Helft mit! Wir wollen den Civ2 Quellcode

[Sephiroth]

Ein Lauffeuer und große Euphorie sind bei Apolyton ausgebrochen. Aus der Träumerei, alle möglichen Bugs und Kleinigkeiten in Civ2 entfernen zu können, ja ganz neue Dinge in das Spiel zu integrieren, dem ewigen Traum des Grenzen-Sprengens von Unitlimit, Kartenlimit, der Civbegrenzung (Stellt euch nur Civ2 mit 20 Civs vor) und der Beseitigung von AI-Fehlern, wurde die Idee geboren, Atari und Firaxis um den Civ2 Quellcode zu bitten. Wir haben bei Apolyton 2-3 Programmierer, die dessen fähig wären, mit dem Quellcode zu arbeiten, es kämen sicherlich noch einige dazu- alles was ihr tun müsstet, um eine neue Ära von Civ2 einzuläuten, ja quasi einen legitimen Nachfolger, einen würdigen Nachfolger für Civ2 zu bekommen, wäre, euren Namen und eure Unterschrift unter die Petition zu setzen. Das ist doch sicherlich nicht zu viel verlangt.

Jeder wahre Civ2- Zocker muss schon aus Gewissen dabei sein!

Hier findet ihr den >>>dazugehörigen Thread<<<. Ihr müsst euch noch nicht einmal bei Apolyton anmelden, eine mail an den Yaroslav (oder ein Post) reichen vollkommen aus.

Heil Civ2!

[SlangMan]

hmmm entschuldigung trotz der euphorie scheinen sich dort keine moegliche konsequenzen aus dem thread ergeben :-( . klar bug fix is ok einschliesslich ai validierung. aber ueber die modifikationen sollte schon ueber einen einhaltlichen standard gesprochen werden. ich sag nur mal weltweite kompatibilitaet und szenario faehigkeit. um wiederum so einen standard hinzubekommen muessen sozusagen in einem freien demokratischen internet
viele faktoren und stimmen beachtet werden und um diese auszuwerten bedarf es zeit. also daran wuerd ich fast zuerst denken wenn ich von freigabe des quellcodes eines so global bekannten und beliebten spiels denke.
mfg

[Thoddy]

Das Problem der kompatibilität sind die saves, wo die Engstellen eingebaut sind.

generell sind Zivs/Städte/Einheiten/Forschung betroffen also alles.
Aus programmiertechnischen Gründen(Geschwindigkeit/Speicherplatz)
sind alle Bereiche man kann fast sagen statisch angeordnet.

Es gibt auch kritsche Bytedoppelnutzungen für Dinge die eigentlich nichts miteinander zu tun haben

z.B
jede der gleichzeitig aktiven civs hat einen eigenen mapbereich,

das 255 Städtelimit- Das limit ist aber nicht bei den Städten selbst eingebaut sondern beim Zeiger Heimatstadt uni dort ist ein 1 byte Zeiger vorhanden.
Die Stadt-id selbst ist 2 byte lang

[Sephiroth]

Unterschreibt einfach die Petition! Die basteln dann einen Civ2 Clon- der wird genormt und verbreitet und voilà!
Unterschreiben unterschreiben unterschreiben!

[Barthi]

Wird es dan von Civ2 Platinum (Wäre guter Name) auch eine Deutsche Version geben ???

[Sephiroth]

Wird es dan von Civ2 Platinum (Wäre guter Name) auch eine Deutsche Version geben ???

Sicherlich irgendwann...

[Willi]

Wird es dan von Civ2 Platinum (Wäre guter Name) auch eine Deutsche Version geben ???

Leider wird es Civ2 Platinum weder auf englisch noch auf deutsch geben, Barthi. Die Rechteinhaber sind nicht mal bereit, das praktisch nicht mehr käufliche Programm zum freien Kopieren freizugeben. Die Bitte nach dem Quellcode des Programms kann man sicherlich äußern - nur erfüllt wird sie nicht...

[Philipp]

e: hier stand nichts konstruktives

[Harry Tuttle]

Hallo kann jemand Englisch hier sprechen? Ich bin von den Apolyton Foren. Ich möchte jeder auf der Civ2 Quellenprogramm-Petition aktualisieren.

Entschuldigen Sie bitte mein Deutsches, ich benutzen einen Übersetzer.

[Harry Tuttle]

Ich versuche, ein deutschsprechendes liason zu erhalten, um besser in Verbindung zu stehen.

[A.D.D.]

Nun, zu bitten, schön und gut, aber solange sich mit der Civ-Schiene Geld machen lässt, wird es wohl keinen Quellcode von irgendwas geben. (Fragt mal nach Civ1 )
Scheint mir total utopisch.

[Maker]

hmm das wär toll wenn sie ihn raus geben würden. Aber da ich von Natur aus pesimist bin glaub ich ehr nich, dass die den Code frei geben. Aba probieren können irs ja mal

[Cobra]

Hallo kann jemand Englisch hier sprechen? Ich bin von den Apolyton Foren. Ich möchte jeder auf der Civ2 Quellenprogramm-Petition aktualisieren.

Entschuldigen Sie bitte mein Deutsches, ich benutzen einen Übersetzer.

You can post in english as well. Most of us read/write better english than german

[A.D.D.]

äähm i guess most of us can read english, but better write in german. Me too ...

[Harry Tuttle]

Oh good, I was hoping I wouldn't have to use Babelfish for this!

Ok, I'm going to cut and paste all the relevant information that has occured since this thread was last updated in August.

Long story short, a petition letter has been written, by myself and we are continuing with the project. Yaroslav, the poster who originally started the project has been shipped off to Russia (Siberia actually) to work on some engineering project for Motorola so I've been helping to keep things going in his absence.

We have over 400 signatures for the petition as we speak, and as Yaro stated a long while ago I think some posters from this site have signed also, which is why the "German Civ2 site" is included in the petition letter that I will post in a second. I have just received a few more links to another German Civ2 forum and a French Civ forum so I will attempt to post the petition letter there and hopefully include those sites in the letter.

Anyways, here is the latest version of the letter:

The Letter Version 3:

Dear Infogrames,

This petition seeks to gain permission from you, the Civilization II/Sid Meier's Civilizaton II holders, for the release of the Civilization II source code. We present this petition to you in all good faith, as Civilization II fans, as loyal Civilization game franchise followers, and ultimately Civilization game purchasers.

For the past 8 years the computer game Civilization II has been on the market throughout the world. Also, derivatives of the original game, Civilization II: Multiplayer Gold Edition and Civilization II: Test of Time, have been on the market for over 5 years.

During this time Civilization II has enthralled millions with its addicting game play, its ease of use, and ultimately its adaptability to modifications. Since its release it has gained a following like no other game ever released. Even today, many years past the release of Civilization, there are 6 websites around the world devoted to the game and its predecessors. No one can deny Civilization 2 is a game that will forever be revered as a classic.

As with any game that has brought so much pleasure to its fans we, the members of Apolyton.net, Civfanatics.com, The Creative Design Group Civ 2 Forums, Civ.Org.pl, Civilization Center, and the German Civilization 2 Site seek to learn more about the game which has enthralled us for nearly a decades worth of time. We, in full knowledge and consent, ask you to release the source code of Civilization II to us, the public, for use in modification for non-financial means. We only seek to better and modify the game that has been enjoyed for so long so that we can continue enjoying it, and all the Civilization genre games, including the upcoming the fourth so named Civilization game.

Again, we do not seek to gain financially from this petition nor will we tolerate those who seek to gain from any such release. We are committed to making the source code open to all, at no cost, so that others can continue to enjoy a game that has opened the world of gaming to so many.

As Civilization fans we realize that the source code to Civilization II may still be viewed as commercially viable to any such producer and distributor of the game. To those that seek to gain from the further commercial release of Civilization II we present the following arguments. Please realize that these arguments are presented in good faith, as we do not wish to prod anyone to give up the source code against their will or the will of the ultimate decision makers in the process. We only seek to present an argument and, hopefully, receive a viable argument as to the opposite of our goal.

The arguments for the release of the Civilization II source code.

1) Due to the recent release of Windows XP and the Operating System's penchant for not working well with old games, Civilization II has been increasingly troublesome to play. Major modifications to the root directory are required to run the game, causing problems for any Civ2/Windows XP user. As is evident, Windows XP has become the dominant Operating System for all new computers. Thus, Civilization II has become an obsolete game.

2) In a market dominated by 3 dimensional polygon games, graphic heavy "shooters", and game console like games, the idea of playing a game like Civilization II has been lost to many consumers. Very few people want to pay for a game that was originally released in 1997. Thus, Civilization II has become uninteresting to the vast majority of computer game consumers.

3) With the release of Civilization 3, Civilization 3 "add-ons", and the future release of Civilization 4, Civilization II has been passed by as the leading game in the genre of strategy/empire building. Only a few adamant players across the world have chosen to play Civilization II, not enough to be any sort of viable consumer base.

4) An avenue sometimes overlooked is the ability for "gamers" to improve a game. Many people talk about what they want in a game like Civilization II but few actually bother to bring their thoughts to fruition. With the release of the source code the small Civilization II gaming community could improve upon the game, outlining what they, the hardcore gamers, want in a strategy/empire building game. Needless to say, this opens up an opportunity for any future producers of games in the strategy/empire building genre to learn what gamers really want. The signers of this petition are the types of gamers that know what they want and tend to set a precedent for other like-minded gamers. Through the exploration of the internal workings of the Civilization II source code future designers can discover what exactly consumers desire from their strategy/empire building game. The opportunity for designers to learn, improve, and ultimately produce a better selling game is now.

5) Goodwill is an important part of retaining customers. In any industry it is important to reinforce the idea that producers want to satisfy their customers. Any business owner knows that a happy customer is a return customer and that a happy customer will spread the word of a well-meaning company. We, the signers of this petition, believe that releasing the source code to Civilization II is the perfect opportunity to build brand loyalty among Civilization fans. A great many game consumers like the idea that a game producer is out to not only create and sell a game, but to also entertain and satisfy their customers. Remember, a happy customer, is a return customer.

6) Building a following among fans creates an aura of infallibility. Fans of any game will ultimately be apt to continue purchasing any following games in a series. The "group think" among fans of any product, is that any future releases can only improve. With the release of the Civilization II source code many fans will view with affection later releases of the series, facilitating higher sales for the future game. Marketing does not only entail reinforcing the image of the latest game, but reinforcing the image of the entire series. The release of the source code will ignite a new interest in strategy/empire building games, creating a clamor for games of the same ilk.

We seek a source code released under the GNU General Public License guidelines or a lesser derivative that would allow modification of only the source code. We do not seek to make public graphics or video media from Civ2 as media would be copyrighted either under the license or by the original graphic designers. All we hope to receive is the source code so as to modify the main Civ2 executable, thereby allowing us, the modifiers and fans of Civ2, to compile the program, and to create a better, more bug free, game.

We understand the legal implications of what we are asking. Releasing the source code to any game requires full transparency as to the aims of the party wishing for the code to be released. We assure you, as loyal Civ2 fans, that we are sincere in our plea and do not wish to gain financially from the release of the code. The only gain we hope to make is in the fulfillment of making a great game even better.

Please take this letter with the names and email addresses of the petition signers to heart. We, the fans of Civ2 await your reply.


Letter ends here, open to additions

If you would like to add your name to the petition please post your email address in this thread. I suggest substituting "AT" for the @ symbol to guard against webcrawlers grabbing your email. If you would not like to publicly post your email address please feel free to PM or email it to me (willsbu AT yahoo.com) and I will add it to my spreadsheet list. I promise I will not use your address for anythig else other than the petition letter.

Here are the network of links that are a part of the petition letter project. Apolyton has the original information and has the most cumulative information so I would give that one a look first:

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...hreadid=115096

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=88765

http://www.cdgroup.org/forums/tbs/c...topic.php?t=579

http://forums.civ.org.pl/viewtopic.php?TopicID=2489

http://www.civgaming.net/forums/showthread.php?t=5124

Please post your thoughts, the letter is open to all.