Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => The Theory of Everything => Topic started by: Petek on March 16, 2013, 10:37:40 PM

Title: Firaxis.com
Post by: Petek on March 16, 2013, 10:37:40 PM

Firaxis.com (http://www.firaxis.com) was recently redesigned. The Alpha Centauri section is gone, including the official patches. It's fortunate that these patches have been posted here and elsewhere. Does anyone recall whether any other material from Firaxis is worth trying to resurrect?

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Geo on March 16, 2013, 10:57:42 PM

Sad to see they're taking distance. :(
I wonder if this means the company is dismissing its rights to the SMAC(X) title.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Guv’ner on March 16, 2013, 11:07:54 PM

Alternate art, which is everywhere and badly formatted copies of Journey to Alpha Centauri and Arrival. I was looking at it the other day, nothing’s been lost.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 16, 2013, 11:13:31 PM

Guv, we have that stuff in our mirror of the AC pages, as you can see under OfficialAC at the top of the page.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Guv’ner on March 16, 2013, 11:22:52 PM

I hadn’t realized how comprehensive the mirror was, but I was just confirming that nothing had been lost.

I have some HTML formatted versions of Arrival and Journey if that would be a useful addition?

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 16, 2013, 11:39:19 PM

Yeah; I haven't looked at that stuff for a while, and I could at least add .htm versions as an option.

The mirror is almost finished, all the Firaxis AC pages be being up and running save the tech sub-pages and the links page desparately needing an update.  I'm still waiting on Kilkakon for the former. (That's a hint, Kil.)  I'd be glad of a list for the latter... (That's a hint for everyone else.)

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Guv’ner on March 16, 2013, 11:52:49 PM

They could at least have linked here under their “community” button.

I’ll upload my HTML versions tomorrow and you can decide whether their useful.

The techs could be linked into the wiki?

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 17, 2013, 12:22:48 AM

[shrugs]  The goal was always to preserve the Firaxis pages in as close as feasible to their original state.  We could add a link to the wiki techs section on the tech master page, for sure.

Come to think of it, I have a big pile of illos for weapons and chassis and the like - might be good to incorporate into the appropriate places in the wiki...

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: testdummy653 on March 18, 2013, 06:43:20 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 16, 2013, 10:57:42 PM

Sad to see they're taking distance. :(
I wonder if this means the company is dismissing its rights to the SMAC(X) title.

Since they don't own the rights....

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Geo on March 19, 2013, 08:58:44 PM

Quote from: testdummy653 on March 18, 2013, 06:43:20 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 16, 2013, 10:57:42 PM

Sad to see they're taking distance. :(
I wonder if this means the company is dismissing its rights to the SMAC(X) title.

Since they don't own the rights....

Nobody seems to know for sure what rights or titles they hold over the game. Ask Dale. ;)

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Guv’ner on March 19, 2013, 10:21:40 PM

Incidental to this thread, I just found a backup of the old Firaxis site for the game:

http://www.datapacrat.com/Art/FIRAXIS/ (http://www.datapacrat.com/Art/FIRAXIS/)

I don’t know if anyone else has been through it but there is artwork from a very different vision of the game and various other interesting stuff.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: sisko on March 20, 2013, 07:14:00 AM

Quote from: Guv’ner on March 19, 2013, 10:21:40 PM

I don’t know if anyone else has been through it but there is artwork from a very different vision of the game and various other interesting stuff.

tha artwork was saved here: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2199.0 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2199.0)

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: testdummy653 on March 20, 2013, 12:22:00 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 16, 2013, 10:57:42 PM

Nobody seems to know for sure what rights or titles they hold over the game. Ask Dale. ;)

 Firaxis and Sid own the Sid Meier's title.  Ea owns the game rights and has the copyright.
 http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/10/alpha-centauri-trademarks-registered-by-ea/ (http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/10/alpha-centauri-trademarks-registered-by-ea/)

Unless EA told Dale differently, I would assume EA couldn't copyright a title of a game If they have no rights.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Kilkakon on March 22, 2013, 06:06:44 AM

@BU
At some level I think the wiki might be a better way to go for holding all that information. Have the quotes, have it all linking together and all that. We could even skin it so it looked similar...

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 22, 2013, 02:43:01 PM

I am eager to see you make it work...

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Geo on March 23, 2013, 09:51:37 AM

Quote from: testdummy653 on March 20, 2013, 12:22:00 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 16, 2013, 10:57:42 PM

Nobody seems to know for sure what rights or titles they hold over the game. Ask Dale. ;)

 Firaxis and Sid own the Sid Meier's title.  Ea owns the game rights and has the copyright.
 http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/10/alpha-centauri-trademarks-registered-by-ea/ (http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/08/10/alpha-centauri-trademarks-registered-by-ea/)

Unless EA told Dale differently, I would assume EA couldn't copyright a title of a game If they have no rights.

What if the "Sid Meier's" part was omitted? Like calling it [insert name]'s Alpha Centauri?  :D

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Kilkakon on March 24, 2013, 03:48:06 PM

Quote from: BUncle on March 22, 2013, 02:43:01 PM

I am eager to see you make it work...

What's the subject in that sentence?

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 24, 2013, 03:53:33 PM

The tech pages.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Kilkakon on March 24, 2013, 03:54:38 PM

So not the wiki, right.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on March 24, 2013, 03:59:37 PM

Wellll- I don't hate the idea, but I have trouble seeing it turning out both compatible with the rest of the wiki and true to the original pages...

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: testdummy653 on March 25, 2013, 03:05:15 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 23, 2013, 09:51:37 AM

What if the "Sid Meier's" part was omitted? Like calling it [insert name]'s Alpha Centauri?  :D

Ea would still own the rights to the Alpha Centauri. However if you got the rights for Alpha Centauri's name you could call it GEO's Alpha Centauri.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Geo on March 25, 2013, 03:22:07 PM

So, there's nothing that stops EA of making a SMAC clone under a partially other name?

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: testdummy653 on March 25, 2013, 03:35:30 PM

Quote from: Geo on March 25, 2013, 03:22:07 PM

So, there's nothing that stops EA of making a SMAC clone under a partially other name?

It all depends on how similar your game is to the Alpha Centauri. If you use the same names and likeness of the original game, you will probably be sued by EA.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: JarlWolf on March 27, 2013, 11:36:24 PM

Which is unfortunate since it means no other developer is going to pursue a SMAC/SMAX sequel. At least directly, but even if it had similiar gameplay mechanics, I can't see the storyline and characters being the same, with the same (or better) philosophical feel.

Our best hope in my opinion is if EA partners with someone or sells the rights. EA could develop it on it's own of course, but EA isn't exactly known for making good sequels to old strategy/tactical games, example: the Command and Conquer series, particularly the fourth installment in the Tiberium storyline.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: testdummy653 on March 27, 2013, 11:44:08 PM

JarlWolf, you should read the State of SMAC thread. Its pretty long but has a good discussion on the prospects of a new game.

Link: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2949.0 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2949.0)

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Geo on March 28, 2013, 03:45:59 PM

Thus enter BRR games. ;)

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on January 24, 2021, 06:16:11 PM

Necro for an important update-

---

http://alphacentauri2.info/official/ (http://alphacentauri2.info/official/)
(https://alphacentauri2.info/official/Home.jpg)

The buttons lighting up blue and other features of the original site have been reinstated.  Getting the mini-pages of the Technology section working right is underway.  You can follow our progress in the Council Room thread linked below.  This is a real pleasure for those of us who used to browse the site in the Old days...

---

This project seems to be complete.  All known problems fixed, all 400 tech mini-pages present, accounted for, and crosslinks working.  Seven contemporary working SMACX sites added to the Links page.

-It was a great loss to SMACX fans when this site went away in late 2011 - a loss now rectified.

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Protok St on February 16, 2021, 05:23:25 PM

Great Work!

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Buster's Uncle on February 16, 2021, 05:26:03 PM

There was some serious grinding in getting the tech mini-pages sorted.  A bit over a week's worth, on top of a couple months' work in the first stage nine years ago, when my .htm tech hadn't leveled up...

Title: Re: Firaxis.com
Post by: Alpha Centauri Bear on March 27, 2021, 02:23:45 AM

Uncle,
You and the team are the true guardians of the child when its biological parents turn their backs to it. Do not give up!
😣