Dear Soren,
I believe we share a singular, intellectual passion: the evolution of complex systems, over time.
My first exposure to this was as an undergrad, studying - far more closely than most -the transformation from feudalism to capitalism in Western Europe. I was privileged to piece together all of the intricate, awkward, and violent interplays of shifting economic powers, and the social roles emerging therein, in ways which those who were alive then never could.
Throughout a career spanning the Silicon Valley, to Wall Street, to acting as CTOs for Silicon Alley startups, I only found myself delving deeper, not simply further ino historiography, but evolutionary biology, and the “deeper” aspects of anthropogenic climate change.
Having endured interminable years, from Gibbon onward, about “why” the Western Roman Empire fell, I had a “Eureka” moment - while playing Civ 3.
There is (was - now out of print) an extraordinary series of historical atlases by a suitably dry-witted, Oxford educated polymath called Colin McEvedy, and published by Penguin.) The volumes were uniquely arranged: thin; at 90 degrees to traditional printing; with superlatively drawn, historical arcs, illustrated by years he deemed critical, e.g. 451 CE, 476, 528. In general, each warranted perhaps 2,000 word essay and “geopolitical” map. Yet, at what he deemed to be certain key years - 528 CE in this case - he would present multi-page / multi-map layouts of population centers; religious “advancement,” etc.
It was the 528 CE “expanded” year which I went figuratively flying to in the midst of a game of Civ 3. In this year of the now academically discredited Dark Ages, it was starkly obvious that the only “urban” center, topping a population 0f 10,000, anywhere else outside of the Italian Peninsula as ... Nowhere. Further flipping revealed the prior, analogous, and pathetic demographic situations of Londinium and Lutetia -
In short, my formal and informal studies on the matter (spanning centuries and decades, respectively) finally bore fruit. Population pressure drove much of human history, and was either misconstrued or elided over, in general ...
Which brings us to my reason and writing this note. I’ve read of your being thrown into a (dare I suspect?) train wreck of Civ 3 development before being put properly in charge of developing Civ 4. I’ve read your notes on the matter; enjoyed Civ 4; and am eagerly awaiting early access to Old World, with its own, intriguing sets of concepts of play and “morphology.”
[...]
You would probably be surprised to hear that there is a robust resurgence of interest of Civ3 underway. A robust and brilliant new editor has been written by a fellow called Quintillus (whom, if you glance at his work, I suspect you'd be tempted to hire.) It unlocks pretty much every "hidden" possibility accessible, from allowing the utilization of Teleportation and Charm to allowing drastic improvements in the management of both Units and Tiles)
Besides Quintillus, their are at least two others whom I would have hired, in a heartbeat, for my most complex start-up and Capital Markets system (as a possibly amusing side, I could describe and define how a Synthetic CDO works on a single sheet of paper - and these guys could build a system around it.) Meanwhile, they are busy successfully (among other methods) run-time de- and re-compilations of the .exe code.
But now, good Sir, this brings us to the crux of the matter: in order to address major issues (like making Artillery work properly) we desperately need access to the source code. I understand that you are now light years removed from this, but any assistance in this matter would - frankly and without hyperbole - add more than a gloss of Glory to your first (regardless of the degree to which you were "parachuted in" to the project) your first creation.
I am well-versed in matters of IP; I believe that a US 501(c)(3) (Non-profit: educational) corporation could be used to accommodate any concerns along these lines.
I thank you for your time in reading this, and any help you can provide.
My Best Regards,
(aka "Ozymandias" at CivFanatics)
z
Oh, do I know!! That's where I'd really appreciate some help.
This is/was certainly news to me, and - should he have the time/desire - might ... Well, need I really add more?
So hopefully Wednesday, at the latest - Has anyone played? If so, I'd really appreciate whatever info I might add in - short, pithy, and positive insights into the game's plain brilliance, and it's evolutionary crescendo from )I'm guessing ) Civ4???
