What do YOU want in SMAC2

[Cybergod]

Sorry for forgetting the name of the person who first suggested the "mercenaries"...

Here's my take on your idea (above guy):

If your base is running low on minerals because you can't suport the amount of units you would like to have, you should be able to turn desired units into mercenaries (sorry if I spelt it wrogn)! Simply right-click on the same square as the unit, or use some new short-cut key, and select "Trun into a mercenary" command. The mercenary unit will be different from other normal units - it would have a circle around the base of it's unit graphic and would have a floating M on the right side of it's flag. The mercenary units would have following advantages/disadvantages:

Advantages
* Don't take up minerals from your base production - they provide their own resources
* Don't cause drone riots if out of territory - not really bound to your citizens

Disadvantages
* Use up your energy instead of minerals (-1 energy/turn/unit) - those people want hard cash
* Can't be used as police units - they wouldn't care much about citizen disorder

You should be able to have complete control over these unit. Maybe there should be a limit to how many of these you could have. And you could have a thing in your faction file that adds additional number of mercenaries your could have (or have "MERCENARY, 0" to completely stop you from having any of them!).


vogon_jeltz
(1) Agree
(2) I don't understant the statement, please rephrase (gosh I sound like a computer terminal! NOOOOOO...). Maybe you meant the design of the movies, on which I agree for some, there should be more time and effort spent on them to make them interesting. I LOVE the Voice of Planet movie (don't know why) and in CtP (normal one), I like the ESP center movie (I know that you know what you know...). Whoops! Got a little off topic .
(3) Hm... hear Miriam say her last prayers nefore my Sophoric Shard Choppers ? Or keep having Yang blabbing away how he dislikes me not running PS and going Demo? Or hear the screams after/during a Psi combat? Now that WOULD be wicked ! Joke aside, I never had a text-to-speech system so I don't know how complicated/simple that would be.
(4) Maybe. I find Paintshop Pro quite sufficient
(5) Definetly agree.
(6) Hmm... interesting: "Here's the map before I used my ten singularity PBs... and here's after" *gasps*
(7) I never played a proper internet game (apart from PBEM) to comment
(8) But they already DO assimilate! Look at the same base you conquered after about 50 turns and see!
(9) Kinda dissagree and gravships and other air units DO get movement bonuses from different reactors (I think).
(10) Most definetly ! Idea: plague bomb - destroys farms + forests in its radius and, if there is a base(s) in its radius, cause the base(s) to have a virus!

[Marid Audran]

I tend to side with C17 that I'm fine with the rules as they stand; foremost I just want an improved AI. This may not be as impossible as it sounds, i.e. not necessarily programming it to emulate human strategy, just little things. C17 already suggested adaptive unit design based on what the invaders got, now for their Builder game probably the biggest way the AI shoots themselves in the foot is inept terraforming. Farms & Mines in squares, farms & solar collectors in *arid* squares for god's sake, solar collectors and mines by themselves, stingy on forest planting, building condensers and then foresting *around* them, thereby nullifying the point of a condenser, etc. The AI never re-terraforms its squares either, regardless of how inappropiate their functions as the game moves on. If the AI simply used this model, their game would improve rapidly:

Rolling & Moist/Rainy, Flat & Rainy: farm and solar collector.
Rocky: road and mine, if more than three rocky squares in a base radius, level it.
Arid, Flat & Moist: Forest.

Then for special terraforming options, per base it should find one or two otherwise worthless squares in its radius, ideally flat & moist or arid squares, and build a borehore on them, using multiple formers.
If there is a central location with a great deal of moist farming squares, drop a condensor on it. Ditto for Echelon Mirror in a middle of a lot of solar collectors.

As soon as the base builds a tree farm, re-terraform over each rolling & moist square under 2000 meters in elevation with a forest.

Once the base builds a hybrid forest, re-terraform over EVERYTHING except mines and boreholes.

Though I love SMAC infinitely more than its precursor Civ II, I feel that Civ II gave a tougher game because there were less options for the AI to manipulate and take advantage off, especially in square improvement, which it basically did correctly. Civ II's AI seemed to also build a lot more base improvements (though I also suspect that game cheated a lot more).

Well, at least the AI formers build roads and sensors right...

[johndmuller]

vogon_jeltz, I think that the base graphic does change to your style after a while - I think at the same time that its status changes from "captured base". I think that they plan some kind of "cultural" elements to make it harder to deal with new acquisitions.

I like the ideas about leaving opportunities for customizing much of the audiovisual features.

I like the idea of a spherical world too, although I shudder to think of the various programming headaches.

The display of the sphere need not be terribly difficult however. I think that a view tapering off on the top and bottom with say one fewer tile in each upper/lower row would suggest a sphere; it would not have to taper to one tile at the top and bottom, but would still leave parts of the corners free for game controls, etc. The contents of the view would scroll to represent different points of view - you would be essentially looking at the globe from above, but close enough that you would only see a (presumably variable) fraction of the surface. Note that this would lead to a hex-like movement pattern with only 6 possible directions. I fear that this scheme might not really work as well as it is working in my mind and/or it would nasty-difficult to program for any but equatorial and maybe polar viewpoints.

Another approach is to do away with discrete tile-boundaries. The computer could maintain some micro level positioning, but we would instead deal in areas of influence radiating from points where units/bases/improvements were located. We'd need P25's to handle the computations, but the programmers would need a few years to deal with it too.

[vogon_jeltz]

Drop-in SPs, other stuff

Yeah, Cybergod, you're right about the SP movies. Running a quick check in /usr/local/games/smac/data/movies (I use the fabulous Linux port by Loki), the average SP movie is 7 megabytes, which means that they will (on average) take 20-25 minutes each to download if they stay MPEGs. However, (and, as a Linux user, it pains me to say this) they could provide a Windows *shudder* Media file (.wma) or QuickTime *shudder shudder* file (.mov) for about one-third the space.

Several more things that I'd like to see (these were refreshed in my mind after a 14-hour SMAC-fest on my home box):

1) Cross-platform MP:

As it stands now, Linux (yay!) and Windows (boo!) copies of SMAC can't play against each other, because the Windows copy uses proprietary Microsoft networking. To go with my metaserver idea, it would be possible to run a server that acts as a go-between for the two platforms.

2) Higher production values:

The SP movies (especially for Clinical Immortality, if I remember correctly; the MPEGs don't play right with plaympeg, the Linux MPEG player outside of the game) are kinda lame in parts -- I mean, just look at the "Morgan TV" logo.

3) Custom blurbs:

The game needs a TTS (Text-to-Speech) engine and a set of pre-made voices. This would enable the game to have all sorts of cool things -- audio diplomacy, custom faction blurbs, and other fun stuff (it should, ideally, have a way to be disabled for low-spec machines).

4) Sprite editor:

If you look in your SMAC data directory, there are a whole mess of sprite files, like units.pcx. The only way to modify these is to use a graphics editor (Paint on Windoze, The GIMP on Linux), and even then it's dicey. A separate sprite editor (on the SMAC2 disk) would be nice.

5) Concurrent development:

I hated, and I'm sure the entire Linux community hated, too, the 9-12 month delay on the Loki port of SMAC/SMACX (their official explanation, from loki.games.smac on Usenet, was the delay was due to packaging problems). If Loki still developed and sold the port, but Firaxis distributed it, it would be a boon to all future SMAC mod-packs, upgrades, or se(pre)quels, not to mention the fact that it would be a heck of a lot easier to find in stores.

6) Printouts:

I liked the feature in CivII of being able to print out a world map (in two different sizes) or information on your empire, including a colorful tech-tree. I'd like to see this come back in SMAC2.

7) Client-server multiplayer model:

I have a P3/933 box at home, and I dislike waiting for my multiplayer opponents' computers to crunch their numbers. All MP calcs should be centralized on the fastest computer available (by available, I mean that the player on the computer has already finished their turn and has nothing else to do with the CPU cycles) even though it would require more networking overhead; or, alternately, there could just be a client and server part to the game, as with FreeCiv (http://www.freeciv.org).

8) Base Assimilation:

In the current SMAC, bases remain of the same architecture as their original founder, even after they have been captured. This doesn't look natural; I mean, should a Gaian-captured Hive base look the same as a normal Hive base? The architecture of a captured base should change over time (even a sharp change after x years would be OK).

9) Better reactors, weight limits:

As time goes on, movement tech improves; in SMAC, a fission reactor and a singularity engine provide the same oomph on a gravship, letting it move 8 spaces a turn. Improved reactors should improve movement rates.

Infantry units don't need to carry around a quantum chamber or singularity engine -- it shouldn't improve their hit points or anything else; you strap a nuclear power plant to the back of a guy, and he can't withstand any more bullets -- in fact, he will be easier to defeat because he has a 1-ton backpack. There need to be "no reactor" and "biological reactor" (since humans do, indeed, convert energy from chemical to other forms) choices for those units that shouldn't or couldn't have reactors aboard.

In the same vein, units should have a maximum weight based on their chassis, reactor, and other special improvements; all improvements should be assigned a weight, possibly lessened for space units (another idea I've seen thrown about in this thread). An infantry unit can't even carry a 10-ton fusion tokamak or an (even heavier) singularity engine. Fission tech shouldn't be enough to support a ship that levitates using applied gravitonics.

10) More Missile Warheads:

I like the new Fungal and Tectonic payloads for missiles (my favorite trick is to build the Xenoempathy Dome and a hell of a lot of Fungal Missiles, then sweep through enemy territory; they're great for terraforming, too -- use Fungal Missiles on your own bases, then build the Manifold Harmonics; you can use Tectonic Missiles and then Planet Busters if you want to keep that part of the map intact), but there are still only 4 types. I'd like to see biological, chemical, thermonuclear, and all sorts of other warheads; more atrocities, too. Along the same lines, missiles shouldn't just crash when they run out of fuel; they should blow up -- more fun that way, and with Planet Busters, you can build an instant canal without all of the trouble of terraforming.

Just another $.20...

[Sikander]

The spherical map should not be too much a problem. Keep in mind that the game is really a series of points, arbitrarily set as a grid even though the distance in game terms between two squares diagonally is the same as it is vertically or horizontally.

[Cybergod]

Re: What the...?

Originally posted by C17GMaster

"We need a new robot faction."

My reponse: Ugh! I always thought that the "Alien Crossfire" thing was just asking for trouble, and it seems that I was right... We have plenty of factions. I actually prefer the seven human factions and the Planet units (red/barbarian). No "fungal tower" mess. No bizarre native races to compete with. Just pull out good ol' SMAC... I like SMAC' story line well enough. Your "Robot faction" can be created through customization of an existing faction. Pick someone that could rival you (probably Miriam, your expansionistic foe) and hack "Believer.txt" to make a robot faction. Ta da!

C17 if you don't want fungal towers and any other additional interesting challenges SMAX gives then go on just play SMAC, no one is forcing your to play the expansion. I actually find it interesting and enjoyable to "compete with" Planet and her little demons .

And no, you're missing the whole point I was making about the robot faction . It adds more depth to the story line, more challenges and a different style of play. No you CANNOT hack believe.txt or any other file to make the alterations and new stuff we've been talking about on this thread.

I do agree with you that a spherical map IS a bit too much. It would make it realistic but also much more complicated and frustrating.

Vogon_jeltz, I like your idea of drop-in codes. Maybe have SPs waiting at the Firaxis or SMAC2 website waiting to ba downloaded? (What about the SP movies, that would take a while to download though ). I'd really like to see the model-naker , maybe included on the SMAC2 disc. Also I do not think that Planet busters should take ages to build ( ) and also, how come the Planet Buster cannot engage in Psi combat? This was so frustrating when I tried doing "it" ( ) on the Gaians and attacked their mindworm and off the nuke went to Psi combat and won, and nothing happened , it wanished like a missile.

It's nice to see an old thread dug up from it's grave .

PS. I just had to try out all the NEW smileys!

[The Mad Monk]

I would like to see a multi-map capability, as in ToT--the ordinary 'surface' map, an underground map (allowing true subterranean cities and maglev tunnels), an undrsea map (want to raise the seafloor? You gotta build a submersible former, first), and an 'orbital' map, with true space-based colonies (that would need food connections from ground colonies to have any chance at all).

[C17GMaster]

What the...?

Okay, my opinions on these ideas:


"We should have colony pods on the moon so that when we die, we can come back." Then, they proceeded to list all the stuff they wanted to take with them to the moon.

My response: You're dead, laddie! Get over it and restart. Why prolong your suffering? We're playing on Chiron, a.k.a. Planet. Don't get into stuff like Nessus, a.k.a. Moon. "Conversations with Moon, Lady Deidre Skye." Ugh!


"Why can only one faction build each secret project? That doesn't make sense."

My response: This was put in so you have to compete for the secret projects. What's the point of a secret project if everybody has one? You're thinking of what the rest of us call "base facilities."


"The armor system is completely messed up. Armor isn't what keeps troops alive; it's their weapons. The battle should be a weapon-weapon combat."

My response: The idea here is to promote combined arms. Don't think of it as "armor" if you don't want to. Think of it as "ability to dig a foxhole really quickly and jump into it before the battle begins." This is just a tactical element of the game. (Some units are optimized as garrisons; others are designed for front-line combat.) Do you really want Alpha Centauri to be a realistic game? Okay, if you don't get the 'clinical immortality' secret project before eighty game turns have passed, you die and the AI takes over your empire. Realistically, the "commander-in-chief" is too busy to coordinate every attack (except for Pres. Johnson, I believe), so the computer should co-ordinate your battles after you pick a target nation.


"The game allows too much micromanagement. I want pure strategy. Don't let people assign individual workers to individual squares."

My response: I have a size 1 city within range of a nutrient bonus with a farm and soil enricher, and a mineral bonus in a rocky, mined square. A mindworm sits two squares away, and I can't afford a rush-build. If the production is set to minerals, I can get a garrison in time. The computer will probably choose 'nutrient,' because growth is always important early in the game. I'm going to lose my city because of that? I believe that the ability to micromanage is crucial, though I would much prefer that we get an advanced AI that can micromange competently. (As it stands right now, I don't automate formers. With a new, customizable AI, this could change.) Now, if you want a 'pure strategy' game, bring out the chessboard. This is Alpha Centauri.


"We need a new robot faction."

My reponse: Ugh! I always thought that the "Alien Crossfire" thing was just asking for trouble, and it seems that I was right... We have plenty of factions. I actually prefer the seven human factions and the Planet units (red/barbarian). No "fungal tower" mess. No bizarre native races to compete with. Just pull out good ol' SMAC... I like SMAC' story line well enough. Your "Robot faction" can be created through customization of an existing faction. Pick someone that could rival you (probably Miriam, your expansionistic foe) and hack "Believer.txt" to make a robot faction. Ta da!


"I want a spherical planet. The cylinder is unrealistic."

My response: Yes, it is unrealistic. It also works. How, pray tell, should we go about making a spherical grid? It might become a little easier if we change the squares to hexes (which could be interesting), but the tesselation still wouldn't be perfect. If you want a spherical planet to work with, wait about thirty years. By then, we'll have some thoroughly bizarre setup that meets your needs.


"I want geothermal pipes that go down to the core, release lots of energy, and kill off the life nearby."

My response: They're called "boreholes." They give you 6 minerals and 6 energy, not to mention making the adjacent squares arid.


"I want the AI to improve. Not only do the enemy factions know how to fight, but my governors are idiots, creating mind worms when I set them to 'build."

My response: Now we're talking. The rules are fine for now; I can even tolerate a square grid. That doesn't mean that the automation can't be improved. I want an efficient, micromanaged empire, and I agree that the AI could use quite a bit of work. I do like the "Evolution" suggestion, and suggest that it be expanded to adapt to whomever is playing the game. When push comes to shove, are you rover-crazy? If so, the AI could put the Comm Jammer on its defensive units the next time it plays you. This is no worse than what happens when you play the same opponent in multiplayer games for long enough... This is also a trade-off, considering that for the next twenty years, the AI will not be as intuitive as a human when it comes to dealing with the hundreds of subtle variables in each game. I am, as always, in favor of improvements on automation, and support a large "control panel" on the headquarters menu that allows you to manipulate currently-existing functions en masse and with greater precision. "Upgrade as many synthmetal chaos squads to plasma shard squads as I can afford, and upgrade units near Chairman Yang's empire before upgrading the units inland. The algorithm shouldn't be too hard: Locate all the synthmetal chaos squads. Calculate their distance from the nearest city/unit owned by Yang. Arrange them in order from nearest to most distant, and then upgrade them, starting at the top, and working down the list. Ta da! No more "You can't afford it because you have one too many infantry" or having to go through and individually upgrade each individual infantry on the front (except, of course, for the one you can't afford). My twenty synthmetal chaos squads take time to upgrade individually on my 133 MHz machine...


I'm not a complete grouch, I just don't like some of the weird stuff I've seen. Some ideas sound good, like sonar buoys that act as sensor arrays in the ocean. The seas can be extremely difficult to keep track of, considering that there is very little out there, and I would appreciate an early warning system. It doesn't defy the "nature" of Alpha Centauri, either.

-C17GMaster out-

[Daniel Senz]

map improvements!

i hate running for years to surround the poles. the world is a cylinder...? no, it should be a shpere. turnable, rotatable and with the correct distances.

maybe further addons of north/south sphere or/and seasons, very more detailed ground (i.e. 9 times the size; terraforming for 9-square-sectors except roads) for detailes tactical improvements - therefore each trun split in 2-4 seasons

[vogon_jeltz]

A few more things

I like all of the ideas put forth (except for the SP negative effects; while funny, they've gotta be annoying as hell when they hit you), but there are a few that haven't been mentioned (or if so, not enough):

1) Air Bases

Air colony pods in SMAC look cool, and scare the living daylights out of your human opponents if they've never seen them before, but they plant the same old land / sea bases. Air bases would be a great addition.

2) Spacecraft Victory:

I liked the spaceship victory in Civ2 (especially the ridiculously fast "space darts" you could build), but I'd like to see it reincarnated in SMAC2 with a twist. You'd have to build 6 or 7 spacecraft loaded with your citizens, materials (and most importantly, big guns), send them all out, and at a certain time (maybe after planetfall in other star systems), lock them all on Chiron, and wipe the entire planet from existence -- conquest with a vengeance; give the other human players left on Chiron the ominous warning, "It seems to be getting quite a bit warmer," for a couple of years beforehand. Call it the "stellar converter" in homage to MOOII (which I still play). Great FMV sequence, no?

3) Multiple equipment:

Why did the designers of SMAC limit each unit to having one piece of equipment or weapon? I think that there should be a way to place two equipment modules on a unit (at some ridiculous price hike), as long as they're not both weapons. I need to have my formers/colony pods/probes have some sort of defense beyond armor -- also, imagine the sort of damage you could inflict with a Probability String Probe Deathsphere (30-8-8*inf Air Probe, if I remember correctly; ouch) or the kind of building power you could get from a Super Fungicidal Singularity Sea Former Colony Pod.

4) 3D model maker:

We (and by "we", I mean the mod-making community) need a 3D modeler built into SMAC2 to build new chassis, weapons, reactors, etc. *cough* And it needs to be out for Linux, too. *end cough*

5) Drop-in code:

It's impossible to add SPs and facilities, not to mention terraforms, to the current version of the game. It'd be nice for Firaxis to provide some way to code in the changes, perhaps in either C or some proprietary pseudocode format.

6) Better MP:

A metaserver (server with a list of all open games, akin to Q3A) capability would be much appreciated; it's hell setting up an MP game over Usenet, bulletin boards, or ICQ.

7) Sane timeframes:

Sometimes things are crunched at the end of a Transcend game; in addition, supercolliders don't take 50 years to build, and neither do nuclear weapons; just ask the U.S. gov't. I hate the Civ-style 1 year per turn timescale; I much prefer MOOII's .1 year per turn.

Just my $.14...

[Solver]

Not just me. I'll kill you then, instead. But you should now get Warlord, I don't see it?

------------------
Solver the "Running Beer" - http://www.aok.20m.com

[Cybergod]

THIS is my 101st post now and if I don't get upgraded I'm gona kill someone !

[Cybergod]

I've just received an email from someone who calls himself (I persume it's a he) Aardom 723 Anyway, kinda off-topic to what you guys are posting but he asked me to post his letter here since he can't for some reason create an Apolyton account (administrators, why won't Aalogin@aol.com work ?). Here itis, exactly as I received it:

Part: 1

Greetings. My name is Aalogn, but I prefer to call myself Aardom 723. I've
been working on some very intertesting suggestions for Apolyton's What do you
want in SMAC2 forum, but because of my isolated e-mail address, I cannot
recieve a password from the administraotors to join the forum. Therefore, if
you don't mind, may I send my suggestions to you to post on the messageboard?
I think they are quite interesting and quite possibly good. If you accept my
proposition, please include my name as the original writter, if you don't
mind. Thank you.


Part: 2

How about this: Instead of the traditional landmaks, I have a better Idea.
What if, even after the nuclear holocaust, a few of the largest cities managed
to survive...or at least partially survive. Any base that is built on the
city square gets a super bonus as well as any base within 7 squares. (Note:
if the base's rating is zero for the particular bonus to start with, the
base receives +1)

Los Angles: In the early 21st century, this Californian metropolis became
it's capital. It was a bustling commercial center and a major entertainment
hub.
Unfortunately, a series of horrendous earthquakes and riots brought this
city to it's knees. Many of it's building were sheilded from radiation,
though, and survived most of the fallout. Any base on this square gets it's
Efficiancy doubled, but because of severe lack of mining stations, it's
Support rating is halved.

New York: A narrow vote just missed making this the capital of the U.S.
Following that, crime in the area began to rise untill in the year 2041,
when it's security systems where jacked up. Seriously. Any base on this
square has it's Probe rating doubled, but since there are very few military
instalations in the area,
Morale is halved.

Tokyo: This Japanese city was one of the first to suffer from global floodings.
In a matter of years, most of the city was underwater. The workers managed
to persevre, but by year 2055, Tokyo was submerged. An unkown benefit of
this is that most of the city was protected from the fallout by the water,
and a series of seismic unheavals brought Tokyo from it's watery grave.
Any seabase on this square has it's Research doubled, due to the tremendous
amounts of preserved computer data, but since many communications were cut
off, Efficiency is halved.

Moscow: In year 2038, Moscow was nearly destroyed by a barage of nuclear
weapons that set off the first waves of fallout. It was repaired for the
most part, but lacked several police centers. Crime sky-rocketed, but was
silenced by a rise of military bases. Despite it's continual decay from
profuse fallout, many of these bases survived. A base here gets double Support,
but halved Police.

Bejing: As the Earths population continued to rise, great pressure was put
on this Chinese capital. It swelled from an overflowing population, and
food supplies were scarce. However, with the rise of hybrid plants, it became
apparent that China was ideal for the growing of the engineered plants.
As the hungary were fed, the food problem was stabalized. But in 2041, the
Japanese bombed it to smithereens. Many of the underground food stores survived,
giving doubled Growth, but because of the decimated factories, Industry
is slashed.

Berlin: One of the major industrial centers of the 21st century, Berlin
survived wave after wave of nuclear assult. But global warming ended up
catching up to it,
and the temperatures in Germany soared to a sweltering 120 degrees average.
As if that wasn't enough, their continual polution lead to an infestation
of a polution sensitive weed that ended the industrial giant. A base here
gets double Industry, but halved Planet.

Rome: During Earth's final years, many people turned to religion for aid.
The tiny country of the Vatican located deep within Rome was a welcome sanctaury.
The Vatican became a heavily populated metropolis, nearly absorbing Rome.
But located so close to the shore, it succumed to global floods and was
absorbed by the sea. Many of the religious buildings werre preserved underwater,
and any seabase on this square gets double Morale, due to the evangelizing
tasks that can be preformed there can have a similar effect to Miriam's
brain washing, but the complete lack of technology there drops Research.

Bagdad: As you know, Iraq was one of the largest oil producers in the 20th
century. Unfortunately, Iraq eventually drained it's petroluem fields in
around 2009
sending the country into poverty. They lost much of their military potential
and mostly fell out of world events for about 15 years. But in 2030, a large
geological fault formed right under their noses. By tapping into that thermal
energy, they once again became rich. But the geothermal proved to much for
them, and the whole country went up in a ball of flame. Parts of Bagdad
still exist, as do the geothermal mining spires. Any base here will get
doubled Economy, but because of the tremendously unfavorable ecosystem,
Growth suffers.

Rio Di Janero: Global warming hit this city hard in 2045. By that time,
most of Brazil's forests had been either destroyed by an unfavorable enviorment
or by greedy moguls. When Rio once again became capital, the industrial
upsurge proved too much for the coastal city and ended up pushing it over
the edge. Litterally. It partially sank but was resurfaced in 2054. When
it was again active, crime had exploded, causing Rio to take drastic measures.
The once great leizure
city became a vurtual fortress from crime. Any base
here gets doubled Police, but lack of exports kills Economy.

Alexandria: Originally sunk mostly into the sea sometime in the 1 century
B.C., a special excavation team, sponsored by Prohkor Zakharov himself,
dragged the city from the bottom of the Egyptian sea in 2006. Restoration
work began immediately and in 2015, most of the city was restored, including
the lighthouse of Pharos. An enourmous university, also sposored in part
by Zakharov, was then built. Unfortunately, faced with the coming nuclear
holocaust, there was little chance of it surviving. In 2061, it was once
again sunk off the Egyptian coast. It is specualated, though, that the grand
University survived. Any seabase on this square gets doubled Talent rating,
but because of the archaic condition of it's buildings, and construction
there costs twice as much.

And a special city for any alien faction (Progenitor, Zo'or, the like):

N4: Located deep in the Nevada desert, this observation site was once known
as
Area 51. Details about it are sketchy, but what is known is that a strange
and very alien technology shielded it from most of the nuclear onslaught.
In around 2070, the inhabitants of the base mysteriously vanished. Any alien
base on this site gets
a plus 1 Research on the social engineering table,
+1 Morale, due to the abundance of military technology, but these benifits
are moot until you discover
the Secrets of Final Days technology(D10),
or if you build the Universal Translator project. This site also grants
a offensive and defensive bonus to any units built there.


You can contact at Aalogin@aol.com

[Solver]

Cybergod,
You'll get a Warlord title when you have 100 posts.
And, the email address Aalogin@aol.com will not work, as we have the aol.com domain in our ban list. It's possible to get a free email address at aol.com, and we try to get people to use addresses provided by ISP, so that it's easier for us to hunt down those double logins.

------------------
Solver the "Running Beer" - http://www.aok.20m.com

[Cybergod]

OffTpic for a second now, when am I supposed to be upgraded from a Chieftain to something lese? How many posts?