Alt. official factions in progress

DL'd and installed.

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Not a comment on everything I had hoped for, but the best kind of applause, and appreciated.

:b:

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This never shows up as a smiley. It's a lop-sided grin, tight?

***
I just had an idea for an original faction strike me while I was reviewing this thread. The label on the faction selection screen: (the Gamesman)- or probably better, (the Strategist).

I was reflecting on my personal experience of foreign-born people, not a few as a student in my youth, and many of whom I’ve met through organized chess.

(There’s a funny-because-it’s true joke among chess players that there are four kinds of us; in descending order, 1. Russian Jews, 2. Russians who are not Jewish, 3. Jews who are not Russian, and 4. The rest of us.)

After the Eastern Europeans, a major demographic of immigrants I’ve met is Central and South Americans, and I’ve yet to meet one who sucks over the board. There's a strong chess culture in a lot of those countries. There have been a lot of notable Cubans, especially- Capablanca was one of the greatest world champions ever, and Guevara and Castro were/are strong chess players.

So, remembering the time Captain Picard said of the Romulans “It’s always a game of chess with them”, my idea is not about the chess, but about the constant maneuvering and gamesmanship. Picture an Argentinean version of Kyong Shin (the intensity of him, I mean) with the Brian faction’s portrait background.

Thoughts?

...And the bases would be simple towers, carefully done so as not to make them look too much like Rooks...

The "strategist" faction could emphasize efficiency (inherent efficiency plus impunity to negative efficiency at the cost of "brute" force such as industry, growth, support).

Base graphics as towers that resemble rooks would be nice. (Am I correct that base graphics have different icons for different size bases? If so, how about small bases look like pawns, intermediate bases look like rooks and large bases look like queens?)

vyeh said:

The "strategist" faction could emphasize efficiency (inherent efficiency plus impunity to negative efficiency at the cost of "brute" force such as industry, growth, support).

Base graphics as towers that resemble rooks would be nice. (Am I correct that base graphics have different icons for different size bases?

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You are correct, sir. Four of them, and four more apiece for both sorts of shields, and another three rows for water bases.

If so, how about small bases look like pawns, intermediate bases look like rooks and large bases look like queens?)

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I thought about that. I wish there was a way to make the graphic different for the headquarters base- than it could grow to King, and the rest would grow to queens...

But my feeling is that doing other pieces as bases would look dumb, or at least make it too much about the chess. The heart of the idea, again, isn't the chess, it's Picard saying of the Romulans "It's always a chess game with them."

...Also, we have to cosider the limitations of my ability to draw bases from scratch. Four sizes of Rook I think I can pull off.

I love your ideas about bonuses and minuses. I'm coming at it as a writer/artist, not a programmer sort. If I have to make the text file myself, it won't be that good a faction, playablility-wise.

That last was a hint. Anyone?

vyeh said:

Actually, I was planning to start a new thread in AC Creation to start talking about the new faction, call it the Strategist as a working title.

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Best news I've had all day. Lets rock.

I'd like it to be one that is playable for humans and interesting, but at the same time one that is an interesting AI.

There are 3 components: graphics (that's you), the faction characteristics (I've been thinking about it) and the quotes (which along with the leaderheads are important in giving the faction a personality).

I'd like to see if Hydro would be interested in collaborating on the quotes. He used to write stories.

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If Hydro wants to play, too, I'd be thrilled.

But I'm a little saddened that it's not obvious enough by now that I'm a serious writer, too. Quotes will not be a problem, I assure you. I think I composed a decent enough faction idea proposal, after all.

After we get a draft of the faction text, you could always post it on CFC for review by your favorite collaborator, who has a wealth of experience in making AI's competitive (although in this case we aren't modifying alphax.txt).

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Yeah. I've been doing some duplicate posting since I set up over there; that's no problem. I think I will with this one, too.

Give me some time to draft the opening post of the new thread. I believe the first post is an important one.

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Plan. You could PM me for input and draft-review if you wanted to take your time, or take it and run. Ideas are powerful and valuable, but once you tell them, they're not just yours anymore. Take point, man.

If we can get Hydro to participate, that would be a great boost. I can only find one post by Hydro on civfanatics, whereas he has been active here (we've been playing ACDG6 together).

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Okay. Hydro, I invite you, too. I enjoy collaborating when people will take an interest.

vyeh, since you seem eager, I'm serious about letting you take point. Someone has to be in charge in case there's strong disagreement. I'm giving you the idea; if you'll follow through, it's yours.


Our leader's background is working in think-tanks, BTW. I'm a writer.

How about we put this think-tank guy to work? I'd say he's perfect, pretty much as-is. The fact that he's really a think-tank guy just adds to our enjoyment of the choice. Hmmm?

Buster's Uncle said:

How about we put this think-tank guy to work? I'd say he's perfect, pretty much as-is. The fact that he's really a think-tank guy just adds to our enjoyment of the choice. Hmmm?

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Your right - this guy is pretty much plug-n-play. If you could give him some base graphics that are goth in nature I think that would be perfect for my needs.

D

Maniac thinks Mr. N*matt is pretty for the Templars, too. No prob, though. I just don't know whether I need two or three different backgrounds for him yet.

So if you suggested some changes for him, I'd really be happier if I didn't do factions with completely identical leaders.

Maniac noticed the watch I hadn't, but I can fix that without cropping it out.

Tower-rook bases sound good, then? Black rooks, of course.

Logos aren't a problem- I'm good at that sort of thing- but I need a concept.

Don't really know where to look for a diplomacy landscape, but I guess I'll know more of what I want when I get that far.

As I pointed out in the parallel tread at 'poly, we've gotten pretty bad thread drift here.

D, if you don't care for a merger with the Strategist, why don't you start a new thread we can kick the PsiCorp faction around in?

vyeh is planning to start a Strategist thread, BTW, and I'll make dupes in one here as needed, and it's pretty safe to assume he will, too, isn't it? So no worry for you if you want to hop on board with a merger.

Your final text file would naturally be a little different than his, 'cause the ideas aren't identical, but I see no harm in that

Killed the watch, resized and cropped to datalinks proportions. This is ready to scan line and drop into a faction now, as-is, but I wish i could get some discussion going about him being in demand for 2-3 factions.

Different sizing and cropping is one easy customization element available, and the first thing I’m doing when I get back off the net is putting him against the Brian faction’s background for the Strategist...

Just sent an E-Mail with some other pics I'd like to fill this guy's faction out with.


D

Darsnan sent me some Network node base graphics (The Vanguard) and some suggestions for the alt. Pirates this morning, (and I liked the logo too,) so here the faction is.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you Captain (I couldn't top captain for a leader title)
Jali Magnus of the Vikings.

I wish I got a bunch of long, adoring replies when I posted a new faction graphic, but I want to say that I apreciate the two people who have already downloaded the above. I feel that having a look is a good form of applause.

It's less than you deserve though.

The SMAC forums are going slow (not too surprising for a 10 year old game ), I guess most people are like me and step by only from time to time. I have my "usual" sections in these forums that I monitor (Civ4 modding mostly), and every few weeks, when I have the time, I check other sections for news, inclsing the SMAC section. Sometimes I see an active project and can provide feedback, but it won't be quick with this method.

Why am I saying this? Because I think that you'll get little *immediate* appreciation for your work (unfortunately). But there's hope. I think once the project will be finished, and you have a thread that clearly denotes a release, you'll get more attention from the people who just step by casually. Casual visitors are probably more interested in a finished product that they can use than in a WIP. You won't get *loads* of feedback since the SMAC community isn't that large anymore, but there are lots of people who are still interested in the game, they just don't think about it every day, it's more like once every couple of months, when they get the urge to play it again. These people *will* appreciate your work (because it's *good*), it'll just take time until they notice it.

Buster's Uncle said:

I wish I got a bunch of long, adoring replies when I posted a new faction graphic, but I want to say that I apreciate the two people who have already downloaded the above. I feel that having a look is a good form of applause.

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If you do what you do not for the act itself, but in the hope of getting appreciation of lots of other people, you're destined to become disappointed. Especially for an old game like SMAC.

Oh, I dunno- I do the work because I like the work. I do the work because I like the end product. I do it for a lot of reasons.

I share the results because I let this take over my life for a while and I need to talk about it with SOMEone.

Lately, I've increasingly found myself just enjoying the community- this is my third forum ever, and the first was a dead chess one where I posted less in four years than I did my first week on an AC forum.

And I love the collaborations I've gotten into- there's something about kicking around ideas that's- it's like a good argument; two or more minds interacting to find truth- but without the element of combat. And I love a good argument.

There’s the element of wanting to be appreciated,and told so, and I’ve made little effort to conceal that, but it’s complicated, and ultimately I really just want playmates….

Buster's Uncle said:

- there's something about kicking around ideas that's- it's like a good argument; two or more minds interacting to find truth- but without the element of combat.

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I have to say that I personally never thought much about graphics - it was always about gameplay. However sitting there and having 7 new faction pics during elections, and new base graphics - its really refreshing. I have to say from my end that its really been getting the creativity flowing.

D

Well, your focus and my focus complement each other so beautifully- and we see eye to eye about a lot, too, which doesn't hurt at all.

I don't pretend I don't know my work is good, as I think you know, D. But what I've done in concert with you is just mostly hands-down better, I think.

Larry Niven says that in a good collaboation, both sides do 80% of the work. I think there's something to that, but together we make magic. You make my juices flow, too. (Any women reading that last sentence just peed themselves laugghing, BTW.)


Also, BTW, I hadn't acknowleged Psyringe's kind words above. Despite everything, I do want/need to be told that, and I am greatful.

An alt. Gaians Faction.

I didn't do much here. skreeblios found the portrait, Darsnan told me what to change, and all I did was add scan lines to the portrait, drop it and a lovely diplomacy landscape from the Network Node Faction, The Path, in, tweak the logos and sign it.