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June 2001
FIRAXIS INTERVIEW ON FGN
(30 June 2001, 17:19 EST/Civ3) FGN online has posted an interview they had with the Firaxis team, specifically Jeff Briggs. There seems to be little new information, but there are some interesting quotes from Jeff Briggs, especially concerning the making of more Civilization titles:
We are focusing only on Civ III at the moment. But, you know, if players want more…
And the first announcement about the release date as well:
We've been working on the game for over two years now. Most of the gameplay elements are now in the game, and we're into the play testing and game balancing stage. We're hoping to release the game this fall.
Our thanks to fluxcapacitor for the tip. Contribute to the discussion of the interview on our forums -Imran
NEW FREECIV VERSION
(30 June 2001, 13:55 EST/Alt) FreeCiv v1.12.0 beta has been released and is available for download from the official FC website.
Co-Administrator Thue Janus Kristensen, who was offered and accepted the position on June 28th, sent us the news via email today. Thue, who is perhaps most famous for his Isometric View implementation, has been very active in many areas of Freeciv development lately.
The beta is available in .tar.bz2 and .tar.gz formats weighing in at 3.73MB and 4.98MB respectively. -DanQ
MAP SIZE CLARIFICATION
(29 June 2001, 22:17 EST/Civ3) Yesterday, Firaxis programmer Mike Breitkreutz released exclusive details on map sizes in CivIII [see story below] and those details seem to have caused some confusion. Today, Breitkreutz attempted to clarify.
The maximum allowable size is the largest map size the new terrain engine can handle. None of the selectable world sizes use the maximum map size. Therefore, the standard game will not be on a map that is that large. However, you can create custom world sizes (or even change the dimensions of the selectable world sizes) to create a map that is at least 6x the size of the largest Civ2 map size. Also, mod/scenario makers will be able to create maps that use largest size.
You can read up on this and the all discussion of this nature in the related forum thread. -DanQ
MOO3 BEATS CIV3!?
(29 June 2001, 21:38 EST/Civ3) United Gamers Online, one of the long-standing titans in the gaming network industry, has decreed that Master of Orion III will not only be ever bit as good as Civilization III but even better. The article in question, part of the site's 2001: A Games Odyssey, is most favourable to the former title being developed by Quicksilver.
We're willing to make a bold proclamation, UGO declares. MOO3 could easily be a better game than Sid Meier’s next Civilization. All they need to do is fulfill their promises.
[Quicksilver has] created an immense design document, restructured classic MOO game design and introduced new concepts that the teams over at Firaxis (that other group designing an epic strategy game) should adopt immediately.
UGO didn't stop there when it came to defying general opinion that CivIII will top MoO3. First:
It's ironic that a game series originally described as a Civilization in space could very well become the strategy title that others use as a benchmark.
Second, UGO is steadfast in their claim that MoO3 is a 5X generation title combining the original four elements of previous incarnations in the series, eXplore, eXpand, eXploit and eXterminate, while adding eXperience where the idea is to have the decisions the player makes help tell more of a story than typical strategy games do.
On a related note, both MoO3 and CivIII are being published by Infogrames. Our thanks to CivFanatics for the news tip. -DanQ
TOTALGAMES PREVIEW
(29 June 2001, 21:25 EST/Civ3) It's been a while, but another CivIII preview has surfaced -- this time, it's over at TotalGames.net.
The five paragraph, three screenshot preview gives a general overview of the interface, borders, and the new Workers unit. Despite some concerns, TG is positive that all the elements will come together to make a truly memorable title.
The signs are good that this will be a big leap forward for Civ games and will demonstrate just how far ahead of the competition Sid Meier really is. Anyone who thinks he may be losing the plot will have to think again on the evidence of the imagery. All that we really want now is some playable code to see if all those grand strategies from the past will stand up in the new game.
Thanks to Thunderfall's CivFanatics for the news tip. -DanQ
LARGEST MAP SIZE
(28 June 2001, 15:42 EST/Civ3) The CivIII team at Firaxis has been hard at work recently but that didn't stop programmer Mike Breitkreutz from answering a question regarding map size within the game from inquisitive fan 'WhoLetTheDaoOut'.
Currently, the largest map size allowed is at least 6x the size of the largest CivII maps. Although it is possible, it is unlikely that we will change the map size at this time. If we do change the size, it will probably be made larger. The standard world size is a little larger than the CivII standard map size as well. -DanQ
SDC#3 VOTE!
(27 June 2001, 3:03 EST/Civ2) After serious delays, some movement appears on the 3rd Scenario Design Contest. The four entries("King", "Stoker", "Harris", "Shelley") are availiable for download.
All entries are in ToT format, and (in case you dont remember) their theme is Dracula. Techumseh, the... "self-appointed judge" of SDC #3 describes: Two are historical scenarios based on the campaigns of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) against the Turks. One is based directly on Bram Stokers novel, and the last is a fantasy scenario.
And while the final decision for the award is awaited, the vote for the Peoples' Choice Award is running on the HAC Forum. Participate today! -MarkG
"WHAT IF" SMAC/X FICTION CHALLENGE
(26 June 2001, 15:18 EST/SMAC) In our SMAC-Fiction forums, [LordLMP] has suggested a new fiction challenge involving the world of SMAC. The proposed stories revolve around What If's. [LordLMP] gave some examples in the thread:
What If Unity never got struck by a meteor? (of coursem maybe a near miss which caused some minor alarms :P)
What If Unity got around Chiron undamaged and without crashing into the planet?
What If Captain Garland and the people in the 8th pod was still alive? What would happen?
A discussion about this challenge is on going in the above linked thread, so join in the discussion. -Imran
DOWNTIME REPORT FOR: JUN. 24/25
(25 June 2001, 11:21 EST/About) Around 10:50PM EST yesterday, the GameStats server that hosts Apolyton went completely unresponsive. At about 10:00AM EST today, service was restored.
The reason for the downtime has been determined and measures to correct the problem have been performed. It is believed that the same circumstances were also the cause of the earlier downtime this month (June 18th), and perhaps even the one on June 5th.
If you observe or are experiencing any other residual problems, please be sure to address a notice thereof to GameStats' Director of Technology, Tony Bolger, with as much pertinent information as possible. -DanQ
IMPORTANT CHANGE ON THE NEWSLETTER
(24 June 2001, 20:31 EST/About) Microsoft is closing down the free Listbot service. Therefore, we will be using a similar feature of our forums scripts.
As of July 1st, we will stop sending the newsletter via Listbot.
To (continue to) recieve our newsletters go the url below and turn the option "Subscribe to the Newsletter?" in the "Messaging & Notification" area to "no"
http://apolyton.net/forums/member.php?action=editoptions
If you had the "Allow Bulletin Board Administrators and Moderators To Send You Email Notices?" option turned to "yes", you dont have to do anything.
If you dont want to recieve our newsletters turn the "Subscribe to the Newsletter?" option to "no"
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding over this change. Please report any problems on the Apolyton/Community forum. -MarkG
C174# NULCEAR WARFARE IN CIV3
(24 June 2001, 20:26 EST/Misc) One more article on Civ3 for the Column.
Tim writes the 174th article, titled: NUCLEAR WARFARE IN CIV3
As we have announced, for a period of three weeks we are be posting 2 articles per week. If you would like to help us keep the Column at this pace, submit an article. -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 16-22/JUN/01
(24 June 2001, 19:17 EST/Misc) The latest from Chips&Bits. WORLD WAR II ONLINE PC is still at the top of the sales list. MS TRAIN SIMULATOR PC hasn't moved from #2. PANZER CAMPAIGNS: TOBRUK '41 PC is selling well in the #3 spot.
1. World War II Online $39.95
2. Microsoft Train Simulator $44.95
3. Panzer Campaigns: Tobruk '41 $39.95
4. Mario Advance GAME BOY ADVANCE $34.95
5. Emperor: Battle for Dune $42.95
6. Half-Life: Blue Shift $29.95
7. Space Empires IV $39.95
8. Dark Cloud PLAYSTATION 2 $48.95
9. Championship Manager '00-'01 $34.95
10. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 GAME BOY ADVANCE $38.95 -MarkG
CTP NET RATINGS?
(23 June 2001, 5:56 EST/CtP) The ctp1 pbem chart has been proven to work. How about we have ratings for internet games? That's exactly what quinns is suggesting in the CtP-Multiplaying forum.
Anyone that is interested in rating CTP Internet Games the same way that we are rating CTP PBEM games, let me know. The major difference between Rated PBEM and Internet games is that that the FINAL outcome will only be recorded in Internet play (due to it's much faster speed) as opposed to the *9 system we use in PBEM
Sign-up now! -MarkG
GG&S ECONOMY DEMO
(23 June 2001, 5:17 EST/Alt) News flash from the GG&S site.
The Economy Demo, previously unavailable, has now been added to the download section. Made by Amjayee it is a Dos-based program showing several functions of out Economy Model.
Download or Read about the GG&S Economy model. -MarkG
IG TO USE ATARI NAME
(23 June 2001, 0:34 EST/Misc) Infogrames’ CEO Bruno Bonnell has made it official: Infogrames will be using the Atari brand name for its top tier games. In an interview with UK trade publication MCV, Bonnell reveals that the Atari name, which it obtained as part of last fall’s Hasbro deal, will once again become a major brand.
In a segment of the interview quoted on gaming news website FGN Online, Bonnell said that although Hasbro used Atari as a classic gaming brand, Infogrames will use it on big games such as Stuntman for the PS2 and its Unreal franchise. “If Atari decided to launch as a company today, it wouldn't do Pong, it would do a leading edge game,” Bonnell told MCV during an interview that will be published tomorrow.
[ Source: The Adrenaline Vault ] -DanQ
NO WIN IN CRITIC AWARDS
(23 June 2001, 0:31 EST/Civ3) The E3 2001 Game Critics Awards list has been announced but CivIII has been shutout completely.
In the Best Strategy Game Category, Age of Mythology took the spoils while Republic: The Revolution trailed in as runner-up. -DanQ
C173# IMITATION THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY?
(21 June 2001, 19:33 EST/Misc) Civ3 continues to dominate the subjects discussed in the Column.
Sheepy99 writes the 173rd article, titled: IMITATION THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY?
As we have announced, for a period of three weeks we are be posting 2 articles per week. If you would like to help us keep the Column at this pace, submit an article. -MarkG
VOTE FOR CIV3! (PART 3)
(21 June 2001, 11:59 EST/Civ3) Forum poster fluxcapacitor has found yet another poll involving Civ3 on, you guessed it, GameSpot. Near the bottom of the page of their PC section is an "instant poll" which asks, "Which of these upcoming turn-based strategy games are you most excited about?". Perhaps unsurprisingly, Civ3 has a substantive lead, but that should not prevent you from doing the right thing and vote. You know it makes sense- Civ3, the choice of the discerning gamer. -Snapcase
CTP PBEM CHART 14/6/01
(20 June 2001, 3:32 EST/CtP) And the race continues! Klair keeps his #1 spot, Rick_Elkins lost his #2 over Swissy who jumped from #4.
CTP. . APOLYTON HANDLE........ CTP... P.G. P.G.
RANK P NAME................... RATING WIN. LOSS NAT.TR
0001 . KLAIR.................. 23.447 0032 0000 FRA...
0002 . SWISSY................. 22.528 0028 0003 USA.IL
0003 . RICK_ELKINS............ 22.511 0027 0011 USA.NY
0004 . MOBIUS................. 21.885 0038 0006 GBR.EN
0005 . DEVIL.................. 21.291 0011 0004 LAT...
0006 . ZOBOZEWARRIOR.......... 21.272 0022 0006 FRA...
0007 . MAX_WEBSTER............ 21.207 0021 0013 CAN...
0008 . SLAMP.................. 21.189 0027 0011 FRA...
0009 . LUNG................... 21.123 0030 0019 AUS.SW
0010 . BERXPERT............... 21.120 0059 0008 MEX...
Full 44-players listing -MarkG
SID MEIER`S SIM GOLF HONORED IN 2001 GAME CRITICS AWARDS
(20 June 2001, 1:40 EST/Misc) The 2001 Game Critics Awards have honored Sid Meier's Sim Golf by naming it runner-up for Best Simulation Game at E3. Sid Meier's Sim Golf lost out to The Sims Online for the top E3 Simulation Game. -Imran
TECHNOLOGY LIST
(19 June 2001, 14:32 EST/Civ3) In our forums, a bunch of enterprising posters are trying to guess the technologies Firaxis will be putting into Civilization 3. They, led by KrazyHorse, are attempting to do this by looking at screenshots from prior previews. Join in the guessing game in our Civ3 forums, through the link above. -Imran
TR`S BEST OF E3: NO CIV3
(18 June 2001, 19:20 EST/Civ3) Civililzation III was shut out of the online awards "ceremony" of TechRadio's Best Of E3 2001 in PC gaming. The Strategy category was specifically titled "Best Real Time Strategy Game", leaving CivIII out of contention from the get-go.
Not all was disappointing for Firaxis, however -- Sid Meier's SimGolf captured the "Best Sports Award" title. -DanQ
IG CONSIDERS ATRAI NAME, LAYOFFS
(18 June 2001, 19:14 EST/Misc) Major changes at Infogrames could see a switch to Atari as its lead games brand and several hundred job cuts. An extensive strategic review has been going on for several months. Once finalized, official statements will be made to the stock markets. Infogrames wants to maximise ownership of the Atari name. One of the gems buried within its acquisition of Hasbro Interactive late last year, it is also a particular favorite of CEO Bruno Bonnell. Infogrames may choose to switch to Atari in the US, or even globally, while keeping its own name as the holding company.
The Atari issue is part of a general review that will result in significant savings. There is much duplication of departments - particularly in the US, France and Germany. Infogrames currently employs just over 2,000 people around the world, with many of the acquired businesses still boasting full back office, marketing and PR teams. In the US, the former Hasbro HQ near Boston looks set to become the main sales, marketing and administration hub, with corporate affairs being run out of the New York office which was acquired as part of the GT Interactive deal in late 1999.
[ Source: The Adrenaline Vault ] -DanQ
MEDIEVAL PACK II UPDATE
(18 June 2001, 16:56 EST/CtP2) A new update of the texts file of the Medieval Pack II was posted today by Wes. The changes are many ans Wes notes that "you will have to start new games after you install this update"
Changes include
- Pics for the new improvements and the Rifleman militia
- Lowered the cost of the Bandit Horseman, and both the cost and upkeep of the War Elephant. Also changed their obsolete advances to Flintlock and Feudalism, respectively
- Longbowman now has increased defensive stats ala the Bowman, so they are a more complete field unit, and their ranged attack was raised to higher than that of the Siege Engine's, since they cannot bombard.
- The slaving ability was given to Chariots and taken from Pikemen, since the AIs seem to build only Chariots and never Light Cavalry.
- The modern-day and futuristic governements are much stronger now, so you should be able to research and build things at about the same rate as you could in the first half of the game
- Reduced cost of the advances in the last half of the game by about 20%
- Added two new happiness improvements to the game, the Public Park and the Stadium, and increased the happiness effect of the Movie Theater and VR Amusement Park
And Wes concludes in his post
"Right now, I am about burnt out as far as new ideas. I have not played another game in two solid years, and I am ready to take a civ break. Now that the AIs are doing what they should, and all the other concepts and game-play issues are, hopefully, finished, I think we finally have the game we always wanted, one that will give us a consistent test using random maps game-in and game-out.
If someone has something they would like to see in the game, or something that is not right with the mod, speak up. I am still interested in hearing what ideas are out there. I will try and get a large civs version of the mod out soon, maybe when these last triggers are finished. After that I may take a sabbatical to recharge my batteries."
More at the forums -MarkG
C172# CIVIII: BETWEEN EUPHORIA AND DISAPPOINTMENT
(18 June 2001, 15:23 EST/Misc) The Column is here once more, with probably the most popular subject of the last months: civ3.
Alexnm's CIVIII: BETWEEN EUPHORIA AND DISAPPOINTMENT is the 172nd article in the Column.
As we have announced, for a period of three weeks we are be posting 2 articles per week. If you would like to help us keep the Column at this pace, submit an article. -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 9-15/JUN/01
(18 June 2001, 15:18 EST/Misc) The latest from Chips&Bits.
WORLD WAR II ONLINE PC hasn't budged from the #1 spot. MS TRAIN SIMULATOR is brand new and at #2. MARIO ADVANCE GBA is just in and in the #3 spot.
1. World War II Online $39.95
2. Microsoft Train Simulator $44.95
3. Mario Advance GAME BOY ADVANCE $34.95
4. Dark Cloud PLAYSTATION 2 $48.95
5. Space Empires IV $39.95
6. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 GAME BOY ADVANCE $38.95
7. Emperor: Battle for Dune $42.95
8. Panzer Campaigns: Tobruk '41 $39.95
9. Championship Manager '00-'01 $34.95
10. Hollywood Mogul $24.95 -MarkG
DOWNTIME REPORT
(18 June 2001, 11:13 EST/About) Around 12:30AM EST today, the GameStats server that hosts Apolyton went completely unresponsive. At about 10:55AM EST today, service was restored.
The reason for the downtime has most likely been determined and is also anticipated that it was also the cause of the earlier downtime this month (June 5th). Methods to correct the problem are being implemented as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you observe or are experiencing any other residual problems, please be sure to address a notice thereof to GameStats' Director of Technology, Tony Bolger, with as much pertinent information as possible. -DanQ
VOTE FOR CIV3! (PART 2)
(16 June 2001, 19:32 EST/Civ3) Gamespot, which had a poll which was the best game in E3 now has a poll for which is the strategy game you are most looking forward too. Both include Civilization 3. So get down the the linked page and help Civ3 take its rightful place at the top of the list.
Thanks to Sirotnikov for the tip. -Imran
MD BUILD 0.4.4.379
(16 June 2001, 12:49 EST/Alt) Ron Hiler, lead programmer for Manifest Destiny, has posted the game's latest build: v0.4.4.379. There are seven notes that accompany this latest release including several bug fixes and a new game creation option.
There were no major changes to the file system which would cause any problems with this release, Hiler comments on the issues of those patching previous versions of the game. All files from version 0.4.0.198 or higher are completely compatable with 0.4.4.379. You may feel free to update your game in any order without worry of corrupting the files.
The host must upgrade before being able to process any turns in which a player has added one of the new techs to their research queue (from the 243 build). Failure to do so will cause errors.
As far as plans go for next time, Hiler and his team have their hands full.
The "aquired" Leaders which are activated need to be saved so the player has the ability to use them. Once we have new Leaders, we need to be able to give them skills, which will take a few modifications to the city build queues, not to mention adding some new technologies to the research trees. And those new skills need to do something, so I will implement as many of them as I can.
[Finally], for those of you waiting on combat functionality, don't panic! Work still progresses on the combat AI routines. -DanQ
BUTT OF A JOKE
(16 June 2001, 12:17 EST/CtP) For every praise, there is a voice of criticism. John Kovalic, an online cartoonist who runs the Dork Tower strip posted three times a week over at GameSpy launched his newest strip, Murphy's Rules, today. The premiere installment is a shot that leaves Call To Power at the butt end of the joke.
For all the hilarity, head on over to the official site of the Web's newest online comic, Murphy's Rules. According to the site, it will be published once a week on Saturdays. -DanQ
THREE NEW IMAGES PAGES
(15 June 2001, 4:38 EST/Civ3)  Snapcase got into our news archive and gathered all the screenshots we have posted so far.
Leaders
The Civ3 Leaders as you will face them during diplomatic negotiations
In-game
2 Pages with in-game screenshots, including the city screen
Advisors, Diplomacy, Misc
Images from the advisors screens, as well as some miscellaneous shots
The Units: Firaxis' Images page was also updated with unit art.
Btw, thank you for all the notes about the Units: Images from Screenshots page. Snapcase is working on an update already.... -MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR MAY 2001
(13 June 2001, 17:35 EST/Misc) Another slow month in the anticipation of the arrival of Civ3. No really dramatic changes.
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.69(9.69) The Spanish Civilization II Site
2(2). 9.38(9.38) Das Civ2-Paradies
3(4). 9.31(9.31) Apolyton: CTP2 Section
4(5). 9.30(9.30) Civ3: The Third Time's the Charm
5(6). 9.25(9.25) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
6(3). 8.97(9.37) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
7(7). 8.93(8.93) Das Civilization 2 Universum
8(8). 8.92(8.92) Civilization II Scenario League
9(9). 8.90(8.90) Colonization Home Page
10(10). 8.89(8.89) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ3 Section
AL&PD Stats
Total Links: 248 (241)
Total Reviews: 819 (809)
Total Rated Links: 133 (129)
Average Rating: 7.03 (7.02)
Total Hits: 105632 (100642)
Average Hits/Link: 425.94 (417.60) -Snapcase
TOP CIV2 FILES FOR MAY 2001
(13 June 2001, 17:34 EST/Civ2) A slight slowdown this month (keep those new files comin'!), but some interesting positional changes yet again.
Top 10 Files
1(2). 9.25(9.29) Colonies III
2(3). 9.07(9.07) HiRes
3(1). 9.00(9.33) Lord of the Rings
4(4). 9.00(9.00) Death and Resurrection of an Empire
5(5). 9.00(9.00) Civ2 No Limits add-on
6(6). 8.88(8.88) Day of Treason
7(8). 8.80(8.80) Techtree
8(7). 8.75(8.86) GIF Xtractor beta 3
9(10). 8.67(8.40) Star Trek Wars
10(9). 8.43(8.43) Patch for Civilization II (2.42)
Database Stats
Total Files: 462 (462)
Total Reviews: 347 (335)
Total Rated Files: 129 (127)
Average Rating: 7.16 (7.21)
Total Downloads: 227606 (217494)
Average Downloads/File: 492.65 (470.77) -Snapcase
TOP CTP2 FILES FOR MAY 2001
(13 June 2001, 17:26 EST/CtP2) Martin's City Mod storms up into first place with three perfect scores.
Top 10 Files
1(-). 10.00(-) City Mod - English
2(1). 9.40(9.50) Map of the World
3(2). 9.33(9.33) Ancient Meditteranean Scenario - SPQR
4(3). 9.00(9.00) Chariot Unit
5(4). 8.60(8.50) Map of the North Atlantic Ocean
6(5). 7.67(7.50) AI Diplomacy Mod
7(6). 6.25(6.25) (Official) CTP2 Patch
8(7). 5.80(5.80) (Official) World War II Scenario
ACTP2DB Stats
Total Files: 99 (98)
Total Reviews: 71 (66)
Average Rating: 8.17 (8.12)
Total Downloads: 56409 (54503)
Average Downloads/File: 569.79 (556.15) -Snapcase
C#171 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CIV STARS!!!
(13 June 2001, 16:13 EST/Misc) It's a historical moment for Apolyton. With the cooperation of Raingoon, we present you the interviews of two true stars of civ games! And we're not talking about Sid Meier or anything like that! :)
So read on our EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CIV STARS and join the discussion! -MarkG
NEW VIDEO FROM E3
(12 June 2001, 11:07 EST/Civ3) Another CivIII video from this year's E3 Expo has surfaced. You can find the latest "shakycam" production over at De Spelletjesgarnaal, a Belgium-based gaming site.
The video contains a CivIII commercial that has not been seen in previous videos. Available in streaming Windows Media (WMV) format and a downloadable version in the said format, its total runtime is about three minutes. To view, you will need the Windows Media Player from Microsoft installed on your system.
Our thanks to the Civilization Fanatics Centre's Thunderfull and Blue's News for the news tip. -DanQ
UNAVAILABILITY NOTICE -- NEW DATES
(11 June 2001, 14:30 EST/About) "I will be unavailable from Tuesday, June 19th through Thursday, June 21st inclusive on business. I will not be available for contact in any capacity during the said time period.
Upon my return, I will read and respond to all inquiries in order of urgency and chronology. Any emergencies related to Apolyton during this time should be directed solely to MarkG.
Have a great week, everyone." -DanQ
NEW PAGE: UNIT IMAGES FROM SCREENSHOTS
(11 June 2001, 4:39 EST/Civ3) We're starting to gather all the information that has passed from our civ3 news pages.
The first result of this effort is a page with Snapcase's work on isolating unit images from screenshots. A total of 37 unit images, check them out! -MarkG
C#170 MOD = MORE DOUGH?
(10 June 2001, 19:50 EST/Misc) Christian Ehn is writing the 170th article for Column, titled MOD = MORE DOUGH?
Thanks to the increased number of submissions, for the next three weeks we will be posting 2 articles per week. If you would like to help us keep the Column at this pace, submit an article -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 JUN 2-8/01
(10 June 2001, 10:23 EST/Misc) Here are the latest Chips and Bits statistics, for your viewing pleasure.
Here's the latest that's moving online. Big change up this week. WORLD WAR II ONLINE PC is brand new and selling very well at #1. DARK CLOUD PS2 is apparently a very good "Zelda" like RPG and is at #2. TONY HAWK'S PRO SKATER 2 GBA is in the #3 spot.
1. World War II Online ($39.95)
2. Dark Cloud ($48.95)
3. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 ($37.95)
4. Space Empires IV ($39.95)
5. Leadfoot ($19.95)
6. Gangters 2 ($38.95)
7. Myst III: Exile ($44.95)
8. Tropico ($32.95)
9. Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns ($39.95)
10. Cossacks: European Wars ($39.95) -Snapcase
SGO POLL: E3 GAME ANTICIPATION
(8 June 2001, 21:17 EST/Civ3) Strategy Gaming Online wants to know what your most anticipated game is from the slew that made an appearance at this year's E3 Expo. How are they looking to gauge this? Through a public poll, of course.
At the time of the writing of this article, Civilization III is a modest lead over Warcraft III with 36.7% and 22.5% votes respectively. Master of Orion III is trailing in third at 17.5% of ballots cast. These numbers are based on almost 1200 votes accumulated today. If you have yet to vote, do so! -DanQ
GAMER.NO PREVIEW
(8 June 2001, 21:05 EST/Civ3) Norwegian gaming site Gamer.no has posted a preview of CivIII. Written by staffer Marius Veisdal, the one-page first look is most favourable in giving the game a 6/6 from a preview perspective.
Thanks to Viper for the news tip. -DanQ
SEASON 3 PBEM TOURNAMENT RESULTS
(8 June 2001, 2:51 EST/SMAC) Season 3 of the SMAC PBEM Tournament (held by Tau Ceti) has ended, and here are the results:
Season 3 rankings| Player | SV | TV | Sub | Loss | Defeated | Points |
|---|
| Flo | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Zaphod, Hobbes, Paul, TigToad, Misotu | 8 | | Viriato | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | DilithiumDad, Paul, Misotu | 6.5 | Oniron | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Misotu, mark13, Adam_Smith | 6 | Misotu | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | stuntman19, HenryMad, jschwab, Googlie, Hobbes, Cedronian, Baryonyx | 6 | big_canuk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Googlie, Basil, Paul | 3.5 |
Full results at the forums -MarkG
SMAC CHALLENGE: TEAMS DECIDED
(8 June 2001, 2:44 EST/SMAC) The teams for Forum Wars - The Ultimate Challenge have been decided and are the following:
Match #1
ACOL: Fistandantilus & SMAniaC
Apolyton: Keygen & Stuntman19
CGN: Scipio & Provost
Match #2
ACOL: Mose & JAMiAM
Apolyton: Misotu & big_canuk
CGN: mark13 & Buster
Match #3
ACOL: Hobbes & JSchwab
Apolyton: Dilithium Dad & TBA
CGN: Blarney & Gusto
The most possible setup for the challenge is a 9 game simultaneous series, with each team playing 3 matches which would pit them against all 3 teams of the other forums
Apolyton's win is of course already something certain. We're just playing to see who's second :D -MarkG
EDITORS AND THE MAC
(8 June 2001, 0:24 EST/Civ3) Civ fans who run the Macintosh platform on their computers are hoping for better luck in terms of having access to game editors with CivIII. Henrik, one of our forum users, posed the following question to Firaxis in our forums on the subject:
I only hope that those editors will be ported to the Mac [..] [In] some games the editors are two "Windowsish" and the editors are never ported. Could you at least try to make them so that they will be portable for other systems than Windows?
Firaxis' Mike Breitkreutz responded:
Since we will not be doing the Mac port ourselves, I can't say what they will or won't be porting. However, the documentation for the tool I am using to make the editor states:
"Code written using MFC is highly portable to the Macintosh. Code written to MFC should recompile and execute correctly on the Macintosh with very few, if any, changes. C++ code generated by Microsoft Visual C++ should present no problems".
Protability and ease-of-use were the two biggest concerns we had when deciding on how to create the editor and I'm confident that we have addressed both more than adequately.
Follow-up questions/comments can be found in the related forum thread. -DanQ
WIN2K PLAY SOLUTION
(7 June 2001, 10:57 EST/Civ2) Are you a Windows2000 user who has experienced problems in getting Civilization II installed on your computer? You're not alone; fortunately, one such individual in that position was able to work out a solution for errors related to "ir41.dll". Just rename the file!
Our thanks to Kurt Gwin for working this out and emailing it to us. Gwin reports that to date he has not noticed any adverse affects with the operation of Win2K since he performed the action and is presently enjoying CivII. -DanQ
WARGAMER PREVIEW
(7 June 2001, 9:51 EST/Civ3) The Wargamer has posted a preview of all games at E3, with Civilization 3 getting a write up as well. The preview tells mostly what the others have to date, except that there is one ESSENTIAL piece of new information:
Civilization III will feature 16 civilizations out of the box and current plans are that all 16 will be playable on the same map, either as human multi-player opponents or quite adept Artificial Intelligence (AI).
This means that there will be 16 civs at the same time in a game.
Further discussion on this information can be found in our forums. Thanks to The diplomat for bringing this up. -Imran
GAME REVOLUTION PREVIEW
(7 June 2001, 8:27 EST/Civ3) Game Revolution has recently added its voice to the mix of Civilization 3 previews. The preview talks about culture, resources, trade, and all the things we know well; however it goes into some features of the game in more detail. For example, it's discussion of the Advisors' screens:
Long-time Civ players will be particularly pleased with the layout of the "Domestic Advisor" screen. Finally, you will be able to see production, income, resources, and happiness on one screen. The "Foreign Advisor" screen has also been impressively streamlined. Portraits of the various leaders are arranged in a circle. Lines of various colors connect the different leaders and indicate which of several diplomatic states exist between the different governments.
Game Revolution also gives an interesting scenario to how resources will make the game more strategic:
To make things more complicated, many resources will not even show up on the map until after certain technologies are discovered. This means that an area you ignored or gave to the Phoenicians (in return for some wicked-cool bronze deposits) may turn out to someday be rich in oil or uranium. Surprise!
The preview concludes by praising Civilization 3, and states that it will be every bit as addictive as the previous games in the genre.
Our thanks to Anders Olin for the tip. -Imran
TEXT STRINGS EDITABLE
(6 June 2001, 14:39 EST/Civ3) In our Civ3 forums, Mike Breitkreutz from Firaxis, answering a question from a forum poster, stated that all text strings in Civilization 3 would be editable. In his post, he stated:
Yes. All text strings are stored in text files. (This makes it easier for the translators to access the text and easier for the programmers who don't have to rebuild the whole game when text is changed).
This allows players to change the game around to their liking if they deem fit. Later, in the same thread, Mike elaborated:
You will be able to edit the civilopedia (and will probably have/want to if you start modifying things that have entries). I'm not sure why you would need to edit the order of strings but you can do so to some degree. Some of the text is in a fixed order and must remain that way. The text strings for various improvements, techs, units, etc. are not in a fixed order but lists of strings (such as button captions) are usually in a fixed order. However, you may need to use the editing tools to modify strings associated with the improvements, techs, units, etc. as they will probably not be stored in text files.
Thanks for the news, Mike! -Imran
UPDATED MANIFEST DESTINY BUILD
(6 June 2001, 14:24 EST/Alt) RonHiler has just posted the new Alpha Version of Manifest Destiny. This is version 0.4.4.364 of Manifest Destiny. RonHiller begins by stating:
Before I get started, I want to mention that there have been a number of changes to the combat screen. To make these changes and make sure everything was working, a test battle was set up. This battle has no relation to anything in the game. Player 1 and 2 on the combat board are not players 1 and 2 in the game, and the unit designs are not those player's designs. In fact, they are not even legal designs. They are just quick setup designs, they don't even bear much resemblance to the unit names. They're just the best designs to use for testing purposes. Fairly shortly, we'll be changing this code to use actual player designs and real battles. But for now, they are mock-ups.
Added to that there is a list of bugs defeated and features added. Check it out today! -Imran
MEDIEVAL PACK II: A CALL TO ARMS!
(6 June 2001, 1:20 EST/CtP2) The ultimate modification package for CTP2 is here! After a long period of beta testing, the final release was made public today on Wes' site right here on Apolyton
The Medieval Pack II combines the Medieval mod with customized versions of Harlan's Graphics mod, Martin's Citymod2 and Dale's Diplomod, plus SLIC triggers from Locutus, Dale, Gedrin and others.
The Medieval Pack II adds many new units, both player-created and from Ctp1, 60 new advances, 3 new improvements and 3 new governments, as well as many dozens of smaller changes.
Give your feedback on the related forum thread -MarkG
DOWNTIME REPORT
(5 June 2001, 15:48 EST/About) Around 4:50PM EST today, the GameStats server that hosts Apolyton went completely unresponsive. At about 5:35PM EST today, service was restored and, after a partial downtime that ensued, full service was restored at 6:00PM EST.
The reason for the downtime has not yet been determined. The only known residual problem is that the server time is presently offset three hours (behind, EST), but this is minor and should be corrected within the day.
If you observe or are experiencing any other residual problems, please be sure to address a notice thereof to GameStats' Director of Technology, Tony Bolger, with as much pertinent information as possible. -DanQ
FORUM NEWS II
(4 June 2001, 14:38 EST/About) More news from the forums...
- CIV3 AND CTP2 FORUM STYLES
In the control panel, you now have four more options in the Style setting
Default-Civ3
Default-CTP2
Light-Civ3
Light-CTP2
Please give your feedback on the related thread
- 124 CTP1/2 AVATARS
Thanks to Immortal Wombat and Locutus, we now have 124 ctp1/2 avatars, for a total of 273!
We are working on importing the archives, adding an option to turn on and off the news menu(in both types of styles) and having a smac color scheme. -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10: MAY/26-JUN/1/01
(4 June 2001, 12:36 EST/Misc) TROPICO PC refuses to give up the #1 sales spot. MYST III: EXILE PC remains at #2. KOHAN: IMMORTAL SOVEREIGNS PC still has a serious toe hold on the #3 sales position.
1. Tropico IBM CD ROM ($39.95)
2. Myst III: Exile IBM CD ROM ($44.95)
3. Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns IBM CD ROM ($39.95)
4. Space Empires IV IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
5. Black & White IBM CD ROM ($44.95)
6. Cossacks: European Wars IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
7.Steel Beasts IBM CD ROM ($42.95)
8. Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons GAME BOY COLOR ($34.95)
9. Settlers IV IBM CD ROM (1 week special price) ($39.95)
10. Great Battles Series Collectors Edition Bundle CD ROM ($14.95) -Imran
CIV3 GAME ENGINE INFORMATION
(4 June 2001, 12:28 EST/Civ3) In our Civ3 forums, Mike Breitkreutz of Firaxis gives more information into the differences between the Civ3 engine and the SMAC engine. He states:
While we did start with the SMAC engine to get something playable very quickly, we have subsequently removed and rewritten (and debugged) over 90% of the SMAC code. The Civ3 engine has very little in common with the SMAC engine (and will have even less in common when it's done...).
This indicates that the Civ3 engine will be a very different creature than the SMAC engine. Thanks to Mike Breitkreutz for clearing this up.
Our thanks to Jeje2 for bringing this news to our attention. -Imran
WIN2K PLAYING PROBLEMS?
(4 June 2001, 1:07 EST/CtP2) If you're a Windows2000 user and have exhausted all of the options before you in trying to get Call To Power II game to run on the OS, there is another option for you to try.
The following suggestion was sent to us via email from a fellow Civer:
I have recently run into a problem starting new games on Windows 2000. The same install works fine in 98 (and yes I have tried
reinstalling in 2000). I couldn't find anything on this but eventually found a solution.
Deleting userprofile.txt in ctp2_program\ctp allows me to start
a new game. If I have an old file by that name from a saved game, when I try to start a new game CTP II locks my machine or exits with no error message. -DanQ
HI-RES SCREENSHOTS FROM THE CIV3 VIDEO
(3 June 2001, 21:27 EST/Civ3) As previously promised, BonusWeb have put up two dozen higher resolution screenshots taken from the recent Civilization III video. Our great thanks go out to Zdenek Polách of BonusWeb for his great contribution to our knowledge of Civ3. -Snapcase
CIV-SPECIFIC UNITS TO BE FULLY EDITABLE
(3 June 2001, 18:30 EST/Civ3) In our Civ3 forums, Soren Johnson of Firaxis explains that civ-specific units will be editable. In the forums, Mr. Johnson states:
Because there has been so much interest in civ-specific units and powers, both on the positive and negative side, we should probably clarify once and for all that civ-specific powers and units will be fully editable. Thus, the anti-civ-specific crowd should have no problem taking them out of the game, and mod writers will also have the flexibilty to construct highly civ-specific scenarios.
Thanks to Jeje for the heads up. -Imran
CENTAURI DAWN CONTEST WINNERS ARE HERE!
(2 June 2001, 22:11 EST/SMAC) It took us months, to organize, run and complete. But we are at the end. We only got 2 entries, but they were worth the effort.
SMAC Fanatic's UNITY and Argonaut's DAY OF RECKONING are the two First Prize Winners of our "Centauri Dawn" Contest. They each win an authographed copy of Mike Ely's "Centauri Dawn" book.
Many thanks to Mike Ely for the original idea and the prizes, Hydro, Googlie and Velocyrix for acting as judges and their help in forming the rules, and of course thanks to the participants! -MarkG
VOTE FOR CIV3
(2 June 2001, 20:44 EST/Civ3) This week Gamespot's Question of the Week for the editors deals with the best game at E3. Unfortunetly Civilization 3 is mentioned once among all the editors, but we can show how much Civ3 is anticipated by voting on the poll for which was the best game of E3 2001 on the main page of Gamespot's Question of the Week. Vote NOW!
Thanks to eNo for the tip. -Imran
C#169 CIV3 SHOULD ALLOW SCENARIO PARALLELS
(2 June 2001, 20:29 EST/Misc) The Column is here again, and it's double. TINOMan is writing CIV3 SHOULD ALLOW "SCENARIO PARALLELS"
I've been playing civ and civ2 for quite a few years, and I've got really high hopes for civ3. The only problem that I've got is that it might not live up to the previous games. This probably isn't something that I should concern myself with, but there's one idea that I have to make civ3 a great game.
But there is also an extra article by Nero Caesar, titled "ARTILLERY AND ITS FUNCTION IN STRATEGY". Check them out! -MarkG
SWEDISH PREVIEWS AVAILABLE
(2 June 2001, 16:39 EST/Civ3) If you have access to the latest edition of the Swedish version of PC Gamer, there is a two-page preview of CivIII included. While it contains no new information it is available for those who have access to this edition and may be interested in catching up on some earlier details or just refreshing their thoughts on the game. In addition, Incite PC Games' Swedish edition also has a preview of the game available for reading in their latest edition.
Thanks to Martin Sellgren of the CivCenter for bringing this information forth first. -DanQ
QT3 PREVIEW: SKEPTICAL
(1 June 2001, 21:55 EST/Civ3) Not everyone feels assured that Civilization III is going to live up to expectations. Quarter to Three has posted a "60 second preview" of the game, as they call it, on their website today. Site co-owner/webmaster Tom Chick is confident that the game will be a successful, whilst the other half of QtT's administrative team -- Mark Asher -- is not so sure.
[W]hen I think of all the hours I've spent on games with titles that began with "Sid Meier's...", I can't help but sit back, trust that he knows what he's doing, and look forward to a compelling strategy game this holiday season, Chick calmly concludes.
Asher is not convinced.
The best part about the presentation I went to was watching Jeff Briggs' bald head start to bead up when I asked how they were going to get rid of the end-game tedium that has always plagued the Civ series. He showed me a streamlined tech tree, like that was some kind of answer?
So what's CivIII like? It's CivII with improved graphics and a few new wrinkles.
Our thanks to CapTVK for the news tip. -DanQ
ARMCHAIR EMPIRE PREVIEW
(1 June 2001, 1:40 EST/Civ3) And the previews just keep on coming. The Armchair Empire has posted their first look of CivIII. Written by staff member Omni, it is flanked by three previously released screenshots.
Civilization III looks to be more than a simple redux of the previous two Civ games, Omni muses. The most important is that political and diplomatic paths can be taken to win. Those that liked building armored units to crush the opposition who hadn't advanced past militia units may be a little disappointed that there are other ways to win –= but if you strike a strong balance between the different aspects you might be unstoppable.
Credit is due to the Civilization Fanatics Centre for bringing forth this item first. -DanQ
IT`S UP IN THE AIR
(1 June 2001, 1:10 EST/Civ3) A slew of questions have been directed at Firaxis in the "What's with these colonies?" thread on our forums in recent days. Dan Magaha, Firaxis' Web Wizard, has been busy answering them. Yesterday, he made an announcement stating that many things as far as both colonies and resources go are still up in the air.
[R]ight now a lot of that stuff is in flux and things aren't absolute, so I can't give you answers to a lot of your questions, Magaha explains. My intention with posting earlier in this thread was to give you some general parameters to with which to mentally frame colonies so you have a general idea of what we're trying to do with them. I can't really delve much deeper into them right now because they just aren't "done" yet. -DanQ
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