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Original SimCity source code released under GPL

Sim CityThe folks who brought you the original SimCity nearly 20 years ago have now brought you the free edition of that game. Not necessarily free as in beer, but free as in speech. The SimCity source code has been released for anyone who wants to port it run on other devices or operating systems, or wants to modify the game to create their own version.

The decision to release the the SimCity source under a GPL license is due to plans to add the game to the OLPC's XO Laptop which currently runs all open source software.

Because EA, the game company that owns the rights to SimCity and other Sim games wants to protect its trademark, there have been a few changes to the original source code. All references to SimCity have been replaced with "Micropolis," which was the original working title for the game.

[via Slashdot]

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Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

CiviballsI have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

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