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Date: Jan 02 2000 18:45:22 EST
From: "Apolyton Announcements (Apolyton Civilization Site)"
Subject: Apolyton&Friends News 25-31/December/99


Greetings everyone,
these are the news of the last week of the year(25-31/December)
Due to New Year holidays, the newsletter is a bit late, and for prctical
reasons it contains only the news up to December 31. The next issue will
be sent normally on Saturday with all the news since January 1st.

On Apolyton, the big news is the second edition of Sid's Dino Diaries,
Civilization I and II being awarded as the Best Games of the Millenium by Gamespot UK,
and plenty of news about Civ3 and SMAC from Jeff Morris on our forums

In the "Friends" part of the newsletter, news from Civ Master Deity
League. If you have a civ2, ctp or smac site and want your news included
here, mail Dustin Dunn at dustind@home.com


And now, in detail
=========The news from Apolyton=========
----------------------------
**Dinosaurs Section

NEW YEAR'S EVE DIARIES
[31 December 1999, 15:33 EST] In the second edition of Sid's Dino Diaries,
a number of topics are discussed about how Sid Meier's Dinosaurs will play
out. The first and foremost is a comparison between the real-time and
turn-based genre of strategy gaming, which includes a chart of the pros
and cons of each. An intersting note to read was that the first
Civilization prototype was a real-time model.
These latest diaries, six pages in length, also include some detailed
sketched concept artwork well worth a look see.
According to the final paragraph in this edition of Sid's Diaries
another installment will be published in two weeks time when it will
debate whether the "dinosaurs should live in one huge game world or duke
it out in a series of different scenarios".

NEW SECTION LOGO
[27 December 1999, 19:04 EST] The logo of our Dinosaurs section has been
redesigned to have a more dinosaurs-related "feeling". We hope that you
like it...

----------------------------
**Civilization II Section

Mac Gangster Scenario on Mac Page!
[31 December 1999, 18:35 EST] This has been a busy day for the end of the
century! Valmont comes through with a Macintosh compatible version of
"Gangster - The Taking of Chicago by Cam Hills!" I received it in the mail
today and it is now available for downloading on the ACS Mac page!

Greek Map, LOR v.4 and CTP letter Added to Mac page
[31 December 1999, 13:53 EST] The Mac page has been updated with a Grecian
map by Lance Stoudt and a Mac conversion of Harlan Thompson's Lord of the
Rings scenario, Version 4. Additionally, a letter from Westlake
Interactive regarding the Mac version of Call to Power is on the Mac-CTP
page. And finally, links to other ACS pages have been added to the main
Mac page; now you can come and go a little easier! Housekeeping continues
to be the order of the days, so continue to check back for more
improvements!

SID, THE VISIONARY
[31 December 1999, 10:26 EST] GameSpot US has just posted interviews with
20 distinguished individuals whom they believe are visionaries in
predicting what the next millennium will mean to computer gaming.
Such a list would not be complete without Sid Meier, and sure enough,
Sid is listed 11th on the list; the six page discussion with Sid ranges in
topics from the moment when a computer game impressed him the most --
playing Doom! -- to what Sid believes society will remember about gaming
in the 20th century 25 years from now.
It's good reading for this millennium... or the next. :)

BEST GAME OF THE MILLENNIUM!
[31 December 1999, 10:12 EST] Gamespot UK had us a bit worried over the
last 10 days, while the Top 100 Games of the Millennium(according to
Gamespot UK's opinion) were being announced day by day. Several of us were
seeing great games in strange places....
Still, only one game matters for the visitors of this site, and it was
on the correct spot! Civilization I and II are indeed the best games ever!
:)
Civ1&2 were first before Doom, C&C, Zelda, Championship Manager and MS
Flight Simulator.
Gamespot UK is now contacting the Readers Top 100, to vote simply
mail(gamespot_uk@zd.com) your vote or post in Gamespot's forum.

LAST COLUMN OF THE CENTURY
[29 December 1999, 23:30 EST] The last column of the century is by Wes
Whitaker, entitled "Call To MOD-Makers", another piece inspired by
Blackclove's article a couple of weaks ago.
What will the first column of the new century be written by, and what
about? The answer lies only three days away...

HOLDING ONTO #18
[28 December 1999, 19:25 EST] According to WorldCharts' Top 100 Game
Listing, regarded worldwide for its track record of reflecting public
perception of what's hot and what's not, Civilization II: Test of Time is
still alive and kicking with the gaming masses, 20 weeks on the listing
and counting. Vote today and let's unseed Age of Empires 2!

Civ II Gold Compatible with Mac OS 9
[27 December 1999, 14:44 EST] Brian Nesse of MacSoft reports the
following: "I have run Civ II Gold on three OS 9 machines (a 233 G3, an
iMac, and a "Lombard" notebook) with no problems." See the Mac Forum

THE COLUMN: SUBMIT AN ARTICLE


----------------------------
**Civilization III Section

EXERCISE YOUR VOTE
[31 December 1999, 15:41 EST] About.com's Computer Strategy Gaming
section's latest poll is entitled "Which game are you most looking forward
to in 2000?" and is now live.
There are four choices to choose from, and one of them is Civilization
III. Recent announcements from Firaxis point to a 2001 release being a
more realistic target date, but an interesting question nonetheless...
At the time of the posting of this article, CivIII was in 3rd place in
the voting trailing Warcraft III by 31%. Vote today!

OPEN BETA TEST FOR CIV3(PROBABLY)
[29 December 1999, 17:59 EST] More news from JKM on our forums(who we
would like to thank for changing the status of practically zero info for
civ3 :)). In his own words: "We probably WON'T be doing a closed test". As
we said in the previous news item, we're not at all close to beta, but
it's good to know we have an open beta test to look forward too :)

SPECULATION, I TELL YOU!
[29 December 1999, 13:32 EST] Asked to be more exact on the where things
are with Civ3, JKM responded: "It's so early it's hard to really
categorize Civ III. I'd say we're still in the prototype phase, though
signifigant design and art work has been initiated. I won't engage in any
wild speculation about a date, which is ALL any release date you hear
about is...". So, IMHO, dont put much thought on supposed release dates
you see around you...

ATTENTION CLASS
[28 December 1999, 20:30 EST] Our CivIII General/Suggestions forum has
been buzzing with activity over the past week on the heels of our article
reporting that Strategy Gaming Online had listed Civilization III as a
candidate for a Q3 2000 release.
Firaxis' Jeffrey Morris today answered the question and put the
speculation to rest, quote: "It seems like some people think Civ III is
about to enter testing. Not even REMOTELY close".
See the thread here and here for more information.
["(*I sense an Apolyton Civ III news item in the making...*)" --- you got
it Jeff! ]


----------------------------
**Civilization: Call to Power Section

AT NUMBER THIRTY-NINE...
[28 December 1999, 19:45 EST] ... it's Civilization: Call To Power! Its
number of weeks on WorldCharts' Top 100 Gaming Listing (38) nearly
reflects its position; it peaked at #11 in weeks past. Currently at the
top of the chart is Ensemble Studio's Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings.
WorldCharts is regarded by many as reflecting "what's hot, and what's
not" in public perception at any given time.


----------------------------
**Alpha Centauri Section

SID, THE VISIONARY
[31 December 1999, 10:26 EST] GameSpot US has just posted interviews with
20 distinguished individuals whom they believe are visionaries in
predicting what the next millennium will mean to computer gaming.
Such a list would not be complete without Sid Meier, and sure enough,
Sid is listed 11th on the list; the six page discussion with Sid ranges in
topics from the moment when a computer game impressed him the most --
playing Doom! -- to what Sid believes society will remember about gaming
in the 20th century 25 years from now.
It's good reading for this millennium... or the next. :)

TO BE EXACT: SMACX PATCH, NOT SMAC
[29 December 1999, 13:29 EST] In case you have been wondering about it,
the patch we have been talking about is for Alien Crossfire. JKM clarified
today: "The one I'm talking about is SMACX v2.0. Most likely there will be
a SMAC v5.0, though it hasn't been assembled yet". Thanks to warpage who
asked the right question on the right forum ;)

JEFF'S ON IT
[28 December 1999, 20:42 EST] It's been on most SMACer's minds for some
time now, and ejcol on our forums asked the question point blank "any
update on the patch status?" in our forums.
Just over twenty-four hours later, Firaxis' Jeffrey Morris had an answer:
"I sent it off to EA's CQC 'white glove' testing outfit around Christmas
and haven't heard about it since. Since they have to support it (via
phones and email), they get final 'ok' on it. It already passed their
primary testing phase (necessary for CQC submission), it should have slid
through. Maybe it got lost because of the holidays. I'll try to track it
down".
Check back here for the latest updates on the "Patch Watch".

LOOK WHO'S NUMBER SIX
[28 December 1999, 19:23 EST] According to WorldCharts' Top 100 Game
Listing, regarded worldwide for its track record of reflecting public
perception of what's hot and what's not, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, along
with the expansion pack Alien Crossfire, is sixth in the weekly voting for
the gaming industry's Top 100 titles. The SMAC/SMAC-X duo has been on the
listing for an impressive 45 weeks given this year's stiff competition
from across the board. It did hold the #1 spot in at least one previous
week, according to documentation, and is a "Smash Single"! Vote today and
let's unseed Age of Empires 2!

GAMESPOT UK REVIEW
[28 December 1999, 10:45 EST] GameSpot UK posted their favourable review
of Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire a little over a month ago, but reviewer
Elliot Chin is definitely impressed to this day with what the expansion
pack has brought to the gameplay of SMAC.
"Usually, expansion packs for such games simply add new scenarios (as
with the Civilization II packs) without really expanding the gameplay, but
Alien Crossfire adds a great deal to the original game. While Alien
Crossfire's core game is still very much the same as its predecessor's,
the new factions, technologies, and projects increase that core game's
depth.
Because it makes no drastic changes, players who didn't like Alpha
Centauri in the first place will find nothing in Alien Crossfire that will
change their minds. However, fans of the original game will want to get
the expansion pack for its interesting alien factions and new
technologies".
In the end, Chin gave the game a 8.3/10 score.

PERHAPS A MILLENNIUM GIFT?
[26 December 1999, 19:31 EST] Well, obviously, Firaxis didn't give us the
Christmas gift we've been waiting for, a patch for SMACX. Perhaps a
millennim gift, Firaxis? :)


----------------------------
**Alternative Civilizations Section

CLASH DEMO V4
[29 December 1999, 7:15 EST] The Clash Demo Version 4 for Windows is now
posted for download on the Clash of Civilizations site New features
include tiled graphics, unit graphics, partial implementation of the new
Military Model, and an improved instruction manual. The graphics in Demo 4
are in no way final... But they are much closer to the final target.
As for the future, Mark Everson says that the next version will feature a
much better diplomacy model and interface, the first implementation of the
new technology model, the first shot at our new economic model, better
graphics, and improved AI! Look for it in early February.


----------------------------
**About Apolyton Section

HAPPY NEW YEAR
[31 December 1999, 15:47 EST] On behalf of the staff and administration of
Apolyton CS, we would like to wish you and your family a very Happy New
Year. We look forward to continuing in our capacity to remain as one of
the sources for Civilization news and information on the Internet.

ABOUT SECTION REDESIGNED
[30 December 1999, 17:46 EST] Following the series of big updates on the
site that you might have been noticing :) during the last month, we
redesigned our About section. It follows the new layout(with small
variations) you first saw in the Dino section, and features a new look for
our "classic" logo. Any feedback would be helpfull

TO HEADLINE OR NOT TO HEADLINE?
[26 December 1999, 17:17 EST] On our front page, you now have a choice
between seeing it with or without the headlines. The second choice is
certainly more usefull for 640x480 users, but perhaps for some of the
800x600 too. Some people said it was still too cluttered after the second
redesign. So...
Probably the best thing about this is that your browser will remember your
choice, so if you choose the no headline page, you will be automatically
brought to it when you enter
Comments?


----------------------------
**Spanish Civ II Site(hosted site)

[Dec 30] Celebrating the fourth millenium: OF CELTS AND IBERIANS - THE
JUMP TO HISTORY -
[Dec 29] Links page (again) updated - 2 new sites
[Dec 25] Silver Fleece Medal for December announced


----------------------------
**Clash of Civilizations(hosted site)

December 28, 1999: The Clash Demo Version 4 for Windows is posted for
download! New features include tiled graphics, unit graphics, partial
implementation of the new Military Model, and an improved instruction
manual! A Demo4 Screenshot is also available!

December 27, 1999: A new Characters Model has been posted, along with some
additions to the Clash Team and an update to this Home Page (See the new
"Current Progress" section above) NOTE: You may need to "refresh" each
page in order to see the changes.


=========Apolyton's Friends News=========
--------------------------
Civ Master Deity League

- For those of you who aren't already aware, the Master Deity League has
its own Rules.txt file. Here is a summary of the changes we have made:
Riot factor -- increased from 14 to 16. This will allow more growth before
the first unhappy citizen appears.
Pyramids -- expire with the discovery of refrigeration.
Lighthouse -- expires with the discovery of computers.
Oracle -- does not expire.
Courthouses -- cost reduced from 80 shields to 50 shields.
Diplomats and spies -- cost increased from 30 shields to 50 shields.
Caravans -- cost reduced from 50 shields to 40 shields.
Trade Vessels -- new unit, exactly like a trireme but with an attack
factor of 0a. This allows democracies and republics to move caravans
overseas without creating unhappy citizens.

The main idea behind the changes is to create a deity game which is not
completely dominated by the discovery of monotheism and the construction
of Michelangelo's Chapel. The oracle now provides an alternative to
Mike's. Changes to caravan costs, the extension of the life of the
lighthouse and the creation of a new unit will allow civilizations to
develop strong economies early in the game and offer yet a third
alternative to Mike's. And finally, the reduction in the cost of
courthouses combined with the increase in the cost of diplomats and spies
should reduce the number of games which decay into bribery and
counter-bribery.

- The first game of the new league, Genesis, is scheduled to start on Jan,
1, 2000.



That was all for this week ladies and gentlemen,

Until next time
Markos Giannopoulos - markg@apolyton.net
Apolyton Civilization Site -