I emailed EA asking about Alpha Centuri 2 and got a reply

[Orlok]

http://tharg.co.uk/AlphaCenturi/pics/EA_AlphaCenturi.JPG

Oh well.

 

[vyeh]

Orlok,

Hi.

Welcome to CivFanatics.

Thanks for posting this.

I have sent you an email.

This is my understanding of the situation. EA attempted a hostile takeover of Firaxis (or Firaxis parent company). It failed and now Firaxis and EA are not cooperating and the rights to SMAC 2 are split between the two companies.

In addition, Brian Reynolds, who is the lead designer of SMAC, is with a different company.

regards,
vyeh

Edit: Deleted portion when I realized I could send Orlok an email.

 

[Orlok]

Hi there.

Thanks for the info. I have emailed a reply to your email.

 

[Pickly]

This is pretty much what is expected from other announcements and people who've asked this question.

 

[vyeh]

Except this is coming from EA. In the past, when Sid Meier has been asked the question, he gives a noncommittal answer. Maybe someday, there will be a freeac project similar to the freeciv project.

 

[Cryopyre]

Isn't Brian Reynolds working for Zynga?

 

[vyeh]

Brian Reynolds left Firaxis after SMAC. Alien Crossfire was "designed" by Timothy Train, who was the producer for SMAC.

 

[Acronym2]

Yes, it has always been my assumption that there was more to it than just a lack of interest. That is a shame, but I'll tell you that browsing this forum and looking at the screenshots of good old SMAC really got me excited. (Alpha Centauri was my very first Firaxis title and still my most favorite!)

Perhaps part of its mystique is the fact that it is comfortably frozen in time. The unique gameplay and features haven't been duplicated in any other Civ title. I have often considered moding a clone with CivIV, but would this be any better than the original? I have some doubts.

(BTW, one of the things I've always longed to do was to improve the unit models for SMAC. A few years ago, I made an exhaustive search for the neccessary caviar converted but have found nothing as Animatek and the 3d technology that went into SMAC was purchased by another company (I forget the name) which will no longer release the product. Has anyone made any progress in this? Surely somewhere, someone must have the old Caviar Converter 2.0 program lying around?)

 

[vyeh]

The unique gameplay and features haven't been duplicated in any other Civ title.

Civ 5 will have the Utopia Project. After opening up six policy trees. one can build the Utopia Project wonder and win the game. Obviously, this is very similar to the Ascent to Transcendence.

 

[Kilkakon]

Building a spaceship could be considered similar to the Ascent as well. I don't know if Civ has an economic victory though.

 

[Acronym2]

Building a spaceship could be considered similar to the Ascent as well. I don't know if Civ has an economic victory though.

Yes, it does and I likewise tend to equate "Ascent" with the "Spaceship" event.

Civ 5 will have the Utopia Project. After opening up six policy trees. one can build the Utopia Project wonder and win the game. Obviously, this is very similar to the Ascent to Transcendence.

Yes, it seems like a refit of "Ascent to Transcendence" but you guys/gals know what I mean when I talk about the uniqueness of SMAC/SMACX.

 

[vyeh]

With Spaceship, you can choose to launch a slower Spaceship sooner.

For Civ 2, there is conquest. spaceship and score victories.