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#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 #75 WE ARE NOT THE WORLD Simon de Vet warns about taking Internet polls as absolute indicators. #76 MY JOURNEY AS A GAMER Martin pours his heart out over his affection for Civ. COLUMN ARCHIVE

I was in seventh grade... since I was a bit advanced in math class, I was allowed to go to the computer lab during the last 10 minutes of class every day, and since I had a study hall right after it, I could stay there for a whole period. While I was busy playing SimCity one day, my friend brought a new game, Civilization. I thought, wow, that looks pretty cool! Is it like SimCity? Sort of, but not really...

So I copied the disks (sorry Microprose) and started a game to myself as the Greeks. I started on a small island... All by myself. I built one city, then two, then three... It was beautiful. I covered this small island with my cities, and built wonderful things in them. A temple for my people to be happy, a marketplace where they may exchange their goods, and Darwin's Voyage, so I could get two free technologies! I was oblivious about how deep the game really went. I stayed in a Despotic government the whole time, because I didn't know you could change (!) governments. I had a treasury FULL of money, because I didn't know you could spend it. And most importantly, the Aztecs took over pretty much the whole rest of the world, because I didn't really know how much was out there. That is what the game of civilization is to me... The thrill of exploration, of discovery, of seeing my masterpiece of a civilization reach for the stars... That is what makes Civilization such a great game.

To the designers of Civilization 3, here is my challenge to you. Don't concentrate on making money. Remember what it was like when you first fell in love with Civilization... Recapture that, and you will have created a masterpiece. And for crying out loud, put in an end of game replay! :)

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About the author: A Lover of Civ.

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