So here's the thing about hitting milestones - sometimes they sneak up on you. The Building a Retro Linux Gaming Computer series just dropped its 50th installment, and they're celebrating by tackling Civilization: Call to Power. Talk about perfect timing.
For those who don't remember (or weren't around), Call to Power was this weird stepchild of the Civ franchise back in '99. Activision published it when they had the rights, and man, did it ruffle some feathers. The game threw in future tech like underwater cities and space colonies way before Civ properly went there. Some people loved it, others... not so much.
But here's what makes this interesting in 2026 - getting these old strategy games running on modern Linux setups is still a pain. The series has been documenting all the hoops you need to jump through, from Wine configurations to dependency hell. And honestly? That's valuable stuff. With Steam Deck and Linux gaming bigger than ever, knowing how to resurrect these classics matters.
What strikes me about Call to Power specifically is how ahead of its time some ideas were. Sure, the execution was wonky, but global warming mechanics? Corporate governments? This was 27 years ago, folks. The article apparently digs into both the technical setup and why this particular Civ spinoff remains such a fascinating oddball in gaming history.
If you've been following the series, this milestone entry sounds like essential reading. And if you haven't? Well, maybe start with part 50 and work backwards. Sometimes the journey is just as interesting as the destination.
Diego
Strategy & simulation — 4X, RTS, grand strategy, city builders