Awesome features/details in Alpha Centauri (?)

[Haig]

Hiya, just downloading Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri from gog.com, never played it before but I've noticed the solid following it still has.

What makes it so good and gives it so much replayability? Can you name some facts or cool info about it, I always love to read this kind of stuff.

I read how the wind affects farming, that's a cool level of detail. Also the world council seems neat.


I purchased Call to Power II too so older graphs are no problem. I'm waiting for Civ V new expansion pack in summer but right now I want to get addicted to SMAC..

 

[Buster's Uncle]

SMAC(X) is wonderfully moddable.

It tells a story as it goes - what I've seen called "a transhuman odyssey". This is the single element that, I think, most makes the game special; the storytelling. You get the fun of exploring and building something and the intensity of conflict, just like in Civ, but with a narrative element on top, and with opponents who have vivid and distinct personalities. I like CivII a lot, but SMAC(X) has all the same elements and a lot more.

Some of us really enjoy all the terraforming. Nothing like raise/lower land in Civ.

 

[Snownova]

1) The story/characterization, I really like how the classic faction leaders are very strong individuals whose personality is the driving force behind their faction, and the way their ideology shapes that faction and its interactions with the world.

2) Terraforming, with enough time and tech any region can be developed into a spectacularly productive site, and the ability to use Supply Crawlers to exploit resources beyond the borders of your cities serves to emphasize this point. SMAC formers go way beyond any Civ worker unit, with their ability to raise/lower terrain, spawn rivers and boreholes, plant forests that spread in time and raise the moisture levels of a region to promote agriculture.

3) Unit customization, even though for a large part the unit progression is simple, the ability to focus on offense or defense, or splurge and have both in a unit is great and the special abilities are the perfect cherry on top to give units that extra little bit (or fundamental alteration) to perfectly suit your current strategic situation and objectives.

To me those are the 3 things that will forever set SMAC above Civilization.

 

[Hercules90]

For me:
First it was the marvel of the tech tree: how advanced it was in its concepts.
Second was the civic modifiers, available only after tech advance and not all available to all factions. But you could swap and change combinations.
Third was the concept of the different factions, each with very different play styles. From Morgan to Deirdre.
Fourth, was the unit customisation mentioned above.
Fifth was the satisfaction of finally achieving key wonders.

I was very addicted.

Since then Civ 4 BTS, has edged in front, mainly because, for me there are more civ options and the balance is better.

But it has become almost full circle in that I am in a 2 part Civ4 BTS MP game where the civs who get to Alpha Centauri first, get to choose their faction from the original 7, to play Maniac's mod of Smac for Civ4.

 

[nyarmondt]

A diplomatic system which actually works. You own something like 1/3th of the planet's cities, & you ask one of your treaty factions if they want to join you in a pact of brotherhood... they say no, because that could mean you would get enough votes to go for suppreme leader

There's more, but one can not spoil too much

 

[Haig]

First impressions:

The colour palette was pretty funky when I started the game, but I've gotten used to it, and it's clear enough. Colonizing Alpha Centauri must be quite psychedelic for the settlers I guess..
Actually sometimes older graphics give more space to the player's imagination, so it's not a bad thing always..

The diplomatic options and the congress are damn fun, nice scheming.
I wish Civ V expansion makes the congress in the same style as SMAC.

I'm playing as the Human Hive faction, having this sort of Stalin mentality to things, and other factions don't think it's going very smooth. The different leaders' personalities give good immersion to the game.
I actually thought that it would be difficult to dive in when the leaders aren't real world legends like Gandhi, Churchill, Washington and the rest, but they are actually very fun. The Believers' lady gives these Sarah Palin -vibes. Woah!

Many things are actually very civ-like but different names make it confusing. Now I understand that mind worms are pretty much barbarians of the planet.
I like how there's always stuff to do and plan, be it colonizing sweet spots, unit designing or dealing with the other leaders.

 

[Herfelt]

The story and the story telling makes SMAC unique compared to the other civilization games. Roleplaying is easier in my oppinion, since you know the ideology of the faction even though the leaders arer fictional characters. The quotes are a brilliant element and creates much more immersion and character for the leaders.

Haig: Mind worms (and the other native life forms) are much more than barbarians... Just wait and see.

 

[poom3619]

The story is more real than what you can find in most game, even some novel. You can feel like you ARE the leader and you making your own sci-fi tale. Most fictional quotes in the game are as witty as Mark Twain or kind of. Conqueror Marr's one might be one of the best advice for saving money