Software:Call to Power II

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Short description: 2000 video game
Call to Power II
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision
Producer(s)Parker A. Davis
Doug Pearson
Designer(s)David White
Programmer(s)Joe Rumsey
Steve Mariotti
Artist(s)David Dalzell
Composer(s)Carey James Chico
SeriesCivilization
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Call to Power II is a PC turn-based strategy game released by Activision as a sequel to Software:Civilization: Call to Power, which itself was named after the Civilization series by Sid Meier; this game could not have "Civilization" in its title because the license to the Civilization name was lost.

In October 2003, Activision released the source code, enabling the Apolyton gaming community to debug, improve, and add new features.[3] After being unavailable for a long time, the game was re-released in the digital distribution on GOG.com in 2010.[3][4]

Gameplay

Call to Power II had a number of differences from the previous Call to Power. Chiefly, the first game was criticized for its user interface,[5] which prompted a redesign for the sequel.

Call to Power II also included several gameplay differences. Maximum army size was increased, some balance adjustments were made to avoid the balance problems from the original Call to Power, and the economic system in Call to Power II was reworked so that controlling good terrain became more profitable. Another difference is that the player can receive bonuses for certain achievements, if they are the first to perform the action (recapturing a city, sailing around the world, etc.).

The diplomacy model in Call to Power II was improved, with more agreements available for negotiation. Players could, for example, ask the AI controlled civilizations to stop researching some technology, or to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenal.

Space colonization and the space layer were removed from Call to Power II, along with the "Alien Life Project" as science victory. It was replaced by the a new victory Gaia Controller victory. Here the player builds the Gaia Controller. It requires a certain amount of Gaia Controller Cores and Gaia Satellites, which are built in cities, and obelisks, which are built on the terrain. The obelisks cover a certain amount of terrain, which can be increased by building more satellites. The first player who covers 60 % of the map wins the game. Beside the Gaia Controller victory is the diplomatic victory, which is achieved by forming a world alliance with all other civilizations, the Bloodlust victory, which is conquering all other civilizations, and the 2300 AD victory. Here the player who has the highest score in the year 2300 AD wins.

Community support

Mods

One significant feature of Call to Power II is its support for mods. A large number of game data are stored in database text files such as the Units.txt, where the data about the units are stored. For instance, how much a unit costs to build, its strength, how many move points it has, and which technology the player needs to know to build it. Even more importantly, Call to Power II has a fully documented scripting language called SLIC, with a C-like syntax, through which many things about the game can be tweaked.[6][7] The game comes with four scenarios. One is just a world map with preset starting positions for the different civilizations. The other three are "Nuclear Detente", "Alexander the Great", and "The Magnificent Samurai". In all three scenarios SLIC is used to trigger game events. The most extreme is the Samurai scenario, where the game is transformed from a turn-based empire building game into a turn-based adventure game demonstrating the modding capabilities. The sole released patch for Call to Power II enhanced the functionality of SLIC, allowing creation of mods that change the gameplay significantly. The game's community created many mods, with the primary goals of fixing the AI and balance issues that were in the original game. Later, new game play features were incorporated through mods as well.

Source code release

After Activision ceased to support Call to Power II, the Apolyton Civilization Site became the de facto support center for the game, being the only active online community of this game and offering help with technical problems. That site is also largely where the modding efforts occurred.

At one point, the members of the Apolyton site contacted Activision and asked them to release the source code to Call to Power II. After several months of negotiation, Activision agreed and the source code was released in October 2003 exclusively to the Apolyton Civilization Site to allow the community to support the game themselves with community patches.[8][9] There were limitations to how the source code might be used; for example, no commercial use of anything created with the source base was allowed and that anything created can only be used with the retail version of the game, basically patches.[10]

Originally, the source code project was accessible through a Subversion server, later development moved to GitHub.[11][12] The community produced several patches over the years, the last version is from January 2025 and supports Windows and Linux.[13]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic72/100[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGSPStarStarStarStar[16]
CGWStarStarStar[17]
Eurogamer9/10[19]
Game Informer6/10[20]
GameSpot7.2/10[5]
GameSpy87%[21]
GameZone7.5/10[22]
IGN6/10[23]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[24]
PC Gamer (US)48%[25]
X-PlayStarStarStar[26]

The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[14] Bruce Geryk of GameSpot highlighted the improved interface, animations and sound, and the game's replay value. Criticisms included the lack of feedback during diplomacy, lack of tactical control during combat, the shift from city micromanagement to army micromanagement, and weak AI.[5] John Lee of NextGen said of the game, "It's a hoot, but it still feels like Civilization, and we've been there, done that, several times over. Luckily for Activision, some of us are eager to go there and do it again."[24]

References

  1. ↑ Bye, John "Gestalt" (October 25, 2000). "EuroGamer goes Call To Power II crazy". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/article-29569. 
  2. ↑ Walker, Trey (November 20, 2000). "Call to Power II Now in Stores". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-to-power-ii-now-in-stores/1100-2656373/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Zak, Robert (July 25, 2016). "What Civ VI Could Learn From Civilization: Call To Power". Gamer Network. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/civilization-call-to-power-retrospective. 
  4. ↑ "Call to Power 2". CD Projekt. http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/call_to_power_2. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Geryk, Bruce (November 20, 2000). "Call to Power II Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/call-to-power-ii-review/1900-2656251/. "The original design flaws from Civilization: Call to Power haven't been removed from the sequel, and while the sequel is more attractive and functional than its predecessor, it's still effectively the same game. Call to Power II is an interesting take on a classic concept, but as with many reinterpretations of canonical standards, it isn't better than its source material." 
  6. ↑ "SLIC2 Table of Contents" (in en). https://apolyton.net/articles/civilization-news/ctp2/modification/slic2/9312489-slic2-table-of-contents. 
  7. ↑ "CTP2 Bureau". http://ctp2.info/database/modguides/slic/. 
  8. ↑ Bell, John (October 2009). "Opening the Source of Art". http://timreview.ca/article/294. "[...]that no further patches to the title would be forthcoming. The community was predictably upset. Instead of giving up on the game, users decided that if Activision wasn't going to fix the bugs, they would. They wanted to save the game by getting Activision to open the source so it could be kept alive beyond the point where Activision lost interest. With some help from members of the development team that were active on fan forums, they were eventually able to convince Activision to release Call to Power II's source code in October of 2003." 
  9. ↑ "News Archive". http://apolyton.net/news/index.php?Category=CtP2&month=200309. 
  10. ↑ Gühmann, Martin (October 29, 2003). "Call to Power II Source Code End User License Agreement". https://apolyton.net/articles/civilization-news/ctp2/sourcecode/9312563-call-to-power-ii-source-code-end-user-license-agreement. 
  11. ↑ "Civilization: Call To Power 2 Source Project". https://ctp2.darkdust.net/. 
  12. ↑ "Apolyton Call to Power II Source Code Project". 20 January 2025. https://github.com/civctp2/civctp2/. 
  13. ↑ "Release Apolyton Edition 2025-01-20 · civctp2/civctp2" (in en). https://github.com/civctp2/civctp2/releases/tag/Apolyton-Edition-2025-01-20. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Call to Power II". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/call-to-power-ii/. 
  15. ↑ Klett, Steve (December 5, 2000). "Call to Power II". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-5067%2C00.html. 
  16. ↑ Levine, Jason (December 6, 2000). "Call to Power II". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/031/023/callpowr_review.html. 
  17. ↑ Chick, Tom (March 2001). "Fool Me Twice (Call to Power II Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (200): 106–7. https://cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_200.pdf. Retrieved May 6, 2024. 
  18. ↑ Suciu, Peter (December 21, 2000). "Call to Power II". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=4775&full=1. 
  19. ↑ Bye, John "Gestalt" (November 25, 2000). "Call To Power II". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/r-ctp2. 
  20. ↑ Brogger, Kristian (January 2001). "Call to Power II". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (93): 130. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200101/R03.0804.1717.33825.htm. Retrieved May 6, 2024. 
  21. ↑ Lally, Will (December 7, 2000). "Call to Power II". GameSpy Industries. http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/december00/ctp2/. 
  22. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (December 1, 2000). "Call To Power II Review". http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r14423.htm. 
  23. ↑ Osborne, Scott (November 20, 2000). "Call to Power II". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/21/call-to-power-ii. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lee, John (March 2001). "Call to Power II". NextGen (Imagine Media) (75): 93. https://archive.org/details/NextGen75Mar2001/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved May 6, 2024. 
  25. ↑ Brenesal, Barry (February 2001). "Call to Power II". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 8 (2). http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/call_to_power_i.html. Retrieved May 6, 2024. 
  26. ↑ Park, Fred (February 7, 2001). "Call to Power II". TechTV. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0%2C23008%2C3310056%2C00.html. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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