note: This is The Column, a part of Apolyton where anyone can write about whatever he/she wants :) If you feel like writing, submit your article via the article submission page

PREVIOUS ARTICLES

#85 SCENARIO MAKING: WHY CIV2 SUCCEEDED WHILE MORE MODERN GAMES MAY FAIL Blackclove puts C:CTP on the hotspot for what he sees as a lack of customizability. #86 GAME BASHING, SCENARIO MAKING AND GRAPHICS Skorpion59 comes to the defense of C:CTP after last week's "attack" from Blackclove. #87 CALL TO MOD-MAKERS Wes Whitaker agrees that while MODs for CTP will be fewer than CivII's, they can be more powerful. #88 APOLYTON VERSION 2 MarkG details the plans for Apolyton "Version 2". #89 C:CTP: UPS AND DOWNS Timothy Pintello talks about the hits and misses he sees in C:CTP. COLUMN ARCHIVE

In the last few weeks I hav heard banter both ways for Civilization 2 and Call to Power. I've already written about the shortcomings of Call to Power (when the game first came out). I stick to my guns in that department.

There is a simple reason the Civ2 engine has lasted longer. The game engine has been simple enough that the average user can write a scenario in about 4 hours (including a few new techs and units). I don't even want to imagine what would have to be done for a CTP scenario.

The basic stiff animations requires 4 seperate frames (vs civ2 with 1). Animated movements require many more frames. Deaths, Movement, attack, it is simply overwhelming! Good graphics in Civ2 take around an hour or more to draw. I can't imagine drawing near 40+ frames for each unit. Imagine a scenario with 60 or more new units!! That's 2400 hours worth of work! If the person works 2 hours a day on units, it will take them a little more than 3 years, 3 Months, and eleven days!

Civ2 text files can also be read by the average Joe. While CTP may be more flexible, it might as well be written in Latin.

The true Test of Time for Civ2 is the fact that any civ2 player can be expected to write their own scenario and post it on the web. I have written 7 seperate scenarios, 2 more that never made the cut, and am working on 3 more at present (4 if I include playtesting/tweaking for another scenario).

Why have I authored so many scenarios? It's easy.

It doesn't take more than an hour to find a map, place civs, and edit terrain. It takes another hour to find appropriate graphics and edit the rules.txt file. Then it takes about 2 hours to edit and tweak the rules.txt and events.txt files.

CTP has been out for around 9 or 10 months now, and we still only have around 10 scenarios (If that; by my database count here at Apolyton, there are only 2--the others are modpacks in my feeling).

My point is, if CTP has these legions of supporters and scenario creators, where's the proof in the pudding?

The quality of Civ2 as a scenario engine is still supreme. It is not the quality of the graphics or flexibility of the macro language, but simply the ease of use, the customizability.

---------
ABOUT AUTHOR: Avid CIV2 scenario creator and fan

Want to comment on this article?

The opinions expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of Apolyton CS or GameStats. They are just the personal opinions of the writer.