Is the Alien Crossfire Expansion Worth Getting?

[ostrander-bellepoint]

Should I get it or not? From what I've read it doesn't seem to bring anything radically different into the game.

[Wiglaf]

Depends.

No, it doesn't add many major changes to the game. The new factions are nice, but the old ones are still more than sufficient. The new alien life forms are passable. Again, it's good to have them, but it's not all that important.

I've got alien crossfire, and I don't play the original anymore. There's no reason to. SMAX doesn't radically change the game, but it adds a little to the overall appeal and detracts nothing from it.

So, SMAX is a great thing to have, but spend no more than $19 on it. IIRC you can get it for $14 at a store recently discussed here, but I might be wrong.

In closing, I don't want you to feel cheated on it, and that's a feeling you might have at first. If you want top notch improvements, don't spend the money. It's the little things SMAX improves upon. So, if you thought the original was an "ok" game and you want something to spice it up, smax isn't the answer. If you loved the original and want a little more (as I did), go for the expansion.

[Kirnwaffen]

I'm the same way: I don't play original SMAC anymore. However, if you do get SMACX, install the patch before you start playing. Their are some REALLY irritating bugs and missing features if you don't.

[Vale Lurk]

I got the Planetary pack (SMAC + SMACX) for £9.99 in London recently, they didn't have just SMACX, so I've got two SMACs now! That's just less than US$15.

Doesn't the planetary pack version of SMAX have the latest fixes? I think I read that somewhere ...

[Kassiopeia]

Hey Waffn where should I get that update? From Firaxis, but there's a lot of AX updates there. I can't figure out which one is the latest.

[Earwicker]

I liked most of the changes, like resonance armor, improved sea-production facilities, extra probe actions, and a couple of great new SP's. The new factions are interesting, even if the aliens are a pain. Adds to the enjoyment of the game.

That said, I've found that my computer runs a little slower when playing SMAX. Don't know why. Things especially crawl when I try to examine an infiltrated alien base. Anyone else see that?

Bottom line: wholehearted recommendation FOR.

[NorthSwordsman]

Originally posted by kassiopeia
Hey Waffn where should I get that update? From Firaxis, but there's a lot of AX updates there. I can't figure out which one is the latest.

The latest one is at:

http://www.firaxis.com/files/filedetail.cfm?file_id=19

[johndmuller]

Originally posted by Vale Lurk
Doesn't the planetary pack version of SMAX have the latest fixes? I think I read that somewhere ...

I have a clean install (on a computer which never had Smac/x) of the Planetary Pack. If you have it display the version numbers, it shows Smac v4 and Smax v2 (the latest of each), but I thought somehow that one of them (Smac, IIRC) was a version short (as in Smac v3). I don't, however, remember why I thought that the PP wasn't all the latest. Thanks for the question though, now I don't have to figure out how to update the Smac without altering the Smax.

[Kirnwaffen]

The latest version is 2.0 or 2.0a. There is absolutely no difference between those two. If you get the Planetary Pack, I guess you don't have to worry about it (I got SMACX only a couple of weeks after it came out, so the patch thing just sort of stuck out in my mind).

On a side note, I would also reccomend the CD-free patch from:

www.gamecopyworld.com

[Black Sunrise]

Yes.
YES YES YES.
If you like SMAC, AX makes it a million times better.
Since there are only 7 factions in the main game, it's the same darned game, every time. With the expansion, there are 14 factions, which is a LOT more variation!.
Buy it. It's like 10 bucks, maybe 15, and if you like AC, it's a million times better.
Indra

[Method]

so you mean to tell me that i can get a patch so that i don't need the CD to run it? cool! Plus you can get the patch at www.alphacentauri.com or www.aliencrossfire.com they're the same site so it doesn't matter

p.s. how long has my little symbol below my name been the hive? i think i'll change it

[EtheMind]

I'd say. Definitely, if your a fan...or just like the game. It's a very nice for expansion. But that's it.

If you read the release notes from the manual you see that the secondary Firaxis staff got over their heads thinking that they actually "created almost a new game"...."tweaking everything we could"...yeah. It's an add-on on its place but it doesn't add much appeal to the game itself. Just makes it a bit better.

[Wiglaf]

it's a million times better

Ehh, don't go that far. The new factions aren't as balanced as the original ones (why is cha even there ) . Variation is great, and they are a very welcome addition, but it's not a massive, game changing improvement.

[Black Sunrise]

The first version would have bored me about two years ago.
With the expansion, it's a game worth owning.
Without it, it's a game worth playing for a month.
And lately I've been winning as Cha Dawn. You just have to play really really weird/counter intuitive. And the AI doesn't do that well, so Cha Dawn is best on little maps with lots of fungus.
Indra

[Wiglaf]

With the expansion, it's a game worth owning.
Without it, it's a game worth playing for a month.

Can you elaborate?