Citizens
have sought advice
from the gods of
Mount Olympus.
Zeus : Master
of Olympus
is a game by
and
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May 20, 2001 - July 19, 2001
 | | Gamezilla Poseidon Review
The ever-vigilant Angel Thunder has pointed me in the direction of another Poseidon review - this one's from Gamezilla, and gives the Zeus x-pack a creitable 79%. Click here to learn more. |
 | | Age of Mythology Heaven Opens!
 Today we see a very rare occurrence - the appearance of a new HeavenGames site. I'll let the PR do the talking:
HEAVENGAMES LAUNCHES AGE OF MYTHOLOGY HEAVEN
July 16, 2001 - HeavenGames LLC announced today that it has launched Age of Mythology Heaven, the latest in its series of special-interest sites for Real Time Strategy & Citybuilding games.
Currently in development, Age of Mythology is a Real Time Strategy (RTS) game developed by Ensemble Studios/Microsoft. The game covers ancient times when mythological creatures and events were part of the human experience. The game features some of the more famous civilizations known for their mythological pasts - the Norse, Greek, and Egyptians. The game also features a new proprietary 3D engine enabling stunning visual effects, animated water, mythological characters and hundreds of on-screen units.
Age of Mythology Heaven will be dedicated to featuring extensive coverage of Age of Mythology as the game is being developed, and will bring you the latest news on the game, as well as chats with developers in the forums. Be sure to check out their E3 coverage of AoM as well!
AoM Heaven will be operated by an experienced staff of four. They are Graham "Thunder" Somers, Site Director; Chris "Angel Chris" Gouardo, Content Writer & Graphics Designer; HoYin "Zen" Au, Technical Director; and Tom "Spineman" Mescher, Downloads Director. Many have been actively involved in the gaming community for more than 4 years.
ABOUT HEAVENGAMES, LLC
HeavenGames LLC, based in Villa Park, Illinois, is a privately-owned web-content publisher geared towards the creation of special-interest sites for Real-Time Strategy and City-Builder games. Its sites, contents, vast amounts of resources, as well as a dedicated staff & management team make HeavenGame's sites the premier destination for gamers worldwide. |
 | | Have Your Say!
Although this isn't strictly city-building related, it has something to do with Impressions, so I thought I might as well post it anyway. Their Lords of Magic site has been updated with a poll asking what features you'd like to see in future fantasy games they produce.
A clue to what the guys in Cambridge, MA are up to next, perhaps? |
| | BobT on Colonies
Today, I'm pleased to announce that Cherub bobT has added another article to our Scenario Design section. Having already tackled the basics of map-making, and given out some tips on parent cities, he has now turned his attention to the colonial aspect of Zeus. Read his 'Colonies and their Uses' here. |
 | | Atlantis Reborn Walkthrough Up
Our first Poseidon walkthrough has been posted. It's by the one and only Angel Gustavia, and covers the Atlantis Reborn adventure. Click here to have a read. |
 | | Poseidon Reviews
Thanks to Thunder for letting me know that a couple of Poseidon reviews have his the virtual stalls, both in a highly complimentary mood. GameSpot gave it a solid 8.5 out of 10, and I gather that IGN did the same (though you have to be a premium user to read the review). |
| | Official Poseidon Walkthroughs Up
Getting stuck in Poseidon? Does Atlantis keep sinking beneath the waves at the most inopportune moments? Well, your troubles could be over, as Impressions have posted a bunch of Poseidon walkthroughs to help you through troublesome times in the Zeus x-pack.
We'll be getting some walkthroughs up over the next few weeks. |
| | What to do with a Parent city
Cherub BobT has been busy and created another fine little essay on how to use a parent city when designing scenarios and added a few lines on different terrain types as well.
You can find all of it here.
Enjoy! |
 | | Boot Camp
Thanks to JuliaSet for letting me know that CityBuildingContests.net, destination A on the Net for citybuilding competitions, have started their latest event, Boot Camp. It's a non-Poseidon Zeus-based adventure, and so will be perfect for all of you out there waiting to get your hands on a copy of the Zeus x-pack.
On the subject of Poseidon, Angel Draco dropped me a line this morning with the news that registered users of Zeus can purchase Poseidon from the Sierra shop and get free shipping! Click here for more information. |
 | | Poseidon Website Launched
Thanks to Adi for letting me know in the midst of my move back to London that the official Poseidon site has been launched by Impressions. It's packed full of nutritous Poseidon goodness (not clinically proven to reduce cholesterol as part of a calorie-controlled and balanced diet), and is a must-see if you're thinking about spending some of your hard-earned cash on the Zeus x-pack. |
 | | Want to design a cracking scenario?
Have you ever thought about creating a Zeus episode or adventure but didn't know where to start? Well, be in that dilemma no longer, as Zeus Heaven presents this guide on how to make good scenarios, the first (we hope) of several articles on map design and adventure composition which will be put together by our newest staff member, Cherub bobT. If his first piece of work is anything to go by, then we're all in for some excellent articles over the next few months  . |
| | Poseidon's Adventure Editor
Time to revist the official forum, and to give out a quick redux on a couple of announcements re: the adventure editor in Poseidon. First off, there's news that adventures created in the Poseidon editor will not be cross-compatible with non-Poseidon versions of Zeus (though adventures creates without Poseidon will be playable in the Poseidon-enabled game, of course).
Following up in that same thread, Kraken (via Eugrabades, via Nixon) posted that leader names will be customisable in the Poseidon adventure editor. |
| | Poseidon Screens At G-Spot
Thanks to Angel Draco for waving this link under my nose. It contains a bunch of Poseidon screenshots, and should tide you over until the Zeus x-pack hits the shops  . |
| | Poseidon Goes Gold
Thanks to Jaguar for letting me know about this (I was away trying to help sort out a boundary dispute) :).
Steady yourselves for some serious citybuilding, folks. According to the official site, Poseidon has gone gold! For those of you who don't know what 'going old' means, it signifies that the game is finished, and a copy has been sent off to the CD makers to turn a single CD into thousands. Expect it on shelves in the US in a couple of weeks, and elsewhere (hopefully) soon afterwards.
In the meantime, Impressions have uploaded some new Poseidon screenshots to tide you over until you can get your hands on the game. |
| | More Poseidon Goodies
Thanks to everyone who emailed with the information that the official site has been updated with some more Poseidon-related stuff for you to look at:
Who will win in the battle of the Sphinx versus Atalanta? Or Bellerphon versus Chimera? You be the judge and check out these new animations here. For those you who prefer more sedate competitions, take look at these screenshots of typical day at the races in 600 BC.
And I always thought Atalanta was just an Italian football team . |
| | Chunky Poseidon Goodness
Looking for something to relax you on a Friday and prepare you for the weekend? Well, the official site has just been updated with a bunch of Poseidon goodies (thanks Caesar Alan):
As most of you know, Hera and Atlas have joined the pantheon of gods in Atlantis. Take a closer look at this pair -- and check out Poseidon's new look -- by clicking here. And, see the beautiful cities that these gods frequent! |
 | | Poseidon Hippodromes
Kraken has been keeping the juicy Poseidon tidbits coming over on the official forum. Here are a couple of posts regarding the hippodrome, which will be making an appearance in Poseidon:
Yes, the Hippodrome is built one 4x4 section at a time, like a super road -- it can even be drag-drawn. It can be of any length and configuration, as long as it forms a closed loop. Longer Hippodromes bring in more revenue. Hippodromes also improve your Favor among vassals, colonies, allies and rivals, and affect your popularity at home. Beware, though: Hippodromes need horses, and we all know how precious horses can be during times of war. A very long Hippodrome needs a lot of horses, and can even reduce your popularity if your citizens think it's excessive.
The popularity drop occurs when the Hippodrome reaches 200 segments (800 tiles). That's pretty big. Your citizens are resentful that you've diverted so much money and land to such an ostentatious structure. Or maybe they're just cheesed that the races last so long.
Nothing will stop you from going over this length if you're willing to absorb a downtick in your popularity. |
 | | New Look for HG Main
We've felt for a while now that the HeavenGames portal page needed something of a redesign. So Angel Zen, man of action and general superhero that he is, took it upon himself to undertake that redesign. You can see the results of his labours here, and I hope you'll agree that it was a job well done . |
| | Poseidon Release Date
Kraken from Impressions took a little tour of our forums earlier this afternoon and landed up in here, where he posted some info concerning the relase date of Poseidon, the upcoming Zeus X-pack:
It will be all too soon in some ways, and not soon enough in others!
European street dates are expected to be 6-8 weeks after the US street date.
We have not published the US street date, nor am I going to do so now. We will, however, announce Poseidon's gold master on the Impressions website. |
| | E3 Poseidon Screenshots
Although Poseidon wasn't being shown at this year's E3, Sierra still included some nice screenshots in the press pack they gave out to members of the media. Those Poseidon screenshots can be viewed here.
Very nice! |
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| Heavenly news generated
by NewsPro. |
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