Looks like they're a bit behind the times over here though. Here's the text of the E-Mails. I'll edit this message if I get a second reply (doubtful): -
Sent: 21 January 2001 00:13
To: support@activision.co.uk
Subject: Call To Power 2
Dear Sir,
According to the Apolyton forums you have cut this game loose and will no longer be supporting a dreadfully bugged and flawed game with any further
updates or patches. Unfortunately, this is exactly the attitude I have come to expect from your company. I have been buying Activision games since the
early eighties but I will not be parting with any more of my money for a company which cares little or nothing for its customers. After the debacle
of your horrendously bugged series of Star Trek games and now this, your reputation amongst game-players is absolutely sub-zero. I don't expect you
will take the slightest bit of notice of this and the many other E-Mails complaining about Call to Power 2, but I can assure you that Activision's lack of concern and support for it's customers has not gone unnoticed
amongst the many people who have been ripped off,
Yours,
Dr C J Howarth
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From: Parkes, Dave
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2001 3:19 PM
Subject: RE: Call To Power 2
Hi
Activision does and will continue to support Call to Power2, if you have a specific problem please e-mail me and I will try to find a solution..
David Parkes
Activision Customer Support
Tel 01753 756189
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Dear Dave,
Thankyou for your reply. There was a message from Activision posted on the Apolyton forums over the weekend, which indicates that no more patches or
updates for CTP 2 will be forthcoming. As the game is currently so badly bugged and flawed I would consider this to be Activision withdrawing it's support. I strongly suggest you visit the CTP2 forums at
http://www.apolyton.net (there's even a link from Activision's official CTP2 webpage) and read this and the hundreds of outraged messages about the bugs
and flaws in the game. One thread contains nearly 60 messages from people vowing not to buy any more Activision products as a result of this, with
some even considering legal action. Basically it looks like you have a public relations disaster on your hands.
I doubt if you can help with any of the below, but these are just a few of the problems I had with the game: -
1. Unable to run the game for more than a few turns without it crashing. The solution was to turn down hardware acceleration through my GeForce GTS card.
OK, it now works but why should I have to fiddle like this? No other game I have requires me to do so and it's not exactly as if the graphics are
anything special anyway.
2. Corrupted save games. If I save a game playing the English in the year 1500, I don't expect to load it and find I'm the Polynesians in 1000.
3. I NEVER get attacked by any other civilization regardless of the provocation or difficulty level. It makes for absolutely soporific games. Several people at Apolyton are currently working on mods to improve the so-called AI and to make it more aggressive, but again, why should they have to do this?
4. Diplomacy is totally screwed. I can purchase a city off another player and yet can't get it. I can force people to agree to stop pirating and yet they don't. These are either serious bugs or the AI is showing unheard of levels of deviousness. The former, most likely.
5. The map sizes are way too small. If I specify a gigantic map with mainly land I get a tiny little effort with an ocean covering half of it.
6. There's a scoring option for cities over 5 million. Unfortunately it's impossible to grow them to that size.
7. Wonder movies often corrupt the screen and I can't turn them off, even using Activision's solution from the FAQ's.
There's many, many more that myself and other people at Apolyton have encountered. The game is an absolute bugfest and yet could have been superb if properly patched. Sadly this won't happen, so sadly I and many others won't be buying from Activision any more,
Yours,
Dr C J Howarth
