posted 06-28-99 04:28 AM ET     

Hi smacers,

for the really hard-core adicts of you, I proclaim the ultimate SMAC-contest.
The rules are somehow easy (beside, you have to change the faction-txt-files):

Standard-sized random planet with standard settings (middle, average). Standard rules. Everthing just default, beside:

Iron Man, TI
blind research off / on (up to you  Off of course, if you are clever.
30-50% ocean.

Just easy to put. No special settings to special strategies or faction-choices.
The possible variations of settings are nearly countless. One can make a contest for every one of this. I like to establish just one. Not one every week.

Just this one and only one.

For everybody, for every strategie and faction and playstile. No restrictions and so on. Just the easy way, how the game was likely planned to be played. Easy and fair to compare.

Ad in the faction.TXT �files of AI-players (backup old files):

TALENT, 4 (PK: TALENT, 2 ; UoP: leave out DRONE, 4)
SOCIAL, +INDUSTRY
SOCIAL, ++RESEARCH

That�s all.

The goal is:
- Fastest Transcendence with
- 50 transc. thought-techs and
- all SP (build or conquered)

You see the extraordinary challenge? Believers without reseach-penalty, UoP with ++++RESEARCH, no drone-problems and quicker building SP�s (and everything else). Also there is no way to escape into transcendence, while AI is busy to fight each other. You really have to build an army, defend AND attack. With the highest possible tech! I personally never was challenged to do this before in a builder-stile game won by transcendence.

posted 06-28-99 10:06 AM ET         

I started a game with PK. Just a mediocre starting place. No rainy. No bonus. Only one pod and a little river. (The save-file, I gave to aceplayer for his scenario-page). When I realized, UoP is my next neighbour, I was excited. Being behind in tech is not too bad with UoP next door. Send over some probes ... ! Make him surrender and he will be your research-slave. But it came in another way.

First attack came from believers with transports. They surprised me with 422-rovers, when I had 212-ones. Later, they posessed half the world, eating up huge hive-imperium.

Fighting back Miriam and still force the building challenged me 100%, but I succeded. Then I was ready to take care for Zak. I faded when I realized his power. He had the parameter-defence-SP and many others, going to finish hunter seeker! Chaos (A8) and air-power against my A4, D3. Out of the first 15 SP�s I got only two.

This was a really unknown feeling for me (may be since the old days of CIV1, emperor level).
After about 100 turns, I wanted to resign. Thought: I made it too hard. ++reseach is just to much. They will kill me like a fresh mindworm, as they please. I�m good, but not as good to be able to handle this.

Zak had still a treaty with me, but his attitude in the communikation-window showed: agressive. Before restarting, I wanted to demolish this game just for fun and sent over two probes, one turn before Zak got hunter. I got 2 techs. Both times he declared, that he does not like this, and that I should do this not again. At that point, I realized that he didn�t think of me as an opponent to take serious, and that he is a peaceloving person against weak factions like me poor little underdog.

So I continued. Zak had 45 techs compared to my 35. Through intense micromanagement, I was able to at least keep this difference of 10 techs for a while.

This phase was most thrilling. Every moment Zak could come over.
When Miriam had a full-size power-column, UoP was 66% and mine was 45%. Later, when my column got even with Miriam, Zak declared vendetta on me. Then a high-tech-war started, what I never had before in SMAC like this.

Ok, every game comes out different. With other neighbours, may be some games are not to win. If you play my save-game, you know it is possible to win. Because, I am on the way to it. It is just a question of time to conquere UoP, the missing SP�s and to research 50 tr.thinker-techs (in the end, they will come in a bunch every turn).

Have fun and a good time
ARES 7

posted 06-29-99 09:53 AM ET            

I need the exact goal of the scenario - is it to achieve transndence or best score by year 2350 or what ? (i think you said 2350 in your email)

also I need a sav solution file from you with the goal achived and score

as soon as I get them I will post it....

posted 06-29-99 05:31 PM ET            

Faction: Lal of the PeaceKeepers
Year: 2101
Map Size: Standard (only 30-50% Ocean)
Difficulty: Transcend Ironman
(plus faction.TXT -file-changes to make it one level higher!)
Weapon Level: 111 Scouts

Game Description:
You start at a mediocre starting-place on a big continent, sharing it with UoP.
Watch out for the invasion-fleets of Miriam. Be aware that you will be behind in
tech to nearly everyone else. So dont have the illusion to get many of the early
SP's. But dont give up, when you think that situation has become hopeless. Wait
for your chance. Grow to get even with the power-leaders and ... bang!
In endgame, you have the chance to use the highest possible tech to fulfill the
goals.

Tweaking:
The AI faction files have been modified to:
TALENT, 4 (UoP: leave out DRONE, 4)
SOCIAL, +INDUSTRY
SOCIAL, ++RESEARCH
so they get 4 TALENTS, + INDUSTRY and ++ RESEARCH.
In addition your Peacekeepers TALANT has been reduced to 2.
These changes are already in the save file - so there is no need for you to make a
change - but the AI factions are much more powerful.

Challenge: Survive between mighty neighbours, Go for fastest Transcendence, but
have all SP's and 50 transcend thought-techs before you win.
Then send me a save file showing you won. You win the contest by winning in the
lowest Mission Year with AC Score used as tie-breaker.

Installation Directions: Unzip and place the sav file in your
saves folder. Start game and load.

Scenario Difficulty: medium
Scenario Length: Very long
Scenario Author: ARES 7 - email problems and solutions to: [email protected]

one more thing I need - how do you know you have 50 trancends? Exactly what is the message? Does it say tech level 66 or something like that? I need to tell ppl how to identify it....

posted 06-29-99 07:52 PM ET            

the iron-man wont prevent ppl from saving a winnning - will it ???

posted 06-30-99 04:19 AM ET         

Game Description:
(OK, but I dont see, how the lines will come out in the end. In your posting it lookes somehow like wasting space)

Comments to Tweaking:
Human faction.TXT file will not change at all (important point, I want to prevent, that anybody have to change his used playing-style).
TALENT; 4 means: First talent from beginning, second with pop 5, third with pop 9 ...
It is not correct to say: �Faction-files have been modified to: ...�
(because many factions have already modifier)

So my suggestion:

.
Tweaking (already done in the save-file):
In the AI-faction.TXT -files is added:
TALENT, 4 (UoP: left out DRONE, 4)
One modifier added in SOCIAL, INDUSTRY
Two modifiers addes in SOCIAL, RESEARCH
(so UoP comes out with ++++RESEACH, Miriam is neutral with research, Spartans are neutral with industry an so on)

Comment to Scenario Difficulty: I would not say �medium�, because the level is one above TI. Suggestion: at least hard.

Comments to Author: Is there any eMail-adress necessary? People will eMail to you anyway. So I would prefer to write just:
Scenario Author: ARES 7

There are at least 2 ways to know how many tranc. thought-techs you have. During the game the tech-windows opens from time to time to tell you, which tech you finished. And with F8, you find your score, including points for techs (one per tech=76 all together) and for transc. thought-techs (10 points each). So with 500 points for tranc. thought-techs, you have enough.

Iron man will never prevent anybody from saving at any time.

The only thing it does is to prevent people from gambling for better results (in fights, with opening pods ...) after the next reload. I guess, these results are calculated in advance and also saved, so you always get the same for the rest of the turn. I like this definitely.
Without Ironman you never know what others have done, when you compare the scores.

posted 06-30-99 05:11 AM ET            

It will be on site in about 12 hours...

Anyone wanting to try this very difficult scenario - can get it at:

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/3802/

posted 07-01-99 05:57 AM ET         

just finished my game on TI+level (aceplayer referres to it on his page as: T50_Lal_2101).

Lot of fun and action. Normally, when i went for trancendence on odinary TI, I rushed through the science-tree, had a tech an more every turn, didn�t care for military-units, for AI-opponents didn�t care much about me. Mostly 111 scouts as defenders were enough. Many games I finished already after 90 to 150 moves, because the winner seemed to be settled. What I missed most was, that I never had a chance to work with the high-tech-units. Even when I played long enough to get these techs, there was no necessity to build these units.

Much different this game: although I was a builder (and a quite quick one), I had to fight in most phases of the game, with full concentration on the workshop to design the most effective units. Learned a lot with it.

In year 2227 I only had 2 SP�s (AI had 11, mostly Zak),
in 2314 I was ready to ascend
(but still had to fight a war against incredible huge Believers Imperium for the SP�s, and also reseach for 50 thought-techs).

Finished in year 2339
Score 11800 (only as tie-breaker)
with 1106%

There where more than 39900 labs per turn (with dem/green/science/kyb and 100% research), that makes a tech-rate of 5.4 !

Have fun with it.

ARES 7