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Author Topic:   Patch 3.0 Rocks!!!!!!

Nell_Smith posted 04-06-99 01:42 AM ET
I've just started playing with the new v3.0 patch (I'm in the UK) and it's great... the AI plays much more smartly, it seems, and it's much more of a challenge. In fact, in my current game, Miriam has been SERIOUSLY kicking my butt... until my recent discovery of Air Power, which just might save the day. The AI seems to build more sensible and useful units and also to use them more strategically. It's really improved the game
PS: I also like the new diplomatic thing where an enemy demands that you return a captured city in exchange for a truce. Nice touch.
Nell_Smith posted 04-06-99 05:24 PM ET
And another thing!!! Finally the AI is building AAA and SAM units to counter my airpower, instead of always going for Trance and Empath for no apparent reason
PS: Miriam DID kick my butt - for a while my Needlejets battered her artillery into submission, but then up she popped with a swarm of Air-to-Air jets of her own - and mine were history, along with my empire!! I can honestly say it's a pleasure to lose a game to the AI without having to help it along by giving away techs etc... can't wait for Patch 4!!
jaghar posted 04-06-99 05:32 PM ET
LOL.. personally I don't like to lose but that's just me.
Though I'm a little worried that some of these factions I'm working are going to start kicking my butt soon which I guess I won't complain about cause then my little babies will be all grown up. -sniff-
Zero posted 04-07-99 11:59 AM ET
Agree 100% - this is the game that SMAC should have been from the start.
Having said that, I kind of wish that they had held off the release until this version was ready. Well, that's the game industry for you.
Bossman posted 04-07-99 12:52 PM ET
I agree,
This is the game it should have been from the start but there are still some pretty big bugs in the program that need to be sorted still so I am still waiting for patch 4.0 to come out, until then I think I am going to play a different game so that I dont play for ages just for my computer to crash.
sandworm posted 04-07-99 04:11 PM ET
Mine only crashes when I quit, but I found a really great workaround for this. I don't quit. My fiance (whatshername, Deidre?) doesn't think that's so great though, esp. when I'm supposed to be putting wedding guest addresses into the computer, NOT playing SMAC.
SW
P.S. I really does lock up frequently when I quit, rrrr. This only started AFTER I put the 3.0 "enhancement" in.
("Enhancement", heh, that's even funnier than "service pack")
bendyguy posted 04-07-99 05:20 PM ET
wow, that's funny, after i put in patch 3 my game wouldn't start up at all!!
hm. oh well. i would take time to re-install it, but unfortunately i had to go and do something rash like buy CtP the same day i downloaded patch 3.
needless to say, i haven't had time to play smac since. sorry guys!!
Bossman posted 04-08-99 06:50 AM ET
Patch three was the only thing that kept me playing SMAC otherwise I would be playing some gother game like Forsaken or something old like that that actually uses 3DFX whay doent they add in 3DFX to SMAC it would be faster for quite alot of people then.
Blutwurst posted 04-08-99 07:40 AM ET
I don't see your problems. I never had any problem playing SMAC. It never crashes. Hmm.
Where can I download patch 3.0 and what is it good for?
Bossman posted 04-08-99 08:44 AM ET
You can download V3.0 from this sites homepage!
(But I dont know if you can get the German version yet)
Zero_Gauss posted 04-09-99 08:49 PM ET

Bossman:
What the hell good would 3dfx acceleration do for SMAC? For chrissakes, the f*cking game is a 2-d world overlayed on a 2-d grid!! Oh, yeah, SURE there are some bumps on the grid, so they can have their psuedo-3d-terrain (on a map that isn't even a true globe, BTW); but the graphics are all somewhat-top-notch-2d.
What a 3dfx accelerator is good at is cranking out rapidly changing triangles (so as to better render texturing and polygons). This provides tremendous benefit in games like Quake where you have very-high polygonal models moving around very quickly. In SMAC you have those pathetic 2-polygon needlejets moving ... not so quickly
I don't mean to flame you, but _really_ the idea of 3dfx acceleration for SMAC is foolish in the extreme. It would provide no benefit, would probably break the game with new bugs from introduction of new code, and would cost a helluva lot of time and $$ on the part of Brian & co. On the other hand, keep in mind that the graphics engine SMAC *does* use IS in fact DirectX accelerated.
Them Firaxis programmer's ain't fools, and they're pretty decent programmers. I think they optimized SMAC as much as they could given the time/resource constraints they had to work in. Now if only they would take a public relations class or something AND FIX THAT GOD-FORSAKEN MISSILE RANGE BUG!!
*phew*
live well,
Zero-Gauss
Freddz posted 04-09-99 11:03 PM ET
Hey, Bry Unn REnn Oldz!!! Stop promoting your game! Step out of that furry jacket! We know who you are!
Biddles posted 04-11-99 03:25 AM ET
Yeah. Play as the Spartans and then say that. They made the water the exact same color as the the spartans on that little map at the end where you see your faction expansion. Now all I see is land disappearing into the evergrowing void.
- Biddles
micje posted 04-11-99 09:21 AM ET
I'm not an expert, but I think SMAC only uses DirectX 3.0 compatible functions (for NT compatibility). Doesn't that make the game slower or less stable than if they had used 6.0 functions?
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Author	Topic: Patch 3.0 Rocks!!!!!!
Nell_Smith	posted 04-06-99 01:42 AM ET I've just started playing with the new v3.0 patch (I'm in the UK) and it's great... the AI plays much more smartly, it seems, and it's much more of a challenge. In fact, in my current game, Miriam has been SERIOUSLY kicking my butt... until my recent discovery of Air Power, which just might save the day. The AI seems to build more sensible and useful units and also to use them more strategically. It's really improved the game PS: I also like the new diplomatic thing where an enemy demands that you return a captured city in exchange for a truce. Nice touch.
Nell_Smith	posted 04-06-99 05:24 PM ET And another thing!!! Finally the AI is building AAA and SAM units to counter my airpower, instead of always going for Trance and Empath for no apparent reason PS: Miriam DID kick my butt - for a while my Needlejets battered her artillery into submission, but then up she popped with a swarm of Air-to-Air jets of her own - and mine were history, along with my empire!! I can honestly say it's a pleasure to lose a game to the AI without having to help it along by giving away techs etc... can't wait for Patch 4!!
jaghar	posted 04-06-99 05:32 PM ET LOL.. personally I don't like to lose but that's just me. Though I'm a little worried that some of these factions I'm working are going to start kicking my butt soon which I guess I won't complain about cause then my little babies will be all grown up. -sniff-
Zero	posted 04-07-99 11:59 AM ET Agree 100% - this is the game that SMAC should have been from the start. Having said that, I kind of wish that they had held off the release until this version was ready. Well, that's the game industry for you.
Bossman	posted 04-07-99 12:52 PM ET I agree, This is the game it should have been from the start but there are still some pretty big bugs in the program that need to be sorted still so I am still waiting for patch 4.0 to come out, until then I think I am going to play a different game so that I dont play for ages just for my computer to crash.
sandworm	posted 04-07-99 04:11 PM ET Mine only crashes when I quit, but I found a really great workaround for this. I don't quit. My fiance (whatshername, Deidre?) doesn't think that's so great though, esp. when I'm supposed to be putting wedding guest addresses into the computer, NOT playing SMAC. SW P.S. I really does lock up frequently when I quit, rrrr. This only started AFTER I put the 3.0 "enhancement" in. ("Enhancement", heh, that's even funnier than "service pack")
bendyguy	posted 04-07-99 05:20 PM ET wow, that's funny, after i put in patch 3 my game wouldn't start up at all!! hm. oh well. i would take time to re-install it, but unfortunately i had to go and do something rash like buy CtP the same day i downloaded patch 3. needless to say, i haven't had time to play smac since. sorry guys!!
Bossman	posted 04-08-99 06:50 AM ET Patch three was the only thing that kept me playing SMAC otherwise I would be playing some gother game like Forsaken or something old like that that actually uses 3DFX whay doent they add in 3DFX to SMAC it would be faster for quite alot of people then.
Blutwurst	posted 04-08-99 07:40 AM ET I don't see your problems. I never had any problem playing SMAC. It never crashes. Hmm. Where can I download patch 3.0 and what is it good for?
Bossman	posted 04-08-99 08:44 AM ET You can download V3.0 from this sites homepage! (But I dont know if you can get the German version yet)
Zero_Gauss	posted 04-09-99 08:49 PM ET Bossman: What the hell good would 3dfx acceleration do for SMAC? For chrissakes, the fcking game is a 2-d world overlayed on a 2-d grid!! Oh, yeah, SURE there are some bumps on the grid, so they can have their psuedo-3d-terrain (on a map that isn't even a true globe, BTW); but the graphics are all somewhat-top-notch-2d. What a 3dfx accelerator is good at is cranking out rapidly changing triangles (so as to better render texturing and polygons). This provides tremendous benefit in games like Quake where you have very-high polygonal models moving around very quickly. In SMAC you have those pathetic 2-polygon needlejets moving ... not so quickly I don't mean to flame you, but _really_ the idea of 3dfx acceleration for SMAC is foolish in the extreme. It would provide no benefit, would probably break the game with new bugs from introduction of new code, and would cost a helluva lot of time and $$ on the part of Brian & co. On the other hand, keep in mind that the graphics engine SMAC does* use IS in fact DirectX accelerated. Them Firaxis programmer's ain't fools, and they're pretty decent programmers. I think they optimized SMAC as much as they could given the time/resource constraints they had to work in. Now if only they would take a public relations class or something AND FIX THAT GOD-FORSAKEN MISSILE RANGE BUG!! phew live well, Zero-Gauss
Freddz	posted 04-09-99 11:03 PM ET Hey, Bry Unn REnn Oldz!!! Stop promoting your game! Step out of that furry jacket! We know who you are!
Biddles	posted 04-11-99 03:25 AM ET Yeah. Play as the Spartans and then say that. They made the water the exact same color as the the spartans on that little map at the end where you see your faction expansion. Now all I see is land disappearing into the evergrowing void. - Biddles
micje	posted 04-11-99 09:21 AM ET I'm not an expert, but I think SMAC only uses DirectX 3.0 compatible functions (for NT compatibility). Doesn't that make the game slower or less stable than if they had used 6.0 functions?