August 2000
SCREENSHOTS UPDATED
(31 August 2000, 14:20 EST/CtP2) The latest screenshots from IGN are now posted on the Screenshots pages 2 and 3. Check them out now! -MarkG
CONFIRMED: FIRAXIS @ E3 2001
(31 August 2000, 13:02 EST/Misc) As first reported by SidGames, and then confirmed with us by Firaxis' Kelley Gilmore this morning, the company will be in attendance at the 2001 Electronics Entertainment Expo being held in Los Angeles, California next May.
Civilization III will be displayed in some form or another at the event, while Dinosaurs is still up in the air. -DanQ
IGN DESIGNER DIARY, ENTRY #1
(31 August 2000, 1:31 EST/CtP2) In a similar fashion to our own CTPII Week feature [see below], IGN PC released the first installment of their new Designer Diary on CTPII. The guest writers who brought the information to IGN are Activision's Parker Davis, Senior Producer and Doug Pearson, Line Producer. Some of the information is a reiteration of what had already been released to the gaming populace, but at the same time other portions of it are first-account reports.
"We've added three new scenarios to [CTPII]", Davis and Pearson write. "The first covering the Alexander the Great campaign, another on Nuclear Detente, and lastly one covering [WWII]. Each of these scenarios should last over 25+ hours. With the included editor and scripting tools you will be able to make your own scenarios with a little effort".
Next, the feature story covers the new combat and diplomacy systems in the game.
"The combat system has been completed replaced... We still have a weighted system of unit offense and defensive abilities, however there is a class system in place as well. This system lists which units can cause damage to other units. We have also been adding additional defensive and offensive advances, which will make taking over cities more difficult.
... there are three different victory conditions for the game. You can still win by eliminating all other civilizations by conquest. This time around you can also win by either a diplomatic victory or by a science victory".
In closing, Activision releases information on a new advance (GENE THERAPY), a new unit (MORAY STRIKER) and, perhaps most significantly, data on the new wonder APPIAN WAY:
"The Appian Way is the most vital trade route in the host nation. It links important cities and shipping centers with the capitol of the host empire, making trade and travel safer and easier. Trade profits are increased, and cities on the fringes of the empire no longer experience unhappiness".
We will be adding this information to our Great Library in the coming days. IGN is promising more updates to the diaries, so stay tuned -- we'll keep you posted. -DanQ
PC DATA: AUGUST 13 - AUGUST 19, 2000
(31 August 2000, 0:52 EST/Misc) For the week August 13 - August 19, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
5) Starcraft | Blizzard Entertainment
6) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
7) RollerCoaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
9) SimMania Pack | Electronic Arts
10) Unreal Tournament | Infogrames
This chart is developed from data provided by 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
GAMELEAGUE CELEBRATION: CTP TOURNEY
(30 August 2000, 11:50 EST/CtP) Copying from GameLeague
October 1st will mark one year since the birth of GameLeague. To celebrate this wonderful day we will be having not just one, but two tourneys.
On Saturday, September 30th there will be a one-day, Call to Power, dueling tourney. The tournament will start at 11am EST and run with a simple double elimination bracket. All games will be one-on-one and have a one hour and forty-five minute time limit...
Full rules for both tourneys and the signup page for the Civ2 tourney will be posted soon.
You guessed right, the other tourney will be for Civ2 -MarkG
GAMELEAGUE CELEBRATION: CIV2 TOURNEY
(30 August 2000, 11:48 EST/Civ2) Copying from GameLeague
October 1st will mark one year since the birth of GameLeague. To celebrate this wonderful day we will be having not just one, but two tourneys...
...At the same time our newest Civ2 tourney will kick off its first of three rounds. This tourney will be our first seven-player tourney and will include a unique team twist. The tourney will consist of only one game that will last for three sessions taking place over three consecutive Saturdays. Each session will last from 11am EST to 5pm EST. The catch is that your team (which must consist of three players) must have a different player play your civ each session. So, be sure to make good notes of your game plan. Full rules for both tourneys and the signup page for the Civ2 tourney will be posted soon.
You guessed right, the other tourney will be for CTP -MarkG
FIRST MP POLL: LONG LIVE DEITY!
(30 August 2000, 11:32 EST/Civ2) Our first MP poll is now closed. Here the results| Civ2: Favorite MP Settings I: Difficulty Level | | Option | Votes / Percentage | | Chieftain |  1 / 1% | | Warlord | 1 / 1% | | Prince | 11 / 12% | | King | 22 / 25% | | Emperor | 14 / 16% | | Deity | 36 / 42% | | Total Votes: 85 |
| | View Comments |
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We now have a new poll on the time you spend on a multiplayer game. Vote now! -MarkG
BHG AND MS TALK TO GSPOT
(30 August 2000, 1:12 EST/Misc) Hot on the heels of Big Huge Games signing a deal with Microsoft Corporation [see story below] Brian Reynolds, founder of Big Huge Games, and Ed Fries, vice president of the Microsoft Games Division, chat with GameSpot staff about the deal.
"I've known Ed for several years now, and when I left Firaxis at the end of last year and decided I was going to set something new up, it seemed perfectly logical to give Ed a call", Reynolds said when asked to relate how this deal came about.
In turn, Fries talks about how this agreement fits into Microsoft Game Division's long-term strategy.
"It is a multiple-title deal, and it really fits with what I've been trying to do, which is to go out and find the very best developers and find ways to team up with them and give them the time and the resources to do their very best work. There are not too many designers of the caliber of Brian Reynolds, so the chance to sign him up and be a part of our team is very exciting". -DanQ
BHG INKS DEAL WITH MICROSOFT
(29 August 2000, 21:11 EST/Misc) The following is a press release issued today by Microsoft Corporation:
REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Big Huge Games (Big Huge), a developer of strategy-oriented games, that gives Microsoft the exclusive publishing and distribution rights to Big Huge Games-developed titles. In addition, Microsoft also announced it has made an equity investment in Big Huge.
Based in Hunt Valley, MD, Big Huge is a newly formed independent development studio founded by veteran game designer Brian Reyonlds, whose hit list of PC game titles includes the revolutionary strategy games "Civilization II®" and "Alpha Centauri™." Before forming Big Huge earlier this year, Brian was a founding partner of Firaxis Games Inc., the computer game development house led by legendary game designer Sid Meier.
"We are extremely excited to be working with Brian and the team at Big Huge," said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft. "This relationship reflects our continued commitment to grow our PC games business by working with the industry's best developers to produce top-quality games."
Microsoft and Big Huge will work together to develop innovative strategy games for the PC platform.
"Everyone at Big Huge Games is ecstatic about our relationship with Microsoft," said Brian Reyonlds, president of Big Huge. "It's a great opportunity to combine the talents of two incredible companies. Microsoft shares our vision and passion to create the best games and will be able to provide us with the time and resources we need to focus on making great games - and then make them available on a worldwide scale."
Underscoring Microsoft's commitment to being a leading worldwide games developer and publisher, Big Huge joins an impressive list of development talent creating PC games for the company, including Digital Anvil, Ensemble Studios, Gas Powered Games, and Relic Entertainment. -DanQ
TO MR. GODGOD
(29 August 2000, 4:10 EST/Civ2) Or "enteryournamehere" or other fake names: Your review for our Civ2 section will accepted in AL&PD when you will provide actuall information. Hiding behind a fake indentity. Meanwhile, just for the sake of free specch that you love so much, I will post your latest "review" here:
Most overrated site on the net. No signifigant updates, pretty empty site, annoying restrictions to the forum and other areas, BUT MOST OF ALL, YOU'RE AGAINST FREE SPEECH.
Screw you. This review will probably be rejected, but I just want you to read it. Have a nice life.
When you provide real info about you, your review will be added...
We are looking forward to your comments about this on the forums -MarkG
FALLING ONE ON G100 CHART
(27 August 2000, 17:10 EST/SMACX) In the 398th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire is unable to hold onto the #6th spot and finds itself in 7th this week.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
G100: STEADFAST IN ELEVENTH
(27 August 2000, 17:09 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 399th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time for the ninth week in a row remains at #11 on the countdown.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
IN TWENTY-THIRD ON G100
(27 August 2000, 17:08 EST/CtP) In the 399th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power tumbles three spots over last week to #23.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
DB HELPERS FOUND
(27 August 2000, 5:12 EST/Civ2) Only a few minutes after our announcement, the legendary couple, Tiamat and Self Biased offered to help! Work has already started, as you can see in the What's New Page.
It goes without saying that we also need more permanent database helpers. If you have civ2, can download big files and are REALLY interested in doing this, send us a mail! -MarkG
COLUMN #130; BY RAINGOON
(27 August 2000, 0:15 EST/Misc) Raingoon takes us on a guided journey that draws him into Civilization in his latest article entitled "Into The Mystic".
Comments/questions welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
SHORT TIME DB HELPER NEEDED!
(26 August 2000, 21:35 EST/Civ2) As we said in the news item below, about 60 entries are missing from our database. Which means that we need someone to help us put them back. Since we have the data already, the helper's job will be as easy(and as boring I'm afraid ;)) as filling up a form and pressing the submit button!
So, can you help us out? If you do, mail us at markg@apolyton.net
PS. We wont object if you want to be long time DB Helper instead! :D -MarkG
FILE DATABASE UPGRADED!
(26 August 2000, 21:29 EST/Civ2) As you might have noticed or read in the forums, our civ2 database system had crashed. We lost lots of files, we saved many more, but we decided it's time to get something better. So, here it is the Apolyton Civ2 DataBase(ACDB)!
Beyond the safer for our data enviroment, some new feature include:
- Ability to have reviews for each file
- Display of screenshot in category and search results pages
- Ability to search in Title, Author name, Author e-mail, Synopsis, Description and Requirement fields
- Automated "What's New", "Cool" and "Top Rated" pages
- Random file link
So, what are you waiting for! Visit ACDB and review some files! -MarkG
THREE MAJOR PARTS TO AI
(26 August 2000, 17:31 EST/CtP2) Activision programmer Richard Myers, aka Azmel, surfaced on our forums this afternoon and delivered some exciting news which you heard on ACS first! There are three major parts to the Artifical Intelligence (AI) found in CTPII: the strategy engine, city management and diplomacy.
"The algorithm used for the strategy engine is the same one used for CTP1, but it has been rewritten (for [Star Trek] Armada)", Myers explains. "The purpose of rewriting it is to make it easier to add the refinements that distinguish a so-so AI from a truely clever one. The advantage of using the same algorith as CTP1, and starting with existing code from Armada is that we have had a year to tune and tweak the engine to play CTP.
The city management system has also been greatly improved. The player can utilize the same AI used by the game (via Mayors) to control their nation. Exposing the AI for player use has made it easier for us to tune and optimize. The ability of an AI to grow its civilization has a profound effect on how good an opponent it is.
Last but not least, our diplomacy improvements come in two parts. The first is just having a more comprehensive system; mainly new types of proposals, and response options. The second part is a flexible way to write the rules used by the AI for choosing new proposals and responding to your proposals. We're currently in the process of expanding, tuning and tweaking those rules to be rational and to express the desires of our different AI leader personalities".
If you have any questions/comments as a result of this new information, you know where to ask it. 
-DanQ
ART OF WAR JOINS ACS
(26 August 2000, 16:40 EST/About) "Today is indeed a glorious day for the Art of War! DanQ and MarkG have accepted the hosting of the AoW at Apolyton Civilization Site"!
These are the estatic words of George "Polaris" Lyles, the owner and administrator of the Art of War, a website where Civers can go to read and contribute strategies for CivII scenarios.
We, at ACS, are proud to recognize the AoW and Polaris and welcome them into our extended family now accessible from aow.apolyton.net. -DanQ
DA GAMEBOYZ REVIEW
(26 August 2000, 16:06 EST/Civ2ToT) A review that initially sneaked passed our "sensor sweeps", Da GameBoyz was more than pleased with what they found in Civilization II: Test of Time. They were soo pleased, in fact, that they gave it a perfect score.
"I have to admit that I never played the original Civilization game which means that I cannot honestly compare this game to the original", staff reviewer Neo writes. "I do know, however, that this game is highly addictive and fun.
I think that the strongest part of this game is the management aspect. There are so many things to do and so many things that can go wrong. This gives the game very good replay value. In addition, each level takes an abundance of time, which means that gamers will have to play for a long time before they can call themselves a master of this game".
In closing, Neo states that "[CivII: ToT] has certainly lived up to its name. The guys at MicroPROSE have obviously put a lot of time and effort into making this game... I give this game 5 out of 5 joysticks for sticking by its original theme and addictiveness". -DanQ
A BETTER AI?
(26 August 2000, 10:50 EST/CtP2) Actigrammer, St Swithin, says "yes", responding to a thread by Atahualpa
"Just about all of the AI code was rewritten, so it's difficult to answer lots of specific questions. Let's suffice it to say that it's much smarter and much more conniving, and you can expect much better attack strategies from AI players"
Only when we get the game on our hands we'll know for sure... -MarkG
GAMEATOSIS SUMMARY
(26 August 2000, 10:44 EST/CtP2) It's called a "preview", but I'd say it looks like a summary. Gameatosis gathered most of the information we already know in three pages. Take a look if you want a quick summary on what Activision is planning for CTP2
Our thanks to LightSniper who posted about it
Related forum thread -MarkG
PC DATA: JULY`S TOP GAMES (PC)
(24 August 2000, 21:43 EST/Misc) PCData has released their Top 20 Selling PC Games listing for July, 2000, and below are the Top 10. For titles 11-20, check out Computer Games Online's article on the subject.
1) Diablo II | Havas Interactive
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 2nd Edition | Disney
4) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Starcraft | Havas Interactive
6) Icewind Dale | Interplay
7) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
8) RollerCoaster Tycoon: CorkScrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
10) Deus Ex | Eidos
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
CHART-TRAK: AUGUST 19, 2000
(23 August 2000, 23:55 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending August 19, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) Deus Ex | Eidos
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
4) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
5) Diablo II | Havas Interactive -DanQ
PC DATA: AUGUST 6 - AUGUST 12, 2000
(23 August 2000, 23:54 EST/Misc) For the week August 6 - August 12, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
4) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
6) Starcraft | Blizzard Entertainment
7) Unreal Tournament | Inforgrames
8) Deus Ex | Eidos
9) RollerCoaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
10) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
This chart is developed from data provided by 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
REBELLION OF NAT TURNER PREVIEW
(22 August 2000, 18:50 EST/Civ2) Last evening PolarisGL revealed his "secret project" exclusively to the Apolyton community on our forums. His newest work in progress: The Rebellion of Nat Turner scenario.
"In Nat Turner, you will be the rebellion, of course", writes Polaris. Throughout you will do the following:
1) Capture naval vessels to try to escape to the North, later to return with some northern aid.
2) Sail into the rivers from the Chesapeake and perform bay assaults on important trade cities.
3) Raise an army of slave rebels, armed slaves (rifles), and northern helpers.
4) The concept of "Scortched Earth" will be used by your rebels; destroying farms, crops, livestock, etc. is how you survive. If you do not do this, armed farmers may have the best of you.
5) Trying to work up to an early Underground Railroad.
And, of course, there is more where that came from".
The thread also includes several screenshots from the scenario, including map, terrain and units. No release date has yet been set. -DanQ
FIRAXIS HIRES MPS SENIOR ARTIST
(22 August 2000, 10:50 EST/Misc) For immediate release:
Hunt Valley, Maryland -- FIRAXIS Games today announced that Michael Bates, an eight-year veteran from Microprose Software, has joined the company as Senior Artist. He’ll work with an immensely talented team of artists in making Civilization III one of the most visually exciting games ever created.
Michael’s artistic contribution to the world of computer games can been seen in his impressive legacy from Microprose. He was the lead artist on Across The Rhine, M1 Tank Platoon II and Gunship! and part of the art teams for Gunship 2000, F-15 III, Battletech and Civilization II. An avid player of every genre of computer game, Michael brings with him a deep knowledge of the gaming industry, along with the experience and desire to help FIRAXIS develop the most graphically appealing games on the market.
"Mike Bates brings real depth of talent, proven leadership skills, and a passion for gaming to Firaxis," says Mike Gibson, Director of Development. "And he makes a mean three-bean salad, so what's not to like?” -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK FEEDBACK
(22 August 2000, 8:52 EST/CtP2) What did you think of our CTP2 Week feature? Love it or hate it, we want to know. Either post them in our forums or email them to us directly. All comments will be gratefully acknowledged, but we do ask that any criticisms be constructive ones. -DanQ
CIV2 FOR SCHOOLS?
(22 August 2000, 8:37 EST/Civ2) What do you think of the idea of having Civilization II used in school lessons (i.e. history)? Shadowstrike thinks so, and so do a growing number of others in a thread on our forums on this very topic. If you have an opinion on this, feel free to voice it! -DanQ
REFUSES TO BUDGE FROM SIXTH
(20 August 2000, 14:50 EST/SMACX) In the 398th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire does not budge from last week's performance, holding steady at #6.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FIRM GRIP ON ELEVENTH
(20 August 2000, 14:49 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 398th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time clings to the 11th position for an incredible eighth week in a row.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
HOLDS ONTO TOP TWENTY
(20 August 2000, 14:48 EST/CtP) In the 398th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power stays in the Top 20 at #20. This is one-spot drop from its performance last week.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
INBOX: AUGUST 20, 2000
(20 August 2000, 14:41 EST/About) Welcome once again to Inbox, a bi-weekly feature here on ACS where we select a few pieces of mail from the past 14 days to comment on in this open venue.
In this installment, a comment about our public opinion polls' reporting and two questions pertaining to the original Civ.
1. My question is is there a patch or something that will let me play Civ (the first one) multiplayer. A friend of mine said there was and it was called CivNet... is this true and if so, do you know where i can get it?
CivNet is an add-on MicroPROSE published a couple of years after the original Civilization's release. MPS is no longer selling it directly, to the best of our knowledge (online or otherwise), but you still may be able to find it in bargain bins of your nearest computer realtors. You may also want to consider browsing online gaming stores.
2. In the original Civilization game how do you employ taxmen?
When you click on the Entertainers as they appear in your city status window once, they become taxmen. Click twice, and they're scientists. To go back to Entertainers, click once more for a total of three.
Have your cities grown beyond the point where new workers can be added to squares within your cities' radius? If so, as your cities continue to grow it will add an additional Entertainer for each population "level" increase per city thereafter. If not and you need more taxmen, you will need to click on a square that is currently employing a worker thereby removing them from that square and making them, by default, an Entertainer. Go back to the procedure listed above to make those individuals taxmen as needed/desired. To place them back "in the fields", simply click on a square that is not being 'worked' within your city's radius.
3. What is the big deal with this Global 100 thing? I know its nice to poll people on game stuff or just to get information every once in a while but your last four updates have nothing to do with anything but public opinion. Just was wondering if any more database updates or current project updates are going to get back in there? Site is cool but this obsession with a poll seems strange.
We can only update our file databases at times when there are submissions to be added to them. In case you were wondering about a certain database specifically, my co-owner/administrator, Markos, is currently working on the difficulties we have sustained in the CivII database at the end of last month.
As for 'current project updates', you'll have to be more specific for me to address it more thoroughly. That said, we have no 'obsession' with this poll, as you put it; we highlight it because it applies to games that we cover and that it has been running for quite some time. Public opinion is very important to us, as well as the companies that make the games that we love so much, and thus we relay information such as this to our viewers -- such as yourself -- along with the press releases/file submissions etc. on an ongoing basis. It is a reflection of the "state of the nation", if you will.
And that's all that was written for this edition. We want to hear your opinion on this pilot project of ours and whether or not you feel that it should be continued. -DanQ
GAMESPOT UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
(19 August 2000, 14:40 EST/CtP) In celebration of the launch of "version 3" of their website, and subsequently v3.1, GameSpot US has made their complete, unofficial game guides available for free from their website! Previously you were required to pay an nominal fee for access to the full versions of these guides.
In turn, as of today we at ACS are mirroring a copy of their comprehensive CTP guide (1.4MB), an impressive 173-page document written by GameSpot's Chris Jensen and Doug Radcliffe. Enjoy!
Requires Acrobat Reader, a freeware application from Adobe, to view. -DanQ
GAMESPOT UNOFFICIAL GUIDE
(19 August 2000, 14:19 EST/SMAC) In celebration of the launch of "version 3" of their website, and subsequently v3.1, GameSpot US has made their complete, unofficial game guides available for free from their website! Previously you were required to pay an nominal fee for access to the full versions of these guides.
In turn, as of today we at ACS are mirroring a copy of their comprehensive SMAC guide (1.9MB), a whopping 335-page document written by GameSpot's Chris Jensen, Doug Radcliffe and Elliot Chin. Enjoy!
Requires Acrobat Reader, a freeware application from Adobe, to view. -DanQ
COLUMN #129; BY DARTHVEDA
(19 August 2000, 13:06 EST/Misc) DarthVeda pleads to MicroPROSE to release the source code of Civilization II in his latest article, "Microprose Should Release the Civilization II Source".
Comments/questions are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
KYOKUJITSU ON HOLD
(19 August 2000, 12:07 EST/Civ2) DarthVeda informed the community on our forums that Kyokujitsu, his latest scenario project, is on hold.
"Well, until I can find time to sit down and work on this project, it's on stand-by to my life. I'm going away to college tomorrow and I have no idea what kind of Connection I'm going to get up there. I also have no idea what kind of time schedule I'm going to have to work on this thing... but be assured, it will be finished".
For more information on this upcoming title, see our exclusive first-look (July 11) and follow-up (August 9) below. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: JULY 11-20, 2000
(19 August 2000, 0:22 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the July 11-20, 2000 newsletter is now available for broadcasting live, on demand, in RealAudio© format.
To listen, you will need the RealPlayer G2+ installed on your system; you can left-click on the file to have it stream through your player of choice (28.8K+ Internet connection recommended), or right-click to download the 2.1MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
MEIER: PC BEATS CONSOLE
(18 August 2000, 23:11 EST/Misc) In an article posted yesterday on MSNBC, contributing writer Steve Kent interviews Firaxis Games' Sid Meier on the long running debate between the PC and Console platforms: which is the best?
Meier's verdict: the PC wins hands down.
"Consoles going online is certainly something that everybody is talking about", Meier tells Kent, "but to me it feels like PC is probably right now a more interesting platform to be online with than a console. But I guess the future will tell”.
After debating the quality of different types of controllers PC and Console users have at their disposal, the interview turns its attention to games taking to the Internet. While Peter Molyneux, creator of Populace and Dungeon Keeper among others, says that the games are going to go completely online over the next few years, Meier remains skeptical.
"I think Peter may be optimistic about that... If he's saying that single-player games are going to disappear and everybody’s going to be playing multi-player, simple, downloadable multiplayer games, I don’t quite see that".
Our thanks to ModernEmpire.com's Adam Steinbaugh for the newstip. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: AUGUST 12, 2000
(18 August 2000, 16:17 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending August 12, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) Deus Ex | Eidos
2) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
3) The Sims | Electronic Arts
4) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
5) Diablo II | Havas Interactive -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: JULY 1-10, 2000
(18 August 2000, 14:39 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the July 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 1.8MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
NEWS IN REALAUDIO©: JUNE 21-30, 2000
(18 August 2000, 1:10 EST/Misc) The audio broadcast of the June 21-30, 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 2.6MB file to listen at your convenience at a later time. -DanQ
2ND BIRTHDAY CHAT TRANSCRIPT
(17 August 2000, 22:27 EST/About) We promised this was coming, and we apologize for the delay, but it's here! The transcript of our 2nd Birthday Chat held on July 26th is now available for viewing in text format (70K).
It contains the official portion of the chat from beginning to end. If you right-click on the link above you can download it as a file to your PC as opposed to trying to read it in your web browser (and wordwrap it in the process). We are still working on the HTML version. -DanQ
PC DATA: JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2000
(16 August 2000, 15:58 EST/Misc) For the week July 30 - Augst 5, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
5) RollerCoaster Tycoon Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
6) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
7) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
8) Starcraft | Blizzard Entertainment
9) Unreal Tournament | Inforgrames
10) Return of Krondor | Havas Interactive
This chart is developed from data provided by 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
LOKI, BSDI DEAL
(16 August 2000, 11:11 EST/SMACX) Loki Entertainment Software announced yesterday a strategic alliance with Berkeley Software Design Inc. (BSDI), the leading supporter of the FreeBSD Project. This deal will see Loki Software and BSDI work together to ensure Loki's gaming titles are compatible with FreeBSD using Linux-compatibility features. Certified games on this configuration will be fully-supported by Loki.
"We are excited to be announcing our official support of FreeBSD's Linux compatibility libraries", said Scott Draeker, President of Loki Software. "FreeBSD users have been enjoying their Open Source operating system for years, and many of them have been playing our games".
Something noteworthy for Civ fans is that SMAC and its expansion pack, SMAC-X, are among the titles being prepared for port to FreeBSD. For a copy of the full press release, follow this link to Loki's website. For more information on the FreeBSD platform, logon to freebsd.org. -DanQ
GREATEST GAME OF ALL TIME
(15 August 2000, 0:32 EST/SMAC) According to GameStats Senior Editor SawdEye, SMAC is his pick as the "Greatest Game Of All Time". In his August 14th edition of his write-up on GameStats, the Head of GS' News Department lists the five reasons why SMAC is at the top of his list: thinking, replayability, gameplay, customizability and -- of course -- community. -DanQ
BETA WITHIN WEEKS?
(14 August 2000, 0:36 EST/CtP2) Yesterday WarGamer reporter Jeff Vitous stated in passing that CTPII will enter its beta phase within a few weeks time. We are hoping to get confirmation on this either way from a member of Activision's CTPII team in the coming days.
Last week we had mentioned Activision showing off CTPII at GenCon2000 in Milwaukee this past weekend [see below], and according to Vitous this was with their latest alpha build. CTPII Producer Doug Perason had this to say to WG:
"In CTPII and other Civilization games, combat was always a basic numbers game, with no distinction made to nature of the combatants. There was always the embarrassing situation of muskets killing tanks, carracks taking out battleships, and so forth. This will not happen in CTPII -– units in different classes will not be able to have an effect on those far more advanced".
Our thanks to Marty for sending us this newstip. -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: NEW INFO FILES
(13 August 2000, 23:26 EST/CtP2) Another evening update for you -- the following pages have been added to our Info section: RELEASE, which documents any known mentions of release periods for the game, and MISCELLANEOUS which carries any pertinent data that would not fit into any of our other categories.
This concludes our CTPII Week here on Apolyton. We hope you have found it interesting, informative, and welcome you to participate in the discussions on our forums on this feature.
As always, keep this page bookmarked for future reference for any new developments on the CTPII front. We continuosly update its content as new material becomes available. -DanQ
BACK IN TOP 20 OF G100
(13 August 2000, 12:41 EST/CtP) In the 397th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power makes the jump back into the Top 20 on the chart in 19th position over its performance last week when it sat in 22nd.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SEVENTH WEEK IN ELEVENTH: G100
(13 August 2000, 12:40 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 397th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time is for a record seven weeks in a row the 11th most popular game on the weekly countdown.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
CONTINUING TO SHINE ON G100
(13 August 2000, 12:39 EST/SMACX) In the 397th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire climbs a notch again for the second straight week and enters into the #6 position.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: HOVER INFANTRY
(13 August 2000, 10:18 EST/CtP2) 
Our exclusive CTPII Week thrill-ride begins to wind down this morning as we present the HOVER INFANTRY unit, capable of negotiating even the most treacherous terrain with speed and efficacy, Hover Infantry deliver devastatingly effective attacks. They are an ideal complement to the Fusion Tank, but cannot travel on beach and shallow water tiles.
Our Great Library may be complete for the moment, but we still have more to come! Later today we're going to be adding a couple additional documents to our Info section, so keep your browsers pointed here! -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: VR AMUSEMENT PARK & STEALTH FIGHTER
(12 August 2000, 21:41 EST/CtP2) And for the last news item of the day, the latest entries in our Great Library pages: the STEALTH FIGHTER unit(capable of evading radar, it is ideal for surgical strikes against well-defended targets and coordinated air defense) and the VR AMUSEMENT PARK city improvement(which allows people to immerse themselves in a totally realistic environment, enabling them to travel without leaving home, play games and sports with no harm or regard for physical skill or impairment. Fantasies come to life, dreams are fulfilled...).
That's it for today, come back tomorrow, for the last day of our CTP2 Week! -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: EVENING INFO UPDATE
(12 August 2000, 21:35 EST/CtP2) Here we are, with the second load of updates for today. New information pages: CUSTOMISATION/SLIC and ADVANCES/CITY IMPROVEMENTS/WONDERS. -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: ORBITAL LABORATORY & NAVAL AVIATION
(12 August 2000, 12:35 EST/CtP2) The newest entries in our Great Library pages: the NAVAL AVIATION advance(which gives the Aircraft Carrier, which enables aircraft to keep close to ships, providing immediate air support from planes that aren't chained to the coastline by refueling needs) and the ORBITAL LABORATORY city improvement(which is a large space station that enable scientists to conduct experiments outside the confines of cities, atmospheres and ecologies).
Well, that's all for the next... 6-7 hours :) -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: SCREENSHOTS & ART UPDATE
(12 August 2000, 12:26 EST/CtP2) 9 New(sort of) items were added in the Screenshots and Art pages. They were originally posted in the IGN preview during the last days of June. Check them out!
(Note: under each screenshot or graphic, there is a link to a forum thread related to it) -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: MORNING INFO UPDATE
(12 August 2000, 10:33 EST/CtP2) Yesterday I was caught up on something really cool that we might have on Apolyton soon, and Friday's update for our CTP2 Week was moved for now, Saturday morning :) This also means that there is going to be a second load of information in the evening... ;)
The two new information pages are for the GRAPHICS/SOUND part of the game and for the INCLUDED MAPS/SCENARIOS.
Coming up in a few minutes are several (published elsewhere) screenshots that we didnt post until now, and some never-before-seen stuff for the Great Library. Stay here! -MarkG
COLUMN #128; BY FATHER BEAST
(12 August 2000, 10:00 EST/Misc) Father Beast fondly remembers of a unnamed game he, his older brother and stepfather played long ago in his latest article entitled "My Long Term Love Affair With Civilization".
This is the 128th installment of The Column, a long-running feature on Apolyton where individuals can submit pieces of writing talking about the state of the Civilization nation in the past, present or future. If you would like to write for this series, please see our Column Submission page.
Comments/questions on this week's piece are welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
AUDIO NEWSLETTER RETURNING
(11 August 2000, 22:44 EST/Misc) Get ready to fire up your speakers! After a brief hiatus for the month of July, the audio version of Apolyton's weekly newsletter returns this coming week.
If you have any suggestions on how to make these broadcasts better, please email us. We are always open to constructive criticisms. -DanQ
AT GENCON 2000
(11 August 2000, 22:27 EST/CtP2) 
It's CTPII week at Apolyton, and also at GenCon2000. Activision has setup a booth for the game, and a picture of it is to your right courtesy of GameSpy Industries.
Now celebrating its 33rd year, GenCon has been recognized as being the largest gaming convention in the United States that offers something for every science fiction, fantasy, or general game-playing fan. From August 10-13, GenCon is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this year.
We'll keep you up-to-date on any further CTPII developments @ GenCon in the days to come. -DanQ
PC DATA: JULY 23 - JULY 29, 2000
(11 August 2000, 0:56 EST/Misc) For the week July 23 - July 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 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market.
1) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
4) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) StarCraft | Blizzard Entertainment
6) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
7) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
8) RollerCoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) Icewind Dale | Interplay
10) Return of Krondor | Havas Interactive -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: LONGSHIP UNIT & FLUID BREATHING
(10 August 2000, 20:12 EST/CtP2) Here are today's entries in our Great Library pages: the FLUID BREATHING advance and the LONGSHIP city unit.
Btw, the first results of our latest poll give the lead to Historical, Modern times scenarios, with Ancient and Fantasy ones following. Have you voted yet? -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: MULTIPLAYER & TRADE INFO
(10 August 2000, 19:29 EST/CtP2) It's Thursday, and the CTP2 Week continues with new information pages for MULTIPLAYER(not much there I'm afraid) and TRADE. New game art on the way... -MarkG
CHART-TRAK: AUGUST 5, 2000
(9 August 2000, 22:24 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending August 5, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
2) Deus Ex | Eiods
3) The Sims | Electronic Arts
4) Diablo II | Havas Interactive
5) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: GENETICS & CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
(9 August 2000, 19:55 EST/CtP2) And as for the entries in our Great Library pages: the GENETICS advance and the CORRECTIONAL FACILITY city improvement.
That's it for today, we are looking forward to your comments for the CTP2 Week so far... -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: MICROMANAGMENT & DIPLOMACY INFO
(9 August 2000, 19:43 EST/CtP2) The CTP2 Week continues with new information pages for MICROMANAGMENT and DIPLOMACY. Stay tuned for the new game art of the day! -MarkG
FIRST MP POLL: DIFFICULTY SETTINGS
(9 August 2000, 19:42 EST/Civ2) Taking advantage of our new poll script, we are starting a serious of polls on your favorite settings for multiplayer games. First poll: difficulty settings. Take the poll and discuss about it in the Civ2-General or the Civ2-Multiplaying forum -MarkG
POLLS IN MAIN FORUM PAGE
(9 August 2000, 18:53 EST/About) If you check the front forum page, you will see that now the current polls are listed.
Notes :
1. The last few weeks we use a new script which allows only registered forum members to vote. Use your username and password to vote!
2. The currently running polls that use the old script are not listed. -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: NEW LINKS CATEGORY
(9 August 2000, 18:09 EST/CtP2) Third day for our CTP2 week, and we start with a category in the Apolyton Links&Products Directory. 10 Links are the content of the new Call to Power II category, which is also accessibly from the menu of the CTP2 Section. Among the links is the section itself, so give us a review! :) -MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR JULY
(9 August 2000, 17:26 EST/Misc) The Spanish Civ2 Site jumped on the 1st spot of the Apolyton Links&Products Directory for the month of July, leaving our Civ2 section on the 2nd. On the games chart, we had several new reviews, thanks to our... ads in the forums, which changed things a little bit. Here's the full listing of our charts
Top 10 Links
1(2). 9.67(9.57) The Spanish Civilization II Site
2(1). 9.52(9.60) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
3(3). 9.47(9.41) Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
4(4). 9.23(9.18) Colonization Home Page
5(5). 9.08(9.00) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
6(7). 8.92(9.00) Civilization II Scenario League
7(6). 8.92(9.00) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ3 Section
8(8). 8.76(8.69) Civilization II Historical Scenarios
9(-). 8.50(-) Platehead's Civilization II Page
10(9). 8.50(8.50) Civilization III Civilopedia
Top 5 Games
1(1). 10.00(10.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
2(3). 9.67(9.33) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
3(2). 9.00(10.00) Civilization II Gold(Mac)
4(4). 8.80(9.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
5(-). 8.75(-) Civilization: Call to Power(Linux)
Top 5 Books
1(1). 8.50(8.50) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri : Power of the Mind Worms
2(2). 5.50(5.50) Civilization II: Test of Time: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
3(3). 4.50(4.50) Civilization: Call to Power Official Strategy Guide
4(4). 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 163(158 last month) links and 562(512 last month) reviews. -MarkG
KYOKUJITSU PREVIEW, PART II
(9 August 2000, 0:35 EST/Civ2) Last month we first reported on DarthVeda's newest up-and-coming scenario, Kyokujitsu. Last Friday DV added to it with a screenshot from the game in our Hosted Site Scenario League's forum.
"It's taking me a while to put this thing together", DV commented. "So you people that signed up for playtesting just hang in there a bit longer..." -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: DEMOCRACY & SAMURAI
(8 August 2000, 19:41 EST/CtP2) First a note: Ballista Towers are actually a city improvement and not a unit as we posted yesterday.
As for today's showings, we have art and info for the DEMOCRACY and SAMURAI(yes Darth, the graphic looks the same :)). More stuff tomorrow! -MarkG
BHG HIRES IT MANAGER
(8 August 2000, 16:50 EST/Misc) 
Today, Big Huge Games announced the addition of Paul Stephanouck to the team as their Information Technology Manager.
"Paul got his start doing tech support for a legal software firm in Huntsville, AL, and soon found himself doing database development in the automotive industry", reads his write-up on BHG' website. "In the early 90's, Paul was looking for a way to move his inventory data all over the world and happened upon a wacky new way of doing things -- the Internet...
Big Huge Games found Paul while he was consulting and doing development work for a variety of e-business startups. An avid computer and board gamer, Paul was easily persuaded to leave all that for a business that revolves around both computers and games". -DanQ
CTP2 WEEK: COMBAT, UNITS & CIV MANAGMENT INFO
(8 August 2000, 16:01 EST/CtP2) Second day for our CTP2 Week, and we post all the information that we could find on Combat and Units, as well as on the Civ Managment features. Stay tuned for more! -MarkG
ASSIGNING WORK II
(8 August 2000, 5:02 EST/CtP2) Usually a programmer explains game models better than a marketing manager (no offence meant John! :)). Mr Ogre explained the whole "work around the city" idea a bit more
...every population that is a "worker" is working the tiles around the city. All of them, not one per pop, but the more you have as workers, the more you get from the tiles, up to a maximum, at which point the radius grows, and there are then more tiles to which your workers are applied. You can also assign your workers to be farmers, scientists, etc. in which case they are not working the terrain at all, but directly providing you with food, science, or whatever, instead of tile resources.
There is no placement of workers, either by the AI or you. The concept of a worker working a specific tile is gone. The city works all the tiles in it's radius to one extent or another.
I have glossed over some details. It's slightly more complicated. If you think about what I wrote above, it would seem that growing to a new radius could possibly give you less resources if it was a simple sum of everything in the radius. But that is not the case, there's a little bit more to it.
So, does this sound better or worse from CTP1? Give your views on the forums -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: CHEMISTRY ADVANCE & BALLISTA TOWERS
(7 August 2000, 16:16 EST/CtP2) The other most important part of our CTP2 Week is the Great Library, where we will show you information and game art for some of the units, advances or city improvements of CTP2. We start with CHEMISTRY and the BALLISTA TOWERS.
Check back tomorrow for more! -MarkG
CTP2 WEEK: AI & INTERFACE INFO
(7 August 2000, 16:09 EST/CtP2) The one most important part of our CTP2 Week is the gathering of the scattered information for our news archives, the forums and the previews. Today we present you the information we found on the AI and the INTERFACE.
More will be posted in the following days. If you find something that wehavent included for these or any other part of the game, please mail us! -MarkG
CNET PREVIEW CLARIFICATIONS
(7 August 2000, 15:37 EST/CtP2) Activision's John Heinecke, aka Lt. John, wants to make some clarifications about GameCenter's preview of CTPII [see our July 13th story below]. They are as follows:
"... the claim that marines are new is false, and lumping elite unit types in with a standard unit piece is misleading. Elite or "veteran" units are created as the game progresses and they are successful in combat, not as stand alone units".
You can see the related thread by clicking here. -DanQ
ASSIGNING WORK
(7 August 2000, 15:32 EST/CtP2) Micromanagement woes diminish yet again with notification that you no longer have to worry about placing individual workers in Call To Power II. This confirmation comes this afternoon from John "Lt. John" Heinecke of Activision in a thread in our CTPII General forum.
"You assign your city workers to tasks on the individual city screens and they are automatically assigned to the best tiles for the setting", Heinecke says. "So if you have a city with a Pop of 4, you could assign 2 to food, 1 to production, and 1 to science, and the game will assign your workers to the best available tiles. Any trade resources in your city radius are now considered owned by your city, without having to have a worker on them". -DanQ
CATAPULT INCLUDED
(7 August 2000, 15:24 EST/CtP2) This afternoon Nemo asked whether or not CTPII was going to have a catapult or equivalent unit in it. The answer came less than an hour later: yes, from Activision's John "Lt. John" Heinecke. -DanQ
WHAT KIND OF SCENARIOS DO YOU WANT?
(7 August 2000, 14:35 EST/CtP2) With our 4th poll begins our "CTP2 Week". Until Sunday we'll try to present you all the information that is floating around in our news archives, the forums and the previews. But we also have new stuff to show you! Courtesy of Activision, we'll be showing you game art and information of units, advances and city improvments from CTP2 every day!
On to our poll, we ask you what kind of scenarios you would like to see in CTP2. It seems that there is room for suggestions on this specific matter, so vote now! Remember that now our poll script allows only registered forum members to vote. You have to put your forum username and password to vote! You can also add a comment to make your choice more specific.
Stay tuned, our "CTP2 Week" just started! -MarkG
CU-STO-MI-ZA-BI-LI-TY!
(7 August 2000, 14:12 EST/CtP2) Do you hear them? A crowd of CTP fans are calling for an improvement in customizability. Here are the results of our What is the most essential element to improve between CTP1 and 2? poll.| Stacked Combat | 215 / 26% |
| Public Works | 96 / 11% |
| Units, Terrain, City Graphics | 127 / 15% |
| Wonder Movies, Music | 43 / 5% |
| Customizability | 311 / 38% |
| Don't know/Don't Care | 21 / 2% |
Comments thread -MarkG
INBOX: AUGUST 6, 2000
(6 August 2000, 14:29 EST/About) Welcome to Inbox, a bi-weekly feature here on ACS where I select a few pieces of mail from the past 14 days to comment on in this open venue. The purpose of this feature is to inform the reader, such as yourself, and not riddicule the inquirers. Onward we go...
1. I was wondering if you could tell me if any other Civ games will be coming to Playstation or Nintendo 64? Any info you can give me will be helpful.
We are not aware of any Civ games up-and-coming to either the Playstation or Nintendo64 platforms -- if and when we do learn of something of this nature, we would announce it on the site.
That said, last year Activision did a port of CivII to the Playstation. More info: http://www.activision.com/games/civ2psx
2. Hey I was wondering how to start a game of CivII Gold with other people on the internet here.
Indeed we do! See our affiliate, GameLeague, at http://gameleague.megaultra.com for online matchups.
3. I was browsing through the database t'other day and thought I'd best report these broken links...
This person is referring to our CivII files database. Unfortunately, it crashed (although not entirely) at the end of July.
We are now working to convert the database to a new script that is more secure and carries more features. All data that is not in the database now is saved in a different form -- all we are asking is for your patience while we go through this painstaking process.
That's it for this edition... watch for it again in two weeks time! -DanQ
NEW MD RELEASE IMMINENT
(6 August 2000, 13:45 EST/Alt) Ron Hiler, Lead Programmer on the Manifest Destiny project, posted the following message in our Alternative Civs forum earlier this afternoon:
"A new release of MD is immenint. We're about two weeks late, but I am fairly certain there will be an upload sometime in the next few days. Basically we are just polishing at this point.
This will be the first semi-playable version of the game. I say semi-playable because the game is not playable as it is meant to be played, but there is a game element in it, sort of a mini-game. Research, Unit Design, and Combat are all working, and this allowed us to put together a combat simulator kind of thing. You will research technologies to design better units. The units will then be combat tested against other players. There is even a primitive scoring system
What's not working yet are the cities and resource collection, so there's no economic factors in the game yet. Everything in the mini-game is free, once you've researched the technologies to design your units.
I'll post here when the actual upload occurs, for those interested in helping us test the engine".
For more information on MD, logon to our MD section. -DanQ
STILL A SMASH
(6 August 2000, 13:41 EST/SMACX) In the 396th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire regains some lost footing and now in 7th position. G100 is also listing the combo as a smash hit.
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SIX, ELEVEN
(6 August 2000, 13:39 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 396th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, for the sixth week in a row Civilization II: Test Of Time has not budged from the #11 spot on the countdown.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
COMPETITION BEATING DOWN
(6 August 2000, 13:38 EST/CtP) In the 396th installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power continues to make its way down the list standing now in 22nd this week.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
GC FEATURE WRITE-UP
(6 August 2000, 13:33 EST/CtP2) On August 2, GameCenter posted a special feature entitled "Burn, Pillage, Destroy: Eight Upcoming Turn-Based Games Revealed", and one of those games in its spotlight is Call To Power II. Here's part of what GC had to say:
"Several new governing tools have been introduced to the mix, as well as a revamped trading system. Activision also says that Call to Power II features a more robust diplomatic component, which will let players choose their political stance and even make counter-proposals to other civilizations. Finally, players will be able to consult different ministers and advisors who will make recommendations and offer critical advice during the game".
The write-up is a summary of what is already known to date, but does include one new screenshot highlighing the context-sensitive pop-up menus that appear to be well incorporated into gameplay.
CTPII is expected to hit store shelves this fall. -DanQ
BIRTHDAY WEEK REFLECTION
(5 August 2000, 23:24 EST/About) It was an incredible week long celebration marking Apolyton's 2nd birthday, and on behalf of the Apolyton staff and administration a deep heart-felt thanks to each and everyone of you who took part! We are looking forward to serving this community for another two incredible years and beyond.
The transcript of the Birthday Chat held on July 29th will be posted by mid-week and while the official portion of the festivities have concluded, it is never too late to sign our guestbook to mark this momentus occasion! -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: JULY 29, 2000
(5 August 2000, 22:53 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending July 29, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Icewind Dale | Interplay
4) Diablo II | Havas
5) Shogun: Total War | Electronic Arts -DanQ
COLUMN #127; BY CHRISTANTINE THE GREAT
(5 August 2000, 22:23 EST/Misc) Christantine The Great is appalled with what he saw as MicroPROSE milking off of the success of CivII in his debut article entitled "The "Real" Civilization II". This is the 127th installment of The Column, a long running feature on Apolyton where Civers can submit their pieces of writing on the past, present and future status of the Civilization gaming community.
To comment on Christantine's article, you can either email the author directly or post them in our forums. -DanQ
GAMELEAGUE MOVES
(5 August 2000, 13:19 EST/About) The following is a press released issued by the administration of GameLeague this morning:
"In the summer of 1998 three men had a common idea and over time that idea formed into CivLeague. Since that summer many things have changed. Soon CivLeague became a hosted site of Apolyton; there it gained many members and popularity among Civilization II fans. Then, with the release of Civilization: Call to Power and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, came GameLeague. GameLeague expanded the services that CivLeague had offered for CivII to CTP and SMAC. Although some were skeptical, GameLeague membership has continued to grow and popularity in these new games have increased. Now the creators of GameLeague ask your support once again as we make another change. Kent Wang, Frank Johnson, and Chad DeShon, GameLeague's creators, have formed a new company called MegaUltra (www.megaultra.com).
"This move will allow us to have our own advertising," said Wang, "which we can direct back into the league in the form of tournament prizes, etc." Although MegaUltra will be using an advertising reseller for the time being, the entire MegaUltra franchise including GameLeague will still be looking for new advertisers.
Other than moving off of their server, GameLeague will not change its relationship with Apolyton. GameLeague will no longer be an Apolyton Hosted Site, and instead become an Apolyton Affiliate. In practice, there are no real differences other than advertising and hosting plans. "We still wish Apolyton good luck and thank them for all the help they've given us. It's like having a child grow up and move out of the house."
GameLeague is now a part, a very large part, of MegaUltra; other divisions of MegaUltra include a soon to be named, currently in development, browser based, map centered, online empire building game; and any other services that would be useful to gamers. We hope to build more of an online community for gamers and to make things possible that were never before possible for gamers online; things that could only be done at LAN parties. We want to add services for sports games and add a season mode for all of our game. We hope players will never have to settle for playing an AI again. We want to make its easy for players to find people to play and make competition interesting and fun between players". -DanQ
ACTIVISION Q1 2000 RESULTS
(3 August 2000, 15:49 EST/Misc) Activision Inc., the company that brought us Civilization: Call To Power last year and is currently working on Call To Power II, posted smaller losses than expected in their first fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2000.
Net revenues were up slightly at $84.5US million, compared to net revenues of $84.1US million reported for the first quarter of the last fiscal year. Net loss for the first fiscal quarter was $5.2US million, compared with a net loss of $4.6US million, reported for the same period last year. During the quarter Activision completed a $15US million buyback program that was approved by its Board of Directors in May. The cost of the buyback attributed to higher costs for the period. -DanQ
PC DATA: JULY 16 - JULY 22, 2000
(2 August 2000, 16:07 EST/Misc) For the week July 16 - July 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 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market.
1) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
4) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
5) StarCraft | Blizzard Entertainment
6) Icewind Dale | Interplay Deus Ex | Eidos
7) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
8) RollerCoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
9) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
10) Return of Krondor | Havas Interactive -DanQ
LINUX PORT AVAILABILITY
(1 August 2000, 15:10 EST/SMAC) What the exact date of public availability for the Linux port for SMAC remains to be seen, but Tux Games is stating that they should have it ready for shipping on August 7th. SMAC is currently the top-seller for the online computer store, and is currently accepting pre-orders for it. -DanQ
