Smac N00b

[Nugog]

So - I have, literally, just got SMAC.

Any tips on how to ease myself into the game?

And any mods anywhere to make the graphics less, well, shall I say more easy on the eye?

[vyeh]

There are tutorial scenarios. Start with those.

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=136883

[Nugog]

Thanks.

[Darrell01]

The best way to ease yourself into the game is to first download the patch. That fixes some bugs. The next thing to do is to just play it at whatever difficulty level. If you don't know what a new unit does when you research it, try the datalinks (F2 or F1) and if you still don't know, go ahead and build it, then right-click for the options menu for that unit. Have you played other civilization games before? SMAC is a little different. Settlers are split up into colony pods and terraformers. Colony pods also do not require food. I guess they put the people into stasis, or they are self sufficient. There are many other differences. The most fun way to play is to just dive in. That way you'll learn to win and make your way up the difficulty levels. Then one day you'll decide to do something different, like make a bunch of artillery, or make Locusts of Chiron and your whole game will change. Then you'll find another and another. If you don't want to experiment yourself, there are numerous posts about any variety of subjects. We chat on the forums regularly, so getting some question answered shouldn't take too much time. Anyway, welcome to the forums.

[CEO Aaron]

When in doubt, found more bases.

[Straybow]

When in doubt, build terraformers and crawlers.

[Nugog]

Originally posted by Darrell01
The best way to ease yourself into the game is to first download the patch.

My version came with the patch included, I think. It plays on XP straight out of the box.

Have you played other civilization games before?

Only Civ 4 and Warlords.

Anyway, welcome to the forums.

Thanks!

[Verrucosus]

Originally posted by Nugog
My version came with the patch included, I think. It plays on XP straight out of the box.

You can check the version number through the help menu (last entry). The last SMAC patch prior to the XP Update gives you version 4.0. The XP Update brings SMAC up to version 5.0. It is intended to help compatibility with Windows XP (the name's a bit of a giveaway) and its installer says you shouldn't need it if you do not have problems running the game under Windows XP. However, testing has shown that the XP Update also fixes at least two bugs that still exist under SMAC 4.0:
- The maintenance bug which causes maintenance costs for the player to be 33 % lower on Thinker and 66 % lower on Transcend (making the game easier in that regard on the higher levels).
- The Golden Age/Pop Boom bug which (at least sometimes) interfered with the +2 growth bonus from Golden Ages and excluded Yang and Morgan who cannot get to +6 growth by social engineering and building creches alone from pop booming (= base growth each turn as long as a nutrient surplus of 2 and a SE growth value of +6 apply).
The XP update will eliminate these bugs, but it will introduce others that previously existed only in SMAX. For example, there is a quirk with the drone display that makes it unreliable when you have lots of bases. Also, the faction choice interface during the setup sequence is less helpful because you cannot look at the faction descriptions (which you can under SMAC 4.0).
Generally speaking, I would say that the gameplay bugs removed are more serious than the interface bugs introduced in SMAC 5.0. However, for a new player who doesn't want to play a level higher than Librarian, there is no need to rush about getting version 5.0.
All of this applies only to SMAC itself. For Alien Crossfire (SMAX), the most recent version is 2.0 which includes both the fixes and the interface I quirks mentioned.
I hope you will enjoy exploring SMAC. The game may not be as challenging as Civ4, but that can easily be changed by introducing strict enough house rules to spice things up. Because it gives you a lot of space to try out all sorts of weird strategies even on the higher levels, SMAC is also ideal for roleplaying. If you are interested to play it that way, you might want to read the entire background story at the Firaxis site and some of the fiction written here to get in the mood.

Verrucosus

[Nugog]

Originally posted by Verrucosus

The last SMAC patch prior to the XP Update gives you version 4.0. The XP Update brings SMAC up to version 5.0.

When I install the patch I get the following result, and it played before I installed - so unsure what to do from here.

[Nugog]

It the crashes to desktop when I click ok.............

[BlackCat]

Have you done # 34 in the FAQ ?

[Verrucosus]

O dear, this is embarrassing. I had that problem prior to using the XP update, so I had not seen a connection there. I am sorry to have caused trouble. The good news is that there is usually a very simple solution:

- Open the Alpha Centauri.Ini file from the main SMAC folder.
- Under [Preferences] add the line ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1. [EDITED]
- Save the changed file.
- Restart SMAC.

If there is still a problem after changing the ini file, please post again.

Verrucosus

[EDIT: Sorry, BlackCat, I hadn't seen your post. The FAQ is correct. The value must be "1".]

[Nugog]

That has fixed it - thanks for the help!

Now I just need to convince the wife to take the children away for the weekend so that I can get stuck into SMAC!

The probability of which is not high...............

[BlackCat]

Have you considered the idea of introducing you children to SMAC/X ? It could alienate your wife but could make a great connection to your children

[Verrucosus]

I'm glad it worked.

EA (SMAC's Publisher) has brought out a rather expensive "Wife" Patch for SMAC. It needs to be installed on a separate computer and is commonly known as "The Sims". EA has stipulated that they will not be held liable if the patch does not work on your particular wife. I'm not aware of any attempts of a "Wife & Children" Patch.

Verrucosus