20-01-2004 01:03									#1
	Alternate interface graphics Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Hi, I'm a longtime Alpha Centauri player (solitaire only) and this is my first post to this forum. I never had Alien Crossfire (didn't really like the premise) but a couple months ago I came across some pics which seemed to show a _very_ different interface from what I'm used to, e.g. in the Planetary Council meeting and the Vehicle Design shop. The following is a link to a current EBay auction (disclaimer: I'm not involved in the auction in any way) with the two pictures I am talking about :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=3072594655

So I bought the EA Laptop Collection (which included Alpha Centauri _and_ the "Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack", but did not come with any kind of Alien Crossfire documentation, not even a .PDF *fume*) and everything looks the same.

Are the two pictures in the auction I linked to screenshots from the Mac version? Or am I missing something?

Thanks!

Teukros

	20-01-2004 01:09									#2
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

That's certainly not any in-game graphic I've ever seen.

I can see the airframe was mislabeled "speeder".

Maybe the auctioneer grabbed some old in-development photos off the web?

	20-01-2004 01:21									#3
	Put an end to popups!

Ahhhhh. I haven`t seen anything like that in a long time.
These are indeed old screenshots from the early development (I can post a few if someone is interested). Those auctioneers are really reckless - that interface was abandoned obviously and they are trying to sell stuff with false informations- BUT it can be seen in the animation for the Command Nexus (if you watch it carefully).

	20-01-2004 01:26									#4
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Fascinating! And thanks for the prompt replies!

Nuts. I was looking forward to the "new" interface :-|

	20-01-2004 12:57									#5
	Put an end to popups!

Post pics please!

	22-01-2004 00:30									#6
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

I`ll post in about 24 hours (know on which CD but not where that CD is now).

	23-01-2004 00:58									#7
	Full PM-box? Change here!

As I promised to Mad Monk here they are:

Attachment: alpha1.jpg
This has been downloaded 80 time(s).

	23-01-2004 01:01									#8
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

Another

Attachment: alpha2.jpg
This has been downloaded 77 time(s).

	23-01-2004 01:04									#9
	Inflate your Upload Space

Even more

Attachment: alpha3.jpg
This has been downloaded 73 time(s).

	23-01-2004 01:07									#10
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Final one

Attachment: alpha4.jpg
This has been downloaded 73 time(s).

	23-01-2004 01:12									#11
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

You might notice that initial listing of weapons/modules is pretty much different than the one we all know. Also we can see that weapons have forgotten energy/projectile ability designated.
I wonder whose HQ looks like that [cough Morgan cough]
No idea what the artworks were supposed to be. Probably expelled ideas.

	23-01-2004 02:36									#12
	Full PM-box? Change here!

IIRC there first were gonna be different interfaces for each faction. A pity they abandoned the idea.

	23-01-2004 07:12									#13
	Full PM-box? Change here!

*drools over datalinks pic*

	23-01-2004 13:59									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Thanks!

The datalinks pic reminds me a lot of the MoO2 data interface -- so much green.

From the drawing, I guess they were going to have more "settler"-like formers initially?

	24-01-2004 00:15									#15
	Remove this text

Unfortunately, I don`t have screenshot whic actual game graphics in the begining - not only I cannot tell what is what, but all graphics is weird - inteface looks old with circular map shower in the center with some pretty hmm SQUARE teritory showing - solar plants look strange, bases look generic strange and there is something strange which looks like infantry with a shovel - but I cannot remember it exactly. Perhaps formers should have looked like colonists with shovel as Mad Monk assumed?

	24-01-2004 02:36									#16
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Seeing these pictures (and others in various places), a big disappointment for me is the abandonment of the supercool Alpha Centauri font and the use instead of boring generic lifeless soulless Arial blegh.
Surely Alpha Centauri could have been kept for menus, lists, captions, and such?

	24-01-2004 11:29									#17
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

It would have been a nice bit of added flavor.

	25-01-2004 09:39									#18
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I didn't know about the proposed different interfaces for each faction (individual sounds would have been nice too!). It might seem a very minor cosmetic point in the grand scheme of things, but if anyone here has played Birth of the Federation you'll know what an effect it has on atmosphere. BOTF was a very flawed game but it oozed authenticity mainly due to really 'feeling' like the hub of the warlike Klingon empire, or the clean bland Federation in fonts/graphics/voices etc.
It seems an even greater shame considering what fantastic characters were created for the game - the best and most complex in any computer game ever probably, I would have loved to get even further into their psyches!

	25-01-2004 23:29									#19
	Support Apolyton

Oh I played ST:BOF! It is like SMAC - great even with some flaws. It was not the interface that appeals me to it - but excellent music and quotes (opening and ending only). It really gives spirit to the game. You just know when you are playing arrogant Romulans or warlike Klingons, fascist Cardassians, greedy Ferengis or boring Federation. And music runs through your head for days... That is one great game, but seems everyone has forgotten it. Luckly this is not like with SMAC - we have Apolyton.