The focus is on the Heroic age, Dark Age, and the Classical Age. Pretty well from the time of the Mycenean Palace cultures up until the Roman period. As usual, we strive to maintain historical accuracy, but sometimes have to make some sacrifices to make an entertaining game.

> And last could ya'll PLEASE tell us the time line,
> or even a hint (bronze, iron, hellenic, classical,
> Homer, Pyrrus, Arostocracy, Democracy...)

All of the above. Zeus will include elements from the Dark Age through the classical period. It differs from our previous games, though, in that there will not be one huge mega-campaign, but rather a collection of smaller ones. Think of it being more like an anthology of short stories than an epic novel.

In C3 and Pharaoh, city-building for its own sake was the main challenge of the game. We could have kept this in Zeus by changing around numbers and relationships and such, but we'd just be asking experienced players to solve the same ol' puzzle with a new set of pieces.

Instead, Zeus starts from the position of "You know how to build a city" (or, if you're a newcomer to the series, "You'll learn quickly how to build a city") ...then goes on to add "and now here's what you can do with it."

In other words, the city isn't being built for its own sake or to please an authority figure, but rather as the tool that you'll need to solve higher-level challenges or achieve your own goals.

GameSpy: When did work begin on the Zeus project? When can gamers look forward to a demo or to the final release? (Forgive me for getting ahead of myself here!)

Alex Rodberg: Development on Zeus began in earnest in August of 1999, but Zeus builds on a lot of materials developed for Caesar III and Pharaoh, so its roots go back many, many years.

Zeus is slated for release in October of 2000. Gamers who want to sample some of what Zeus has to dish out will be able to download a demo around the same time.

There will also be a more robust world map to let you interact with and trade with other cities in the Greek empire. Greek politics and world events will play a big role in the game, unlike in the previous City Builder games. In fact, Zeus has many new enhancements, in addition to its switch to an easier difficulty setting. The interface as well should receive enhancements, which will make it more informative and more intuitive.

When we weighed ways to optimize our interface real estate, we all began with the assumption that the radar map was inviolate. Then we asked each other, "how often do you REALLY use it, and for what?" We concluded that players actually use the radar map maybe 5 percent of their playing time, and mainly as a go-to device (combat being the main reason). Yet the darned thing is there 100 percent of the time, taking up something like 20 percent of our limited real estate.

That conceptual breakthrough allowed us to make the interface tabs much more contextual -- the window will always present information relevant to whatever you're doing at the moment.

The radar map lives on. It's just been relegated to a single tab. It's never more than a click away when you want it.

The fact that it's taken you this long to notice only confirms my initial suspicion that it was taking up more space than its value justified.

I think you'll appreciate the change, once you get used to it.

> 8) This time make it so that when in need you'd
> get to call the other cities for food or army
> etc…

This feature will be included in Zeus.

> 9) MORE forts!! Sometimes 6 are not enough.

Zeus uses a citizen army. The number and type of troops that you can muster depends on your population. There are no permanent forts. Sorry, but I can't go into further detail about this.

You'll definitely be pleased by Zeus' revised roads system.

The mechanics of trade have been reworked, making it much easier to control.

I'm glad that you like what you see. It took a lot of effort to get it right, and it's still not entirely done. We're all convinced that the work paid off with an interface that's more compact and easier to use.

Those are placeholders. Their function and final appearance aren't yet designed.