03-11-2001 16:01									#1
	pillage and plunder Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Looking for something to do while you're waiting for your backordered copy of Civ3? After a year of work I've finally finished Age of Piracy (ver. 2.0). If you've got a looting gene you might enjoy it. My thanks to Kull for his excellent beta analysis. I fired off an email to Dan and Markos tonight, but I know they're really busy so I'm not sure how long before AOP is posted. But if you don't want to wait you can get it directly from the AOP site. http://shayworld.com/games/aop
Happy hunting!
-Shay-

	03-11-2001 16:08									#2
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Well, sounds great, but - I have to register somewhere before the download starts? Why I need a password?

	03-11-2001 17:59									#3
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

I´m just wondering, Shay, how popular was your Sacrifical Blood scenario and the accompanying website?
Why do you always make your scenarios in such an odd fashion? Starting with the weird way you packed AoP1, and then your Sacrifical Blood thing... I think it puts off many Civ2 scenarios fans. Especially because we basically never hear from you, except when you announce a new scenarios. Do you frequent any of the major Civ2 communities? Do you have any idea whatsoever what is going on?

I´m sorry if this sounds a bit negative. I´m sure you´re doing a great job (I can´t tell, since I don´t have MGE and thus can´t play your latest scenarios), but you´re just so... different.

	03-11-2001 19:28									#4
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

I look forward to playing it - AoP is one of my favorite scenarios! If the new version is better, woo hoo!

Sacrificial Blood is a good game, I suggest others try it. As with AoP, the goals are different than the normal CivII game. I always find innovative scenarios refreshing to play. Also, I happen to know much about the Maya, so maybe the familiarity with the game's topic plays a role...

	03-11-2001 22:51									#5
	AOP registration Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

quote: Originally posted by BeBro Well, sounds great, but - I have to register somewhere before the download starts? Why I need a password?

Hi BeBro,
Sorry for the inconvenience of having to register in order to download Age of Piracy 2. I've set it up this way for three important reasons:
1) I want to know how many people are downloading the scenario. This is my only way to gauge the level of interest and learn what type of scenarios people like. One of the things I learned from doing Sacrificial Blood is that most people don't share my interest in Pre-Columbian cultures, so I decided that revamping AOP2 might prove more popular. People seem to like pirates.
2) I want to be able to communicate with AOP2 players. If I publish any updates or bug fixes I want to be sure they know about it. Civ fans put a lot of time and work into their playing, and I want to be sure it continues to be a positive experience for them.
3) Before I presented AOP2 in this forum, it was in beta-testing for several months. It was thoroughly playtested by almost 200 people. I solicted volunteer playtesters from my list of people who had registered for Sacrificial Blood. Without their vital help, AOP2 would not be nearly as well developed. If I write another scenario, I will likely do the same thing again. I will reach out to the people who registered for AOP2 and ask for their help in playtesting. This is the only way I can think of to deliver you the best possible games.
-Shay-

	03-11-2001 23:10									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by Mercator I´m just wondering, Shay, how popular was your Sacrifical Blood scenario and the accompanying website? Why do you always make your scenarios in such an odd fashion? Starting with the weird way you packed AoP1, and then your Sacrifical Blood thing... I think it puts off many Civ2 scenarios fans. Especially because we basically never hear from you, except when you announce a new scenarios. Do you frequent any of the major Civ2 communities? Do you have any idea whatsoever what is going on? I´m sorry if this sounds a bit negative. I´m sure you´re doing a great job (I can´t tell, since I don´t have MGE and thus can´t play your latest scenarios), but you´re just so... different.

Hi Mercator.

The installation process in Age of Piracy 2 has been streamlined and optimized. If you have experience with file management (moving, copying, deleting files) you should have no problem. The whole thing takes less than five minutes to install once you've downloaded the files. I had almost 200 playtesters, and only two of them reported any problems carrying out the installation.

AOP2 is a very different type of scenario. In fact, it's a modpack really, because of the massive number of modifications in the basic game files. This requires a more complex, non-standard installation process. Certain files have to be in a certain place or AOP2 simply won't function properly. I know how to make a standard scenario with a standard installation, but I've chosen not to do so. In order to provide you a richer gaming experience, I've changed a lot of the core game variables. The price to pay for that added value is that the installation may now take 5 minutes instead of 1 minute. If you opt to play AOP2, I hope you decide that those extra installation minutes were worth the trouble.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 00:33									#7
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I remember seeing a neat little utility a while back where it managed your mod packs for you. I think this would be perfect for your scenarios, the problem is that I can not remember for the life of me where I saw it. Has anybody else seen this?

	04-11-2001 03:04									#8
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

quote: Originally posted by Shay The installation process in Age of Piracy 2 has been streamlined and optimized. If you have experience with file management (moving, copying, deleting files) you should have no problem.

Well, I didn´t really mean their could be any actual problem with it, I just wondered why the difference, but indeed you do seem to change the dll´s too, for instance (as far as I could tell from the description of Sacrificial Blood).
I´d love to try AoP2, though, but I don´t have Civ2 multiplayer. Maybe I can see if it works with CivConverter. Have you tested that?

	04-11-2001 03:09									#9
	Suffering from ads?

11.5 megabytes!
Could you make a 'cut down' version for those of us on tight download limits? (eg seperate the sound file from the essential game files)

	04-11-2001 06:07									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

quote: Originally posted by Case Could you make a 'cut down' version for those of us on tight download limits? (eg seperate the sound file from the essential game files)

Yes, please do. The download site doesn't support "resume", I spent over an hour downloading only for it to be lost when my connection went out.

	04-11-2001 06:10									#11
	Full PM-box? Change here!

Right hmm i have downloaded the whole thing. And i did as the readme said but it didnt make a age of piracy folder so which sound goes with which scen etc because theres three of each!

	04-11-2001 06:35									#12
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Shay, please reconsider that Password thing. I can understand your reasons, but in my eyes this is not a good way to distribute a scenario. I registered, but no download area came up, so now I have the pw, but no zip file...

	04-11-2001 09:24									#13
	Civ Converter Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Mercator Well, I didn´t really mean their could be any actual problem with it, I just wondered why the difference, but indeed you do seem to change the dll´s too, for instance (as far as I could tell from the description of Sacrificial Blood). I´d love to try AoP2, though, but I don´t have Civ2 multiplayer. Maybe I can see if it works with CivConverter. Have you tested that?

No I haven't tested it with CivConverter. But I would be shocked if it worked. You might be able to get some functionality but it wouldn't end up being the same game. I modified every single game file plus a bunch of the default system files. The modifications went beyond text editing and into hex editing.

	04-11-2001 09:30									#14
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Jimmywax I remember seeing a neat little utility a while back where it managed your mod packs for you. I think this would be perfect for your scenarios, the problem is that I can not remember for the life of me where I saw it. Has anybody else seen this?

I'm not sure how helpful it would be. To my knowledge, there are no other modpacks out there which need to be installed like this one. Also, as long as the installation instructions are followed carefully, the installation shouldn't take more than five minutes. I can install it in under a minute.

	04-11-2001 09:37									#15
	file size Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by Case 11.5 megabytes! Could you make a 'cut down' version for those of us on tight download limits? (eg seperate the sound file from the essential game files)

Yes, I sympathize with your bandwidth limitations. And unfortunately, my ISP doesn't support ftp access, which would allow you to resume the download. I did originally have the game files split up into smaller chunks. But I got a lot of complaints during playtesting. There are three scenarios within the gamepack and people had trouble reassembling them together. I've discovered that people can be remarkably impatient and are bad about following instructions so I tried to make the installation as simple as possible by making it all one unzip. When I changed over to that system, most of those complaints went away. Sadly, I'm not sure I can make everyone happy here. I don't have enough space left on my server to post two different versions of the game files.

	04-11-2001 09:43									#16
	Put an end to popups!

quote: Originally posted by Grothgar Right hmm i have downloaded the whole thing. And i did as the readme said but it didnt make a age of piracy folder so which sound goes with which scen etc because theres three of each!

Hi Grothgar,

I saw this problem twice during playtesting. In one case, the player was using an old version of winzip. In another case, the player had inadventantly unchecked the winzip option to use the folder names, so the whole thing unzipped into one giant folder. I just checked to make sure the zip file hadn't become corrupted on the server, and it unzips correctly.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 09:48									#17
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

quote: Originally posted by BeBro Shay, please reconsider that Password thing. I can understand your reasons, but in my eyes this is not a good way to distribute a scenario. I registered, but no download area came up, so now I have the pw, but no zip file...

Hi BeBro. My records indicate that you did indeed successfully reach the download area, but did not initiate the download. The download doesn't happen automatically, you have to initiate it. After you enter your name and email, click on the "submit" button. A new screen will come up that says "Thanks for registering, BeBro. Check your email for the password". On this screen there is a text hyperlink that you need to click on to initiate the download.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 09:55									#18
	Thanks Marquis Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Marquis de Sodaq I look forward to playing it - AoP is one of my favorite scenarios! If the new version is better, woo hoo! Sacrificial Blood is a good game, I suggest others try it. As with AoP, the goals are different than the normal CivII game. I always find innovative scenarios refreshing to play. Also, I happen to know much about the Maya, so maybe the familiarity with the game's topic plays a role...

Thanks for your support. After working on AOP2 for over a year, it's nice to hear at least one person say something nice!
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 12:30									#19
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I really like this scenario
I have one problem though; since I am a mac user, I cannot use the dll files, would it be possible for you to tell me what you've changed in those so that I can see if I can create a mac equivilent of the files?

	04-11-2001 20:04									#20
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

shay,

could you at least put the sounds in a different file??
I tried ot download sacrificial blood but the file was too large for my internet conection

	04-11-2001 22:41									#21
	Mac conversion Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by Henrik I really like this scenario I have one problem though; since I am a mac user, I cannot use the dll files, would it be possible for you to tell me what you've changed in those so that I can see if I can create a mac equivilent of the files?

I was working with someone for several months to create a Mac version of AOP2, but he was unable to complete the project due to life issues that arose. I do have all the pict files. We discovered that the conversion is a big job, so I would need someone who has free time, and experience in scenario making. I also really need someone who can play AOP2 on a PC first. One of the things we discovered while working on the aborted Mac version is the importance of being able to see it on a PC. The guy who was helping me before only had a Mac, so he had no idea when certain features weren't working properly because he hadn't seen the PC version. If there is anyone out there who is driven, detail oriented, has "follow through", a Mac as well as access to a PC, I would be happy to work with them on a Mac version. Half the work is already done. It would make me happy to have a Mac version of the game because I do support the Mac community.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 22:51									#22
	splitting off the sound files Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

quote: Originally posted by Shaka Naldur shay, could you at least put the sounds in a different file?? I tried ot download sacrificial blood but the file was too large for my internet conection

Hi Shaka,

I believe your approach is correct and logical. At one time I did have all 3 of the scenarios in the AOP2 modpack split into separate files, and each of the scenarios split into sound and games files. But I was shocked and surprised by the resulting chaos. A stunning number of people were not able to put all the peices back together. A lot of people probably don't have your computer knowledge and got confused when the game was split into peices. I got a lot of heat about the installation being too complicated and I got a lot of technical support questions that I didn't have time to answer. So I opted to make the install simpler at the cost of making the download bigger. If I had more space on my server, I would offer two options, downloading as one big file or downloading in pieces, but as it is, I'm maxed out on server space.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 23:09									#23
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Hi Shay,

Long time no hear Remember when you were working on Sacrificial that I warned you about people's headaches with your setup Anyway, if you have problems of space I could help you host some files (or all). Apolyton provides me with tons of space for this kind of things.

	04-11-2001 23:24									#24
	server space Full PM-box? Change here!

quote: Originally posted by Jay Bee Hi Shay, Long time no hear Remember when you were working on Sacrificial that I warned you about people's headaches with your setup Anyway, if you have problems of space I could help you host some files (or all). Apolyton provides me with tons of space for this kind of things.

Thanks Jay, I might take you up on that offer. Especially if I end up releasing a Mac version.
-Shay-

	04-11-2001 23:42									#25
	Re: Mac conversion Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by Shay I was working with someone for several months to create a Mac version of AOP2, but he was unable to complete the project due to life issues that arose. I do have all the pict files. We discovered that the conversion is a big job, so I would need someone who has free time, and experience in scenario making. I also really need someone who can play AOP2 on a PC first. One of the things we discovered while working on the aborted Mac version is the importance of being able to see it on a PC. The guy who was helping me before only had a Mac, so he had no idea when certain features weren't working properly because he hadn't seen the PC version. If there is anyone out there who is driven, detail oriented, has "follow through", a Mac as well as access to a PC, I would be happy to work with them on a Mac version. Half the work is already done. It would make me happy to have a Mac version of the game because I do support the Mac community. -Shay-

Hmm, I know I can convert all images (but it appears that is what you have allready done), what else have you changed in the files?
I can probably do more than the images but, it depends a lot on what has been changed.
I do have loads of time (well, if you dont count school ) and I am a scenario designer, what I dont have is acces to a PC with civ 2, to compare

	05-11-2001 11:48									#26
	Re: Re: Mac conversion Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

quote: Originally posted by Henrik Hmm, I know I can convert all images (but it appears that is what you have allready done), what else have you changed in the files? I can probably do more than the images but, it depends a lot on what has been changed. I do have loads of time (well, if you dont count school ) and I am a scenario designer, what I dont have is acces to a PC with civ 2, to compare

Hi Henrik,
Thanks for your offer. I will definitely take you up on it when you can get access to a PC. I wish it was just a simple task of converting files but it goes deeper than that. What we discovered is that there are some big differences between the Mac and PC versions of the game. And the fact that I changed not only the game files, but some of the system files and dll's only complicates the picture. Without the ability to play it on a PC you would have no idea of the original intended features. What I discovered after working on this for a while is that it's a lot harder than it should be. Microprose did a poor job job of making the Mac version compatible with the PC version. I want to do this translation and I believe it can be done, it's just going to be a difficult task.
-Shay-

	06-11-2001 06:29									#27
	resume download feature Suffering from ads?

quote: Originally posted by Shaka Naldur shay, could you at least put the sounds in a different file?? I tried ot download sacrificial blood but the file was too large for my internet conection

Great news. I've moved the Age of Piracy modpack to a server that supports the "resume download" feature for http access. Now if you get disconnected during the download, you can reconnect and resume the download where you left off. The only way you might have any problems with it is if you have an old browser or are connecting through a proxy server (like a corporate firewall). I've tested it out and it works great. I was able to download the entire 11.5 M file in a little under 2 hours over a 56K connection, even though I broke the connection three times and reconnected under a different ip each time. As always, the Age of Piracy modpack can be downloaded from http://www.shayworld.com/games/aop
-Shay-

	06-11-2001 07:03									#28
	Re: pillage and plunder Got spare money?

I just played some of the game, and I for one love it! Only one thing: no Dutch? Certainly they had Curacao, a very important pirate base. As well, Trinidad was also almost totally lawless during the period. Should it go to the bucaneers? Otherwise, very fun! Have you played Sid Meier's Pirates? Your scen is reminiscent of it, sort of, and both are quite entertaining.

	08-11-2001 04:30									#29
	Re: Re: pillage and plunder Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by Goingonit I just played some of the game, and I for one love it! Only one thing: no Dutch? Certainly they had Curacao, a very important pirate base. As well, Trinidad was also almost totally lawless during the period. Should it go to the bucaneers? Otherwise, very fun! Have you played Sid Meier's Pirates? Your scen is reminiscent of it, sort of, and both are quite entertaining.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm glad you are enjoying the game. I haven't tried Sid Meir's Pirates yet, I should check it out.

Ah, the Dutch. I did have the Dutch in the first version of the game. It killed me to sacrifice them but I felt I had no choice. I needed to have two pirate civs in order to support multiplayer games. I also think it adds another interesting dimension to the game because the two pirate civs are very different. But in order to add another pirate civ, I had to get rid of one of the "civilized" nations. As much as I love the Dutch (I'm Dutch on my mother's side), they had the least strategic role during this time period. This is not to underscore their acheivements, it's just that their impact on events during this paritcular time period was less than that of the other "civilized" nations.
-Shay-

	08-11-2001 08:03									#30
	Full PM-box? Change here!

The downloads for both Sacrificial Blood and AoP2 work fine - I have both on my PC, both work as designed.

AoP2 does an excellent job of duplicating the game of AoP, even with the swap of the Dutch for the Privateers. Even without the northern cities, I managed a very good game. It played evenly, and even a bit more strategy was required than in version one.

The only problem I saw was that the Privateers units in Bermuda (from events, judging from the timing with popups) kept attacking the coral reef to the southwest of the island. (That's suicide, for those not familiar with the game.)

A tip of the hat, Shay! I'm impressed! Now I'm off to try the other two scenarios...