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Harry Tuttle
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of the Hoople Heads
Mar 2003
time: 00:16
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Ok guys and gals, I have written up the beginning of a letter that we can start editing and hopefully send to the owners of the source code.
Please be advised, to whomever views this post, that this draft letter, that is posted in this singular post by me, has been solely written by me, Harry Tuttle (real name: William M. Schneider). This letter has been posted for the express purpose of being edited by all those involved in the petition and is not the final form.
Hope this goes well: 
The letter:
Dear Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition Source Code Owners,
This petition seeks to gain permission from you, the Civ2: Multiplayer Gold Edition owners, for the release of the Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition source code. We present this petition to you in all good faith, as Civilization 2 fans, as loyal Civilization game franchise followers, and ultimately Civilization game purchasers.
For the past 9 years the computer game Civilization 2 has been on the market throughout the world and for 7 years Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition has been on the market throughout the world.
During this time Civilization 2 has enthralled millions with its addicting game play, its ease of use, and ultimately its adaptability to modifications. Since its release it has gained a following like no other game ever released. Even today, many years past the release of Civilization, there are ### (I want to say 5 main ones, but I know their are more smaller individual run sites, please post their addresses) websites around the world devoted to the game and its predecessors. No one can deny Civilization 2 is a game that will forever be revered as a classic.
As with any game that has brought so much pleasure to its fans we, the members of Apolyton.net, Civfanatics.com, The Civ2 Creative Design Forums, The Polish Civilization 2 Site, and the German Civilization 2 Site seek to learn more about the game which has enthralled us for nearly a decades worth of time. We, in full knowledge and consent, ask you to release the source code of Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition to us, the public, for use in modification for non-financial means. We only seek to better and modify the game that has been enjoyed for so long so that we can continue enjoying it, and all the Civilization genre games, including the upcoming the fourth so named Civilization game.
Again, we do not seek to gain financially from this petition nor will we tolerate those who seek to gain from any such release. We are committed to making the source code open to all, at no cost, so that others can continue to enjoy a game that has opened the world of gaming to so many.
As Civilization fans we realize that the source code to Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition may still be viewed as commercially viable to any such producer and distributor of the game. To those that seek to gain from the further release of the Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition we present the following arguments. Please realize that these arguments are presented in good faith, as we do not wish to prod anyone to give up the source code against their will or the will of the ultimate decision makers in the process. We only seek to present an argument and, hopefully, receive a viable argument as to the opposite of our goal.
We present the following arguments for the release of the Civilization 2: Multiplayer Gold Edition source code.
Letter ends here, open to additions
Ok, well post away. Add, edit the letter as you see fit. Present arguments as to the release if indeed you think we should put that in the letter.
I will update the letter if my letter is deemed OK to add to. If not, we'll do something else. Enjoy.
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Mercator
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Sorekara no Nanimo
Jan 1970
time: 06:16
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I would definitely rather have ToT, but I think we should leave out any specific version and just refer to it as Civilization II, Sid Meier's Civilizaton II in full, and mention all different releases in passing, like you did in the second paragraph, possibly including which companies it was released by as well.
I don't think they should be referred to as owners, but it should probably be addressed to Atari and/or Firaxis, because I certainly have no idea who owns the code, and what other parties there may need to be involved in getting the code released.
Other than that, I don't really know what would need to be in the petition...
Apart from e-mailing this to some Atari/Firaxis, we might also try to contact some of the Firaxis/Microprose people who registered here. John Possidente and Soren Johnson are two names that spring to mind.
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Harry Tuttle
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of the Hoople Heads
Mar 2003
time: 00:16
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Ok, update. Give me your comments please!
The letter:
Dear Atari,
This petition seeks to gain permission from you, the Civilization II/Sid Meier's Civilizaton II holders, for the release of the Civilization II source code. We present this petition to you in all good faith, as Civilization II fans, as loyal Civilization game franchise followers, and ultimately Civilization game purchasers.
For the past 9 years the computer game Civilization II has been on the market throughout the world and for 7 years Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition has been on the market throughout the world.
During this time Civilization II has enthralled millions with its addicting game play, its ease of use, and ultimately its adaptability to modifications. Since its release it has gained a following like no other game ever released. Even today, many years past the release of Civilization, there are ### (I want to say 5 main ones, but I know their are more smaller individual run sites, please post their addresses) websites around the world devoted to the game and its predecessors. No one can deny Civilization 2 is a game that will forever be revered as a classic.
As with any game that has brought so much pleasure to its fans we, the members of Apolyton.net, Civfanatics.com, The Civ 2 Creative Design Forums, Civ.Org.pl, and the German Civilization 2 Site seek to learn more about the game which has enthralled us for nearly a decades worth of time. We, in full knowledge and consent, ask you to release the source code of Civilization II to us, the public, for use in modification for non-financial means. We only seek to better and modify the game that has been enjoyed for so long so that we can continue enjoying it, and all the Civilization genre games, including the upcoming the fourth so named Civilization game.
Again, we do not seek to gain financially from this petition nor will we tolerate those who seek to gain from any such release. We are committed to making the source code open to all, at no cost, so that others can continue to enjoy a game that has opened the world of gaming to so many.
As Civilization fans we realize that the source code to Civilization II may still be viewed as commercially viable to any such producer and distributor of the game. To those that seek to gain from the further commercial release of Civilization II we present the following arguments. Please realize that these arguments are presented in good faith, as we do not wish to prod anyone to give up the source code against their will or the will of the ultimate decision makers in the process. We only seek to present an argument and, hopefully, receive a viable argument as to the opposite of our goal.
The arguments for the release of the Civilization II source code.
1) Due to the recent release of Windows XP and the Operating System's penchant for not working well with old games, Civilization II has been increasingly troublesome to play. Major modifications to the root directory are required to run the game, causing problems for any Civ2/Windows XP user. As is evident, Windows XP has become the dominant Operating System for all new computers. Thus, Civilization II has become an obsolete game.
2) In a market dominated by 3 dimensional polygon games, graphic heavy "shooters", and game console like games, the idea of playing a game like Civilization II has been lost to many consumers. Very few people want to pay for a game that was originally released in 1997. Thus, Civilization II has become uninteresting to the vast majority of computer game consumers.
3) With the release of Civilization 3, Civilization 3 "add-ons", and the future release of Civilization 4, Civilization II has been passed by as the leading game in the genre of strategy/empire building. Only a few adamant players across the world have chosen to play Civilization II, not enough to be any sort of viable consumer base.
4) An avenue sometimes overlooked is the ability for "gamers" to improve a game. Many people talk about what they want in a game like Civilization II but few actually bother to bring their thoughts to fruition. With the release of the source code the small Civilization II gaming community could improve upon the game, outlining what they, the hardcore gamers, want in a strategy/empire building game. Needless to say, this opens up an opportunity for any future producers of games in the strategy/empire building genre to learn what gamers really want. The signers of this petition are the types of gamers that know what they want and tend to set a precedent for other like minded gamers. Through the exploration of the internal workings of the Civilization II source code future designers can discover what exactly consumers desire from their strategy/empire building game. The opportunity for designers to learn, improve, and ultimately produce a better selling game is now.
5) Goodwill, is an important part of retaining customers. In any industry it is important to reinforce the idea that producers want to satisfy their customers. Any business owner knows that a happy customer is a return customer and that a happy customer will spread the word of a well meaning company. We, the signers of this petition, believe that releasing the source code to Civilization II is the perfect opportunity to build brand loyalty among Civilization fans. A great many game consumers like the idea that a game producer is out to not only create and sell a agame, but to also entertain and satisfy their customers. Remember, a happy constumer, is a return customer.
6) Building a following among fans creates an aura of infallibility. Fans of any game will ultimately be apt to continue purchasing any following games in a series. The "group think" among fans of any product, is that any future releases can only improve. With the release of the Civilization II source code many fans will view with affection later releases of the series, facilitating higher sales for the future game. Marketing does not only entail reinforcing the image of the latest game, but reinforcing the image of the entire series. The release of the source code will ignite a new interest in strategy/empire building games, creating a clamor for games of the same ilk.
Letter ends here, open to additions
EDIT: Grammar
Last edited by Harry Tuttle on 20-10-2004 at 09:20
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GoPostal
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You have to trust someone deity (and any password is eventually crackable)
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SezoN the II
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Niema najmniejszego problemu. Zawsze bedziesz mogl dodac aktualizacje, wystarczy tylko mi ja wyslac. Jestem z Jeleniej Gory a Ty?
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SezoN the II
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Because Yaroslav had gone and petitioners list (here and at CFC) wasn't updated long time ago.
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CapTVK
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Voorburg, the Netherlands, Europe
Jan 1970
time: 05:16
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I have another point to make about the licence and the graphic files to make. I've already made my personal standpoint clear about what sort of licence would be best. This time in relation to the situation to the CTP2 source project. The point is made in the thread about making an official 'release' of the CtP2 source.
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthre...threadid=123168
quote:
5) If we do decide to release now, how do we maximamize publicity to get as many people interested as possible?
6) Where should this project go after the release (if we have one)?....
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The focus is on point 5: "How to maximize publicity". In the context of the CtP2 community this should be read as "inform the general public about an official release". Trouble is, for the CtP2 community, due to the licence restrictions. There is no general public available!
The only public you could ever hope to reach is the one that has a legal copy of CtP2. Only those who own a copy are allowed to play it. Finding fresh blood could prove a problem. A point that is also made by CoT
quote:
point 5:
i'm not sure on this one. As its so hard to get hold of a copy of CTP2 these days, maybe we need to go have a look in our local area's to see if we can find any copies for sale, then have a thread here letting people know where they are(like a 'where to find CTP2' thread or something).
I've got no idea how many people play CTP2 these days? So its difficult to know how best to get the word out. Most CTP2ers that look for info on the net will find us here at poly i'm guessing(if you google for CTP2 poly links turn up alot).
Maybe start a thread in the Civ3 forums? |
So due to the licence the benefits of the CtP2 source are only available to a limited public. Community efforts on the code (coding, testing, debugging, playing) will therefore also be limited.
Just how large is the active CtP2 community? 200? 500? a 1000 perhaps? For that matter just HOW big is the active Civ2 community nowadays? That's a rather chilling thought. 
While any code is probably better than no code. The license under which it is released matters. Maybe even more than the code itself.
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16-09-2004 01:33
).
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