SMAC v5.0 changes

[Verrucosus]

I am trying to find out the exact differences between SMAC Version 4.0 and SMAC Version 5.0. When I say "SMAC Version 5.0" I mean the game version that you get when you apply the XP compatibility update released last autumn to SMAC v4.0 either in its classic form or as included in the Planetary Pack (this is my case).

After half a dozen games with the update I am now quite sure that there are changes to version 4.0 and that these changes include
(a) the correct treatment of maintenance costs on Thinker and Transcend and
(b) the possibility of using the Golden Age growth bonus for pop-booming.
Previously, these fixes had only been implemented for SMAX, not for SMAC. I was rather surprised to learn this, because no fixes had been advertised by Firaxis when they released the XP update. The readme-file includes no list of changes and, in fact, recommends the update only for those with problems under WinXP and those involved in multiplayer games with players who have it (ie. the update).

I am not as familiar with the various glitches that were left in SMAC v4.0 as many of you are and I do not have enough time to do more testing at the moment, but I would be interested in learning about changes in SMAC v5.0 that others here may (or may not) have noticed.

(edited spelling)

[Alex]

Hm, this is interesting. I don't have the XP, so if these changes are confirmed, I could download the compatibility update and patch my vanilla SMAC with some fixes originally available only to SMAX players. My main question is: will the compatibility update screw up my game, considering that I use Windows XP AND SMAC runs perfectly fine on it?

[Maniac]

Just reinstall if you have problems.

[Verrucosus]

Of course, I have no idea what might happen on your system (sign disclaimer here :-)), but this was my experience:

I used the XP update on vanilla SMAC only for a single game without noticing any change that I would call a "screw-up". After that game I uninstalled it (the update can be uninstalled separately with the add/remove utility) because I wanted to try it on the Planetary Pack version of SMAC and keep vanilla SMAC v4.0 available for comparison. Since, I have three versions of the game (vanilla SMAC v4, PP-SMAC v5 and PP-SMAX v2). During my tests I was able to load games, that were started under PP-SMAC v5, under vanilla SMAC v4 and vice-versa.

However, I have to caution you that even after the uninstall, the planetfall prologue, the faction selection screen and some graphic icons (mining stations, solar collectors) of vanilla SMAC are now the same as under PP-SMAC. I suspect that, by uninstalling the update, only the v4 terran.exe file is restored.

[Rubin]

^bump^

[Snowflake]

Ok so in a PBEM game different players can use different versions? I ask this is because I think I have upgraded to 5.0 but haven't checked for sure. Since my PBEM is going fine I thought that meant I have done the upgrade. Now I guess I need to double check? When two different versions are used in a PBEM game, what effect could be there?

[Rubin]

The maintenance bug and the Golden Age bug are really major bugs!

The maintenance bug removes a lot of the "economic challenge/fun" in the game. Factions with a poor economy benefit a lot from this bug, while benefits from faction commerce and Morgan's energy bonus are reduced.

The inability to pop boom for Morgan and Yang can be game breaking. A huge disadvantage, IMHO.

The patch fixes both of these bugs and I see no reason why people still play v4.0! The patch runs fine on win98! I haven't heard of any "incompatibility" issues, and I hope every SMAC player here upgrades their SMAC version to v5.0!

Let's spread the word...

Edit: After I installed SMACX and the v2.0 patch I found that I also needed to install the compatibility patch to get my original SMAC updated. It seems that the SMAC v4.0 is not needed at all! I could be wrong on this one, though! If, however, v4.0 is obsolete the compatibility patch would classify as the latest patch for SMAC.

[johndmuller]

I've been trying to firgure out whether or not the XP-Compatibility update to SMAC v.4 really does anything substantive (aside from whatever it may or may not do w/r WinXP Compatibility), but it seems that every other time I look at this thread or the several others that have addressed this issue, the answer changes.

Isn't it obvious whether or not Yang and Morgan can Golden Age Pop Boom?

I'd install it myself to test it out except that one of the things I've seen is a warning that all people in a PBEM must have the XP-Comp'y patch if anyone does, and that would conceiveably mess with my PBEMS, or force me to have separate installations of SMAC and try to keep them straight (all that assuming that the 'if one has it, everyone must' thing is even true, which of course it may not be - if the pendulum swings back to "no difference").

There are several red herrings here, like the question of whether the XP-comp't patch is applied over SMAC v1 or v4 or whatever other versions and the red herring of SMAX, whether or not it needs it (and whether or not running the SMAX upgrade to SMAC v1, v2, v3, or v4 changes anything in SMAC itself as opposed to just installing SMAX) and the red herring of the Planetary Pack having SMAC v4 and SMAX v2 already in it and who knows what other distractions, but there is one thing clear to me - and that is that SMAC v4, no matter how you get it (upgrades or Planetary Pack) won't allow the Morganites or Hive to pop boom with Golden Age + Creches + (Demo or Planned). So my question is simply does this work in SMAC v4 + XP-Compatibility Patch.

So what's the real deal?

There is also the maintenance bug and whatever else, but I would be happy if at least the pop-boom bug were settled one way or the other.

[gopher]

Does this patch help with the compatibility issues of ME or X?

[Rubin]

johndmuller: I've successfully executed GA pop boom with Yang and Morgan in SMAC v5! Conclusion:

Hive and Morgan GA Pop Boom works in SMAC v5.0!

I do not recall, however, if I had the v4 patch installed prior to applying the v5 patch. I do not have the Planetary Pack and I've never seen patches v1-3.

You have a point when it comes to PBEM. V4 games already in progress could be ruined. I didn't consider this, sorry!

Does this clear things a little?

(Edit: Added Hive GA pop boom.)