Judge
Andy:
Maintaining
the Gold Guide means I get to see a lot of fan-produced game sites. The
standards maintained by these sites can be very high, and here at Gone Gold we
feel we'd like to do our bit to recognize the hard work put in by the various
webmasters and their assistants, whose efforts can only enhance our enjoyment
of some of the best games on the market.
Accordingly, we have created the Gone Gold Guide Award. Periodically we will
select a quality site to feature on this page, which over time will grow to
provide a summary of the best gaming fan sites on the Internet.
Judge
Rich:
Sure, I agree
with what Andy says, but there's nothing like a little dough sent my way to
get my vote.
The Finest Fan
Sites On the Internet
Awarded 16th February
2000:
Starfleet
Universe is dedicated to Interplay's Starfleet
Command, a detailed tactical
simulation of naval combat in the Original Star Trek Universe. They provide and
host a wide range of SFC-related resources including user-created missions and
ships, information on on-line tournaments and an active forum.
___________________________________________
Awarded 16th January
2000:
Valley
of Wonders is a site dedicated to Age
of Wonders, the winner of the coveted Gone Gold 1999 Game of the Year
Award. The Staff there do a superb job tracking AoW-related news. The site
features additional info on many aspects of the game, an ever-expanding
library of user-created scenarios and an active forum which is frequented by
members of the AoW team.
___________________________________________
Awarded 16th December
1999:
If you don't
yet have Unreal Tournament you're missing out
on one of the finest action games ever made. If you do have it, you need to
make regular visits to Nali
City. This is a site that provides a single service and that is to collect
new level maps for Unreal and Unreal Tournament. Maps are reviewed and rated
and are mirrored on a number of servers making downloading quick and easy.
Since maps made for Unreal are fully compatible with Unreal Tournament there's
enough here to keep you fragging away forever.
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Awarded 31st October
1999:
Age
of Kings Heaven is a well-established site which has
followed the development of Ensemble
& Microsoft's game for many
months. It is probably the foremost source of Age of Kings information on the
Internet and features information on all aspects of the game, an active forum
frequented by the developers and a repository for user-created Scenarios,
Campaigns, Recorded Games and more. A great resource for one of the best games
of the year we're proud to present them with the latest Gone Gold Guide Award.
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Awarded 10th October
1999:
SidGames
describes itself as 'the definitive source on the world of strategy' and is
dedicated to the work of Sid Meier and to games heavily influenced by his
designs. Games currently supported include Alpha Centauri, Star Trek: Birth of
the Federation, Civilization II MGE/ToT, Civilization: Call to Power,
Gettysburg!, Homeworld, Imperialism II, Malkari, Pirates!, Colonization,
Civilization III and Railroad Tycoon II. The various sub-sites offer strategy
articles, downloads, forums and on occasion interviews/chat sessions with game
designers. With support for so many of the big strategy titles of the recent
past there's something here for most strategy gamers making SidGames a worthy
recipient of our Guide Award.
___________________________________________
Awarded 9th May 1999:
Unlike many of
our award recipients, this week's winner doesn't support all aspects of the
game it's dedicated to. Instead it focuses on one area, but does so
incredibly well. TAMEC is the Total
Annihilation Map Evaluation Center, an essential resource for TA
players. The site is host to hundreds of downloadable TA maps, all of
which are subject to detailed reviews and categorized by rating, size,
content, popularity and more. Some of the high rating maps there are
true works of art, if you have TA you really should pay a visit to the latest
winner.
___________________________________________
Awarded 2nd May 1999:
UK
Rail Express is a well presented site devoted to Railroad
Tycoon II. It features regularly updated news, a good
selection of downloadable maps, and even a dedicated mailing list to keep
gamers appraised of happenings within the RRT2 community. The site is the work
of J. Matthew Horton who is
deserving of our appreciation.
___________________________________________
Awarded 25th April
1999:
The Apolyton
Civilization Site is a network of fan-sites dedicated to games derived
from Sid Meier's classic Civilization (Civ) and contains sites dedicated to Civ,
Civ II,
Civ:
Call to Power and Alpha
Centauri as well as a number of alternate Civ-type games currently in
development. The sites feature up-to-the-minute news, hints and tips and
a wealth of downloadable patches, maps, scenarios, factions, and anything else
any Civ-fanatic might require. Congratulations to all involved in
Apolyton CS and thanks for providing a valuable gaming resource, one truly
deserving of our Guide Award.
___________________________________________
Awarded 18th April
1999:
RollerCoaster
Tycoon Central
is one of a slew of sites that has sprung up since the release of one of the
best new titles of 1999. David White
does an admirable job keeping up with all relevant news and in addition
hosting a dedicated forum and a collection of customised 'coaster designs'.
If you've already discovered the joys of RollerCoaster Tycoon we highly
recommend you check out our newest Gone Gold Guide Award winner.
___________________________________________
Awarded 11th April
1999:
Falcon
4.0 Headquarters is a site dedicated solely to this
in-depth sim. It is really a cut above the rest with it's clean look, and
wealth of information. From it's FAQ's, Multiplayer Help, Tactics and
Training, to it's News, the staff does an outstanding job for Jet Jocks.
So, it's with
pleasure we present them with this weeks Guide Award.
___________________________________________
Awarded 4th April
1999:
The
Astral Wizard's Heroes of Might and Magic Site is
dedicated to New World Computing's much loved turn-based strategy series. Phil
McCrumm and his cohorts have been a part of the Heroes scene for years with
all the latest HoMM news, strategy articles, a mailing list, a wealth of
user-created maps and a whole lot more.
___________________________________________
Awarded 28th March
1999:
This week,
it's with great pride that I can present the Award to a site that plugs along
on a daily basis, and actually helps to enhance the game. Caesar
III Heaven is a part of the
Heaven
Gaming Sites, and does an outstanding job of keeping you informed of C3
news, as well as prolonging the life of the game with new maps, and a wealth
of information.
___________________________________________
Awarded 21st March
1999:
This week we
decided to give the Guide Award to a site that doesn't focus on an Individual
Game. The Patches Scrolls focuses on
finding each and every patch available. For games all over the world. Each
patch has a short description, and is easy to find. Congratulations Matthias,
on being the first None Game Specific Site to win.
___________________________________________
Awarded March 14th
1999:
The Starsiege
Universe is already home to CyberStorm 2 and Starsiege: Tribes, and drawing
closer are the release of Starsiege (a mech-combat sim) and a tabletop game
called Rebellion. For supporting all these games in a comprehensive and
efficient fashion, Datumplane::Starsiege
is a deserving recipient.
___________________________________________
Awarded 7th March
1999:
Warlords III:
Darklords Rising has been out for a while now but is still popular, and
Warlords III Central remains THE source for related news and resources, thanks
in part to support and participation from SSG, the developers of the Warlords
series. Support like this is rare, and certainly deserving.
___________________________________________
Awarded 28th February
1999:
I know how
hard it is to run one site. These guys run a whole bunch of great sites, but
there's no beating Planet Half Life when it comes to anything and everything
related to this Game of the Year. Apache and gang do an unbelievable job.
___________________________________________
Awarded 21st February
1999:
The Baldur's
Gate Chronicles stays on top of this wonderful game on a daily basis. From
layout to news, it's an exceptional site. It is the very first site to win.
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