posted 05-23-99 04:42 PM ET        

Can anyone guess how long its been since I was able to buy a game and play it? I mean just buy it, take it home, and play it happily?

Ok... I bought SMAC. Came home, and loaded it. Found out the system requirements forgot to mention that you needed certain resolutions, etc. So I couldn't play it with anyone else as I only had one computer with that resolution.

Ok, problem solved (not by Firaxis) I had to get a new monitor (as recommended by the ever-smart ppl here).

Played the game with a friend. I decided to check for an update since it crashed every now and then. Downloaded and installed update #3. so far so good.

Bought CTP. Started playing. So far so good. since there was an update for SMAC, there was prolly one for CTP, right? yes. Downloaded that. Now I can't play anymore. (Patch killed multiplayer via LAN)

Tried to find help. Sorry, online help only. no phone support anymore, too expensive.

Try the forums, since we can't help you, maybe other clueless users can help you.

Fill out these 1 page registration forms to even use the forums.

Can we send you harrassing email BTW?

Ok, we've emailed you a login and password. Error yadda yadda error... server error... yadda yadda... What, never recieved a login/pw? We'll email it to you... error, yadda yuadda, etc.

Ok, so today I'll go back to playing SMAC again. Until that fails next week.

I've spent as much time on these games seeking support, fixing problems, installing updates as I have playing them.

You'd think someone out there could deliver a game that was playable, with no bugs, and if there were bugs, you could simply call and get it fixed. NOOOOOO... not at all.

posted 05-23-99 09:34 PM ET            

1) we have nothing to do with Activision. We're not part of their technical suuport, and if Activision failed to help you this has nothing to do with us.

2) You only have to fill in a login and an e-mail in that "1 page form"

3) The only mail you'll ever get from us is the one with your password. That option is there by default from the script

posted 05-28-99 04:37 PM ET            

Yes, I was talking about the Apolyton forum. No, I never recieved any email as a result of my registration, all I got were "mail server errors" as the result of my form.
To update on the problems with CTP, I followed the CTP team's advice, trying to play the game at all on the computer in question, and it didn't work. "Need CD in the Drive"... Well, I had the CD in the drive.
So, I followed their advice further. uninstalled the game and reinstalled. Worked fine. Installed their patch. "Need the CD in the Drive"... The patch simply doesn't work. I went through it several times... *shrug*... now they won't answer my emails anymore.

posted 05-28-99 05:36 PM ET            

As for your ctp problems, see this
http://www.activision.com/support/show-faq.asp?faqID=275
I dont know if it works...
There happens to be a cd-hack on the net, at least that's what I've seen on the newsgroups

posted 06-02-99 06:57 AM ET            

======================================
Message 28/67 From [email protected]
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 09:51:59 -0700
Subject: RE: Civilization: Call To Power [CIV1999052900000152]
To: [email protected]

Hi Michael,

after the patch is installed ALL machines require the CD-ROM to be in each drive of each machine.

Chris Poulos
Activision Customer Support
======================================

So it looks like they did screw up royally, and just wouldn't admit it at first.

posted 06-04-99 06:52 PM ET            

Firaxis sent me a couple more messages claiming that the ability to ever play SMAC without the CD was a bug in the original version which the patch had fixed.

I finally got someone on the phone to listen to me (email never worked, they always gave the above "canned" response) and I quoted to them from their own game manual, page 61:

"Connecting by LAN only requires the host to have a Civilization: Call to Power disc in order to play."

After hearing this, the guy with the canned response sheet in front of him (yes, he admitted that's what he had) was a bit confused (poor thing) and put me on hold to ask someone with a clue.

They have now marked this as a problem with the patch, and intend to fix it in the next patch (or possibly the THIRD patch)...

*sigh* They offered me a refund if I would send my game back to them... Still didn't solve the problem. Oh well.

posted 06-05-99 03:45 PM ET            

I wasn't talking about SMAC. Please change all references to SMAC to CTP and all referneces to Firaxis to Activision.

The lastest episode in the saga:

I recieved an email from Activision stating that the manual had an error, and that the sentence above was incorrect, the game, which allowed you to use the feature described in the manual was buggy, and should not have allowed you to do what the manual shouldn't have said you could do.

Arrghh..

posted 06-05-99 04:13 PM ET            

Seriously, from what I know these kind of decisions were left to be decided in the very end, so it's quite possible than the manual could have an error...