smax after civ3

[saintides]

Anybody slide in the ol smax disc in lately? After doing A LOT of civ3?

I use to be so peaceful in smax. Now, I'm just killing everybody. Playing transcend level (the spartans).

Already wiped out the cyborgs and the believers.

I think civ3 has made me aggresive!

Off to kill the drones ....

 

[Sixchan]

I did, and realized I like then both just as much, and I do the opposite!

Civ3 made me passive!

 

[sappling]

I have played numerous Civ 3 since December but decided to put it SMAC. It was great. I still like the game play of SMAC better. It goes so much faster. I like Civ 3 because it is more of a challenge. I like the AI leaders in SMAC as their responses are very funny compared to civ 3. Keep building those habitation domes.

 

[saintides]

Originally posted by sappling
I still like the game play of SMAC better. It goes so much faster. I like Civ 3 because it is more of a challenge.

It is a lot faster. I completed the game I was playing in no time (think I'll do one more).

Civ 3 is a much bigger challenge. I can't beat deity level (came close sort of once). I beat the hardest level on smax almost everytime.

Sure wish I could build a supply crawler in civ3 .. ohh how I love supply crawlers.

 

[Frodo Bolson]

SMAC has so many things that make it better that Civ 3 (and all civ related games). Some of them

* The equivalent of the ONU, where a planetary goverment is choosed and laws that affect everybody are voted. In all other there is only diplomacy between you and 1 other faction at a time.

* Someone can make his own designed soldiers or weapons. Not something that MUST be done, it is perfectly possible to play and win without touching the editor, but a good option. It can be applied to ancient times, why not? Why not a diplomat over a horse (to move faster, horses could be added to units while researching horse riding) or soldiers with stealth habilities (wich would be much more expensive to build)?

* Instead of that boring palace, there are records of who was the first one to do each thing of the game. The first second city, the first civilization advance, the first building, the first naval or air unit, the first enemy unit beaten or city taken, etc.

* A diplomatic option to ask the other player to stop the war against a third one. So simple, but still missing.

* Someone can check the great library in the middle of a diplomatic negociation, so I don't need to remember if global economics or centauri psicology are just empty advances, without millitary use or without the chance of building a secret proyect I'm building at the moment (wich can be given without much problem) or if I should keep them for myself, or also if an advance the other has is worth the price he ask.

I could go on, but now it time for me to go to bed

 

[AceDragon]

Is it just me or should there be a SMAC II in the works ?

 

[Crimson Sunrise]

Yeah, Alpha Centauri rules. Lately I've been using factions I never touched before, like the Believers.

 

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

SMAC2, Not bloody likely 'cording/paraphrasing Sid's earlier quotes. I wholehearted think he is completely in the wrong on this.

Seems Sid is convinced SMAC was too complex that coupled with the SciFi genre means it wasn't/won't be a big seller. And since SMAC didn't have the sales of the CIV series games and a dumbed down CIV3 has given him decent sales, I'm sure that has simply reinforced his view.

I think SMAC would have been a monster hit (as opposed to its good but not great sales, matter of fact don't even know if it really broke even considering the considerable development time put in. It certainly would be interesting to know) had it only had the CIV title on the front of the box. Something like Sid Meier & Brian Reynold's Alpha Centauri: A Civilization Series Game or something to that effect but it was not to be as they didn't own the game rights at that point.

 

[Pliny The Elder]

I miss the terraform up/down function in civ...

 

[Talar]

I'm afraid that if Firaxis did a SMAC2 today it would just be something like civ3, a "simplified" game to get better sales. And to some extent I understand Firaxis, they have to make a profit if they are to make any games at all.

But I wouldn't mind paying the cost of two games for one really good game if they just put the work needed to make one into it. And considering how much time I spend on civ2/SMAC compared to my other games it still wouldn't be a bad deal for me.

 

[kundor]

Heck, SMAC got the highest rating ever in PC Gamer...it's a truly great game. But I think sales were significantly driven down by piracy...for instance, in my town, for every person that has a legit copy 10 have a burned one.

I think SMAC2 could be truly great.

 

[Sukenis]

I must agree with Kundor. I had a pirated copy for a While and finally bought one for the sole reason of wanting Fraxis to get what they deserved for such a good game. Many people I know have burnt/pirated copies. With better protection the game would have had more sales.

 

[tomlouie]

The thing I miss most in SMAC is the Civ3 concept of culture, that you can have your city push your team's borders outward thru culture developments.

 

[PhoebeII]

Originally posted by Frodo Bolson
SMAC has so many things that make it better that Civ 3 (and all civ related games). Some of them

* The equivalent of the ONU, where a planetary goverment is choosed and laws that affect everybody are voted. In all other there is only diplomacy between you and 1 other faction at a time.

* Someone can make his own designed soldiers or weapons. Not something that MUST be done, it is perfectly possible to play and win without touching the editor, but a good option. It can be applied to ancient times, why not? Why not a diplomat over a horse (to move faster, horses could be added to units while researching horse riding) or soldiers with stealth habilities (wich would be much more expensive to build)?

* Instead of that boring palace, there are records of who was the first one to do each thing of the game. The first second city, the first civilization advance, the first building, the first naval or air unit, the first enemy unit beaten or city taken, etc.

* A diplomatic option to ask the other player to stop the war against a third one. So simple, but still missing.

* Someone can check the great library in the middle of a diplomatic negociation, so I don't need to remember if global economics or centauri psicology are just empty advances, without millitary use or without the chance of building a secret proyect I'm building at the moment (wich can be given without much problem) or if I should keep them for myself, or also if an advance the other has is worth the price he ask.

I could go on, but now it time for me to go to bed

100% agreed

I'd like to add:

* Movies, voices and music create the right atmosphere of an alien world

* With new technologies, you can auto-update ALL the units of a specified type you have

Then... how many time for SMAC II??

 

[Suki]

[plasma]
I hate anything dumbed down, I don't understand half of civ3 because of the dumbing, I guess I deserve that for being a mechanical engineer hun?

there were so many great things that they threw out in civ 3,
they could have easily left in the unit design work shop and had it optional as usual, and the monument, and the expanded government choices and the not sucking user interface...and having the forests grow and the land being more than just ststic, living dynamic, like a cellular automation...

I mean they made an obviously bad user interface, loads of beutiful flashy graphics that add nothing to game play. that is not progress, why do people like it more? civ3 why not just tweek and rebalance SMACK?

that was why I quit SMAC, too easy, my third game I thrashed the computer so hard (on transcend) that I quit half way through and deleted the game!(University->green economy[free army]->value knowledge->[an extra 20% science on top of what I was making allready, 20% and 50% from the free nodes]-> that wonder that counts all nodes as hologram theaters[so five default content people insted of one]->then the hunter-seeker algorythm so I have the +4 research with NO NEGATIVE EFFECT)

-you should get 1culture/turn for each of the firsts you have on that monument.

 

[october]

Civ 3 or alpha centauri; both good games but which one I play depends on mood. Civ 3 moves a little slow. I have had it for a year now, and never finished a game yet! I have played several, playing an hour or so in a day when in the mood. I have completed several of AC, and it moves faster. However sometimes I am just not in the mood to deal with all those vague technologies and stuff. I like historical concepts like Civ has, but I like the faster gameplay and dynamic world and better interface that AC has. They should have taken the AC interface and just put civ3 names and graphics on top of it.

I have been playing a lot of Empire Earth, Rogue Spear, and Myst lately, and before that lots of a good Civ3 game I have going. I'm fired up to put my AC disc in now!

-october-

 

[CrackedCrystal]

I think overall SMAC is a better game because there are so many paths you can take. In Civ3, you beeline for either the great lib or the lighthouse (if on an island). Also, in SMAC you could get to a level 5 tech or so in one catagory without researching anything in another. Don't quote me on this, but I think you can even get clean reactors without knowing the tech for lasers, just a level 2 weapon.

However, that said, Civ3 does have a smoother playing style, and a easier diplomatic structure. The AI refusing to talk to you all the time is annoying in SMAC. At least in Civ3 you can talk unless at war.

 

[Lynx]

istill paly this...

 

[Terje]

instead of smac2, they could make an expansion for civ2, that combined civ2's 'story' and landscape, with the diplomatic and other finesses of smac. Imagine, civ2 with all the good stuff from smac.
The reason I hate civ3, is that I imagined it was gonna be more like smac.. SMAC RULES!!!!

It'll be a sad day when I find out that my new computer doesn't work with SMAC. then, I'll DIE!! I love smac... hehe

Haven't played the expansions for smac though..

 

[YNCS]

I agree with Terje. I had thought CivIII would be CivII crossbred with SMAC. It wasn't.

I played CivIII for several months, then decided to take a break and play SMACX. That was almost 3 weeks ago and CivIII has sat in the box all that time. I've found I much prefer SMACX to CivIII, it's a better, faster game.

There are some things I like in CivIII, notably the border spread with increased culture. However, there are so many more things I like in SMAC, like unit design, diplomacy choices, all the various forms of government (excuse me, social engineering), etc., etc., etc.

It's a real pity that there probably won't be a SMACII. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.