Started to play AC again.

[ashbery]

AC>CIV4.


I was also able to play the AC expansion now it's on the underdogs site for free.The factions from the original are great but what happened to the expansion factions,they all suck big time.

I really hope Firaxes do a remake,and only with the original factions.

[Flubber]

Re: Started to play AC again.

Originally posted by ashbery
AC>CIV4.


I was also able to play the AC expansion now it's on the underdogs site for free.The factions from the original are great but what happened to the expansion factions,they all suck big time.

While there are many that share your view and while I do believe the first 7 were much better balanced, I cannot agree that they all sucked big time. They are just very different.

I do believe that the backstories for some of the expansion folks are much weaker but since I am more about the gameplay, I just suspend disbelief and accept that asociety could be founder on computer hackerism for instance

[Hydro]

What is Underdogs? It sounds like a software piracy site.

As to the SMAX factions, I would agree that they are ideologically weaker than the SMAC 7. Some have fairly underpinnings and unappealing to me (Angels, Pirates), and others are much more interesting (Cyborgs, Drones, Cult). Of course, the whole idea is the aliens - which is why they call it Alien Crossfire. They can be challenging AI opponents since they are factions-on-steroids with free RTs, lots of tech, extra colony pod, and the nasty battle ogre...

Hydro

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by Hydro
What is Underdogs? It sounds like a software piracy site.

An abandonware site, that is not to be discussed on ACS.

New factions are weaker in ideological department, which is a big turnoff for me as well, as I place game atmosphere among the most important aspects of a game.

[vyeh]

Originally posted by Illuminatus
New factions are weaker in ideological department, which is a big turnoff for me as well, as I place game atmosphere among the most important aspects of a game.

By its nature, SMAC-X is an expansion set. There are additions in many aspects of the game. Although these additions can be fun (e.g. aquatic factions), most have the effect of unbalancing the game (the Cloudbase Academy easily comes to mind).

The problems with the expansion might be due to the very completeness of the original SMAC design. It is hard to improve a masterpiece.

[Hercules]

My guess is that the extra attention to the ability of crawlers distorted the game.

Before I joined Apolyton, I had played and defeated the AI without the crawler resource focus. I did not think to beeline to Ind Auto.

In the context of a world without crawlers, is a CBA that unbalancing ? ( probably still)

[Illuminatus]

Originally posted by vyeh


By its nature, SMAC-X is an expansion set. There are additions in many aspects of the game. Although these additions can be fun (e.g. aquatic factions), most have the effect of unbalancing the game (the Cloudbase Academy easily comes to mind).

CBA originated as a CN/MCC/CF like project, as much as PEG is a TVV/CDF like project. Considering the Progenitors, the expansion hasn't been as balanced as the original game.

The problems with the expansion might be due to the very completeness of the original SMAC design. It is hard to improve a masterpiece.

Yes, indeed SMAC seems so well thought out that most of the expansion material is badly "pushed" in - no "windows" for it exist in the original game.

Borehole Cluster and Manifold Nexus were added in patches which shows us that expansion was an afterthought and the possibility for it hasn't been considered during the design (although work on it probably started immediately after the original was completed).

It is normal for an expansion to improve upon the original and add new elements, but storywise SMAX seems uninspired which stands out, as SMAC has one of the best game atmospheres ever.

[Nubclear]

I found Cycon, the Drones, and the Angels to have a pretty sufficent ideological basis. I can plausibly envision any of them gaining power or influence even in society today...Technologists eager for the singularity, workers demanding liberation, or counterculture thinkers denouncing censorship and such (Open source, etc)....

The others were a little less plausible or interesting.

[rsfarrell]

While I agree the backstory is weak, I have to say the lamest thing about the new factions is that you can still only have seven in the game at one time. If you are going to have 14 factions, you ought to be able to play them all, especially since the canon seem to imply that, in many cases, the new factions sprang from the old, in which case including them and excluding the factions they came from makes no sense.

[Mr. President]

Originally posted by Tacc
counterculture thinkers denouncing censorship and such

And what would they seize power with? Cleverly written Java mini-programs?

[Chaos Theory]

With whatever probe teams use to take over units and cities.

[Slaughtergaard]

Greetings. I returned to SMAX. Well, but now, I want to play it on multiplayer with you guys. How I do that? Do I need something like Hamachi or Kali? There's some place where you guys hang out and combine the games?

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Slaughtergaard
Greetings. I returned to SMAX. Well, but now, I want to play it on multiplayer with you guys. How I do that? Do I need something like Hamachi or Kali? There's some place where you guys hang out and combine the games?

Welcome back.

Well yes, we hang out here, but additionally for Multiplayer games we hang out in the A/C Multiplayer forum, more or less next door.

Try and read the multiplayer FAQ first though, to get an idea of what happens and how it operates. Most multiplayer (MP) games in this forum now are Pbem hotseat as opposed to TCP/IP.