Yitzi's Unofficial SMAX Patch Up to v.2.5b -and Counting

Could someone help me if interested in creating a modified version of the latest patch to incorporate the advanced hydro patch found here:

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=16

I think I can figure it out on my own but assistance or advice would be appreciated.

The ability to step up the options on the high sea is something I've longed for and being able to add these abilities to the upgraded game would in my opinion be entirely win-win.
 
Could someone help me if interested in creating a modified version of the latest patch to incorporate the advanced hydro patch found here:

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=16

I think I can figure it out on my own but assistance or advice would be appreciated.

The ability to step up the options on the high sea is something I've longed for and being able to add these abilities to the upgraded game would in my opinion be entirely win-win.

So you want to incorporate the modifications from the advanced hydro patch into Yitzi's patch? If so, that appears to be doable. However, note that the hydro patch is for SMAC, while Yitzi's patch is for SMAX. That should be OK as long as you modify the SMAX files instead of the ones for SMAC. You also have to be careful about modifying Alphax.txt, since Yitzi's patch makes major changes to that file. Also, have you tested the advanced hydro patch? I looked at it briefly and I doubt that some of the changes actually work. For example, it's claimed that the new sea sensors grant a defensive bonus to sea bases. I'm pretty sure that they grant a sight bonus, but not a defensive bonus. Good luck!
 
So you want to incorporate the modifications from the advanced hydro patch into Yitzi's patch? If so, that appears to be doable. However, note that the hydro patch is for SMAC, while Yitzi's patch is for SMAX. That should be OK as long as you modify the SMAX files instead of the ones for SMAC. You also have to be careful about modifying Alphax.txt, since Yitzi's patch makes major changes to that file. Also, have you tested the advanced hydro patch? I looked at it briefly and I doubt that some of the changes actually work. For example, it's claimed that the new sea sensors grant a defensive bonus to sea bases. I'm pretty sure that they grant a sight bonus, but not a defensive bonus. Good luck!

I have not yet tested it. However:

You may be right about the sensors at sea (they may not have coded means for sensors to give bonuses to naval units anyways, I suspect they will work fine for land units even when deployed in sea zone)

I will have to carefully note the changes to make. When (if) I do this I will upload that version so that others can look/use. I don't want to invalidate or break anything just add these features.

The other stuff probably works, still need to test. Unfortunate that the minefields and kelp enrichers do not have visuals, but for the minefields, assuming they work, they will be delightfully surprising to human players in multi if they hang a naval unit moving onto them like in land battle. I am tempted to see if adding a sea air base is possible, though if I can it would have around the build time of a borehole to reflect the construction of a naval platform of the strength and scale necessary.

Actually as I reflect on the way territory works I am wondering if the sea sensors would work properly at all, as I thought sea territory worked differently.

Does anyone know the differences between sea territory and land territory in the game? An elaboration would be appreciated.
 
Hallo, thanks a lot for making and improving the patch for a game I like very much.
I have observed two things which I hope could be improved:
1. After having the capital conquered, an AI faction does not seem to built a new headquarters. As this is bad for economy because of inefficieny (as far as I know), this weakens AI factions severely, it seems.
2. Deirdre never seems to use Green politics, nor do the other factions. At least I haven't seen it in any of my games using the patch. I guess this is an issue related to the growth penalty of Green politics and the AI trying to avoid such a penalty no matter what the official agenda.
I guess someone has observed the same already, nevertheless I hope to contribute at least a tiny little bit.
Again, thanks for the patch and be sure there are still people enjoying it! It allowed for surprisingly balanced games already.
 
Yitzi sez:
If these are new to my patch, I can probably fix them, given (for each one) a savegame and description as to what to do to cause the problem to occur when using my patch but not with older versions.

If these problems predate my patch, then that's a request for an AI improvement; I am not currently working on AI, though if a lot of people want an AI overhaul at the expense of other things I can start on figuring out how it works...
 
Unfortunately, I have no idea whether in vanilla version the AI used to build a new headquarters after having the old one conquered. Maybe I will run a test game without Yitzi's patch to see if it does. Anyway, the observation that the AI never seems to build a new headquarters is not linked to a specific game of mine, it is a general observation I have made in any of the games I played recently with the version 3.4. Hard to say how many games I played, but I think in at least five or six games a capital was conquered. Of course I didn't finish all these games, but at least for several decades it had not done so; I have never seen a new headquarters being built in these games at all.

Regarding Green politics I'm pretty sure to remember that in vanilla game the AI did chose Green politics. Again, I might do some testing and report back then.

In general I think improving AI is always worthwhile, but then I am not familiar how demanding that is and only have a rough idea how that is done.

EDIT:
I did some testing with several human factions in game and the AI neither seems to build a new headquarters after having lost its old one nor does it seem to use Green politics at all in vanilla Alien Crossfire. What surprised me was the AI using Wealth politics more often, though - Sinder Roze and Deidre, for example. Don't know if that was changed by Yitzi's patch in any way.
If there is a way to improve AI behaviour in any way, I'd be happy if someone skilled gave it a try. Is there a guide on how to mod the AI somewhere so I can get started myself? All I already did was changing faction.txt files and I guess the alphax.txt is of some importance, but I have no clue what is most relevant.
 
I just played a SMAC (terran.exe) game with 444 AI patch from alphacentauri2.info.

Morgan used Green and Spartans rebuilt their HQ in a base that was central to their territory (not sure if on purpose or by coincidence).
 
Finally I saw Deidre using Green politics in one game. But I have yet to see the headquarters being rebuilt.

Edit: I encountered an old bug, I think: if a unit of a pact brother is in one of your bases, build orders may be overridden by the AI (of the pact brother presumably). In this case it is a base which is under fire from a spore launcher and a Peacekeeper rover in the base seems to cause the issue. I ordered to build a 3-res-Guard, but it always changes back to an artillery unit. I uploaded a savegame just in case. I don't know if this bug reentered somehow or there just cannot be done anything about it.
 

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Yitzi sez:

That sounds like a bug that something can be done about, but it would not be trivial, and it's old, so it'll have to wait until it's on the list for one of my patches (probably due to being nominated and voted for).

...I dunno why he insist on the formality of having stuff nominated and voted on, but going here http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?board=23.0 and posting would be a good idea...
 
Ok, now I also saw Zakharov building a new headquarters (on the periphery, though). But it took several decades to do so, if the AI paid more attention to this it surely would result in stronger factions.
 
Its good to see this game still being worked on by others. It was one of the greats.
 
Well as periodically happens I have the SMAC bug again..

I'd really love to edit planetpearl rewards down to 0 but I see that only Yitzi's patch allows that. Is it compatible with SMAC-only (no expansion)?
 
The version I have is from Good Old Games and there are separate .exe files to run SMAC (terran.exe) and SMAX (terranx.exe). Same with the alpha files - there's alpha.txt and alphax.txt.

I CAN load SMAX any time I want. I'm just not a fan. I looked at the features list and it's like everything I don't want (gimmicky/OP factions and a lot of sea base stuff)
 
By the by, Yitzi's having one of his nomination things for the next upgrade right now: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=16785.0

Now would be a good time to swing by and make your case for a bugfix and/or mod to the the game you'd like to see.
 
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