Keygen: How did people react when the Tournament was first introduced? How did you react?
Tau Ceti: -There was a fair bit of interest. Before the tournament the multiplaying forum had very little traffic. Quite a lot of players signed up in short order, so it looks like there was a demand ready to be served. As for me, I was looking to get into MP at the time, and it looked like a good opportunity - especially as Zsozso was a very respected and talented member of the community.

Keygen: After Zsozso retired you took over the Tournament. Was it a difficult decision for you or did came as a natural continuance?
Tau Ceti: I thought about it for a day or so, pondering whether I had the time and commitment, finally deciding I did. I have not regretted that decision. It was a rather natural continuance, though, as I had been Zsozso's assistant throughout and knew the system and the scenarios that were to be used. I do not think there were any other obvious candidates for the job, although he did offer it to the first volunteer.

Keygen: What do people think about the Tournament? Do they like it? Do they find it a necessary addition?
Tau Ceti: -I hope they like it! And I guess they do, since they keep playing in it. The comments I get are largely positive. "Necessary" is probably stretching it a bit; "convenient" would be a better word. It is basically a permanent offer for MP games...

Keygen: Do they stick with it or do they drop out after some time?
Tau Ceti: A little bit of both. Many seem to sign up for a batch of games, play them, then disappear, but there are several veterans who have been playing almost since the very beginning. Then there are those who drop out immediately (arrgh!).

Keygen: How hard is to run the Tournament?
Tau Ceti: It is not hard, all that is needed is some familiarity with the scenario editor (which is a bit of a strange creature, but can be tamed). It does take some time, though, compiling lists of player addresses and preferences, matching them up and setting up the games themselves. Particularly time consuming are the games I set up for new players in SMACX, as I then prefer to avoid the annoying faction graphics bug. That means the game cannot be a scenario, and I will have to rely on the random start position generator and test any start that looks promising. It is so poor it could make me cry. In one instance, when I had decided to let it have as many tries as it needed, I lost count at around 50 restarts and am quite sure it took over 70 before it finally produced one I deemed reasonably balanced for the four human players. That took the better part of an evening and I will NEVER do it again! But mostly, the job is just about finding a few spare hours an evening to get a couple of games out.

Keygen: Do you think that it needs to be further improved and what are its weak points in your opinion, if there is any?
Tau Ceti: Everything can be improved, and I am open to suggestions. If I had any good ones myself, I would probably have implemented them! Its main weak point may be a lack of flexibility; all games are played with the same parameters and with four players. Though I do try to cater for any special wishes (usually by asking for volunteers to play under the deviant conditions), and since agreeing on the parameters can often take several days otherwise (I speak from experience!), this is also one of the convenient things about the tournament.

Keygen: What was the greatest flame ever heard about the Tournament?
Tau Ceti: I do not think there have been any. The worst I have got was a (deserved) comment on tardiness.

Keygen: There are rumours that when Solver's SMAC PBEM Ratings came up as an idea that you were sceptical about it at the beginning. Why?
Tau Ceti: Indeed, and I still am. My experience has lead me to believe that the AC score is not a very reliable indicator of who is doing best at any moment. Commerce, in particular, skews it, and it does not take into account any future potential. In addition, the score in the early years (2110, 2120, to a lesser extent '30 and '40) has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with which faction you have chosen. But I have agreed to take part in a rated game to see if my instincts can be put to shame in practice. And people seem to like the system, which is the most important thing...

Keygen: Your experience on moderating and creating PBEM games is huge. How did it start?
Tau Ceti: Zsoszo asked for someone to set up a couple of games so that he could play in the tournament himself. I had no experience, but thought "why not?", volunteered and started teaching myself how to use the monster that is the scenario editor. Helping him as a CMN also led me to taking over the tournament.

Keygen: Having met many players through the Tournament, moderating or playing what would you thing it would be the dream team? Which players would you like to see playing in a PBEM game moderated by you and under which faction?
Tau Ceti: -Hmm. Well, this is hard to do now, but I always wanted to see how a Velociryx/Zsozso team would do. Vel should need no further introduction, and Zsozso had the early transcendence record for a long time with his 2172 Gaian victory. Zso Gaia, Vel Morgan sounds good! In addition, I have high hopes for (at least) one of the Apolyton teams in the Forum Wars matches: Misotu and big_canuk. I can say from personal experience that both are very strong players that should give anyone a run for their money. I know Mis loves the Peacekeepers; not sure about big_canuk. I would leave it to his choice, I guess!

Keygen: What is the future of Alpha Centauri? How long do you expect to keep people playing it?
Tau Ceti: There is no reason why people should not be playing it years into the future, though their numbers are going to dwindle. I suspect many will switch to Civ 3 when it comes out (I, for example, never looked back to Civ 2 after I started playing SMAC), but there will always be those who prefer SMAC. It has a lot of life left, and there may well be a sequel in a few years...

Keygen: Would you start a Tournament in a future release of Alpha Centauri II or Civilization III?
Tau Ceti: I have considered it. But I only really have time to run one tournament, and it would be sad to shut down the current one. In any case, not until the greatest initial excitement has died down and the worst bugs have been fixed!

Solver: BTW, did you know that 26th of July is Apolyton's third birthday? What would you like to see us doing?
(Webmaster's note: the interview was taken prior to July 26th)
Tau Ceti: I knew it was roughly that old, though I could not have said the exact date. I cannot say I have any good ideas for the birthday celebration, though I trust the management will come up with something appropriate. Happy birthday Apolyton, keep up the good work!

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