PolyCast Special on "Alpha Centauri"

DanQ · May 20, 2008, 20:48

Revisit Planet. More than nine years ago, the turn-based strategy game Alpha Centauri and soon after its Alien Crossfire expansion pack was released by publisher Electronic Arts. Developed by Firaxis Games, its community remains strong to this day. Towards recognizing this fact, Apolyton Civilization Site (ACS) presents a special edition of PolyCast (PC) focusing on the game with a panel of individuals well-known for their long-standing involvement in its community.

ACS staff member DarkCloud leads this special's panel with Darrell "Darsnan" Nandal, Erik "Hydro" Spande and Maniac to discuss the many aspects of AC, commonly referred to as SMAC, from its initial release to the possibilities of a sequel. A PC regular co-host, ACS Chief Owner/Administrator Daniel "DanQ" Quick makes a brief cameo.

Entitled "Focus: Alpha Centauri", its total runtime is an 79m54s -- a ~75% extension in length over current regular PC episodes. PolyCast is an official podcast of ACS and is also the collective banner for both the PC and sibling ModCast series'. ACS is the only known community to produce its own Civilization podcasts.

DanQ · May 20, 2008, 20:49

- 01m41s | Introductions
Introducing DarkCloud, Darsnan and Hydro. (Maniac joins in later.)
- 04m51s | Style
What is Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, (SMAC); game dislikes; how the co-hosts found SMAC; and an overview of the factions (including Alien Crossfire).
- 21m08s | Gameplay
Darsnan and assisting SMAC's Artificial Intelligence (AI), and generating Playing By Email (PBEM) games and scenarios; upgrading the game's acquatic elements; utilizing the conditioned response of players as an advantage; what to give the A.I. to start a game to help it out; and some key individuals in the SMAC community past and present.
- 39m10s | Fiction
Looking back on Michael Ely's SMAC triology; remembering both the Spartan Chronicles and the Chiron Chronicle; on the writing styles of Alinestra Covelia as seen in the story "Joe"; though its title is not recalled during the recording, Velociryx's Magnum Opus" is what is being referred to, written by Velociryx; the funny "Morgan Spy Tanning Lamps" by Elemental and "Santiago Claus" by Vi Vicdi.
Getting into "The Wizard of Chiron" by Raging Mouse; DarkCloud himself on his first and second "University Saga" and, his most proud work, heading "The Chrion Chronicle" which eventually gave birth to the "Beyond Alpha Centauri" spin-off; The most prolific SMAC fiction writer, Erik 'Hydro' Spande, on his more than thirty published stories; the premiere SMAC story index, the Chiron Archives compiled by Illuminatus (here's one: Mindworm Tales by Googlie; comparing Vel's to the official strategy guide for SMAC.
- 54m31s | Modding
The reknown Network Node factions; using FacEdit and scenarios; the "SMANIAC" MOD by Maniac who himself talks about it; also from Maniac, the "Planetfall" MOD.
- 67m51s | Remarks
Tuning in to PolyCast, the sense of SMAC community and the possibilities of a sequel for the game.

Maniac · May 20, 2008, 21:59

Ooh Interesting!

As I missed half the episode

most of it is new for me too.

Disclaimer: Sorry for being ununderstandable sometimes. I don't really speak very understandable in the first place, and I forgot to record my own sound

so it's 'second hand' if I understand correctly.

DanQ · May 20, 2008, 22:37

Quote:

Originally posted by Maniac
Ooh Interesting!

Quote:

As I missed half the episode

most of it is new for me too.

Quote:

... I forgot to record my own sound

so it's 'second hand' if I understand correctly.

Yes, as a result what is heard from you is from a backup recording I made of the conversation. My thinking is part of the difficulty understanding what you say at times is more because of your microphone than your voice.

RobWorham · May 21, 2008, 06:55

Very interesting!!

Brought back some great memories..............

Heraclitus · May 21, 2008, 07:25

SMAC

This was a brilliant idea DanQ!

Best polycast feature besides grils playing civ ever! Please consider doing similar specials for other games or even another SMAC one in a 6-12 months in the future.

Heraclitus · May 21, 2008, 07:32

Alpha Centauri is still the best game I have ever played.

The editing of this game was very very good, I loved the quotes and sounds.

Too bad Zak, Morgan or Yang wheren't to be heard, they had very good quotes. The disscusion was very interesting.

I have a question for the SMAC community, have there been any petitons to release the source code of SMAC? In a manner similar to what could have been done with Civ2 (if it hadn't been lost) or CTP2. This would allow the community to improve the AI.

Verrucosus · May 21, 2008, 15:45

Well done! I don't think we've had as packed an episode yet. (The topic helped, of course.)

Quote:

Originally posted by Heraclitus
Please consider doing similar specials for other games or even another SMAC one in a 6-12 months in the future.

Allow me to second that proposal.

Verrucosus

DanQ · May 21, 2008, 19:51

Quote:

Originally posted by RobWorham
Very interesting!!

Brought back some great memories..............

Quote:

Originally posted by Heraclitus
This was a brilliant idea DanQ!

Quote:

Best polycast feature besides grils playing civ ever!

Quote:

The editing of this [special] was very very good...

Quote:

Originally posted by Verrucosus
Well done!

Quote:

Too bad Zak, Morgan or Yang wheren't to be heard, they had very good quotes. The disscusion was very interesting.

The choice as well as the order of the quotes follows the order in which the factions are mentioned in the segment preceding it. If a faction wasn't mentioned, I didn't include their in-game quote (I'm certain I didn't miss any!). I also abbreviated the quotes from how they are presented in SMAC so as to make them even more succinct (IMO anyway).

Quote:

Originally posted by Heraclitus
I loved the quotes and sounds.

The incorporation of those quotes and the AI dialogue were my favourite parts of editing this special.

It added to the post-production time and effort, but I believe it was well worth it.

Quote:

Please consider doing similar specials for other games or even another SMAC one in a 6-12 months in the future.

Quote:

Originally posted by Verrucosus
Allow me to second that proposal.

We are looking at other Poly-covered games as other bases for PC specials but nothing is set yet -- part of the reason being waiting for the reception to this one. This "Focus" is the third in a series (the first was Civilization: Revolution and second Civilization IV: War of Two Cities), but the first with an approach closer to your typical PolyCast episodes.

Quote:

I don't think we've had as packed an episode yet. (The topic helped, of course.)

Other than the "Girls Playing Civ" special Heraclitus mentioned, this is the second longest PC production to date.

DarkCloud · May 22, 2008, 13:42

Quote:

Best polycast feature besides grils playing civ ever! Please consider doing similar specials for other games or even another SMAC one in a 6-12 months in the future.

Glad that you guys enjoyed it.

FYI Dan has some segments archived for later use in ModCast- we talked for a long time about some modding topics. I don't think I'm at liberty to say what was cut out- but maybe Dan can drop some hints, but it was at least 4 modding topics and one polycast topic dealing with Hydro.

--
And Dan, you did a really good job editing the piece; especially all the hard work putting in the faction voice samples.

vyeh · May 23, 2008, 17:57

Dark Cloud, thank you. This was my first PolyCast. Looking at the descriptions of the other PolyCasts, I gather that this was your first time moderating. Great job.

I enjoyed Darsnan and Hydro. They were both very interesting.

It was too bad about Maniac's microphone. I would like to have heard more about the development of SMAniaC.

And finally, thank you, DanQ, for featuring SMAC!

DarkCloud · May 23, 2008, 18:52

Quote:

I have a question for the SMAC community, have there been any petitons to release the source code of SMAC? In a manner similar to what could have been done with Civ2 (if it hadn't been lost) or CTP2. This would allow the community to improve the AI.

Hmm... I don't believe there have been any. It might be worth a try to start something on the forums here and CivFanatics.

DanQ · May 23, 2008, 20:31

Quote:

Originally posted by vyeh
Dark Cloud, thank you. This was my first PolyCast. Looking at the descriptions of the other PolyCasts, I gather that this was your first time moderating. Great job.

Yes, it was DC's first PolyCast and he led the panel no less!

Glad you enjoyed your first exposure to the series.

Quote:

And finally, thank you, DanQ, for featuring SMAC!

Welcome.

Hope you'll tune into other PC productions (PC and/or ModCast) past, present and future.

vyeh · May 24, 2008, 09:32

Quote:

Originally posted by DanQ
Hope you'll tune into other PC productions (PC and/or ModCast) past, present and future.

I'm listening to Girls Playing Civ right now (since it was recommended in this thread).

Maniac · May 24, 2008, 13:08

Quote:

Originally posted by vyeh
It was too bad about Maniac's microphone. I would like to have heard more about the development of SMAniaC.

Anything in particular you'd like to hear or ask?

Perhaps they could be answered in a Modcast, considering there's also some other stuff waiting to be used.

DanQ · May 24, 2008, 14:25

Quote:

Originally posted by vyeh
I'm listening to Girls Playing Civ right now (since it was recommended in this thread).

Ah, enjoy

(comment thread for it is found here).

dacole · May 24, 2008, 14:30

Ah the great alpha centauri. I still need to go back and win win with the other factions. Only ever won with the science faction. They REALLY need to do an official conversion of AC or a sequel. I would pay full price for a version with just the changes in Civ IV. What could be done with a sequel that takes place after transcendence boggles the mind.

The best part about AC was the philosophy and it was Sad that, the darkness and philosophy seems to be something Sid didn't like to much (reading between the lines in interviews and in how Civ IV went). AC was a hybrid of a RP game and a civ game and that is what made it wonderful. Still trying to get people involved in a story AC game played with modified Diplo rules. I think it would work wonderfully.

vyeh · May 24, 2008, 21:15

Quote:

Originally posted by Maniac
Anything in particular you'd like to hear or ask?

Perhaps they could be answered in a Modcast, considering there's also some other stuff waiting to be used.

Big picture/after action type of questions:

(1) It has been two years since SMAniaC Gold was released. How has it met your original goal of widening "the strategic choices available to the player?" Where has it fallen short?

(2) What has been the differences in modding SMAC versus Civ IV? Do you think Civ IV is a better modding environment than SMAC?

(3) Were there things you wanted to do in SMAniaC that you couldn't?

(4) Fall from Heaven: Rise of Mania had a similar goal to SMAniaC: "to increase the value of currently underused options and make everything more balanced." Which was more successful?

Personal/anecdotal:

(5) Why did you undertake such a big project when the AC community is so small?

(6) What was the most rewarding part of SMAniaC?

SMAC 2:

(7) If there is a SMAC 2, what changes would you like to see to make it more moddable?

(8) What is the most significant change in SMAniaC that you would like to see in SMAC 2?

GarretSidzaka · May 24, 2008, 23:23

oh good im gonna have to check this out

Maniac · May 25, 2008, 00:19

Great questions vyeh

Hydro · May 25, 2008, 01:14

Wow, Dan you did a terrific job compiling and integrating the SMAC polycast - first rate. I loved the integration of Datalink quotes to key in on topics and as transitions.

You also managed - somehow - to make us sound somewhat coherent!

Thanks Dan!!

Hydro

vyeh · May 25, 2008, 10:00

Quote:

Originally posted by Maniac
Great questions vyeh

Thanks. While I think there will be others in the SMAC community who will also be interested, I hope the Civ IV modding community might have some interest in a comparison between SMAC and Civ IV.

DanQ · May 25, 2008, 18:57

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkCloud
FYI Dan has some segments archived for later use in ModCast- we talked for a long time about some modding topics.

That was the initial consideration but the plan has changed, one I believe is for the better. These segments will be released as a "Cut!" edition. This PolyCast side-series was retired at the end of the show's first season, but will make a brief return in this capacity.

Quote:

And Dan, you did a really good job editing the piece; especially all the hard work putting in the faction voice samples.

Thanks.

Quote:

Originally posted by Hydro
Wow, Dan you did a terrific job compiling and integrating the SMAC polycast - first rate. I loved the integration of Datalink quotes to key in on topics and as transitions.

You also managed - somehow - to make us sound somewhat coherent!

Thanks Dan!!

You're welcome, and thank you for the kind words.

Darsnan · May 26, 2008, 18:50

This was a great idea DanQ and Darkcloud!

Really got the creative juices flowing again after fooling around with BtS for a while.

Quote:

Originally posted by Hydro
You also managed - somehow - to make us sound somewhat coherent!

Yeah, I think I was struggling at times trying to relate some of the subject matter in a way that would prove both interesting and, um, "coherent". I've also put together a scenario where I've sunk the Unity wreckage ( The Guardian of Planet ), as well as utilizing some good aquatic strategies for the AIs to take advantage of. FYI in case anyone is interested in exploring some of the aquatic improvements that can be made to the game.

D

DanQ · May 27, 2008, 13:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Darsnan
This was a great idea DanQ and Darkcloud!

Really got the creative juices flowing again after fooling around with BtS for a while.

Quote:

Yeah, I think I was struggling at times trying to relate some of the subject matter in a way that would prove both interesting and, um, "coherent".

DanQ · July 16, 2008, 20:54

Return to the "Focus: Alpha Centauri" PolyCast special that was released this past May with material held over now available in a companion production, "Extra: Focus Alpha Centauri". Led by Apolyton Civilization Site staff member DarkCloud, he along with Darsnan, Erik "Hydro" Spande and Maniac explore the AC community and this time examine a couple of pieces of fiction and some specific game modifications. Its total runtime is 10m15s.

PolyCast is an official podcast of ACS and is also the collective banner for both the PC and sibling ModCast series. ACS is the only known community to produce its own Civilization podcasts.

DarkCloud · July 18, 2008, 23:54

Another good addition- maybe you could start another thread so that people here in AC general know that there's an update?

~DC.

Heraclitus · July 19, 2008, 05:15

New stuff about AC just as I return to poly.

DC has a point, I just thought someone was late to comment the old podcast.

DanQ · July 22, 2008, 19:17

Quote:

Originally posted by DarkCloud
Another good addition

I posted in follow-up in this thread about the extra as I figured those who would be most interested in this extra would have replied or otherwise subscribed to this thread.

That said, I believe I can accommodate both approaches.

Maniac · July 22, 2008, 19:33

I only noticed it now.

Hmm, the page doesn't load.