April 2001
C#164: APOLYTON: THE GAMER`S HUB
(30 April 2001, 20:26 EST/Misc) Well, now the sky will certainly fall on our heads... :) The column is posted on Monday(it was mailed to our subscribers on Saturday though)!
Father Beast presents the Other Games forum on the 164th Column titled 164# APOLYTON: THE GAMER'S HUB.
Comments in the related forum thread -MarkG
LOOKING FORWARD TO E3
(30 April 2001, 20:05 EST/Civ3) Gamespot's Question of the Week this time happens to be 'Which Games are you Looking Forward to Seeing at E3'. Bruce Geryk, a Gamespot Contributer, lists Civ3 along with the other major 4x game, Moo3 as the games that he is looking forward to seeing at the E3 conference. Bruce states:
If I had to choose between [Moo3 and Civ3], I would probably have to go with Civilization III, only because it's being designed by Sid Meier. It's a well-known and undisputed fact that Sid Meier is a genius, and thus Civilization III will be better than games designed by people who are only very, very smart.
Hopefully for him, Bruce might be one of those lucky people that will attend the closed-doors presentation of Civ3. :) -MarkG
CTP1 PBEM CHART 29/4/1
(30 April 2001, 18:56 EST/CtP) This weeks CTP PBEM rankings have Stavros back in the top five and several new players (to a total of 45!), otherwise business as usual with Klair and MOBIUS on top.
RANK NAME................... RATING WIN. LOSS NAT.TR
0001 KLAIR.................. 23.256 0027 0000 FRA...
0002 MOBIUS................. 22.833 0029 0002 GBR.EN
0003 RICK_ELKINS............ 22.372 0020 0009 USA.NY
0004 SWISSY................. 21.782 0016 0003 USA.IL
0005 STAVROS................ 21.268 0069 0027 GER...
0006 FUZZBALL............... 21.000 0000 0000 AUS...
0007 VITLOG................. 21.000 0000 0000 ISR...
0008 DEVIL.................. 21.000 0000 0000 LAT...
0009 BERXPERT............... 20.980 0017 0002 MEX...
0010 SLAMP.................. 20.964 0022 0008 FRA...
Read the full listings in the forum thread. -MarkG
PBEM CONTEST ON HORIZON
(30 April 2001, 12:48 EST/CtP) It's a play-by-email, roleplaying CTP1 contest open to all. It's been headed by Solver, Apolyton's CtP/AC PBEM Ladder Administrator and he's looking for participants.
We're opening a contest for best role-playing PBEM player, Solver wrote in his announcement about the commencement of the contest. This means, when you play your turns, you not only post the usual note: "Turn to Solver", but you also write some story there, and it's better if it matches the actual position of players there. For example, tell about how Sancho explores the rich incan lands, or about General McCoy, whos Bomber is followed by the evil Interceptors of those terrible Germans.
It takes little effort, I hope. And if you play PBEM, why not make more experience of it?
For more information, see the related forum thread. -DanQ
SMAC PBEM CHART 24/4/01
(29 April 2001, 15:30 EST/SMAC) Several new entries and a switch beteen the second a third position rankings marks the new edition of the PBEM scores, released today.
POS....NAME........... RATING
001....BIG_CANUK...... 21.881
002....STUNTMAN19..... 21.549
003....MARK13......... 21.308
004....SOLVER......... 21.133
005....REDFRED........ 21.000
006....DILTHIUMDAD.... 21.000
007....GUYNEMER....... 21.000
008....M@NI@C......... 21.000
009....VIRIATO........ 21.000
010....WHITEELEPHANTS. 21.000
You can browse the full rankings in the forums. -DanQ
BRIAN REYNOLDS ON GAME BALANCE
(29 April 2001, 15:25 EST/Misc) Remember when Brian Reynolds delivered the Keynote speech at the recent Australian Game Developer's conference? Well, apparently that's not all he did, because GameSpy has an interesting article that Brian wrote for said conference as its monthly 'Developer Corner' column.
The piece, entitled "The Poor Get Richer: The Ancient Art of Game Balance", contains Brain's own personal ideas on how to make the gameplay experience enjoyable. Brian writes
[A]lthough we can point to numerous examples of excellent gameplay, we have a harder time articulating the specific steps to be taken in order to polish and refine the gameplay experience. So I'd like to explore some of the pitfalls a game design can fall into, contrast them with the desired situation, and examine some practical techniques for polishing gameplay.
Throughout the article, Brian goes through what he sees as the problems of gameplay balance and how to solve them. Once you've read the article, why not discuss it in our forums? Our thanks to Shining1 for the heads-up. -DanQ
SID + MAXIS = SIM GOLF SEQUEL?
(29 April 2001, 0:51 EST/Misc) Does it sound crazy? Well, according to one individual, a sequel to acclaimed golf classic SimGolf is the secret Sid Meier-Maxis collaboration! Today an e-mail was received from "Russell", stating that the secret game we've been hearing so much about is actually a golf sim. He explains:
Sid Meier's sim project is a golf game, 'cos I saw a listing in a computer shop for a game coming out in September called Sid Meier's Sim Golf. I guess it will have to be something special to rise above an already overcrowded computer golf game market.
Any such statements at this point are mere speculation, and should be taken no more as such, but sources close to Maxis who we have contacted (and who wish to remain anonymous) seem to be reluctant to officially dismiss the story. We will have to wait until E3 until the game is officially presented... -DanQ
FORUM BACKUPS COMPLETED
(29 April 2001, 0:45 EST/About) This is a public notice, in particular to those who use our forums, that a backup of our said service that begun last Thursday evening has been completed successfully. In addition, the accounts of members who have been been designated as having their accounts "active" (from December 1, 2000 to the present) were also backed up successfuly.
On behalf of the staff and administration of Apolyton CS, we thank everyone for their patience during this period. -DanQ
GREAT LIBRARY INDEX UPDATED
(29 April 2001, 0:33 EST/Civ2) Scouse Gits sends word that the Great Library, the index of Civ2 strategies, has been updated.
These updates include more info on tech grifting, some logs for really small size One City Challenge games, and Xin Yu's awesome "X-Pack" strategy.
He also wishes to thank all the posters above who have offered their approval of the Great Library Index. -DanQ
BOOK TRILOGY DEVELOPMENTS
(29 April 2001, 0:10 EST/SMAC) Michael Ely, author of the triology of novels based on the characters and universe of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, has spoken to Apolyton exclusively about the progress of the second book in the series. In addition to announcing the next installment's title, "Dragon Sun", Ely dispensed information on the book's title figures.
I have turned in the manuscript for book two, and it's now being edited and prepared for printing. The main characters for this one are Deirdre and Yang.
As for when fans of the novel, whether they be SMAC enthusiasts or not, can expect "Dragon Sun" to hit book shelves, Ely hinted at a second quarter release.
The book is supposed to have a late summer release. I know that's a long wait, but publishing moves slowly sometimes.
"Centauri Dawn", the first book in the series profiling a conflict between The Peacekeepers and The Spartan Federation factions, was released in November of last year. -DanQ
CIV 3 UNITS: CALL IT AS YOU SEE IT
(28 April 2001, 12:18 EST/Civ3) 
Snapcase, O hallowed be His name(he demanded that we call him like that or else he wouldnt do this), has started a thread in which he is currently posting the individual units from the older screenshot with the many units, blown up to high resolution and with guesses as to what each unit could be. If you want to join in the discussion, go directly to the thread.
-MarkG
FIRAXIS WEBSITE HACKED
(28 April 2001, 11:14 EST/Misc) Firaxis' Website appears on the Attrition.org MIRROR, a listing of web servers that have been hacked with a copy of the page each website was replaced with. Firaxis was hit by a hacker calling himself aLph4Num3Ric on April 9th. Apparently, the error seems to have been corrected rather quickly, since it was not reported by visitors at the time of the incident. View what the Firaxis web site looked like when it was hacked here(not exactly something interesting). -MarkG
NEW GALCIV SCREENSHOTS
(28 April 2001, 11:09 EST/Alt) XGR.COM has some new, exclusive screenshots for forthcoming space civ game Galactic Civilizations. Included with the screenshots are exclusive descriptions by game designer Brad Wardell, well worth a read. Thanks to Blue's News for the info. -MarkG
MORE ON MEIER`S E3 APPEARANCE
(28 April 2001, 0:23 EST/Misc) A new development on the story we reported on yesterday about Sid Meier's upcoming appearance at this year's E3 Expo. Not only will Sid be interviewed on stage, he will be participating in a discussion as well.
The afternoon after his Q&A session with George Jones, Sid Meier will join Peter Molyneux, Ed Fries and Mark Turmell for a discussion on "Game Design Issues for the Next Millennia". Taking up some of the more philosophical and analytical aspects of the games industry, the conversation will centre around what challenges and opportunities the future presents for game developers.
For more information, browse the official E3 program. -DanQ
PC GAMEPLAY PREVIEW SCREENSHOTS!
(27 April 2001, 14:48 EST/Civ3) Snapcase has gotten hold of a copy of the british PC gaming magazine PC Gameplay, which contains a six-page preview of Civilization III, and is currently posting details from it in our forums. There are four new screenshots with the preview that you can see and click below. The preview is very detailed and contains a plethora of new info, including the system of wonders, the new combat and trade systems, the tech tree, and a multitude of other information. Go to the related thread to read more. -MarkG
SID MEIER TO SPEAK AT E3
(27 April 2001, 2:09 EST/Misc) PC.IGN. reports that Sid Meier will be speaking at the E3 Gaming Conference. Sid Meier will be in a Conversation with George Jones, editor of Computer Gaming Magazine. After that, he will entertain a Question and Answer Session with those attending the conference.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) will be held in Los Angeles from May 17-19. -MarkG
FORUM BACKUPS COMMENCED
(26 April 2001, 22:51 EST/About) At 10:45PM EST, a complete data backup of our forums commenced. Visitors may experience a slowdown at certain times, but such slowdowns should only be temporary and isolated.
No forums will be closed in whole or in part during the backup. The timeline for the backup has not yet been finalized, but should not extend beyond a week.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this period. -DanQ
3DGW: EDITOR`S CHOICE
(26 April 2001, 22:30 EST/SMAC) And yet another antiquated yet still valid look into SMAC in 3DGW's review of the game, dated -- interestingly enough -- two years ago today.
This game has absolutely no faults that I could find, reviewer Mark "True" Hetherington. Everything has been done to ensure that we the end user will have a truly memorable experience with no bugs to play through.
This game has everything. From making deals with your fellow players to using mind control to take over enemy units and alien beings
(mind worms) This is the ultimate in strategy games. Nothing I have seen can compare to this game in scope and playability.
Hetherington gave the game a 98% overall rating. -DanQ
DAYS OF YORE REVIEW
(26 April 2001, 19:49 EST/SMAC) Game Download Online's reviewer Pa¥nE had a look at SMAC some time ago, and his review can be found on the site at this location.
Alpha Centuari is the most addictive game I've ever played, managing to hook me deeper than even Civilization did with its intellectual sophistication, slick plot, and cool feel, Pa¥nE writes in his closing paragraph. But if you'll pardon me, I'm off to my support group now right after a few more turns yeah, just after a few more turns.
The review includes two screenshots but no "final score". -DanQ
IN-GAME SCREENSHOTS!
(26 April 2001, 16:46 EST/Civ3) PCGamePlay has posted the first in-game screenshots from CivIII. One shows an ingame screenshot of a game at 120 AD. Cities, units, and the basic interface (to this point) are viewable from this picture. The other seems to be part of a video for a wonder movie or the intro to the game. There is even more to be found in the issue of PCP associated with these screenshots -- they're apart of the magazine's six page preview of the game. Both screens are 1024x768.
Our thanks to Kevin Yang and Thunderfall for the news tip. Check out the discussion on the relevant thread and be sure to visit this thread over the next couple of days to see "Ceci n'est pas Snapcase", one of our forum users, work tirelessly to make the full contents of the preview available for all. -DanQ
DECIDING BETWEEN CTP1 AND CTP2?
(25 April 2001, 22:56 EST/CtP2) On-line Retailer Amazon UK is currently offering a deal whereby consumers can purchase both Civilization: Call To Power and Call To Power 2 for the price of a single title. If you live in Britain and haven't purchased either game yet, this may be your deciding factor. Head over to the game's product page to check it out.
At present, parent Amazon "USA" is not offering a similar deal. -DanQ
SCREENSHOTS, TELL ME YOUR SECRETS
(25 April 2001, 22:49 EST/Civ3) Forum poster Sparky has made an interesting discovery regarding one of the CGW screenshots, of which he tells in our fourms. By using simple picture-formatting techniques, Sparky has looked at the City View screenshot in literally a completely different light. Sparky explains:
On a whim I decided to peel back the darkness in the cityview screenshot of Baltimore. Using PhotoEditor, I lowered the contrast and increased the brightness.
A version of the file modified the way Sparky prescribed can be found here (96KB). Speculation as to what the image might contain is rife in the aforementioned relevant thread. -DanQ
MORE TGA IMAGES FROM CTP1
(25 April 2001, 2:50 EST/CtP2) Three new files were added to the file database on sunday, all in the Graphics Modification category. The first two, CivCTP Building Images and CivCTP Unit Images, Both by Martin Gόhmann, offer a collection of all the CTP1 buildings and units, captured from the original TGAs. Also, Chris B's CTP1 TGA's for Modders offers an alternate take on the latter. Chris explains:
Martin's pics include blancs of ctp2 icons and are more apt for tga makers. Mine include the big, small, and tiny pictures for those who don't mind having black tgas in CTP2. I am not trying to compete. -MarkG
ACOL IS BACK AND BETTER
(24 April 2001, 18:46 EST/SMAC) Alpha Centauri On-Line is able to justify its name once again after about a week's absence from the net. The vaguely SMAC-related forum and game setup service has moved to a new server, with vastly improved speed performance as a result. Also, a new version of UBB has been installed, and the URL has been changed to the much more straightforward planetacol.com. You can access the infamous forums here.
-MarkG
ECONOMY AND MILITARY MODELS IN CLASH DEMO 5
(24 April 2001, 9:39 EST/Alt) Mark Everson, Project Lead of the Clash of Civilizations development team, has informed the community through our forums that develpment of the new Clash Demo is "in the home stretch" and that we can expect it "soon". The chief change, of course, is the switch to the new architecture, but other features will also be previewed for this version:
The new economy and military models are not quite up to the standards of being a real game yet, but are sufficiently nuanced that people can play with the two models and say what they like and don't like.
Other new additions include updated government and social models, crude implementations of technology in the economic models, and maybe a new task force model. Read more of what Mark has to say in the relevant forum thread
-MarkG
WARGAMER.NET GIVES 5/5!
(24 April 2001, 9:29 EST/CtP2) The Wargamer, famous for their long, drawn out reviews has just completed an eight page monster on Call to Power II. The Wargamer came away excited with the game, saying:
In Call to Power II, Activision takes the venerable Civilization engine to the pinnacle of its achievement.
The Wargamer really likes some of the new features of CtP2, included the 'combined arms warfare', siege warfare, national economies, public works, and 'diplomacy that feels diplomatic' among other things.
The Wargamer all gushes about the Alexander the Great scenario as well, saying:
Fortunately, the game comes with three scenarios, one [The Alexander the Great Scenario] of which is so good that it could have been packaged as its own game.
The Wargamer, however, is critical about the multiplayer aspect. It's beef isn't with the system itself, but rather the finding new players on the server. The Wargamer says that it is much better to play a game among people who you know already, rather than trying to find new people to play against. The reviewer demonstrated his frustration by stating:
This editor tried four times to join an on-line game. He found nine "lobbies" where players congregated, but at no time were there more than 20 people, total, in those lobbies. Although able to chat with a few players, all of those he met were already involved in games or were about to re-enter a saved game. None had chosen the "dynamic" jump-in, jump-out option; all had opted for password-protected games - a wise choice considering the lengthy investment required for even a "short" game.
All in all, though, the Wargamer loved the game. It ended up calling it 'The Best Civilization Game Yet' and gave it a 5 out of 5 for Overall Bang for the Buck. -MarkG
CENTAURI DAWN DEADLINE EXTENDED
(23 April 2001, 20:49 EST/Misc) Recognizing that good things take time, and since some people have come out to say that they are working on stories, the deadline for the Centauri Dawn Contest is extended until May 13, 2001. Therefore, start writing now! -MarkG
FIRAXIS/MAXIS GAME AT E3
(23 April 2001, 3:41 EST/Misc) On PC.IGN's Big E3 List one can find the collaboration between Firaxis and Maxis as one of the confirmed exhibits at the E3 gaming conference. PC.IGN refers to the game as 'An as yet "unannounced" Sid Meier Sim project', lending more credence to the view that Sid is working on an existing Sim prototype. E3 is scheduled for May 17-19, so we should know what Sid Meier and Will Wright (of Maxis) are up to within a month. -MarkG
FIRST FAN ART
(22 April 2001, 23:02 EST/Civ3) What can likely be classified as the the first CivIII fan art -- at the very least, that which has been publicly released -- comes from an individual named Honary who has created digital wallpaper in the theme of the game. Four screen resolutions, from 800x600 to 1280x960, are available for download from his personal website.
Our thanks to the CivFanatics website for first reporting on this. -DanQ
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 13-19/APR/01
(22 April 2001, 11:27 EST/Misc) Not a big change here :)
STARSIEGE TRIBES 2 PC is still riding in the #1 position. BLACK & WHITE PC isn't slowing down in the #2 position. WATERLOO: NAPOLEON'S LAST BATTLE PC is still hanging in at #3.
1. Starsiege Tribes 2 ($39.95)
2. Black & White ($44.95)
3. Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle ($39.95)
4. Space Empires IV ($42.95)
5. High Heat Baseball 2002 ($34.95)
6. Europa Universalis ($39.95)
7. Sims: House Party ($28.95)
8. Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns ($39.95)
9. Hollywood Mogul ($42.95)
10. Zone of the Enders ($48.95) -MarkG
C163# VARIANCES IN GAME PLAY SETUPS
(21 April 2001, 20:31 EST/Misc) The 163rd edition of The Column is here, with Troll's article: VARIANCES IN GAME PLAY SETUPS.
The author describes various ways to make your civ games more interesting. While he mainly talks about CTP2, similar settings can be made in other civ games too. Check it out! -MarkG
TRADE WARS 2002 AND EARTH 2025 FORUMS
(21 April 2001, 18:58 EST/Alt) Two forums for two "alternative civs"(in the broader sense) opened yesterday under the "Alternative Civs / Other Games" forum category.
Earth 2025 and Trade Wars 2002 are two of the most fun online games you can play waiting for Civ3! Check them out! -MarkG
FORUMS FOR CTP2 MERGED TO TWO
(20 April 2001, 15:53 EST/CtP2) Adjusting to the needs... The CTP2 Forums have been merged to two:
- CtP2-General/Help/Strategy/Multiplaying
- CtP2-Creation/AI/Mods/Scenarios
Yeap, the titles are long... :) -MarkG
TURN BASED, SIMULTANEOUS EXECUTION?
(20 April 2001, 14:22 EST/Misc) Jψrn "Innocence" Garde of RJ Cyberware, developers of Manifest Destiny, has written an interesting article on various models for handling the turn based format in multiplayer, and has come down firmly on the side of a simultaneous execution model. This means each person sends in orders to a centrally located host and only then are the actual moves executed. Could this be the solution to the inherent problems of PBEM, or do you prefer the old model? Discuss -MarkG
NO KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN CIV3
(20 April 2001, 14:20 EST/Civ3) Zardos suggested recently on our forums that the complex business management theory of Knowledge Management should be included in Civ3. Basically, his suggestion was that you would somehow be able to control how much you were willing to share information in your community, with a high spread meaning faster knowledge but a bigger chance of Spy infestation.
Firaxis webmaster Dan Magaha, who has a personal interest in the subject, replied with a few ideas of his own on how the theory could be applied, but also stated that
KM theory is so mind-numbing I think I'd rather not imagine it finding its way into Civ =)
It therefore seems unlikely to make it into the product. Agree? Disagree? Discuss the topic directly with Dan at the relevant forum thread -MarkG
GAMESPOT ON SID-MAXIS COLLABORATION
(20 April 2001, 2:16 EST/Misc) In yesterday's Letter to the Editor, Gamespot speculates on what the Sid Meier - Will Wright collaboration could mean in terms of the game that they shall release together. Gamespot adds its voice to the chorus that states more details, undoubtably will come out at the E3 convention:
However, I'll bet you we'll be hearing a lot more about this project about a month from now, during the E3 convention in Los Angeles.
Gamespot also looks at the infrequent Sid/Maxis meetings and the fact the game is due out at the end of the year to mean that the title that will come out has already been in development at Maxis. Gamespot's guess: Sid Meier's SimVille?
Therefore, presumably, this new game of theirs already exists in some form. Perhaps Sid Meier was brought on to work on SimsVille, Maxis' town-level Sims game? The Sims' site does say that Meier has been spotted at Maxis, and that the game is a "Sim title," so make your own guesses for now.
Firaxis or Maxis have not released any other information on their game, other that it exists and that is expected later this year. -MarkG
SALES UNEXPECTEDLY LOW FOR CTP2
(19 April 2001, 17:15 EST/CtP2) The latest issue of Technology Investor Magazine reports that gaming company Activision is falling to pieces, and what’s more- CTP2 is one of the main reasons. According to the article,
Last Quarter its earnings dropped 35%. However, Tony Hawk was not the 1-2 punch that hurt Activision. The 'CTP2' sequel, which was expected to match its prequel ‘Call to Power’, bottomed out selling less than 30 000 copies.
As Activision has previously announced a complete drop-out from the PC Market, the prospects of more sequels coming from them seems increasingly slim. However, there have been reports of other developers, most notably Westwood, bidding to buy the remains of the company, including all its licences, so all hope should not be abandoned. Thanks to masterdebatez@aol.com for typing out the article, which can be found at the related forum thread. -MarkG
FIRAXIS TRADEWARS 2002 SERVER OPENS
(19 April 2001, 17:09 EST/Misc) Firaxis webmaster Dan Magaha announced yesterday on our forums that the planned server for old ANSI BBS game Trade Wars 2002 previously reported on our forums is now up and running. It can be accessed for free from The Firaxis Website. Dan also stated that he intends
...to add a bunch of supplemental materials up there, including instructions and background on the game and why I think it's such a great game (to me it's the Nethack of space/trading games).
Thanks, Dan. ;) What are you waiting for? Go check out what Firaxians are doing in their free time. -MarkG
LINUX UPDATE V1.2A
(19 April 2001, 0:18 EST/CtP) On April 9, Loki Entertainment Software released patch v1.2a for the Linux port of C:CTP. The notable exceptions are for the English language versions of the Alpha and x86 variants where v1.1 remains the most current patch available for download.
At present, Loki's support section lists eight identified mirrors of the v1.2a file; in the coming weeks, Apolyton's CTP Database will be updated to reflect the availability of this new update. For complete update information, click here. -DanQ
CD CONTEST SUBMISSIONS?
(19 April 2001, 0:02 EST/About) With the server move earlier this month, accompanied by the week and a half of mail difficulties that was corrected just yesterday, we are looking to see if there have been any submissions for the "Centauri Dawn" contest that is presently running its course.
If you have, please let us know in this thread. -DanQ
EMAIL PROBLEM RESOLVED
(18 April 2001, 20:27 EST/About) After a week and a half of technical difficulties, GameStats Tech. was finally able to correct the problem that was causing all @apolyton.net email addresses to become inactive. This problem was resolved at 4PM EST this afternoon and a great majortiy of ISPs should have benefited from this resolution within the hour thereafter.
If the problem is still persisting beyond a 24hr. period from the time of this post, please email us [see alternative addresses below] with a complete transcript of your recent error messages etc.
We thank everyone for their continued patience. -DanQ
FORUMS BACK TO APOLYTON.NET
(18 April 2001, 15:09 EST/About) The forums now use again the "apolyton.net" urls(instead of the "www.apolyton.net" ones) for the internal links of the various pages. If you visit http://apolyton.net/forums or http://www.apolyton.net/forums (as is the correct way to enter the forums) you should be taken to http://apolyton.net/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi
If you face any cookie related problems, try deleting them and reseting them from the preferences page. If you continue to have a problem, report it on the related forum thread. -MarkG
SUCCESSION GAME BEGINS
(17 April 2001, 16:59 EST/CtP2) After having to deal with various problems, the first CTP2 Succession Game has started.
Sean reports his first 20 turns as "Apolyton", leader of the Greeks:
4000; The 1st Apolyton takes charge of his wandering people. They are a large population (2 settlers). In this same year he orders the foundation of Athens, the Capital. The second settler begins the quest to find fertile soil for a seond settlement. On a short trip dowm Apolyton river(next to greece: I found it, I'll name it), they discover a Hut, being ecplores they enter the hut, and persude the residents to jion the Greek cause (we get a third settler). Mean while, Back in Athens Apolyton I orders the commisioning of a new Warrior unit to defend Athens...
And the history of the world has just begun :) -MarkG
CTP PBEM CHART 15/4/01
(16 April 2001, 7:10 EST/CtP) KLAIR and MOBIUS continue to stay on the top in the latest CTP1 PBEM Chart
RANK NAME................... RATING WIN. LOSS NAT.TR
0001 KLAIR.................. 23.256 0027 0000 FRA...
0002 MOBIUS................. 22.833 0029 0002 GBR.EN
0003 RICK_ELKINS............ 22.372 0020 0009 USA.NY
0004 SWISSY................. 21.782 0016 0003 USA.IL
0005 THEBIRDMAN............. 21.600 0063 0043 DEN...
0006 BERXPERT............... 21.023 0014 0001 MEX...
0007 ZOBOZEWARRIOR.......... 21.000 0000 0000 FRA...
0008 BLACKICE............... 20.995 0026 0007 CAN.ON
0009 SLAMP.................. 20.964 0022 0008 FRA...
0010 KEYGEN................. 20.878 0014 0011 GRE...
The full list of the 41(!) players participating can be found in the forum -MarkG
SMAC PBEM CHART 15/4/1
(16 April 2001, 7:03 EST/SMAC) Due to the server move and the lack of time for other things that it created, the chart was on "vacation", but it's here again. BIG_CANUK has taken the lead!
POS....NAME............ RATING
001....BIG_CANUK...... 21.881
002....MARK13......... 21.308
003....STUNTMAN19..... 21.167
004....SOLVER......... 21.133
005....REDFRED........ 21.000
006....DILTHIUMDAD.... 21.000
007....KEYGEN......... 20.875
008....TAU_CETI....... 20.228
009....REGGY.......... 20.160
010....MISOTU......... 19.842
The full list on the forum -MarkG
C#162: STRATEGY "BUGS" OF CIVILIZATION
(14 April 2001, 13:18 EST/Misc) Always delivered for over 2.5 years now, the Column is here like every week, ignoring holidays, vacations and easter bunnies :)
Therefore, here is the 162nd article for The Column, STRATEGY "BUGS" OF CIVILIZATION, by AeroPrinz.
Comments are always welcome. -MarkG
MISC, CIV3, ABOUT SEARCH, CTP DB = FIXED
(14 April 2001, 12:18 EST/About) Remaining problems from the server upgrde that were fixed today:
- Search engines for Miscellaneous, Civilization 3 and About section are wroking again
- CTP File Database fully working(only downloads were functional before)
If you face a problem around the site, please report on the related forum thread. -MarkG
TRADE WARS 2002 INTEREST
(14 April 2001, 10:02 EST/Misc) And now, for a change of pace. If you remember Trade Wars 2002, and are interested in playing, perhaps you would like to match up with Firaxian webmaster Dan Magaha.
On Thursday, Magaha announced his intention to setup a copy of the recently released client-server which Firaxis has since acquired a license to.
I was considering putting a server up for public use, but wanted to find out how many folks would be interested in a primarily text-based, space trading type of game. If there is enough interest, I'll get it set up and get everyone more information on how to access it.
If you are indeed interested, led Magaha know in the forum thread linked to above. -DanQ
PLANETARY PACK FOR LINUX THIS MONDAY!!
(14 April 2001, 3:52 EST/SMAC) 
After a really long delay(it was expected since last summer!), Loki is releasing the Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack(SMAC and SMAC-X in one box), this Monday, April 16, 2001.
While Loki has announced a suggested price of $29.99, Amazon lists it at $49.99! Therefore, you'd better get it directly from Loki ;)
Comment forum thread -MarkG
EMAIL PROBLEMS
(13 April 2001, 22:54 EST/About) For those who have been experiencing difficulties in emailing individuals "@apolyton.net", possibly for a week, it is a result of some work the GameStats Tech. team has been working on. The problem has been on report for nearly as long and, at present, status of the work on resolving the problem is simply ongoing.
In the interim, you can reach DanQ and MarkG at the following addresses respectively if you are experiencing the said difficulty: dquick@superaje.com, markg@egnatia.ee.auth.gr. -DanQ
MAXIS AND MEIER?
(13 April 2001, 20:54 EST/Misc) Just yesterday, Firaxis Games encouraged visitors to visit the news section of TheSims.com for information on a project involving Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts and Will Wrights' company of Sim series fame.
Legendary game designer, Sid Meier (Alpha Centauri & Civilization), has been spotted at Maxis on a few occasions in recent months. Although the specifics are a closely guarded secret, we can tell you that Sid and Firaxis are working on a Sim title that is due out later this year. Look for more details in the coming weeks.
As the announcement above states, more information will be made public when it becomes available. -DanQ
NO AUDIO NEWSLETTERS IN APRIL
(13 April 2001, 20:51 EST/Misc) Due to time constraints, there will be no audio newsletters posted this month. They will return in May and "back broadcasts" will also be made available. It is anticipated that all back broadcasts will be available by May 21st.
Thank you for your patience and understanding -- we hope that you will join us next month when the audio newsletter versions return. In the meantime, you can read the weekly newsletter and back issues of its audio cousin by following this URL. -DanQ
FULL CGW ARTICLE ON ZDNET
(13 April 2001, 2:02 EST/Civ3) If you want to read the full civ3 preview of Computer Gaming World magzine, check out the copy of the article on ZDNet. No screenshots from the magazine are included, just the ones released by Firaxis on the web. Lots of interesting stuff to read though, of course. -MarkG
SETTLERS VS PUBLIC WORKS
(10 April 2001, 18:55 EST/Civ3) The recent news that Civ3 will have in improved settler system for terrain improvement has generated a lot of discussion. The reasonable thing to then is to have a poll about it :) -MarkG
A NEW PALACE!
(10 April 2001, 18:22 EST/Civ3) And the people of civ have spoken! We want a palace that will be something new :)
Here are the results of our 16th civ3 poll| Civ3: Throne Room or Palace? | | Option | Votes / Percentage | | Palace(Civ1) |  120 / 38% | | Throne Room(Civ2) | 27 / 8% | | Fordbiden City(CTP1) | 5 / 1% | | Something new | 102 / 33% | | Nothing | 27 / 8% | | Dont care | 27 / 8% | | Total Votes: 308 | | View Comments | Forum thread |
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-MarkG
CIV2 & SMAC DATABASES WORKING
(10 April 2001, 18:06 EST/About) Continuing our efforts to be back in full operation after our server move, the Civ2 and SMAC file databases are working again. Happy downloads! -MarkG
MANIFEST DESTINY FORUMS
(10 April 2001, 18:02 EST/Alt) Ron Hiller announced the opening of the new R&J Cyberware Forums, which include of course forums for Manifest Destiny, as well as Slick-6. Check them out now! -MarkG
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS @ E3
(9 April 2001, 23:58 EST/Civ3) Earlier this afternoon, Well-Rounded Entertainment posted a report stating that Infrogrames will be making showings of the latest build of CivIII availalbe at this year's E3 -- by appointment only.
Infogrames' decision follows last week's news from Electronic Arts that neither The Sims Online nor Earth & Beyond would be shown publicly. This will be the first chance for members of the gaming industry to see how the game is progressing.
CivIII was first announced to the world during E3 '99. -DanQ
GALCIV SITE NOW LIVE
(9 April 2001, 23:55 EST/Alt) Computer Games Online is reporting that the official Galactic Civilizations website is now live at galciv.com.
Stardock, the company developing GalCiv, originally produced it for the OS/2 platform but is now being expanded into the Windows environment. The site will contain up to date news on the game and game design process and allow you to interact with the development team. The company promises "unprecedented access" to early builds, feedback, suggestions, and more.
While the game is not expected to be released for at least another year, subscribers to Stardock's Drengin.net will have access to beta versions in the coming months. -DanQ
APOLYTON NEWS 1-7/APRIL/2001
(9 April 2001, 5:46 EST/Misc) And here is the other issue of the newsletter that was on the waiting list... The main headlines for April 1-7 2001 are:
- Civ3 Site Update
- Server Upgrade
In a flash: The official Civ3 site is updated, annoucing that there will be no PW-like system, but instead the classic settler model will be used. And we are finishing the move to the new server while OT gets a third moderator
Want to geet this every week in your mail box? Subscribe today! -MarkG
APOLYTON NEWS 25-31/MARCH/2001
(9 April 2001, 4:18 EST/Misc) The newsletter is here even if it means doing it while we should be doing other things(those described by words that start with "wo" and end with "rk"). The main headlines for March 25-31 2001 are:
- First Civ3 Screenshots
- Centauri Dawn Contest
In a flash: We start the Centauri Dawn contest, the first we do for SMAC, while Computer Gaming World magazine publishes the first real preview of civ3, screenshots included! And in the middle of all this, we are moving to a new server, which causes all kinds of problems and delays... ;)
Want to geet this every week in your mail box? Subscribe today! -MarkG
C#161: KNOW YOUR ENEMY
(9 April 2001, 2:57 EST/Misc) Mailed on time, but posted on the web with delay, the 161st article of the Column is here: Lazarus and the Gimp describes the various types of players that can "ruin your day"
So, KNOW YOUR ENEMY and discuss about it.
-MarkG
APOLYTONERS FIGHT CANCER
(7 April 2001, 13:52 EST/Misc) Cool newspaper-style title, no? :) If you're bored trying to find little green people on the Apolyton SETI Team, there is now the a more "down to earth" effort which you can help with your spare cpu time: join the Apolyton Anti-Cancer Team! -MarkG
CHIPS&BITS TOP 10 30/MAR-5/APR/01
(7 April 2001, 2:49 EST/Misc) A new release and straight to the top!
STARSIEGE TRIBES 2 PC is just in and unquestionably at #1. BLACK & WHITE PC has assumed the #2 position. WATERLOO: NAPOLEON'S LAST BATTLE PC has dropped to #3.
1. Starsiege Tribes 2 ($39.95)
2. Black & White ($44.95)
3. Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle ($39.95)
4. Space Empires IV ($42.95)
5. Europa Universalis ($39.95)
6. Sims: House Party ($28.95)
7. Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel ($42.95)
8. Ultima Online: Third Dawn ($39.95)
9. Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns ($39.95)
10. Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter ($26.95)
-MarkG
CIV3 SITE UPDATE: NO PUBLIC WORKS!
(6 April 2001, 16:55 EST/Civ3) The next update for the official civ3 site is finally here with answers to 4 questions. What's new:
- No public works system. Classic settler now removes two populations units in an effort to kill ICS. A new worker unit does all the teraforming stuff.
- More advanced border system. Free-passage agreements, Automatic withdrawn of forces upon demand.
- "Go to" command is back, improved path routines
- Advisors are here too, the guy on the right is the science advisor!
Thanks to Sein3 for the update -MarkG
FROM DANQ: LIMITED AVAILABILITY
(5 April 2001, 21:23 EST/About) Open letter to all Apolyton CS visitors:
"Good evening, everyone.
While the beginning of May marks the end of my commitments for the 2000-01 school year, April marks a very busy and stressful time for me that I must go through -- as do most other college and university students -- to get to that point. My exams are sprinkled throughout this month and, as such, effective Monday, April 9th I will be on limited availability until Monday, April 30th.
I will still be checking my email/ICQ messages etc. but I will not be able to respond to your inquiries as quickly as you may have grown accustomed to and, trust me, I wish that this were not the case. This is not to say not to contact me at all, but that to be sure to address your correspondence to both Markos and myself to ensure as timely and comprehensive response as possible (as is the case year round). For emergencies, however, please contact Markos only and directly during the aforementioned period.
In closing, I wish to extend my best of luck to all those peers of mine who are also hitting the books this month. Keep On Civ'in!" -DanQ
NEW SERVER SPECS
(4 April 2001, 19:49 EST/About) Now that the dust is starting to settle on all the comotion surrounding Apolyton's server move this past weekend, it is only fitting that we share with you the new server's specifications that we are now privileged to be able to enjoy.
Apolyton is now on a:
Dual Pentium III 933Mhz
1GB RAM
Four 60GB SCSI Hard Drives
Red Hat Linux v7.0
For more configuration information, see GameStats' About: Network page.
-DanQ
LEADER CONCERNS
(4 April 2001, 16:17 EST/Civ3) The recent preview of CivIII in Computer Games Magazine [see story below] has led to some questions regarding the civilization leader pictures and who they are. While members of Firaxis' CivIII team are neither confirming or denying suggestions put forth, they have addressed a concern by Trachmir, one of Apolyton's forum users.
I'm quite worried about these leaders, he laments. It seems very unlikely that they are going to include a lot of civilizations if each one needs this diplo-animation. I also wonder about MODs to add new civs, and how difficult and/or incomplete it will be.
Dan Magaha, Firaxis webmaster, responds.
Our goal has always been quality and not quantity. We're putting a lot of effort into the default set of civilizations and units, but we fully expect that players will be able to create whatever civs, units, scenarios, or whatever else they wanted that we just don't have time to create.
Just as we're going to have provisions for scenario makers who want to create custom units without the complexity of articulated, animated units, there should be some sort of provision for custom civilizations. -DanQ
APOLYTON.NET STATUS UPDATE
(4 April 2001, 16:06 EST/About) The administration of Apolyton is asking that all visitors try to visit the site via "apolyton.net" and email us if they can access the site.
GS. Tech informs us that the problem should be now be resolved and, hopefully within the next 24-48hrs., "apolyton.net" sans the "www." should be working and most remant problems from last weekend's server move should be corrected in the process.
We are getting numerous email messages on the status of the site and while the volume is considerable, we are more than happy to point people in the right direction of information as this demonstrates the loyal base of supports that ACS has accumulated over the past two-and-a-half years. Again, on behalf of the staff and administration of Apolyton, your continued patience and support is greatly appreciated. -DanQ
WILL CIV3 BE IN E3?
(4 April 2001, 15:47 EST/Civ3) As Atahualpa first noted in the forums, Firaxis is not listed in the Exhibitors list of E3. Still, this could mean nothing, as Civ3 could be presented in Infogrames' booth. A certain webmaster who happens to frequent a certain forum might be able to answer this certain issue :) -MarkG
AUDIO NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE ONLINE
(3 April 2001, 0:36 EST/Misc) Good morning.
As promised, the archive of the audio version of our newsletter has been fully restored. It was taken offline almost a week ago as a temporary measure pending Apolyton's move over to the new GameStats network server (see our About section for more details).
Filed broadcasts from both 2000 and 2001 are now available directly from apolyton.net, whereas earlier the former were hosted on our hosts', GameStats', download reserve server. -DanQ
PROBLEMS WITH FILE DATABASES -- UPDATE
(2 April 2001, 16:13 EST/About) If you are experiencing problems downloading files from our numerous files' databases, then you are not alone. We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve it.
It is a remnant problem of our recent server move and we anticipate to have it solved within the next few ays.
We thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
17:05, Update: The CTP2 Database is again functional. -DanQ
`APOLYTON.NET` ALIVE
(2 April 2001, 12:14 EST/About) Within the next 24-48hrs., all points of Internet access should be able to reach Apolyton CS via "apolyton.net" without the "www." in front of it.
The reason for the delay in some areas over others is technical in nature but suffice to say that it should be resolved in the next couple of days. There are still some odds and ends being resolved in certain others, but by far and large the move to the new server is complete.
We thank you all for your continued patience and trust that the minor inconveniences over the past several days will be well worth the benefits that all ACS visitors can now enjoy! -DanQ
THIRD OT MODERATOR: MTG
(1 April 2001, 19:39 EST/About) Today, CivII and Off-Topic forum moderator Ming announced that MichaelTheGreat has accepted the position of and has been appointed the third moderator of the latter forum.
Congratulations, MtG, and welcome to the Apolyton team! -DanQ
C#160: JUST A LITTLE THOUGHT ABOUT CIV
(1 April 2001, 17:36 EST/Misc) "Yet another Swedish SMAC/X addict", Closey, takes the stand and writes for the Column, with our 160th article titled: Just a little thought about Civ. Check it out! -MarkG
SERVER UPGRADE
(1 April 2001, 17:18 EST/About) As you might have noticed from the various announcements and of course from the error pages you probably got(and still get) yesterday and today, something serious happened.
And it was indeed serious, as we moved to a new bigger, faster and with more... "tools" Gamestats server. There are already reports from people on increased speed in the forums. Expect to see bigger improvements in the near future.
Depending on your location you are most likely to be able to visit us at www.apolyton.net(and www.apolyton.com) but some should be able to access us from apolyton.net as well.
The basic stuff is working, but several parts of the site depending on cgi scripts are likely to still not function well. We hope that all this will be sorted out in the coming days. Please report any problems in the Apolyton/Community forum.
Our thanks to Gamestats' Leo Campione and Tony Bolger for their continuing help and efforts in preparing and making the move. -MarkG
