE VIKING AGE FOR MAC
(2 May 2000, 23:54 EST/Civ2Mac) First the BIG news: HiRes Version 2 is here! Yes, you heard it right! Smash sent me the latest Tim F. Smith creation and now I have the honor of passing it on to you! (check out the honorable mention in the Read Me "Appreciation" section! ;-) Go straight to the Mac Scenario section, do not pass GO...
While I'd hate to follow that announcement on stage, the Mac page features two other new additions. First we have the Mo'Pri Map, based on the online fantasy game Monarchy, created by Jon o Thicket, Cartographer, (you'll recognize him as JoT on the ACS Forum). Ya gotta love the shape this world! Second, Harlan Thompson's The Viking Age, Ver.2.0, has been converted for Mac by Mantis. From this day forward all boats will bear scary faces that breath fire on rickety AI rafts!
Our Civ worlds will never look the same again!! -macuser
GAME GUIDE: PART TWO
(2 May 2000, 23:50 EST/CtP) Part Two of the CTP Gaming Guide that was first discussed a few days ago has been posted on begamer.com. Written by Justin Sherril, a CTPer who is one of a growing number of BeOS users, says some readers may find this installment "a bit more dry". However, many may find the tips on War, Infrastructure and Science research strategies most helpful. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: APRIL 9-19, 2000
(2 May 2000, 23:37 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the April 9-19, 2000 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format. This week, total running time is a little under 18 minutes.
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
CIV2-MP FORUM ARCHIVE
(2 May 2000, 16:42 EST/Civ2) A new archive in our forums has been created, storing the great wisdom of discussion on civ2 multiplaying :)
Check out the Civ2-Multiplaying Archive and feel free to send a note to Ming whenever you see a thread that is worth being saved. -MarkG
ALT. CIVS. SECTION RELAUNCH
(1 May 2000, 22:48 EST/About) Apolyton's Alternative Civilizations section has been relaunched with a newer, sleeker look thanks to the recent efforts of section webmaster OnePaul.
To read the full press release on today's announcement, please click here. -DanQ
TRANSLATOR VOLUNTEERS?
(1 May 2000, 19:42 EST/SMAC) Firaxis' web wizard Dan Magaha wants to know if any member of the SMAC community would be willing to volunteer their time to translate text for the company's upcoming SMAC section. However, Magaha cautions that performing this function on the Datalinks will be a long and involved process.
"... the datalinks are in a big database, and they would be the hardest to translate. Since the database was constructed mainly from the existent text files found in the Alpha game directory, it's possible I could do it that way, but it would take quite some time". -DanQ
WHERE HAVE ALL THE SCENS. GONE?
(1 May 2000, 19:28 EST/CtP) The following email message was submitted to us this morning by a concerned CTP fan:
"[I] would like to know why there a so few scenarios being created and posted on the sites. I wouldn't have thought it would be much harder than in Civ2 which there are heaps of. I am especially interested in a WW2 one but found none except for the graphics.
Can you enlighten me on why none are being done ie is there a specific reason why people arn't doing them?"
The answer to part of the question is that none are being regularly added to our file database because not many have been submitted to us since CTP's release.
If you are a CTP enthusiast and are willing to take the time, energy and interest in filling this very obvious demand, please do so and then send us your stuff! The satisfaction and gratitude of other members of the CTP community is a reward unto itself. -DanQ
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