[Atilla the Pun]

...and I know how dangerous THAT can be....

But speaking of CTP2, Shrapnel Games, publishers, distribution, and some other stuff from the SEIV board and Apolyton MOO3 board got me to wondering...

Richard, what would it take to find a developer and buy the rights and source code to CTP2 from Activision? No, I don't really expect a dollars and cents answer, nor do I expect this to happen. However, the game is close enough to the "design philosophy" of other Shrapnel games that it would be right at home here. Activision isn't going to follow up on it for legal reasons (they had the license to the Civilization name for one game and one expansion, or two games). OTOH, Empire is enough like Civ/SMAC et. al. that you could make a case for contacting the company that wrote Empire (or it's legal heir if it's defunct) and get legal rights to the name. Name the new game Empire (or Empires) Through the Ages and watch it take off.

This is all blue sky stuff, and it probably can't be done, but I've been dying to air this idea out somewhere that it might be useful, and this seems like the best place.