One-Page Tech Trees Posted

[Helium Pond]

Hi everybody, I've made a version of the tech tree that's a Word97 document, can be printed out, and fits on one page! And believe it or not, it's legible. I made a version for SMAC and another for SMAX (and even corrected a couple errors that were on the SMAX poster). Alinestra Covelia has been kind enough to post them both here:

http://www.enixine.dabsol.co.uk/SMAC.html

The fact that they each fit on one page makes it very easy to chart tech paths, and if you like, you can print up many different charts to keep track of your goals in different PBEM games, which is what I do.

The trees list almost everything, not just the names of the techs; I've noted the facilities, bases, and units that come with each tech, as well as things like "nutriend restrictions lifted".

NOTE: I did a gigantic overhaul of the document I started with, but I did not create it from scratch. Somebody named Jesse (no last name given) made the original (an XL file), which I got off of Capt Comal's Alpha Centauri Heaven. If you are Jesse or know who is, please get in touch with me so that I can give you proper credit.
<font size=1 face=Arial color=444444>[This message has been edited by Helium Pond (edited July 04, 2000).]</font>

[Chowlett]

Wow I am officially seriously impressed. Good work, both Jesses (That better, HP? )
[This message has been edited by Chowlett (edited July 06, 2000).]

[Helium Pond]

Chowlett, I am humbled by your graciousness. Now I've edited my message, too, so no one will even know what we were talking about. Nothing to see here, folks, move along...
[This message has been edited by Helium Pond (edited July 07, 2000).]

[Googlie]

HP (and the unknown Jesse) - WOW.

Fabulous job.

Googlie (tinkering now with the .doc to include color coding)

[Helium Pond]

Thanks, Goog, and please send me a copy of the color version, if you make it. I made it black-and-white on purpose, so that people without color printers could still print it out, but it'd sure be fun to see in color.

[Kinjiru]

Excellent!

[Varradami]

Thanks, the tech tree is very useful. I'd love to get a color version though (hint, hint).

[Neptunus]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat job Helium Pond (and Jesse, of course).

Now I can put the original poster back to its box and store the box somewhere else other than the top of my PC. You even had room to put a legend !!! You EVEN had room for one MORE column !!! Thanks...

[Helium Pond]

Neptunus, I know how you feel: wanting to reclaim the wall space that I'd given to that poster was the main reason I made these things!

I'm assuming you don't have SMAX, because the "room for one more column" gets used in the SMAX tree; I made that one first, and then cut out the new techs (and re-pointed some arrows) to make the SMAC tree.
[This message has been edited by Helium Pond (edited July 07, 2000).]

[Neptunus]

Its even worse... Unfortunately I do not have the wall space for the tech tree poster. What I do is spread the poster on top of the keyboard, on my laps, everywhere... It gets too awkward, especially when trying to navigate on the poster I accidentally press a series of random keystrokes which (if you recall just when one needs to look something up in the tech tree) usually result in researching the wrong tech for the next 5-10 turns...

Yes, I do have SMAX, but it is still amazing to have space left EVEN for the SMAC tech tree !

[Purple]

Here's a "colorized" version of your SMAX tech tree, Jesse. Adding the color increased my respect for the time you must have spent creating the original.

Thanks!
http://www.rmconner.com/smax/smaxtech_color.htm

[MidKnight Lament]

Hey, tidy work with the colour. And after I went nuts with my little brother's textas on my print-out last night. I'll print another one out now.

One other suggestion, although perhaps I only want it because I'm still a relative SMAC newbie.. how about another page (only for those who can be bothered printing it out) that is a cross-reference? For example, a list of SPs in alphabetical order, with grid co-ordinates so that I can easily find it on your tech-tree? (I spent ages trying to find what tech you needed for an economic victory.) Obviously you wouldn't put grid lines on the tree, because it's got enough lines already, but do you think there'd be room for letters and numbers along the top and LHS?

Of course, I could just do it myself, but I thought I'd suggest it to you first.

Oh, and thanks for the effort. It'll be staying on my wall.

- MKL

[Helium Pond]

My one regret is that I couldn't include the numbers and levels. That's why I put "Level 1 techs are at the top, level 16 at the bottom" on the legend; lame, but the best I could do. I think you'd have to make the font smaller to do it, which I didn't want to do, or tighten the spaces between boxes, which would mean quite laborious re-positioning of all the arrows, which I didn't want to do either. It should be on there, but I didn't realize that till I was almost done, sad to say. But, if it's any consolation, once you get more familiar with the tech tree, you really won't need it.

Purple, nice job!

[MidKnight Lament]

Well, I did have a go at it myself, and it seemed there was definitely enough room. It was those arrows that were the problem though. I was hoping they'd be anchored to the boxes ala SmartDraw (or whatever), but it seemed that at least some of them weren't. Didn't seem to a problem when I was adding a new row, but adding a new column was a different story.

Ah, well. I guess I'll just have to learn them like everyone else. Nonetheless, I'm keeping the printout. It's much easier to use than the monstrosity that came with SMAX.

- MKL

[Purple]

I don't know the dimensions of the paper you use down under, MidKnight, but you may want to try formatting the tree on the equivalent of legal-size (8.5" x 14" here) instead of the standard letter-size.

Of course, you'd have to buy a ream of paper that size, but you might find other uses for it.

Just a thought.