Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: Geo on August 28, 2013, 09:16:33 PM

Title: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on August 28, 2013, 09:16:33 PM
... but we didn't thought on checking the cargo manifest, and it seems a little low on necessities.

That's essentially how Earth colonists arrived at Chiron.


Now, imagine YOU were smart enough to load up your landing pod to the rim with what you consider essentials for an upstart colony, and had time to ransack stuff onboard your starship before abandoning it, what would you have load in it?

From ingame info, we now the Unity carried several landing pods (doubling as colony pod), lots of small arms, lots of rovers, some slow foils, a few gun foils, and one or two choppers.
I recently found it weird there were no formers or crawlers onboard, so let's throw these on the list as well.

Now, you have a minimum of four 'units' besides your initial colony pod, and can choose three different items. Which of these (scout, rover, foil, gun foil, chopper, former and crawler), and in what amount, would you stow in your pod?


Not asking on a whim. I found a way to trick the game in giving you a mix of units at the beginning without adding them in the faction file, and like stats on what the people here would like to start with.

Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: ete on August 28, 2013, 09:38:00 PM
How does the trick work?

And as for which additional units I'd pick.. I think free independent formers are likely the best choice, with crawlers and rovers second and third generally. 'copters can't pop pods, so they kind of suck right at the start except for finding out where things are.. which is handy but no big deal. If I was Cult or Gaia (or started near the nexus) and started on the coast I'd get a gun foil and go catch some IoDs though.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on August 29, 2013, 03:16:43 AM
I'd personally have 19 Planet Busters that are running on the Qauntum or better engines and be on a tiny map please, and thats all I need.

Win.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Kilkakon on August 29, 2013, 11:13:07 AM
19? If you need that many :P 6 should be enough.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on August 29, 2013, 11:25:47 AM
19? If you need that many :P 6 should be enough.

I want to be sure.

Plus if they make more then a few bases...

Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on August 29, 2013, 03:55:19 PM
And as for which additional units I'd pick.. I think free independent formers are likely the best choice, with crawlers and rovers second and third generally. 'copters can't pop pods, so they kind of suck right at the start except for finding out where things are.. which is handy but no big deal. If I was Cult or Gaia (or started near the nexus) and started on the coast I'd get a gun foil and go catch some IoDs though.

So you'd go with the initial colony (landing pod), 2-3 formers, a supply crawler, and a scout rover if possible? Okay. :)

How does the trick work?

PM sent. :D

I'd personally have 19 Planet Busters that are running on the Qauntum or better engines and be on a tiny map please, and thats all I need.

Atrocities at the start of the game?  :o
But PB's are unfortunately not on the cargo manifest, so...  :P
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on August 29, 2013, 04:59:26 PM
How does the trick work?

PM sent. :D
Why? 

Is it a secret from the Modding forum?
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on August 29, 2013, 06:10:43 PM
No, no secret. Just a private response because of the on topic feedback.  ;b;
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on August 29, 2013, 10:59:54 PM
Atrocities at the start of the game?  :o
But PB's are unfortunately not on the cargo manifest, so...  :P

Neither was CEO Morgan on the crew member list, but he still got in didn't he?

There is always nuclear weapons...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on August 30, 2013, 02:58:14 PM
Neither was CEO Morgan on the crew member list, but he still got in didn't he?

There is always nuclear weapons...

Point taken. Only problem is, if cpt. Garland would've made Planetfall (presumedly with a still united crew), Morgan probably never would've gotten so influential.

And a starship does indeed, by its very nature, have the necessities for nuclear weopons.  ;)
Btw, PB's are quasi-nuclear...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on September 02, 2013, 02:13:06 AM
Some endgame max-equipment skybases would be nice...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Green1 on September 02, 2013, 08:43:17 AM
Some endgame max-equipment skybases would be nice...
I agree New Age. Some of the end game units are really cool. Wish the game was not already decided by then to actually make them relevant. But, Civ series games suffered with that all the way up to Civ 4/5.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Green1 on September 02, 2013, 08:46:11 AM
I'd personally have 19 Planet Busters that are running on the Qauntum or better engines and be on a tiny map please, and thats all I need.

Win.

Someone on another forum a long time back mentioned a MP scenario where everyone started with planet busters. Object was to recreate a Armageddon/ aftermath scenario played from the start of it.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 02, 2013, 10:59:32 AM
That'd be an interesting social experiment. Total M.A.D situation...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Vishniac on September 08, 2013, 05:33:55 PM
There is always nuclear weapons...
Grammar and spelling are good but it lacks something...and I know what.

Quote
There is ALWAYS nuclear weapons!
Isn't it better like that?  :D
(says the guy who dreams of nuclear weapons when dancing at partys  8) )
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 08, 2013, 05:38:29 PM
There is always nuclear weapons...
Grammar and spelling are good but it lacks something...and I know what.

Quote
There is ALWAYS nuclear weapons!
Isn't it better like that?  :D
(says the guy who dreams of nuclear weapons when dancing at partys  8) )
There are ALWAYS nuclear weapons!
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 08, 2013, 05:57:29 PM
And that's what I get for being a Russian native speaker  :(
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 08, 2013, 06:07:24 PM
It's a minor error and your conversational English is pretty solid - better than my Russian, which is about four words and no grammar at all.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on September 09, 2013, 05:20:45 AM

Someone on another forum a long time back mentioned a MP scenario where everyone started with planet busters. Object was to recreate a Armageddon/ aftermath scenario played from the start of it.

My issue with that is, that the major powers don't nuke each other because they don't want to die. In SMAC/X, or any 4X, losing the game sucks but isn't as nasty as dying in RL. It wouldn't be an accurate emulation.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 09, 2013, 08:12:17 AM
All you have to do to fix that, is make the game have a price attached, or a prize worth winning.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Kilkakon on September 10, 2013, 02:16:57 AM
Yeah... my skills in Russian are playing Soviet as my main faction in Red Alert 2.

Kirov reporting~
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 10, 2013, 02:34:50 AM
Actually... I have new idea for new GoTM.


Though it may need a fair bit of resources to produce it:

A return to earth GoTM, or Earth based. It'd have to be an entire conversion, but I have an idea on how one could do it: Have it on war torn Earth, it'd require a custom map of the Earth itself, custom factions would have to be made. Techs won't be changed because that's just too much work... its tolerable to have old techs in. The tiles for the fungus would be frozen wasteland or some form of wasteland, and the "native life" would be some form of horrendous mutants: I'd be willing to do the re-textures of such things for both fungus and the native life, and contribute at least a few custom factions.


And, as a catch: We could have two versions: MP version where EVERYONE starts with a Planet Buster, reminiscent of the nuclear hell theme, and the prize would be a special badge+ a crapload of EC, and maybe a poster or something in their honour. The factions would have to, as said, be entirely custom.


And fit with the apocalyptic theme.

Whats your thoughts?
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Kilkakon on September 10, 2013, 02:40:26 AM
Possible for sure. :) You'd have to decide when it was set, due to how we are currently pretty entrenched with hundreds of countries. Although in my universe that number slides to 1 very rapidly, haha~

I have to laugh at the idea of having a US faction starting with free nukes and the willingness to use them. Pressure Domes would have to be cheap. XD

Tech trees aren't that hard to make. :D
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 10, 2013, 02:47:07 AM
If someone has the knowledge/power to do tech tree's, of which I know you do Kilkakon (it's just a matter of commitment, and one cannot ask such a high amount of work from you like that: it's incredibly rude of me to even broach that. It'd have to be your own choice.)

With setting, it'd probably be exact same as on Centauri. As for factions I think the nations of old, or what they used to be, would've collapsed and succumbed to other powers or evolved into something else. We could have it where there is 7 large powers left in the world, fighting on the tortured homeland of Humanity for what little is left, left behind by the Unity. Clinging to existence, the planet plagued by pollution, radiation and mutants and lawlessness, the few large powers left vie for control. And these factions would be of grim mindset, scorned by years of war and a small amounts of nuclear war. Famine, poverty and hatred has shaped the remaining powers of Earthern humanity into hard boiled factions that have extreme ideologies, of which they propagate to impose on the rest of the planet and secure their vision to lead Earth into the future.

Note: This would take a VERY long time to produce... I don't expect it within this year. Probably once 2014 hits.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Kilkakon on September 10, 2013, 02:56:55 AM
It's not impossible. Tech trees actually don't take long to do--it's more balancing them afterwards that's the thing.

Then you have to make sure people actually want to play your mod. That's always an important step. XD

And sure, that's certainly a way to go about it. I have seen some factions from a "return to earth" scenario from NN, in which there were a few unions and a few factions from AC. Still, interesting concept. :)
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2013, 03:03:49 AM
You might want to have a look at that scenario so you can be sure to do something sufficiently different...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 10, 2013, 03:05:08 AM
Will do. Though this is more of Earth based factions then Centauri ones going back. 

Edit: Is there a link to the GoTM's? I'm having a hard time searching for them.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2013, 05:41:20 AM
I believe that scenario's bundled up with the Network Node Factions file in Downloads...
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Vishniac on September 10, 2013, 12:21:40 PM
Is there a link to the GoTM's? I'm having a hard time searching for them.
Same for me.
They should be regrouped on one page with all links and downloads available.
There is a "GotM" link up on this page but it leads nowhere.
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About the scenario, YEAH!
A few ideas:

- the localisation of current cities would be rocky tiles with mineral bonus (crushed concrete buildings with lots of metal to loot)

- the world would be mainly dunes with few nutrients. A Mad Max world! Few nutrients to reflect the nuclear winter fact.

- with mainly dunes, except in equatorial/boreal zones (jungles, taïgas), factions would be pretty obliged to plant forests to survive. But there should be a mechanism akin to the mindworms spawning from fungus but this time would be barbarians with hordes of wild wolves and BEARS ( ;)) attacking units passing through their territories: passing through a forest tile would have a chance to spawn hostile units. "VARUS, where are my legions?"
Of course, all this added to the radioactive fungus and their mutants!  :o

- nuclear weapons... I love nuclear weapons, they fascinate me! 8). Instead of just giving one planet buster to each faction, let's make them earn them! A planet buster would be enclosed in a 'Unity' pod in a mountaineous, desert or hostile region and with lots of static mutants defending their radioactive zone. Let's say Nevada, Ural, Scotland, Alps, Neguev, Gobi, Himalaya! Sort of "The Secret of the Planet of the Apes" plot
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Kirov on September 10, 2013, 01:49:05 PM
Not asking on a whim. I found a way to trick the game in giving you a mix of units at the beginning without adding them in the faction file, and like stats on what the people here would like to start with.

Mind to share it, mate? If you have any reason to keep it secret (do you?), just PM me so we could spread it among CMNs.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on September 10, 2013, 05:01:59 PM
Mind to share it, mate? If you have any reason to keep it secret (do you?), just PM me so we could spread it among CMNs.

Duly shared (you're the second who asked, and a PM is sent).
Not really keeping it a secret, more of a surprise for the mod I'm working on. I have no qualms with anyone using this trick for his/her own purposes.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2013, 06:53:46 PM
Is there a link to the GoTM's? I'm having a hard time searching for them.
Same for me.
They should be regrouped on one page with all links and downloads available.
There is a "GotM" link up on this page but it leads nowhere.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You should both be able to see the GotM subfolder of Command Nexus now.  (The collection is incomplete, but no reason some members shouldn't search around and correct the deficiency - everything's at WPC, and there's an index thread stickied and going way back.)
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Dio on September 11, 2013, 12:42:31 AM
deleted.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on September 11, 2013, 04:31:36 AM
Yeah... my skills in Russian are playing Soviet as my main faction in Red Alert 2.

Kirov reporting~

I remember that game. In Yuri's Revenge, I once had an online match that lasted over 70 hours... Amazed it didn't crash.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: JarlWolf on September 11, 2013, 07:09:16 AM
I still have it. Yuri's revenge is horribly broken in terms of balancing sadly, especially Yuri's boomers...  I hated those missiles, back when it was online/on GR (GameRanger)  :mad:

Been a few good modifications out for it though, Mental Omega being one of them. Haven't touched it for a while though.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on September 11, 2013, 05:42:30 PM
deleted.

Appearantly not completely. ;)
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: ariete on September 18, 2013, 12:28:48 PM
Immediatly previous version of my custom factions foresaw the specialization of each faction in a particular sector: there were Storms Confederation which had as tech Advanced Military Algorithms, Doctrine: Air Power, Matter Compression, Mind/Machine Interface, Nanometallurgy, Navy Federation which had as tech Adptive Doctrine, Doctrine: Flexibility, Doctrine: Initiative, Nanometallurgy. When i started game with one of this faction i can produce chopter, air or cruiser at the beginning. I was afraid at first that it was a little biased in favor of the faction that had first doctrine air power, but playing more matches i saw how the techniques were exchanged and circulated quietly among all participants. Playing with Storm Confederation i realizes the importance it can have a chopter at the beginning of the game, which explore the areas that are not visible and providing any support to explorer scout units wander at short distance from the HQ. So to reply to your question with colony pod i'd prefer have a former, immediately necessary to develop the capacity of the city, a chopter, for the reason described previously, if the HQ is on the coast can be useful a foil (also 1-1-4, just to explore), and a rover for land presence.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on September 18, 2013, 02:53:04 PM
Former, chopper, rover, with some type of foil with coastal starts. Thanks, Ariete. :)
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Mart on December 21, 2014, 11:14:13 AM
Mind to share it, mate? If you have any reason to keep it secret (do you?), just PM me so we could spread it among CMNs.

Duly shared (you're the second who asked, and a PM is sent).
Not really keeping it a secret, more of a surprise for the mod I'm working on. I have no qualms with anyone using this trick for his/her own purposes.
Geo, how is the mod going on?
This trick with additional units makes more options for factional parameters. It would be interesting for me to see it, but also use it after you.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Geo on December 21, 2014, 01:45:52 PM
Heh. Haven't worked on it for almost a year now.
My 'problem' at the beginning was the difference in colony pod parts between the progenitor and human .cvr files. The 'alien' colony pod, when renamed for human use, lacks tracks underneath its body (floats in the air thus). And the renamed 'human' pod shows the pod cylinder in the alien body. There are solutions of course, but those are ramshackle.
Not to mention a myriad other things like landscape switches, but the inability to change the output or what it gives.
Title: Re: Congratulations, we're about to make planetfall...
Post by: Maniac on January 05, 2015, 04:29:48 PM
What not to pick:
scout patrol: because rover has more movement points
crawler: because the additional output of terrain improvements from a former soon overtakes the additional output of a single crawler

What to take:
1 rover for land exploration
1 transport foil for sea exploration. Why no gun foil? Because transport foil can get alien artefacts from unity pods
1 former
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