4X The Unsurpassed Brian Reynolds' Alpha Centauri thread

[Absinthe]

Hurry formulas are also important. The game offers a complete hurry, but since production will still require an extra turn, it's better to just calculate the exact partial payment that will leave 1 turn remaining and save some energy.

By the way, kyrub, I think Cloning Vats are a must-have Secret Project for Spartans. Removing the -2 industry penalty from Power will probably make a critical difference in the Spartans' ability to keep up as the game progresses.

 

[kyrub]

Thanks Absinthe for input. I must say, hurry savings for 1 turn are, for now, bellow my level of recognition. The AI has many glaring errors that need a lot more attention. There's always room for improvement, but I focus on things that could have the largest impact, or improve the fun with the game (like AI using drop units). By the way, Cloning Vats is too good to any AI. The one that gets it, usually wins the AI game.

I have finished about 80% of changes, but my small window of RL opportunity is about to be closed. I still don't have the SE changes in and the problems with "never attacking after move". I hope I can finish the patch in a few days, or it will drag on. Reimplementing the changes to a new game version has proven to be quite a task, I did not think it would be so hard work.

That said, I have some good news. The bug in wrong pricing of bases in Exchange base with AI routine seems to be discovered - and it will be gone in next Yitzi's release.

 

[mastroego]

I have finished about 80% of changes, but my small window of RL opportunity is about to be closed. I still don't have the SE changes in and the problems with "never attacking after move". I hope I can finish the patch in a few days, or it will drag on. Reimplementing the changes to a new game version has proven to be quite a task, I did not think it would be so hard work.

Well, I certainly wish you can make it.
Thanks for trying either case.

EDIT: I second the suggestion about using the reserved posts.

 

[Absinthe]

kyrub, for the hurry formulas I was actually continuing Nevill's tangent about what material would be good to place in the reserved posts (paging The Brazilian Slaughter). By the way are you also incorporating your new improvements to AC or just AX?

 

[PeachPlumage]

Alpha Centauri Modern UI Mod - http://www.alphacentauriredux.com/blog/

 

[Lyric Suite]

 

[PeachPlumage]

My job is done!

 

[Makabb]

I love civ 2 but i don't know what is it about AC that i just cannot get into it.

 

[LizardWizard]

I love civ 2 but i don't know what is it about AC that i just cannot get into it.

Maybe just a guess.

 

[Absinthe]

Well, I found a podcast with Brian Reynolds and the Civ 4 designer talking about Alpha Centauri design. Might as well post it here.

http://flashofsteel.com/index.php/2011/09/15/three-moves-ahead-episode-134-the-alpha-centauri-show/

 

[Irenaeus II]

He explains what went wrong with the “Civ in space” idea, and the role of the game’s fiction. He and Soren talk about how Alpha Centauri changed theCivilization series, and take a look at some of its strange features, like the design workshop and climate change. Brian reveals he used the cast album ofLes Miserables for inspiration as he wrote for the game, and Troy immediately proposes marriage.

Wtf is this shit? Anything actually interesting inside?

 

[Absinthe]

They mostly discuss the science fiction design and how SMAC came to be. So far I have discovered that the main reason why SMAC was created was because Firaxis didn't have the rights to the Civilization series anymore (that was left behind with the old company) so they created a new IP instead (which went to EA...) and it was only after that that Firaxis was contracted for more Civ games.

 

[jeroendstout]

It is really great to see an active SMAC thread!

I hope it's OK for me to post here, just saying I am very interested in doing PBEMs of SMAC, if anybody is interested. I have looked across the internet but there are not that many people still playing.

 

[Nevill]

I hope it's OK for me to post here, just saying I am very interested in doing PBEMs of SMAC, if anybody is interested. I have looked across the internet but there are not that many people still playing.

I can play a 1v1 duel if you PM me.

If you are want a game with several players, you can go to our Playground or to the MP forum to start a thread and see if there is interest.

 

[jeroendstout]

I hope it's OK for me to post here, just saying I am very interested in doing PBEMs of SMAC, if anybody is interested. I have looked across the internet but there are not that many people still playing.

I can play a 1v1 duel if you PM me.

If you are want a game with several players, you can go to our Playground or to the MP forum to start a thread and see if there is interest.

I would be interested! I think my account is too new to send PM's (I swear I have been looking all over the page), could you send me a PM?

A thread for more players sounds good, I might do that in a while

 

[Comte]

A couple questions for you guys. I am playing with Tech Stagnation on the Librarian level. Do the other factions also have Tech Stagnation or just me?

I am playing with blind tech as well. I am given four choices on what to focus on. What happens when I choose all 4?

I am playing as Morgan.

 

[mastroego]

AFAIK if you choose all 4 you're basically playing double-blind, as you'd guess.
You don't even direct the field of research, and the breakthroughs are random.

 

[kyrub]

The breakthroughs are never entirely random. There are techs that get different choice bias based on your research goals. When you have all switched on, all bias are active.
For instance, when you choose military tech goal, you're always highly biased to get the weapon tech. When you have the growth goal switched on, you always have long beelines for advanced ecology stuff.

It's a pity that a full random choice was not implemented, it would be fun to try.

 

[Absinthe]

Alpha Centauri Modern UI Mod - http://www.alphacentauriredux.com/blog/

It's not an actual mod. It's some UI art/design project.

Also The Brazilian Slaughter, are you going to do anything with those reserved posts?

 

[Absinthe]

I think factions with the Neural Amplifier (+50% Psi Defense) should consider building Psi Defense armors over more expensive defenses. Thoughts?

 

[Absinthe]

I don't mean Resonance Armors or Hypnotic Trance. I mean the Psi Defense armor that gets researched with Eudaimonia which makes your unit always initiate psi combat when attacked. If you have a Neural Amplifier your units get a +50% bonus to psi defense. In land combat the attacker has a 3:2 combat bonus by default though (which Neural Amplifier would balance out), but for sea and air units it's 1:1 (which favors the defender unless attacker has extremely high planet, Empath Song, or a Dream Twister). Plus, Psi Defense only costs as much as Probability Sheath (6) armor to put on a unit.

Also in Alien Crossfire, I reckon air-power needs to come with Dissociative Wave to negate defenders' AAA Tracking abilities.

 

[laclongquan]

What's the obstacles to a HD remastered graphic mod for this game? Not changing anything other than making this run on today's comp and graphic card at reasonable graphic eye candy level.

I totally forget if this question ever answered anywhere in this thread.

 

[Johannes]

I don't mean Resonance Armors or Hypnotic Trance. I mean the Psi Defense armor that gets researched with Eudaimonia which makes your unit always initiate psi combat when attacked. If you have a Neural Amplifier your units get a +50% bonus to psi defense. In land combat the attacker has a 3:2 combat bonus by default though (which Neural Amplifier would balance out), but for sea and air units it's 1:1 (which favors the defender unless attacker has extremely high planet, Empath Song, or a Dream Twister). Plus, Psi Defense only costs as much as Probability Sheath (6) armor to put on a unit.

Also in Alien Crossfire, I reckon air-power needs to come with Dissociative Wave to negate defenders' AAA Tracking abilities.

Without looking ingame too see how the costs etc work out, seems like a reasonable thing to have some of such defenders around then. Maybe otherwise too, if your planet rating is good compared to opposition. You need other kinds of defenders too though, so that the enemy can't flood you with cheap shit units specifically meant to counter your psi-defenders.

 

[Absinthe]

Which patch is the one to use nowdays? Kyrubs patch was obviously the one to go for but there have been some built on that. Anything newer i should be using?

Still kyrub's.

What's the obstacles to a HD remastered graphic mod for this game? Not changing anything other than making this run on today's comp and graphic card at reasonable graphic eye candy level.

I totally forget if this question ever answered anywhere in this thread.

All the sprites are editable but that's normally as far as it goes. Nobody skilled enough is interested in making a graphical remaster/overhaul of Alpha Centauri. There's also a Civ 4 mod called Planetfall which borrows the Alpha Centauri setting.

Without looking ingame too see how the costs etc work out, seems like a reasonable thing to have some of such defenders around then. Maybe otherwise too, if your planet rating is good compared to opposition. You need other kinds of defenders too though, so that the enemy can't flood you with cheap shit units specifically meant to counter your psi-defenders.

In Alien Crossfire you could give your units Dissociative Wave to counter that, which is a kinda dumb ability because it just always disables the other unit's ability with the biggest combat bonus. They could still pump out high morale units with resonance weaponry and maybe engineer a high planet rating though.

 

[kyrub]

Any news on Kyrub's porting his patch to SMAX?

Well, the news is old and getting older by the minute. I ported about 2/3 of things to the SMAX exe. And then I stopped, because time got out of the hand. I think I got angry as well (for spending too much time on it) and deleted half of the support files. I still have the 2/3 done work sitting somewhere on my hard drive, but that is it. I don't even know if it is fonctional and without bugs, haven't tested it.