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By Magic_gorter at 2009-11-01 09:41
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A new month. So it's time to start a new game of the month for civ2.
This month a special one. We go back in history. Way back to one of the ice ages. Land is bad and hard to work on. Can you survive and build a great empire. Good luck.
To download the game, visit this page.
And of course, a screenshot of the starting location:
Have fun playing.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2009-10-28 20:09
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According to recent Gamespot and BigDownload articles, Firaxis may be designing a new version of the X-Com game series. The X-Com series was created by MicroProse, and Take-Two, upon purchasing Firaxis in 2005, gained the rights to the X-Com intellectual property.
From Gamespot:
Quote:
The tweets read: "Apparently, there's a rumor that X-Com is being developed by Firaxis, which I wouldn't find hard to believe. I swear that I read they're working on a sci-fi game somewhere...The rumor is that there's two X-Com games--[an] FPS from Irrational and [a] turn-based one from Firaxis."
2K Boston is working on a new X-Com game of some sort, with a shooter spin-off being a strong possibility. As far as a second turn-based X-Com game from Firaxis is concerned, it would be the stuff of old-school gamers' dreams. And, as Fallout 3's massive sales proved, a critically acclaimed reboot of a classic franchise can reap massive rewards.
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Keep in mind that while the creation of a new X-Com game is presumed underway, potential involvement by Firaxis is not.
Thanks to raymundo and Modeltrainman for the news tip.
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By Denniz at 2009-10-25 17:25
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 The Civilization IV Hall of Fame has been updated. 111 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to veryhard for the highest score of the update with a Duel Immortal Domination game for 240,075 points.
shulec was the most active player during this update, submitting 23 games.
Only 3 players were brave enough to take on Deity this updateChrisFromLux submitted a 2825 BC Duel Deity Conquest game for 26579 points
Misotu submitted a 1020 AD Small Deity Diplomatic game for 57858 points
WastinTime submitted a 2030 AD Huge Deity Conquest game for 11598 points and a Jan 2030 AD Huge Deity Space Colony game for 4562 points Gauntlet Info:
G-Major 60 - Conquest, Emperor, Standard, Epic with (OCC, Raging Barbs, Always War)
1st manic 1320 AD
2nd karmina 1400 AD
3rd FiveAces 1495 AD
G-Minor 82 - Conquest, Prince, Standard, Normal on Medium and Small with Portugal (Joao)
1st Fluroscent 1240 AD
2nd DJMGator13 1360 AD
3rd shulec 1480 AD
** New Gauntlets Starting **
G-Minor 83 - Religious, Noble, Large, Normal on Ice Age
G-Major 62 - Space Colony, Monarch, Standard, Epic on Ice Age with Khmer and selected opponents (Raging Barbs, Aggressive AI)
>> Civ IV HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Thunderfall at 2009-10-21 11:24
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Great news! Sid Meier, creator of Civilization and Director of Creative Development at Firaxis, has just joined the forum to announce the Civilization Network project for Facebook:
Hello Civ Fans!
 I wanted to let you know we'll soon be looking for beta testers to help us develop a unique new way to play Civilization. Ever since we finished Civilization® Revolution™ last year, I've been looking at ways of expanding the Civ gameplay experience to include solo, competitive and cooperative play to take advantage of the uniqueness of social networks. We're calling this project Civilization® Network™ and the full game will be available next year on Facebook. Civilization Network will allow you to join together with your friends to create the world's most powerful, richest, smartest, or just plain coolest civilization. You can coordinate your strategy to win great battles, share your technology to jump ahead of your rivals, lobby your family and friends to form your own government and win vital elections, manage and grow your cities to maximize production and happiness, spy on your enemies, and work with your friends to create the great Wonders of the World. The game will offer everything you enjoy in Civ in a fully persistent environment - you can play as much as you like, whenever you like, and it'll be free to play.
We'll offer a closed beta of the game soon, so stay tuned for details on how you can sign-up to participate. The full game will launch in 2010. For more information about Civilization Network, including development updates and behind-the-scenes posts from me and the Firaxis team, join our Facebook fanpage here: www.facebook.com/civnetwork.
Thanks and Stay Civilized!
Sid Meier
Director of Creative Development
Firaxis Games
Welcome to CivFanatics forum, Sid! 
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By Tone at 2009-10-17 05:50
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 The Civilization III Hall of Fame has been updated. 10 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to Calis for the highest Firaxis score of the update with a Huge Demigod Domination game for 14019 points.
Calis was the most active player during this update, submitting 3 games.
No players were brave enough to take on Sid this update.
Congratulations go to Kuningas for winning the last gauntlet. The gauntlet has been laid down for the coming month by Calis. Details can be found here.
One player has gained several number one positions on harder difficulty levels:
Calis submitted a 230 AD Large Demigod Domination game for 13490 points, a 270 AD Huge Demigod Domination game for 14019 points and a 900 AD Tiny Emperor Spaceship game for 8390 points.
>> Civ III HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Denniz at 2009-10-10 19:40
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The Civilization IV Hall of Fame has been updated. 131 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to ryzax for the highest score of the update with a Huge Immortal Cultural game for 418,840 points.
babaBrian was the most active player during this update, submitting 15 games.
Only 1 player was brave enough to take on Deity this update kovacsflo submitted a 1943 AD Huge Deity Domination game for 32240 points and a 1932 AD Huge Deity Conquest game for 25575 points Gauntlet Info:
G-Major 59 - Diplomatic, Emperor, Standard, Normal on Continents (Barbs ON)
1st ProRock 1320 AD
2nd Misotu 1380 AD
3rd ianw1610 1615 AD
G-Minor 81 - Domination, Warlord, Small, Quick on Terra with Peter
1st DJMGator13 620 AD
2nd ryzax 1160 AD
3rd shulec 1240 AD
** New Gauntlets Starting **
G-Minor 82 - Conquest, Prince, Standard, Normal on Medium and Small with Portugal (Joao)
G-Major 61 - Domination, Monarch, Large, Normal on Hemispheres with Holy Roman Empire
>> Civ IV HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Blue Monkey at 2009-10-08 16:00
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 Treats from those whoÂ've got the tricks - and plenty of them. Including a new category specifically for Civilopedia entries (both text & graphics).
UNITS
TERRAIN & RESOURCE GRAPHICS
CITY GRAPHICS
WONDERS & IMPROVEMENTS
TECH ICONS
CIVILOPEDIA
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By Thunderfall at 2009-10-07 21:25
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 Firaxis has posted another article in the gaming career series.
In this newest article, executive producer Barry Caudill talks about the responsibilities for the position and the skillset necessary to become a successful game producer. You also hear from two of Firaxis's newest producers Michelle Menard and David McDonough on how their education helped get them a job in production.
PS: For the Calling All Spies contest, if you haven't broken the code yet, the clock is ticking. You’ve got until 11:59pm Eastern Time, on Sunday, October 11th, 2009 to submit your entry.
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By Thunderfall at 2009-10-05 22:27
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 In December of this year PolyCast, a podcast entertaining and information Civilization strategy, will complete its third season. Before then, it is hoped that it would have at least been one of the Top 10 nominees again in both the "Best Produced" and "Gaming" categories for the 2009 Podcast Awards which is now accepting nominations until 23:59PM Hawaiian Standard Time on October 19th.
As noted in the rules of the awards process, 40% of each nominated podcast`s review grade comes from the number of nominations received during the 15-day nomination period. Therefore, to ensure PolyCast has the best opportunity to be one of the Top 10 nominees to then be voted upon during a 15-day period afterwords itself, as many legitimate nominations need to be submitted for the show now. When nominating, please follow the data below for both the "Best Produced" and "Gaming" categories:
Podcast Name: PolyCast
Podcast URL: http://thepolycast.net/polycast
Please don't nominate the show for anymore than the "Best Produced" and "Gaming" categories: the aim is to focus nominations in those two categories. Don't submit PolyCast for more than these two categories as that would invalidate your nomination. Further, please use the "Comments" field to help the reviewing team understand why you feel PolyCast is deserving of being nominated in both the "Best Produced" and "Gaming" categories. Be sure to include your name and a valid email address to ensure the verification of your vote.
Thanks in advance to all of those who decide to vote for PolyCast in the "Best Produced" and "Gaming" categories for the 2009 Podcast Awards. The nomination effort was successful last year, so here's to repeating that performance to set the stage for the next round! 
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By Magic_gorter at 2009-10-05 02:32
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It's october already so it's time to start a new game of the month for civ2.
This month it's just a normal game.
To download the game, visit this page.
And of course, a screenshot of the starting location:
Have fun playing.
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By Ginger_Ale at 2009-10-02 18:01
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 Firaxis published today two new articles regarding the employees and internal operations of the company. Continuing their "Start a Career [in the Gaming Industry]" series, Quality Assurance manager Scott Wittbecker addresses getting started with QA work, revealing what exactly composes a "successful" game tester:
While a love of gaming will help make you a better QA tester, this isn’t the only requirement for being a successful member of the team. Keeping in mind that you’re going to be playing the same game (or maybe even a tiny part of the game!) for hours on end each day, concentration, attention to details, and diligence are very important attributes...Most importantly, you need to be able to write clearly and concisely. If the programmers can’t understand what you’re trying to tell them, they’re not going to be able to pinpoint where problems are occurring and you’re going to spend even more time focused on a single issue, which isn’t a good use of your time or theirs.
In a second article, Steve Odgen, lead artist for Civ4, reflects upon his favorite pieces of artwork from the many models and images developed by the art team. One of the pieces that he discusses is the image to the right, from the Great Pyramids wonder video.
Keep an eye out for another game industry profile next week, according to Pete Murray of Firaxis!
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By Turner at 2009-10-01 05:31
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There's a lot to say about Christopher Tin's new album, Calling All Dawns. My Co-Moderator, Padma, has said a fair bit already. I shall endeavor to not repeat what he's said.
I'm not familiar with Christopher's work. Ironic, isn't it? It was a post by Thunderfall that introduced me to him. Oh, I had heard Baba Yetu before, when I played the demo for Civ4. And skipped right through it, being anxious to get into the game. Well, that experience with the demo didn't leave me wanting for more, so it was quickly deleted, and the brief bit I had heard of it was forgotten.
So Thunderfall posts and asked who'd like to do this? I jumped on YouTube and listened to the first part of Baba Yetu, and decided, yeah, I could listen to this. I like a wide range of music. On my iPod, I have a bit of everything, from Tim McGraw to Darren Denney to Stone Temple Pilots to Yanni to Fleetwood Mac and a bunch of stuff that most people say 'Who?' when I tell them what I'm listening to.
After downloading the album from Christopher's website, I was anxious to hear it. I sat down and really listened to Baba Yetu, which for those of you who don't already know it is The Lord's Prayer sung in Swahili. Pretty good. Before I knew it, I was listening to Rassemblons-Nous. This tune made me stop what I was doing and figure out where I was in the album. The technobeat appealed to me. When I saw I had lost three tracks before realizing I had listened to them, it occured to me that Christopher was excellent at blending the songs together. This was, I thought to myself, something special. I finished listening to Rassemblons and went back to Baba Yetu. This time I paid attention to the album, instead of letting it wash over me. I opened up the liner notes, and noticed that the songs went from Swahili to Japanese to Mandarin to Portuguese to the French Rassemblons-Nous I was listening too. I was blown away. The rest of the album did not disappoint me.
This music is not a small group playing in a studio. This is an orchestra of over two hundred musicians playing Christopher's music. This album has a larger-than-life depth to it. It gives a fullness, a richness, that I don't normally feel when listening to music. I'm hard pressed to put into words the feelings I get from this album. The album has a full, rich sound which gave me visions of wide open plains, sprawling mountains, and far horizons over the ocean.
It has been said that this album is about cycles. I will agree with that. There's very clearly three parts, representing Day/Birth, Night/Death, and Dawn/Rebirth. But there's a deeper meaning. He seamlessly moved from one language and culture to another, blending them perfectly. Going from Christianity's The Lord's Prayer to haikus, poetry from China, Rassemblon-Nous, and finishing with the Maori Kia Hora Te Marino, this album shows me that it knows how to go from culture to culture and make them work together. I suspect that Christopher is trying to show us how flawlessly our cultures fit together, and uses this album as a lesson that we can live together, and exist together in harmony. Because that's what this album is about: existing together, blending together, and living together.
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By Padma at 2009-09-29 11:53
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Day. Night. Dawn.
Life. Death. Rebirth.
The circle of life, the inter-connectedness of human life and society. These are themes explored by Christopher Tin in his debut album, Calling All Dawns.
The album is a song-cycle in three uninterrupted movements: day, night, and dawn (corresponding to life, death, and rebirth). It is a tapestry of interconnected motifs, the main melody of one song becoming the instrumental interlude in another. The last song fades seamlessly into the first, reflecting the cyclical nature of the universe.
The twelve songs are sung in twelve languages, ranging from Swahili to Polish, from French to Farsi to Maori. The lyrics are from sources as diverse as religious texts like the Torah and Bhagavad Gita, to ancient Persian and Japanese poetry, to lyrics by contemporary writers. Vocal traditions include African choral music, opera, medieval chant, Irish keening, and more.
The opening song, Baba Yetu, is familiar to all players of the Civilization 4 video game. This award-winning song (The Lord's Prayer, sung in Swahili by the Soweto Gospel Choir) sets the initial tone perfectly, with its thrilling drums and stirring music, celebrating life. (If you are unfamiliar with the song, think The Lion King - Circle of Life.)
The second song, Mado Kara Mieru (Through the Window I See) is also stirring. The lyrics are adapted from a Japanese haiku series that looks at Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring again. Third is the Mandarin Dao Zai Fan Ye (The Path is Returning), also a poem on the cyclic nature of life.
Fourth is the Portuguese Se É Pra Vir Que Venha (Whatever Comes, Let it Come), with its theme, "I do not fear life, nor its counterpoint. Whatever comes, let it come." The final song in the "Day" movement is French, Rassemblons-Nous (Let us Gather). It is another strong celebration of Life.
The "Night" movement begins with Lux Aeterna (Eternal Light). The words are from the Requiem Mass, "Let eternal light shine upon them, O Lord, grant them eternal rest." This piece, while still showing some of the triumphal horns of the "Life" movement, is clearly a transition to a slower, darker phase. The seventh song is Caoineadh (To Cry), an Irish keen, a most haunting, yet beautiful piece. The last piece of "Night" is the Polish Hymn do Trójcy Świętej (Hymn to the Holy Trinity). It starts out quiet and somber, but as it progresses, there are hints of the dawn to come, the triumph of light over dark, the rebirth of life.
"Dawn" begins with the Hebrew Hayom Kadosh (Today is Sacred), from the Book of Nehemiah. "Do not mourn and do not weep, for this day is sacred." It is definitely a turn back to the light, to the new day. It segues into the Farsi Hamsáfár (Journey Together), easily one of my favorite pieces from this work. The music is a celebration of this new day, this rebirth on the universal wheel.
The Sanskrit Sukla-Krsne (Light and Darkness) is the penultimate piece. Probably one of my least favorite pieces, yet it fits musically into the whole, and the work would be diminished without it. The final piece is Kia Hora Te Marino (May Peace be Widespread), from a traditional Maori blessing. It gathers together threads that have run throughout the cycle, and wraps them up in a grand finale. The cycle is complete, the new day has dawned bright and full. It ends with the opening notes of Baba Yetu, and if played continuously, smoothly flows into that song once more.
I've listened to the whole album several times, now, and I am constantly finding something new in it. Like the foreshadowing of Hamsáfár in Se É Pra Vir Que Venha. It is not likely to be something I put on 'shuffle' on my iPod, because I find it most expressive as one long cycle, but I can see selecting some standout songs to play separately.
Calling All Dawns will be available starting October 1st. All pre-ordered CDs will be shipped on that date, and a complimentary link to a downloadable version will also be emailed to all who pre-ordered the album at that time. iTunes will also have it, but they need a little lead time to set everything up. It should be available worldwide on iTunes in a few weeks. The CD version is $15, while download-only versions will be available for $10. These will include both high-quality mp3s, as well as lossless aaif format.
To check out samples from this album, please visit Christopher Tin's website. NOTE: When you pre-order, you can use promo code CIVFANATICS to save $1 off a single album purchase! If you order more than one CD, then the code should NOT be used since there is already discount for that.
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By Thunderfall at 2009-09-28 22:03
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Firaxis has posted a coded message on their site. Could it be a contest with fabulous prizes? Give it a try and see if you could decode the message! 
Quote:
WIHALUNOFUNCIHM IH XYWIXCHA NBCM GYMMUAY! QBUN CM NBCM GSMNYLCIOM JOTTFY? CN'M U WIHNYMN!
JFYUMY MYHX UH YGUCF NI MJS UN ZCLURCM XIN WIG QCNB NBY MOVDYWN "XYWIXYL JOTTFY" ZIL U WBUHWY NI QCH SIOL WBICWY IZ UH UONIALUJBYX WIJS IZ WCPCFCTUNCIH CP: WIGJFYNY, WCPCFCTUNCIH LYPIFONCIH (RVIR 360, JM3 IL XM PYLMCIH), IL U WCPCFCTUNCIH LYPIFONCIH CJIX NIOWB WIPYL.
MNUS WCPCFCTYX!
NBCM MBCZN WCJBYL CM UFMI EHIQH UM NBY WUYMUL WCJBYL, MCHWY WUYMUL OMYX NBCM GYNBIX NI WIGGOHCWUNY QCNB BCM AYHYLUFM.
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Thanks to Pete Murray of Firaxis for the news tip.
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By Thunderfall at 2009-09-27 13:37
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Aspyr Media announced on Wednesday that Civilization IV: Colonization will be released for Mac in North America this holiday season. In Colonization, players lead one of four European nations on a quest to conquer and rule the New World. Players will be challenged to guide their people from the oppressive motherland, discover the New World, and negotiate, trade and fight with both the natives and other nations as they acquire power and fight for freedom and independence.
Civilization IV: Colonization does not require the original Civilization IV game to play.
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By Denniz at 2009-09-25 21:55
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The Civilization IV Hall of Fame has been updated. 137 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to The-Hawk for the highest score of the update with a Huge Prince Domination game for 1,272,227 points.
pholtz was the most active player during this update, submitting 12 games.
Only 6 players were brave enough to take on Deity this updateAlmond submitted a 2875 BC Duel Deity Conquest game for 52714 points
Alraun submitted a 1905 AD Large Deity Space Colony game for 22364 points
ilgari submitted a 1450 BC Tiny Deity Conquest game for 141809 points
Infantry#14 submitted a 1805 AD Duel Deity Cultural game for 57449 points
Misotu submitted a 1750 BC Tiny Deity Religious game for 36658 points and a 1470 AD Tiny Deity Diplomatic game for 40449 points and a 1440 AD Tiny Deity Diplomatic game for 44037 points and a Jan 2050 AD Tiny Deity Time game for 54249 points and a 1720 BC Tiny Deity Religious game for 39890 points
WastinTime submitted a 1526 AD Large Deity Space Race game for 35338 points and a 1485 AD Standard Deity Space Colony game for 55575 points Gauntlet Info:
G-Major 58 - Time, Noble, Huge, Epic - Any Starting Era
1st phanc 28,461 pts
2nd KingMorgan 14,390 pts
3rd donsig 7111 pts
G-Minor 80 - Cultural, Monarch, Standard, Quick on Boreal
1st karmina 1280 AD
2nd kovacsflo 1320 AD
3rd WastinTime 1380 AD
** New Gauntlets Starting **
G-Minor 81 - Domination, Warlord, Small, Quick on Terra with Peter
G-Major 59 - Conquest, Emperor, Standard, Epic with (OCC, Raging Barbs, Always War)
>> Civ IV HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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By Tone at 2009-09-18 07:56
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The Civilization III Hall of Fame has been updated. 8 games were accepted since the previous update.
Congratulations to krakedhalo for the highest Firaxis score of the update with a Small Demigod Domination game for 12516 points.
Congratulations to Spoonwood for winning the latest gauntlet. Post here if you wish to lay down the gauntlet for the next challenge.
krakedhalo was the most active player during this update, submitting 7 games.
No players were brave enough to take on Sid this update.
>> Civ III HOF
>> Full Update Details
>> Discussion Thread
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