What's the deal arguing about cIV or ciV, Alpha Centauri is still the best!

[NobleJms]

Alpha Centauri, created 11 years ago, had:


-Create custom unit

-One unit per tile

-Asking allies to attack a certain enemy city

-Social policies

-Global warming and retaliation of planet's ecosystems

-Espionage

-Leaders with true personalities

-Raise or lower terrain by workers unit


Why do I have a feeling that games created back then, in this case Alpha Centauri, has more of developers' passion in it than games created nowadays?

 

[rujikin]

Why do I have a feeling that games created back then, in this case Alpha Centauri, has more of developers' passion in it than games created nowadays?

It became someones job instead of their passion

 

[heliostellar]

True story. Alpha Centauri was an amazing game

 

[S.ilver]

Alpha Centauri was awesome, and I still have it installed on old beater laptops. That being said...

-One unit per tile

Nope. I distinctly remember my giant stacks of Clean Hovertanks rolling over the enemy.

-Social policies

It was social engineering, and it was more akin to Civics from Civ4 than it is to social policies in Civ5.

 

[Warspite2]

Alpha Centauri, created 11 years ago, had:


-Create custom unit

-One unit per tile

-Asking allies to attack a certain enemy city

-Social policies

-Global warming and retaliation of planet's ecosystems

-Espionage

-Leaders with true personalities

-Raise or lower terrain by workers unit


Why do I have a feeling that games created back then, in this case Alpha Centauri, has more of developers' passion in it than games created nowadays?

Yeah that was a great game, not an actual CIV title but still was great on its own. I am surprised they never done a SMAC II. It would actually be a good time to do something like that right now. Firaxis, how about it as next project? They could use the graphics engine in Civ V and just keep the rest of it nearly the same and I bet they will sell the heck out of the game. It was a solid concept.

 

[Psyringe]

While I like SMAC a lot, this ...

Alpha Centauri, created 11 years ago, had:
-One unit per tile

simply isn't true. Though units (mostly) received collateral damage when a unit in their stack was destroyed, up to the point were they could be destroyed themselves, so being in a stack was sometimes rather dangerous.

 

[JoyG]

SMAC was a great game and it is still my fav Civ (Civ-like) game. Sadly the brand is owned by EA and so Fireaxis can't work on a new SMAC

 

[Selous]

While I like SMAC a lot, this ...


simply isn't true. Though units (mostly) received collateral damage when a unit in their stack was destroyed, up to the point were they could be destroyed themselves, so being in a stack was sometimes rather dangerous.

well at least a game mechanic that discouraged the SOD

that was truly a game ahead of its time, i would like to see another 4X title where the gaming world is "alive"

 

[Quetz]

What about Civ 4 + Alpha Centauri?
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=252829

 

[Bibor]

What about Civ 4 + Alpha Centauri?
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=252829

Tried it, didn't like it (someone put a lot of effort into it tho).

 

[Gatsby]

Alpha Centauri, created 11 years ago, had:


-Create custom unit

-One unit per tile

-Asking allies to attack a certain enemy city

-Social policies

-Global warming and retaliation of planet's ecosystems

-Espionage

-Leaders with true personalities

-Raise or lower terrain by workers unit


Why do I have a feeling that games created back then, in this case Alpha Centauri, has more of developers' passion in it than games created nowadays?

SMAC also had natural wonders

 

[Selous]

SMAC also had natural wonders

and natural wonders that were quite impressive!! not just a 1 tile wonder

 

[RagnorIronpants]

SMAC was a great game and it is still my fav Civ (Civ-like) game. Sadly the brand is owned by EA and so Fireaxis can't work on a new SMAC

I don't want Firaxis to touch a new SMAC, I want Brian Reynolds to. It was his love of the Destination: Void books and knowledge of philosophy that made that game great. I'd love to see them try and "streamline" a game partly based on Thus Spake Zarathustra.

Problem was, it didn't sell brilliantly, supposedly because it was so complex - apparently it put Firaxis off the idea of having complicated vanilla 4X games (compare it to III, which was fairly simple, and then IV + BtS, which was clearly heavily influenced by AC). Which is a shame, because it's easily one of the best games ever.

 

[mystikmind2005]

Be fair - SMAC was a freak of it's time, so jamb packed full of brilliant features and game concepts that no one has any chance of beating it, so there is no use in even trying!

If you borrowed Men in Blacks memory thingy and flashed all memory of SMAC from the world, put a much better AI in it and sold it as a new game today, it would definitely cream anything else on the market today and be a best seller for sure!

 

[Gatsby]

I don't want Firaxis to touch a new SMAC, I want Brian Reynolds to. It was his love of the Destination: Void books and knowledge of philosophy that made that game great. I'd love to see them try and "streamline" a game partly based on Thus Spake Zarathustra.

Problem was, it didn't sell brilliantly, supposedly because it was so complex - apparently it put Firaxis off the idea of having complicated vanilla 4X games (compare it to III, which was fairly simple, and then IV + BtS, which was clearly heavily influenced by AC). Which is a shame, because it's easily one of the best games ever.

+1
Of all the Civ-style games I've played, SMAC well and truly was (and still is) the most enchanting, atmospheric, and thought-provoking. The closest I've seen anything tbs come to SMAC in this regard is the Civ4 Fall From Heaven mod. It wasn't the 'prettiest' game to look at, but it more than made up for that in gameplay, concepts, story, and overall immersiveness - SMAC feels like the spiritual tbs equivalent to (the newer) Battlestar Galactica imo.


PS SMAC was also the first to have something very much like Vassal States.

 

[JoyG]

And it had a cool UN implementation too.

I don't want Firaxis to touch a new SMAC, I want Brian Reynolds to. It was his love of the Destination: Void books and knowledge of philosophy that made that game great. I'd love to see them try and "streamline" a game partly based on Thus Spake Zarathustra.

Problem was, it didn't sell brilliantly, supposedly because it was so complex - apparently it put Firaxis off the idea of having complicated vanilla 4X games (compare it to III, which was fairly simple, and then IV + BtS, which was clearly heavily influenced by AC). Which is a shame, because it's easily one of the best games ever.

Yes but now they can't even if they would, because the intellectual property of Alpha Centauri is owned by Electronic Arts, while the present-day Firaxis is under Take2, an EA competitor. Jon Shafer (Civ V Lead Designer and a modder before) said that on some recent interviews. I agree about Brian Reynolds though. OMG, no, I don't want a "streamlined" AC! I will play AC as it is now forever instead! Anyway Brian Reynolds works at Zynga now. I can't figure AC in Flash fashion! But seriously, AC2, if done properly, would be great.

 

[RagnorIronpants]

Hopefully Reynolds' could make a spiritual successor, as happened with Supreme Commander.

 

[bhavv]

SMAC = best TBS ever made.

You could actually build everything in that game, and win through building things.

That hasnt been possible in Civ for a long time. I hate not being able to build everything because it is too expensive and time consuming now.

What about Civ 4 + Alpha Centauri?
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=252829

I tied it, and its rubbish in comparison to SMAC.

 

[ChristofferC]

Alpha Centauri had interesting features and was very atmospheric. I like it a lot. However, the game was just too easy even on the hardest difficulty because the AI couldn't handle all those features. Drones on boreholes? Yes, please. Use drones to finish wonders in one turn? Yes please. Spam forests everywhere to offset the environmental damage? Hell yeah.

Civ4 is better because the AI doesn't suck as much.

 

[Mivo]

SMAC = best TBS ever made.

No, that would be MoM.

But SMAC was fantastic and if it was offered at GoG, I'd instantly buy a copy. Alas, they don't have it, and my box is somewhere on the attic.