How customizeable are factions?

[Linamints]

I'm just getting started with faction customizing and the limits of what can be done are a big point of curiosity.
I'd like to do several factions that are set after the original colonists expanded, so I'd like to make the starting set for all of these factions a bit more advanced.
So i'm curious if you can:

1. Choose starting technologies/resources/items for different AI's so they start off with a slight edge from the original factions.

2. Create custom technologies that are restricted to being researched to each faction, but can be traded later on, thus giving some reason to maintain diplomacy.

3. Control faction aggression. I'm not sure if I've just missed this somewhere but it seems like factions are much more inclined to go to war and back stab each other and the human player more than they're willing to maintain any diplomatic relationship. I'm wondering of there is a way to control how aggressive they are? I don't want to make them against war entirely (after all, where would the fun in that be?) but I'd like to make them a bit less aggressive to make end game more fun. My hope is that if they have time to advance and grow, the end game wars will be much harder and thus a lot more fun.

And for reference, I'm using the vanilla version of SMAC.

[Kilkakon]

1. You can set extra technologies for factions, no problem.

2. Definitely possible, but trading adds a level of complexity. While it is possible to give factions access to techs that can't be researched normally, AIs will happily demand/trade for these techs. The best way to round this is still having them available but not instantly so. My Lost Eden project does this in a way--every faction starts off with a different basic unit, of which the others can only be discovered half way through the tech tree.

3. Primarily faction aggression is dictated by their agenda and their aggression stat. The agenda means that the faction will hate anybody who picks something that counters it... e.g. Morgan has Free Market as his agenda, and so will hate people who go Green or Planned. The aggression stat means how trigger-happy they are about things. Setting this to the lowest setting makes a faction more tolerant (and sometimes more powerful as they build up more).

[Linamints]

Is there a guide around to doing that? In particular the starting techs, I'm not sure where they are in the faction files (I'm really unfamiliar with this coding style).

I hadn't thought of doing custom projects! Now I'm even more inspired XD. Do you have a link by chance to any guides on adding new technologies/projects? I've tried searching around for things like that but I'm guessing my keyword choice is poor.

I think I'll spend a good few hours tomorrow browsing through the mod sections XD.

[Kilkakon]

Technology tree editing is done in alpha.txt. It's proper modding Giving factions techs is done by "TECH, sausage", where sausage is the short name for the tech. Looking at some existing factions should be a great start for that.

Yeah just have fun looking around. XD My thing is way too big, there are a few less crazy and more popular things about.

[JarlWolf]

I suggest looking at some of my factions, I used face edit and I posted screenshots with them. They are also quite varied and unique and should give an idea of what can be done with factions, also check the wiki on various custom factions. If you need any help let any of us know, we can get you started on the text edit, graphics, you name it. I personally specialize in graphics (though I can do and have done text before), I've done a fair number of factions for various people so let me know if you want my help.

Edit: Link to my factions. http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=3751.0

[Linamints]

Thanks for the support! Is there a list of the shortened tech names? Like if added Centauri Genetics as a starting tech to one of the factions, how would it be shortened or would I use the number code of "TECH74"

[ete]

The short tech names are in alphax.txt in the technologies area.

For a pretty detailed guide on faction editing, see this wiki page: http://alphacentauri2.info/wiki/Faction.txt_editing_guide

[Yitzi]

3. Control faction aggression. I'm not sure if I've just missed this somewhere but it seems like factions are much more inclined to go to war and back stab each other and the human player more than they're willing to maintain any diplomatic relationship. I'm wondering of there is a way to control how aggressive they are? I don't want to make them against war entirely (after all, where would the fun in that be?) but I'd like to make them a bit less aggressive to make end game more fun.

As Kilkakon said, the different aggressiveness of, say, Yang as opposed to Deidre, and their responses to social engineering, are moddable.

Difficulty also plays a significant role...as yet, there is no way to disassociate that from the other effects of difficulty, though such is an option planned for a future version of my patch (though that's SMAX, not SMAC).

How far ahead the human player is is also a major factor.

[Geo]

Can I assume you've had sufficient help with your questions in this thread, Linamints?
I noticed your PM was sent before you started asking here.

[Linamints]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I ran into an issue that adding my faction name to the alphax file didn't make them appear in game as a playable faction. Unless they don't show up in the faction select menu?

And geo I think everything but how to customize what units you start with. I might update to SMAX, a couple of the facilities are really tempting.

[Kilkakon]

SMAC doesn't have custom factions, from memory. You can only replace one of the originals...

SMAX is a tasty deal for sure.

[Linamints]

Odd that they'd have the tag there if they won't load them XD. I'll just over-write someone else then XD. If upgraded to SMAX would custom factions actually load in the menus (also is alien cross fire a free upgrade or a purchase required one)?
I have a few new factions planned after I learn more about them, but I'd love for them to be playable along side existing ones if possible.

Also, if anyone has created some crazy new units I'd love links to look at those too!

[Yitzi]

Odd that they'd have the tag there if they won't load them XD. I'll just over-write someone else then XD.

I believe you don't have to actually overwrite the file; you can make your own faction, I think you just have to overwrite the list in alpha.txt of which factions are used.

If upgraded to SMAX would custom factions actually load in the menus (also is alien cross fire a free upgrade or a purchase required one)?
I have a few new factions planned after I learn more about them, but I'd love for them to be playable along side existing ones if possible.

In SMAX, you can add them to the list of available factions and mix and match as you wish.

I do think it requires a purchase, though.

[Kilkakon]

Did you get SMAC from GoG, Linamints?

[Geo]

And geo I think everything but how to customize what units you start with. I might update to SMAX, a couple of the facilities are really tempting.

I'll prepare an explanation later this evening then. Need to run some errands now.