Announcement

**Locutus** · October 29, 2006, 06:00

I guess I'll kick this off myself:

The Games

1) No, I can't honestly say I still play or mod any of the CtP games. I still have both CtP1 and CtP2 installed and occassionally boot them up to check something, but the last time I played a proper game was before I was invited to join the Civ4 testing group in early 20004.

I'm afraid the only thing that would get me to pick up this game again is if I was kicked from Firaxis and/or Apolyton, because between those two things I have almost zero free time these days...

2&3) I've always played with mods and SP-only, and still have a preference for MedMod (for both CtP1 and CtP2) over say Cradle and even AoM (although I've not played that very much since it wasn't out yet before I joined Firaxis's testing group), which are too war-like for my taste. I'm a builder and like building an 'Grand Empire' of maybe 20ish well developed cities, focusing on science, trade and diplomacy. The occasional game for world conquest is fun but not something I enjoy doing every game. I play to have fun and I guess a little bit to role play. Winning is not important at all, in fact I rarely actually play games to a finish. I strongly prefer pre-modern history so I'll typically quit by the time I get near the modern age, at which point I'm usually way ahead of the competition anyway.

As said, currently the MedMod is the only mod that really caters to my playing style, the other mods include frenzy and aggressive AIs which means big wars are pretty much unavoidable for the most part (in my experience/memory anyway). If I were to return to the franchise I'd like to see mods that focus more on the AI competing economically, as in MedMod, even if that makes it easier to beat for warmongers. Also, in terms of gameplay CtP2 could take a leave from Civ4's book and add more gameplay features like Great People, reduced wonder effects, gold/science balance, etc that for a large part fix the whole 'bigger is better' issue that CtP1&2 still suffer from.

4) See #1: not unless I get kicked from Apolyton or Firaxis

5) I tried AoM but not very extensively. It has a lot of very cool features and great gameplay, but as said I prefer peaceful games for the most part and games that don't force you to conquer huge empires and that seems very hard if not impossible in AoM. Also, while I'm a big history buff, I think in games gameplay trumps history every time and IMO AoM forces just a little bit too much history onto you. Both in terms of how much schtuff is in the game (there's such a thing as too much of a good thing and MedMod already gets close to that point, AoM definitely goes a little overboard with it -- I like almost every feature, unit, building, etc in AoM individually but all of them combined is just too much for me) and in terms of how it forces you to re-enact (Western) history rather than replay it. While a Christianity vs Islam clash is accurate, I like see seeing Islam clash with Buddhism or Taoism just as much. And IMO while a dark age is accurate, it only removes a lot of the fun from the gameplay. Challenging, sure, but I play to have fun, not be challenged. I have an humongous amount of respect for Stan for making AoM, it was a super-human effort and he obviously has a lot of talent for game design, but the mod caters to a certain type of player and I'm just not it. I'd definitely like to see some of AoM's concepts such as techs from resources, succession and cartels make it into other games/mods though, as far as they haven't already one way or another

6) I played Apolyton Edition a lot early on and it makes a lot of good changes to the game, but it's more of a framework for mods than a playable game in itself, since the original game just isn't very good and the AE makes very few changes to that (or at least it didn't the last time I played it). What I'd like to see is a new mod designed specifically to take advantage of AE's new features, although I suspect that's exactly what E's Civ3 mod is.

7) No, I haven't played E's mod yet. Partially because I don't like the title (Civ3 sucked bad, really, really bad -- and yes, I know E's mod is not a direct copy of it) but mostly because I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I intend to try it at some point, but someone's gonna have to write a petition for Firaxis to take a break from Civ for a while after the next expansion is done

8) I'm definitely following Maq's mod! I love scenarios and the CtP games have always had preciously few of them, and many of the ones that it does have frankly aren't all that good, but Red Front is a great scenario and I'd love to see what could be done with it on an engine that has so much more modding power... I will probably find the time to play it once it's done (and I mean really done, if it's released as a beta or whatnot I'll probably have a look at it but not have the time to properly test it, but a final version I'm sure I'll be able to find the time for -- if you want something bad enough...

)

9&10) I just don't do MP, so MP tournaments don't do anything for me. I don't think anything in the world could change that.

11) There's nothing specific I'd like to see, though anything that keeps the current community together or even revives it sounds like a good idea to me -- although I don't see the latter happening unless a real gaming company with a real budget designs a proper CtP3 from the ground up that's competitive with Civ4 in every way, but that's not realistically ever gonna happen...

Apolyton
A little conflict of interest here so I won't answer most of these, but FWIW:

12) Yes, I still follow all forums. Not very intensively, it depends a lot on how much time other projects are taking but I check the CtP2 forums at least once a week, the CtP1 and AoM forums maybe once a month or so (but I don't read every post anymore like I used to -- just skim over a lot of stuff). I'd probably check the AoM forums more often if I wouldn't have to go out of my way to access them... But for all forums goes I only lurk these days, I basically only post if I have something really important to contribute that noone else can...

13) I'll probably still follow the forums 3 years from now, it depends mostly on how active they will be (I check the CtP1 forums only once a month because there's nothing going on anyway), but I'll never forget my roots and can't imagine ever abandoning the CtP2 community completely... As far as Apolyton in general goes, it's my home away from home, I will probably keep coming back here for the rest of my life, or at least as long as the site continues to exist

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition

22) I'm not actively involved at present. I can think of a lot of things I'd like to do with it but as noted before, I'll need a lot more free time than I have now if I am ever gonna actively contribute again (beyond maybe helping with some of the support stuff, like news and features and things like that -- basically what I'm doing this week

)

23&25) For a volunteer project it's probably been run alright. It would've been nice for it to have had a little bit more of a sense of purpose and direction, and for it to have moved more actively towards creating a releasable and marketable product, but that would make it a lot like work and that's not gonna give people an incentive to contribute...

IIUC the MP support issue is still really the only fundamental thing that keeps you from making a proper release (even if only a 'v1.3 patch' or something along those lines rather than a full-fledged product with new features, AI, etc), it'd be nice to still try to fix that. Although I'm under the impression that there's nothing remotely resembling an MP community for this game anymore so at this point you could probably just decide to cut your losses and forget about MP altogether, make sure everything else is what you want it to be and make an official release (and carefully think about a PR strategy to get maximum exposure, even though at this point I doubt you'll get any significant number of people who've given up on the game to give it another try again), something I for one would still love to see, if only to give this project some closure and a sense of accomplishment.

After that you could still continue to work on it, but you'll have a chance to consider if you want to continue doing what you've been doing for the past 3 years or if maybe you want to change directions. You could see the official release as a framework from which you and others could build on: whether to continue to improve that framework, or to work more actively towards creating new content, new mods, or to really focus on creating a kick-ass AI, or maybe even to leave the CtP2 engine for what it is and design a spiritual sequel with the Civ4 engine as basis, which would probably give you guys a much bigger target audience, much more acclaim, and probably more people willing to contribute, all things that this project and you guys richly deserve and have long overdue...

In the end it's up to you guys to decide what you want to do and where you want to take this project, but some kind of official release will give you something to work towards and a chance to reconsider your options and choose a new focus (or not), which is something everyone should do every now and then, it's better than to continue on forever without any real sense of direction or purpose (or that's how the current state of affairs appears to me as a relative outsider, I could be grossly wrong about that).

26) As said, I will support this project any way that I can in my capacity as Apolyton staff (which is probably a bit more than I've been doing until now as my schedule is slightly less brutal, but nothing spectacularly different). I don't think I can really do much more in the foreseeable future, I just don't have the time.

The Future

27) In the foreseeable future, my involvement in any CtP mod for Civ4 wouldn't be a whole lot different from what it is for the Source Code Project for CtP2, although it'd probably be easier for me to make (minor) active contributions since I work with Civ4 on a daily basis anyway. I would certainly do everything in my power to support such a mod and make it a success, as I would love to see and play it and it would show the Civ4 community what that game is really capable of, as so far people haven't remotely gotten the most out of it's modding powers yet.

28) I would see it such a mod an opportunity to make CtP3, not a CtP2-clone (although IMO if you add things like PW and stacked combat to Civ4 the result is already pretty close to CtP3 as the default game takes a lot of elements from CtP2 already...) We have CtP2, what's the point in making a copy? Noone is here because they care so much about pretty graphics... Plus, we'd never be able to decide on which version of the game to take as basis anyway, thanks to all the great mods there are too many versions

29) Does the CtP franchise have a real future in the long run? Sadly, no, probably not IMO. The forums are very gradually getting quieter and quieter... people are leaving but virtually no new people are coming in to replace them as was always the case until even a year ago. I expect the CtP2 forums will gradually become much like the non-MP CtP1 forums: still some old timers hanging around, but noone's really working on anything anymore so there's little to discuss, except for the occasional newbie posting a newbie question (usually, 'help! the game crashes, how do I fix this?') -- in CtP2-General and CtP2-Creation we're already seeing this and it will only get worse over time.

The Source Code Project is the one thing that's keeping our CtP2 community together, as the PBEM games are doing for the CtP1 community. PBEMs take forever so that's sort of a built-in safety measure to keep people involved and friendships created in MP die hard (as the Civ2 community shows), but eventually I expect most people will stop signing up for new games, finish their old ones and move on to other games (a process that's been going on for a while) and eventually there won't be enough people remaining to really call it a proper community anymore (although I do think there will always be a *few* people around).

For CtP2, you need a certain critical mass the keep something like the Source Code Project going, as long as the current people stick around everything will be fine, but can you imagine what would happen if say Martin and E would leave for whatever reason? I think even one of them leaving would be pretty catastrophic. So the only way this community can have a real chance of survival in the long run is to find new blood somehow and I don't see where that should be coming from...

That sounds awfully depressing... I do think we'll be alright in the medium run and I for one will do what I can to keep pointing people's attention to the fact that there's still a strong CtP2 community and encourage them to join in to keep this thing going as long as possible. And if it wasn't for the source code being released this community would probably have died a while ago so you never know what the future will bring...

30) I think most people on Apolyton are at least on some level aware of the projects going on here but for some reason they're very reluctant to play the game or get involved in the community. I have no idea how to fix that...

31) I'd love to see a CtP event like that and I'd gladly volunteer to help make it happen. However, I don't have much of a budget so it would have to be in Europe and ideally roughly north and west of the Alps. However, if I'm going to spend any real money on it I would like to be able to meet more than just 1 or 2 people, so there would have to be a healthy interest from the rest of this community, or more likely it would have to be made an Apolyton-wide or even Civilization-wide thing. I think presentations and the like could be interesting, but they'd have to be interesting enough to make up for the fact that there likely wouldn't be any celebrities a la ApolyCon, a pub meet would be a fine alternative for me as well (or maybe an activity or something -- I really enjoyed going to the British Museum with Ben and Peter a few years ago and showing Markos around in Amsterdam more recently

)

**Solver** · October 29, 2006, 10:51

Let's see...

1) I don't actively play or mod now. I pretty much stopped playing CtP when I got invited to the Civ4 test group, and since then, I believe I haven't actually played any civ-game except Civ4. Maybe a little bit, but not really actively.

It's certainly possible I'll play an odd game of CtP2 in some point in the future, but I can't see myself returning to it fully unless my involvement with Firaxis stops, and I would hope it doesn't.

2) I play single-player, and strongly prefer it - have done little MP. With CtP2, I've played a variety of mods, but my favorite combinations have to be the Super Apolyton Pack + GoodMod and MedMod. The former is like the original game, only much better, and the latter I've liked since CtP1.

Most of the time, I play until I win, although winning has never been the goal for me, fun is - and I like a healthy level of challenge. Still, I like to play games until the end, although I may occasionally abandon a game when I'm far ahead of everyone and it doesn't seem like anything interesting would happen anyway anymore.

3) I think of myself as an opportunistic builder. I'm a builder for the most part, but do invade tempting targets if a good opportunity presents itself. That said, I've certainly played in different styles because of the various mods. For example, in Cradle, I've always been aggressive, and I don't think there's any other feasible approach. Another reason why I like MedMod is an AI that's pretty competent at building.

4) Three years from now I'll certainly have fond memories of CtP2, but indeed see #1.

5) I've tried AoM, though not AoM3. I liked many of the new concepts and I admire the sheer scope of the mod, it being in fact more like a sequel. However, just like Locutus, I don't exactly fit with the style of AoM. It's a very warmongerish mod, and in several cases, it deviates too far from the "gameplay trumps history" principle in which I firmly believe. For example, the Dark Ages are possibly the most striking example of this, a little too much attention on history.

The challenge level of AoM is a separate deal altogether. It's great when in the mood for a more challenging game, as it really is a serious challenge, but it can be too much sometimes, particularly because of how hard (impossible?) AoM is to play without waging war continously.

6) I've played Apolyton Edition since the first build until my invitation to that infamous Civ4 group. However, I still ran, as much as possible, AE with some mod on top of it. This is because AE changes the gameplay relatively little (or did so back then), but it's an excellent framework for mods. AE fixed many bugs that the mods could never get around, and AE also brought a number of overall AI improvements that helped the AI in every game, including helping AIs already modified by the mods.

From what I understand, right now AE also incorporates modded text files and game rules, which is what I was looking forward to very much.

7) I haven't tried that mod, and have only read its thread - so I can't provide any insightful comments.

8) I follow this scenario, yes. Good scenarios for CtP aren't exactly in abundance, and I certainly intend to play this remastered Red Front once it's out.

9) No MP from me actively now. However, I'm very glad that the SuperLeague is going actively, I like how it shows that the community is still alive.

10) My participation in the PBEM ladder is limited to me coming up with the first CtP ladder years ago. The current ladder, though, is hardly related to me, and I don't actively do MP.

11) Nothing specifically, but I would be interested to read about whatever new things come up. That said, I think that most new things will probably rest with the Source Code project anyway.

---------

12) I follow the CtP1 and CtP2 forums, though certainly less than I used to, and I hardly post now. I check the forums about once a week maybe, unless something interesting is going on, when I would check in more often. A good thing about the current CtP forums is that they're organised and easy to follow, largely due to the overall low volume of posting.

13) In all likelyhood, I'll keep following Apolyton for as long as it exists. Therefore, the same goes for the CtP/CtP2 sections, I'll be following them to some degree for as long as they exist. I expect that there'll still be a handful of active people, so why not?

14) Well, the sections really need an update, as I've said elsewhere

. The CtP section not only hasn't had any news for 3 years, all the information in it is pre-release. In fact, the pages explicitly refer to the game as not being released yet, which is, oh, 7 years behind the times. So for obvious reasons, I haven't made much use of that section.

In the CtP2 section, I check the news now - at least when something gets posted, which happens time from time. When I was more actively playing, I also used the modification information and such. The CtP2 source Civgroup could use more frequent news postings.

15) For reasons known to some people

, I'll pass on this question.

16) I'm not very competitive in games, I like playing for fun, so the tournament games aren't my style exactly.

17) See #14. Additionally, I can say I've certainly read all the Columns and Interviews Apolyton has had, CtP-related and otherwise. I would be interested in reading new columns and interviews, but frankly, I'm not sure if there's really much basis for possible new items.

18) As it's well known, Apolyton's chatroom is only ever active for scheduled events. I was there for yesterday's chat, and I believe I was there for most scheduled event chats in the recent years.

19) I've visited the AoM site several times in the last year, checking the forums and game info. The other sites I haven't visited regularly in quite a while. Still, I think they should remain as hosted sites, WesW's site for example is a very convenient one-stop place for all related things.

20) Pass

21) Pass

22) I'm not actively involved right now, I've only don a bit of advertising in the last year and a half. Given the Civ4 situation, I probably won't be an active contributor in the future.

23) It's a volunteer project. There can be no change of direction, people run it the way they want to. This is even more true now than before, as there are only several people actively contributing, and they should rightly do whatever they feel they should do. I believe self-governing by the active contributors is the way to go, and it should continue this way.

24) As far as I know, Apolyton Edition has good compatibility with CtP2 mods, including AoM. Ideally, the project should be adding extra modding features if/as they get requested by modders, though it's not entirely certain how many modders there are anyway. The second goal should be overall AI logic improvements. I've been saying, since early in the project, the AE itself shouldn't be focusing too much on new features or such, I've always seen it as more of a modding framework, just giving modders a game with better modding abilities, better AI and less bugs to work with.

I think MP support could be axed with relatively few, if any, losses. There's not really an active CtP2 MP community, and in early 2006, I can remember people saying that MP was the only thing AE lacks for an official release. Netcode is tricky, full MP support would take more effort and time, while probably not being much needed.

25) I've always wanted an official release, at some point. Ideally, I had wanted to see it before the release of Civ4, but even now, I think it would be useful. I also think that such a release could be made very soon, if the decision to leave MP out of it is made. It doesn't have to be the end of it all, but it would be a nice official wrap-up. Admittedly, the chances of that getting many new players are very slim - although a few Apolytoners might give it a try.

The official release should include the main bugfixes and AI fixes, which AE has now anyway, plus modded game files for better balance/AI and general stuff, which, if I understand correctly, is also now included. I haven't played any recent playtest builds, but from what I know, I think they're very close to what the official AE release should be.

Still, I think that maybe it would be wise to make an official AE release and actually end the source code work then. And move to Civ4. I think that more can be accomplished with Civ4, even in the CtP spirit. To be fully honest, any new mods or projects for CtP2 would have a small amount of players, even counting the no-longer-active community members such as Locutus or myself. For Civ4, a big mod could be worked on, amounting, essentially, to CtP3. Civ4 already has stacked combat implemented through a mod by Dale, and it has many general improvements compared to CtP2. Implementing several major things, like PW, and you'd have something pretty close to a CtP3 already. Best thing is, a mod for Civ4 would possibly attract other modders (there's a lot for Civ4), and the potential player base would certainly be larger than for anything under CtP2.

It's all up to you, but I believe the best course of action is indeed that, making an official release very soon (I'll be only glad to advertise it), and move on to Civ4.

26) I think I'd play at least one game with an official release of AE, just for the sake of it. As said, I'll also be glad to advertise it here - guys working on the source project aren't getting anywhere near as much recognition here on Apolyton as they deserve.

27) First, I think there should rather be a CtP3 mod, not a CtP2 mod. I mean, it's probably not worth the effort merely recreating CtP2 under the Civ4 engine, even though it's doable. I would certainly be very interested in this mod, and I would probably be able to also make some minor contributions, given how I also work with Civ4 almost daily.

28) See above. Hardly any point in recreating CtP2 when you could have an even better game, combining the best of CtP2 and Civ4.

29) Unfortunately, I don't think the CtP series has any future. Currently, in CtP2, there's a minimal community of players. It's not like there are a few modders who are doing stuff for hundreds of players. It's all the same in CtP2 world now. Also, from what I see of the CtP2 forums, there are practically no new people coming in anymore. There used to be even in 2005, but not now.

The only thing keeping CtP2 alive is the source code project, which largely depends on very few people. And again, there's no reason whatsoever to think that new people would be joining either the project or the community.

CtP1 is only alive thanks to MP games, but those are also without new people, and kept alive by a small dedicated crowd. That's great. But these crowds will probably slowly wear thinner, until there are very few people left, fewer then now.

But I also believe that, with an official release of AE, there might be a short-lived relapse in the community, as more people would join to at least briefly play it. Most people on the site are now playing Civ4, but I think there would be enough of those willing to give CtP2:AE a try, if only for a little while.

30) I think the awareness if fine. However, among most members, the CtP series has a pretty horrible reputation, so many people are reluctant to even try it. I hope a number of folks will overcome this if an official AE release is made. Given that several active members of the Civ4 community (Locutus, Dale and yours truly, among others) are well-known to long-timers as formerly being of the CtP community, I don't think the site would forget that there is a CtP community anytime soon.

Also, interestingly enough, the release of CtP2 source was probably the most well-covered event in Apolyton's history, moreso than ApolyCon. It was mentioned on Slashdot and BBC News, so it's certainly well-known here.

31) Admittedly, I don't think a CtP event is very feasible. It would have to bade into something bigger, like ApolyCon. Given the relatively low attendance of the site-wide ApolyCon, a real CtP event probably wouldn't work, not with 3 or 5 people in it.

**Maquiladora** · October 29, 2006, 16:25

The Games

1) I still mod CtP2, i dont play much now, maybe i play one game every couple of months. The only thing that would get me into playing heavily again, would be either a release of some scenarios (which id play) or an active MP community. Neither is gonna happen again unfortunately.

2) I prefer to play original whenever possible, but i like to play all mods to get a feel for what theyre "about".
Play to have fun, but the most fun is winning for me. Also play to test a scenario.
Typically ill play until the outcome is clear.

3) I use a different strategy every game, but my favourite is warmonger, mostly because it presents more of a challenge. The mods cater to my style.

4) I dont think ill be modding CtP2 3 years from now. I expect ill stop playing altogether too.

5) Ive played AoM1-3, i like it a lot. Good points: its always a challenge, lots to think

about, lots of difficult military choices. Bad points: its always better to go to war. If it were easier to defend an empire than to attack one, i think a peaceful-builder strategy would naturally develop. Attacking has always been better than defending in CtP2 though.

For me to spend more time of AoM i think it would have to be a lot quicker to finish a game.

I love playing AoM and getting into it, but i dont often finish a game, that puts me off starting a new one.

6) Ive played the AE, its coming along nicely, but some bugs and personal gameplay niggles remain. The biggest improvement to the AE for me would be an overhaul of the combat system.

As above, it should be much easier to defend, i think it would naturally help the AI too.

7) I havent tried the full mod itself, but ive looked at all the work E has done on it, and im very impressed. Not being a huge fan of civ3 its probably not my bag from the start, but when E feels its complete im certain ill check it out properly.

8) I guess ill answer this slightly differently for obvious reasons. (see 11)

9) I dont play in the CtP1 SL. I thought about it a few years ago, but like civ2, ive left CtP1 behind now.

10) See above.

11) Theres nothing id particular like to see at the moment, but id certainly trying anything thats produced.

I intended to finish the Red Front conversion before AE final is released, i dont think this is gonna happen unless i get someone to do the SLIC. The improvements to the AI in the AE alone wont do everything i want the AI to do, unfortunately.

At this point i dont mind if it never gets finished. Ive enjoyed making it and at least some good came from it with the completed sprites.

If it happens i cant finish it for whatever reason, ill post it up and perhaps someone will come along and decide to fix the AI.

Apolyton (& Friends)

12) Still read/post in the CtP2 forums only. At this point anything thats done to the forums wont have a great impact (good or bad) on the small community, so i dont think it really matters. Unless the CtP forums are deleted altogether

13) Im sure as long as im on the internet ill still follow the CtP forums. To scare me away?

Probably deleting the CtP forums and all CtP1/2 downloadable content altogether, it would probably send me to civfanatics.

14) I read them when theres something new. The only thing that would encourage me to contribute more to the civgroups would be a more active community (which isnt gonna happen).

Perhaps we need a couple more news items now and then, following progress of the AE.

15) I download and upload. All i can say is, look at civfanatics layout. If i go to the 'Poly directory now, it doesnt even say where the civ4 downloads are. I look at files and it just shows "...", cant you make all games visible? If youre new then you might miss it, then youre gonna be pretty unimpressed with 'Poly.

16) Ive played the SP and MP CtP2 tourneys. If it were reintroduced id probably play, but as with these things its always better when youve got more people to share your experiences with.

17) I used the CtP2/mod section. Only thing i can think of, perhaps it could link from there to more elborate articles on learning SLIC.

18) I join any chats that concern CtP. Sometimes i wander in there drunk but the idlers there never speak. Perhaps that could be improved somehow. Maybe a permanent member of staff could be placed in the chatroom to keep people in there.

19) I visit all these sites at least once a week (well except Wes' site which hasnt changed for years). I dont think its necessary to merge all of them, more advertising of them on CtP2 'Poly section couldnt hurt.

20) For 6 months i think. None of the features tempt me to buy it again, when i have enough spare money to become a lifer, itll be because i want to support 'Poly, not because im getting something extra.

21) I dont have any ideas that would radically help the CtP1/2 communities.

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition

22) Occaisional playtester, also playtest a lot making a scenario using the AE.

23) Id like to see a final plan for the project. Of course its not for me to decide this plan.

24) It should focus on any obvious bugs then only the AI. MP is dead, any that remain can easily play using the original.

Of course id like to see many things changed like i said above, combat in particular, but at the same time the AI is far more important.

25) A release sometime in the next year would be a good idea IMO. Maybe it wouldnt mean the end of the sourcecode project for some people, but it would at least wraps things up and have produced something.

26) Playtester most likely.

The Future

27) Id help out in any way i could. Most likely XML editing or graphics at some point.

28) If you crossed CtP1 and 2 (incl space layer), it should look like that. I prefer the resource collection of CtP1 too.

29) Its not for me to say. I probably couldnt guess anyway. If theres someone there then theyll always have some kind of future.

30) Seems rather pointless now IMO.

31) Its a good idea, but itd have to be merged with another community meet. The more the merrier and all that.

**HuangShang** · October 29, 2006, 21:50

Re: Call to Power: Community Survey

Call to Power: Community Survey

The Games
1) Never played or had CtP1, and never modded CtP2, but never stopped playing CtP2. Right now I'm playing AoM4. I think in maybe a few months I can play the playtest again, but not any sooner.
2) I been sticking to SP for a long time now, mainly cuz I dont play much at once, and there isnt a community right here (geographically, due to time and lag) for me to play with. I mainly just play for fun, which includes trying to win. Most of the time it wont get tired, because in the late game there is more possibilties, so I play until its endgame.
3) My playstyle really changes all the time, I build more than fight, but theres always someone to fight. Diplomacy is good, because it usually speeds up the game. I think mods really dont need to cater to anything.
4) I will play CtP2 for as long as I play games (ie. life) and not play another TBS game. I played Civ 1 & 2 and choose CtP2 over them. So far I been too lazy to try cIV, but I would try the new Civs sooner if there was a CtP mod.
5) I play it, dont really have an opinion about how good or how to be better.
6) When I played it, I really liked it. I will play it again. Mod compatibility would be nice, but I played it mostly without mods.
7) Havent tried it yet, but I will.
8) I will play it. After E's.
9) Never heard of it.
10) Dont know it.
11) I would follow and play everything, but I dont spend too much time on anything really.

Apolyton (& Friends)
12) I follow the CtP2 forums, and if I hear anything about AoM I will go look. I would spend more time in the AoM forums if it was a section in Apolyton.
13) I would be scared away if it became a ghost town

. I will come back as long as there is something here. Maybe I will be able to mod in the future too.
14) I rarely read the Call to Power sections of the Apolyton News because I come straight to the forums. I see headlines in the forum heading, but they aren't CtP2? I goto CivGroup News everyday (that I come to Apolyton) so news get up as soon as possible. Maybe I need to write somethings?
15) I kinda forgot that existed... the forums really is the only thing necessary for the most part... the directory is like an archive for old stuff to me.
16) I played the games but have't submitted anything.
17) I think I did when they were announced.
18) Like the other stuff, I mainly use the forums.
19) I go there when its mentioned. Well changing/merging those sites are really the author/webmaster's choice.
20)
21)

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition
22) I try to be involved.
23) I like it, but too many people left.
24) New mods like E's and Maq's look the best. Interface changes and new features should come up as they had before when someone wants it or figures out how to do it.
25) It isn't really going to be important. There are major and minor releases already.
26) Well I've been passive for a long time, I usually do that in game communities.

The Future
27) I would be interested, but can only playtest/feedback. I think this kind of project would have to come from the Civ community before the CtP community, because they know that the game. Then I will have to learn Civ again...
28) Well a cIV mod can't remove cIV, but it surely needs stacked combat, PW, city expansion, trading goods, army makeup, but I don't really know what cIV is like.
29) Its more based on what kind of people come and go.
30) More people is good. CtP shouldn't be seen as against Civ.
31) Merging CtP2 into other events should be better than making a CtP2 only event. I won't really be able to participate in that kind of stuff tho. I'll be undergrad in Berkeley.

**J Bytheway** · October 30, 2006, 17:15

The Games
1,2) I've never really played CTP2. By the time I got a copy, I was already well past the time where I would play games like this seriously, and indeed I was just coming to the end of my TBS modding "phase", so I never really modded CTP2 either. The longest game I ever played was about 8 hours or so of the Lord Of The Rings scenario. I don't know why I never really finished a game - I guess it's just an aspect of my personality. I coded for the source code project for a while, but mostly on the linux branch, which will impact few people. Now I've stopped that too.
3) When I play I'm certainly a builder. I just have to perfect my cities before I can spare them for troop production!
4) I doubt it.
5) Never tried AoM, because I didn't feel I could do it justice.
6) I've played CTP2:AE only for testing purposes, and possibly more under Linux than Windows, where it is considerably less polished.
7) Not tried it.
8) I'm reading the thread about Red Front, but I doubt I'll play it. Certainly I won't get so far as finishing a game.
9,10) I don't participate.
11) I can't think of anything I'd like to see.

Apolyton (& Friends)
12) I check the threads I'm emailed about most days, but I'm very slow to notice new threads. I wish there was a way to be emailed about such new threads. In fact, I wish I could be automatically subscribed to every thread, since I always subscribe to all of them anyway.
13) I'm pretty sure I'll still be here as long as there's anything happening.
14) I pay little attention to the news, and I never think anything is newsworthy enough to write an article about.
15) I've put ModManager there, and downloaded mods sometimes, but nothing recently.
16) I started a tournament a couple of times, but never got far.
17) I used the CTP modding info a long time ago, and I thought it was badly organised, but that hardly matters now. I don't recall ever using the CTP2 sections. I read columns when they are emailed to me - I even wrote one once. ACSR broadcasts are generally too hard to skim to be useful.
18) I never seem to be available when CTP-related chats are happening, and IRC in general puts me off somehow.
19) I've visited each of these sites once or twice, but without some indication that they have changed, I have no motivation to revisit them. Objectively, the CTP2-Bureau seems to be the most useful at the moment.
20) I've never been a PLUS member. I would probably sign up if I ever opened a PayPal account, but it alone is not sufficient motivation for me to do so.
21) I think it's a shame that AoM is so detached, but not being involved with it, I may be jumping to conclusions. Apolyton seems to have done what it could for the CTP community, particularly in view of its relatively small size. I do wish that Apolyton had been able to host a subversion repository, though. It would have saved us a fair bit of trouble to have one from the start, and not to have to change half way through.

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition
22) I'm not very actively involved at present. I try to help with coding queries when I can, but I'm afraid I'm usually too lazy to open MSVC and look the necessary info up. I've stopped doing any coding since I became heavily involved in another coding projecty, and I don't want to do both at once because it might cause me to violate the CTP2 source code lisence.
23) I think the source code project has arranged itself surprisingly well. We've managed to achieve far more than I (cynically) expected at first, and seem to have avoided the sorts of traps which many such projects fall into, where there is much discussion and no action (Of course, some things have been discussed and not acted on, but less often than it might have been).
24) MP support is essentially pointless, I think; certainly not worth the effort to get it right. Just understanding how the MP code is supposed to work would be a mammoth undertaking. Better AI would be good, and perhaps there are some aspects of it which would be easy, but I wouldn't like to guess what they are. Support for AoM would also seem sensible. I don't know to what extent that is still a problem.
25) I'm not too fussed about a "final" version.
26) I may do some more coding, but I doubt it. I would guess I'm likely to be lurking, and maybe doing a bit of site admin. I'd like to think I can continue to maintaing the FAQ, for example, even though I've not done a great job so far...

In addition, not in answer to any particular question, I'll say that I'm surprised and pleased at how much the CTP2 source code project has achieved. Personally, the main thing I got out of it was C++ programming and porting experience (when I started out I knew virtually no C++, and when I look back at some of my early work on the project I cringe, but now I feel quite proficient), and part of me never really believed it would come to anything, and was sure none of the features people wanted would ever get implemented. I'm glad that part of me has been proved wrong.

The Future
27) I'd be interested, but first I'd have to finally get around to buying that new computer I've been meaning to buy for a couple of years now...
28) It seems pointless to attempt to relicate anything closely. There are plenty of ideas in CTP2 and its mods, and that inspiration should be enough.
29) No.
30) I don't know enough about how other people at Apolyton view CTP, etc. to know.
31) I'd like to meet other CTPers if there's ever anything PolyMeet-ish happening nearby (it would probably have to be in England) (the main problem would probably be me noticing the pertinent thread soon enough), but I don't think any kind of serious event like a convention is conceivable. I doubt I'd make it to any larger Apolyton convention (with a CTP component or otherwise), although I might just be tempted if it happened to be in the UK.

**Dale** · October 30, 2006, 20:05

Okay my answers:

The games

1. No.
2. I play to win. Although I usually give up once its obvious I've won. I used to play CTP2+patch+SAP.
3. I play all styles (depending on my mood, and situation) but I lean more towards builder style. Though I don't mind the odd warmonger scortched earth game.

I feel that AOM caters too much for the warmonger. Though I haven't played AOM3 or 4 so that may be all changed now. And before anyone asks, no I won't try them because I do not have 40 hours to invest in a game.

4. No
5. I've tried AOM1 & 2. My feelings are well known, but to summarise, I don't like the feeling of being hand-held through history nor the biase towards warmongering in AOM. It's not my style.
6. No
7 - 11. No

Apolyton
12. Yes, still participate in CTP2 forums. I don't spend much time in there, but at least catch up once a week.
13. Unsure if I'll be keeping up with CTP2 for much longer. I have some personal interest still, but unsure for how long. The game is old, and there's better games (my opinion) that I invest my time in now.
14. Yes, read all sites news.
15. Not anymore.
16. No
17. Used to access the CTP sections, but now less frequently. Other Poly stuff I access frequently.
18. I use chat but not for CTP.
19. Not anymore
20. No
21. I feel it was really good years ago when CTP2 was still buzzing, but the last few years have left little interest in CTP2 and that shows through from Poly's admins etc.

SCP/AE
22. No
23. No idea how its been run
24. -
25. I'd love to see the project completed
26. None

Future
27. I have very limited time at present, so currently I couldn't help any effort. I'd be there to support whoever was doing it, but wouldn't participate. Besides, I've already done my bit bringing CTP2 combat to Civ4.

28. I'd like to see the best of CTP2 brought to Civ4.
29. I think we're already witnessing the future of CTP etc. Interest is wanning, and lack of news coverage doesn't help. I feel that it won't be long till these sections are in "Other Games".
30. It would be good to increase awareness/interest, but I don't think it'll change much. People are after flashy these days, like Civ4. CTP2's graphics are outdated 2D. Yes, I know 2D can look good. Also, CTP2 has a stunted past in most people's mind. I can't see any way to change the publics mind.
31. I would be interested, but it highly depends on what I've got on during that time (and where it is).

**hexagonian** · October 31, 2006, 11:13

The Games
1) No, and I do not see anything that would ever bring me back long-term. (if AOM could not, then nothing will) I enjoyed the game for what it offered, and I feel that up through civ3, it was the best TBS game, but that is no longer the case now.
2) I exclusively played and created Mods, specifically Cradle and playtested and provided input (gameplay balancing and graphics) to AOM I. When playing, I do roleplay, and I play until I either know I will win or get bored. To be honest, I never completed any CTP1/CTP1-MedMod/CTP2/Cradle/AOM game either, because game mechanics invaribly forced a 'Bigger is Better...tm' bloat style of play that ultimately bogs the game into tedium. This has been a hallmark of most TBS games until the release of civ4
3) Isolationist builder, but let's just say that I do want and expect AI aggressiveness for the sake of a good game.
4) Definitely not. I'm done...
5) It is the great culmination what can be accomplished with a CTP2 Mod, but it fails my own personal criteria for what I am now looking for in a game. Specifically, I want a game that...
...allows the player to play as big or small as he wants for success (I'm done with 'Bigger is Better...tm' bloat as the only means to win a game), and...
...diverse victory options and the choice of a particular option that can be changed on the fly, and...
...diverse paths to victory (AOM stresses specific empire sizes as the overriding strategy, so this gives each game a 'sameness'... i.e., I need to have 30+ cities by t300 or the game drags on much longer), as well as...
...distinct civs with specific unit-types and diverse civ and government benefits that go beyond simple generic production/commerce/food boosts. This last one adds a touch of ingame atmosphere, which was always lacking in CTP2 (all CTP civs tend to look alike). To be honest, distinct civs are now more a part of AOM than they were in CTP, but other games like SMAC/EU2/civ4 take this aspect to a much higher and more immersive level. In fact, it was my playing EU2 back in 2002 that caused me to gradually move on from CTP2 and broadened my scope of what to look for in a game, and I do not see me coming back to CTP2 anymore because of this. In short, I do not want to feel I'm playing a spreadsheet... There are other reasons why I'd rather play other games than AOM, but those are the main ones. And I burned out on the CTP2 system too, due to a lot of testing and playing from 1999-2002.
6) No
7) No
8) No
9) No
10) No
11) No, but I do follow what is being developed because I'm nosy...

Apolyton (& Friends)
12) Yes, and I tend to raise some hackles in AOM because I'm no longer the dogmatic/set-in-stone CTP loyalist that I was in the past. You could say I have grown up. Basically, I see value in all games, which the hard-core AOMers do not. Ironically, some of them fall into the same trap that they used to accuse snobbish civ players (and Apolyton in general) of doing - a strong bias against a particular game to the point of blind, unrelenting fanaticism. But I digress...

13) Reading and lurking, occasionally posting
14) Occasionally
15) No
16) No
17) Not anymore
18) No
19) See #12.
20) No
21) I feel Apolyton has given excellent support for a 6-year old game. But the fact is that with any game, fans move on and play other things, so support tends to fall too.

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition
22) No
23) See #21...the project was too little, too late, to make any impact other that to a few hard-core players.
24) No comment, I would base suggestions from people who actually want to play the game
25) An official wrapup would bring closure to the game.
26) None

The Future?
27) Probably not...involvement in Candle'Bre and very little personal free time closed the door for me in Modding.
28) A good mod does not merely parrot what is out there, but brings something new to the table, and uses the strength of the particular gaming platform being used to develop the Mod to do this.
29) Other that the CTP1 multiplay, which still seems to be active, no...
30) You can try...but IMO, most players have moved on, and the fact that it is so hard to get a copy of CTP2 probably prevents much future interest.
31) Not interested

**Ekmek** · October 31, 2006, 11:46

Call to Power: Community Survey

The Games
1) MOst of my time is spent coding AE or my Civ3mod, but lately my MBA is cutting into that time

2) I usually play my civ3mod.
3) Not sure how I'm categorized. I like to build an empire and then late game I end up playinga balance of power game wheere I'm using my forces to try and keep other sizes from conquering each other. its alot more work and it makes me switch strategies a lot.
4) tually i dont see anything preventing me from playing. Civ4 was tempting but too much drain on my PC resources and graphics modding, my original joy is way to hard, I'm sticking to 2D
5) I tried AoM but mostly to make an AE compatible version. Like most games since the source cide came out I dont think I ever finisheda game (in 3 years!)
6) Yes, and I'm biased. I think it still has great potential.
7) Of course! Bad point would be the name. It started as a Civ3mod and morphed into something else. It uses a lot of new features all without slic and goes through a unique development period. Its much more stable (r646) since Fromafar fixed the goodyhut crash.
8) Yep, look forward to it. Hopefully it will lead to a global WW2 mod or even new approaches in code.
9) No
10) No
11) Coonsideringour size we look pretty alive. We have AoM, my Mod, and Red Front thats three big projects still alive. Not to mention just the AE pproject in itself. We actually have a lot going on considering how old thegame is.

Apolyton (& Friends)
12) Yep, I check in almost daily.
13) Its become a habit so probably.
14) yep, I try to keep them alive
15) files regularly and I'd like to do some civ3 stories
16) no, i think they were before my time. I miss the succession games.
17) yep
18) i've missed every time we did it
19) yeah I'm on there a bit, I also keep tabs on or wikipedia site.
20) no, not sure how that eluded me
21) at times I felt Loc was too busy with Civ4, but Ctp2 is very small (albeit vocal) so actually he's doing a great job. Just help us with news sometimes!

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition
22) Yes. My time is a bit crunched but I want to move from gameplay to interface, but just havent gotten my hands around it.
23) It was pretty loose, but thats expected with voluntary stuff. I wish Civ4 testing didn't suck away some of our best guys. If they were kept on the outside maybe they would have spent some time with the code while anticipating Civ4 for a year+. But we cant do anything about that.
24) I'd like to see interface improvements. So far the new features are only in my Civ3mod and RedFront looks to be using some. In effect we are in a feature freeze and just cleaning up (so it appears). I still think AoM compatibility should be a goal. We could reduce a lot of the slic burden that slows AoM down.
25) I would like to see a final release, but we're also creative I'm sure a new idea would pop-up and something else will be added.
26) not as active as before (atleast until I finish my school) but I'll be doing what I always did.

The Future
27) interested, but probably couldn't do much Civ4 eats up my PC's memory fast
28) I love Ctp2's trade system (though it could be better) and I like the special units and piracy mainly. My civ3mod really gets u into fighting piracy
29) not sure. But I see new players from time to time show up.
30) not sure
31) it would be cool but I dont think I have the time

**BureauBert** · November 13, 2006, 11:39

I apologize for the delay and I apologize for having to split my answers into two replies

The Games
1) Do you (still) play or mod CtP1 or CtP2? (Modding includes Source Code Project.) If so, how much time do you spend doing so? If not, is there anything that could make you do so (again)?
I am trying to complete a „Modern Times Mod“ for CTP2, designed to keep the game interesting up to the modern ages and to be played with about 12 civs on an ultra-gigantic map, using the „Apolyton Edition“ as a basis. As the „Apolyton Edition“ playtest versions change their behaviour with each release I am currently stuck in testing playtest versions, trying to figure out if I need to adapt my modifications once again and finally waiting for the next playtest version. Unfortunately I got used to gigantic maps, a slightly greater number of civs and some other modifications so that I am just unable to play the „vanilla“ game (Activision 1.11 or Apolyton Edition). „Converting“ some of the existing mods for the Apolyton Edition would probably help in the meantime, but I wouldn't put my hands on that until some kind of final version of the AE is out.
2) How do you play the games? Original game or mods? Which mods? Single-player or multiplayer? Do you play to win, to have fun, to be challenged, to roleplay, to test a mod/scenario, all of the above? Do you play games to completion, until it's clear you've won or until you get tired of them? If the latter, when is that typically?
I admit that I like „epic“ games in the sense that I need a map that's large enough to represent a „world“ to explore/rule/conquer/whatever -- and that's not the „default gigantic“ map of CTP2. I also got used to some modded features that I don't want to miss in a game. Generally I prefer Mods that are not too scenario-like (that's why I don't like AoM that much, although it is definitely an impressive masterpiece), Mods that make the AI somewhat more intelligent (like GoodMod) add some useful functional features like e.g. unit updating, probably some interesting units, techs, governments, buildings, terrain improvements etc. and I also like things like visible wonders as visible rewards for my own achievements and as landmarks in foreign territory (and visible targets during conquest). My preferred Mods used to be the Apolyton Pack (formerly with ultra-gig map) and GoodMod, both of which are now more/less integrated into the „Apolyton Edition“. I primarily play to have fun, also to get challenged -- I really don't care at all for scores, and just winning the game in the sense of beating all AI as quickly as possible doesn't interest me either. I am certainly the „empire builder“ type of player and I am aiming for „ruling“ the world rather than conquering every single tile -- and I like to define my own „political“ goals. I have played games where I didn't care so much for expanding my own emire but for establishing some kind of order in different parts of the world (including sending „peace keeping forces“, supporting other civs with advances and money, weakening their opponents etc.). Depending on my own definition the game is finished when there is not much left to do -- sometimes I like to extend the game over that point just to see how some things work out. I played some multiplayer games via LAN with a mate and it was fun despite some „resynch“-issues that occured from time to time.
3) Are you a builder or a warmonger, a diplomat or an isolationist? Something in between, or do you use a different strategy every game? Do you feel the present games/mods cater to your favourite playing style sufficiently? If not, how could they be improved to do so more?
As already confessed above, I am the „builder“ type. If imposing my order to the world requires war, I am waging war. If it requires diplomatic or economic efforts (or intelligence activities), I try to use these means to achieve my goals. Of course I would like to see some reason behind the behaviour of my (AI-) opponents, too. The „vanilla“ AI, as we all know, has next to no sense for strategy or tactics. Some Mods like GoodMod or Cradle greatly improve the AI's tactical abilities (stacking their armies, focussing their attacks ...), but unfortunately the AI still doesn't act awfully reasonable in the sense of extending their power and defining strategies. Maybe the Apolyton Edition and it's extended modding capabilities will make it possible to improve the AI's „sense“ for strategic decisions a little bit. However -- what I don't like in a Mod is some AI civ attacking me restlessly from the beginning to the end of the game with couples of spearmen, knights or tanks just because we are neighbors. I think one of the last, big adventures of modding could be trying to teach the AI to care for themselves in the first place, to build up their empires, economy, military and then use their power to achieve „higher“ goals. That's my intention for that „Modern Times Mod“ and that's mainly what should keep the game interesting up to the said age. Another point on my wishlist would be better multiplayer-support for Mods (AFAIK there used to be some issue with messageboxes/SLIC handling and possibly some other quirks -- anyway for some reason/s Mods were always considered unsafe in multiplayer).
4) Do you still see yourself playing or modding these games 3 years from now? Do you expect you will change the way you play/mod and if so how?
As I already explained elsewhere I am unable to play Civ4 on my PC in any reasonable way, and what I was able to see was mainly 3D-graphics, which doesn't provide enough motivation to buy a new PC or upgrade my existing (otherwise absolutely satisfying) equipment. I really think that CTP2 is basically the best engine that has been developped for that genre so far and I hope that the Source Code Project will lead to a final result in the near future -- with a final, stable release on my hands I see myself trying to complete and playing my own Mod as well as other Mods until I get really convinced by some other engine (which might well be Civ4 if my hardware will ever meet the required specifications and if I will still be willing to give it a try).
5) Have you ever tried Ages of Man and what do you think of it? Good points, bad points, how could it be improved in the future? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on it?
I tried three or four games, none of which I completed. As far as I remember I quit all these games during the „Dark Ages“. Although I am really impressed with the huge modifications and how Stankarp modded the hell out of good old CTP2, in terms of gameplay AoM is too scenario-like for my taste -- too many events, extra features that need to be taken care of, dynastic complications etc., and all that in „ancient“ ages, myself preferring the modern era. As you can easily recognize that's just a matter of personal taste. I think AoM is a great modification (and probably the best game available) for people who particularily like „epic“ games with a lot of challenging events and „scenario-like“ tasks in an „ancient“ world.
6) Have you ever tried CtP2: Apolyton Edition and what do you think of it? Good points, bad points, how could it be improved in the future? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on it (both to play and to test/develop)?
I have rarely tried „vanilla“ playtest versions but have been fairly impressed by the improvements already achieved within the sourcecode (e.g. AI/AI diplomacy, army stacking/movement, AI overseas activity!, improved performance -- just compare that to Civ4!). I am regularily testing my own Mod with the latest playtest release to follow up the changes (see what's fixed and what else is possibly broken or mysteriously different). I am basically waiting for a „final“ release with the already known bugs/issues being fixed, just because my time (even for playtesting/modtesting) is limited, and I would like to continue work on my „Modern Times“ Mod with the perspective of being able to actually play the game as long as am still able to move a mouse over a pad. I think a „final“ release taking place soon would also be important for making AoM „AE-compatible“ and for making other Mod-conversions somewhat realistic.
7) Have you ever tried E's Civ3 mod for CtP2 and what do you think of it? Good points, bad points, how could it be improved in the future? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on it?
I am really sorry, but due to the above mentioned lack of time I haven't tried E's Civ3 Mod so far, but I am willing to do so a.s.a.p. More time would certainly make me spend more time on it.
8) Are you following the development of Maquiladora's conversion of the Red Front scenario for CtP2 and what do you think of it? Do you intend to you play it once it's released?
I am following the development on the forums, and I certainly intend to give it a try once it is -- finally -- released.
9) Do you participate in the CtP1 Super League and if so what do you think of it? Good points, bad points, how could it be improved in the future? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on it?
Although I liked CTP1 I completely switched to CTP2 and I think I don't even own a CTP1-CD anymore. But maybe I should dig out/buy CTP1 and join the Super League -- if I only had some more time. Looking at some recent releases of some old games I liked to play at least for a while I think reverting to CTP1 to get into mp gaming could possibly provide more fun (and no, I am not only referring to Civ4!).
11) Are there any new projects for the CtP games that you'd like to see (whether mods, tournaments, community events, or anything else)? If new CtP-related projects were started, would you follow their development and/or help develop/test them? Would you play/participate in them when they're done? Are you working on anything yourself at the moment or planning to do so in the foreseeable future?
Well, of course I would like to see more interest for CTP2, some more new gamers or some old gamers getting back to CTP2 at least from time to time. Given a little bit more of interest it would sure be nice to see tournaments, democracy games, or other community events going on again. I think a „final“ release of the „Apolyton Edition“ will be necessary to keep/regain the interest of people who are not involved in sourcecoding themselves, because whatever someone's interest in CTP2 currently is or could be (playing, modding), after three years everyone is a bit tired of testing things instead of „actually doing“ them. That's not meant as a criticism regarding the great work of the Sourcecode Team but as a realistic statement. I intend to continue work on my „Modern Times“ Mod, and also to help with/contribute to the conversion of existing Mods for the „Apolyton Edition“ (SLIC and DB-adjustments, conversion to scenarios).

Apolyton (& Friends)
12) Do you (still) follow or participate in the CtP1/2/AoM forums? How much time do you spend doing so? Are you happy with the existing forums and the way they are run? Good points, bad points, how could it be improved in the future? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on them?
I still try to participate in the CTP2 forums if there is something I am able to contribute. In general I am happy with the way the forums are run and I really hope that Apolyton will maintain it's support for good old CTP2. There are two things concerning the way the CTP2-forums have been organized recently I don't really understand: Why did they make „CtP2-Creation/AI/Mods/Scenarios“ a sub-forum of „CtP2-General/Help/Strategy/Multiplaying“? And what happened to the AoM-forum (there was some discussion about moving it from „Hosted Sites“ to the CTP2-section, now I can't find it anywhere on Apolyton)?
13) Do you still see yourself following or participating in these forums or otherwise visiting Apolyton or the Ages of Man website 3 years from now? Do you expect you will change the way you use the forums/sites and if so how? What would it take to keep you around in the long run? What would it take to 'scare you away'?
Well, yes, I do see myself lurking around provided I am not the only one (but as long as E and Martin G. will be able to move a mouse over a pad I am pretty optimistic ...)
14) Do you read the Call to Power sections of the Apolyton News (http://apolyton.net/ctp/ and http://apolyton.net/ctp2/) and/or Apolyton CivGroup News (http://apolyton.net/civgroups/news.php)? How often? Would you like to see any improvements to these services (including CivGroups in general, not just the news) and if so which ones? What, if anything, would make you spend more time on them (in case of the CivGroup News, both to read and to submit your own articles)?
As far as I could see there is no way for „ordinary“ users to submit news -- it could possibly be worth a try to make it possible for all registered users to submit news items (to be approved by an administrator) to keep the news a little bit more up to date.
15) Do you download or upload files/strategies/stories to/from the Call to Power sections of the Apolyton Directory? (http://apolyton.net/dir/) Would you like to see any improvements to this service and if so which ones? What, if anything, would make you make (more) use of it (both to submit and download stuff)?
Well I am using my own website for my „experimental“ stuff which wouldn't be worth to be be uploaded to Apolyton's file section. But should I ever release some final version of my Mod (or some other „final“ stuff) I would certainly make sure it's also available at Apolyton, since this is the most official site for CTP2 in the world.
16) Have you played any of the CtP2 (SP) Tournament games in the Apolyton Hall of Fame? (http://apolyton.net/hof/) If this feature was (re)introduced for CtP1, CtP2 and/or AoM, would you participate in it? If not, would you change your mind if any changes were made to the setup? What changes would you like to see? What setup for games (mods, difficulty levels, terrain types, etc) would you like to see in possible future tournaments? Would you be willing to help organise these?
Tournaments are about winning the game as quickly as possible with the highest score, right?

17) Do you access or have you in the past accessed the Call to Power-related information sections of Apolyton? (http://apolyton.net/ctp/ -- Features, Strategies, Callings, Modification -- and http://apolyton.net/ctp2/ -- Source Code Project, Modification, History, Information/Help -- as well as the CtP-related Interviews at http://apolyton.net/misc/interviews/, columns at http://apolyton.net/misc/column/ and ASCR broadcasts at http://apolyton.net/acsr/) Would you like to see any improvements to these or new features and if so which ones? Would you be willing to help with producing this type of content? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on them?
See above ... Well, maybe the „Source Code Project“ information/download-section could provide more complete information and the download of the most recent playtest version should be made easier for users who are not involved in the project themselves.
18) Do you use the Apolyton Chat (http://apolyton.net/chat/) feature for CtP-related discussions and if so how and how often? Would you like to see any improvements to this service and if so which ones? What, if anything, would make you spend (more) time on it?
It took me some while to get used to that „web forums“ stuff, I don't think I will ever try that „online chat“ stuff.

20) Are you or have you in the past been a member of ApolytonPLUS? If so, are/were you satisfied with the services offered? Would you like to see any improvements to it and if so which ones? What, if anything, would make you sign up for it if you currently aren't a member or what, if anything, would be required to keep you as a member if you are already one?
Well I am satisfied with Apolyton's free services and I greatly appreciate the fact they are free, but I would become a member if I was told that Apolyton needs financial contributions from more of it's users in order to maintain it's services.
21) How do you generally feel about the way Apolyton has covered and supported the Call to Power community (including the SCP and AoM) in the past few years? What went right, what went wrong, how could it be improved in the future? Are there any new services you would like to see or existing ones that you want improved? (Note: we've already discussed this internally and come to some interesting conclusions but we don't want to do anything with those until we've heard your feedback as well)
I think Apolyton has supported CTP2 as good as possible -- actually Apolyton rather adopted the game after Activision abandoned it. The Source Code Project would not exist without Apolyton. I can't see anything of any importance that went wrong on the behalf of Apolyton. It's a bit sad that the recent release of another civ-style game weakened the CTP2 community so much, but that's not Apolyton's fault. On the other hand the few people still involved in CTP2 and the Source Code Project are so dedicated to this project that I am still confident we will see the release of The Apolyton Edition soon. With the AE finished I think the best thing we can do is to continue providing easy access to all downloads and information available and maybe to put some effort into the promotion of the Apolyton Edition (spreading the news).

**BureauBert** · November 13, 2006, 11:43

Source Code Project/Apolyton Edition
22) Are you currently actively involved with the Source Code Project in any way and if so in what capacity? If so, what type of things are you currently working on and planning to work on in the foreseeable future? If not, could you be convinced to become active for this project (whether as tester, coder, artist, etc) and if so, what would it take?
I'm involved in the project as a Modtester/Crashtester.
23) What do you think of how the Source Code Project has been run (or has run itself) in the past 3 years? What went right, what went wrong, how could it be improved in the future? Do you think it should continue as it has in the past for the time being? Or would you like to see a change of direction?
I think it's amazing how much could be achieved by few people in three years. It's still a pity that some left entirely towards Civ4, but no one can be blamed for that. IMHO the remaining, already known issues should be fixed as soon and as good as possible to obtain a final version of The Apolyton Edition. Multiplayer issues should probably be put on hold -- if anyone ever manages to fix these an additional Apolyton Multiplayer Edition could be released later on.
26) What role do you see yourself playing in realising the changes discussed above, or in continuing things as they have if nothing should/will be changed? Passive observer, active playtester, coder, designer, manager, PR person? Or something else entirely?
I think I will continue mod-/crashtesting and developing my own Mod, and I would like to help in promoting the Apolyton Edition.

The Future
27) If a project was started to develop a CtP(1/2) or AoM mod for Civilization IV, would you be interested in helping out, and if so in what capacity?
Well maybe it's an interesting idea -- but since I am currently not part of the target audience of Civ4 I just can't tell ...
29) Do you think the SCP, AoM, CtP1 MP leagues and the CtP franchise in general have any real future and what do you think it looks like?
I still like the concept of CTP2 and the look and feel of its „world“, and I like being able to play it on my humble „office“ pc. The engine is stable and should I get a more „powerful“ pc in the next years I will rather try to play CTP2 on ultra-super-mega-gigantic maps than buy Civ5 or Civ6 with even more detailed 3-d graphics (but I will possibly give Civ4 a try). If the Apolyton Edition turns out to be sufficiently reliable concerning SLIC and modding features I think I will also continue to mod it. Regarding the „real future“ I don't know how many people will be interested in CTP2 in one, two or five years -- but I am sure the game will still be able to provide a lot of fun for those who get to know it. I am just interested in keeping the game present (on the web) for those who wish to give it a try even in 10 years. Maybe we will need to deal with the problem of availability of CD's some time in the (near) future -- this should probably be discussed some time.
30) Do you think it's needed to improve the profile/awareness of these projects or the CtP community in general to the rest of Apolyton or even the world? And if so, do you have any ideas on how to achieve this?
Improving awareness is certainly a good idea. The release and promotion of The Apolyton Edition will be a necessary step into this direction. More/better awareness could be achieved by converting existing Mods and of course developping new Mods (like e.g. E's „Call To Civilization“) as well as bringing the „Source Code Section“ on Apolyton up to date and keeping the forums alive. I hope someone has better/more innovative ideas regarding this challenge.
31) What do you think of the idea of organising a Call to Power Conference at some point in 2007? Would you be interested in attending that at all? What should it look like? Just a regular PolyMeet in a bar/pub somewhere or more something like ApolyCon (http://convention.apolyton.net/) with sessions, presentations, dinners, etc? In case of the latter, what kind of presentations and the like would you like to see? Where do you think it should be held, how far would you be willing to travel for it and how much money would you be willing to spend? Would you be willing to help organise this and/or hold a presentation? Should it be a CtP-only event (or even just CtP2-only or AoM-only, etc) or would you want to (or be able to tolerate to) merge it with another ApolyCon-type event or even a general Civilization conference (which might include the involvement of CFC and other fan communities)? (Note that this is all completely hypothetical at this point, nothing is planned in any way, shape or form.)
I will certainly not be able to participate in any way in organizing or attending any „real life“-events unless they take place in Wien/Ottakring (my quarter here in Vienna) due to my job/working hours/limited resources (meeting you guys here would be a pleasure though, and Ottakringer beer is excellent

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