note: This is The Column, a part of Apolyton where Markos and Dan write whatever we want :). Well, not just Dan and me. The Column is open to everyone. If you feel like writing submit your article to markg@gamestats.com

INTRO
I've been hearing a lot the last months that civ2 is dying. And I say, so what? The question should not be if CivII is dying, but if Civ-games are dying. And the answer for me is no. I guess that's the reason why other people complain about the volume of civ related games that are coming out.

PREVIOUS ARTICLES

#10 KISS MY COPYRIGHT Daniel explores the feasability of electronic copyrights in his latest installment #11 COMMUNITY SPIRIT In his back-to-back exposition, Dan discusses the beneficial factors of a community COLUMN ARCHIVE

THE ONE SIDE: CIV2'S LIFE
On the first subject, of course, if Microprose doesn't come out with MGE and TOT soon, CivII will die. I guess that nobody will be playing it in a year. But that will not be because people will be bored of CivII. We are playing it after three years, why n ot more? People will stop playing CivII, because they will be playing other Civ-like games: CTP and SMAC. Further more, if MGE comes out in November, and even with CTP coming out a month after that, due to the fact that so many people already know the game and due to the fact that it is a bit low priced($28-30) it could go well. On the other hand, TOT could have some suprises for us. I think that it is error that Microprose is not giving more information on it's upcoming games, but that's the subject for another column :)

DIFFERENT GAMES?
Even without CivII, we will still be playing civ, except that it will now be called Civ:CtP, SMAC and maybe Ancienty Prophecy or Stellar Civilizations or whatever. All are big or small enhancements of the basic idea of civ: start from nothing, build an em pire, deal with military, economy, diplomacy and scientific research. On earth or Alpha Centauri, with real techonlogies or fantastic ones the game is really the same.

THE OTHER SIDE: TOO MANY CIV GAMES?
I would say thank God! Thank God we have choices. The least two and a half years we had only one choice when we were looking for a better civ game, and that was Microprose. As a recent buyer of Fantastic Worlds I think that it was good for it's money, but many civers believe that the expansions packs were excuses for Microprose to get more money. Now, we have three choices from Microprose, Activision and Firaxis, and if you look a bit further, as we do on our Alternative Civs section, we see more. Good games or bad games, we have choices and that is better than having only one.

THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?
Closing, I'm wondering if the new games are coming because developers see that the interest in CivII is dropping, or the opposite... I'm also wondering if everything would be different if Microprose had make a multiplayer version of CivII much much sooner ... But, as I said, that's the subject of another column :)

The opinions expressed on this page doesnt necessarily express Apolyton CS or GameStats.
It is just the personal opinions of the writer.