this game needs a encyclopedia

[evirus]

Looking at the data link entries for things like reactors, armor, weapons, and so forth give nothing more than basic game play information, i like how in Civ4 you can get some lengthy background information about nearly everything. even if it needs to be hammed up with science fiction i would like a description of why one weapon is better than another, that doesn't simply say "this weapons strength is 4"

 

[vyeh]

I have several suggestions (and I don't intend to be offensive if you are a new player to SMAC, but someone on another site has accused me of being impatient with new players):

(1) there is a 250 page manual that came with my game (which you might not have if you purchased the game second hand or through Sold-Out software). I believe you can purchase the manual at Amazon second-hand. (There is also another SMAC site that offers it for download, but I am not sure if CFC permits me to point you to that site.)

(2) there is Prima's Official Strategy Guide, which you can buy at Amazon.

(3) there is Vel's SMAX Guide that the author, Chris Hartspence, donated to WePlayCiv.com when it opened a year ago. You can view the latest commercial version free; I do recommend that if you like it, you buy it at Amazon. For $15, you might appreciate being able to refer to the hard copy while playing.

(4) The esteemed moderator of this forum, Petek, has a list of SMACX Links.

(5) In particular, the Gamespot guide and

(6) the SMAC Academy may fit your needs.

(7) there is this forum. There may be people here who are willing to explain why a tachyon bolt weapon is more powerful than an impact weapon, although we are a rather dull group (in my opinion, we are more into game play than into game related fiction)

(8) there is the SMAC forum at WePlayCiv (and people who might be interested in speculating why one weapon is more powerful than another). However, please give us a try first.

Note that the Prima Strategy Guide does have background about tech. I didn't like it, but that may be exactly what you are looking for.

I'm sure Petek can point you to other resources.

 

[creamcheese]

Looking at the data link entries for things like reactors, armor, weapons, and so forth give nothing more than basic game play information, i like how in Civ4 you can get some lengthy background information about nearly everything. even if it needs to be hammed up with science fiction i would like a description of why one weapon is better than another, that doesn't simply say "this weapons strength is 4"

You can look up the terms used in naming the weapon or armour to guess at what it does, and on page 176 of the SMAC manual there is a cool section that gives a little more info about the chassis, weapon, reactor, and armour types.

It's a little harder to accurately describe technologically advanced weapons, whereas everyone can tell you what a bow is or what a sword can do.\

You can also go by approximately how awesome the name of the weapon is. A singularity laser sounds way more bad-ass than a mere missile launcher, and A probability sheath sounds way more awesome than plasma steel.

 

[evirus]

Spoiler :

I have several suggestions (and I don't intend to be offensive if you are a new player to SMAC, but someone on another site has accused me of being impatient with new players):

(1) there is a 250 page manual that came with my game (which you might not have if you purchased the game second hand or through Sold-Out software). I believe you can purchase the manual at Amazon second-hand. (There is also another SMAC site that offers it for download, but I am not sure if CFC permits me to point you to that site.)

(2) there is Prima's Official Strategy Guide, which you can buy at Amazon.

(3) there is Vel's SMAX Guide that the author, Chris Hartspence, donated to WePlayCiv.com when it opened a year ago. You can view the latest commercial version free; I do recommend that if you like it, you buy it at Amazon. For $15, you might appreciate being able to refer to the hard copy while playing.

(4) The esteemed moderator of this forum, Petek, has a list of SMACX Links.

(5) In particular, the Gamespot guide and

(6) the SMAC Academy may fit your needs.

(7) there is this forum. There may be people here who are willing to explain why a tachyon bolt weapon is more powerful than an impact weapon, although we are a rather dull group (in my opinion, we are more into game play than into game related fiction)

(8) there is the SMAC forum at WePlayCiv (and people who might be interested in speculating why one weapon is more powerful than another). However, please give us a try first.

Note that the Prima Strategy Guide does have background about tech. I didn't like it, but that may be exactly what you are looking for.

I'm sure Petek can point you to other resources.

i think you missed my point. in understand how the combat system works, and that a weapon with a power of 4 will typically beat armor with a power of 2 while attacking. what i was talking about is a desire to see explanations as to how the different weapons work, (or could work given the sci-fi theme) much like how in civ 4 you can open it's version of the data links(civlopedia), click on a unit building or technology, scroll down past the game specific information and see a paragraph or two about the item as it corresponds to the real world. now you see a little bit of this when you discover a new technology by clicking on the button at the end of the dialog quote, it will give you background information on what the technology means plot wise, but this information is not available out side of that popup message.

 

[GooglyBoogly]

this information is not available out side of that popup message.

I recall seeing an ancient post (not necessarily on this forum) where someone had pulled all the quotes into a single accessible file.

EDIT: Found it!

The file is called techlongs.txt

There is also some flavour info to be found, funnily enough in flavor.txt (I'll probably add this info to my next datalinks update)

For some reason I can see the flavour text for secret projects, but not base facilities. ( blurbsx.txt) Is it just me?
Might be another bug to report to scient.

There is some data relating to Chirion in planets.txt (and in the game manual)

 

[chuft]

aren't all the quotes in techlongs.txt in the main SMAC folder?

EDIT: ninja'd by GooglyBoogly

by the way, when is the quote about the Garden of Eden spoken by Miriam? It is the first quote in blurbsx and says Opening but I don't recall hearing it. Am I clicking past something?

 

[vyeh]

what i was talking about is a desire to see explanations as to how the different weapons work, (or could work given the sci-fi theme) much like how in civ 4 you can open it's version of the data links(civlopedia), click on a unit building or technology, scroll down past the game specific information and see a paragraph or two about the item as it corresponds to the real world.

Unfortunately, SMAC is not the real world. There is some of what you seek in Prima's Official Strategy Guide (those are the portions that annoy me).

There is some of the material you seek in the Gamespot Guide, particularly Unit Building Blocks, Projectile Weapons, Beam Weapons and Abilities

While these are not paragraphs, the tables might interest you.

As far as I know, there is no official or semi-official source. There may be fan generated material, but I don't follow those.