Is this what a dying forum looks like?

[Ming]

Oh please, the number of threads at Poly re WPC has been obsessive. Spurned lover reaction.

Not spurned lover reaction... just laughing at fools. I don't think anybody considers them a rival... just a joke worth making fun of. You have to admit, the story of the split is pretty funny.

[Solver]

Happy New Year, Ming

[Ming]

Happy New Year Solver

[Wezil]

Was there a significant influx of posters with the Civ3 and 4 releases?

What happens if the next release is a dud? Do we hang around and call each other names for a few more years and wait for the following release?

[Solver]

Was there a significant influx of posters with the Civ3 and 4 releases?

The month when Civ4 was released saw the biggest traffic spike in the site's history. Quite consistently, every release has resulted in a spike, with major releases of course causing bigger spikes than minor expansions.

[Wezil]

When is the next one due? I'm retired from Civ so I don't follow it anymore...

[Ming]

Was there a significant influx of posters with the Civ3 and 4 releases?

Solver already answered that one... but I will admit that everybody would have like to seen even larger traffic than we got. CFC is the lead site... we used to be better than them, but for MANY reasons we didn't maintain that lead.

What happens if the next release is a dud? Do we hang around and call each other names for a few more years and wait for the following release?

That's up to the posters. Some of us still hang around here to talk civ between releases... as to those that want to turn the OT into a version of CG lite... whatever.

If you don't like the threads being started, start your own

[Wezil]

I'm a thread starter. I participate.

[Solver]

You know, "dud" releases are relative. Civ3 is a dud, to many old-timers who didn't like the game much. Played it for a while and went back to Civ2/SMAC/CtP. Apolyton's reaction to Civ3 was, on the whole, more negative than positive. Despite that, it created some brilliant forum activity, there were top-notch strategy threads and some excellent modding efforts. Plus Apolyton University. The site wasn't able to match that level of quality for Civ4, despite the fact that Civ4 was far, far better received.

It's no coincidence that two of the most prolific posters in the Civ3 section got hired by Firaxis in the coming few years. The level of content here, and the contributions of these posters, were indeed very high quality.

[Wezil]

But do they still post in the OT?

[Solver]

No comment

[Krill]

You know, "dud" releases are relative. Civ3 is a dud, to many old-timers who didn't like the game much. Played it for a while and went back to Civ2/SMAC/CtP. Apolyton's reaction to Civ3 was, on the whole, more negative than positive. Despite that, it created some brilliant forum activity, there were top-notch strategy threads and some excellent modding efforts. Plus Apolyton University. The site wasn't able to match that level of quality for Civ4, despite the fact that Civ4 was far, far better received.

It's no coincidence that two of the most prolific posters in the Civ3 section got hired by Firaxis in the coming few years. The level of content here, and the contributions of these posters, were indeed very high quality.

Alex had some very weird ideas about game balance though...

[Solver]

Alex's main contributions were in deciphering how the game works. He came up with several accurate descriptions of in-game models, corruption in particular, IIRC.

[Krill]

For Civ 3 I can't praise his contributions enough. He introduced me to PBEMs though, so unleashing that catastrophe has to count against him somewhere. I'd criticise his influence as a developer though. I just look at BtS 3.00 and wince...

[Dale]

Alex had some very weird ideas about game balance though...

Which of course flowed into the Civ4 expansions sadly.