How about an alpha/x.txt guide?

[Rubin]

I've seen a lot of great customizing/editing help stuff in these forums. How about if we dig up this info and put together a guide to editing/customizing the alpha.txt and alphax.txt files.

The project is fairly simple to navigate, since each section of the .txt files begins with a #. The idea is not necessarily to make a complete guide --- instead, we could just fill in some of the sections: #RULES, #TECHNOLOGY, #UNITS etc.

This may include information on how the different parameters work, known bugs, custom examples etc.

I recall reading a guide here at Apolyton, but IIRC it didn't provide answers to even simple common questions.

How about it?


I've made a short example just to illustrate the idea.

[Darsnan]

Hi Rubin
just downloaded your sample, and really liked the format! I'm actually in the process of creating a section which I plan on submitting to the SMAC Academy dedicated to what your describing, and would like to adapt your format to this endevour, if your willing. Let me know if this is acceptable to you, and I will proceed accordingly.
Also, because when you create new units, the Datalinks reflects this, you then need to update the Datalinks with descriptions as to what the newly created units do, and I am going to add an article about updating the Datalinks in conjunction as well. FYI.


D

[Rubin]

Sure Darsnan, use (and improve) the format at will. It really is just a simple template...

If you are already working on a similar project I wonder if my own efforts are worth it.

Have you considered sharing what you already know about editing the alpha/x.txt files?

My idea was to see if somebody would be interested in contributing to this project. I have limited knowledge of all this customizing stuff, but I've read so much in these forums that I believe the basics of a guide are within reach. I'm just trying to put together the bits and pieces.

I've expanded the base guide. It actually contains some useful information now (I figured out how to fix the Antigrav Struts bug (BugID: #0061, Antigrav), and commented on custom units found in the Unity Wreckage --- among other things).

[Darsnan]

I've expanded the base guide. It actually contains some useful information now (I figured out how to fix the Antigrav Struts bug (BugID: #0061, Antigrav), and commented on custom units found in the Unity Wreckage --- among other things).

Heah Rubin,
finally got a chance to look thru your updated work, and I'd say that you are probably a little ahead of me as far as this work is concerned: I was just playing around with the 8th icon (chemical missile icon) the other nite.
I do believe that developing an article or document that breaks down each section of the alpha(x).txt document, and how to succesfully edit it, is an important work, as, to take the analogy of "if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day: if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime". There are only a few of us currently with the desire to delve into teaching ourselves how to succesfully edit the alpha(x).txt document, and then we either produce Scenarios/ PBEM's with little nuggets/ twists that we find which are unique, or we personally have not experienced before, or we discard them thinking personally they aren't important, whenin fact someone welsemight say, "heah, I've got a really neat idea that'd be perfect for that!".
But if there is a document readily available which bypasses or accelerates peoples' learning curves in regards to editing the alpha(x).txt, then who knows what new avenues might be discovered in regards to the game itself! I also noticed, thru Googlie's timely bumping of some old threads in this forum (I think this is his way of saying "Heah Darsnan, stop bugging me and go do your own research! ), that knowledge once gained and shared can drift away and not be readily available. Thats why I really like the SMAC Academy over @ CGN, as its in a static format that won't drift slowly away into oblivion (like the pages Googlie bumped here ).
One area I haven't seen discussed very much is that when you create new units in the #UNITS section, that when you then enter the Datalinks (F1 button) and look at the available units and their little description blurbs, that there is no associated blurb for each of the new units you've created. I have taught myself how to edit in little customized blurbs using the Helpx.txt file. The following is the sample I developed for the Unity Submersible I added to my July CGN Challenge:

#UNITDESC26
Realizing that deep sea exploration would prove an invaluable scientific boon,
the {Unity Submersible} was stored in the U.N.S. Unity's Hold.

Unfortunately (a) the CMN's helpx.txt file is not imprinted on the game (as the alpha.txt file is), and (b) I didn't think people would be into downloading an edited helpx.txt file to overwrite their own files, so I didn't bring this up for the scenario. However, I do feel I am a little ahead in this area, so if I were to focus on documenting how to edit the appropriate areas in the helpx.txt file, and you continue to focus on fleshing out your alpha(x).txt document, then we can hopefully put together something very useful and beneficial to the SMAC(X) community, which I think would be a great addition to the SMAC Academy, unless you have a better place for it?
I'm going to PM you my E-Mail address, and if you want we can discuss more in-depth a better strategy as to how to accomplish all this much more quickly than I had originally envisioned doing it by myself (several months to "get it right").


D

[Rubin]

Public Release

The Alpha/x Guide is now available at the SMAC Academy at CGN.