News Archive: July 1999

Missing Angel?

Posted on July 29th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Well, this Caesar 3 news flash should have been brought to you by Angel Alexander I, but he seems to have gone missing…let’s hope it’s nothing more serious than a lost connection.

What’s happening in the mean time?

For one, I’ve been busy putting in a new floor in my living room and I still need to do a lot of painting before our move, July 31st. I’ll be disconnected as of tomorrow noon (CET) so it might remain very quiet here.

Peter the Great resurrected five of his favourite threads, to enliven summer boredom. Want to know what they were? Click here. He also started a thread telling us why C3 has the best forum on the NET.

Housing blocks remains the topic of choice on the Game Help forum. You can choose between multiple blocks and luxury palaces. Last but not least I seem to have sparked of a lively discussion on the Road to Rome.

Paint Everywhere

Posted on July 25th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Or almost everywhere. I even managed to put some more on the ceiling and put some finish on more of the woodwork. Tomorrow will see me starting on putting in the new the floors.
Why am I telling you all this? Och, I need to feel I’m not alone in doing all this hard work, and besides, it’s quiet in the forums… <G>

What is happening there?

Well, there is a small discussion going on about the C3 Model Text. The Community forum is still busy telling stories and the Game Help forum just can’t get enough of Palaces, with an exciting new block design by our own Cherub Baltic, and Phantom Wolves.

Blisters and Sore Fingers

Posted on July 24th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

At least I managed to paint most of the walls, the living room ceiling and most of the woodwork got a base coat of paint.
Yes the move is getting closer. A week from now we should be exhausted from moving stacks of books, furniture and several donkey loads of clothing.

I did receive a nice package in the mail this morning. Four booklets filled with Rome’s Enemies, Gallic and British Celts, Spanish armies, Sassanids and Parthians and a bunch of Desert raiders. It also seems they have a book on Hannibal’s War with Rome.
Now you may be wondering who they are.
Well, they are the Osprey Men-at-Arms series.

Angel Alone in Heaven..?

Posted on July 23rd, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

With Angel Reckless Rodent off on holiday and Angel Alexander I moving between continents, yours truly has some very big clouds to cover. Luckily it’s this one first, with enough going on in the forums to tell you something new.

First of all, I don’t seem to be totally alone on this cloud, as Angel Monty’s Monkey just informed me we have several new scenarios and cities on the download pages.
It seems he can see the bottom of his inbox, so if any of you out there have any scenarios or cities for upload, send them to Angel Monty’s Monkey.

Tzar Heaven is open for beta signup. Just go to the main gate and ask the gatekeeper where to go.

Apart from that it seems Impressions is looking for a Games Producer. So if you think you know all about the gaming industry and can laugh in the face of certain deadlines, have a look here.

Summertime Blues

Posted on July 22nd, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

The Beating the Heat thread in the Technical forum is reminiscing about former holidays and trips they used to take before Caesar took over their lives.

There are loads of questions being answered in the Game Help forum, some almost as soon as they are posted. If you haven’t finished the game yet, you might want to have a look there and see what you can learn. Some of the answers are very ingenious.

In the Community forum, Peter the Great’s Story Time 3 is still alive, although we haven’t heard from the man himself recently. The Summer Campaign Story is also still going strong.

Have you signed up for Age of Kings yet? If not, click here

Good Gods

Posted on July 21st, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

The Game Help forum brings us some figures on industry. Figures…figures? Well, figures as in if my trade partner wants 25 loads of weapons, who many iron mines do I need?

Apart from this bit of numerology, the moods of the gods are still under discussion.
– When do I throw a party?
– How many temples do I need?
– Should the be exalted always?
The discussion even give you some information getting yourself “Idolized like a god” <G>

For a bit of good news, Tzar will remain Tzar, so you’d better keep showing up there, or else…

And remember…only one more day till the Age of Kings beta signup!

Beta, Beta, Beta…

Posted on July 20th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

It seems to be beta time again. Two days from now the Age of Kings signup starts at…Age of Kings Heaven.
In another corner of Heaven, Tzar Heaven to be precise, preparations are underway for a another beta-test spectacular. Do hop over and check out the news, and while you’re there, please add your vote to the Crownguard thread.
Crownguard, I hear you wonder?
Well, Haemimont are thinking of changing the name of the game to Crownguard. Is this really a good idea…?

A questionnaire is doing the rounds in the Game Help forum, it poses a simple question…what was the toughest scenario?

The Technical forum is giving technical advice of a different kind, as the Beating the Heat thread has turned into out very own gardeners advice corner. Maybe some tips on getting more out of the Caesar 3 gardens will show up.
Anyone care for a tomato?

Caesars All Over The Place

Posted on July 19th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Apart from teasing people away from the forum Summer is allowing some other forumers to spend some real quality time chasing Julius’ laurels. It looks like we can expect some more newly inaugurated Caesars announcing their joy in the Community forum soon.

Not one but two monuments for Angel Reckless Rodent and Cherub Onnoculator have appeared in the Community forum. One by Octavion in Naples, the other showed up shortly afterwards in Alexandria.

Last but not least…this angel assumes his fellow angel meant Monkey Island in his previous news flash? <G>

Forum frolics

Posted on July 18th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

Phew! Another game bites the dust, as Discworld Noir is finally finished, after 2 weeks of head-scratching, nail-biting playing. Well recommended if you like games like Grim Fandango and Money Island.

But enough of that, here’s a roundup of what’s happening in C3H today:

• There’s talk of a new campaign in the community forum
• Also in community, an old friend returns just as one disappears on vacation
• There’s a pot crisis in Caesarea in game help

And lots more besides. So why not take a moment to have a peek?

Power outage blues

Posted on July 17th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

Apologies for what happened yesterday. It seems like the Gamestats servers in Toronto went down for 5 hours or so (I was wondering why I couldn’t connect…I was beginning to get rather worried) due to some sort of a fire. Anyway, we’re back online now, and GS are working real hard to make sure that anything like that doesn’t disrupt our service in the future. For the official word on what happened, click here.

These are exciting times in HGS – I can’t say why, but let me give you a bit of a hint. Keep checking Age of Kings Heaven and Tzar Heaven every day to make sure you don’t miss a boat that many, many people will be wanting to catch.

If AOK and Tzar don’t rock your world (why not;)?), then there’s a thread which was posted recently in the forum asking about the toughest scenario in C3. If you’ve got thoughts on the matter (and you surely will), then let people know what you think.

I hear that some people have been having trouble getting the Mac version of C3 to work. Well, here’s the official word from Impressions on the matter from their Mac-Games.com site:

Notice: We have discovered that 2 game files, damaged during the CD replication process for Caesar III Mac, cannot be copied during the full install. In addition, these 2 files are used during Mission 8 (Lutetia) and will cause a freeze to occur even if you have performed a small or medium install. The 2 game files in question are: /wavs/14b.wav and /wavs/14w.wav. To fix the problem, please go here.

If you have further tech problems with the Mac version of C3, then remember that Cherub Et Flavius is always on hand (when he’s not fishing;)) in the technical forum to lend a hand.

New contest from GameStats

Posted on July 16th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

It’s that time of the week again. It’s time for the one and only GameStats contest! This time, they have one which will doubtless appeal to our US visitors. This week you have the chance to win one of seven copies of “America’s Funniest Home Videos Light’s! Camera! Interaction!” Click the pic to see what it’s all about.

Back in Rome, there’s another birthday for one of our forum regulars. Why not find out who and give them your best wishes?

Palace glyph from Hawky

Posted on July 15th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

Angel Jayhawk has been busy recently cooking up something that will please everyone who delights in participating in housing block discussions – he’s come up with a glyph to represent a palace. Here it is:

Neat, huh? It looks like other people have been busy too – check these out!

Dereliction of duty?

Posted on July 14th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

What’s up with Angel Alexander I at HGS Main news these days? Potentially not updating today because he worked the graveyard shift last night\ his morning? Hmm…looks like all these months of him not updating here at Caesar III Heaven has made him a wee bit lazy. Oh well, even if he can’t stir himself to write something there today at least you’ll see something here ;). And all this on top of his little slip a couple of days back when he said that Ensemble Studios (developers of Age of Empires and Age of Kings) were the developers of C3 and Pharaoh (unless he knows something the rest of the world doesn’t<g>). Hey, can someone FedEx some strong Colombian coffee over to Holland – I think he’s missing it ;).

There you go, Alex, told you I’d get ya!

Anyway, internal HGS matters aside, what’s going on in the C3 community today. As usual, there’s a party in the Community forum, this time to celebrate the deification (you have to be careful when you type that at high speed, or it gets to mean something completely different) of one of our forumers. We also have a couple of birthdays today – click here to check out who’ll be blowing the candles out later on.

Other news today, and my other pet project in HGS (apart from Pharaoh Heaven), Tzar Heaven, continues to pull in the exclusives from the designers. Artificial intelligence has been the in-vogue topic for the past week or so. Why don’t all of you out there who have been having problems with the market lady’s seeming lack of intelligence (artificial or not) head over to the Tzar heaven forum and tell the developers what to avoid. Or, if you want to find out about Pharaoh, then Pharaoh Heaven would be a good place to visit today – the pre-release FAQs have been updated with all the latest information.

It’s time to RANT!!

Posted on July 13th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

Why is it that companies think that they can rip off us UK-based gamers? Why do they seem to think that we will gladly pay inflated prices for games? Why do they not trust us sufficiently to give us rebates?

What’s set me off on this? Well, I headed down to my local shopping centre today (Brent Cross, in case anybody’s in the area) to have a look at some of the latest games and to pick up some stuff for going on holiday. I popped into EB, had a quick gander, and then bought Dungeon Keeper 2 (haven’t played it yet, and might not for a month or so). How much? £334.99. I thought that wasn’t too bad a deal until I took my daily look at Gone Gold and saw that you guys and gals in the US can get it for a measly $29.99 – that’s £319.32. So why the discrepancy? Shipping large quantities of games across the Atlantic wouldn’t cost that much. Do our shops just take a larger cut of the profits or are the prices being kept artificially high by publishers? We know that this has happened over here with some cars (Volvo, for example). I’m not going to make any allegations because I don’t want to be sued, but it’s something we need to look at here in the UK. Agree or disagree? Mail me about it or post in the forum.

Ok, enough of my ranting. Back to C3H. After I plugged his thread about beating the heat yesterday, Cherub Et Flavius has resurrected his thread about how to prevent your computer melting down. Worth a look during a heatwave, I’d say;).

Beat that heat!

Posted on July 12th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

I hear that some areas of the US have been having some pretty hot days recently. And what better way to beat a heatwave than to sit back with some cold drinks playing C3? In the tech forum, Cherub Et Flavius has some tips for beating the heat which might be of interest. But what happens if your computer overheats? One for you there, EF ;).

It’s not only the tech forum that’s busy at the moment – Game Help is getting a fair bit of use too. At the moment there’s someone there who’s stuck in Tarsus. So if you’ve zoomed through there without any great problems, then why not pass on some hints and tips to those less fortunate? Alternatively, if you’re having problems on Tarsus too, take a look at the sage advice that’s already been given.

What’s With Them Donkeys?

Posted on July 11th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

An interesting discussion is going on about donkeys in the Game Help forum. For those that are too new to know where donkeys come in to Caesar 3, they are part of the trade caravans. Another of our forumers doesn’t seem to be too happy with them, as he wishes them A thousand flies.

Story Time 3 is getting along nicely and approaching it’s fifties post. Apart from that High Priestess Wendoolicus is still dealing out blessing and penance for those that stray from the Caesar 3 path.

Tomorrow I’ll be off to Pharaoh Heaven and Angel Reckless Rodent will again present you with his view of the world.

Short message for Angel Alexander I, the last time I checked on the scarabs they were still lowly dung-beetles. I wouldn’t worry too much about them eating your flesh…

Games People Play

Posted on July 10th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Angel Monty’s Monkey has been busy for us again. The other day he uploaded another bunch of scenarios to out download archive. We know have 142 scenarios ready for download! Which means we now have more scenarios to download than we have cities. They include Mark Qian’s overkill of Prefects, Cherub Onoculator’s Ulaanbaatar, Bob the Lethargic’s Portgate and Pontius Pilatus’ Peloponessos

As for Caesar 2, I finished my tour in Sardegna and have now moved on to the “boot” part of Italy. Trade is a bit of a bother, which means Prosperity is my biggest challenge.

Angel Alexander I, our HGS news ferret, has gone into hiding again. According to the headline he’s hiding from Angel Reckless Rodent’s poisonous pen…one wonders what he did to deserve that reaction? Or does one?

Nostalgia Strikes Again

Posted on July 9th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Okay, so Caesar I is for free, but what did I see in my computer game shop the other day? You’ve guessed it, Caesar II, as a Sierra Original. Packaged in the distinctive white box with the red top. Caesar II weighs in at $14.95, or £9,95, not bad for a nice game like this.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, I’m enjoying the Province Map again and am preparing myself for the large scale battles.

Tech Cherub ET Flavius has returned safely from his encounters with (large) fish, glaciers and mountain lakes, so if you have any pending questions the Technical forum is open again.

The Number of the Beast

Posted on July 8th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Our resident number crunchers, among the Cherub Baltic, SIM and RSC, are currently busy with the intricate details of calculating productivity, entertainment and cultural evolution.
Smiley the Canadian Guy’s (where are you?) Housing thread remains another popular hangout in the Game Help forum.

In the Community forum the stories have taken over from the other threads, there Story Time 3, which seems to be a hunt for…well, let’s not mention that on the front page.
Then we have the Summer Campaign Story Place, where the last time I checked, the fishermen were revolting, helped by a couple of governors and a certain cherub.
The “Heathen” Celebration rescued the Lost Boys and is wondering whether it should disappear into oblivion or find new task.

Do You Know Your Classics?

Posted on July 7th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Angel Reckless Rodent is looking for the eight classical tragedies. Now we’ve suggested that one of them should have been The Lost Marketlady, but other suggestions include Elektra, Antigone and Oedipus.
Please help?
Post your suggestions here.

The selfsame angel is still the object of veneration by many of the forum visitors. There is still talk of raising a tribute for him and cherub Onoculator. Suggestions are welcome in the Tribute thread.

Huge Campaign Under Construction

Posted on July 6th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

Forum regulars RSC and James Blond are busy designing the biggest campaign ever. In seven sets of twelve scenarios each they want to take you from the birth of the Roman Empire to it’s final hours. A project as large as this needs a bit of help, so if you feel like you want to do some testing, sign up here.

Lugdunum is still on one of the hardest campaign scenarios around. If you have any tips for those struggling to make a living in the hills of Lugdunum visit the Game Help forum and help them out with your favourite tactics.

It’s a Lark!

Posted on July 5th, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

I downloaded all 801KB of it, extracted and installed it…old fashioned pixels the size of a planet. Crude non-anti-aliased lettering, blobby figurines moving across the screen. It is hilarious. I can even make money, now all I need is a better line of defense…
The Technical forum already has a 15+ post thread on Caesar I.

Phantoms are haunting the Game Help forum. Not the Phantom Menace, but phantom wolves…want know more? Just click the link.

Following in Lion Tamer’s footsteps Peter the Great has started the third incarnation of Story Time. You can find it in…that’s right, the Community forum.
Oh, and people, if we pass the thread horizon (150 posts) we can always start a continuation thread.

Fancy getting all nostalgic?

Posted on July 4th, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

If you love re-living the past, then you’re going to love the news I’ve got for you today. Ready? Ok, here we go.

Impressions have released the game that started it all off, Caesar I, for free download from their site. It’s only 800k or thereabouts, so it’s well worth taking a look to see how things have improved. It’s a pretty old program, and I’ve seen some people complain that it doesn’t run in Win98 – remember, if you have a problem like that, then Cherub Et Flavius in the Technical forum would be happy to iron it out.

Books and Confessions

Posted on July 3rd, 1999 by Angel Jayhawk

While the Hamster’s away, the Hawk will play.

Let’s see what’s happening in the Forums.
Somebody… at HGS Main hinted I’m claiming to have laid low the Roman Empire in person. If I can find that thread I’ll definitely mention it.

The Community forum is running two different stories and a wonderful thread on the addictiveness of Caesar 3. Here Priestess Wendoolicus finds penance for the sinners, i.e. those that stray form the C3 path and comfort for the hopeless.

The Nobel Prize forum’s summer thread has turned into a bit of a booklist. So, if you’re suffering from not enough to read, have a peek here to see if there are any title you haven’t read before.

Well, I think Angel Alexander is still suffering from Traumatic Highschool Movie Disorder, as I could not find a thread even remotely close to what he mentions… <G>

Having problems with the Java?

Posted on July 2nd, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

The more I think about this news item, the more stupid it seems to get. Still, see for yourself;).

If you are having problems viewing this page (then how can you see this<g>?) because of the Java bit at the end, then there is now a javaless version of this page at http://caesar3.heavengames.com/indexnojava.shtml. This might also be better if you are on a slow connection and it takes a while for the java page to load. You won’t miss any news – both will update simultaneously when I upload (clever, eh? 🙂 ).

That concludes today’s public service announcement.

Or does it? If you are partial to a trip over to The Dark Side (ie you play Age of Empires from time to time), then there’s a brand new tournament over at Age of Empires Heaven. It’s even Rome-related – if you’re interested in participating in the Fall of Rome, then click here to take a look.

Oops!

Posted on July 1st, 1999 by Angel Reckless Rodent

We resume normal service this morning after Angel Abelius made a bit of a mistake yesterday by uploading their news in the wrong place, overwriting my news. Don’t worry, the appropriate punishment has been meted out – I’ve confiscated their C3 disc<g>. Believe me, it will not happen again.

And now on to some other news. If you are still one of those who hasn’t bought C3 in the hope of winning it in a contest, then now’s your chance – the Empire Earth Trade Center has a competition running where you can do exactly that. Here’s what Stasio (webmaster) has to say:

A news story about a week ago said there would be an upcoming contest at Empire Earth Trade Center. The time for the contest is now, win a free copy of the PC version of Caesar 3, the award winning RTS from Impressions/Sierra Studios. The contest runs from July 1st till July 4th, and you may enter the contest once a day to increase your chances of winning yourself a copy of Caesar 3. So, quit wasting time and get signed up.

Back in Heaven, there are a few things going on in the forums (as always). I’ve started a thread in Community asking where the cheapest C3 can be bought. If you know of somewhere to get C3 really cheap, then let us all know and I’ll post the results here. Also in Community, the Summer Campaign Story is going from strength to strength. So, if you like stories, then feel free to join in.