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Games Entertainment

Release Date for Civilization: CTP for Linux 70

Posted by CmdrTaco from the coming-soon dept.
Jeffrey Starr writes "Loki Entertainment Software is posting on their web site that Civilization: Call to Power for Linux will be released April 26. " Hemos got on the beta testers list so I played it a bit last night. Its a strange feeling- I haven't played a "real" (you know what I mean *grin*) game under Linux besides Quake and Doom. It gave me warm fuzzies. I hope everyone follows the trail the Loki is blazing over there. They did a good job.
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Release Date for Civilization: CTP for Linux More

Release Date for Civilization: CTP for Linux

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  • Am I just being dim, or does it not say how much it costs?
  • Yes, FUN is what's missing. It's about as enjoyable as going to the dentist. Only like four sound effects in the whole game, and terrible graphics. Constant crashing. What a rip off!

    I don't think it is physically possible for Call to Power to be worse than Alpha Centauri.

  • Posted by aeolian:

    Well I just couldn't wait. I bought it for windoze, and will try and figure something out when it comes to Linux release.

    As Far as features: 320 Meg Minimum install with an extra 80 Megs of swap required. After this I installed and "Quartz.dll not found" (out of curiousity I submitted a service request with my error, 2 days still no response). I ended up downloading DirectX 6.1, and having to do the "full install" of 590 MB (ouch!), this cleared it up.

    Speed: It seem to be going fine for me, although admittadly I don't have 40 cities yet, but my P2 300 with 64MB doesn't slow much.
  • Pre-ordered mine just because I've been waiting for it, but the "off the shelf" ones would be good for gifts ... I know a few people who can get early B-day presents. ;)
  • Do you mean that only one program can play sound at any time? (Haven't tried that myself, I admit)
  • I've played the windows version since I couldn't wait for the linux port. I was going to return it and exchange it for the linux version, but now I'm just going to return it period.

    First of all, the game is still good. It is civilization after all. However, the UI is obtusely designed and I can't see myself using (playing) it for 30 hours or more without losing my voice from all the screamings of frustration.

    Alpha Centauri is the real civ sequel. It the most "open" game that I've come across. The designer (Brian Reynolds) went into the newsgroup to solicit for feedbacks well before and after the game was released. It also sports a plain text file that can be modified to change virtually ANY rules in the game.

    If you want to see a linux port of this game, go to www.firaxis.com and let them know! Firaxis is a cool company staffed by cool people, they might actually oblige if we can show them there's enough demand for a linux port. Sid Meier, the guy who originally designed civ is the CEO there - so you can be sure that they'll produce quality games only.. their support for linux will be invaluable.


  • I am thinking of calling Best Buy and letting them know I want to buy CTP, but I want to buy the Linux version (just to save myself some time and hassle). Why don't you guys do that too?

    Troy
  • Yup, only one program at a time can lock /dev/dsp. (Unless you run ESD [tux.org] and esddsp that is...)

    --
  • Doesn't CTP play nice with esddsp?

    Daniel
  • That's...just...sick. How can a board game do that? It's not that taxing to copy tiles to the screen. (PLUG: FreeCiv runs fine on my P166!)

    Methinks a less bloated OS won't help a bloated game. Think Netscape. :-)

    Daniel
  • $49.95 suggested retail price. It's in the FAQ.
  • Go ask them nicely. I've asked for a PPC port, and offered some help, and they replied back that they are indeed working on a PPC port, and just wair for LinuxPPC R5 to be released.
  • You know, what I'm hoping for is is that Civ:CTF/Linux sells very well and lokisoft might be able to convince blizzard to let them make native ports of THEIR games. I want DiabloI/II, starcraft, and warcraft NATIVE under linux damnit!

    :)

  • Freeciv runs just fine on my 486!!!
  • I can't wait to see this on the shelves at CompUSA,
    alongside the boxes of WP 8 for Linux.

    Linux has come a long way from 0.99pl12.
    I don't know if the changes are necessarily for the
    good or the bad, but it's better than no change at all.

    Here's to hoping it's all good! :)
  • Great, 26 April is the first day of my last week of classes this semester. There goes my grades this semester... I wasted many hours playing civ classic and civ2. I still have my civ2 cd floating around here somewhere... (hm, or mabye it's at home) seems like just yesterday I wasted many otherwise useful hours...
  • I have a friend who is on the beta tester list, so I also have had the chance to play the game. I think it would be great to have a slashdot review of the game before it hits the stores. It would be a great showing of the viability of the Linux game interest if a huge number of people preordered the game. I however do not know the beta tester agreement and am woried about the ramifications of a review at this time. If there is interest in a review, and it does not violate the beta tester agreement, I would love to assist as a Linux user and a die-hard player of both Civ and Civ 2.
  • Year 3030: You have discovered boats! Would you like to see all 234 units our engineers are proposing? Y/y


    CivCTP spanks AC like a child.


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.

  • My Email from Lokisoft said I was selected because I have an Alpha box, but that they won't be betatesting an Alpha version 'till later.


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.
  • CIVCTP has got to be the best game I've played in my life.


    That said, this particular beta has WAY too many crashing bugs for such an ambitious release date.


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.

  • It is our destiny.


    We will always have Debian though.


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.

  • A couple of Loki developers hang out on EFnet #linuxctp. "Sloukan" told me that Lokigames intends on releasing the parts of the code not covered under the Activision NDA. What that leaves is some Loki-developed MPEG code, but it's still pretty cool.


    I submitted this story to Slashdot, but I guess the trained mammals didn't think it was news. (shrug).


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.

  • I've been playing the beta for a while now, and I've submitted many bug reports. Someone actually called me at home so we could work on the first one. They released a series of patchs, about 5MB each.

    Last week they released a major patch, beta3, which incorperates much of the new code added when Activision pushed their release date. This patch was 30MB, so some of the beta testers may have dropped out. In order to test you need the CD and want all the patches.

    See their beta test [lokigames.com] page if you want...

    This game is going to be very good. I've already pre-ordered a copy.

  • ... or any kind of password.. I just hope the other selectees did.. ;O
  • It's pretty good. I've been playing the beta whenever I have a chance. There's a few seg-faults left to sort out, and getting the last ounces of performace out of it. (still a bit sluggish on my K6-2 300) The developers at Loki Entertainment Software [lokisoft.com] have been real helpful throughout the process.
  • Alpha and PPC ports are planned. Not the same release date and I wouldn't look for them at Best Buy, but they're in the works.

    This is Loki's biggest asset, IMHO. Intel users can keep a small Win partition around, or use wine, but everybody else is out in the cold. I bet there's a sizable gaming market for the workstation market. Nethack's fun and all, but sometimes you want something new. Before, it was always too expensive to justify porting between a dozen different Unix flavors, but Linux solves that nicely. Loki's got a wide open market to exploit...
  • I *HAD* to pre-order mine. Mostly because I want to get it before Bob (insert evil laugh here).

    But still, going to my local Best Buy and grabbing a copy off the shelf would be way cool. Maybe the wife wants a copy...
  • This will be the first bit of software I have bought ina long time. Most everything that runs on my boxen (exception: netscape) is free.

    But I think I'll pay for Civ. Civ is good. Civ is reasonable. Civ will suck all of my free time away.
  • Jonas, I'm right there with you, finger on the buy button the second the page is done. It's my wife's Easter present to me. She's been a good sport since I've exercised Microsoft from our home. She loves Linux now (especially since I put that "Hobbit" them on her WindowMaker desktop) Jesse
  • Quite possibly quicker linux. In my experience linux seems to attract the better and more competent programmers. I've noticed that both on the internet and at my University. I think that's because Linux far more interesting for us hackers than Windoze.

    WP for Linux falls over less often the windoze version, but Netscape Communicator is a tad slower. Since Lokisoft appears to be a 100% linux house (Netscape isn't) I think I've got fair reason to be optimistic this time. Just imagine what that would say for Linux if CTP worked better under Linux than under W98.

    It seems that the only ppl who've complained about bloat are the Windoze users.
  • Does anyone know if it's possible to play LinuxCTP on a network with the Windoze CTP? I'd like to play CTP with those who have still not seen the true light... (it's not clear from the webpages - maybe some of the beta-testers out there have tried)

    Apart from that: Shame it seems to hog the whole screen - I'd love to play it in a resizable window. May well buy it anyway - who needs to pass exams?
  • It lists the price in the FAQ. You can also preorder it (like I did a few weeks ago) using the "Order Online" link. Loki lists the suggested retail at $49.95.

    --
  • I remember Civ, it was the best game of it's time - at least for resource managers. I'd love to see it again.
  • Definately buy retail, that's where the stats. that determine what they put on their shelves come from.

    Another recovered OS/2 junkie. The only thing I used it for this year was for running TurboTax. Now -that's- something I want to see ported to Linux!
  • Personally I really like AC, but I guess your concerns are valid. And remember, AC had Sid Meir working on it. CTP actually liscensed the name "Civilization" from some other company and made a clone of Sid Meir's work, which seems REALLY low. But, alas, there is no AC for Linux, so I will be getting CTP.
  • TurboTax?

    Ugh! This is the last year I waste my money w/ TurboTax.

    Kiplinger's tax cut is waaaaay cheaper, and I don't have to pay another $15 to file online.

    However, I would *love* to see Intuit's (and Lightwave 3D) ported to Linux.

    Wow... being a Linux user since the 1.0 kernel days, I'm still in a state of shock.
  • Fry's has the Windows version of Civ.:CTP on sale for $29.99 (versus the $50 I almost paid yesterday).

    I can't wait for the Linux version.

    I know I'm weak.

    When it comes out I'll buy it, too.

    However, for now, I like Annakin, must give in to the dark side....
  • I remember a tireme attacking a battleship and winning with the original Civilization (not II) under DOS once.

    We (about 17 of us) theorized that maybe one of the sailors jammed a wooden oar into the propellers of the battleship. :^)

    Ya gotta wonder sometimes...
  • Darn! Then havn't got the order form for the international credit card orders in order yet. Oh well.
  • The Windows version has been in players' hands for a week or so, and the feedback I've been seeing in the newsgroups is not very encouraging. There's apparently a bunch of annoying buggy stuff that a patch or two ought to solve, but it sounds like there's also some basic, down-home stupidity to the design. One of the most frequent complaints is that "It's not gripping like Civ2. I can get up and walk away from it."

    It'll be a darn shame if this is true. I've been looking forward to it because Civ2 is the only thing I reboot for anymore, and also because if it sells well it should initiate a flood of "me too!" ports from other game companies that want a share of the market, which in the medium run would probably put Linux on more household desktops sooner.

    Money's a bit tight for this student, but I'm tempted to shell out for it at the bleeding beginning just to help convince the suits that there's a market for Linux games. Even if I'm not entirely happy with it, it's not like I haven't been disappointed in 3/4 of the Windows-based games that I've bought in the past. Games seem to be following the same evolution as movies have: all special effects, no basic content.

    I suppose that if it doesn't turn out well, we could all console ourselves by spending our time programming for FreeCiv rather than playing CTP.
  • Along those lines, does anyone know if any online stores will have it? Where can I get it 1) Online and 2) that ships internationally? I usually use Cyberian Outpost but I doubt they will carry it. Of course I will write to ask them to carry it and BFRIS.

    One thing we all have to do is PESTER (politely!) stores both offline and online to carry it so they know there is a demand. I am tired of hearing "What's Linux?" or "Oh, we don't get any demand for Linux products".

    If anyone knows of an pline store that will carry CTP and ships internationally,please drop me a line at dglinder@datacomm.DEV-NULL-THIS-BIT.ch.

    Thanks!
  • The biggest problem with AC is the lack of information about the technology --- there's no Civilopedia equivalent, so the terminology takes on this wierd sort of not-real flavor, and it makes the commitment to the game a lot smaller.

    CTP does not suffer from this flaw. It's UI is annoying, and a bunch of people have been whining in the activision forum about how their pet Civ strategies don't work any more, bu t it's a really cool game. :)
  • I guess no i cant count on being able to avoid gaming on my own box under the excuse "Linux has no games" because now even tho it never was technically accurate... now theres a shrink wrapped one.....

    oh well who reall NEEDS to pass all of thier courses this semester...
  • Argh.... you people who "can see MS moving away in the rear view mirror" are making me jealous. Me? I'm stuck with Winblows until AutoDesk and Metacreations decide to port 3d Studio MAX, Bryce3D, and Poser 3 over to Linux. A version of Adobe Illustrator would be nice too. Anybody workin' on a Gimp Illustrator? :-)

    Matt
    spong@isr.umd.edu

    "Software is like sex- the best is for free"

  • And it's pretty good. The a/v is awesome, the stories, the tech upgrades, everything is just terrific. But, there's something missing....

    So, is Call to Power great? Does it run in a window? Is the interface excellent? Can you play over a network? How does it compare to AC?

  • I did, today, but I won't get to play with it until after work... I might leave early, though... =)

    -G.
  • I've got to say that the combat system is just as ballanced as in civ2 , the only thing is that a
    space marine unit can be killed in a one on one battle with a musketeer which is odd, on the other hand an unpatched civ2 has the same problem with combat between new and obsolete units
    so there'll probably be some patch for this in time.
    anyway having played civ2 a lot, and having great expectations about ctp,..all i can say is that it sure lived up to my expectations!
  • I was amazed while reading this, people who state they 'can get up and walk away from it' well i've been playing civ2 and really liked it, now im playing the w95 version (as i found out about the Linux version when i had the game for 3 days)of Civ ctp and i think its
    way better, all good elements from civ2 are present and the interface is more convinient, you dont have to manually move your units across the globe , you can work with building queue's which is very handy, and well i havent been able to 'get up and walk away' from it , even more as i had with civ2, going on to 3000 ad is pretty cool
    too, i thought civ2 was too short a timespan.
    and the new features like underwater/space cities
    is fun as well, space btw adds a whole different aproach to conquering the world military, there is no movement cost in space and you can drop your units from space to all over the map! :)
    that makes for a true blitzkrieg..
  • So my little 100Mhz Pentium hasn't got what it takes to play this, yes? Guess its time to upgrade. To bad really, I just got used to eating real food again.

    Also, any idea of installed size on the HD?
  • The whole premise to the game is excellent, the graphics are adequate and the UI is passable, but the multiplayer stability is lacking and the gaming experience is very shallow and unexciting.

    I would have thought there would be STUNNING audio-visuals and enhanced diplomacy but... the av and diplomacy were anemic compared to CIV2. We have taken 2 GIANT leaps backwards here folks.

    Alpha Centauri is a poor implementation of an excellent design. It's a half-hearted rehash of CIV2 in space. Maybe, they'll make an Alpha Centauri 2 with more absorbing content.
  • Posted by Joker_X:

    I can see MS getting smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror. Like many, I'm sure, games are the only reason I keep my (choke) Winbox around.
  • Actually, the game was useable on my 90Mhz Pentium. I had all frivolous turned off and the were noticeable pauses as the game thought about things, but it was still enjoyable. That was on the first beta, which was loaded with debugging code. Beta 3 has much of the debugging stuff pulled out and is much faster. I don't know how it runs on a slower processor, though. For unrelated reasons I finally got around to upgrading to a 400Mhz K6-2. I would expect the game to be quite playable on a 100Mhz pentium. You just won't get all the neat animations.


    --Phil (It's a good game. I'm definitely going to buy it when it comes out.)
  • It doesn't take full advantage of SMP, but on my dual 233 system it uses only one processor, leaving the other for everything else.


    When I run GNOME with the pager, I can minimize CTP or run it on one virtual desktop so I can leave it running while I do other things. (Other things that don't require sound that is...)


    Do THAT under Windows.


    --
    As long as each individual is facing the TV tube alone, formal freedom poses no threat to privilege.

  • I've just tested the game under windows, and on my dual Pentium 180 /64M RAM it runs as fast as maple
    syrup :-( Gets slower after a while, as well, possible memory leak...

    I wonder if the game will benefit from SMP?
    (Obviously, the less bloated OS will speed it up, but how much?)

    If not, I'll have to cough up some major bucks to get me a new machine -this game I GOT to have!


  • Rain on the parade? (Score:3)

    by Phil Gregory ( 1042 ) <phil_g+slashdot@pobox.com> on Friday April 09, 1999 @08:01AM (#1944272) Homepage
    I thought the game was quite well done. It kept the good features of the game and added additional ones that I think work very well. Cities can have building queues where you specify a list of items for them to build. You can save queues and use them on multiple cities (I love this feature--especially later in the game, I have a standard set of improvements that my cities build). You can build underwater, and have underwater tunnels. (My units can walk anywhere in my empire.) You can build in space, and there are many spacefaring units. In addition to the good concepts in the game, it looks good, too. The tiles and units are all well-rendered and the overall appearance is a large improvement over Civ II. (It also takes up more CPU power than Civ II.) Not "gripping"? The first all-nighter I ever did was while playing Civ II. I've already spent several on CTP.


    --Phil (Sleep? Isn't that a totally inadequate substitute for caffine?)

  • Buy retail to help acceptance (Score:3)

    by WonderClown ( 6064 ) on Thursday April 08, 1999 @09:12AM (#1944273) Homepage
    If you're interested in helping Linux apps get better retail distribution (and therefore more mainstream availability and awareness), it's better to wait and buy it retail rather than order direct from the publisher. Retail sales are a primary source of data for the industry, so if a game doesn't get retail sales, it won't get noticed, even if the publisher sold a million copies.

    So, as much as I hate to say it, go patronize the local crappy "We love Windoze" shrink-wrap shop. If they don't have the Linux version on the shelves, ask for it. (And grin & bear it when they say something nasty about Linux.) I've been through this routine before; I was once an OS/2 junkie.

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