Managing the game.

[Googlie]

cbn & Mis:

Sea Crawlers - the AI will build them if you add them to the list of Units in the Alphax.txt.

Add this line to the #UNITS list (p12 of Alphax.txt):

Foil Supply, Foil, Supply, Scout, 10, 0, 0, IndAuto, - 1, 00000000000000000000000000

(but don't forget to change the #UNITS from 23 to 24 - I think that's what I had to do to actually get the AI to recognize them as valid units)

Googlie


[This message has been edited by Googlie (edited January 09, 2001).]

[Misotu]

Googlie, does this affect PBEM games? I'm a bit hazy about how changes to the .txt file affects games generally ...

[Deimos]

Mis,

The change that Googlie indicated will not affect any in progress PBEM, since all the game data gets loaded into the game at creation. Any changes to the .txt files will only affect games that are created after the changes are made.

This type of change is a simple but effective way to get the AI to recognize units that it normally would not build. I've added probe foils, sea crawlers, choppers, probe cruisers, transport cruisers and carrier deck transport cruisers to the list in order to strengthen the AI somewhat.

The only downside is that units added this way can't be "retired" out of the unit list. They show up like the scout patrol, colony pod, crawler, etc. They can be "obsoleted", just not "retired". At least they don't take up any of the 64 available slots.

When I have the time, I should check if putting an "*" in front of the name will allow them to be retired. The Sea Former is listed like that, and the AI will build them, but you have to design them manually, 'cept if your playing Sven If that works, then I may have to "design" a whole bunch of different units and see what the AI does with them. It would make a good research project for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

[Misotu]

Thanks for the response Deimos. So, if I modify my alpha.txt file, would this mean:

- Any scenarios I create and provide to others will include my mods, no matter what their .txt file says

- Any PBEM games I create and provide to others, ditto

- Any PBEM games created by someone else would not be affected by changes to my .txt file?

Sorry - I'm really not at all familiar with configuring the game. I suppose what I'm really asking is whether the game looks at alpha.txt once only, at the time of game creation, and then has no further effect?

If this is true, then this would be *mega* from the point of view of creating a scenario ...

cheers, Mis

[Deimos]

quote: - Any scenarios I create and provide to others will include my mods, no matter what their .txt file says

Correct.

quote: - Any PBEM games I create and provide to others, ditto

Correct, again.

quote: - Any PBEM games created by someone else would not be affected by changes to my .txt file?

Correct, yet again! Ding! On to the bonus round!

quote: I suppose what I'm really asking is whether the game looks at alpha.txt once only, at the time of game creation, and then has no further effect?

Correct! Ladies and gentlemen, lets have a big round of applause for todays Grand Prize winner on SMAC/X Jeopardy!


[This message has been edited by Deimos (edited January 10, 2001).]

[Chowlett]

The one thing our expert contestant missed today, though, was the fact that it is possible to tailor your text files ONLY for the scenarios. Because, let's face it, if you create a scenario with custom rules you're not going to want to play PBEM or standard with those.

But good old SMAC has a way around this! You see, in a scenario, the first place it checks for *.txt files is in the scenario directory itself. Just copy the original to your scenario, modify to your hearts content, and rest assured that your beloved original game is entirely untouched.

[Deimos]

Doh! Forgot to mention that. Thanks for the addendum, Chowlett.

[niteowl]

quote: Originally posted by Skanderbeg on 01-05-2001 05:31 AM I normally work with a restricted number of unit designs, updated when I got no tech. A thing I think is useful to give some unit's special names.

You and I would get along quite nicely....

In the words of William Shakespeare Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war.

I too prefer to give custom names to my units, in part because I am notoriuos for dreaming up unique combos such as creating a rover/former right after I discover former capabilities. I don't wait to learn fusion...get that hummer up and running immediately, that way when you upgrade to the fusion power, you don't have to rebuild all of those ugly square looking boxy infantry based formers and they can "disengage" from a worm attack in a lot of cases just like the recon rovers.

Also, once I get the needlejet design under my belt, I give them codenames from US military jets (i.e. F14 Tomcat, etc.)

One of my favorite combos is the Cruiser Transport with carrier deck and repair bay -- load that up with a chopper or 2 and a few attack rovers and send along a AAA Missle Crusier with SAM capabilities and you have 1 heck of an invasion force that covers land, sea, and air. Build a cruiser probe team with level 2 or 3 armor, and now you can really stir things up....


------------------
"My dear girl don't flatter yourself.
What I did this evening was for king and
country. You don't think it gave me any
pleasure do you?

--- James Bond
[This message has been edited by niteowl (edited January 15, 2001).]

[Misotu]

oops ... forgot to check back on this thread.

Deimos, Chowlett ... thanks for the info. Now ... where's my prize?

[Googlie]

Correction to the string to add to the alpha.txt and alphax.txt for sea crawlers:

Add this line to the #UNITS list (p12 of Alphax.txt):

Foil Supply, Foil, Supply, Scout, 10, 0, 0, IndAuto,DocFlex, - 1, 00000000000000000000000000

(the earlier version gave you seagoing capability even if you hadn't researched doc flex)

In a recent SP game two of my AI opponents actually built a few. The default graphics sick, though.

G.