Building a Community

[Davyboy]

Yeah maybe it needs its own thread.

Green1
You weren't thinking of Civ4BTS Final Frontier were you? A bit 2D but -- unusual.

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm all about the modding, and at your disposal...

[Davyboy]

And very good at it you are.
I'm currently refreshing my memory by playing this one  in a huge Chiron SMAC  game.
Pretty certain I said somewhere that it's a lot harder than AX -- I'd forgotten how much. Sure, sure, 2263 and I'm way in front but having to build all those Aerospaces and E banks can divert your war effort. And there are some handyfacs missing of course.

No aliens though. Unless you count Yang.

[Green1]

Yeah maybe it needs its own thread.

Green1
You weren't thinking of Civ4BTS Final Frontier were you? A bit 2D but -- unusual.

Yeah.. that is the one.
I started the thread.. but a little nerdgasmish. I kind of lose control because you are unable to discuss these type things with normal folks IRL.

Yeah, it was a wierd little mod. But, the only game (or mod of one) that has ever dealt with non FTL travel to my knowledge. Even if it was 2D.

Plus, the vision I had was actually three mods. Graphics, UI/multiple maps, then possible primitive MMO 4x play over many planets. But, what the hell. I am a nerd.

But... if there was some way to get two maps, say one for for planet's Moon then another for Planet itself with sattilite warfare and lunar colonies, it would be interesting. No civ game has ever really "gotten" it.

[Buster's Uncle]

SO - this is useful feedback about what people google for, and make no mistake, that's super-important; what can/should we do about it that we're not already doing?

[Davyboy]

SO - this is useful feedback about what people google for, and make no mistake, that's super-important; what can/should we do about it that we're not already doing?

Well, and this is how I came to frequent AC2, start with what you know works - and go on from there.
(Track down a copy of Caviar converter as a plug in for 3D studio max and you or even I could have fun with the unit graphics)

The thing about game progressions in my view is that , say, Command and Conquer was a lot of fun, so was Red Alert; but Tiberian Sun was a long time as vaporware and could be heard barking in the next alley.

[Buster's Uncle]

start with what you know works - and go on from there.

This is what we've been doing, and it does work.

(Track down a copy of Caviar converter as a plug in for 3D studio max and you or even I could have fun with the unit graphics)

Yessir; yes, we would.

That would rock as hard a more than seven factions at a time, maybe harder.

[Davyboy]

From a conceptual pov the closest GGame that comes close to SMACX is CIV3, its sister game. There was some valliant attempt at a modpack but it just seemed to fizzle out.

I've played the Planetfall Civ4 modpack (as Deirdre natch) - got put down next to her best friend Morgan and the only things that disturbed me were a few errant worms. Nice graphics, very nice graphics, and a tour de force in designing it for sure. o why have I only played it once and then for only 300 turns?

The answer is probably that the Sid-like "do something clever - and get ahead" features aren't there. The SE manipulation in SMACX is FAR more flexible and subtle and the DW adds subtleties of its own.

Don't even start me on Civ5.

We've been over all of this before though....

[Buster's Uncle]

No harm done.  Communities build consensus; it's part of what makes them communities, and we're doing that.

I think Civ2 is closer, though.  It's like SMAC on Earth, a little more primitive, but basically the same.  I've played a lot of C2, of course.

[Davyboy]

No harm done.  Communities build consensus; it's part of what makes them communities, and we're doing that.

I think Civ2 is closer, though.  It's like SMAC on Earth, a little more primitive, but basically the same.  I've played a lot of C2, of course.

You're right, Civ2 is closer to SMACX. I didn't state my point very well. The successor to SMACX should have been drawn from CIV3, then the movies and text editing are more in keeping with modern GGames. It would have to have a DW in any event or it wouldn't be AC2. SMAC via CIV3 - with the promotions possibly ?

On the subject of C2 I dug up this well worn nugget the other month

;
; TECHNOLOGY TREE
;
; Name, id, ai-mil, ai-tech, ai-infra, ai-colonize, preq(1), preq(2), flags
;
; Name     = Name of technology
;
; id       = 3 letter id code; this code is used when assigning
;            the tech as a prerequisite.
;
; power    = military value
; tech     = advance-of-knowledge value
; wealth   = infrastructure value
; growth   = colonization value

That's straight out of alpa(x).txt and shows how it was a straight lift from Civ2. They couldn't even change it to 4-7 letter id code.
Trivial - I know, but after my first post today on a different thread, I've already found 2 different alpha.txt files - both unmodified by me, both authentic Firaxis stuff.

[Green1]

No harm done.  Communities build consensus; it's part of what makes them communities, and we're doing that.

I think Civ2 is closer, though.  It's like SMAC on Earth, a little more primitive, but basically the same.  I've played a lot of C2, of course.

Back from my little trek.

I agree somewhat. SMAC is WAY more advanced than Civ 2, maybe 3. 4, ehh Civ 4 BtS was pretty good. Civ 5 is eye candy but I prefer Civ 4.

The Planetfall guys, I agree Davyboy. It's friggin gorgeous. Give Lord Tirion or whoever else did that a medal! How many times I wish I could just take the durn graphics and just put it in SMAX! Nothing on SMAniAC, but Civ 4 is missing a lot more stuff to recreate SMAX than SE. But, damn... a more canon deal with that is what we need. Maybe update tech slightly based on the more recent transhuman lit and discoveries, but that is it.

You really need a friggin powerful open source construction set, but I have not seen any attempt at that since the days of the Commodore 64. Even that set was not very powerful.

I agree with SMAniAC on Civ 5. Civ 5 has some interesting features like buying territory with culture, but it would not work due to unit per tile restrictions in addition to a myriad of other things.

Also, no Civ has the terraforming! I could cope without complex weather pattern algorithms, but altering the map is just too cool.

[Buster's Uncle]

It is cool. 

Maniac himself once said to me that cIV is a great modding platform, but in itself, rather sterile.  SMAC(X) has a story, which is what I think makes it special.  The Civs come off rather generic without that creative hook.

I contributed to Planetfall in a very minor way - the Empath button.  Man, I didn't know how to do ANYthing back then.

[Green1]

It is cool. 

cIV is a great modding platform, but in itself, rather sterile.

That... is eloquently put. It feels... sterile.

[Davyboy]

but altering the map is just too cool.

Yep

It is cool. 

And it makes the game..

[Green1]

Any mod, TCM, recreation, even  Jesus coming down with a flash drive with AC 2 on it would be universally rejected without that feature.

BTW, speaking of graphics,Planetfall, etc without derailing too much, sisko DLed some art. Where is this from? Was there some kind of other attempt at improving SMAC/X?

There are other ones, too buried in the art archive.