Migration coming this week?

[Buster's Uncle]

On Draz' advice, we're probably changing hosts in the next week.

Migrations, like upgrades, always suck, take too long, and break that function you like that was modded in.  -Sorry, but that's the price of better everything in the long run, and the forum not crashing all the time now.

[Geo]

If it has to be done...   

Is it crashing now? Not being hacked?

[Buster's Uncle]

I haven't seen any of the tells on the server for about a week.

[Dio]

The continual downtime on the server concerned me for a short time. Our hope resides with a shift in the server's host. BUncle's and fellow staff members' dedications on the forum usually resolve issues.

[Trenacker]

Is there anything we can do to assist with the vitality of this forum?

Am I missing an opportunity to donate?

[Buster's Uncle]

Donations, I've resisted in the past - but I was only paying half then, which is about to change.  I'm thinking about it.  I've been thinking about it for a couple weeks.

And, you know, POAST MOAR.  Everyone can do that.  You've been an interesting voice in the politics thread in Rec Commons.  All of that the traffic can bear, please.  Start threads about your hobbies, and/or problems - get more conversation going.  -And posting on-topic about Alpha Centauri -or any game, for that matter- is always in order.

The power is, and always has been, in the hands of the members.  This is just a venue; the Community is made of people.  Participate, participate more, and try to find ways to get the word out.  A Racing the Darkness GotM, for instance, would be a wonderful promotional tool, both for the forum, and for your project.  We'd need someone who can stand the scenario editor, but this could definitely happen if you want to put in the work...

Is there anything -else- you could be doing to spread the Good News about AC2?  One person can't always make the difference, though I've tried for over a decade, now.  It takes a team.  But the power is, and always has been, in the hands of the members.

[Trenacker]

I'd be open to considering donations, such as via a Patreon account.

I just saw that the politics thread has advanced since I last checked it. I've posted again.

I've done my best to aggressively promote this forum and my fiction. Unfortunately, I think it appeals to a very limited audience, like SMAC itself.

[Buster's Uncle]

Well you know - we're not just a name.  We can certainly broaden our focus, and probably should.  I've been working lately on some Mohawk/Old World content -not least the new theme- 'cause I actually know a couple of those guys...

And really --- besides some pretty good graphics bells and whistles, perhaps our best selling point is Great People...

[Trenacker]

Yes, but anyone among us who has an entourage or a following on another service presumably already brought as many of them here as could be got, and anyone who wants to interact with Great People™ is going to choose to do so on a forum that more closely mirrors their particular interests.

Out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried inviting Brian Reynolds here? (I told him about the precursor to RtD a few years ago but he didn't bite.)

[Buster's Uncle]

ISTR someone did try Brian, circa 11 years ago.  Maybe not too soon for a follow-up...

[Vidsek]

  A visit by Brian would be a lot of fun, for sure!   And sweettalk him into bringing the source code with an open-source licence 

[bvanevery]

I'm playing catch-up on the disruptions.  Good to see things alive again today!  I am surprised to find out that hacking has been responsible for some of this.  I've ignored security issues almost all of my computing life, since they have barely affected me.  But this has me more, uh, interested.  It is taking away from my ability to promote my SMACX AI Growth mod.

I still mainly ply r/4XGaming to get new blood.  I have not made an official announce there for a long time, because my version 1.57 is stable and likely "the end" of development.  Also because I've had enormous survival pressure in the past year.  Heck right now I'm driving around with probably a dead alternator, recharging my battery with an external charger after brief trips.  Might have that sorted any day now though.

Every time I get the excuse to talk about SMAC though, I take it.  And I link my work... when this site is up.  The subject of SMAC comes up fairly frequently on r/4XGaming.  Someone comes along and asks for a 4X game that meets X Y Z criteria.  SMAC is often listed by someone else as being appropriate.  Then I just chime in.  In the rare case where someone hasn't beaten me to it, I recommend SMAC myself, noting the availability of 3 major mods including mine.

I could see doing a Scenario with my mod, because my mod is no longer a moving target.  I wonder if the stock AI can be induced to make actually effective use of nerve gas?  I've seen it try to use nerve gas in ordinary games, but since I'm generally the first strike initiator, I'm typically so far ahead on the offensive that they can't possibly do anything about me.

Nerve gas and everyone drowning.  That's the 1st thing that comes to mind.  Especially since the other 2 major mods nerfed the stock game's drowning mechanics.  I still live in a great fear of building too many factories, although lately I've realized that a strongly PLANET friendly faction can get away with a helluva lot more.  You can still overdo it and ruin everything you've hand terraformed though.