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Alien Crossfire Chat with Tim Train and Greg Foertsch Sunday, October 24 1999 [DanQ] Hey everyone. For a good 3/4 of an hour I was busy fielding questions from our audience members today, and what's coming up are the results. [DanQ] I'm going to apologize in advance that a) these questions are in the order that they were submitted to me, not by topic, b) there may be duplicates to questions already asked. If so, I'm sure someone will kindly tell me :) and c) I did not have the time to edit them for clarity. [Tim] Big fun [DanQ] LOL [DanQ] First, those who submitted questions via email earlier: [DanQ] Glak asks: "Will SMACX make an attempt to make multiplayer viable? PBEM takes months and AlphaHQ has 0 people at peak times. Although your current customers don't care millions of people want to play TBS but can't because it just doesn't have the multiplayer focus that we need." [MarkG] answered :) [DanQ] thank you :) [DanQ] next... [DanQ] AlexanderIII asks: "To Tim & Greg: Does SMAX observe sea borders, unlike SMAC, so you can kick the opposing factions out of your territory with diplomacy, like you can on land in SMAC?" [Tim] Honestly, no, and that was a design decision. The Pirates and other sea-goers concrete plans for that right now. less useful, and we wanted to encourage other [Tim] players to build up a navy. [Tim] Navy becomes less useful if borders are inviolate because it's too easy to bottle up an opposing fleet. [Tim] If your army is bottled up, you can load them on transports, but you can't load your navy on transports if it's bottled up. [Tim] (done) [DanQ] Thanks Tim. [DanQ] Korn469 asks: "Are there any plans to release a patch for the already ducumented bugs like base facilities cost 1/3 maintenance for humans on transcend level (in both SMAC and SMACX) or that some SMACX base facilities don't play the right voice over(Aquafarm, Flechette Defense, etc.)?" [Tim] We'll certainly do a patch for SMACX, and those sound like the kinds of problems that we'd fix. I'm looking forward to seeing the big list--honest! ;-) [Tim] (done) [DanQ] tsh asks: "When will Alien Crossfire be released in Europe?" [Tim] FWIW, I haven't seen the 1\3 maintenance problem--how is that manifested (can e-mail me later at ttrain@firaxis.com) [Tim] Europe release should be before Christmas. It's in final testing for French and German, I don't know the status on Italian and Spanish, so they could be after the new year (assuming we all still have working computers then ;-) [Tim] (done) [MarkG] seems like Dan is having a problem... *** Dan sets mode: +b *!*@max2-083.brk.superaje.com [Tim] players to build up a navy. *** Dan sets mode: -b *!*@max2-083.brk.superaje.com bottle up an opposing fleet. [Tim] Did you deserve it? [Dan] LOL [Dan] Ready for the next question? [Tim] Yup! right voice over(Aquafarm, Flechette Defense, etc.)?" and is it working properly as defined in the current DRONE.TXT?" [Tim] Yeah, saw your e-mail when I came in--thanks! I haven't looked at the problem yet, but [Tim] the way it's supposed to work is anytime a base would otherwise revolt, it would tend to join the drones. Of course, [Tim] (done) check if somehow that got deleted from the final [Tim] text file, although I can't imagine how that would have happened. (done) [Dan] Ian asks: "Will there ever be a linux version?" [Tim] That's in EAs court. I don't have any official knowledge on it, but we have certainly kicked it around and would be in support of the idea, although [Tim] honestly sales on other Linux games have been so poor that I don't know if it makes financial sense for them. (done) [Dan] Bkeela asks: "GregF, I was pretty shocked to discover the graphical modifications in the demo. 1) why was there a need to change them, when they were working fine in the first place,(like the mining platforms and alien artifacts in particular) and 2) will an original graphics file be available as an alternative to the new modifications?" [GregF] we felt that some of the graphics that had been hand drawn..... [GregF] needed to fit the rest of the art. This .... [GregF] was a good opportunity to get everything up to the same level..... [Dan] Ready for the next question? don't care for the ajustment... [GregF] I tink that it is just a matter of getting use to the new ones though. done. [Dan] Thanks Greg. [Dan] tfs99 asks: "I'd like to be able to add new landmarks and such to maps. Will Firaxis publish map and scenario file formats so this can be done?" [Tim] Greg is having machine problems--he'll be back [GregF] thanks [MarkG] np [Tim] text file, although I can't imagine how that would have happened. (done) [Dan] tfs99 asks: "I'd like to be able to add new landmarks and such to maps. Will Firaxis publish map and scenario file formats so this can be done?" [Tim] Unfortunately, since the effects of the landmarks of coded into the executable, it's not user-modifiable. We might look [Tim] into this for later games, but not for SMAC or X. (done) to the new modifications?" it into the game?" [Tim] Oh, we had plenty of ideas that didn't make the cut, including the Organized Crime faction, the [GregF] There could be a few that haven't really been discovered or talked about yet. [Tim] Terraformers, and the Cult of the Visitors [GregF] Actually in SMACX [MarkG] Terraformers? [MarkG] .. don't care for the ajustment... [Dan] Please stand by while we look into this problem... [Dan] Thanks Greg. [GregF] anyone home? [MarkG] seems like everything is back.... [Tim] Greg is having machine problems--he'll be back anyway... [Dan] Ready for the next question, or is there something you would like to add to the previous one (Tim, Greg)? [MarkG] Z(the channel script) fell, but it was restored... [GregF] no. Firaxis publish map and scenario file formats so this can be done?" be lifted): [Dan] Hugo_Rune asks: "The Battle Ogres use Bitmap graphics, but they all have the same Icon Number. How does this work and how do we implement it for our own scenarios?" [GregF] set Tim please [MarkG] oops, here you are [Tim] The icon number refers to the section in [Tim] the file where the graphic is drawn from. [Tim] My guess is (though I've never tried it) that you can just replace the ogre graphics [Tim] with whatever you want, rename the units accordingly, but keep them in corresponding slots. Does that make sense (not sure I explained it well) (done) [Dan] LamprosWC asks: "Were any of the stills (such as the HQ pictures) rendered in anyway, or were they all drawn?" [GregF] anyone home? [MarkG] seems like everything is back.... [GregF] were then used for the base icons in the game... [GregF] so they served a dual purpose. [GregF] done [Dan] And our last user question for the main portion of this evening's chat is from korn|469: "Why were some features in single player, like base trading, left out of multiplayer?" [Tim] I'm not actually sure--I'd have to ask Brian about it, who's be lifted): (honest!) (done) [Dan] Well, this concludes the moderated ("main") portion of our chat. I would like to thank everyone for attending, especially Tim and Greg for again taking time out of their weekend to chat with us. [Dan] We apologize for going as long as we did here, the moderated part that is, but there was a lot of good discussion going on and we didn't want to impede it. [Tim] No problem for me. I've just got house painting to go back to ;-) [Dan] Is there anything you would like to add, Tim or Greg, before we go to unmoderation? [Dan] You answered my question already, Tim. You're psychic. :) [Dan] Greg? [GregF] Thanks for letting us talk about the game. [Tim] Thanks to everyone for taking the time and expressing you opinions here, and thanks to Apolyton for hosting! Great site, Mark & Dan! (done) [MarkG] thanks :) [Dan] Thank you! :D [Dan] Now you have the opportunity to ask Greg and Tim questions yourself -- again, please one at a time and not one that was answered previously. [Dan] A transcript of this chat will be made available from Apolyton CS in a few days. [MarkG] people, one question at a time! multiplayer?" [Dan] And here we go... *** Dan sets mode: -m PAGE 1 | PAGE 2 | PAGE 3
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