The recent Steam multiplayer update for Civilization IV - specifically the removal of "Direct IP" - has broken the Pitboss functionality of the game for Steam users. There is a small but enthusiastic community of several hundred people who still play active Civilization IV Pitboss games daily (see e.g.
http://www.civstats.com/allgames.php for one of several sites tracking these games).
As of today, Direct IP functionality was removed for Steam users, which means only users with the CD version of the game can continue playing Pitboss games. As a result, a significant number of Pitboss players are unable to continue to play in games they have invested - in many cases - months of their time into.
Pitboss games are hosted locally by individuals on a private server to which other players can connect via Direct IP, with each game typically running for 6-12 months. Pitboss games are not, and have never been, connected through Gamespy or any third party. There is no practical reason why Pitboss games need be affected by the end of Gamespy services. I can only imagine legal reasons (e.g. attempting to make all multiplayer exclusive to Steam).
I would like to urge any parties responsible to reconsider the removal of "Direct IP" from Steam version of Civilization IV. The hundreds of Pitboss enthusiasts are a small fraction of the total multiplayer audience, but they too are paying customers. It does not seem right to remove functionality from their games which is entirely unrelated to Gamespy/Steam services, especially since CD users still maintain full access to Direct IP and Pitboss.
Please re-integrate Direct IP functionality into the Steam version to accommodate the hundreds of Pitboss enthusiasts! If you are unable to help, please forward this email to someone who can. Hundreds of paying customers are awaiting an answer.