GENERAL: activsion

[Ekmek]

So if activision doesnt have or doesnt care about the source code does that mean people can start hacking it?

[stankarp]

How about we at Apolyton point out to Activision that we have been providing their customer support free of charge for the past 4-5 years. I have still seen recently an odd copy of CTP2 on the discount shelf in the Games Shops.

[tlatoani]

I would think that no company would give it's source code for anything they've produced. They could think you, or other companies, will get ideas for developing games that one day be their competition.

Still it wouldn't hurt to keep trying. If anything, they'll be reminded not let other games in the future go without customer support or produce a game and then let it die. Fitting punishment for not developing CTP2 in a proper way.

[Solver]

I would think that no company would give it's source code for anything they've produced. They could think you, or other companies, will get ideas for developing games that one day be their competition.

First, companies do give sources for older games. Second, Activision will not make another civ-game at all, ever. Third, source doesn't help others get ideas. You see ideas in the game... source is merely implementation.

[tlatoani]

Originally posted by Solver

First, companies do give sources for older games. Second, Activision will not make another civ-game at all, ever. Third, source doesn't help others get ideas. You see ideas in the game... source is merely implementation.

I didn't know that companies do give code. It seems strange to me that's all. To show how you do things in implementing ideas. In my work we never show how we do things, and we're economists!

[Solver]

Tlatoani, the best example of a game with it's source released would probably be Doom. A revolutionary game though it is, id released the source for it.

[The Big Mc]

Yes but how do we get the source code

Customer support don’t want to know

The legal department is deserted

Any more ideas the managing directs e-mail perhaps would be a good thing

[ToonGoon]

The activision site lists all the executives and the board of directors....If we could get their addresses and send kindly email(s) to them, maybe someone would be annoyed...um....interested enough to make something happen...Hopefully it would not be a restraing order....

[TheArsenal]

I know nothing about source codes and the like, but I know a little something about legal departments. I'm sitting in one now. Send a letter through the post. Emails can be ignored, but letters are not thrown away. It may take a great deal of time to respond, but respond they will.

[Peter Triggs]

This is a lawyer talking. Do what he says: he knows what he's talking about.

BTW, TheArsenal, have you had a chance to look at my new mod?

[Solver]

TheArsenal, yes, reply they will. Something along the lines of "Dear Apolyton, Regretfully, we don't care for CtP series and never did, and we have no more contact anymore with any of their programmers, so kindly go to hell".

Does anyone have any idea how much the source code could cost, to buy it?

[TheArsenal]

Solver: Oh, I agree with you. As I noted earlier in this thread, the easiest and generally, the "go to" answer in these matters is "no". But one can not assume "no" until they get that as a response. And lack of responsiveness is the issue at hand. Only when Activision gets around to revealing their position on the matter can we move forward with a reconfigured, or entirely different, strategy, such as an offer to purchase the code.

It was a good letter. I would not change it, but would have structured the points of emphasis differently (it may be a good idea to do so if we plan to send it by post). In reality, we have no right to their code whatsoever. So we have to convince them of this right - by way of who we are and what we do - quickly in the first few sentences, then we can flush out the rest of the letter with niceties and details.

Who are we? (Conceptually, not word for word) Apolyton. The people who are the number one user support group for the game in the wake of Activision's non-involvement.

Why give us the code? This concept was explained nicely the middle of the letter "As Call to Power II is no [longer] supported ... by your company we [need the] Source Code in order to carry on the support efficiently" adding the concept (again, conceptually, not word for word) "we are regularly in contact with thousands of game buyers who feel aggrieved that Activision willfully deceived them in production of a game which, it is generally felt, they never intended to support yet was released knowingly flawed. With Activision's release of the Source Code to us, it would be understood that Activision is exercising goodwill toward its product buyers, allowing active support for the product to exist, and is not, or ever did, intend to stick its product buyers with a flawed, unfixable, product. In turn, Apolyton could cite to its [X hundred thousand number] of users this extraordinary act of good faith as an example of Activision's customer support for all its products moving forward."

[TheArsenal]

Peter Triggs: Haven't had a chance to try your mod, but I'm pretty jazzed about it. Sounds very cool. I'm going to try to carve out some time this weekend. I'll report what I think when I have a chance to play.

[Mr Ogre]

I know some effort went into archiving the code and assets. I don't know what happened to that archive. I don't know if anyone who would know what happened to it is still working there either. A lot of the source materials for art and data are probably gone forever if Activision's archive is lost. But I'm 100% certain it's still possible to scrape together enough code to rebuild an exe.

I can't make any promises, and I'm not even sure posting this before I hear back from anyone (I emailed a vice president just for you!) is such a good idea. I don't want you to get your hopes up too much. I would love nothing more than to see the source released, but it's still Activision's property, it'll have to go through them.

[child of Thor]

Thank you very much Mr Ogre! Any effort to at least get a definate answer one way or the other is gratefuly recieved from our end(the customer).