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#70 THE CIV3 DEMO: LOOKING AHEAD Here's a certain someone who is unquestionably anti-demo. #71 FIRST DAY PRE-PLAYING REPORT Imran reports his first impressions before playing SMAC-X #72 FIRST SMAC-X MULTIPLAYER GAME One game later, XZealot is an SMAC-X multiplayer junkie. #73 IT'S ALL A GAME DomK wants to see Apolyton OT as more of a game, not a life. #74 UNSOLICITED ADVICE FROM EMILY "POST" DaveV sugests a few things that should be self-evident COLUMN ARCHIVE

Apolyton has been conducting a number of polls and discussions concerning Civilization III. These have been created with the intent of having Firaxis create the game that the fans want. But is this actually happening?

Take one of the early CivIII polls: Visitors to the site were asked if they wanted a Unit Workshop, like in SMAC, in CivIII. Simple enough question, and the answer was Yes. In similar polls visitors endorsed the CtP style public works and editible graphics. Presumably, the fans have spoken.

This is not the case. A poll, to have any meaning, must be representative. The Apolyton polls are not. Rather than being a broad cross-section of the gaming public, the voters represent a narrow group.

First, we know that all voters have access to the Internet. If they did not, they would not be voting. Gamers with easy internet access would be more interested in customizability. The ability to easily use mod packs becomes irrelevant if you do not have access to them in the first place.

Secondly, visitors to Apolyton come because of an interest in other Civ style games. SMAC fans visit the site to find out about their game, and stumble across the CivIII section. So do CtP players. The net result is that gamers who are already comfortable with the Unit Workshop vote for it to be in CivIII. Gamers familiar with the CtP public works system vote for it to be included in CivIII. There is no reason to assume that these views represent the wide gaming public, many of whom have never had any experience with these games and features.

Finally, Apolyton voters are those who are on the more fanatical side of gaming. Most gamers are casual gamers: They buy a game, and play it, nothing more. The Apolyton visitors are those who want more. They want to get the most out of the game, and they know existing Civ type games inside and out. That is why they are visiting one of the best Civ resources on the net. The net result is that ideas in the List tend to be long, technical, and exceedingly complex. Voters want more of everything, and have everything be optional. The average gamer does not need this much complexity, and many potential buyers would be scared off. Some games have gone this route, and as a result only the spreadsheeters and number crunchers can succed. Games should be entertaining diversions, not homework problems.

In conclusion, these polls and forums serve a purpose, and a useful one at that. They can provide Firaxis with ideas. However, they should NOT be taken as absolute guidelines to follow. Firaxis can make a CivIII that will satisfy the hardcore gamers, but end up being a flop in the wider gaming audiance. The other option is to not take the lists too seriously, and make a game that will appeal to the average gamer, without insulting the intelligence of the more hardcore gamers. They did this with CivII. They did this with SMAC. I'm hoping they will do the same with CivIII.

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About the author: Student, SMAC player, amateur 3D artist.

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