Alpha Centauri 2

Other Games => Civilization Beyond Earth General Discussions => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on April 12, 2014, 08:22:56 pm

Title: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 12, 2014, 08:22:56 pm
It's clear that Beyond Earth is intended as a SMACX re-imagining in all but name.  That places it firmly within our focus, and the only dedicated home to SMACX on the net welcomes the news.

See the preliminary reports here (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8204.0).  Let's stake our claim before all the SMACX-is-afterthought forums can try to push us aside.

So start threads, discuss, and report the latest news!  We can do it.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 12, 2014, 11:35:43 pm
So comment on the news articles, start threads, ask questions - it's all cool.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: JarlWolf on April 13, 2014, 12:14:09 am
I have many questions on what sort of ideologies and policies this game is going to have- so far I've noticed planetary views and such, but I wonder on other modes of thought as well, what the organizations that funded your voyage are, etc.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 13, 2014, 12:40:06 am
This is the article I've found most informative so far: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8209.0 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8209.0)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on April 13, 2014, 10:44:25 am
I have many questions on what sort of ideologies and policies this game is going to have- so far I've noticed planetary views and such, but I wonder on other modes of thought as well, what the organizations that funded your voyage are, etc.

Besides the three emphasizes, I haven't spotted any particular ideology or policy. As for the funding organisations, I see shuttles departing from Cairo, Rio, Paris, and what looks like a North American city in the trailer.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 13, 2014, 11:13:14 am
I have many questions on what sort of ideologies and policies this game is going to have.
University, Gaians, and Believers.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: DrazharLn on April 13, 2014, 02:36:04 pm
It's a bit naughty to keep copying all the content from news sites, guys. We should be linking to them and providing a precis or a few quotes here. Or at least putting the links to the news story first and the actual story in spoilers or something.

The journalists deserve the ad money more than we do for collating the articles.

On topic: I'm quite excited about what I've heard of BE. Doesn't look so much like an AC re-imagining to me, though. More like its own game that's taking some inspiration from AC (factions, some philosophy).

I always like it when games try to provide a wide range of possible game play, mixing things up so that the game provides significantly different experiences and choices each time. The variety of planets, factions and starting equipment look like they will provide some of that.

To be a real classic, though, the personalities and philosophies of the factions and the world are going to have to infuse the game and affect the player like they have for so many in SMAC. Let's hope they have the writing and imaginative chops for that.

Hope everyone is well, sorry I can't stop by more often.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 13, 2014, 02:50:59 pm
The journalists deserve the ad money more than we do for collating the articles.
You're right, though I've visited every one of them one way or another.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 13, 2014, 06:44:59 pm
http://time.com/59516/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-might-be-the-alpha-centauri-sequel-youve-been-waiting-for/ (http://time.com/59516/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-might-be-the-alpha-centauri-sequel-youve-been-waiting-for/)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 13, 2014, 07:01:10 pm
While I find the relation disturbing, I don't judge the game on how close it is to Civ 5.
Having a technology "web" that eventually branches into one of three directions as to make for "completely different armies" by the end of the game just means to me that you gradually have less and less strategic choices in regards the tech tree - assuming there is any to begin with, and it's not just some sort of affinities level-up mini-game.  What it reminds me most of is Spore.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 14, 2014, 04:24:13 pm
...Since this looks to be bringing in a lot of new people, I should mention that we have a very large selection of avatars available through your user control panel, that I'm an avatar artist of some note, and that running around the forum nekkid is nasty.  Ask me if you can't find anything you like, and I'll hook you up...
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 19, 2014, 06:29:44 am
It's a bit naughty to keep copying all the content from news sites, guys. We should be linking to them and providing a precis or a few quotes here. Or at least putting the links to the news story first and the actual story in spoilers or something.

The journalists deserve the ad money more than we do for collating the articles.

On topic: I'm quite excited about what I've heard of BE. Doesn't look so much like an AC re-imagining to me, though. More like its own game that's taking some inspiration from AC (factions, some philosophy).

I always like it when games try to provide a wide range of possible game play, mixing things up so that the game provides significantly different experiences and choices each time. The variety of planets, factions and starting equipment look like they will provide some of that.

To be a real classic, though, the personalities and philosophies of the factions and the world are going to have to infuse the game and affect the player like they have for so many in SMAC. Let's hope they have the writing and imaginative chops for that.

Hope everyone is well, sorry I can't stop by more often.
I'm sorry I don't see more of you, too, buddy, but I resent the opening remarks - once somebody called me on it, I couldn't pretend I didn't know better.

And see, here's the thing:  What you say is true, but oversimplifies the case considerably.  I'm scrupulous about keeping the credits, going so far as to insert the name of the venue over the byline when it isn't there.  I know from this not exactly being my first week on a forum that people tend not to click on links; they'd rather it was right here in front of them, with no extra tabs or anything getting involved.  I never leave out the back-link to the original, and that means the source is getting better SEO from links to the site appearing more places.  Better search engine results mean more hits for them, and they still get more ad money because I reposted, unless people are seeing it here first who would have gone there instead -an unlikely prospect, I think- and I'm MOST ASSUREDLY not getting MY out-of-pocket expenses in maintaining this forum defrayed by ad revenues, far from seeing any profit.

The reason I've tried to accommodate the point instead of responding with a gruff sorta [urinate] off?  Fan ethics

Fans steal from all over creation in their derivative creative works, and without bothering to credit mundane outsider sources, just as you and I did when we collaborated on that custom bdanv AC faction.  However, when you rip off from within the community, you better doggone well give credit where credit's due, or you will be sorry.  I figure this is a little similar.

I don't know anyone at IGN or Gamespot, or what-have-you, but we're all gaming sites, and I reckon that's close enough that I better not take liberties.  So I'm grateful for the correction, but still hope you'll still understand that I'm ;clenchedteeth.  We were caught completely flat-footed by the BE announcement, and I still feel like I'm playing catch-up nearly a week later.

Folks, help a guy get out in front however you can, please.  It's good for AC2 and good for you. :tired:
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: DrazharLn on April 20, 2014, 02:22:02 pm
If there is litigation, it'd surely just be a cease and desist order or similar. They won't care if we knew better or not. I doubt there'd be any litigation, though.

I just think it would be more polite to at least put the links before the quoted articles. Not having a go at you. I also am not under the misconception that AC2 lines your pockets with gold.

Unrelated: It occurred to me yesterday that the Civ5 borders mechanic (where you can't enter someone else's borders without declaring war or having open borders) stops a variety of fun things you can do in SMAC, like sneaking your units through someone else's territory, occupying their base tiles and making colonies in their territories, Israeli style, hiding armies, etc.

I don't think the borders system would be a good mechanism for BE, either. It just serves to make it harder to explore and puts up this obviously artificial barrier to movement.

Another thing civ5 did terribly was multiplayer mod support (and just multiplayer in general). SMAC is quite fiddly to get working with mods multiplayer, but it's not that hard and it could be a lot easier with not that much work. It's also really important for a good long-term community.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Yitzi on April 20, 2014, 05:00:07 pm
Unrelated: It occurred to me yesterday that the Civ5 borders mechanic (where you can't enter someone else's borders without declaring war or having open borders) stops a variety of fun things you can do in SMAC, like sneaking your units through someone else's territory, occupying their base tiles and making colonies in their territories, Israeli style

Actually, I don't think Israel has ever done that with anything that's clearly someone else's territory...disputed territory they never annexed is as far as they go.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 05:31:09 pm
Countries have different policies as to whether moving units through their territory would be considered an immediate act of war.  Somewhat laxer boundary considerations make sense in an Alpha Centauri setting, with the factions basically considering themselves outposts of earth that haven't established anything really formal.  Formal recognition or establishment of territories doesn't take place until the treaty is signed.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: DrazharLn on April 20, 2014, 06:35:23 pm
The Israeli government are building settlements in land that they claim, but that the international community, and even the Supreme Court of Israel, believe belongs to Palestine (http://"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories"). The UN has spoken about it a lot. Even long-standing allies like the UK and US speak about it.

@BlaneckW
The US operates drones and special forces in the Middle East and Africa extensively without officially declaring war. The Libyan no-fly zone was performed without declaring war (I think). Gunship diplomacy and blockades are done without declaring war.

I think that if someone does these things to you and you can plausibly know, then you should have reason to go to war and should be able to with reduced diplomatic penalties from your peers, but you should also be allowed to tolerate it.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 06:52:18 pm
I'm going to allow frank arguing as long as no one gets too mad, but I want to point out to Draz that Israel is a subject Yitzi takes very seriously, so keep that in mind.

What's civil does vary according to who you're talking to.  Carry on, my friends. ;b;

...

And sing out if anyone involved would like OT talk split off into a Rec Commons thread.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Yitzi on April 20, 2014, 06:55:10 pm
The Israeli government are building settlements in land that they claim, but that the international community, and even the Supreme Court of Israel, believe belongs to Palestine (http://"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-occupied_territories"). The UN has spoken about it a lot. Even long-standing allies like the UK and US speak about it.


And when  ;yang; pushes the Council to repeal the U.N. Charter, does that have any impact on the morality of using genetic warfare?

In real life, as in SMAC, the international community has no impact on what's actually moral or ethical.

The Supreme Court of Israel is another issue, but they're known to be quite left-leaning, and have often been accused (with more than a little basis*) of ruling based on politics/what they think the law should be, rather than what they think the law actually says/means.  And that's the one thing that automatically invalidates a judge from having his opinion respected at all.

*They once ruled that a restaurant is not a public place.

Calling the U.K. an ally of Israel is highly questionable at best.  The U.K. has a sizable history (older than the modern state of Israel) of supporting arab interests in the area against Jewish ones.

The U.S. saying that is somewhat more notable...but as a country with only a few centuries of history behind it, I don't think it's really qualified to weigh in on a dispute where most of the major issues are based on historical claims on both sides that are substantially older than that...

I'm going to allow frank arguing as long as no one gets too mad, but I want to point out to Draz that Israel is a subject Yitzi takes very seriously


Although it should be noted that I am not one of the "won't tolerate any criticism" crowd; I am perfectly fine with criticism, just not with some of the beliefs and assumptions that often result in criticism.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 06:57:36 pm
;b;  I'm trying to look out for my friends.

That's all of you. ;D
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 20, 2014, 07:03:05 pm
I am never mad.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 20, 2014, 07:04:33 pm
Cool.  Knowing who can take what is half the battle.


GO JOE!
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: DrazharLn on April 20, 2014, 10:01:06 pm
Well, controversial real world topics aside, I think that it would be more interesting to have a box pop up saying "You are entering the territory of another nation. This may be used as casus belli by that nation and they may declare war."

This also points the way to introducing a notion of needing to prepare politically for war. You need to persuade your people that war is the right choice (if you have a relatively free society), you may have to convince your military, you may have to convince the elites in your country. Externally, if you make public your grievances against a nation, then other nations will not see the attack as unprovoked, which may mean you don't suffer as serious political consequences.

A brilliant strategy game, Solium Infernum, features wars, but you can only start them for a reason and they have very definite conditions attached. For example, I might declare war on my neighbour and declare that I can take three provinces from them in 10 turns. And then I have ten turns to do that and win the war.

If I recall correctly, you could also declare war on the ruling city and break all the previous rules. Which was very interesting and great thematically.

Borrowing the notions of puppet and client states, etc from Paradox Interactive's games could also be a great addition to diplomacy and politics in the game.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 21, 2014, 01:31:54 am
I like those ideas.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on April 22, 2014, 03:03:57 pm
This also points the way to introducing a notion of needing to prepare politically for war. You need to persuade your people that war is the right choice (if you have a relatively free society), you may have to convince your military, you may have to convince the elites in your country. Externally, if you make public your grievances against a nation, then other nations will not see the attack as unprovoked, which may mean you don't suffer as serious political consequences.

Wasn't it the same thing in Civ2 but after war was started if a player ran Republic/Democratic/whatever? The senate or something could force a peace treaty on the player?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 22, 2014, 03:05:17 pm
That's right.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on April 22, 2014, 10:33:48 pm
I just think it would be more polite to at least put the links before the quoted articles.
I second this.

Borrowing the notions of puppet and client states, etc from Paradox Interactive's games could also be a great addition to diplomacy and politics in the game.
A lot can be borrowed from their diplomacy mechanisms. I still play Europa Universalis II to this very day and everything about casus belli, alliances and stability is very well designed. I always hate it in Sci-fi 4X games when an enemy attacks you and your allies do...nothing! In EUII, refusing to help comes with a price: stability loss and being kicked out of the alliance. Also attacking friendly nations or same religion ones induce more stability loss and diplomatic penalties.
So much can be done in the diplomatic department and I don't think it would be very hard to implement: just assign values to every action or situation. (something Distant Worlds does). It also allows previsibility of other nations future stance and actions.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 22, 2014, 10:47:54 pm
I will link first in the future then, but I'm tellin' you, this is the internet and the presence of the backlink for SEO anywhere in the post is the part that really matters.

No refunds.  ;grrr






;)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 23, 2014, 05:39:39 pm
I rarely include the whole article in a post, because often parts of the article are fluff - or poorly written.  In the case of some of the interviews with the BE developers, the whole interview was fluff.  I interpretered this as meaning that the game is fluff. 
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on April 23, 2014, 09:39:53 pm
I am NOT happy and I’ll tell you why!
I have much to say so it’s gonna be a little unstructured but I’m sure you’ll get the general feeling.

It begins with all the negative displayed here, not only by BlaneckW but also by others to a lesser extent. The game is still 6 months before release but you guys already know some things:
- you won’t like it
- It doesn’t have ALL the features of SMAC and some more so you won’t like it.
- It doesn’t even have the same social engineering settings so you won’t like it.
That’s the same pattern I’ve noticed on geek movie forums: people often shoot on movie as soon as they know it’s gonna be made.  “Look at the shots: horrible!”, “The cast is bad”, “The story won’t do”, “The producer/realisator/scenarist/ the first cousin of the wife of the scenarist is bad”… I admit there are bad movies, I rarely see them in theatres because I can smell them but sometimes not: the last “Pompeï” was for me very bad but I can explain why in clear terms.  Sometimes, and more often than not, geeks and proto-geeks just go ballistic about little changes or adaptations that someone more…casual would not even notice. The Buncle talk about fake Trek has something so irrational and fanatical that it irks me and, Man, the day they show again on TV the movie where Piccard meets Kirk, I’ll write a post making you ASHAMED to belittle this movie at all!!

Here, it looks like Firaxis will rape your childhood by making Beyond Earth something else than SMAC2! For myself, I’m happy to have something different, a new vision, new ideas. If BE is really bad, it will be disappointing but you’ll still have SMAC to play just like the bad remake of, say, John Carpenter’s “Fog” won’t prevent you from seeing the original again and show it to your friends, your wife, your children: it won’t take anything from SMAC.
I still play SMAC and it still surprises me: last Sunday I read for the first time the interlude about the Borehole Cluster and how they were made by some old alien race. But loving it and its atmosphere can’t make me understand all your talk about sandbox and blankness. “You do whatever you like”…
That’s exactly what you do in Europa Universalis, don’t you? The game doesn’t give you objectives, you do. I can play Portugal and decide that my goal will be to have the whole Indian sub-continent colonized by 1820, or that I’ll be the first to take North America; as Russia, I could go to eventually annex Persia and realize the Russian dream of access to the warm seas, or I can make a goal to take back Constantinople from the Ottomans and be the protector of all orthodoxs… The player decides his goals, or lets the flow of the game take him if he hasn't any.

So BE has affinities, a very detailed starting game editor and you can choose which victory condition you will follow by following said affinity or not. What’s the beef?  This affair of affinities and what advantages/disadvantages you get by pursuing them fully or staying middle of the road makes me think of the first Galactic Civilizations and their random events where your answer would tilt your orientation between Good or Evil: Evil had tactical advantages, Good would make for stronger alliances. Well, it seems a little like the same here and I honestly can’t see the problem. Maybe I haven’t play enough games or all games or even all Civ games: in fact, I only played SMAC in the Civ department.
So if you could see the glass half-full instead of b!tching…

Another thing.
The announcement of BE just came and there are dozens of threads open to talk about anything/any link/any screenshot. Fine.
But Pandora: First Contact has been sold for 6 months and nobody cares, nobody posts. Nothing! And we’re talking about the first SMAC-like game in 15 years. I’m sure you can tell me that it’s more SMAC-lite, and that there’s no social engineering, little diplomacy, little this, no that, yaddah yaddah… but, HELL!, can’t someone, a real SMACer, at least come and compare what is comparable, tell us what’s good and what’s not, and to whom it could appeal?  I have understood that it’s not to your liking but some could like it: too militaristic, too warfare-oriented? And what about those who like to play Miriam and Santiago then?

First thing I do when I finish this post will be to go and read the reviews and news about Pandora, and perhaps I’ll buy it. Not a question of money, a question of available time to play. But there is so much that reviews can tell you. A few years ago, I wanted some X-com derivated and hesitated to buy the UFO Trilogy (aftershock, Aftermath, Afterlight); the reviews on IGN, Gamespot and others would give them around 6.0/10, telling scenarios were always the same, the games was repetitive with few maps, and so on… I bought them and spent weeks on each: real cool games!
So…if the (un)happy owners and players of Pandora could go to the dedicated sub-forum and tell us a few words, they would be appreciated.

*End of rant…for the moment*
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 23, 2014, 09:42:32 pm
Vish, do me a favor - I'd like to take the Pandora folder public, but it needs something besides a few screenshots.  Whaddya say?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 23, 2014, 09:56:05 pm
Vish, I don't know why you were able to see that folder - but I've gone ahead and made it visible to everyone now, so maybe the lack of content will take care of itself...
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on April 23, 2014, 10:15:08 pm
Whaddya say?
I could start by saying "Why wasn't it already public?"  ???
(must probably have to do with forum policy/economics.)

I can't say much: I don't even played the Beta.
But I can post some links to the reviews and articles, and extracts of them if that's your question. Not much more.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 23, 2014, 10:41:19 pm
Thanks.  Please do.

The Pandora Beta folder was sisko's project he never said anything about to me, and I've just left it alone until now.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: DrazharLn on April 24, 2014, 08:57:19 am
Vish: I agree with you and have also found the unnecessarily negative comments on BE annoying.

Thanks for remembering the name of Pandora for me. I was looking for it a little while ago.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 24, 2014, 03:27:50 pm
I think it's foolish to get either euphoric or angry about BE.  It's going to be different than whatever we expect.  Everything always is.

Wait and see.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on April 25, 2014, 12:09:19 pm
Here BUncle. Two more items that could need your attention. ;)

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/04/interview-civilization-beyond-earths-designer-takes-humanitys-story-to-space/ (http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/04/interview-civilization-beyond-earths-designer-takes-humanitys-story-to-space/)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdArUmNRSs#t=167 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIdArUmNRSs#t=167)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on April 25, 2014, 06:35:34 pm
Here BUncle. Two more items that could need your attention. ;)
These two items with blond and red hair have all my attention!
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on April 25, 2014, 10:09:31 pm
They do talk a bit nasal though. :-\
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 25, 2014, 10:10:53 pm
Perhaps they should be seen and not heard?  Are we total pigs?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on April 25, 2014, 10:22:33 pm
I thought I've just proven I quite heard them.
On the pig part, why don't you go search for truffles? ;cute ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 25, 2014, 10:26:01 pm
I'm a carnivore, that's why.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on April 26, 2014, 10:15:05 am
I really don't need to comment.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on April 28, 2014, 04:39:08 am
The Buncle talk about fake Trek has something so irrational and fanatical that it irks me and, Man, the day they show again on TV the movie where Piccard meets Kirk, I’ll write a post making you ASHAMED to belittle this movie at all!!
I assure you that that this is not possible and dare you to try.  The Star Trek thread awaits, and you will be crushed.  [shrugs] I hate that movie with a white-hot passion; you'll never make me ashamed.  I can remember the title of it, and you, my angry Swiss pal, are in over your head.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2014, 06:53:16 pm
I am NOT happy and I’ll tell you why! [...]  It begins with all the negative displayed here
Vish: I agree with you and have also found the unnecessarily negative comments on BE annoying.
Not for the first time do I note the inherent irony of statements like "You're so negative" and submit that those complaining have the power to flood this folder with statements of positive anticipation as balance.  I'm serious; back it up with positive posts.  I know you can do it.

I personally think a middle, wait-and-see, course is most prudent.  BE will no doubt have virtues of its own if we don't pin all our hopes on it being some sequel to SMACX aimed at us and our precise expectations.  I've never believed that would ever happen, anyway, and I still don't.

And of course, I cannot urge everyone too strongly to be looking for and posting any BE news items with any new information.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on May 02, 2014, 07:48:57 pm
Not for the first time do I note the inherent irony of statements like "You're so negative" and submit that those complaining have the power to flood this folder with statements of positive anticipation as balance.  I'm serious; back it up with positive posts.  I know you can do it.
The game has 6 months before I can play it. There's not much to say.

And about positive anticipation posting...
I have almost never been posting before release of a game except on 2 occasions:
- Master of Orion 3 (and I fortunately didn't pre-ordered)
- Elemental: War of Magic (the first and last game I'll ever pre-order  :mad:)
'nuff said, uh?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2014, 07:58:03 pm
Trenacker has come up with a productive angle on all this, and in a related vein, I'd tried earlier to start some talk about what we'd like to see in a SMAC2.  It's nothing we're likely to ever see, but not uninteresting to discuss; go have a look.

And I'll say this in defense of the grousing (it applies to my grumblings about fake Star Trek, too, and a lot of the slagging of sequels and remakes that innerwebs nerdz are prone to do so passionately):  it's hard to take when you love a thing, wish it would return, and then see a bad imitation come out done by people who don't love the parts you loved.  It's a very hard thing to take.  It's even harder to talk about without getting passionate, perhaps to excess.  Did you like the Star Wars prequels as well as Star Wars?  Got anything nice to say about them?  Is that what you'd choose to be saying about the prequels outside the context of this discussion?  (There's a Rec Commons thread for that if the topic interests you.)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on May 02, 2014, 09:07:46 pm
Trenacker has come up with a productive angle on all this, and in a related vein, I'd tried earlier to start some talk about what we'd like to see in a SMAC2.  It's nothing we're likely to ever see, but not uninteresting to discuss; go have a look.

There is a thread untitled "The state of SMAC2" if it's what you mean and I once posted there a wall of text saying everything I think about the subject.
I really don't want to repeat or rehass just for the sake of posting.
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2949.225 (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2949.225)

As for the SW prequels...  I could use a few minutes to talk about. ;)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 02, 2014, 09:19:17 pm
I was talking about Be Wishlist (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8235.0) in this folder, but that's a good thread for it, too.  I remember your post.

I believe the prequels thread (http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=8376.0) is still on the front page of Rec Commons (no; it's on page two now, but there's the link).  It's fun to talk about how to fix them, so please post away.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 03, 2014, 12:42:21 am
- Master of Orion 3 (and I fortunately didn't pre-ordered)
I liked some of the concepts.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 08, 2014, 08:10:35 am
https://mobile.twitter.com/CivGame/status/464132185616703488/photo/1/large

Concept art from what appears to be a 2k twitter account showing some naval vessels, linked to their faction's/colony's affinity.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 08, 2014, 12:47:34 pm
^
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnDtw1ICUAA1-J5.jpg)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 08, 2014, 08:21:29 pm
If I draw you a ship will you clap?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 08, 2014, 08:24:14 pm
Yes.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 08, 2014, 10:55:35 pm
First, we would have to figure out what it should look like.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 08, 2014, 11:08:30 pm
I want a sailing ship.  A beautiful five-master sailing the waves.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 09, 2014, 06:26:58 am
I want a sailing ship.  A beautiful five-master sailing the waves.

That's not a ship. That's a clipper. :P
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 09, 2014, 06:30:39 am
In other news, PC Gamer released an onlind version of their latest magazine.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=525819 (http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=525819)
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 09, 2014, 06:57:52 am
Has anyone seen the stuff out about the writing that went into it?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 09, 2014, 12:20:30 pm
If you mean the PC GAMER article, partly. Hard to read from a low resolution download and I'm about to meet a certain death machine anyway.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 10, 2014, 12:34:58 am
If you mean the PC GAMER article, partly. Hard to read from a low resolution download and I'm about to meet a certain death machine anyway.
You've been cosigned to the electric chair?
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Buster's Uncle on May 10, 2014, 12:40:25 am
If you mean the PC GAMER article, partly. Hard to read from a low resolution download and I'm about to meet a certain death machine anyway.
You've been cosigned to the electric chair?
Close; Vishniac.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 10, 2014, 07:24:34 am
Close; Vishniac.

 ;realdog
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Vishniac on May 10, 2014, 08:02:48 am
WARF!
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 10, 2014, 08:39:15 am
The eeriest feeling this morning at breakfast. There was a guy sitting at one of the tables which was quite a lookalike with you, Vish.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Fal on May 11, 2014, 08:13:29 pm
I have to say, I'm cautiously excited about this.  I'm actually really happy that they're not trying to make SMAC 2, because I think it would be almost impossible to get it right.  Making a game that is inspired by SMAC but fully distinct is probably the better way to go.

About the game itself, I'm somewhat skeptical about their claims.  The concept of having 3 separate paths and multiple factions who can each go down each of the paths equally well sounds like a balancing nightmare.  I hope they manage to nail it because that sounds awesome, but those are some ambitious goals.  In any event, I can't wait to try it out.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 11, 2014, 09:42:30 pm
About the game itself, I'm somewhat skeptical about their claims.  The concept of having 3 separate paths and multiple factions who can each go down each of the paths equally well sounds like a balancing nightmare.
You don't choose "Communist" path in civilization, why would you do it in sci-fi Civilization?  Doctrines and technologies are means, not at end.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: Geo on May 11, 2014, 09:57:15 pm
About the game itself, I'm somewhat skeptical about their claims.  The concept of having 3 separate paths and multiple factions who can each go down each of the paths equally well sounds like a balancing nightmare.  I hope they manage to nail it because that sounds awesome, but those are some ambitious goals.  In any event, I can't wait to try it out.

I think there'll be quite an overlap between the separate 'branches'. Somehow.
Title: Re: Welcome to the BE board!
Post by: BlaneckW on May 11, 2014, 10:43:46 pm
I think there'll be quite an overlap between the separate 'branches'. Somehow.
That doesn't seem to be indicated, especially when you consider the emphasis on distinct ship models.
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