(27 June 2000, 19:04 EST/Civ3) Our poll on the suggestion for a "Civer's Edition" ended just now with interesting results| Yes! No matter the price! |  292 / 22% |
| I would go up to $60-70 | 180 / 13% |
| Around $50 is the reasonable price | 260 / 20% |
| I can barely afford the price for a normal edition | 120 / 9% |
| Nah, it wont be worth the extra money | 74 / 5% |
| Let's see first if the actual game is good... | 320 / 24% |
| Don't care | 40 / 3% |
1286 total votes
Related Forum Thread -MarkG
BOOK DEAL UPDATE
(27 June 2000, 9:32 EST/SMAC) In a follow-up to our June 7th "Book Deal Struck" article, CapTVK came across an an article on the subject on Gamers.com.
The new news: it's due to hit store shelves in early 2001.
If you're attending Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia this week, head over to the Steve Jackson Games booth and ask them for more info (and, if you get any, please send it our way 
). -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: JUNE 17, 2000
(26 June 2000, 19:17 EST/Misc) The Sims is unseated by a whirlwind entry on the Top Selling PC Games in the U.K. countdown for the week ending June 17, 2000. According to Chart-Trak, Shogun: Total War rockets past the competition entering into top spot in its debut week. All other titles fall a notch in turn, which knocks SimCity 3000 World Edition to sixth spot and off the leaderboard.
1) Shogun: Total War | Electronic Arts
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
4) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
5) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision -DanQ
FIRST LINUX PORT PREVIEW
(26 June 2000, 13:59 EST/SMACX) Have you been scouring the Net in recent weeks in an effort to find a preview of the Linux port of SMAC and SMAC-X but to no avail?
Step 1: Breathe deeply. Step 2: Logon to canadacomputes.com and read Steve Coe's first-look dated June 21, 2000.
Coe was one of the chosen few to participate in Loki Entertainment Software's private beta test of the gaming duo. First and foremost he gives a brief background of the goals and features of the game before diving into the burning question on gamers' minds: how's the port shaping up?
"Impressively well, I have to say. The first version I tested was released several weeks ago. Aside from numerous bugs, very few of which were truly show stoppers, it worked quite well. For the first little while I spent more time reporting bugs than I did actually playing the game and the game crashed a lot, but then that is kind of to be expected from a very early beta.
Since the start of the beta testing, there have been several new versions. With each new beta release there are a few quirks, but the quirks get fewer and fewer each time". -DanQ
SCOTT DRAEKER INTERVIEW
(26 June 2000, 13:52 EST/Misc) GameSpy's James Hill talked with Loki Entertainment Software President Scott Draeker about his company's success as the Linux porter of choice for many top-selling PC games.
In the interview, Draeker discsses numerous topics with Hill, ranging from the growing support for Linux has impacted Loki and where he sees the Linux gaming market going in the future.
Loki's contributions to the Civilization began with the port of Civilization: Call To Power to the Linux OS last year; it was the first commercial game to land in the Linux corner in its short history. They are currently working on Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and its Alien Crossfire expanson pack which are currently in private beta testing. -DanQ
OPEN SOURCE CIVILIZATION
(26 June 2000, 10:02 EST/Alt) Yesterday we told you about Civilization: The Rise & Fall of Empires, a freeware title currently under development for the Linux and BeOS platform. This morning we are excited to bring you word of another Civ-style project in the works, Open Source Civilization, which began in March of this year. The game's name has not yet been decided.
From its official website, the team of OSC has been working dilligently in seeing the project going through including keeping their visitors up-to-date on the latest developments through their site. The team is made up of 6 coders to date, 1 artist, and the design stage is the primary focus of 3-4 others. They are currently in protoyping phase with programming assignments, and are just about to dive into the detailed gameplay design.
Head over to our Alt. Civ forum to read up on what's new and up-and-coming. -DanQ
HIDDEN TREASURE
(25 June 2000, 18:55 EST/Civ2) According to the folks at Gamer's Pulse, Civilization II is a hidden treasure in gaming and a title not to be passed over.
In an article dated this past June 21, by Chris Nelson, quote, "CivII is a pure, timeless classic, perhaps the best computer game ever made.
... the most striking part about CivII is the sheer addictiveness. Many times I have found myself muttering “one more turn, then I save and quit”, then playing another 10 minutes before I realize it.
If you haven’t played CivII, pick up a copy. It is your duty as a gamer to pay respects to one of the greatest games of all time".
No gamer could have said it better, Chris! Cheers! 
-DanQ
NEW CIV GAME ON THE WORKS
(25 June 2000, 8:02 EST/Alt) 
Erik Engheim informed of a new civ game that he has recently begun working on.
"I do not try to make a clone of Civilization, instead I want to make a civ like game with features I think was missing in the original game. The way I see it, it would be more like a breed between SMAC, CTP and Imperialism II" Erik said to us.
To find out more have a look at http://erik.binary.no -MarkG
COLUMN #121; BY ADAMADA
(24 June 2000, 9:30 EST/Misc) adaMada wrestles with the question about some users' reputation in the Off-Topic forum in his article entitled "The Spammer's Reputation".
Comments/questions are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
VISIBLE PRESENCE
(24 June 2000, 9:11 EST/CtP) In the 390th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power has a fix on the 28th spot on the countdown, just ahead of Nox developed by Westwood Studios.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
THERE AND BACK AGAIN
(24 June 2000, 9:09 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 390th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time has regained its 12th position standing, jumping two notches over its performance last week.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
CRUISE CONTROL
(24 June 2000, 9:08 EST/SMACX) In the 390th 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 on cruise control as it retains the #4 spot for the the third week in a row.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
CLASH UPDATES
(23 June 2000, 8:54 EST/Alt) The Clash Of Civilizations website has been given its first overhaul in three months. Webmaster Dom reports:
"Rodrigo Quijada has developed new Government, Social, and Riot Models. They are now tightly integrated, and represent a major step forward in this crucial segment of the Clash System!
Mark Everson has added some new Graphics to the Map AI Model. Very intriguing! The Demo 5 Central page contains the very latest links and buzz on a subject that's of interest to everyone!
[And finally] Richard Bruns has been working hard to refine the NEW Climate & Ecology Model. Check it out!"
Speaking of the pending fifth incarnation of the Clash demo, its projected release date is September 30th, 2000. -DanQ
FAVOURITE STRATEGY GENRE
(22 June 2000, 18:23 EST/Misc) Strategy Gaming Online wants to know if you prefer Turn-Based (TB), Real-Time (RT), Wargame strategy games, or even if you don't like strategy games at all (in which case, you are here because..? ).
At the time of the posting of this article, TBS' are leading RTS' by a reasonable margin -- 41.8% to 34.9% respectively. Wargames is running third at 21.1% while a measly 2% have voted that they detest all things strategy. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: JUNE 1-10, 2000
(22 June 2000, 13:12 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the June 1-10, 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 2.3MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
CIVILOPEDIA IS BACK
(21 June 2000, 20:24 EST/Civ3) After a brief period of downtime, the Civilization III Civilopedia is back online. Webmaster Dustin Bainbridge is promising that something new is coming to the site, but that we'll just have to wait and see... -DanQ
MYSTERY UNITS
(21 June 2000, 20:19 EST/Civ2) 
Summer has officially begun, and with it Apolyton brings you an intriguing exclusive: the two units at your right are apart of an up-and-coming scenario set to be released by the end of the summer.
On each of the units you will notice an asterisk (*) in the bottom right-hand corner which is the chosen symbol of its author, George "Polaris" Lyles.
When the scenario is released, it will be done so exclusively here on Apolyton. Keep your browsers pointed here for the latest developments. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAY 21-31, 2000
(21 June 2000, 19:53 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the May 21-31, 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 2MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
PC DATA: JUNE 4 - 10, 2000
(20 June 2000, 18:29 EST/Misc) For the week June 4 - June 10, 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 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market.
Following a much-anticipated release, Activision’s Vampire premiers at the number 3 spot on the charts, and the correponding Collector's Edition sits prominently in 5th. In the midst of all this, SimCity 3000 Unlimited slides four notches down to #8.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Vampire: The Masquerade -- Redemption | Activision
4) Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Vampire: Collector's Edition | Activision
6) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
7) Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
9) Starcraft | Havas
10) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAY 11-20, 2000
(20 June 2000, 17:23 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the May 11-20th, 2000 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format. At almost 30 minutes in length, it is one of the longest such broadcasts in the history of the audio versions' run.
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 3.7MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
MIGHT AS WELL FACE IT...
(19 June 2000, 22:33 EST/About) ... you're addicted to Apolyton. To check to see if you fit this bill, head on over to the thread in our forums on the subject.
While you're there, consider signing-up for an account if you have not already done so. With over 30 forums and 6200+ registered members to date, this is a clear reflection of how the online Civilization community only continues to grow and prosper. -DanQ
GOTTA HAVE STRATEGY
(19 June 2000, 22:14 EST/Misc) GamersCentral is conducting a poll on gamers' preference of genre. The question is: "if there's no ... in it, I won't play". The "..." is one of either Strategy, Shooting, Racing, Adventure, Roleplaying or Flying.
At present, Strategy is in the lead with 26.8% of total votes, with Shooting trailing behind at 19.6%. Vote today! -DanQ
COLUMN #120; BY THELIMEY
(17 June 2000, 21:52 EST/Misc) In "The Physics Of Development & Release Of A Civ-Style Game"'s first installment, sub-titled "The Resurrection", author TheLimey looks at what should become of Civilization III.
Comments/questions on this piece are welcomed in our forums. Watch for future installments of this article in the coming weeks... -DanQ
ACTIVISION RESTRUCTURING
(17 June 2000, 12:58 EST/Misc) Read the following carefully to understand its meaning:
Activision has announced that on June 9, it reorganized into a holding company structure. According to the press release, the purpose of the reorganization was to provide the corporation with "a more adaptable organizational and capital structure and to enhance its financing options".
As a result of this restructuring, a new parent corporation, Activision Holdings, owns 100% of the once public Activision, Inc. As part of the reorganization, the former Activision, Inc. changed its name to Activision Publishing, and Activision Holdings changed its name to Activision, Inc. -DanQ
CIV1 SECTION RE-LAUNCH
(15 June 2000, 21:44 EST/About) We are pleased to announce the latest in a string of section upgrades on Apolyton: Civilization I.
Your input on this new look for our Civ1 is welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
PC DATA: MAY 28 - JUNE 3, 2000
(15 June 2000, 20:49 EST/Misc) For the week May 28 - June 3, 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 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market.
Disney's Who Wants to be a Millionaire 2ND Edition held the top spot in the U.S. for the fourth week in a row. The top six spot remained unchanged for this week with all parties settling in to their respsective positions.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
6) Motocross Madness 2 | Microsoft
7) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
9) Starcraft | Havas
10) Daikatana | Eidos -DanQ
CHART TRAK: JUNE 10, 2000
(15 June 2000, 20:45 EST/Misc) The Sims remains the Top Selling PC Game in the U.K. for the eighth week in a row, according to Chart Trak for week ending June 10, 2000. Eidos' Championship Manager: Season 99/00 held on to the number two spot, while Activision's Soldier of Fortune fell one spot as it was pushed out of the way by Age of Empires II.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
3) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
4) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
5) SimCity 3000 World Edition | Electronic Arts -DanQ
FC 1.11.0 BETA COMING
(15 June 2000, 20:20 EST/Alt) The following message was posted yesterday on the official FreeCiv website by webmaster Paul Zastoupil:
"There is a feature freeze for version 1.11.0 of Freeciv. There are lots of great, new features in the development version that now need to be tested as thoroughly as possible before release.
The target date for the release of Version 1.11.0 is June 27th.
During the beta period (from now to release), we will generally be focusing on bug-fixing, and only committing bug-fix patches to the CVS. It is also the time during which the set of translatable strings will (hopefully) stabilize enough to give the translators a chance to catch up.
The first beta test version of the source code for this release cycle will be available soon here". -DanQ
CHANGE YOUR OWN USERNAME
(15 June 2000, 20:11 EST/About) It's been a long time coming, but it's finally in the here and now: if you want to change the username you signed up with in our forums, you can now edit it yourself by logging into your account profile and following the simple, detailed instructions.
Click here for the lowdown. -DanQ
T-SHIRTS: WHAT TO EXPECT
(15 June 2000, 19:19 EST/About) Ever since the topic of having Apolyton T-Shirts was raised, there has been on-and-off again discussions of its progression to becoming a reality. We are one step closer today as we reveal what you can expect the T-Shirts to contain, save an actual image of it.
An image of the Apolyton CS logo will appear on the front of the shirt, while the back will contain the full introductory text from the original Civilization as well as screenshots from gameplay of all the "main" released titles, to date, that make up our gaming lineup.
While this initial design is still subject to change pending finalization of details, this is how it stands at the moment.
Comments/questions welcomed in our Apolyton forum. -DanQ
MAC GETS SMAC-X DEMO
(15 June 2000, 19:01 EST/SMACX) As first reported by GameCenter [here], Aspyr Media has released the 28MB demo of Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire for the Mac.
Though the demo of Alien Crossfire doesn't require the full retail version of Alpha Centauri to play, the retail version of Alien Crossfire will. The demo requires at least a Mac OS 7.6, a PowerPC 603e at 180 MHz, and 32MB of RAM installed.
To download, head over to macgamefiles.com. -DanQ
APOLYTON NEWS JUNE 1-10
(15 June 2000, 18:54 EST/Misc) And the newsletter for June 1-10 is here as well
The main headlines are:
- Velocirys' SMACX Guide v3
- CTP Flat Map Support
- More CTP2 Info -MarkG
APOLYTON NEWS MAY 21-31
(15 June 2000, 18:52 EST/Misc) Here it is, finally!
The main headlines are:
- CTP2 Diplomacy Explained
- Firaxis SMAC Site
- Linux SMAC Early Look -MarkG
PRINTER-FRIENDLY THREADS
(15 June 2000, 15:25 EST/About) A new feature on the forums: clicking on this image 
on a forum thread will give you a printer-friendly version of the thread. Test it and give us you comments. One note: the icon will appear on new threads and on threads which have replies as of now. -MarkG
HOW DO YOU BEAT THE AI?
(15 June 2000, 14:21 EST/Civ3) Another Chris Pine question(isn't it wonderfull when developers ask these kind of things? :))
So, I was wondering if people could tell me some of their best strategies for beating the AIs? In particular, what does the game allow you to do that the AI should do, but doesn't?
Give your answer now! -MarkG
LIMIT TO NUMBER OF THREADS/PERSON/DAY
(14 June 2000, 10:23 EST/About) A restriction has been added to the numbers of threads one can start in the Off-Topic forum. To be more exact, every poster can create only one thread per day in the OT. The numbers of replies to existing thread is of course still unlimitedWe are looking forward to your comments on this thread(only!) -MarkG
PCDATA: MAY`S TOP GAMES (MAC)
(13 June 2000, 22:02 EST/Misc) PCData has released their Top 10 Selling Mac Games listing for May, 2000, and they are:
1) Unreal Tournament | GT Interactive
2) Fun Pack | GT Interactive
3) SimCity 3000 | Electronic Arts
4) Age of Empires | GT Interactive
5) Star Wars Episode I: Racer | LucasArts
6) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri | Electronic Arts
7) Quake III Arena | Activision
8) Caesar III | Havas Interactive
9) Rainbow Six | GT Interactive
10) Mac Seven | Havas Interactive
(Note who is #6...)
PCData, based in Reston, Virginia, developed this chart based on units sold by 42 retail chains, representing more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
PCDATA: MAY`S TOP GAMES (PC)
(13 June 2000, 21:57 EST/Misc) PCData has released their Top 20 Selling PC Games listing for May, 2000, and below are the Top 10. For titles 11-20, check out GameCenter's article on the subject.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 2nd Edition | Disney
3) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire | Disney
5) EverQuest: The Ruins of Kunark | 989 Studios
6) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
7) RollerCoaster Tycoon: CorkScrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) StarCraft | Havas Interactive
9) Jane's WWII Fighters | Electronic Arts
10) SimCity 3000 | Electronic Arts
PCData, based in Reston, Virginia, developed this chart based on units sold by 42 retail chains, representing more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
FIRAXIS HIRES INDUSTRY VETERAN
(13 June 2000, 10:00 EST/Misc) For immediate release:
Hunt Valley, Maryland, June 13, 2000 -- FIRAXIS Games, continuing its aggressive expansion, today announced the appointment of Mike Gibson as Director of Development. He’ll be responsible for directing the audio and visual development of all FIRAXIS products.
Mike is a ten-year veteran of the gaming industry having worked most
recently as Director of Creative Resources at Disney Interactive Victoria, where he was responsible for the art, animation, audio and design for their games. He began his career in gaming with Microprose Software in 1990, where he advanced from a staff artist to a producer in four years. Mike went on to become an Art Director and Game Designer at Sanctuary Woods Multimedia, until joining Disney in 1996. He brings a tremendous amount of management and design experience to FIRAXIS.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be at FIRAXIS”, said Gibson. “The energy in this company is phenomenal and I’m excited to be a part of one of the gaming industry’s leading developers”.
As they celebrate their fourth birthday, FIRAXIS Games has reached a major milestone: the company is now 30 people big and poised to deliver two of the most highly anticipated games in the industry: Sid Meier’s Civilization III and Sid Meier’s Dinosaurs.
“We are exactly where we want to be in terms of the depth and talent of our group and Mike Gibson has the management and production experience to help us continue to deliver top notch games”, said
Jeff Briggs, President and CEO of FIRAXIS Games. “Sid and I couldn’t be happier with the state of our company”, he added. -DanQ
NEW LOOK... AGAIN
(12 June 2000, 15:35 EST/Misc) Big Huge Games has redesigned their website for the second time in as many weeks.
"It's not enough to be big, you must be BIG and HUGE" proclaims a statement that can now be found throughout bighugegames.com. What do you think of the re-re-design? Let their webmaster know. -DanQ
APOLYTONER ICQ LIST
(11 June 2000, 23:17 EST/About) The use of instant messaging software over the Internet has exploded over the past year, and continues to grow at an exponential rate; as Apolytoners, we communicate via email. We communicate via IRC (chat), and even through the forums.
That said, why not ICQ (I-Seek-You)?
This was the question, more or less, that was recently raised in our forums. The idea is to create and manage an up-to-date listing of Apolytoners' ICQ numbers for easier contacting. The response to date has been overwhelming positive -- the only thing missing now is for someone to manage it.
Should it become an expansion for the existing Apolyton Age FAQ, or something separate altogether? Let us know. -DanQ
PENDING FORUM BACKUP
(11 June 2000, 23:05 EST/About) Note to Apolyton Fora dwellers:
Over the next 5-7 days (June 12 - June 19), you may experience a slowdown in parts of and/or in all of Apolyton's forums; the reason for this is a backup of its contents is being made. While time consuming, the backup could be used to restore the forums for the most part following a severe data loss.
We thank you for your patience, in advance. -DanQ
IN THE TOP THIRTY
(11 June 2000, 21:21 EST/CtP) In the 388th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power, while falling one spot this week to #27, is still performing significantly better than two weeks ago when it hovered on the chart in 32nd.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
STILL TWELVE
(11 June 2000, 21:18 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 388th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time is once again in 12th spot; two weeks prior, it was in 14th. It has yet to make it into the top ten, but did peak at #11 in recent weeks.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FOURTH FOR THREE WEEKS
(11 June 2000, 21:16 EST/SMACX) In the 388th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire makes its prescence known by holding onto 4th spot for the third week in a row.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
COLUMN #119; BY KEN BREGGOT
(10 June 2000, 20:16 EST/Misc) Ken Breggot has the honour of being this week's featured writer in The Column, Apolyton's long-running weekly series of articles by and for Civilization fans that examine in the ins and outs of the Civ series and its global appeal.
In his article entitled "Moderation Is A Virtue", Ken worries that trying to make Civ too complex will make gameplay too cumbersome. Comments/questions about the article? Speak your mind.
On a related note, the second installment of Markos Giannopoulos' newest column series, "Freedom & Obligation: CTP2", will surface in a few weeks. -DanQ
FLAT MAP SUPPORT!!
(10 June 2000, 2:51 EST/CtP) Wonderfull news for scenario makers! Flat map support is now possible, yes in CTP1, with SLIC. No wait for CTP2! Read all about it and download the file on the forums. WesW's new beta 5 of the Medieval Pack v3 includes flat map support. Hopefully, it will be soon be done for the Apolyton Pack as well. -MarkG
REPLAY AT END OF GAME ALA CIV1?
(10 June 2000, 2:41 EST/CtP2) It's possible! Activision had already announced a "historical timeline" feature. It seems that the plan included a record of the bgiest events of the game(something that did exist in civ1). What was not included(until now hopefully) was the animated map showing the changes of the borders through time. Mr Ogre explains:
Most of the data for a replay showing events will be collected for what's planned will be collected anyway. The geographic part of the thing everyone wants wasn't planned, nor the animated part. But we will at least have a chronological record of all the big events that happen in the game. Given that, it's possible we can record the geography too and work the map replay in. It might be a good learning task for our new programmer when he gets here in a few weeks, to get him up to speed on several parts of the game. I'll think about that.
Activision has really showed that it listens, add your voice, post: "Just like in Civ1!" :)
As a reminder, we'll repost the results of the CTP1 poll:
End Game Replay as in Civ1?
| I would kill for it! | 292 / 47% |
| Yes, please. | 166 / 26% |
| Sure, why not? | 66 / 10% |
| Don't care about it... | 32 / 5% |
| End game what? | 62 / 10% |
Thanks for listening Activision! :) -MarkG
SINGLE CITY SCREEN!
(10 June 2000, 2:29 EST/CtP2) One of the things many people were used in Civ2 and missed in CTP1 was the screen with all the data related to one city. Instead, CTP1 broke the data into several "tabs". CTP2 keeps the tabs(and the multiple city screen of course), but also brings back the (single)city screen! St Swithin posts:
There is a City management screen, which focuses on one city and its intimate inner workings. The screen I'm talking about is a summary of all of the cities in your empire, so if you wanted a closer look at a specific city, you would just double-click it and go to the City management screen
Related forum thread
-MarkG
GAMESPY ON PIRACY
(9 June 2000, 21:14 EST/Misc) In the first of three installments, GameSpy Industries takes a look at software piracy in the gaming industry today.
Written by David Cuciz, this edition deals with the varying terminology associated with piracy, compares worldwide piracy rates by region, and the existing and emerging protection schemes that copyright holders are utilizing to fight back against this growing menace. -DanQ
FIVE NEW FACTIONS
(9 June 2000, 12:34 EST/SMAC) Waiting for a long time, here are five just-added factions:
Great France
Big Tobacco Industry
Police Faction
A New Jedi Faction
The Kef Guerrilla Farmers
More files are on their way to be posted.
By the way, if you have sent us a file or a saved game, and it has yet to be posted, please send it again. -MarkG
WORLD 2M SCENARIO
(9 June 2000, 9:36 EST/CtP) 
A new scenario just came in today! Simple but convenient(if you like the idea): World map for 24 players in the year 2100. Each player has 1 land , 1 sea and 1 space city and various units in addition to 3M Gold and 1 M PW and all non-future science.
The creators suggests: Choose some useful wonders, balance your civ at the first turn and choose a productive government.
It uses the scenario pack feature, so unzip it in it's own directory under the scenarios folder
Download now! -MarkG
CITY MANAGMENT SCREEN USE
(9 June 2000, 9:11 EST/CtP2) An... Actisigner is asking for your feedback:
We've got something of an internal schism regarding the City Management screen. As you might recall, in CTP, it was a list summary of all of the cities in your civilization. From there, you could
1) change city names
2) change what they were currently building
3) load/create/save build queues
4) disband cities.
5) view statistical information (i.e. food, prod., gold, etc.)
My question to all of you: what did you primarily use the screen for? This will help determine the functionality that eventually goes into the game. Thanks again!
Well, thanks for asking St Swithin! -MarkG
IT`S A CLASSIC
(8 June 2000, 19:10 EST/Alt) GameSpot has listed FreeCiv as a classic Linux game, even though it has never been a strictly Linux title.
For more information on FreeCiv, check out freeciv.org, which received word of this mention from a Mr. Steven Shultz. -DanQ
BIGHUGEGAMES.COM REDESIGNED
(8 June 2000, 15:18 EST/Misc) Big Huge Games has launched their re-designed website, opping for a lighter colour-scheme over the old one and improved navigation.
On the content side, There is an article on the game industry by Brian Reynolds. If you want to get into the industry, or if you're just interested in the topic, check it out. -MarkG
CHANGES ON GOODS VALUE
(8 June 2000, 13:05 EST/CtP2) Some info on the value of goods from Mr Ogre(the most beloved man in the ctp2 forums lately :))
Goods are not all equally valuable now. Distance from the destination city of a trade route and overall scarcity of goods both modify the value of a good. It's a pretty simple model, but it adds some interest to trade
Btw, if you have ideas on how a game's history can be viewed again at the end, it seems that there is room for suggestions. Post now! -MarkG
WHO ARE THE ACTIGRAMMERS?
(8 June 2000, 9:55 EST/CtP2) Here is part of the CTP2 development team, mainly the people involved in the AI programming, as presented by Mr Ogre(a.k.a. Joe Rumsey :))
I am the lead programmer. Steve had to leave for personal reasons about a month and a half ago. This was rough on all of us, but we're on good terms, and his decision had nothing to do with the team, the game, or the company. He's still a good friend, and I'm sure we'll hear from him on other games in the future. He and I worked together for more than three years total (not continuously, one of those years was on Close Combat a while before we regrouped on CTP1), that was longer than anyone else for either of us.
Richard Myers, who came on to CTP1 about halfway through to work on the AI, is still in charge of the AI. He also contributed AI code to Star Trek: Armada.
We also have Brian Hawkins on UI and graphics, who was also full-time on ST:A and wrote a couple of things for CTP1 (The monument screen and end game UIs, for example)
We have one more programmer starting in a couple of weeks, and one intern, Geoff, for the summer. In addition, Ian Davis, our main AI guy on CTP1 and the lead on ST:A, is doing contract work on some UI components and auxilliary tasks
Our farewell to Steve Mariotti and our thanks for his help over the last years. -MarkG
CHART-TRAK: JUNE 3, 2000
(8 June 2000, 9:38 EST/Misc) The Sims remains the Top Selling Game in the U.K. for the seventh week in a row, according to Chart Trak for week ending June 3, 2000. Eidos' Championship Manager: Season 99/00 and Activision's Soldier of Fortune moved back up the charts to take hold of the number two and three spots again.
1) The Sims | EA
2) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
3) Soldier Of Fortune | Activision
4) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
5) Tachyon: The Fringe | NovaLogic -DanQ
BOOK DEAL STRUCK
(7 June 2000, 19:53 EST/SMAC) Steve Jackson Games has struck a deal to make an Alpha Centauri worldbook supplement to their pen-and-paper game, GURPS, which is the abbreviated form for Generic Universal Roleplaying System. According to the company's website:
"GURPS Alpha Centauri will be a worldbook based on Alpha Centauri's storyline and setting. It will cover Planet's indigenous life forms, terrain, and landmarks in detail, and will discuss a number of unique topics vital to Alpha Centauri's plot, such as planetary consciousness and Transcendence. It will also tell the story of Planet's settlement by humanity, profile the major human political factions and their leaders, and catalog the technologies, social systems, and secret projects developed by the colonists".
Our thanks to Steven E. Ehrbar for the tip.
-DanQ
TIM TRAIN ON GAMEOPOLIS
(7 June 2000, 16:40 EST/Misc) Anew fan site, Gameopolis, posted an interview with Tim Train today. Nothing new(unfortunately), but do check it out... -MarkG
LINUX/MAC VERSIONS: LOKI/MACSOFT FIRST
(7 June 2000, 16:24 EST/CtP2) Yesterday we were posting on how things were going to be done with the linux/mac port of Civ3. Here's a reponse from Mr Ogre about CTP2
I can't actually comment on any plans for Linux and Mac versions yet except to say that it's up to Loki and MacSoft, respectively, whether and when they want to do ports. Any announcements would come from them first, not Activision.
Interesting, no?
Related Forum thread -MarkG
PC DATA: MAY 21 - 27, 200
(7 June 2000, 16:12 EST/Misc) For the week May 21 - May 27, 2000, those listed below are the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by PCData based in Reston, Virgina. This chart is developed from data provided by 17 retail chains comprising more than 60% of the U.S. market.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire -- 2nd Edition holds onto the top spot for the second week in a row while Microsoft's Motocross Madness 2 debutes at number 6.
1) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire -- 2nd Edition | Disney
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
5) Age of Empires II | Microsoft
6) Motocross Madness 2 | Microsoft
7) EverQuest: Ruins Of Kunark | 989 Studios
8) MP Roller Coaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Disney
10) Starcraft | Havas -DanQ
LINUX/MAC VERSIONS: IT`S HASBRO`S DECISION
(6 June 2000, 16:46 EST/Civ3) Spekter re-opened the linux port issue on the forums. Yeah, it would be cool if a linux port could be out at the same time with the windows version. Jeff Morris brought us down to reality though:
As I understand it, this is up to the publisher. The primary determination is whether or not the game sold well enough to justify the additional development cost. With SMAC it was, so EA contracted a linux and Macintosh port. One point worth making is that Firaxis didn't handle the SMAC ports in-house. Aspyr (Austin, TX) did the Mac port and Loki (Tustin, CA(weird)) did the linux (both professional and talented outfits).
My conclusion? Expect the linux/mac ports 6-12 months after the initial (windows) release...
Thanks to Ken Bregott for sending us a note about the thread -MarkG
FIRAXIS HIRES THREE ARTISTS
(5 June 2000, 12:16 EST/Misc) For immediate release:
Hunt Valley, Maryland, June 5, 2000 – Following last week’s announcement of the hiring of three programmers, FIRAXIS Games today announced the addition of three more artists to the company, as they continue to expand the organization and ramp up their production teams. With the addition of Marc Hudgins, Dorian Newcomb and Kevin Margo, FIRAXIS now has one of the most diversely talented and experienced art teams in the industry.
Marc Hudgins is one of the most experienced artists in the gaming industry. For the last nine years he worked at Sierra On-Line as an animator, Art Director and Designer for games such as The Realm, King’s Quest 7, Quest For Glory 4,Quest For Glory 3, Slater and Charlie Go Camping, EcoQuest 2 and Hoyle Vol. 3. He has focused his career on designing and producing visual elements for computer games and brings a tremendous amount of skill and knowledge to FIRAXIS.
Dorian Newcomb is an expert in 3D modeling and animation for interactive software. He’s been in the computer games industry since 1996 working on The Gryphon Tapestry, a massively multi-player role playing game, Orbital, Wayfarer, Semper Fi and Wooden Ships and Iron Men. Dorian has also done 3D modeling and animation for a computer game developed for the United States Marine Corp and an animation depicting submarine warfare for ASTO (Advanced Systems and Technologies Office).
Kevin Margo is a recent graduate of the Maryland Institute, College of Art where he’s currently teaching a sculpture class in 3D Studio Max. He earned his place as a permanent member of the FIRAXIS art team through an internship he completed with the company, during which he impressed the team with his amazing work on the map elements for Civilization III.
FIRAXIS has just celebrated its fourth year in business and has grown into one of the most creative and successful game development companies in the industry. “In these four years, our vision has not changed. We are committed to producing the most fun, visually exciting games ever made,“ said Jeff Briggs, President and CEO of FIRAXIS Games. “We’re fortunate to have some of the best talent in the industry to help us do that.”
Excellent! Btw, can we say some of those map elements for Civ3? :) -MarkG
APOLYTON NEWS MAY 11-20
(5 June 2000, 8:16 EST/Misc) The issue of the Apolyton newsletter for May 11-20 has just been posted. The text version will be mailed later today. The web and text versions of the May 21-30 issue will follow(hopefully today as well) -MarkG
VELOCIRYX`S SMACX GUIDE V3!
(5 June 2000, 6:35 EST/SMACX) Velociryx did it again. The SMAX Guide v3.0 is here! -MarkG
YAGIOA: SI
(5 June 2000, 6:27 EST/Civ3) YAGIOA: Yet Another Great Idea On Apolyton :)
SI: Social Interaction. A new model suggested by The Joker.
Lots of great ideas that could totally change how we play civ games -MarkG
COLUMN 118, FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION: CTP2
(3 June 2000, 18:05 EST/Misc) Our latest column, the first of a trilogy of articles(!), titled "Freedom and Obligation: CTP2". MarkG explores the expectations behind a game. Comments are highly welcome. -MarkG
YESTERDAY`S PROBLEMS
(3 June 2000, 13:50 EST/About) On Thursday night the ISP on which Gamestats relies was hit by a lightning storm. Some machines were trashed, but all data is safe. Our apologies to everyone for the loss of service, and our thanks to the GS people for coming up again so quickly(given the size of the problem). -MarkG
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: MAY 1-10, 2000
(1 June 2000, 21:11 EST/Misc) The audio version of the May 1st - May 10th, 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 2.3MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR MAY
(1 June 2000, 14:21 EST/Misc) Last month's new entries are taking higher places on the Apolyton Links&Products Directory! Meanwhile, we have some re-entries, the Top 10 with Civ Land and the Civ3 Civilopedia, and the Spanish site is almost on the #1 place, just 0.02 away from our Civ2 section!
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.52(9.61) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
2(2). 9.50(9.40) The Spanish Civilization II Site
3(5). 9.25(9.14) Colonization Home Page
4(3). 9.23(9.33) Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
5(4). 9.00(9.20) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
6(6). 8.92(9.11) Civilization II Scenario League
7(8). 8.60(8.50) Civilization II Historical Scenarios
8(-). 8.50(-) CIV LAND
9(-). 8.67(-) Civilization III Civilopedia
10(9). 8.33(8.50) Civilization Fanatics Center @ Strategy Gaming Online
Top 5 Games
1(1). 10.00(10.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
2(2). 10.00(10.00) Civilization II Gold(Mac)
3(2). 9.33(9.33) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
4(4). 9.00(9.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
5(5). 8.67(8.40) Civilization: Call to Power(PC)
Top 5 Books
1(1). 7.50(7.50) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri : Power of the Mind Worms
2(4). 5.50(1.00) Civilization II: Test of Time: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
3(2). 4.50(4.50) Civilization: Call to Power Official Strategy Guide
4(3). 1.50(1.50) Civilization II Strategies & Secrets
Again, we ask for your ratings in order to collect as many opinions as possible. Currently, AL&PD has 148 links and 446 reviews. -MarkG
MORE FILES!
(1 June 2000, 12:08 EST/Civ2) Here is the latest database update for you scenario fans out there. Today's number of new entries is seven, bringing our archive closer to the magic 500 file mark. Keep posting your files to me but remember to include the required file information, otherwise it may take a while until you see your file in the database. For information how to post files for the database go here
Here are our new entries:
Frontier
Islandia
Canadaqc
Nordic Countries
Orbis Terrae
Rip Off Pack 2
Techtree -Sven
LINUX PORT PUSHED BACK
(1 June 2000, 10:08 EST/SMACX) JokerWonga sent us an email early this morning regarding the Linux port of SMAC. Apparently TuxGames is reporting that SMAC won't be publicly available for purchase until July 3.
"The May 27th release date was firm up until they decided to port Alien Crossfire as well", JW writes, "so they had to push it back". -DanQ
CIV3 SECTION REVIEW
(1 June 2000, 5:52 EST/Civ3) A "review us" box was added on the side menu of the main Civ3 page, to make it easier for you sent us feedback on the Civ3 section. Your review and rating will be added in the entry of our Civ3 section on the Apolyton Links&Products Directory.
