Crazy idea? Rewriting SMAX from scratch

[goomeister]

Originally posted by Natalinasmpf
Ie. by using an existing scripting language, how would I go about integrating it? I read its basically "a small library of functions" - so I just include them, or?

Pretty much. Lua was designed to be integrated into other programs, so it's fairly easy to use. There's a good introduction here.

[DilithiumDad]

A lot of changes can be made jus through alphax.txt. We should collaboraote on a new version and test it via PBEM before starting a massive re-coding project.

[Natalinasmpf]

A lot of changes can be made jus through alphax.txt. We should collaboraote on a new version and test it via PBEM before starting a massive re-coding project.

That has been proposed before, but its not enough. I am not just satisfied with alphax.txt changes, because they are insufficient. I am targeting balance, a better graphical system (lower priority though), and the mechanics and engine. The SP's , for example. Also, I want to make modability higher. Just changing alphax.txt isn't going to resolve it.

[H.Humpel]

Hi there,

well, my programming skills are very very rosted and I won't be any kind of help I guess, but a few general thoughts that came up reading the above:

if you're really putting a lot of work and time in a project like this and getting it up all from scratch, you should do it with a lot of feedback in mind.

Make it as portable (Windows, MacOS, Linux, Unix etc.) as possible and use media data that anyone can read/build (JPG, PNG, mp3, MPG etc.), maybe even the option to use different types at the same time (JPG and PNG etc.).
FreeCiv seems to do a quiet good job, although I haven't taken a really closer look at it. But I still remember playing it long time ago on my AMIGA .

ACAX definitively needs a better Custom Faction handling. Putting all files a the main dir is pretty annoying.
A "finer" way to define the Faction would be nice, too (e.g. Interest in Power: 0 to 100 %, or 0 - 255).

One of the best things in ACAX is the way to be able to customize everything within the TXT-Files, XML might be a good choice too, but I guess that this might be a bit scaring to non-programmers. Maybe XML might be the better choice for the very game basic files (which are changed be most MODs) as an "expansion" seems to be easier to handle.

Setting up anything on MODs is a good idea, too. Take a "standard" mod for the normal version/game, and let other MODs install things in their on dir.
A server somewhere to synchronize these things (no MODs/extensions/Factions with the same name) might be a good idea, too.

Just a few things on general planning (which should all be done before getting code hacked in).

[Ari Rahikkala]

/me reads the thread *

... afflicted by NIH a bit here, are we ?

(not to be negative - I'll be following this closely and will try to help if I can...)

[Googlie]

Talk to Vel and his group at Candle Bre

They started with the idea of writing the definitive nation-building strategy game, avoiding all the bugs and mistakes found in the various Civ/smac/smax interations

They'll have some valuable insights into how to organize such a project as you are contemplating

[Kataphraktoi]

or you could look at Freeciv

a bit primitive still,based on linux,but open source and they already have it started.you could use that for a start

[Kaboth]

I'd certainly support this project if it proceeded well. It is certainly possible but you'd have to have a very loyal, organised, dedicated team.

As for contributions I could make; programming isn't a strongpoint but I've beta tested some various projects in the past namely Hereos 3 WOG and would be happy to do likewise for a SMAC 2 project.

[Worker Bee]

Originally posted by goomeister

Indeed, but since we don't have the source, we have to build everything from scratch, and if we're doing that, we may as well go all the way.

I'm a reasonably good programmer - it was my job for a while to write network code - but since I'm really not a programmer, but a hardware engineer, I'm not familiar with exactly what this would entail. Could you explain it to me? Are you proposing decompiling the code? Or rewriting the code afresh, based on what you can get from the parsing the .exe?

I remember seeing people talking about something like this on a site devoted to making Daggerfall run on XP, and it seemed really grueling. I'm interested in your project because I'd like to change some aspects of it drastically - I don't want factions to own bases, I want them to own population. If I'm going to be parsing big chunks of assembly, though, I'm not sure that I'd be up for it.

[Dygash]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo to the story parts of smacx! If you mean units graphics etc all the mechanics sure but noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo to editing the storyline. I shall appeal in a court of law and banish you all to the depths of...a mind worms stomach.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Dygash
I shall appeal in a court of law and banish you all to the depths of...a mind worms stomach.

That would in itself be a copyright infrinction...

[Senethro]

What an interesting thing to bump from the depths of hell. Its a funny old world...

[Illuminatus]

It is all my fault.

[Senethro]

I remember this thread from my lurking days. There is a lot of shared purpose between this and C4:AC. I had just come up against the modding limitations of SMAC at around the same time.

[Kataphraktoi]

interesting how all the old dreams about smac2 may come to life
its mentioned hundreds of times in the ac forum,since i can remember-and before