20-09-2003 13:34									#1
	Will Call to Power ever continue ? Tired of ads?

Hi !
This is Adrian.
I'm writing this, 'cause I've heard that the team from activision has been disbanded. I also wrote to Dan Quick and he told me there could be a fan-driven, who's prepared to put up a new team and continue the work. I thought he could use some ideas.

I already bought the Call to Power II. I reckon it's harder than the first one, even though the hardest level I tried and won was "Prince" (on Call to Power).

I wrote to you, because I've got an idea, concearning future Call to Powers or future Civilizations. Perhaps somebody else shared this idea with you already. But perhaps nobody has thought of it, not even a glimpse.
Let's say during the play, somewhere between 2300-2600 A.D., you cand introduce a parallel map, being the most competitive idea so far & ever.

Let's say humanity/civilization/player has just sent a spaceship to explore, conquer and inhabit other planets (first, just ONE PLANET). Future game generations may include several maps at a time. Let's say that map is Mars' (or that Planet X's, they've discovered lately).

While confronting domination on Earth, the player can begin search for another planet, in order to colonize it.Then he can switch between two or more maps. Turns may remain the way they were.
Opponents may follow on discovering the same planet(s).
Please write to me!

My E-Mail: adrianarmas@yahoo.co.uk

	20-09-2003 18:16									#2
	Inflate your Upload Space

this could be a little too time consuming to play

	21-09-2003 02:41									#3
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Yes but for those of us who like to play games forever, its a nice idea - shame the suits will never let it happen, no money in making huge replayable games apparently

Oh Adrian, i will say that the CTP2 forum is a fairly quiet and honest place in the world of computer game forum's.......BUT its never a great idea to advertise your email over the internet, you might get spammed or worse. Best to use the PM function on the site or just leave it to the actual forum itself.

And yes that kind of huge never ending epic game is the one i'm waiting for

	21-09-2003 03:18									#4
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: you might get spammed or worse.

Little can be worse...

The idea is quite a nice one, though. It could be a nice new layer to the game and everything, I can only see the little problem of games generally being endless that way. While I like long games (and I assume everyone playing Civ does), I dislike never ending games.

	21-09-2003 14:47									#5
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

"BUT its never a great idea to advertise your email over the internet, you might get spammed or worse. Best to use the PM function on the site or just leave it to the actual forum itself."

Make it clear !
'Cause I didn't quite get it
Being a Romanian, I don't know every detail (in English).
spammed=?
PM=?

As for the length of the game. I never thought of it. You can imagine it wouldn't take THAT

	21-09-2003 14:51									#6
	Full PM-box? Change here!

"BUT its never a great idea to advertise your email over the internet, you might get spammed or worse. Best to use the PM function on the site or just leave it to the actual forum itself."

Make it clear !
'Cause I didn't quite get it
Being a Romanian, I don't know every detail (in English).
spammed=?
PM=?

As for the length of the game. I never thought of it. You can imagine it wouldn't take THAT long. Plus, that era would begin somewhere at the corner of the 3rd millennium. Thus the really rough part is relatively long.

	21-09-2003 14:55									#7
	Got spare money?

How about this then Solver...............

Say at the begining of the game, in the setup screen you could choose the type of game you wanted to play, either a shorter or an epic one? That way its entirely upto the player how much time she can invest in the game

Now upto a few years ago software houses were allowed to design this way if they wanted, maybe a few still try to offer a great deal to their gamers(Bethseda pops to mind).
Still IMHO i think it should be a player choice, not an accountants one

And Adrian to remove you email address, when you next sign in, click the 'edit' tag on your first post(its next to 'reply with quote' at the top right of your first post) and you will be able to delete your email link

PM = Private Messaging, its a forum facility that lets you contact other members of the forum without having to post your email on the forum. Still i've only used it once or twice, usually i just post on the forum but never give out my email so anyone can see it.

Spamming = when nasty indivduals/companies send thousands of 'junk' mail to your email address, so much that it becomes difficult to use your email anymore!

Nice idea by the way, but maybe out of the scope of the current CTP2 source code project thing. But who knows? Maybe have a read of all you can find on C++, all the SLIC 'how to' guides and maybe you could give it a go

Last edited by child of Thor on 21-09-2003 at 15:18

	21-09-2003 22:15									#8
	Remove this text

Ahh, well, I'd go crazy if I could decide as to when abandon the game myself. I just can't ever really decide, unless the game defines a clear goal for me. So that would be tough .

	22-09-2003 02:45									#9
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Welcome Ktulu2...

As far as I remember your idea has already been implemented in Civilization2 : test of time. In the long game (you can choose between the normal game and the longer one at the beginning), the game goes on after your ship has reached Alpha Centaury. There are two parallel maps and you can switch between the two in order to manage your cities.

As far as I am concerned I already think the CtP2 games are too long with the Super Apolyton Pack. I have already reduced the science costs (they are still far higher than those of the original game) and I think I will reduce them again in the near future in order to speed up the latest part of the game which is IMO less interesting as the game is usually won before you reach the future eras.

	22-09-2003 13:56									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

solver how about total domination of your enemys

the bit i am concerned about is if people take two hours to plan there turn people would get bored easy

	22-09-2003 20:17									#11
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Yeah Big Mc, i guess a huge scope type game should be single player only, the Multi player game would have to have different rules i guess.

And Tamerlin i played Civ: Test if Time, it was a strange experience! the movement of your units seemed slugish and with all the 'layers' thing added it just didnt feel that great? I liked the idea but the execution was a bit off. IMHO plain old Civ2 is a better game.

	23-09-2003 22:50									#12
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Tamerlin,
I don't know that Civ2:Test of Time
I tried to remember today if there was any 2nd layer. I even asked a friend if he remembered being any 2nd map of a planet.
Yes, Alpha Centauri is another game, isn't it ?

	24-09-2003 12:05									#13
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

SMAC (Alpha Centauri) is a different game all complete.
CIV2: ToT (Test of time) you can enable multiple layers. You then have 'Earth', and three(?) layers on top. Was quite interresting. As some units where able to jump between....... so you were never save

	24-09-2003 16:35									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

quote: Originally posted by Ktulu2 Tamerlin, I don't know that Civ2:Test of Time I tried to remember today if there was any 2nd layer. I even asked a friend if he remembered being any 2nd map of a planet.

To know this feature you would have had to read the manual, though I do most gamers don't, or to play the longer version of the classic game or the science fiction scenario, that which I haven't done.

quote: Yes, Alpha Centauri is another game, isn't it ?

Yes it is, and a very good one IMO. There are no multiple layers, only "Planet".

In Civ2: Test of Time (ToT) one of the goals is still to reach Alpha Centaury before the others do. But once you have reached Alpha Centaury you can choose to play further on, provided you had selected the right options when you started the game, on Earth and on the newly colonized Alpha Centaury where you have to build the ship or project that would allow you to come back on earth before the others do. The game ends when a ship comes back on earth.

The Alpha Centaury planet dscribed in Civ2: ToT has nothing to do with "Planet" in SMAC which, IMO, is much more interesting than Civ2: ToT or Civ3.

	24-09-2003 23:27									#15
	Increase Your PM Length

O.K.!

I found something in the files of CtP II I found out I can modify some functions in a wide range. From millitary support costs to the cost of building a wonder.

I even modified the number of players (those controlled by AI=computer). It's written u can't have more than 32 (max. within the original game is 8), 'cause it'll work verrrry bad, so I entered 16

Anyway, by modifying the costs of building a unit, I'd have shortened the time of building it (No. Turns <). It wasn't fun any more

So... Do you know somebody, who'll actually continue CtP ?

	25-09-2003 00:15									#16
	Remove this text

Ktulu,

Here is the current situation with CtP. The Activision team has indeed been disbanded, and there will be no official continuation to CtP.

However, about a month ago, Activision, after a long conversation with Apolyton, has agreed to release the source code for CtP2 - all of it. Well, it won't include the sound system, but that's a minor issue.

In the light of that, the people here who still play CtP and have some programming ability are going to modify the source to provide better stuff for CtP2 - fix the bugs, possibly add new feautures, etc.

As of now, a number of very good mods have been created for the game, but having access to the source will enable us to do anything we want.

I suggest you take a look at the other threads in this forum .

	25-09-2003 03:47									#17
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

I don't think it is a good idea to tinker with the unit costs but many things can be achieved through SLIC programming. Ahenobarb has posted a Complete Guide to SLIC a few days ago that can be downloaded from the Directory.

	22-10-2003 05:12									#18
	Got spare money?

CTP is a dead franchise, at least that's how Activision left it hanging.

If you have a load of money you want to waste, you can probably license it from ATVI for cheap. Heck, they might even sell the whole k n' k. According to what accounting told us, we didn't make a dime on it. That's why the entire studio was completely dissolved after CTP2 was released.

	22-10-2003 05:47									#19
	Increase Your PM Length

You trusted an accountant?

I thought I knew you!

	22-10-2003 05:49									#20
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

I didn't say I trusted him. MUDSLINGER!!

;p

	22-10-2003 12:51									#21
	Put an end to popups!

But you made no loss??????????????

	22-10-2003 13:09									#22
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

After marketing costs were amortised, our bottom line was a big fat 0.

So no, we made no apparent loss. But we also had no apparent profit, thus rendering the studio unprofitable, thus rendering all of our jobs obsolete.

	22-10-2003 16:33									#23
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

seams off to me

	22-10-2003 16:51									#24
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Unfortunately the only goal of a company is to make money not to provide a job to the people who need money in order to eat. A department that is not making any profits is thus useless and closed, they don't care a dime if people are thrown naked in the street as a result.

Some call it modern society...

	22-10-2003 21:20									#25
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

You can only blame the company if a section is unprofitable you just take a closer look maybe re order the management and give it more time

	23-10-2003 00:56									#26
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Well, somebody's gotta take the fall, and the producers sure as heck weren't going to lose their jobs. Which, not surprisingly, they didn't.

	23-10-2003 21:17									#27
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do you know how much of the ctp 1/2 team still come on to apolyton I would really like to talk to the people who made the units

	23-10-2003 22:07									#28
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Big Mc has an obsession with the beta war walker sprite

I wonder how much the license costs for ctp though.

	24-10-2003 00:34									#29
	Increase Your PM Length

and the beta star cruiser

	24-10-2003 01:02									#30
	Increase Your PM Length

quote: Originally posted by st_swithin If you have a load of money you want to waste, you can probably license it from ATVI for cheap.

Do you have any idea how cheap is cheap? Are we talking thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, millions?