Name the #1 thing SMAC2 should have!

[knowhow2]

Originally posted by Drone Riot


err.... smac isnt that old kid. More like a couple of years - give or take a few extra months.

maybe sikander was referring to mission years

[GeneralTacticus]

Have your SE settings afect how long it takes to develop certain techs, e.g. Power speeds up Conquer research but slows Build, Green speeds up Explore research...

Have it so that when you have a high rating in one of the categories, it has an effect after you switch SE, so if I stay in Planned/Wealth for 100 years and have a lot of industry, when I go to Green/Power for a war, then I already have a massive industrial base. Having a negative rating would stop improvement in that area.

[vitamin j]

Thank you SITS, I meant to say that...

Drone Riot:
"years"="couple of years"

[gwillybj]

senior citizens

Originally posted by Sandman
... you'll be left with a load of grandpas with no-one to look after them...

Isn't that what the Recycling Tanks are for?
Yang seems to think so...

[gwillybj]

unit artwork

I would like to see more artwork for the various Special Abilities. Trance already has that little eyeball-thingy. Super Formers have those pointy things sticking out and Fungicidal Tanks are clearly visible. Drop, Grav, and Repair have artwork. I think Amphib Pods are pictured (not sure).

Why not have artwork for all of them? A satellite dish for Deep Radar. Antennae for ECM. Three different kinds of cannon for Arty, AAA, and SAM. A swirly-colored helmet for Empath and swirly-colored armor for Trance (somehow combined with any regular armor). Solid black armor for Cloaked. Sparkly armor for Blink. Additional caviar for Police, Carriers, and Subs. A symbol of some kind for Trained, Secure, and X.

Also, put the faction's logo on the unit somewhere, like on infantry's chest, rovers' front deck, etc.

[GeneralTacticus]

Better looking unit graphics - the infantry right now look like they're pushing their guns forward on a treadmill. They should have them carrying them on their shoulders, slung across their backs, etc.

[Sikander]

Originally posted by aaglo


This is good idea. How about the battle system from Master of magic (ok, who doesn't know about this game?). Units could be stacked, and all units in a square would take part in action. But this increases the "micromanagement". Imagine a battle taking some 30 minutes, when on SMAC the same batlle would take one minute. This feature could also be an option (like in MOO2).

This feature was optional in MoM.

I like the idea of tactical battles, they are fun, and give you an opportunity to build the army that you use in combat. The only downside (apart from time used) of tactical combats on a smaller map is that it adds a huge amount of advantage for the player. I liked MOO2, but honestly I never came close to losing that game at impossible, in large part because I could win battles against pretty heavy odds. Admittedly, it was fun to do so.

[The diplomat]

I think the music could be changed as well. It could be so much better. I am sure an artist could come up with some good sci-fi music.

[mrdynamic]

Space transport Units .... So a faction can also colonize nearby Moons.

[k.k.fly]

more of faction planet-trading system.

If you are Morgan Industries with money, you may buy military stuff from the Hives. Human Hive have option to put what quantity and what kind of stuff he is willing to sell on the market (nobodies wants to sell best weapons they got) And go Spartan Federation for hiring well-trained mercenaries and soldiers. Pay The Lord's Believers for sending missionaries to reduce drones riots. Go to Peacekeeping Forces to attract specific talents, The University of Planet for better well-equipped research facilities aka as nerds, and Gaia's Stepdaughters………..I dunno man, have conversation with the planet?

Money (energy) will not be the only currency for trades. As you can put your faction’s advantages mention above onto the markets.

[Guynemer]

My wish list for SMAC 2 incorporates some of Civ 3's improvements into SMAC's better overall presentation--

Strategic & luxury resources--a fantastic idea from Civ 3, though the resources would probably have to be changed to fit into the scifi setting.

Culture--another great idea from Civ 3. (Border-wise... tone down the culture flipping in conquered cities.)

Improved AI--not that the current AI is bad, but improvement is always a good thing.

More SE choices--make sure they're balanced, however. If implimented, would open the door to...

More (human) factions!

Improved graphics--but don't go overboard. Limited graphics opens up memory for AI, etc. Plus, the current graphics "fit", as do nearly all the movies. Update the movies as far as technology, but don't tinker with the content needlessly.

Ability to involve all factions in one game.

Civ 3's "bargaining table", with SMAC's more numerous diplomatic choices. (But lose or alter the diplomatic adviser in the corner of the screen... bloody jerk gives everything away.) And while we're at it, more diplomatic choices in general, including Council Resolutions. And, perhaps outside the Council, the ability to negotiate with more than one faction at once, i.e. organize a three- or four-member pact at the same time.

For the love of all that is holy, keep all the "flavor." The quotes, the speech, the descriptions, the movies, the music... the "interludes" could be improved, but that's about it. This is where Civ 3 is SORELY lacking. It's nowhere near as immersive as SMAC.

Tighten up the unit workshop--in general, it's great, but it's quirky and difficult to use at times.

Lose the alien factions. They just never did it for me. I don't think you need the explanation for the artifacts & obelisks... keep it mysterious.

A touch more balancing. In general, this was done well, but a few units/SPs are too overpowering, at least for as early as they come in the game. Some factions could use balancing as well.

[Flubber]

Here's one idea I thought of:



The ability to build a dam or a dike to retain the sealevel where it is-- This could either be a former function that could hold the square at its altitude for a specified period or a base facility that protected the city radii. I hate that the way to "save" one tile often involves landlocking a seaport.

Perhaps simpler would be the ability to choose to raise land only a half level. A 500m raise of an endangered square would (usually) not lift it above 1000m and therefore not require altering the whole coast

[Hydro]

1) Make terraforming make more sense. For instance, if your raise land you don’t get the dirt for free – somewhere else in your empire loses some elevation in proportion to what you are building (and the cost is proportional to the distance this material has to be moved). Likewise for lowering land. Eliminate drill to aquifer – won’t work, even with a far-out, blow-your-mind technology. Introduce the concept of ecological disruption (really, really bad eco damage) when you undertake these nasty bits of Planetsculpture. After all, wouldn’t you object to someone taking a big gouge out of your face? I’m sure Planet doesn’t like it all that much…

2) Fix the eco damage formula. As I understand it, the more you pollute (and get ‘pops’) the more you are inoculated against future ecodamage. What? So, if I pollute more, Planet will allow me to pollute more still? Bargain! I suggest that the formula be structured the other way around – if you hurt Planet then Planet will be less forgiving in the future. Also, make eco friendly structures count only for the city their in, since I understand they count for ALL cities. This seems a little strange (although it gives a big advantage to builders and hybrids). If I have garbled the eco description I hope someone will kindly correct me…

3) Tone down some of the more unbalancing Projects, like HSA and Cloudbase.

Hydro

[MattyBoy]

The AI should seek out strategy forums on the net and eavesdrop on them as follows:
1) Find posters that yield an immediate flood of responses whenever they post:
e.g: Vel: "Hey, I just sneezed"
disciple1: "congratulations"
disciple2: "nice boogie, man!"
disci...
2) Parse whatever they say and modify AI tactics to suit.
3) Reverse-engineer a summary of the new AI behaviour and post it in a reply that proclaims that this new method is invincible.
4) Fine tune by repeating steps 2) and 3) until the thread is quiet for a week.
5) Generate an AI patch.

PS: No disrespect intended to Vel. I am still eternally grateful for your strat guides.

[Mr. President]

Someone mentioned more human factions: I really think the last thing Alpha Centauri needs is more factions! Most of them are completely objectionable anyway; do we want to increase the number of lunatic leaders who wouldn't last ten minutes in a real country? (I only like Morgan because he's a capitalist, Marr because he's a fascist, and Deirdre because she's attractive. Well, more attractive than Zakharov, anyway.)