Flying bases exist!!!!! I've seen them. But, I need confirmation.

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  Flying bases exist!!!!! I've seen them. But, I need confirmation.

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Author Topic:   Flying bases exist!!!!! I've seen them. But, I need confirmation.

K posted 05-25-99 06:35 AM ET
I'm sending out a call to all serious SMAC players. Help me track this down.
Here is exactly what I did:
<1.> I was a college lab, far away from my copy of SMAC and I had a few hours to kill. I downloaded the Version 1.1 Demo, and unpacked it. Then I tried to apply the Version 3.0 Patch in an attempt to see the new enhancements and read the new "readme.txt" file, as I have yet to do this with my copy of SMAC. It got to 29% done and stopped on the file named "facedit" with a message "Old file does not exist" blah, blah, blah.
<2.> Growing bored, I started ****ing around with the the "alpha.txt" and "spartan.txt", playing with the abilities, but changing back anything I changed before with each new change.
<3.> Here's the critical move. I went to the file "Spartan.txt", and added the line "UNIT, 14, UNIT, 14, UNIT 14," which gives the Spartans three extra units from the #UNIT section of file "alpha.txt".
<4.> In the 14th(and last) slot of "#UNIT", I added this line "Psi Wraiths, Gravship, Psi, Psi, 100, 0, , Disable, -1, 100000000000000000100000". (if you're wondering, yes, the space between the 0 and disable was left blank, by me, by mistake, in the "alpha.txt". I don't know what that means.)
Well, instead of the kick ass combat unit to **** around with as I expected, I got a unit that looks EXACTLY like a flying city. It moves only 1 square per turn, and only on land, and it reads as a 1-1-1 unit.
Since I haven't really read through all the documentation for the alpha.txt, I have no idea how I got this particular item. I was so excited that there might be a hidden unit in the game, that I had to post here as soon as I saw it. Right now the unit does not act like a base in any way, but if we can play with the "alpha.txt", and record our results here, then between us all we can find it if it exists.
If there is a graphic, then there MUST be a purpose for it. Maybe it wasn't released as a main line product for play balance reasons, or it was saved for Call to power. i don't know, but I want that unit.
Who is with me?
K posted 05-25-99 07:16 AM ET
Well, after a bit of playing around, i've found that no matter what item is put in the 14th of higher slots of #UNITS, you get the flying base like item. Of course, that doesn't mean that tweaking the rest of the "apha.txt" won't effect greater abilities for that damned unit.
If anyine finds anything, just post it here.
Darkstar posted 05-26-99 08:07 AM ET
What you found K, was the DEFAULT icon for infantry. Go look in the "units.pcx" file in the SMAC directory. Cute, huh?
-Darkstar
K posted 05-26-99 05:04 PM ET
What the hell?
Is this a cruel tease for players messing with the alpha.txt, or some kind clue to a hidden insider's trick to get air bases? i'm going to pay with it for a few days and see what I come up with.
TheHelperMonkey posted 05-26-99 05:34 PM ET
Could someplease tell what those things in the pictures are? One looks like a flying base (not infantry) another one looks like a green mindboil.
LoD posted 05-26-99 05:54 PM ET
TheHelperMonkey: (Note - these are all IMHO)
from 1 one above, in descending order:
1. I have no idea...
2. A former unit
3. Alien Artifact
4. MWs
5. IoDs
6. Locusts
7. Probe Team (?)
8. Conv. Missile
9. PB
Again, these are all my guesses...
LoD
Jythexinvok posted 05-27-99 01:41 AM ET
Even if it is the same picture, I doubt it's comming from units.pcx. This file looks like it was probably an aborted attempt to use the old civ2 style units. Guess it just got left over in whatever dirrectory they used to set up the installation.
If the file is used I would be very curious to know how....
LoD posted 05-27-99 09:45 AM ET
Jythexinvok: The MW and Alien Artifact pics from this file are used in SMAC (at least in my version).
LoD
PS."A former unit" = "A Former unit"
Darkstar posted 05-27-99 02:33 PM ET
lOD - Yep. I noticed that. Its just the base default. Since SMAC doesn't know what to use for unit 14, it leaves it as the ultimate default image. Otherwise the program would either blow chunks and crash, or just freak out when dealing with "Show something" commands in the graphics engine for units.
-Darkstar
Chris Pine FIRAXIS posted 05-28-99 06:02 PM ET
Very good! You got them all except for the first one: the Colony Pod.
LoD posted 05-30-99 08:26 AM ET
That *is* a Colony Pod? I would never guess it... Wait... Oh - now I see the caterpillars underneath its chassis!
LoD
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Author	Topic: Flying bases exist!!!!! I've seen them. But, I need confirmation.
K	posted 05-25-99 06:35 AM ET I'm sending out a call to all serious SMAC players. Help me track this down. Here is exactly what I did: <1.> I was a college lab, far away from my copy of SMAC and I had a few hours to kill. I downloaded the Version 1.1 Demo, and unpacked it. Then I tried to apply the Version 3.0 Patch in an attempt to see the new enhancements and read the new "readme.txt" file, as I have yet to do this with my copy of SMAC. It got to 29% done and stopped on the file named "facedit" with a message "Old file does not exist" blah, blah, blah. <2.> Growing bored, I started **ing around with the the "alpha.txt" and "spartan.txt", playing with the abilities, but changing back anything I changed before with each new change. <3.> Here's the critical move. I went to the file "Spartan.txt", and added the line "UNIT, 14, UNIT, 14, UNIT 14," which gives the Spartans three extra units from the #UNIT section of file "alpha.txt". <4.> In the 14th(and last) slot of "#UNIT", I added this line "Psi Wraiths, Gravship, Psi, Psi, 100, 0, , Disable, -1, 100000000000000000100000". (if you're wondering, yes, the space between the 0 and disable was left blank, by me, by mistake, in the "alpha.txt". I don't know what that means.) Well, instead of the kick ass combat unit to ** around with as I expected, I got a unit that looks EXACTLY like a flying city. It moves only 1 square per turn, and only on land, and it reads as a 1-1-1 unit. Since I haven't really read through all the documentation for the alpha.txt, I have no idea how I got this particular item. I was so excited that there might be a hidden unit in the game, that I had to post here as soon as I saw it. Right now the unit does not act like a base in any way, but if we can play with the "alpha.txt", and record our results here, then between us all we can find it if it exists. If there is a graphic, then there MUST be a purpose for it. Maybe it wasn't released as a main line product for play balance reasons, or it was saved for Call to power. i don't know, but I want that unit. Who is with me?
K	posted 05-25-99 07:16 AM ET Well, after a bit of playing around, i've found that no matter what item is put in the 14th of higher slots of #UNITS, you get the flying base like item. Of course, that doesn't mean that tweaking the rest of the "apha.txt" won't effect greater abilities for that damned unit. If anyine finds anything, just post it here.
Darkstar	posted 05-26-99 08:07 AM ET What you found K, was the DEFAULT icon for infantry. Go look in the "units.pcx" file in the SMAC directory. Cute, huh? -Darkstar
K	posted 05-26-99 05:04 PM ET What the hell? Is this a cruel tease for players messing with the alpha.txt, or some kind clue to a hidden insider's trick to get air bases? i'm going to pay with it for a few days and see what I come up with.
TheHelperMonkey	posted 05-26-99 05:34 PM ET Could someplease tell what those things in the pictures are? One looks like a flying base (not infantry) another one looks like a green mindboil.
LoD	posted 05-26-99 05:54 PM ET TheHelperMonkey: (Note - these are all IMHO) from 1 one above, in descending order: 1. I have no idea... 2. A former unit 3. Alien Artifact 4. MWs 5. IoDs 6. Locusts 7. Probe Team (?) 8. Conv. Missile 9. PB Again, these are all my guesses... LoD
Jythexinvok	posted 05-27-99 01:41 AM ET Even if it is the same picture, I doubt it's comming from units.pcx. This file looks like it was probably an aborted attempt to use the old civ2 style units. Guess it just got left over in whatever dirrectory they used to set up the installation. If the file is used I would be very curious to know how....
LoD	posted 05-27-99 09:45 AM ET Jythexinvok: The MW and Alien Artifact pics from this file are used in SMAC (at least in my version). LoD PS."A former unit" = "A Former unit"
Darkstar	posted 05-27-99 02:33 PM ET lOD - Yep. I noticed that. Its just the base default. Since SMAC doesn't know what to use for unit 14, it leaves it as the ultimate default image. Otherwise the program would either blow chunks and crash, or just freak out when dealing with "Show something" commands in the graphics engine for units. -Darkstar
Chris Pine FIRAXIS	posted 05-28-99 06:02 PM ET Very good! You got them all except for the first one: the Colony Pod.
LoD	posted 05-30-99 08:26 AM ET That is a Colony Pod? I would never guess it... Wait... Oh - now I see the caterpillars underneath its chassis! LoD