Planetfall

[Tokolosh]

As a longtime SMAC-addict, I can't express how glad I was to find this project. Kudos to Maniac and crew, and I look forward to many fun hours with this mod.

Any thought of including the "Book of Planet" sequences, or even how to do so? I found those added quite a bit of texture to SMAC's gameplay, and I was wondering if you'd thought of any way to include them?

All the best,

- Toko.

 

[Tholish]

Maybe they could be done with wonder movies. Unfortunately, they only work with world wonders, not techs or national wonders or buildings. Too bad there isn't a mod comp somewhere that fixes this.

 

[Maniac]

Making movies play for national wonders and buildings is a simple python change. It shouldn't be too hard to make movies play for techs either.

Book of Planet could be included with pop-ups or events. I have however not researched yet how to create a pop-up or event.
I'm wondering though... While it was great to have the interludes to read the first couple times you played SMAC, after that it just became slightly annoying, and I just clicked through the interludes as fast as possible. So I'm wondering if it might not be better to tell any stories in a completely unintrutive and optional way, that is, background entries in the datalinks?

 

[Cmcastl]

Maniac,

I now have Planetfall 7 in the upper right screen as I enter the game but it would really help if in subsequent Mods you could also attach the sequence number, f etc. so that can be seen, too. One of the problems I have realised is that with XP it has a Games Folder which splits folders of the game between it and one's main directory. Do you ken?

So, in short, I know I now have Planetfall 7 installed but I don't know whether the latest version has taken? Should, in short, I direct all later versions to the Planetfall 7 folder?

Sorry, to appear so simple but we can't all be computer geniuses like you!

Live long and prosper.

 

[Tokolosh]

Hm. Not sure. Maybe something as simple as a pair of buttons at the bottom of the popup window; Play and Skip.

Ultimately, you're right, the Book of Planet did get kind of annoying, but it was occasionally fun to read.

Ah well.

Swilling Rum & Feeding Mind Worms to his Parrot,
- Toko

 

[Cmcastl]

Furthermore, Maniac,

Now I have Planetfall v.7 I don't get the voice-overs?

 

[Maniac]

You should repeat the procedure mentioned in the first post of this thread.

 

[1stcontact2035]

I just want to say good job on this mod. I was trying it out about a year or so ago, when some of the assert-failed bugs were still around, but the version 7 mod has been much kinder to me. I believe the bug that was fixed for 7.f was the only problem I ran into, which of course is now fixed itself.

I personally tried modding about a year ago, and found that bugs will pop up all over the place, even in the simple item I tried to create. I can't imagine the hard work that must have been involved in what was essentially creating a new game from scratch. Anyway, good job, and good luck in continuing your efforts!

 

[Sabbius]

First I would like to say I was thrilled to find this mod. I installed v7 and patched it but it crashes...I get "GFC error: failed to initiate primary control theme". I tried reinstalling it several times but this does not help.

 

[Maniac]

Woops, forgot all about you. :-s

"GFC error: failed to initialize the primary control theme" error loading the mod. You will recieve this error if Planetfall isn't installed in the correct location (under Program Files\Firaxis Games\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Beyond the Sword\Mods). If you don't have Civ4 installed to that location just make sure Planetfall is installed in the same directory as Final Frontier, Age of Ice and the other mods that came with BtS. Also make sure 1) you have installed the full mod and not just the patch; 2) you have not renamed the mod folder - it has to be 'Planetfall v7'.

 

[Maniac]

Patch v7g has been released. This patch needs to be installed on top of the version 7 main file.
It will break savegames from earlier patches.

Changelog:

1. Algae nif graphics, by Teodosio.
2. Edited gamefont, by Teodosio.
3. Mag Tube graphics, by The_J.
4. Various edited building graphics by GeoModder, including the Unity Observation Bay.
5. Unit Away Supply Costs have been removed.
6. Blockading units are always visible.
7. Pillaging makes the pillager visible for a turn.
8. Submarines can pillage.
9. Sealurks have inherent Stealth, that is, they are invisible when at full health.
10. Native Life spawns due to eco-damage (negative Planet) will be immobile for a turn.
11. Native Life spawns due to eco-damage can only spawn on fungus. So no fungus => no spawns.
12. Xenobiology required to work plots with fungus.
13. Defense Logistics re-added as the first tech of the Terraforming theme. Enables the 'Remove Fungus' build order and the Flamethrower unit.
14. Flamethrower now strength 2, cost 25, +25% vs the Infantry unit.
15. Soil Enrichment now has Defense Logistics instead of Ultraponics as a tech prerequisite.
16. Social Psych now a level 2 tech. Requires Defense Logistics.
17. Factionalism now has Social Psych instead of Secrets of the Human Brain as a tech prerequisite.
18. Secrets of the Human Brain renamed to Archeology. Prereqs: Xenobiology or Doctrine: Mobility.
19. Alien Artifact enabled by Archeology.
20. Peacekeeper starting tech is now Biogenetics.
21. Believer starting tech is now Defense Logistics.
22. Voice of Planet shrine now gives +1 Planet instead of +1 Credit per base with the Voice religion.
23. With Centauri Hydrology, units can (in non-enemy territory) move along rivers at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome.
24. With Centauri Hydrology, land units can (in non-blockaded team territory) walk on water at a speed of 2 plots per turn. 3 plots per turn with Pressure Dome. Can't defend while on water.
25. Aquaformer has flat movement costs.
26. Plasma Thrower gets +30% attack versus mind worm and spore launcher.
27. Helion gets +35% attack versus mind worm and spore launcher.

 

[War Chicken]

This sounds veeery good.
Will try tomorrow.

 

[Sabbius]

Thanks Maniac! It looks as if I have a couple BtS mod folders in a few places...odd as that is. But only one has all the other mods, after placing Planetfall there it worked.

This is indeed an excellent mod, I am glad to have found it.

 

[Cmcastl]

Maniac,

Pardon me for asking but where do I place this update? How do I know I have successfully updated my program with the latest version? Can I trust where the installer suggests it should go?

 

[Tssha]

Cmcastl, where you install it depends on what your installation path for Civilization 4 is. More importantly, it depends on where the BtS expansion is installed.

Most Civ4 installs are in the C:\program files\firaxis\civilization 4\ directory. In that directory, there should be a Beyond the Sword\ directory. In THAT directory is the Mods\ directory. That's where you put the mod.

If you have Steam, the install path will be different, somewhere around C:\program files\steam\common\sid meier's civilization 4 beyond the sword\. Beyond that is the Beyond the Sword\Mods\ directories, and that's where you put it if you bought BtS through Steam.

Wherever you put it, make sure it's under Beyond the Sword\Mods. In fact, every mod should be put there, since for some reason it doesn't work right if you do it through My Documents. Don't ask me why, it just doesn't. Ask someone else.

 

[Maniac]

Can I trust where the installer suggests it should go?

What Tssha says. Just check if it's in the same folder as all the other mods that came with BtS.

How do I know I have successfully updated my program with the latest version?

You can have a look at the Changelog.rtf file in the Planetfall v7 folder, which is updated with every patch. Of course, as you have experienced, that way you still aren't sure you are playing the mod from the Planetfall v7 folder.

 

[War Chicken]

The really good thing is that you you have to think how to approach "planet".
If I want planet to have a good attitude towards me and want to avoid constant Mindworm spawns, then I have to be very careful with my city growth and with the improvements to make.
This is a great twist of gameplay and is much stronger here than in SMAC.

Things I miss a little is unit diversity. While you could combine nearly endless units in SMAC and SMACX the choice here is a little low. Haveing to choose my Armor and Armament as Special abilities seems like a waste of special abilities.
I'd change that in the following way:

Give all Armor-types the "Armor" tag
Give All Weapons the "Wapon" tag
And leave all real special abilities with a "special Abilities" tag.
General promotions should not be changed.

When a Unit is built the player should then choose an Armor type among the already available Armors.
After that he should choose the weapon of his preference followed by
the Special ability he would like - after a certain tech (was it Nanobots?) he gets to choose a second special ability.
In the end he should - like normal - choose his Promotions given to him by the XP he gets from buildings, civics and so on.

The only thing that is not covered by this is the higher cost of a Quantum Laser in comparison to a particle ray.

To cover this you could either make the equipment cost money and increase the general money output of bases (rather simple but not too good way to do - The FFH Team should know how to make "spells" that cost money)

The other Idea is to introduce a new non-gathered resource. "Tech parts" could be a name for it.
With this resource you could pay the upgrades.
The resource could be gathered by one of the following ways, or even both.
- a percentage of the energy income - like science and culture. Increasing it, lowers the others.
- A part of the resource system - whenever a city collects 3 materials or or 3 energy in one spot (or 2 of both in one spot) 1 "tech part" resource is automatically also harvested. (This is just an idea - I can't even tell if this would be good)

The part still undefined here - how to make the native life coup with that - now often overpowered enemy?
I have an Idea here, too.
To make it like in SMAC just tell the native-psi-unit (if codable at all) to be as strong as its oponents defense including armor, but without (normal) promotions plus own promotions. This way Psi-Combat would be as in SMAC solely dependant on morale (promotions through experience).
If you want to cover the 3-2 Attacker-Defender ratio from SMAC, then you could give the psi defender an automatic -33% (could be implemented in the mindworm)

The only thing not covered would be the reactor then. If you choose to implement that one, too, It could just increase the "Life" of the units (is 100 per default as much as I know) and/or reduce the cost of other equipment to choose.

Sounds like a big idea for a moron like me who can't even code, doesn't it?
I hope you like that idea and consider using it or parts of it.

 

[Maniac]

I hope you like that idea and consider using it or parts of it.

Sorry, no.

 

[Dithmarscher]

First...a really nice mod !

It looks like the counter for the "Planet Attitude" does not work correctly. I have a positive outcome (green hearts) every turn, but it is counted like it was negative (red hearts) ! So my attitude is getting worse and worse every turn, but i am unable to do anything against it !

 

[Maniac]

Do you have a save?
I have never seen this before though. I suspect you may be confused with what the values are or something. I don't understand what you mean with "I have a positive outcome (green hearts) every turn, but it is counted like it was negative (red hearts)".