Add on for SMAC?

[Docfeelgood]

How is the add on?

Can't recall the name (Alien something?)
This is a great game, how does the add on add up?

Should I buy?

Thanks Doc

[Googlie]

Absolutely (Alien Crossfire)

G.

[vee4473]

I just bought the add on myself...I wasn't sure if it was worth the money.

But, I bought it, and i'm not disappointed. Don't misunderstand, it's exactly the same as Alpha Centauri except you have 7 new factions to choose from and a few more technologies.

It's the same game with new personalities.

It does freshen up the old game alot though and i'm glad i bought it.

Bottom line, if you liked Alpha Centauri, then go buy the add on. But, if you thought that the original Alpha Centauri needed some improvements, don't expect those improvements in the add on.

It doesn't really improve anything, it just adds alot of variety to the game. And that's great!

I like it

[Bkeela]

Don't buy it, it's crap.
I would give you my copy if you lived in Australia.

Bkeela.

[WhiteElephants]

I would recommend it because on the upside they added more native life. Spore Launchers that act like PSI artillery and sealurkers which are like submarines. They added new Special Projects. The Hunter-Seeker is no longer the end of all probe activities. On the downside of that they added the Cloud Base Academy that gives you a Aerospace Complex in each base which, to me, is a bit too powerful like the original Hunter-Seeker. They added eight (?) new techs which slows down the tech race to some degree and added more base facilities. They added more probe team options and events that occur when you pop pods such as the discovery of battle ogres and an event that clones the unit that popped the pod. They fixed a few bugs like the maintence bug that only charged you 1/3 the upkeep of base facilities on transcend level and artillery is now quite a bit more effective than before. And of course there are seven new factions to play with. On the downside of that several of the new factions are far too powerful and I feel a little more play testing could have went into this expansion. Theoretically the look OK on paper, but in the hands of a compotent player they could be devestating. So if your like me you'll end up playing the new expansion with the old factions or and old faction with the new for a tougher challenge. Like someone else said, don't expect a whole new game, but to say its crap is a bit extreme to me. I think the good points out weigh the bad. I wonder what it was that peeved B off?

[Bkeela]

What peeved me off about Alien Crossfire, was quite a number of things.

Firstly, I noticed that some of the graphics were changed for the worse, ie, mining platforms and alien pods, and I hated all the new faction base graphics. Not to mention the dumb looking alien craft, the spider looking thing.

Secondly, Alien Crossfire slowed down the game to an incredible rate for my pc. Previously on the 3rd patch, it ran as smooth and quick as possible. Only on extra, extra, extra large custom maps did the time between turns slow down somewhat. But with Alien Crossfire, and indeed patch 4, the time between turns slowed down to such a degree, that it was unplayable (I mean sometimes 3-5 minutes between turns).
Not only between turns, but when loading and saving a game, there was an extra pause that wasnt existent on patch 3. Thus Alien Crossfire was not only unplayable, I didnt even like the supposed improvments.

Finally, it was full of bugs, which really irritates me about modern software. I depise this patch trend which has developed with the Internet.

So, I still play AC with the original factions. With patch 3, and I'm happy, but Alien Crossfire was a complete waste of expectations, money, and time for me.

Bkeela.

[WhiteElephants]

Hmmm... I'm not certain Bkeela, but I don't think Alien Crossfires was designed to run on your Atari 2600. Ha! (Sorry I couldn't resist.) I feel your pain though brother. I bought Tribes and couldn't play due to my slow internet connection and lag.

[Jeje2]

Just what I was locking for.

But only four opinions, com'on there must be more people who have the expansion pack already. I want more opinions.

(Since I can't find the expansion pack anywere anymore, but everywere is this combined SMAC+X for sale. So is it worth it?)

Btw. I do like SMAC v4.

[drewski]

I am by no means an expert (I have yet to venture out into the Trancend difficulty level), but I am enjoying Alien Crossfire.

I was hessitant to get it, thinking that I'm primarily getting seven new factions, and, asside from well designed pcx files that actually worked, I could add as many factions as I wanted in the original, but I've found the other features to be quite nice. (I'm personally a fan of the option for random faction distribution and assignment.)

[Helium Pond]

I love Alien Crossfire but it is a good deal slower than Alpha Centauri. Sometimes it irritates me to the point where I'd rather play plain ol' SMAC. However, I really enjoy the more varied plant life, which can add whole new features to the terrain: some fungal patches just won't get touched by any factions because they're too protected by the towers. Also, the new techs are fun, and I also get a big kick out of the randomization option. The Aliens themselves are kind of annoying, but get so many advantages that they can be more challenging (but not smarter) than the other factions. I think SMAX is great.

[Fitz]

Alien Crossfire rocks. Buy it. If you find the slowdown during loadup too much (I don't get it between turns) then return it ::shrug::

That pretty much goes no matter what you find wrong with it. If you really don't like it, uninstall it and return it. You would have to pry it from my cold dead fingers to make me let go of it though

------------------
"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before."

[RedFred]

How many opinions do you need anyhow?

Pros - more types of native life, more factions, somewhat tougher than SMAC, more pod-popping outcomes, the random faction feature (my favourite).

Cons - on my PII 400 it runs slightly slower, buggier than SMAC v4 (although they have fixed some serious bugs they introduced lots more), bigger tech tree (the game is already long enough for me).

The proof that I like SMACX is in the pudding. I have never gone back to playing SMAC since installing SMACX. So mark me down as yet another SMACX fan.

There were some disappointments for me, though. They did a sloppy job of implementing some of the new factions' special abilities. I have yet to see a rioting city go to the Drones. The techsteal ability for Aki had to be patched. AI Sven sometimes builds the marine control feature into units besides ships.

I find the the leader of the datajack faction so annoying that it actually affects my play. I've never yet had a great game playing her.

...and I've never popped a MarkIII Battle Ogre. I believe someone told me that they chose not to implement that feature, even though it is written up in the SMACX phamphlet.

[Jeje2]

quote: Originally posted by RedFred on 08-12-2000 02:27 AM How many opinions do you need anyhow?

From each and everyone who have bought the expansion pack

Just kidding,
THX for the opinions, have to get the Alien Crossfire (Hope there is somewere some shop still selling it) or in worst case the planetary pack.

More opinions are allways wellcomed.

drewski: I just finished my first transend level game - It was hard.

[Docfeelgood]

I got it, like it.


my complaint is I cannot choose who I want to play against.

Hoovers playing against two sets of pirats

[Nigel]

Xfire did a good job of adding to the gameplay. A lot of good new ideas went into it. And, as has been mentioned, so did a bunch of new bugs. (The patch for it doesn't even run on my main PC.)

But, as these things will hopefully be ironed out eventually, what really disappointed me was the story. The game's plot just isn't coherant anymore. I haven't taken the time yet to look through the fan fiction, but it couldn't be that hard to come up with something better than the 'plot' from the pre-release episodes. Then again, for a DIY creative type, this might a plus.

Overall, The years of polishing the original recieved were tarnished by the expansion, but at least the mechanics keep improving.