I've received an interesting little email from
Angel Draco - a bit of trivia from Mailbits which suggests that ancient Egyptians liked
nothing better than a bit of Chanel no.5...Read on:
It's obvious that perfumes began as a method for masking
foul odors, but the fragrances weren't originally meant for
use among the living. After all, as anyone who has ridden
on a New York City subway can tell you, most people don't
seem to realize how bad they smell.
The word "perfume" is a compound of the Latin words "per"
meaning "through" and "fumus" meaning "smoke". Perfume
began as a deodorizer, sprinkled on a carcass to cover the
awful smell of burning flesh in an animal sacrifice.
In time, people skipped the sacrifice in religious rites
and just burned the fragrance. By 3000 B.C. Egyptians of
both sexes took the practice a step further, anointing
themselves with scents, typically using a different
fragrance for each part of the body.
Clever, eh? That's not the only news related
to Draco today - he's secured an interview with none other than Darrin Horbal, the
artistic director for both Caesar III and Pharaoh! So, if there are any questions
you want put to him, then you can propose them in the Caesar
II Heaven forum.
Just a quick update on the progress of the poll -
so far, 87% of you have voted for a governor walker. So, if you disagree, then you'd
better make your vote count!
Also today, if you head over to the buildings section, you'll find that
there are 4 new pics there for your viewing pleasure.
The more observant amongst you will notice that a
new little feature has appeared next to the Pharaoh Heaven logo. Yes, we decided
that it was time for you to have your say about what direction you would like Pharaoh to
take. There will be weekly polls, the results of which we shall pass on to
Impressions. So, don't delay, have your say!
--Erm...sorry about that;)
Moving on, there is loads more action in the forum. There is one
particularly pleasing message from Itchy, QA Manager at Impressions, thanking you all for
your input. No problem Itchy - we are all trying to make Pharaoh even better than
C3!
So, just who are these people?
Well, according to Xander of Impressions, these are block haulers, who:
"are bringing stone to the sphinx for construction. Each
monument requires raw materials. As the game progresses, the monuments you are required to
build become more and more grand, and require a wider array of raw materials and other
commodities, such as grave goods, jewelry, etc."
So, looks like resources might well be part of the game
after all. If this makes it to the final version, then that would be really cool;)
The forum is really taking off! Nearly 50
posts in a day:)! Thanks to all of you who have been there over the past few days -
keep on heading over there for more exclusive information and news from Impressions:)...
There have been concerns raised that Pharaoh will
merely be Caesar 3 with an Egyptian veneer. However, this criticism may well be a
bit premature, as this little quotation from someone at Impressions illustrates:
"It will be similiar, but
definitely not the same. The basic engine will still be there, but with changes to reflect
both Egypt and whatever gameplay issues need to be addressed because of the Egyptain
setting."
"The walker interactivity is really
one of the strong points of the game - it shows the player a ton of info. without feeling
like you to micromanage."
Sounds cool:). Stay tuned for more cool stuff
tomorrow!
Ha, the forum numbers over 100 posts already!
Thanks fans, Impressions/Sierra Studios Dudes and PH Dream Team for making the forum a
great and fun place to be and post after just 3 days of going live! There are some great
wishes posted in the forum.
Now I believe there is some interest in building
times in the Buildings folder. Why not hop and skip over to RR's brand new folder on the
topic called Building
Times and add your views. While you are at it, see and write what you think about
setting up your own Dynasty
in the game! Especially Jayhawk had some cool ideas about that.
Oh, almost forgot: Xamazing Xander
has this to say about building times:
"SPHINX UNDER CONSTRUCTION
This shows one of the many giant monuments, the Sphinx, being built. You'll also work on
other giant wonders like pyramids and temples."
Note Xander's use of the form of the verb to be:
"being" indicating that you will gradually see the Sphinx and other wonders
being constructed as game time goes by. Now that is what I call realism! Speaking of
realism, I suppose however, that you should not expect too much of your slave population
during construction!
You probably already noticed the big discussion
going on in the forum about multi-player. Here's an interesting quote from an Impressions
Staff Member that puts the whole thing in a different perspective and really makes you
think whether Pharaoh and indeed Caesar III would benefit from a multi-player feature:
"I think some games lend themselves extremely well to
multiplayer and some just don't. Ever try Civ multiplayer? Watching a car rust is more
fascinating than waiting hours for someone else to take their turn. But Civ2 may be one of
the best singleplayer games. I think some things in a game have to ... [be changed] or
modified in single-player to make multiplayer work. C3 would have suffered in
single-player if a multiplayer option was included."
To be honest, this makes a lot of sense to me. I
would not like to see single-player playability sacrificed for a multi-player feature. I'm
the kind of guy who would try to get the best of both worlds.
Speaking of adding or not adding features, it is
important to remember that development has just gotten started on the game. Basically, all
features are greatly subject to change. Please keep this in mind when viewing, reading and
discussing any of the material presented at the site. This will keep you from possibly
being disappointed when the game comes out and a feature you had your heart set on is not
included or is downplayed. Should you forget in all the excitement, don't worry we will
remind you. :-)
Because you listened so attentively to that little
lecture I will tell you that a gentleman only known to us as Xander, Impressions'
Marketing
Weasel, has informed us that the cut-out of the screen shot you see on the left is
Pharaoh's Palace! Xander adds: "Here the Pharaoh administers affairs of state.
The palace is also a storehouse for gold." You are worth your weight in gold Xander
from Xanadu, I thank you most profoundly and look forward to your additional revelations.
Or should I say Oracular Visions because, remember folks, it's early days yet (told ya I'd
remind ya)!
Now the fireworks at this site are dazzling enough
but don't forget our big sister site Age of Kings. Angels Omnivac, Hamlet and Mack slaved
away at a whole new look and feel for the site. But that is not all, it has such new and
different content that it is really almost a new site altogether. Trail blaze over and
leave the hard-working Dudes a note saying what you think of their work. Note that it has
a new address as well.
Just the second day the site is live and we have a
teeming forum with words
of approval from Itchy himself. As you may know, Itchy is a pretty important
Dude at Impressions. Thanks for visiting, complimenting and posting, Itchy!
Today we would like to share with you an
Impressions staff member's response to a question about how the idea for Pharaoh evolved.
"I'm not really sure what the genesis of Pharaoh
was, quite frankly. I think it may just [have] been one of those things that just seemed
to make sense, given C3 and the similar subject matter and interest in Egypt."
Well, I've been looking closely at the screen shot
and it all seems to make a lot of sense to me. I can hardly wait for future developments
of the Pharaoh concept!
Now, for some forum action! Join in the discussion
on aspects of warfare for Pharaoh!
After
what may seem like a long time, Heaven's Gaming Sites is proud to announce the opening of our newest site, Pharaoh Heaven! As you may know, Pharaoh is the sequel to
Impressions' wonderfully received Caesar III. As soon as the C3 Dream Team heard this game
announced, site planning got underway. Tell us what you think of it.
Pharaoh Heaven open for business!
To help you meet other fans and for more
information on the game, please use our forum. Those of you who are new to HGS should find it a great way to communicate with
other fans, ourselves and the very developers of the game! Those of you who have visited
other sites in our collection will need no introduction to them, and will be well aware
what a useful and fun source of information it is.
As with all new sites, content may be somewhat
limited to begin with and subject to major changes as the game is developed. However, we
will be updating regularly with details on the game as they become available to us. Your
hosts, Angels Alexander I, Reckless Rodent, Draco and b:real, will be working away at each
of the sections updating regularly (currently, all but the Strategy section have some
content). The content of many of those updates will originate directly from the staff at
Impressions itself whom we thank most heartily for their cooperation. Recently, in a
cordial chat with one of the people working on this mouth-watering game, RR and I asked
how prominently warfare would figure in Pharaoh. It would seem that the prayers of a lot
of you have been heard and answered by Impressions and naval warfare for one will be
featured. In case you have any doubts, check out the screen shot...hit the
deck...er...water! Exclusive comments from Impressions' staff on aspects of the game will
feature regularly at the site.
So you see fans, like in Caesar III Heaven,
visiting Pharaoh Heaven and voicing your opinion in the forums as well as in the chat room
and polls soon to be featured at the site will bring you closer to those magicians that
are making this game happen for you and because of you.
Now, I bet you are dying to have a long, hard look
at what the game will look like. We have been informed that Heidi Mann, Senior Art Lead at
Impressions, is largely the creative force behind this awe-inspiring screen shot of
Pharaoh early art on display in our Sneak Peeks section. Looks
like Heidi knows her art and her history and we are looking forward to putting up more of
her works of art at Pharaoh Heaven!
Visitors to Pharaoh's
Court since January 23, 1999
Disclaimer Pharaoh is a game by Sierra Studios & Impressions Software. All trademarks (graphics, information etc.)
are the sole property of their respective owners. All Materials in Pharaoh Heaven used
with permission. All other materials are the property of Heaven's Gaming Sites and require
permission for use on other sites! Links do not necessarily suggest endorsement. Names,
trademarks, and copyrights are the property of the originating companies and web sites.
Best viewed in 800 X 600 Graphics Mode - 16bit color, with IE 4.0.
