Apple Games profiles Sid Meier

Apple Games has posted an article about one of my favorite game developers, the great Sid Meier, designer of Pirates! and probably the best game ever made, Civilization (although in my humble opinion, Alpha Centauri is the best Civ, but I digress). There are quite a few good anecdotes in there, about how Meier got his start in videogames (like all great men, he got caught bragging that he could do something better), and the fact that apparently Civ got canned before it was finished -- good thing they decided to give it a second go.

Unfortunately, there's no real indication why Meier is being profiled -- the Mac version of Civ IV was released a few years ago, and the new Civilization Revolution is supposedly console-specific (which doesn't mean I won't be playing it on my 360). Maybe Apple just loves Sid as much as we do (Happy We Love the Emperor Day)? Or maybe we'll see -- I hesitate to even dream it, for fear that it might be true -- an iPhone version of Civ in the App Store come June?

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Source: http://www.apple.com/games/articles/2008/05/sidmeier/

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Gaming Odds and ends Apple

Apple Games has posted an article about one of my favorite game developers, the great Sid Meier, designer of Pirates! and probably the...

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larry

open ttd for iphone? played it for i don't know how many years.

May 21 2008 at 4:47 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Tchad

If I could only play one computer game for the rest of my life, I'd probably pick Alpha Centauri; awesome strategic depth and balance. I still play once or twice a month. Could someone convince Brad to make us a universal build? It sounds like he's back at Aspyr again... SMAC for iPhone too?

May 20 2008 at 7:48 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Keith Lang

Could perhaps the app store make it possible to buy a large game like Spore in 'segments'? That is, complete Level 1, now you can spend $5 and get Level 2.

May 20 2008 at 5:14 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Tyr

Alpha Centauri is definitely the best Civ, but Colonization in the most neglected and underestimated. A forgotten classic.

Also Civ for iPhone say it ain't true, I just kicked my Civ IV addiction and now I'd be able to play 24/7 ? If I tell my girlfriend she'll kick me out for sure.

May 20 2008 at 1:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

DC Flyer

There's this little game called Spore coming out in a Cider-ized Mac version this fall that might have something to do with the Sid Meier article on Apple Games. I do find it strange, though, that there's no reference to Spore in the article.

May 20 2008 at 10:57 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to DC Flyer's comment

Mooner

Yea, DC's spot on, gotta be about Spore.

On the other hand, Civ r00lz, so who needs a reason to talk to the guy behind that?

May 20 2008 at 2:10 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Jon Niola

Wow I totally forgot about Alpha Centauri. Great game! I am going to have to re-install it and shake off some rust with some Morgan Industries action :)

May 20 2008 at 8:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

SlaunchaMan

If they do come out with a version of Civ for the iPhone, I wonder how they'll get around the screen size? It would be sweet to be able to use regular iPhone finger movements to scroll, zoom in/out, etc. Even with those the screen size is probably too small to play on the largest-size maps from previous Civ games.

May 20 2008 at 8:18 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

1 reply to SlaunchaMan's comment

Civ on iPhone would be great. I can see how they would make it something much like a cell phone game. A separate pullout from the side of the screen to select people, and touch makes it easy to select a place to put them. The only issue I can think of is enabling online play (which should be in there) without making people spend a large amount of tie in front of the iPhone. Against the comp, pausing solves the problem, and it would be fun to have this Civ game to pick up and play just a little more of while in line. Please, Sid?

May 20 2008 at 8:55 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

superpixel

I'm also a fan of Alpha Centauri, but Sid had little to do with it from what I hear-- his name on the box was more about marketing. Still, good to see one of the few game designers with some name recognition getting more recognition (but why?).

My wife bought me Alpha Centauri for my old G3 iBook and it gave her a taste of what Mac users put up with in gaming. The Mac version cost about $30, while the PC version had been out already and was in the bargain bin at the grocery store for less than $10.

May 20 2008 at 7:57 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply