Trouble with Aldebaran patch

[Blueparrot1966]

Hi all. I've got SMAC and SMACX back on my hard drive, but I'm trying to snazz up the sloppy old AI with the Aldebaran patch, which I've heard addresses that pretty well.

Trouble is, it's not quite working for me in either version of the game. In SMAC, I don't have a setup option to "load faction" as the readme directs to choose a player faction, although the souped up AI factions are there.

And in SMACX, I did add the factions to the "alphax.txt" file- that seemed to be needed. (Although the readme doesn't mention this, the custom factions don't show up if they're not specified in that file.) The trouble there is, selecting any of the Aldebaran factions causes a "tech error" message of one kind or another and crashes the game at setup.

I've loaded the textveteran and the graphics files in the proper folders, and read both the textnovice and textveteran readme files carefully, so this isn't a case of RTFM. I have NOT installed the patch on the Aldebaran page, because it looked to me like that was only for old (very old) downloads of the patch. I'm going to try that next, just for kicks.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Archaic]

*Points to the creation forum*
Ask smacksim there.

[Blueparrot1966]

Thanks, I'll give it a try. The patch didn't do it.

[smacksim]

Yes, this belongs over in the creation forums.

Aldebaran does have super-AI factions, but it is also a whole different world, with different techs, etc.. That is why you need to install either all the text files, or none of them. They are interdependent.

For instance, your 'tech error' is because the Aldeb facitons have the Aldeb techs listed for starting tech. If that tech doesn't appear in Alphax.txt (smax) or Alpha.txt (smac), then it won't work.

Try installing all the text and graphics files from Aldebaran, rather than just a few.

If you'd like to make Super-AI factions for Smax do a search on 'The level Beyond Transcend', posts by Blake on Police, or Ned on 'AI and pacifisim', or 'Super AI'

Smack

[smacksim]

Funny thing is that you even found the Aldebaran website (from the old version). Most people can't seem to 'get there from here'. G'luck with the proper new version.

-S