the ultimate SMAC/SMAX cheat...

[IdaGno]

was posted at Apolyton July 18, 2003, and pulled w/in hours of its posting, but not before I copied and saved it to a Word doc. Q: should I post it here, or no? The cheat is due to a game mechanics bug, so highly unlikely ever to be found by even a diehard player. I've never used it myself, as timing is critical and I always get too distracted to invoke the exploit.

PS - I only play single player games and this exploit might well ruin the multi-player experience.

 

[Petek]

I vote NOT to post the cheat. As you pointed out, cheats can be exploited in multi-player games and might be difficult to detect.

 

[Cyrus_the_Great]

I vote no. I never cheat. I leave that to the game.

 

[Jormungandr]

Post it. I seriously doubt that it's anything that new.

 

[vyeh]

Was there an explanation as to why the cheat was pulled?

If it is a cheat that can be detected after the fact (e.g. the stockpile bug), then I think it should be posted. Players can choose to use it or not and it might explain a bug.

If it can't be detected (e.g. one always wins at combat), then it was pulled for good reason, since it would ruin MP games.

 

[IdaGno]

Post it. I seriously doubt that it's anything that new.

It's new all right, at least in the sense that it's little known. As noted, originally appeared July '03 at Apolyton but was taken down w/in minutes of its appearance, so knowledge of the possible exploit has been around awhile, but this was the only time/place I ever saw it detailed/discussed.

Not sure, but am guessing (unable to recall from memory) that the exploit was NOT detectable in MP games. Perhaps if one were Planetary Governor, the exploit could be detected, tho it would require exteme dilligence and attention to detail to do so.

Anyway, having said all of that, and considering the numbers still playing MP games, guess it's best left undisclosed. Sorry for the tease.

 

[Cataphract887]

Im not sure which cheat your talking about, but considering the cheats known to CMNs currently i doubt there is anything that could surpass them. Direct editing of the game and its savs allows anything to be done. Just because im feeling like it, here are some publicly known cheats, that have been out for years

1,black clicking-find any base and its name anytime
2,editing game files-give yourself +5 industry and no one is the wiser.
3,reload pod\combat results without a reload warning
4,use your mad hacking skills to load the PBEM without a password, or even extract the ones being used by players

Thats not even covering all the bugs that would be considered game breaking in another TBS like civ4 like infinite air range and even being able to reallocate your opponents citizens in his bases. There is only one way to stop cheating-trust. paranoia just makes everyone a cheater

Alot of people still play smac MP? Where?

 

[Matrix]

Sorry for the late response. I was ill the last couple of days.

It is totally allowed to post cheats. Whether you want to use those cheats is entirely up to you, unless of course you're competing with each other. Cheats eliminate the challenge the game itself offers you, but they can mean a lot of fun too.

 

[Aabraxan]

Alot of people still play smac MP? Where?

I don't know if I'd call it "a lot," but there usually seem to be MP games going on over at Apolyton.

 

[Cataphract887]

Im playing in a PBEM or two there now. But its pretty much dead compared to 5 or even 3 years ago

I think civgaming.net has a few PBEM running, though. And there might be a polish community site. Thats it afaik though

 

[IdaGno]

Mod Matrix says, essentially, WTH, so here it is:

Alpha Centauri cheat:

Optional first step: You can begin by setting all your bases to stockpile except one but this is not necessary although it is beneficial in some cases to gather energy.

Step 1: You have one of your best mineral bases begin assembling a project, large facility, or advanced and difficult to build weapon. Just pick the largest assignment possible so that it has a large amount of materials to build.

Step 2: Once this is only 1 turn from complete you open that base up. (Just before doing this you should order all your stockpiling bases to build something they need)

Step 3: You click on the Queue button (not the Change button) and simply click on cancel. This is the key to the whole flaw and it will not work if you do not do this.

Step 4: Now click on hurry for that item. It should have a small amount of credits of 2 or slightly above since it is only 1 turn till it is done. Do not click the accept button.

Step 5: It all comes together right here. You move your mouse over to one of the arrows that allow you to scroll through bases (The left or right button) while leaving the hurry dialog open.

Step 6: Now you are able to use this hurry command at any base and on any project. Find a base where you wish to do this. It will cost only the listed number of credits to do the hurry but it will do a great deal of hurrying for that cost and if everything was done right, it will finish off the item.

So basically, if your home base has a project that is 1 turn from complete and 2 credits to hurry to completion, you do the steps above and you can use this to complete every facility in every one of your bases for 2 credits apiece.

The key to this whole thing is that opening the queue and closing it does not lock the arrow buttons. This allows you to carry over this hurry to any base and use it on any assignment.

 

[Cataphract887]

Thats pretty cool.
Do you remember who posted it?

 

[IdaGno]

Thats pretty cool.
Do you remember who posted it?

Did not C&P the original poster's name, so I am not absolutley certain, tho if memory serves, *MAY* have been originally posted by/under user name "Smokin'AMD", or something very similar to that. Was a poster at the time, July '03, w/that same name, whatever it was, at Sharky Forums, where I C&P the cheat to the Games Forum and asked if he was the same person. Sharky Forum Admin's chewed me a new one & deleted the post even faster than Apolyton. So it goes.

Anyway, now that it's up w/o repercussion from CF's Admin's/Mod's, I'm wondering if anyone here recalls ever seeing this posted/discussed elsewhere, cuz I sure don't, tho it may well be olde news to some.

 

[Petek]

Anyway, now that it's up w/o repercussion from CF's Admin's/Mod's, I'm wondering if anyone here recalls ever seeing this posted/discussed elsewhere, cuz I sure don't, tho it may well be olde news to some.

I remember reading the original post on Apolyton before it was pulled. AFAIK, the subject hasn't been discussed there, here or on CGN since then.

 

[archmagej]

that is very interesting, if only I could get alpha centauri to run on my laptop

 

[Petek]

that is very interesting, if only I could get alpha centauri to run on my laptop

Well, start a new thread and describe your problem, including any error messages.