Apolyton Civilization Site: Civilization II Section

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NEWS ARCHIVE

WHAT WAS NEW ON THE SITE

30.Oct Column #74; By DaveV
26.Oct Column #73; By DomK
23.Oct Column #72; By XZealot
19.Oct Column #71; By Imran Siddiqui
16.Oct Column #70; By Yin
13.Oct Column #69; By Gregor
9.Oct Column #68; By Sir David
6.Oct Column #67; By Yin
2.Oct Column #66; By Yin

FRENCH ToT PATCH v1.1
(October 29, 1999) MicroProse has released the second localized version patch for Civilization II: Test of Time -- French patch v1.1; this can be downloaded directly from Apolyton by clicking here (3MB). It is imparitive that only download and install this patch if you are running the French version of the game, and a similar word of caution goes out for the English version. Failure to heed this warning may result in needing to reinstall the software if problems persist after applying the patch.
The other "language" patches will be released by MPS in the coming weeks.

TIME THREAT PARADOX SCENARIO
(October 27, 1999) The wait is over. MicroProse has released their long awaited Test of Time scenario Time Threat Paradox by reknowned graphics king Mick Uhl. The download, 11MB, is a self-extracting EXE which makes setup a snap. At 100MB when installed, it is quite an endeavour.

SERVER SIZE

Apolyton
MicroProse 11MB

First mentioned in ToT Patch v1.1 README more than a month ago, it is the first "creation" MPS has made available for download in several years, and the first in another respect: in this scenario, you have to travel back in time, hence the title. "Develop or steal technologies that will enable you to travel to the near or distant future to unravel this mystery", reads the scenario's description. "The future will shock you, and as you uncover the clues you will be confounded and consumed by this epic plot. Better yet, travel back in time and change your present - the possibilities are spellbinding"!

From the table above, select your download location and click on the Server name to begin. Before you do so, we first recommend installing Go!Zilla or GetRight which will allow you to resume downloading at a later time if need be.

ABOUT.COM REVIEW
(October 18, 1999) About.COM, formerly The Mining Co., a little over a week ago published their review of Civilization II: Test of Time. Reviewer Ned Jordan, About.COM's Computer Strategy Gaming Guide, touched on the following topics and more:

Gameplay: "While combat often plays a large role in the game, sound city and technology management will most often win the day"...
Graphics: "...the graphics do show their age and are several years behind the cutting edge".

So what's his bottom line? "This game scores: 8 out of 10, if you don't own Civilization II, 6 out of 10 if you do... give it a look when it reaches the discount bin".

REVIEW ROUND-UP
(October 8, 1999) Today we complete our comprehensive run-down of known Civilization II: Test of Time reviews available online... for now.
We hope that based on these and other first-hand accounts, you will be able to make the decision for yourself: to buy or not to buy.

GameOver (79%): "The gameplay itself hasn’t changed at all from CivII, there are just a few primary additions and enhancements that help revive a game that has been plodding away for three years now. The ability to go between worlds is quite cool as well. The three new game styles allow you to go between different ‘planets’ once you have gotten the required technology to travel between them. It makes the game MUCH bigger. Bigger usually makes things better, so it’s ... interesting at least.

All in all, Test of Time is a heck of a revamp for CivII. If you don’t already have CivII or CivII Gold, then by all means, this is the best in the package. You get more for your money in ToT, but if you’ve already gotten CivII Gold (since the multiplayer option is a nice feature), then you might want to pass on it".

The Gamer's Voice (2.5/5): "The big selling point for Test of Time was the fact that you can play it in several modes: "Classic" Civ II, Civ II Extended game, Fantasy, Science Fiction and also internet play. I tested all modes pretty extensively and noted that the game would get very slow at times as it was processing moves. This was most noticeable over the Net in multiplayer mode.
There were also problems with the graphics in that they were very dark and murky... A note to parents: This game is fine for the younger set. There is no gore and no "adult" content. Just exploration, development and conquest. However, the complexity level is such that I would recommend the game for teens and older.

In conclusion, [ToT is one to buy if you’re a bonafide Civilization fanatic and simply cannot live without the new worlds. However, if you already have CivII, you can pass this one by, because it’s basically the same thing with window dressing".

(October 7, 1999) Scouring the Net has resulted in the discovery of some less-than-publicized reviews of Test of Time, but worth a look nonetheless.

Over the next several days we'll be bringing you a quick run-down on what we've gathered. Let's get started:

Hyper@ctive (8/10): "Among these changes" [to the graphics] "is the addition of animation to the units, which gives them the ability to fight, move and die more realistically. This said, press releases put out before the release of the game indicated that animations would be incorporated into almost every aspect of the game (resources, city, ocean, etc.), however it seems that a rush to get the game out meant that they had to cut back in some areas.
So you want to know if it's worth buying?... if some new animations, some new cut-scenes and a few other new game improvements are worth the cost to you, then go for it - otherwise you would probably be just as happy with one of the bundled copies of CivII".
Intelligamer (3.5/5): "The gamer is now a native Windows 95 application which has a tweaked user interface that is a bit easier to use than the original. In addition, you get extended play in the form of multi-map games.
But really the core of the game is essentially the same. Sure, different races have different units in the Fantasy game, by far the most interesting of the variants, and the science fiction game is sort of like Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri in scope, but ultimately the game feels more like a set of user created "mods" than anything else... I think the game also has some "leaks," read bugs, in memory management.
The bottom line for Civilization II fans is this: if you must have every Civilization II product ever sold, by all means buy this one, but wait until the price falls. For anyone who has, for whatever reason, missed out on one of the best games ever, buy the original and skip this one unless you simply have to try multiplayer".
Escape Magazine (7/10): "The final result, unfortunately, is a mishmash that makes Civ fans want to pop in the game that started it all.
The graphics have been given an overhaul, but are darker and blurrier now. Granted, the original graphics don’t hold up, especially in the face of Alpha Centauri, but these prevent those hours-long gaming sessions we fondly remember. They’re simply too vague to stare at for very long without massive eye strain... The fantasy and sci-fi scenarios are interesting, but never really compelling.
Luckily, there’s lots of talk about this being a stopgap until Civilization 3. While that may sound bad, it means there’s a Civ 3 on the horizon, presumably with Meier’s participation again. That can make this one’s failings a bit more bearable".

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