12-10-2004 22:13									#1
	Opinions sought on a SMAC conversion mod Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Hey all Modders -

After completing, testing, and starting a PBEM game with my first mod, Proxima Centauri (http://apolyton.net/forums/showthre...threadid=123521), I'm working on another, more ambitious makeover for SMAC that imagines events on Earth immediately after the Unity departs for Alpha Centauri. I'd like to run the mod past other players and modder to see how the idea floats.

Setting: After the Unity mission, the situation on Earth deteriorated rapidly. Overpopulation, shortages of resources, climatic disruptions, ecological collapses, disease, political strife, and territorial disputes resulted in a global population on the verge of revolt. The situation came to a head as a result of a mysterious bombing of U.N. headquarters. Fingers were pointed, blame passed around, and popular dissent built until centers of power, seeing no alternative, launched attacks on one another in order to consolidate their holding in precious resources. Nuclear weapons destroyed many population centers before anti-missile defenses prevented an all-out cataclysm. In the aftermath, nations were thrown into disarray - their technological and communications infrastructures smashed, their governments destroyed, their roads and cities in ruins.

The partial devestation has left the world in a kind of modern dark age; semi-autonomous city-states, inhabited by the remaining educated elite, lord over the hungry masses outside. Governments have been re-organized along more primitive (autocratic) lines within the few cities still intact. Factions have assimilated the remaining military powers and wield brutal force to keep the surviving masses, who live on the edge of starvation, in line. Manufacturing and research capabilities were destroyed and need to be rebuilt from scratch. Technology must be re-mastered or re-discovered. "Legacy" systems - units and facilities from the high-tech age before the fall - are falling into disrepair and must be reverse-engineered before they can be mass-produced.

This total conversion will involve pretty much all of the data files that can be changed for SMAC. New feature will include:

• Seven custom factions: These include six groups organized along geographic/ethnographic lines - North America, South America, Europe, Africa, East Asia, and Russia - and one decentralized resistance group. Starting locations will be fixed in the scenario, except for the ristance group, who will begin with a number of colony pods, thus making their headquarters location variable and secret. The six primary factions will begin swith established cities, specific techs, and certain military units representing the remnants of their military forces. Each faction will start with diplomatic status with some other factions as well as some comm frequencies.
  
• Tech tree designed from scratch: "Techs" will be replaced with "Advances", as they represent more than simply technologies, but also fiscal policies, social agendas, political doctrines, and general fields of knowledge.
  
• New resources: Food, raw materials, capital (slight change in theme, same purpose)
  
• New facilities, map improvements, and Special Projects: while I can't change the basic function of these, I can rename them and alter the graphics to make them a closer fit for the scenario. Because the theme of this conversion is socio-political rather than ecological, facilities and improvements will be along the lines of industrial/commercial centers and government facilities.
  
• A custom map of Earth: I saw the map available for download on this site, but I found it to be a too small. I wanted more land area for base construction and warfare. So, I'm drawing a new one using outline and topographic maps as guides. I'm about 2/3 done - I have N. and S. America, Europe and Africa, western Asia and Antarctica drawn.
  
• New map textures: I am eliminating both forest and fungus, and replacing them with settlements and "sprawl" (see below for changes to alien life). Bases represent cities being rebuilt by the various factions. Sprawl represents the lawless, makeshift, pseudo-urban population areas where the majority of the world's population live at the subsistence level. Settlements are the "suburbs" - built by the factions and populated by city dwellers, providing resources to the cities, and tending to grow on their own.
  
• Altered alien life: I have found that I am able to change the graphics for mind worms by altering one of the .pcx files. My idea was to make worms, which are a manifestation of Planet's resentment toward the Unity colonists, into something more topical. I intend to change the "Planet" rating into something akin to "Social" to represent a faction's relations with the Earth's population at large - impoverished and starving as they are, according to this scenario. Thus eco-damage becomes "unrest" and worms become "insurgents", lightly-armed groups of fighters that appear in underdeveloped areas (sprawl), attack faction units using unconventional tactics ("insurgency" rather than psi), sometimes destroy improvements, and attack faction bases (cities). Certain advances will enable units to train to resist the insurgents' special tactics ("counter-insurgency" special ability) and fight them on their own terms. I think anyone who's been paying attention to the news lately understands the problem of a conventional armed force fighting loosely-organized guerilla fighters using unconventional tactics. Advances which, in SMAC, give a faction the ability to exploit fungus or use native life would reflect the development of degrees of trust between a government and the "outsider" population, enabling a faction to fund their own insurgents, extract resources from sprawl areas, build improvements there, etc.
  
• Changed monoliths and Unity pods: These will represent pre-collapse "Legacy" facilities (monoliths) and ruins (pods) that provide players with bonus units, advances, and resources.
  

	12-10-2004 22:47									#2
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Sounds great! I deffinitely will be keeping an eye on this list to see how it goes. The Network Node has a simmilar concept, except that theirs takes place after the chironian settlers come back to see what has happened in the interim.

	13-10-2004 03:17									#3
	Re: Opinions sought on a SMAC conversion mod Put an end to popups!

quote: Originally posted by fluxionman [*]Changed monoliths and Unity pods: These will represent pre-collapse "Legacy" facilities (monoliths) and ruins (pods) that provide players with bonus units, advances, and resources. [/list] I would be grateful to hear observations, questions, and ideas. Has this kind of conversion been done before? Does this sound interesting?

Heah fluxionman,

any chance you can post your alpha.txt file as well as your modded .pcx files? I can provide feedback on the alpha.txt file, and I am curious about whether or not the modified "images" are imprinted onto the game file or not, as well as what the images look like.


D

	13-10-2004 08:00									#4
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Fluxionman: you can make the native life appear as a random resistance movement. mw's as scouts, iod as impact rovers, even perhaps a proper 'saboteur' (probe, wonder how the game will handle that)... stuff like that. That way you can put a seventh 'proper' faction in the game.

	13-10-2004 10:28									#5
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Sounds very interesting, fluxionman, and I'm up for testing it. Especially this insurgency looks nice...

I wish I had more time for doing such things myself.

	13-10-2004 17:30									#6
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quote: Originally posted by GeoModder Fluxionman: you can make the native life appear as a random resistance movement. mw's as scouts, iod as impact rovers, even perhaps a proper 'saboteur' (probe, wonder how the game will handle that)... stuff like that. That way you can put a seventh 'proper' faction in the game.

The "8th Faction" doesn't really use probe teams that well. They have no "money", hence cannot probe units nor MC cities.
However, giving the 8th Faction special abilities, especially if given a theme, can really be very enjoyable. In my ongoing Beta Lyrae "mod" I gave the aquatic units the marine detachment capability, which fits my "theme" perfectly as this version of the 8th Faction are parasites that enslave those they infect, hence explaining why the marine detachment works in this mod. It also can make the 8th Faction much more potent. Nothing worse than having a transport laden with Marine Chaos Invaders 8/4/1 being taken over by the 8th Faction and being steered right back at you!


D

	13-10-2004 18:14									#7
	Re: Re: Opinions sought on a SMAC conversion mod Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

quote: Originally posted by Darsnan Heah fluxionman, any chance you can post your alpha.txt file as well as your modded .pcx files? I can provide feedback on the alpha.txt file, and I am curious about whether or not the modified "images" are imprinted onto the game file or not, as well as what the images look like. D

I am currently still in the planning stages of the changes to alpha.txt - I have about 12 sheets of paper with the new tech tree drawn up, and a printed copy of the file marked up with changes in red pen. I have also begun changes to the graphics, and I'd be happy to post screencaps of those changes as they are finished.

The changes to graphics would not effect the game files, if by this you mean saves. I'm changing the various .pcx files in the Data directory (texture.pcx, units.pcx, etc.).

Thanks!

	13-10-2004 18:34									#8
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quote: Originally posted by GeoModder Fluxionman: you can make the native life appear as a random resistance movement. mw's as scouts, iod as impact rovers, even perhaps a proper 'saboteur' (probe, wonder how the game will handle that)... stuff like that. That way you can put a seventh 'proper' faction in the game.

An interesting idea. Do you mean altering native life units to behave more like standup military units? I'm not sure it would be necessary, since the power of native units comes from their psi ability, and conventional units would quickly be outclassed by factions with higher technology.

I have a specific theme in mind for the seventh faction that goes along with their unconventional setup: a collective of indiginous peoples working toward undermining the imperialism and industrialization of the other six factions. Their strength will lie in their decentralization and their close ties with insurgents. I thought that a scenario pitting three factions versus three factions, with a seventh trying to undermine them all and "native" units causing constant problems, would be most compelling.

	13-10-2004 18:38									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Darsnan The "8th Faction" doesn't really use probe teams that well. They have no "money", hence cannot probe units nor MC cities. However, giving the 8th Faction special abilities, especially if given a theme, can really be very enjoyable. In my ongoing Beta Lyrae "mod" I gave the aquatic units the marine detachment capability, which fits my "theme" perfectly as this version of the 8th Faction are parasites that enslave those they infect, hence explaining why the marine detachment works in this mod. It also can make the 8th Faction much more potent. Nothing worse than having a transport laden with Marine Chaos Invaders 8/4/1 being taken over by the 8th Faction and being steered right back at you! D

That's a great idea. How do you apply special abilities to default units? I assume you need to assign numbers to the "tags" section at the end of default unit listings.

	13-10-2004 19:09									#10
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Yep, that's the way. You just enable the right flag.

Watch out though, the abilities flags work the other way around IIRC. They go from bottom to top. And for factions giving extra abilities: don't put more then one a faction, for else that faction won't be able to use the extra abilities later ingame if a player puts 2 abilites in the workshop and that unit is entitled to more then 1 'free' ability.

	14-10-2004 02:02									#11
	Re: Re: Re: Opinions sought on a SMAC conversion mod Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

quote: Originally posted by fluxionman I am currently still in the planning stages of the changes to alpha.txt - I have about 12 sheets of paper with the new tech tree drawn up, and a printed copy of the file marked up with changes in red pen. I have also begun changes to the graphics, and I'd be happy to post screencaps of those changes as they are finished.

Thats the way I used to do it as well. Maybe this will help you. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen for the section that'll help you, including what all the flags mean.

quote: Originally posted by fluxionman The changes to graphics would not effect the game files, if by this you mean saves.

That would be too bad. Still, I'd like to see the pics when you get the mod'd.

	14-10-2004 02:28									#12
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Luckily, this isn't my first makeover of SMAC. My first attempt started with "I want to insert myself as a faction leader" and ended up encompassing seven original factions, a redesigned tech tree with new techs, and alpha.txt with new parameters. I just started a PBEM game using the mod.

This overhaul is much more ambitious, however. With the graphics, I've started with the map textures. My settlement and sprawl tiles are almost finished. Then, I need to redo the moist and wet textures. I also want to remake sea fungus into ice floes to restrict sea movement at the poles.

The Academy, of course, is a vital link to players and modders.

	14-10-2004 04:03									#13
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I like the sound of this.

[insert ModMan plug here]

But seriously, I like it.

Any plans for IoDs, locusts and sealurks?

	14-10-2004 05:10									#14
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quote: Originally posted by #endgame I like the sound of this. [insert ModMan plug here] But seriously, I like it. Any plans for IoDs, locusts and sealurks?

I've been thinking about what to do with those, while at the same time investigating the possibility of using the empty unit graphic slots in unit.pcx. (IoD, locusts, etc., are not included in that file with regular worms, but if I can assign units those graphics, I might as well use them, right?) I am open to suggestions.

	14-10-2004 13:35									#15
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I'd advise against removing them, since you really need a regulator against any aquatic factions or early expansion. I can't think of a story based explanaation though.

	15-10-2004 19:52									#16
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quote: Originally posted by #endgame I'd advise against removing them, since you really need a regulator against any aquatic factions or early expansion. I can't think of a story based explanaation though.

The scenario setup eliminates somewhat the need for non-faction naval units. There will be starting locations for each faction - 3 to 5 cities for each, with small populations. Colonization will be difficult, however, and will require larger investments of time and resources. Think about it - the bases in SMAC are small and self-contained environments, and population units in the game represent 10,000 people (IIRC). Under this mod, 1 population = 1 million people. It will be a greater commitment to displace a million people to a new site to start a city. Also, while most factions will begin with a set number of "legacy" naval units, the technologies to build new units will not be immediately available. And, since the game will start with the map known (big surprise), exploration will not be a large part of naval operations. There won't be any "aquatic" factions like the Pirates to worry about, either.

So perhaps I can do without IoDs or the equivalent.

	15-10-2004 21:05									#17
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Have you found in which file it is that the game states that 1 population = 10000 people? Hadn't had luck with that...

	15-10-2004 21:16									#18
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When you obliterate a base, it tells you how many people were put to death. The number is always 10000 * base size.

	15-10-2004 23:15									#19
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Yes, I know that. What I don't know is in what file this number 10000 is put so it can be adapted for modding purposes. I think that it is a label forwarded from one of the text files, but can't find it.

	15-10-2004 23:57									#20
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In script.txt

code:

#OBLITTED
#xs 440
#caption Operations Director
$BASENAME0 has been obliterated, $TITLE1.
$NUM0,000 $<M1:$FACTIONADJ2> citizens were put to death.

#OBLITTED2
#xs 440
#caption Operations Director
$TITLE3 $NAME4 has ordered the obliteration of $BASENAME0, $TITLE1!
$NUM0,000 $<M1:$FACTIONADJ2> citizens were put to death!

	16-10-2004 00:21									#21
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I think it is a great idea. Kinda sounds like a Cyber-Punk scenario.....hmmm, a Cyber-Punk scenario .

It sounds like you want to make expansion more costly too. That is something I had been thinking about doing. Make cities a real commodity. I always thought colony pods were too cheap. If colony pods represented a large investment of resources, it would make military factions more attractive, and at the same time make gas less attractive. Capturing (rather than destroying) a city could give the advantage in a game where player can't just spam out the colony pods. Unfortunately I have not tested this hypothesis yet, so I don't know if it will actually work out that way.

Btw: Nice avatar

	16-10-2004 00:36									#22
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quote: Originally posted by livid imp I think it is a great idea. Kinda sounds like a Cyber-Punk scenario.....hmmm, a Cyber-Punk scenario .

It has a sort of post-apocalyptic feel, true. At the start of the scenario, the world is crumbling - broken buildings, people scratching a living out of the dusty soil, imperialist warlords hiding in barded-wire-encircled compounds, run-down warships rusting at sea because no one knows how to fix them, etc.

quote: It sounds like you want to make expansion more costly too. That is something I had been thinking about doing. Make cities a real commodity. I always thought colony pods were too cheap. If colony pods represented a large investment of resources, it would make military factions more attractive, and at the same time make gas less attractive. Capturing (rather than destroying) a city could give the advantage in a game where player can't just spam out the colony pods. Unfortunately I have not tested this hypothesis yet, so I don't know if it will actually work out that way.

I agreed completely. I find building and taking bases in SMAC to be too easy. Because the scale of cities is at least two degrees of magnitude higher than AC bases, the investment to build them should be at least 100 times as high. Cities should also be more difficult to capture; from Stalingrad to Baghdad, modern armies have learned that urban combat is some of the ugliest fighting imaginable.

quote: Btw: Nice avatar

Aw, I bet you say that to all the surly drones.

	16-10-2004 00:55									#23
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For those following the thread, here are my (tentative) factions:

• Pan-Asiatic Alliance ("Pan-Asia")
  Leader: Chairman Xin Lu-Zhao
  Government Type: Capitalist Oligarchy
  Bases: Shanghai, Bangkok, Tokyo, Jakarta, Manilla
  Goal: Economic domination
  
  
• The Europa Coalition ("Europa")
  Leader: Prime Minister Erich Van Groen
  Government Type: Parliamentary Technocracy
  Bases: Berlin, Paris, Rome
  Goal: Technological superiority
  
  
• The Russo-Slavic Peoples' Union ("People's Union")
  Leader: Comrade Katyusha Zaneta
  Government Type: Industrial Socialism
  Bases: Moscow, Warsaw, Prague, Istanbul
  Goal: Industrial power
  
  
• The Golden Empire ("The Empire")
  Leader: Great King Mboto Ngo
  Government Type: Absolute Monarchy
  Bases: Lagos, Kinshasa, Cairo, Johannesburg
  Goal: Military conquest
  
  
• The Federated States of NovAmerica ("NovAmerica")
  Leader: Reverend Lehi Samuelson
  Government Type: Fundamentalist Theocracy
  Bases: Salt Lake City, Houston, Seattle, New York
  Goal: Ideological crusade
  
  
• Free Amazonia ("Amazonia")
  Leader: President Rafaela Goncallvez
  Government Type: Democracy
  Bases: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Caracas
  Goal: Social equity
  
  
• Native People's Front ("NPF")
  Leader: Chieftain Daniel Grey Wolf
  Government Type: Tribal Commune
  Bases: No fixed starting location (colony pods)
  Goal: Global revolution and overthrow of factional powers
  

	16-10-2004 04:12									#24
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Here's a first shot at the social modifications for those factions:

Pan-Asiatic:
+1 Econ (booming economy fueled by large populations)
+3 hab limits (accustomed to crowding)
-1 Effic (bureaucracy at its finest)
-1 Probe (bureaucracy at its finest)
Nodrone 1 (ascetic values)
110% Tech cost (focus on the past)
Cannot choose Democracy

Europa:
+2 Research (intellectual elite)
-2 Growth (aging, stagnant population)
Free bio lab in each base (entrenched collegiate culture)
Free perimeter defense in each base (ancient cities riddled with tunnels; narrow and deadly streets)
-1 Industry (short working hours)
-1 Support (small working population)
Cannot choose Fundamentalist

Russo-Slavic:
+1 Industry (underpaid, desperate workers)
+2 Support (people's army)
+2 Police (pervasive military presence)
+1 Planet (socialism appeals to the insurgents)
-1 Economy (underpaid workers)
-1 Morale (ragtag military)
-2 Probe (bribery is straightforward and commonplace)
Robust Power
Cannot choose Free Market

Golden Empire:
+2 Morale (carefully coordinated military)
+1 Support (conscription)
Hurry costs 75% (forced labor)
-1 Effic (centralized government)
-2 Planet (particular target of insurgency)
Penalty Democracy (an illusion of democracy is difficult to preserve)

Federated States of NovAmerica
+1 Morale (crusaders)
+1 Planet (religion appeals to the insurgents)
140% tech cost (repels intellectual elite)
Robust Research (American fundamentalism tolerates science)
Free Ability Polymorphic Encryption
Extra Talent for every 3 population (some gain a sense of meaning and purpose)
Extra Drone for every 7 population (some are brutally oppressed)
-1 Talent (some are brutally oppressed)
Cannot choose Knowledge

Free Amazonia:
+1 Growth (full of youth, emphasis on large families)
+2 Planet (Democracy appeals strongly to insurgents)
+2 Effic (more evenly distributed wealth)
+1 commerce (experience from drug cartels)
-1 Police (anarchistic tendencies)
Defense 80% (lack of unified defense)
Cannot choose Wealth

Native People's Front
+3 Planet (excellent rapport with insurgents)
Sharetech 3 (sympathizers in every faction)
Enhanced policing from insurgents ("worm police")
400% tech cost (impossible to do research without advanced facilities)
+6 Effic (ability to organize widely distributed bases)
-2 Econ (no single currency, tendency towards barter economy)
Immunity to mind control (impossible to subvert tightly-knit communities)
-2 Morale (lack of advanced weaponry)
Cannot choose Planned

	16-10-2004 04:52									#25
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hmmm

	16-10-2004 04:57									#26
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fluxionman,

I generally like the factions. Though the whole Russian-Communism-Industrial power thing is rather cliche anymore. Africa maybe the next emerging industrial power if they ever get well organized (as SMAC predicted with the Morganite faction).

	16-10-2004 08:00									#27
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Careful you don't run over the limit of faction mods.

	16-10-2004 10:09									#28
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I kept that in mind the whole time. There are three categories of social modifications:

Aversion to SE, limit 1 (as far as I know)
"Faction" options, limit 8
"Rule" options, limit unknown

I think I fell within all the constraints.

	16-10-2004 11:58									#29
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quote: Originally posted by Chaos Theory In script.txt code: #OBLITTED #xs 440 #caption Operations Director $BASENAME0 has been obliterated, $TITLE1. $NUM0,000 $<M1:$FACTIONADJ2> citizens were put to death. #OBLITTED2 #xs 440 #caption Operations Director $TITLE3 $NAME4 has ordered the obliteration of $BASENAME0, $TITLE1! $NUM0,000 $<M1:$FACTIONADJ2> citizens were put to death!

Finally I know where to look for it!! Thanks!!!

	17-10-2004 01:17									#30
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Wow. Some very good suggestions here, many I hadn't considered.

I should probably preface my message with an explanation of the new SE choices - I plan to redo them in the following manner:

Government
Autocracy (default): --Social (Planet), --Efficiency, +Infrastructure (Research), +Support
Parliamentary: -Social, ++Infrastructure, -Efficiency
Democracy: ++Growth, +Efficiency, -Support
Socialist State: +Social, ++Efficiency, -Infrastructure, -Support, +Growth