Civilization IV: Alpha Centauri II

[PJayTycy]

I think I'll have a working crawler by the end of the week


And, the workshop itself is not the hardest part to put in.
Actually displaying a composed 3D unit itself though
The height-map is the second hardest to tackle

[Kataphraktoi]

The auto-builder makes decent units, but they are far from the best. I always make my own designs. Some examples:

Units mounting Impact weapons(4 attack) are often usefull to build almost the entire game. By customizing your units, you can change how much they cost and make cheap units and expensive units...just alot of variety

So you'd put a grenadier on a horse "chassis"? Take the Cavalry guy off his horse and put him on a little raft? Take the guy with the bow and arrow, give him a Knight's helmet, and stick him on a catapult?

Sorry, this is Civ, not some Kindergarten kid's art project. There's a reason units developed as they did in history.

IIRC units were put together by people, who chose weapons,armour, 'chassis'(horse\person) etc etc. You talk as though cavalry, tanks,knights, just popped into existance, fully complete, when they had their tech researched. Someody designed those units.

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Kataphraktoi

IIRC units were put together by people, who chose weapons,armour, 'chassis'(horse\person) etc etc. You talk as though cavalry, tanks,knights, just popped into existance, fully complete, when they had their tech researched. Someody designed those units.

It's true, but there's a reason they designed them that way, and not some other way.

[GeoModder]

And modders are free to design things on their own plan.

[vee4473]

I would never want the sequel to SMAC to be a half-assed x-pak that no one wants to "put the time in on to develop".

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing well. Otherwise don't do it and let it rest.

It is worthy of a standalone game with a full development team.

My vote for the workshop is a thumbs up and apparently many do like it or Gal Civ 2 wouldn't have included a similar thing.

[MikeH]

So... what this thread shows is that no matter what they do regarding SMAC II, some people will be really pissed off about it.

No win situation.

[vee4473]

thats with every game

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by PJayTycy
Actually displaying a composed 3D unit itself though
The height-map is the second hardest to tackle

Wouldn't know

Even though I can imagine how difficult it can be trying to construct a composite 3D model.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by LordShiva
It's true, but there's a reason they designed them that way, and not some other way.

Well, think of it this way.

Cavalry is a bunch of guys on horses with guns. Swap the guns with bows and arrows and you get horse archers. Swap the horses with camels and you get camel archers.

A bunch of guys on foot with the most primitive firearms become a musketman unit. Give them better firearms and they become rifleman. Give them even better firearms and they become infantry.

Civ 4 has all these units pre-built, while Alpha Centauri lets you do the job yourself.

[LordShiva]

OK... but why would I want to do it myself if it could be done for me?

Also, it's not like musketmen and cavalry use the same guns. Nor do Samurai and swordsmen use the same swords. How would a unit workshop model the differences between samurai and swordsmen, or warriors and Quechua and Jaguar Warriors, or Musketmen and Redcoats?

All of the units in Civ (except the Maceman I guess) have been significant parts of military history. So I'd rather they came pre-built, with names like "Cavalry" and "Cossack" than "Horse chassis with guy with musket sitting on it."

[vee4473]

Originally posted by LordShiva


All of the units in Civ (except the Maceman I guess) have been significant parts of military history. So I'd rather they came pre-built, with names like "Cavalry" and "Cossack" than "Horse chassis with guy with musket sitting on it."

Shiva, this is part of what I consider to be the crux of the issue.

In civ, maybe pre-built units are the way to go because history dictates what units were, where and when.

Although the promotion system in civ4 is a step forward in specializing modern units (just as they are in real life). Still more to go, like taking a step further and letting the player not only choose to build a navy seal unit, but allowing them to choose what weapons a particular SEAL unit will choose in any given situation (like real life history).

But, in SMAC it is a sci-fi genre and as such there is no history to draw from. It is more an issue of establishing the rules of the game and letting players design futuristic units from there.

It is a difference that some like and others hate.

I loved having the ability to decide what abilities my hover tank would have.

[Kataphraktoi]

Also, it's not like musketmen and cavalry use the same guns. Nor do Samurai and swordsmen use the same swords. How would a unit workshop model the differences between samurai and swordsmen, or warriors and Quechua and Jaguar Warriors, or Musketmen and Redcoats?

All of the units in Civ (except the Maceman I guess) have been significant parts of military history. So I'd rather they came pre-built, with names like "Cavalry" and "Cossack" than "Horse chassis with guy with musket sitting on it."

It probably comes down to that some people want to re-play history and some want to make it. Personally i think civ is terrificly unrealistic-if things happened again, who is to say the roman empire would fall? Spaceflight in 1500? Or perhaps china colonizing america, america rebelling, and its capitol in New Shanghi on the west coast instead, etc.

Im not playing civ4 for a interactive stroll through history and would enjoy a unit workshop.

[vee4473]

neverrmind...my bad

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by vee4473
Shiva, this is part of what I consider to be the crux of the issue.

In civ, maybe pre-built units are the way to go because history dictates what units were, where and when.

You're right. Unit workshops work alot better on alien planets than on earth...

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by LordShiva
OK... but why would I want to do it myself if it could be done for me?

You don't have to use it, the stock units are decent enough.

Though if you would like to do something unusual, hm, say alpine troops, you can.