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#61 A BUBBA'S EYE RATES SMAC (Part II) Roger Oepkes writes about the failures of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri #62 NO EXCUSES Derek Barrett doesn't accept any excuses for a bad civ3 #63 WHAT WE CAN TEACH KIDS WITH CIV James Cobb shows us another side of civ games #64 I WANT IT ALL "The better the games are, the more disappointed the gamers become" says CyberShy #65 TEST OF TIME: CAN IT STAND AGAINST CTP AND SMAC? Dracon says yes without a doubt COLUMN ARCHIVE

Like many of you out there, I'm very interested in what the next Civ will bring us. Frankly, I've grown tired of the Civ build-lots-of-cities-and-attack-one-unit-at-a-time formula. Don't get me wrong. I'm bored because I've played CivI and II to death, which is saying something quite good about these games and the people behind their creation.

Well, after much thinking, I believe I have found the perfect angle from which to view this issue. Clearly, we must consider Brian Reynolds' mental health. Yes, we have to start there.

But first, if you missed (or don't remember) Gamespot's feature on the "Sid Legacy," please go back and read it. Although I'm writing a Brian Reynolds article, I guarantee that the 15 minutes you invest reading that legacy article will be time well spent (plus, Brian makes an important cameo appearance):

O.K. That's the background from which the next Civ will spring, and it's worth remembering. After all, this will be the most significant title that Firaxis has attempted, and in significant financial and personal ways, this Civ will define Firaxis as a gaming company. The Firaxian Moment of Truth. Actually, the Brian Reynolds Moment of Truth as well.

For those of you who skipped the Gamespot article, let me summarize: Brian Reynolds, not Sid Meier, created CivII. While eating strumpets and sipping tea in England, Brian Reynolds somehow did the impossible: He vastly improved a Sid Meier game (without much help from Sid). Sid, who wanted to avoid mental illness, shrewdly opted NOT to try to top his own creation, leaving CivII mainly to Brian Reynolds, who succeeded brilliantly.

Imagine, then, you are Brian Reynolds. Steven Chao has just brought you a Subway sandwich and some Mountain Dew, Stephen Lee is begging to know the secret of growing a beard, and a dark computer screen stares at you --- laughing. Memories of the relative quiet and creative free reign of that year you spent in England seem a million light years away from the incessant noise and strain of the Firaxis machine now struggling to grow around you. In England, you let it all hang out. Man! CivII -- what a break! But in Hunt Valley, the clock ticks, mocking your ability: "When, Brian? When will it happen? Top CivII? Tick-tock -- Tick-tock!"

If you were Brian, which way would you take the project? Frankly, the company is at times in chaos. Too many coals on the fire. Too much going on. Nobody anticipated the great success this start-up would enjoy so quickly. The company next door you used to barter a phone from a few years ago is now humbly asking that the Firaxis interns be put on a leash and the sounds of growing pains be kept to a minimum. In fact, they finally accepted your college refrigerator as payment of all debts "from the old days," making room for your deluxe "Fridge-Master" complete with 5 kinds of ice dispensers. Nothing distracts like success. So what do you do?

Here's what the safe money says: Make Civ2.5 --- put in some great graphics, put in a few things players have asked for and you thought up yourself (but don't fundamentally change the game whatever you do), and watch the money roll in. Oh, and it WILL roll in. Most Civers are junkies. They can't resist the urge to buy a Civ game, especially one that looks and plays even a little bit better. Safe money says, "Don't rock the boat, Brian." Hmmm. Tempting. You begin to realize that a Civ2.5 would be SO much easier to put together-and it's money in the bank. Yes, Civ 2.5 sounds great. And Civ fans rejoice...

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About the author: Co-ordinator of "The List", a co-operative wishlist between ACS and Civ fans alike to pass along to Firaxis for the development of CivIII. Active discussions continue on the forums, of which Yin is a moderator, located here: http://apolyton.net/forums

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