Editing alpha.ini parameters to enable original factions in quick start

[nepeta]

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since I've been here, mainly due to the problem of installing the game and expansion on my (then) new computer. I finally succeeded, windows xp is an elusive foe for certain...

The install isn't perfect though, it gives an error after the "rules" section of the new game setup, it will only start with the "quick start" option. After some nosing around the text files, I noticed alpha.ini governing said quick start, but it's parameters are not wholly in my grasp. I can set size, land mass, rainfall etc by eg:

Customize=2
Custom World=2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1,

but the faction selection I do not understand.

Faction=n
n=1 counsciousness
2 pirates
3 drones
4 angels
5 cult
6 caretakers
7 usurpers
8-9-10 and -x no players on map
0 all factions mindworm tower, no player control

Which is all very nice, but leaves out the non expansion factions.

Any help with the enabling of original factions through quick start would be greatly appreciated.

Yours truly,

nepeta

[Verrucosus]

At the very end of the ini-file (after the reset preferences entry), there should be a faction list. It should read

Faction 1=GAIANS
Faction 2=HIVE
Faction 3=UNIV
Faction 4=MORGAN
Faction 5=SPARTANS
Faction 6=BELIEVE
Faction 7=PEACE

for the old factions and

Faction 1=CYBORG
Faction 2=PIRATES
Faction 3=DRONE
Faction 4=ANGELS
Faction 5=FUNGBOY
Faction 6=CARETAKE
Faction 7=USURPER

for the new factions.

You should be able to mix factions from both groups. Just take care not to include just one alien faction.

I hope this helps. I am not certain because the faction selection (which comes up after the rules) is also the point where you get the error message during the normal setup sequence. Maybe one of our resident wizards can help you to fix the real problem. Good luck!

Verrucosus

[nepeta]

Wow, thanks! My original *.ini didn't include the faction listing, so I just cp'ed 'm in after the pref reset line, and it's a doozy.

I'm not that good with text file editing I suppose, well, editing yes, but writing new things in files...

Thank you so much, gonna do some Gaian nonsense now, see ya later!

nepeta

[Verrucosus]

I'm glad it worked. Have fun!

Verrucosus

[nepeta]

Overjoyed after been able to get the game up on XP after so many years, it's still XP that's buggering me, albeit less definitive than it used to. It gives me the following error
after rules selection:

AppName: terranx.exe AppVer: 0.0.0.0 ModName: terranx.exe
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 002454fb

No idea what it means though.

Seems the alpha.ini editing I used to do didn't do anything after all... As it turns out, or so I think, the game saves settings from the "customize game" selection screens after each step, then when you click "quick start" it does the game with the setting chose previously. Problem with that is the rules section, after ok-ing which the game crashes, doesn't get saved, so I'm stuck with the prefab rules. I'd like to play with tech stagnation, so AI will expand more and have lesser weapons compared to their dominions.

Anyone got a text-editing trick to fix the rules?

[Petek]

First thought: You consistently refer to a file named alpha.ini, but the game doesn't use a file with that name. You should be looking at a file named Alpha Centauri.ini. Is that the problem?

Second thought: If you really meant to write Alpha Centauri.ini, perhaps that file has become corrupt. I suggest that you rename the file and start the game. A new .ini file will be created. If you customized your original .ini file (such as ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1), you may have to edit the new .ini file to include those changes. You now should be able to set your preferences within the game and those preferences should get saved.

Please post again if this doesn't help!

Petek

[nepeta]

Wow, another lightning fast answer, I'm honoured

You're right about the naming, alpha centauri.ini it is, guess I'm too lazy to be precise, I'll try harder from now on. The file might gets corrupted after the game crashes on the rules bit, but the faction selection (in the ini-file) is working as it should... It couldn't be partially corrupted, no?

Also, I can't seem to grasp what's behind the ones and zeros in the alpha centauri.ini (AC.ini), I've got four lines with them:

Preferences=10111011111000011101110110110110
More Preferences=1110100111000101101000
Semaphore=00000000
Announce=111100001110101001
Rules=1101000001110

The rules box in-game lists 18 rules, more than the line "Rules" in AC.ini. "Announce" has 18 digits which are, by experience, not related to the rules in-game -under assumption of a non-corrupt AC.ini. My guess is, "Announce" fills in "warning preferences": 18 lines as well. So they are the preferences settings, not rules as in rules, pi.

Now I'm wondering, what line in AC.ini might be governing the rules of the game? They're set 111110000101000000, none of the AC.ini digits compare, nowhere in the AC install folder is that combination to be found. Mysterious. Any ideas?

[Verrucosus]

This is easy enough to test for someone who can use the normal setup process. After comparing the ini-file left after my last game with one after the first turn of a new game with tech stagnation, I am happy to report that setting the eighth digit in the line "Rules" to "1" will turn tech stagnation on.

Nevertheless, I recommend to follow Petek's advice to delete the ini-file (or move it elsewhere) and see what happens. I'm pretty sure that it won't make things worse and it just might fix the crash after the rules selection. Did you try a reinstall or the compatibility patch yet?

Verrucosus

[nepeta]

Thanks! Gonna try that first thing tomorrow, that rules line.

I did delete my alpha centauri.ini, got a new one, but the game still crashes.

Did the patch, but it still crashes. Perhaps I'll reinstall as well tomorrow, don't know if I'm up to it, now I know how to fix the rules and stuff, just makes me want to try some things. Lazy imperfectionist me...

But thanks again, you're both really sweet!