Q re. mandatory retirement in SMAX

[MapGuy]

When the game tells you that it's time to retire, it stops computing your Alpha Centauri score. OK, I can live with that. I'm wondering if it's still possible to "win" the game in other ways? Say, transcendence, or total conquest. On a very large map it could take a LONG time to reach those conditions. I'm currently using such a map, and I don't think I'll hit transcendence before 2600. I might, but I doubt it.

Again, if the game stops computing my "high score" after 2600, I'm OK with that. So long as it will allow me to continue to play toward one of the other victory options. On the other hand, if I achieve transcendence after 2600, and the game won't acknowledge it... then I'm in a pickle.

Thanks in advance,
MapGuy
(So, did anyone's profile get messed up from the recent hack?)

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

I don't think it will let you win in any form after 2500 - in fact, after a year before, I've found.


I'll post again if I see any trouble with my profile...

[MapGuy]

Are you saying that even if I achieve transcendence, the game won't show me the nice movie telling me that a new age of humanity has begun? Simply because it occurs after 2600? (I'm playing at specialist to test this new map.) More generally, will the game just stop working normally after 2600? (Am I making sense?)

Is there a way to change the mandatory retirement year? A line in one of the game setting files, perhaps?

I don't care about my AC score; that's not my objective. So long as the other aspects of the game continue to work as normal, I'm fine with it. I'm testing a new map, which is a very large (256*512) map of Chiron. (I scaled it up, then embellished some places.) I built the map with builders and explorers in mind, and where the primary opponent is Chiron itself. The factions tend to start so far apart that armed conflict with other humans can be avoided altogether (if desired). I'm at turn 2583, and I haven't had any armed conflict with other factions. We've done some squabbling over the phone, and two factions want to wipe me out, but so far I haven't seen any of their units enter my territory. It's a strange way to play, I'll admit.

Momentum players probably wouldn't like this map. If you want to fight another faction, you have to go looking for them, and then find a way to project your war machine over such long distances.

The problem is that on such a large map, it takes a while to get things done. Resource tiles and supply pods are spread far and wide. If you're willing to work at capturing them, you'll be well rewarded. But the going can be slow, and rushing things doesn't pay off as much. A map this size should have a higher time limit, or no time limit at all.

If that 500 turn limit is etched in stone, then this lovely map of mine will probably turn out to be a failure.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

There is a way to change the mandatory retirement year. Something in the rules file; I'll ask around and get back to you.

You need to try to transcend past 2500 and see, I guess. I don't remember in detail.

[BlackCat]

Try changing one of these in alpha.txt or alphax.txt (smac/smax) :

2600 ; Normal ending year for lowest 3 difficulty levels
2500 ; Normal ending year for highest 3 difficulty levels

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

[quote author=Geo link=topic=4274.msg31701#msg31701 date=1378318525]
Simple. Open up Alpha(x) (dependent if you play Alpha Centauri or Alien Crossfire) and search for 'normal ending year' in the #rules section.
Lowest 3 difficulty levels is 2600 (500 turns), higher 3 is 2500 (400 turns).
[/quote]So, what Cat already said.

[gwillybj]

I, too, love huge maps, so I changed both "retirement" years to 9999 and have had no trouble.

[MapGuy]

I managed to hit Transcendence at 2663. It would have taken longer had I not rushed a few things near the end. However, beyond the FMV, the game did not acknowledge this.