September 2000
COLUMN #134; BY KENT WANG
(30 September 2000, 21:41 EST/Misc) Kent Wang re-investigates the model used for multi-player gamers, and offers an alternative in his latest article entitled "A Model For A Cheat-Free Game".
Comments/questions welcomed in our forums. -DanQ
TOP CIV2 FILES FOR SEPTEMBER
(30 September 2000, 19:02 EST/Civ2) With our new database system, we can have actual reviews for each file, which means that we can have more accurate ratings(or at least, justified). Therefore, here is our first monthly Civ2 files chart. Please note that these files have only 2-3 reviews each, but with 77 reviews in a month we hope that the forthcoming charts will be more accurate. Anyway, it's a start... Here's the listing
Top 10 Files
1(-). 10.00(-) CivConverter
2(-). 9.67(-) Lord of the Rings
3(-). 9.33(-) HiRes
4(-). 9.00(-) Star Trek Wars
5(-). 8.50(-) Middle Earth
-(-). 8.50(-) Arabia Awakes
-(-). 8.50(-) GIF Xtractor beta 3
8(-). 8.00(-) Cold War
9(-). 7.67(-) Israeli Independence
10(-). 7.50(-) 7 Continents
Database Stats
Total Files: 408
Total Reviews: 77
Total Rated Files: 58
Average Rating: 6.94
Total Downloads: 105623
Average Downloads/File: 258.88 -MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR SEPTEMBER
(30 September 2000, 18:41 EST/Misc) Minor changes for the month of September as well, except the "invasion" of Civ2:FW in the top 5 Games and the exclusion of CTP(for Linux). Here's the full listing of our charts
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.60(9.67) The Spanish Civilization II Site
2(2). 9.54(9.54) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
3(3). 9.39(9.39) Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
4(4). 9.14(9.14) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
5(5). 9.00(9.11) Colonization Home Page
6(7). 8.93(8.85) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ3 Section
7(6). 8.92(8.92) Civilization II Scenario League
8(8). 8.76(8.76) Civilization II Historical Scenarios
9(9). 8.50(8.50) Civilization III Civilopedia
10(10). 8.44(8.44) Das Civilization 2 Universum
Top 5 Games
1(-). 10.00(-) Civilization II: Fantastic Worlds
2(1). 9.80(9.75) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
3(2). 9.46(9.50) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
4(3). 9.33(9.00) Civilization II Gold(Mac)
5(4). 9.00(9.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
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
AL&PD Stats
Total Links: 185 (182)
Total Reviews: 645 (616)
Total Rated Links: 113 (110)
Average Rating: 6.99 (6.97)
Total Hits: 47295 (43105)
Average Hits/Link: 255.65 (236.84) -MarkG
TOP AL&PD LINKS FOR AUGUST
(30 September 2000, 18:40 EST/Misc) (Yes, this news item is extra-delayed) Very small changes for the month of August in AL&PD. An addition is the stats appearing on the front page and in this news item. Here's the full listing of our charts
Top 10 Links
1(1). 9.67(9.67) The Spanish Civilization II Site
2(2). 9.54(9.52) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ2 Section
3(3). 9.39(9.47) Grosse deutsche Civ2-Seite
4(5). 9.14(9.08) Civilization II - One City Challenge Strategy Guide
5(4). 9.11(9.23) Colonization Home Page
6(6). 8.92(8.92) Civilization II Scenario League
7(7). 8.85(8.92) Apolyton Civilization Site: Civ3 Section
8(8). 8.76(8.76) Civilization II Historical Scenarios
9(10). 8.50(8.50) Civilization III Civilopedia
10(-). 8.44(-) Das Civilization 2 Universum
Top 5 Games
1(1). 9.75(10.00) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack
2(2). 9.50(9.67) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
3(3). 9.33(9.00) Civilization II Gold(Mac)
4(4). 9.00(8.80) Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri(Mac)
5(5). 8.75(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
AL&PD Stats
Total Links: 182 (163)
Total Reviews: 616 (562)
Total Rated Links: 110
Average Rating: 6.97
Total Hits: 43105
Average Hits/Link: 236.84 -MarkG
STRATEGY PLAYER MAGAZINE
(30 September 2000, 14:41 EST/Misc) A new gaming magazine is on the market in the United Kingdom! Strategy Player Magazine's premier issue went on sale in the UK on September 28th. Owned by Paragon Publishing Ltd., the publication includes some feature pages about different game series' in the industry, including "Civilization".
SPM's website is currently under development -- no launch date has been announced. -DanQ
OFFICIAL SITE UPDATES
(30 September 2000, 14:09 EST/CtP2) 
This past week Activision updated the official CTPII site with an addition to their Egyptian period page to include an entry on Bronze Working and Warriors, along with a couple of screens that correspond to it.
Lt John explains the site's updating procedure in our forums:
We'll roll out a small update each week that follows this Egyptian empire as it grows and passes through time. Early updates may not provide tons of new info that you guys don't know, but we've got a couple of exclusive things shelved away to keep you on your toes. -DanQ
THE DAVE WHITE SHOW
(29 September 2000, 17:11 EST/CtP2) Interesting title, no? Here are some more posts from Dave White, CTP2 Lead Designer
Will ctp1 savegames/scenarios work on ctp2?
Unfortunately, no, CTP1 save games and scenarios will not work in CTP2.
While the graphics engine is mostly the same lending to the perception that the game is basically the same, it's not. We've changed/rewritten huge sections of the game including AI, Diplomacy, Combat, Trade, City Growth, and many others. This has caused the save file format to change.
Scenario editing and scripting has undergone a major overhaul as well and coupled with the fact that scenarios are dependant on the savegame format as well makes them no longer compatible. We're hoping that old CTP1 scenarios can be converted relatively easily, but we felt that the additional flexibility and power that the new scenarios have was worth the sacrifice of compatibility.
How many units can the Space Plane carry?
It can carry 5 units. Enough to be useful in mobilizing large armies without being so many that you can freely move everything anywhere on the map. It's best used to move units from deep within your empire to the front lines, or from one continent to another.
Are the goverments the same with CTP1?
Yeah, Governments have stayed basically the same. There's the same numbar and types of Governments with roughly the same functions. Though there has been some fine tuning to how they each work.
The biggest change you'll see is in the organization and comparison of goverments. When comparing Governments to decide which is better you get 9 attributes to compare instead of the 5 from CTP1. I've also tried to make the attributes more descriptive to give a better indication of how the Governments effect the various parts of the game.
Thanks again Dave! -MarkG
PCDATA: SEPTEMBER 16, 2000
(28 September 2000, 18:48 EST/Misc) For the week ending September 16, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) The Sims: Livin' Large | Electronic Arts
2) Age Of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
3) The Sims | Electronic Arts
4) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
5) Microsoft Plus Game Pack | Microsoft
6) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
7) Madden NFL 2001 | Electronic Arts
8) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
9) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
10) Sim Theme Park | Electronic Arts
This chart is developed from data provided by 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: SEPTEMBER 23, 2000
(28 September 2000, 18:43 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending September 23, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) Age of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
2) Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force | Activision
3) The Sims: Livin' It Up | Electronic Arts
4) FA Premier League Manager 2001 | Electronic Arts
5) The Sims | Electronic Arts -DanQ
MORE FORUM POSTS
(27 September 2000, 1:16 EST/CtP2) Yeah, it was one of those days...
Lt John with an update about the tech tree poster:
We could probably release the charts in a PDF format through our web page.
I'm still trying to get the data tables in a booklet format- making some progress- I'll keep you posted.
Dave White on the space plane unit:
Actually, we do have a Space Plane unit. The unit is a transport that can do a quick (3 turn) sub-orbital flight between any two cities.
Dave White on science and gold:
As far as Science and Gold, we've adjusted the system so that stuff that effects Gold only effects Gold and stuff that effect Science only effects Science. To help clear up the issue we've changed the name of the resource that is collected from the terrain to Commerce. Commerce is the only thing that effects both Science and Gold. Only after Commerce has been split into Science and Gold are the Improvement/Wonder/Specialist modifiers added to their respective resources. Improvements like Bazaars, Banks, and Brokerages will only effect Gold, they can never increase the Science output. Likewise only Scientist give additional Science. Merchants give Gold directly and that's it. We have added a set of Tile Imporvements (like the Farms and Mines) that do increase Commerce. These Tile Improvements will effect both Science and Gold.
Hopefully, this change will make the game a bit more interesting and keep the balance correct between the different Improvements.
As Dave said, keep the questions coming! -MarkG
ICS SOLVED?
(27 September 2000, 1:10 EST/CtP2) The Apolyton forums got a new Actisigner yesterday, actually the Lead Actisigner, Dave White :)
Here's a post from him on ICS and CTP2
The problem is a pretty sneaky one and it seems like no matter what we do to prevent loopholes in the design, stuff like this crops up in every game. Hopefully we've considered all the angles for this one and we have it licked. One thing for certain is that there are a whole lot of you guys out there who will be trying to take advantage of every flaw and loophole in the game and just a handfull of us to try and catch them all before we ship that there's bound to be a couple. I just hope they're minor. =)
As for ICS, I think it would be good to describe how our City Growth system has changed as that has the greatest impact on this problem. The government city maximum are still there and have been reduced considerably but that's just a stop-gap and not really a solution itself.
Cities in CTP2 have an area of influence that they control. This area starts very small when a city is first built and gets larger as the city grows. Newly built cities can only control the 8 tiles immediately next to the city. The next size up goes two tiles out from the city and is the same shape as the standard city influence from CTP1. There are 3 more sizes beyond that so cities can get quite large.
Another significant change is that workers are no longer placed directly on the city tiles. All the resources from the tiles in the city radius are used to calculate what the city collects. I'll use numbers from the game to try to make this a bit more understandable.
The first influence level is used for cities from Size 1 to Size 6. All of the resources available within those 8 tiles are added up and divided by the number of Workers working the terrain. The number of Workers is calculated based on the number of Citizens in the city (based on City Size) not counting those Citizens that have been assigned as Specialists plus the number of Slaves. This is just a number used for the calculations, the Workers never actually have to be placed down. So, if you have only 1 Worker, for a Size 1 City, you will collect one-sixth of the total available resources from those 8 tiles around the city. 2 Workers collect one-third, etc until all the resources are being collected with 6 workers.
When a city reaches the next influence level the same thing happens with the newly controled tiles. You will continue to collect the maximum resources from the original influence area, unless there are less than 6 Workers assigned. The resources from the tile that the city is located on are always collected regardless of the number of Workers assigned.
The influence areas of different cities can never overlap. Tiles are claimed on a first come first served basis and cities can never be built within the influence of another city.
How will this affect ICS? Well, the closest you can build two cities to each other is with one tile seperating them and only the first city built will get the full resources. Any overlapping tiles of influence will be lost to the second city and will effect everything that city tries to do. Additionally as the cities grow and control greater areas of influence one of the cities will grow around the other further cutting it off from vital resources. This coupled with the government caps should help keep ICS from being an issue.
Initial city growth and empire expansion will always be a critical part of the inital strategies of the game but a point will be quickly reached where the empire that has larger cities will far outstrip the production levels and power of other empires.
Related forum thread -MarkG
REYNOLDS: PHILOSOPHICAL MIND
(25 September 2000, 18:26 EST/Misc) On Thursday of last week, Gameloft posted an interview with Big Huge Games' President Brian Reynolds. Interviewer Trinity starts of by questioning Reynolds' background... in philosophy.
"I was going to do a computer science major at college, but I found that I had already taught myself a lot of the stuff they were offering", Reynolds responded. "So I decided to go learn about something I was interested in. After some graduate work in history, I decided I wanted to get back into computers".
From there, the conversation turned its attention to BHG and what is going on behind the scenes specifically the progress of the company's first game.
"... we're not ready to talk about it [the game] just yet. Suffice it to say if you look back at my career you'll see a number of patterns emerging. I think you can pretty much imagine those themes are going to come along with me. Expect a very cool strategy game sometime in 2002".
In the latter have of the interview, Trinity touches on the heart of Reynolds' gaming love, strategy, and whether or not BHG would move away from the genre in its products.
"It's hard for me to picture us doing anything other than strategy in the foreseeable future. Right now we are a company of 12 people, working on one game and that's a strategy game".
In closing, Trinity wants to know what makes strategy games so compelling to Reynolds. His answer: "Well I guess what attracts me to strategy games is that players get the greatest number of interesting decisions to make. Strategy games give the player the greatest control over their world". -DanQ
DOWNLOADS SECTION LIVE
(25 September 2000, 13:35 EST/CtP2) In the continuing spirit of the launch of the official CTPII site from Activision last week [see story below], we launch the newest section in our continuing coverage of this up-and-coming title: Downloads. We are now mirroring the Wallpaper, Asset Pack and Movie Trailer on our server. We will continue to add to the collection on an ongoing basis. -DanQ
MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
(24 September 2000, 23:33 EST/Civ3) Gamer's Pulse wants to know your opinion on the following question: what is the most anticipated game of the year 2001? Civilization III is one of the options. Its competition ranges from Dungeon Siege to Warcraft III.
Of the almost 300 ballots cast to date, CivIII leads Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel by 8%. At the time of the posting of this article, Neverwinter Nights and Team Fortress 2 are tied for third.
Note: the option button that corresponds to a particular title is located above the text as opposed to beneath it. Our thanks to WM for the newstip. -DanQ
LONG-STANDING STREAK IS OVER
(24 September 2000, 14:47 EST/SMACX) In the 403rd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire's incredible run in 7th position has finally ended as it falls two notches this week to #9.
To vote for SMAC/SMACX this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SEESAWS BACK TO THIRTEENTH
(24 September 2000, 14:45 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 403rd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time seesaws back into 13th spot this week.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FADES FROM TOP TWENTY
(24 September 2000, 14:44 EST/CtP) In the 403rd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power finds itself off of the Top 20 and down to #24.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
NO COLUMN THIS WEEK
(23 September 2000, 20:12 EST/Misc) We regret to inform you that The Column will not be appearing this week. We have run out of submissions to post and are asking for your support to keep this long-running feature a continued part of our lineup. Please read our Article Submission page for more information on how you can contribute. -DanQ
PCDATA: TOP PC GAMES, AUGUST 2000
(20 September 2000, 18:13 EST/Misc) PCData has released their Top 20 Selling PC Games listing for August, 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) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
4) Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, 2nd Edition | Disney
5) Starcraft | Havas Interactive
6) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
7) RollerCoaster Tycoon: CorkScrew Follies | Hasbro Interactive
8) SimCity 3000 Unlimited | Electronic Arts
9) Unreal Tournament | Infogrames
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
PCDATA: SEPTEMBER 9, 2000
(20 September 2000, 18:11 EST/Misc) For the week ending September 9, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) The Sims: Livin' Large | Electronic Arts
2) Age Of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
3) The Sims | Electronic Arts
4) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
5) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
6) Madden NFL 2001 | Electronic Arts
7) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
8) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
9) Starcraft | Havas Interactive
10) Homeworld: Cataclysm | Havas Interactive
This chart is developed from data provided by 42 retail chains comprising more than 80% of the U.S. market. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: SEPTEMBER 16, 2000
(20 September 2000, 18:07 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending September 16, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) The Sims: Livin' It Up | Electronic Arts
2) Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force | Activision
3) Age of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
4) FA Premier League Manager 2001 | Electronic Arts
5) Deus Ex | Eidos -DanQ
LT JOHN DAY
(19 September 2000, 20:41 EST/CtP2) It was "Lt John" day today on the CTP2-General forum. :)
On the official site:
The page will be updated weekly with new additions to the historical pages, as well as new goodies for everyone to download.
On the tech tree poster:
We will be including another tech tree poster. We won't be including two charts. I'll look into finding another way to present the data charts, but I think that there are too many stats to fit into the back of the manual in a readily accessible format
On beta testing:
The game is already undergoing beta testing with a closed group, by the time we are scheduled to go gold, we will have been in beta testing for about four months. This is one of the benefits of building the game off of the Civ:CTP engine- the game has been playable for quite a while now.
We will not be holding an open beta for CTP II
Thanks for the answers John! -MarkG
RED FRONT AND DARK TOWER FOR MAC
(19 September 2000, 0:00 EST/Civ2Mac) I am pleased to announce that the GameStats techies have fixed my ACS access! I can now catch up on all the scenarios that have been sent to me for posting! First a HUGE conversion and some real coding: Wulf has converted the epic Red Front scenario by Capt. Nemo and Alex the Magnificent and has additionally written an AppleScript Delevent file for the Macintosh!! This took a tremendous amount of effort and is greatly appreciated and eagerly awaited by the Mac-Civ community! THANK YOU VERY MUCH! I'd hate to follow an act like that, unless it were an original and novel scenario! And yes, it is! Mike Lacy has created for us the Dark Tower! A Tolkien-esque Heroic Fantasy scenario for Civ II, written for the Macintosh. Go to the Civ2-Mac Scenarios page. Now that I'm up and running I'll be posting more soon! Stay tuned for more and check the ACS Civ2-Mac Forum frequently for updates! -macuser
THE EGYPTIAN PERIOD
(18 September 2000, 23:08 EST/CtP2) "Discover what's brewing between Egypt and Persia -- Ramses, leader of Egypt, reveals how they are preparing themsevles in the event of war". This is the engaging introduction posted on the official Call To Power II website launched by Activision Inc. today [see story below].
You can read and heed the words of the mighty Ramses at this very moment. From looking at the site itself, it appears as though we will be treated to at least three more such stories as we near the release of CTPII this November. -DanQ
OFFICIAL FAQ ANSWERS
(18 September 2000, 23:01 EST/CtP2) In a follow-up to the story we reported regarding the launch of the official CTPII site [see below], Activision's FAQ on the game answers and confirms some details that had previously surfaced in previews and posts on our forums. Some excerpts:
Q: When will Call to Power II be released?
A: [CTPII] is scheduled for a November 2000 release. As with all software in development, this date could shift.
Q: Are scenarios included in [CTPII]? What about a
World Map?
A: Yes, [CTPII] will have much more robust scenario building capabilities than it's predecessor. We plan to ship with three scenarios with the game- an Alexander The Great scenario, a World War II scenario, and a Nuclear Detente scenario. We will also include a World Map with [CTPII]. -DanQ
OFFICIAL SITE LAUNCHED
(18 September 2000, 22:55 EST/CtP2) Activision Inc. launched the official CTPII website today. The website includes a Flash-intro and the following sections: Features, Screens, Downloads, Links and even an FAQ.
The Downloads page includes three wallpaper images each with three varying sizes, the introductory movie released earlier by IGN and an Asset Pack for those looking to develop a CTPII fansite. There are presently nine screenshots available for viewing, and more are expected as the game nears its release. This can be said for all of the sections which will most certainly expand and evolve over time. -DanQ
INBOX: SEPTEMBER 17, 2000
(17 September 2000, 15:24 EST/About) InBOX has returned for its fall run! InBOX is 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 discussion about difficulties downloading files from our CivII database, and unregistering from and using the private message feature on our forums.
1. Hi, I was wondering if you have an archived ZIP of the Gangwars scenario? I have tried to download it & have had no luck. Please help.
Heya. Please contact our CivII database manager, Sven, at svenm@apolyton.net for inquiries to pertaining to our archive of CivII files.
2. Please un-register me from [ACS]. Or send me instructions about how to do it. I looked and could not see how it could be done.
I take it you are referring to your account on our forums? If so, this is not a problem. If you would like your account disabled for whatever reason, just let us know and we will be happy to oblige (although disappointed that you have chosen to do so).
That said, if at any time in the future you would like us to re-activate your account, just drop us a line!
3. I'm having difficulties in checking my private messages on the forums... can you help me please!?
If you ever experience any problems in logging into your private messages area, sending or receiving messages from it or what have you, contact MarkG and he will tackle your case on a one-on-one basis.
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
PERMANENT ADDRESS
(17 September 2000, 14:30 EST/SMACX) In the 402nd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire continues its unbelievable run in remaining in 7th spot for yet another week.
To vote for SMAC/SMACX this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SLIPPING GROUND TREND CONTINUES
(17 September 2000, 14:30 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 402nd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time -- for a fourth week in a row -- falls a notch on the chart. This week, it's in 14th.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SHAVE SAVE IN TOP TWENTY
(17 September 2000, 14:29 EST/CtP) In the 402nd installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power shaves a save in remaining in the Top 20 at #20. This is a two-point drop ovr its performance last week.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
COLUMN #133; BY CONNORKIMBRO
(16 September 2000, 23:34 EST/Misc) The latest installment of The Column, "Welcome to Apolyton Off Topic" by ConnorKimbro, is now online for public consumption.
Comments/questions welcomed in our forums. If you would like more information on TC, and how to contribute, head on over to the Column Submission page. -DanQ
BHG TEAM GROWS AGAIN
(16 September 2000, 14:32 EST/Misc) 
Big Huge Games' team is one man more again. Yesterday BHG announced the latest addition to their staff, Nathan Wright.
Nathan graduated from the Boston University School of Fine Arts with a degree in painting, and went on to study architecture at Wentworth University in Boston. He later studied computer graphics at the Maryland Institute College of Art where he was introduced to the idea of applying his newfound 3D skills to computer games. His foray into the industry began at Microprose/Hasbro Interactive® as a quality assurance tech where he worked on such titles as Falcon 4.0™, Civilization II Multiplayer Gold™, Worms Armageddon™, Missile Command™, Star Trek Birth of the Federation™, and European Air War™. While in QA, Nathan's creative skills caught the eye of the art department and he was asked to contribute to various projects, with most of his efforts concentrated on X-COM Alliance™. Nathan joins Big Huge where he plans to continue developing his already-impressive 3D skill-set. -DanQ
MEDIEVAL MOD 4.0!!
(16 September 2000, 12:49 EST/CtP) Perhaps the "last big thing" in ctp creation before the release of CTP2 is ready for public release. Here is WesW's description for the Medieval Mod 4.0(10MB)
Major 3.0 & 4.0 Changes- The Medieval Pack combines those mods found in the Apolyton Pack with the Medieval mod 4.0 and customized and/or updated versions of the Awesome Aips, True Terrain 2, Nordicus' New Trade goods, and Martin the Dane's ScreenMod 2, plus Locutus' SLIC triggers and Gedrin's disseminate trigger (optional). Additionally, the modpack includes flat-map support. The Medieval mods 3 & 4 add 19 new units, 41 new Wonders, 53 new advances, 6 new improvements and a new government to the game, as well as numerous smaller changes. I have totally reorganized the readme structure to explain all of the changes in the least amount of space possible. The SLIC triggers are explained in the Med 4 readme, while the new goods and their effects are listed in the Terrain sheet of the new Med Charts spreadsheet.
The file separated in three parts as well as an html version of the readme can be found here. -MarkG
14 NEW FILES IN DATABASE
(16 September 2000, 10:59 EST/Civ2) While the restoration work to our database continues, we are not forgetting the new creations. Here are 14 new files for our CIV II database. Four of them have very exciting new graphics, but I won't say which. Just download them all!
Go here to check the new entries. -Sven
ALIVE AND WELL
(14 September 2000, 9:54 EST/Civ3) According to Firaxis' web guru, Dan Magaha, "CivIII is alive and well". He made the comment Tuesday in our CivIII General/Suggestions forum.
"Everything is going smashingly, and we are preparing to roll out our preview site, which will take the place of the FAQ currently located at www.firaxis.com/civ3.
I'll keep you posted on the site rollout, but I promise it will be real soon now". -DanQ
PCDATA: AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2000
(13 September 2000, 22:51 EST/Misc) For the week August 27 - September 2, 2000, the Top 10 Selling PC Computer Games based on sales data gathered by Reston, Virginia's PCData are listed below.
1) Age Of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
2) The Sims: Livin' Large | Electronic Arts
3) The Sims | Electronic Arts
4) Diablo II | Blizzard Entertainment
5) Madden NFL 2001 | Electronic Arts
6) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
7) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
8) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
9) Deus Ex | Eidos
10) Starcraft | Havas Interactive -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: SEPTEMBER 9, 2000
(13 September 2000, 22:50 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending September 9, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) The Sims: Livin' It Up | Electronic Arts
2) The Sims | Electronic Arts
3) Deus Ex | Eidos
4) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
5) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos -DanQ
FC @ CIVFANATICS.COM
(13 September 2000, 21:38 EST/Misc) As of today, the Civilization Fanatics' Centre can be access from their own domain, civfanatics.com. Owner/webmaster Thunderfall contacted us with the exciting news this evening.
"With this easy to remember URL, I hope you will visit the site more often and recommend it to your friends when you have the chance", he states in an announcement on the site. "I will make sure that I continue to update this site as often as time permits". -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: SEPTEMBER 2, 2000
(11 September 2000, 23:58 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the United Kingdom for the week ending September 2, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Deus Ex | Eidos
3) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
4) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
5) Diablo II | Havas Interactive -DanQ
NOT BUDGING AN INCH
(11 September 2000, 10:20 EST/SMACX) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire finds itself in 7th again in the voting (three weeks running).
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
LOSING MORE GROUND
(11 September 2000, 10:19 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time falls again to #13. Last week it was in 12th.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
FROM 19TH TO 18TH
(11 September 2000, 10:16 EST/CtP) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power moves up from 19th to 18th position.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SERVER OUTAGE NOTICE
(11 September 2000, 10:02 EST/About) At around 5:20AM EST yesterday, the server that hosts Apolyton CS and numerous other sites on GameStats lost HTTP (World Wide Web) functionality to the "outside world". It was restored earlier this morning and should be operating as normal once again.
We have been informed that it was indeed a server problem and that GS is working on procedures to help eliviate the likelihood of this problem from recurring.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during our recent downtime. -DanQ
CHART-TRAK: AUGUST 26, 2000
(9 September 2000, 23:02 EST/Misc) Below are the Top Selling PC Games in the U.K. for the week ending August 26, 2000, according to Chart-Trak.
1) The Sims | Electronic Arts
2) Deus Ex | Eidos
3) Formula 1 Grand Prix 3 | Hasbro Interactive
4) Championship Manager: Season 99/00 | Eidos
5) Shogun: Total War | Electronic Arts -DanQ
BHG HIRES NEW ARTIST
(9 September 2000, 22:53 EST/Misc) 
Big Huge Games has hired again. The following was posted yesterday on the company's website:
Bill joins the Big Huge team with over 6 years experience in computer game graphics. His 3D Studio expertise dates all the way back to the golden days of release one. With a background spanning simulations, first-person shooters, and arcade games, he brings a wealth of knowledge and skill onboard. Bill's induction into the game industry began as an accidental meeting in a bar with another artist. It was this chance meeting that caused Bill to question the excitement of his current job... freelance architectural rendering.
He began work at Microprose Software® in the Fall of 1994. Though his primary responsibilities were 3d modeling and texture mapping for European Air War™, Klingons: Honor Guard™, Virtual Karts™, Deion Sander's Prime Time Football™ and M1 Tank Platoon2™, he quickly proved his versatility, editing cut scenes and creating interface art. After finishing M1 Tank Platoon2 with Microprose he joined Meyer/Glass Interactive® where he had a hand in the creation of Axis and Allies™, Missile Command™, and Battleship 2™.
After the proposal for his dream game, Ape Rider™, did not come to fruition he decided to climb aboard and make his mark at Big Huge Games®. -DanQ
C#132: APOLYTON: CIV SITE SUPERPOWER
(9 September 2000, 17:50 EST/Misc) Somgu is writing a bit on the same subject as ast week's column. Is Apolyton the Soviet Union of civ sites?? Read on... -MarkG
MORE DIARY Q&A
(6 September 2000, 23:05 EST/CtP2) Questions continue to surface about the screenshots featured in IGN's recent Developer Diary [see story below] in our forums, and John "Lt. John" Heinecke has the answers.
On the stealth fighter shot: "... the crossed swords are an attack icon. The screenshot shows a stack of 9 blue units including a stealth bomber attacking a stack of 5 orange units northeast of the bombers position. The red line is the movement line to the defender's tile; looks like the defender art is covered up by the attack icon".
And on repercussions of a retreat: "First off, only attackers are permitted to retreat. Once the retreat button is pushed the defenders will get one additional round of combat. If the attackers are too close to death they may die before being able to retreat". -DanQ
PC DATA: AUGUST 20-26, 2000
(6 September 2000, 18:29 EST/Misc) For the week August 20-26, 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) Age of Empires II: The Conquerors | Microsoft
4) Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2nd Edition | Disney
5) RollerCoaster Tycoon | Hasbro Interactive
6) Madden NFL 2000 | Electronic Arts
7) Starcraft | Blizzard Entertainment
8) Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings | Microsoft
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
WORLDMASTER FINALS
(6 September 2000, 0:13 EST/About) As posted today in our Apolyton forum today by Berzerker:
Yes, Apolyton is being represented by Charles Steinhardt in the Worldmasters Diplomacy Tournament! While Charles is a ringer we recruited last year to play for us, he has fought his way through 2 rounds to reach the final game of the 7 best players. The Tourney began with 553 players and 77 teams of 7 each! A player representing Apolyton could win the biggest annual Diplomacy tournament. Are you interested in learning and playing the best strategy game ever invented for free? Check out the Stories and Diplomacy section here at Apolyton and you will find links to the rules...
Good luck, Charles! You can logon to our forums by clicking here. -DanQ
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER POSITION
(4 September 2000, 20:10 EST/CtP) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization: Call To Power moves up from 19th to 18th position.
To vote for CTP this and every week, click here! -DanQ
NOW IN THIRTEENTH
(4 September 2000, 20:08 EST/Civ2ToT) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Civilization II: Test Of Time falls again to #13. Last week it was in 12th.
To vote for ToT this and every week, click here! -DanQ
SEVENTH AGAIN
(4 September 2000, 20:06 EST/SMACX) In the 401st installment of the Top 100 PC Games, published every week by Global 100, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri/Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire finds itself in 7th again in the voting (three weeks running).
To vote for SMAC this and every week, click here! -DanQ
INTRO MOVIE SCREENS
(4 September 2000, 17:49 EST/CtP2) For those who didnt download the intro movie yet, here are some screens. We've got 15 screens on the new art pages 3 and 4 . Bigger versions of the intro movie will be posted on the official site when it comes out. -MarkG
INFO FROM LT JOHN
(4 September 2000, 15:51 EST/CtP2) Just like those back in 1999(yeah, back then! :)) Lt John solved some "mysteries" from recent screenshots on SGO
The V next to a unit stands for Veteran.
The A next to a unit indicates that it is an army.
There are a lot of new trade goods- you guys have figured out many of them: cotton, tea, lumber, glass, (medicinal) herbs.
Stacks can have up to 12 units now.
Little buildings outside of a city are tile improvements- trading posts- that increase the city's trade income.
Remember that these screens come from the alpha build, so you are seeing some placeholder stuff.
Lt John also informs us that the official CTP2 site should go public in the next couple weeks
Related forum thread -MarkG
C#131: IS APOLYTON CRUMBLING?
(2 September 2000, 17:34 EST/Misc) Carolus Rex is writing for the 131st issue of The Column. Titled BACK TO THE FUTURE: IS APOLYTON CRUMBLING?, Carolus asks the eternal question: "Is Apolyton dying?" ;)
I personally think that the lack of fresh info on Civ3 is geting to our nerve system.... :) -MarkG
AGL: LIST OF AI CHEATS
(2 September 2000, 16:41 EST/Civ2) A... movement has begun in our Civ2-Strategy forum to create an Apolyton "Great Library" of civ2 knowledge. The first thread to actually begin work for AGL, is List of AI cheats. Check out both threads and please contribute! -MarkG
MORE HARD-COPY PRESS
(1 September 2000, 13:13 EST/About) Apolyton has, once again, received some hard-copy press. On July 30 the Brockville Recorder & Times, a newspaper published daily covering Southeastern Ontario, ran a page 3 story entitled "Dan Quick's Global Reach" profiling Quick, Apolyton and GameStats. Written by R&T staff writer Nick Gardiner, you can read the entire content of the article by clicking here.
We would like to thank both Nick and the BR&T for their time and the write-up. -DanQ
INTRO MOVIE ON IGN
(1 September 2000, 4:42 EST/CtP2) IGNPC is quickly becoming our favorite news site :) Today they have the intro movie(or a part of it?)! Length: 1 min 45 seconds. Size: 11 MB. Format: QuickTime
If you download it, post your comments on the related forum thread -MarkG
BHG AND MS TALK TO IGN
(1 September 2000, 4:36 EST/Misc) After GameSpot, Brian Reynolds of BHG and Ed Fries of Microsoft also talked to IGNPC.
A quote form the article
According to Brian, "Microsoft is the ideal publishing partner for small companies" and is "the world-class software company." Big Huge Games has "a dream of competing at the top of the market" and Microsoft has the infrastructure and confidence in the company to back them up. Big Huge will remain a distinct and separate company however and maintain control over their growth and expansion.
Ed sees this as a logical progression in the overall Microsoft gaming strategy. According to him, "building a gaming business is about finding the best developers." In the past Microsoft has brought Chris Roberts, Chris Taylor, Bruce Shelley and Alex Garden into the "family." Brian is only the most recent in the list of distinguished developers working for Microsoft
Read the full article at IGNPC
Related forum thread -MarkG
CGO PREVIEW
(1 September 2000, 1:46 EST/CtP2) Another recent preview for CTPII: this time, it's Computer Games Online's turn. Below are some notable excerpts, starting off with a quote from a member of Activision's CTPII team:
"Alpha Centauri brought diplomacy to a new level," admits [Senior Producer Parker] Davis, "and we want to take that even further... I don't think that's ever been done, where you have these back and forth negotiations or the breadth of options that we have".
On the game's interface:
"Although [CTPII] includes a wide range of elements and factors to control on any given turn, the detail seems easier to manage this time around. Screens are cross-linked nine ways to Sunday, with multiple ways to reach any given piece of information quickly. Advisor screens show all the stats you need to act on their advice, as well as connections to related screens".
On battles:
"Up to twelve units can be organized into an army, which you then control as a single unit. These armies can even be named to make them easier to keep track of. When a unit is given a destination that takes more than one turn to reach, it will, of course, automatically follow its route from turn to turn; but the twist in [CTPII] is that units with stored movement orders won't move until the end of your turn".
On its developemt team:
"Many members of the first game's development team are working on [CTPII], including most of the original artists, the lead programmer, the lead AI programmer, and one of the original designers. A lot of the code is carrying over as well. "Our goal was not to totally rewrite the Call to Power engine," says Davis, "so the game is based on the same engine, if you will"".
And finally, on the legal battle for the use of the Civilization trademark:
"When asked what happened to the original name, Davis thinks for a moment, almost as if he was wondering where he left it. "Uhh, the Civilization license was not available to us. That's probably as much as I can say about that," he replies.
Davis is too tactful to explain that they gave up the license in a legal settlement with MicroProse before the first game was even released. Activision was allowed to use the magic word in their first [CTP] title, but after that, exclusive rights to "Civilization" reverted to MicroPROSE".
CGO's preview, written by staffer Tom Chick, also includes more than a dozen screenshots. -DanQ
