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Author Topic:   What makes a SMACophile?

DerekM posted 03-18-99 05:05 PM ET
Here are some things I've noticed about the opinions floating around about SMAC.
1) If you didn't like Civ or Civ2, or you don't generally like strategy games, then you won't like SMAC. Reviews which call it "the best strategy game ever" are quite simply wrong. It is undoubtedly (IMHO) the best TURN-BASED, EMPIRE BUILDING strategy game I have seen. If you loved Starcraft, Close Combat, or even Operational Art of War, you may not like SMAC.
2) If you relate best to concepts you are familiar with, and you are not a fan of science fiction, then SMAC might frustrate you. There are a LOT of scientific and pseudo-scientific concepts pulled from the science fiction genre. I've seen posts from people who just can't relate to the technology tree, which is a big part of the game.
3) If you are looking for a combat game, then forget about SMAC. SMAC is an empire-building game that involves combat as only one facet of an overall strategy. The combat is not particularly realistic in many ways.
4) If you want to stretch that new Voodoo card to the max, don't bother. The graphics in SMAC are purely utilitarian. Whenever there was a conflict between information and eye-candy, information won out. That is not to say that they suck. They definitely do not appeal to everyone, though.
5) If you like to micromanage things, then you are much more likely to like SMAC. If you do not like to micromanage, but you also don't care whether or not every base and every terraformed square is perfect, then you may be able to let the AI handle it and still like the game. If you are very detail oriented, but expect the game's AI to handle those details, then you will not enjoy yourself. The building part of the AI is simply not up to the skill level of a high-level gamer.
6) If realism is very important to you, then stay away from SMAC. Firaxis always puts fun ahead of realism -- unfortunately, for some people, the two are equivalent. You will be frustrated by SOMETHING, whether it is the combat system, or the pseudoscience, etc. Hell, I've seen people complain that the map wasn't a sphere.
7) If you like to tinker around with a game's rules, then SMAC will delight you. While you can always find SOMETHING that isn't customizable, there are many, many things that are. You can solve many minor annoyances by simply adjusting the game's rules.
8) If you are the best strategy gamer in your town, could beat the Diety level of Civ2 with one eye closed, etc., then you will find weaknesses in the AI. The game is very complex, and while the AI is better than that in Civ2 in many ways, it also has a LOT more to keep track of then it used to. If you are an average gamer (like me), then you will have no problem with the difficulty levels.
9) If you like atmosphere in a game, you might love SMAC. The factions are all very well fleshed out (even if they are caricatures), with numerous quotes throughout the game that expound their appropriate philosophies. Even the diplomacy dialog is amusingly in character. The caveat is that all of this is a combination of written text and (very good) spoken text. There are no cutscenes, other than the opening sequence. You will probably get more from the atmosphere if you like to read and listen.
10) The game is very complex with lots of subtleties. Those who say otherwise have most likely gotten bored or frustrated with the game for one of the aforementioned reasons before they actually had a chance to fully explore it. If you thought Starcraft was too complicated, then forget about SMAC. Otherwise, you will probably like it. If you're the type who likes to put together spreadsheets detailing game mechanics, then you will probably be in heaven.
11) SMAC will make you think. If Quake fragfests are more you speed, well, go play Quake. Browse through some of the forum topics, and you will see that the avid players all have very strong opinions about some of the oddest stuff in the world. We all spend a lot of time thinking.
12) If you are looking for a game that you can play in a couple of hours, then SMAC does NOT fit the bill. "Speed playing" SMAC is a sure route to frustration, as some of the forum posters have found to their dismay. It is not like Myst, where you can put it down after an hour and come back to it two weeks later. You are likely to forget too much about the current game in the iterim, and then you will die.
****
SMAC appeals to a wide variety of people, but it certainly doesn't appeal to everybody. There are a lot of silly "SMAC sucks, no it doesn't" threads on this forum. The real answer is, find out what the game is like before you buy it, and then only buy it if you like it (assuming you know what you like). Sounds simple, so why don't more people do it?
absimiliard posted 03-18-99 05:44 PM ET
Hey Derek, pretty good analysis of why you will, or won't like SMAC.
Nice job.
-absimiliard
<of the loves to make spreadsheets detailing unit capabilities camp>
<also of the poke at the AI at the hardest level and still win camp>
Rong posted 03-19-99 01:10 PM ET
Great post, Derek!
I hate spreadsheets, although I HAVE started writing a word document entitled "Development Based SMAC Strategies".
Silt posted 03-19-99 02:11 PM ET
Great post Derek. Just one remark about your #9 statement. There are cutscences other than the main opening sequence. I know I've seen a few after getting down with a secret project. I'm not sure if all SP have cutscenes, but a few do.
Anyway, your post was right on the mark! Good job!
Silt
Silt posted 03-19-99 02:16 PM ET
While I may dance from time to time when I get a SP done before my competition, the previous post was supposed to say "getting done" as opposed to "getting down".
Silt
DerekM posted 03-19-99 02:40 PM ET
Yes, you do get movies when you build special projects. Some of them are pretty funny, too. "Get offa my land, you peacekeeping sonova..."
I was thinking more along the lines of plot- following cutscenes, along the lines of Starcraft or Jedi Knight. The SMAC equivalents are the little star-field backed text blurbs that say things along the lines of, "PLANET, don't invade my mind during council! Didn't your momma planet ever teach you manners?"
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Author	Topic: What makes a SMACophile?
DerekM	posted 03-18-99 05:05 PM ET Here are some things I've noticed about the opinions floating around about SMAC. 1) If you didn't like Civ or Civ2, or you don't generally like strategy games, then you won't like SMAC. Reviews which call it "the best strategy game ever" are quite simply wrong. It is undoubtedly (IMHO) the best TURN-BASED, EMPIRE BUILDING strategy game I have seen. If you loved Starcraft, Close Combat, or even Operational Art of War, you may not like SMAC. 2) If you relate best to concepts you are familiar with, and you are not a fan of science fiction, then SMAC might frustrate you. There are a LOT of scientific and pseudo-scientific concepts pulled from the science fiction genre. I've seen posts from people who just can't relate to the technology tree, which is a big part of the game. 3) If you are looking for a combat game, then forget about SMAC. SMAC is an empire-building game that involves combat as only one facet of an overall strategy. The combat is not particularly realistic in many ways. 4) If you want to stretch that new Voodoo card to the max, don't bother. The graphics in SMAC are purely utilitarian. Whenever there was a conflict between information and eye-candy, information won out. That is not to say that they suck. They definitely do not appeal to everyone, though. 5) If you like to micromanage things, then you are much more likely to like SMAC. If you do not like to micromanage, but you also don't care whether or not every base and every terraformed square is perfect, then you may be able to let the AI handle it and still like the game. If you are very detail oriented, but expect the game's AI to handle those details, then you will not enjoy yourself. The building part of the AI is simply not up to the skill level of a high-level gamer. 6) If realism is very important to you, then stay away from SMAC. Firaxis always puts fun ahead of realism -- unfortunately, for some people, the two are equivalent. You will be frustrated by SOMETHING, whether it is the combat system, or the pseudoscience, etc. Hell, I've seen people complain that the map wasn't a sphere. 7) If you like to tinker around with a game's rules, then SMAC will delight you. While you can always find SOMETHING that isn't customizable, there are many, many things that are. You can solve many minor annoyances by simply adjusting the game's rules. 8) If you are the best strategy gamer in your town, could beat the Diety level of Civ2 with one eye closed, etc., then you will find weaknesses in the AI. The game is very complex, and while the AI is better than that in Civ2 in many ways, it also has a LOT more to keep track of then it used to. If you are an average gamer (like me), then you will have no problem with the difficulty levels. 9) If you like atmosphere in a game, you might love SMAC. The factions are all very well fleshed out (even if they are caricatures), with numerous quotes throughout the game that expound their appropriate philosophies. Even the diplomacy dialog is amusingly in character. The caveat is that all of this is a combination of written text and (very good) spoken text. There are no cutscenes, other than the opening sequence. You will probably get more from the atmosphere if you like to read and listen. 10) The game is very complex with lots of subtleties. Those who say otherwise have most likely gotten bored or frustrated with the game for one of the aforementioned reasons before they actually had a chance to fully explore it. If you thought Starcraft was too complicated, then forget about SMAC. Otherwise, you will probably like it. If you're the type who likes to put together spreadsheets detailing game mechanics, then you will probably be in heaven. 11) SMAC will make you think. If Quake fragfests are more you speed, well, go play Quake. Browse through some of the forum topics, and you will see that the avid players all have very strong opinions about some of the oddest stuff in the world. We all spend a lot of time thinking. 12) If you are looking for a game that you can play in a couple of hours, then SMAC does NOT fit the bill. "Speed playing" SMAC is a sure route to frustration, as some of the forum posters have found to their dismay. It is not like Myst, where you can put it down after an hour and come back to it two weeks later. You are likely to forget too much about the current game in the iterim, and then you will die. **** SMAC appeals to a wide variety of people, but it certainly doesn't appeal to everybody. There are a lot of silly "SMAC sucks, no it doesn't" threads on this forum. The real answer is, find out what the game is like before you buy it, and then only buy it if you like it (assuming you know what you like). Sounds simple, so why don't more people do it?
absimiliard	posted 03-18-99 05:44 PM ET Hey Derek, pretty good analysis of why you will, or won't like SMAC. Nice job. -absimiliard <of the loves to make spreadsheets detailing unit capabilities camp> <also of the poke at the AI at the hardest level and still win camp>
Rong	posted 03-19-99 01:10 PM ET Great post, Derek! I hate spreadsheets, although I HAVE started writing a word document entitled "Development Based SMAC Strategies".
Silt	posted 03-19-99 02:11 PM ET Great post Derek. Just one remark about your #9 statement. There are cutscences other than the main opening sequence. I know I've seen a few after getting down with a secret project. I'm not sure if all SP have cutscenes, but a few do. Anyway, your post was right on the mark! Good job! Silt
Silt	posted 03-19-99 02:16 PM ET While I may dance from time to time when I get a SP done before my competition, the previous post was supposed to say "getting done" as opposed to "getting down". Silt
DerekM	posted 03-19-99 02:40 PM ET Yes, you do get movies when you build special projects. Some of them are pretty funny, too. "Get offa my land, you peacekeeping sonova..." I was thinking more along the lines of plot- following cutscenes, along the lines of Starcraft or Jedi Knight. The SMAC equivalents are the little star-field backed text blurbs that say things along the lines of, "PLANET, don't invade my mind during council! Didn't your momma planet ever teach you manners?"