05-04-2005 22:40									#1
	Turn messages Full PM-box? Change here!

This may be a really stupid question, but first, my introduction

I have been playing SMAC since release and dutifully pre-ordered the expansion way back when, it is one of the games I go back to over and over. Some of my other long term favourites:

1) Conquest of the New World
2) Master of Orion series
3) Warlords series
4) Fantasy General
5) Diablo series (sometimes feel the need to beat stuff up after work).

New to Apolyton, thanks for having me.

Now for the question, those little yellow messages that pop up onto the world map at the beginning of the turn, such as the Drones have signed a Treaty of Friendship with the Hive, or whatever...well those messages disappear too fast, I am normally cycling through dozens of maintenance screens as soon as my turn starts so I never get to read them.

Is there any screen where they are listed or any way to have them appear in the text box? I have never found a way.

	05-04-2005 23:26									#2
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Under the Game Menu, Warning Preferences you can mark Stop for Drone Riots...
If you meant the messages where it shows the faction dominance, click on the M to get back to Messages.

	05-04-2005 23:37									#3
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I keep meaning to ask this too. Several times now I've had factions combine forces against me and haven't noticed until I clicked the commlink menu. It was fine on my old PII 233, but on this machine the end-of-turn pause barely lasts a second and then all the messages get obliterated by popup after popup. If I don't deal with all the popups in time, I don't get to find out what happened that turn :/ since some of the things that appear there (diplomatic messages, enemy terraforming, etc.) vanish before I get there.

	06-04-2005 00:23									#4
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One of the options under Game Preferences is "Pause at end of turn". If you check this option, the game will not continue until you hit the Enter key.

	06-04-2005 00:36									#5
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yep, I always configure it to only end the turn when I press the Enter key.

And after all the popups clear, press the M key (in the center window at the bottom of the screen) to see the messages.

	06-04-2005 00:39									#6
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IIRC, don't the yellow messages occur during the upkeep phase, after the end of the turn? I mean, I have had turns end by disbanding a unit or whatever, triggering the 'Turn Complete' prompt, but that doesn't solve the problem - the messages appear after I hit the button. And Diss, I'm talking about messages that specifically don't appear in the Messages subscreen - interfactional diplomacy usw.

	06-04-2005 00:49									#7
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you might need to learn to read faster then

	06-04-2005 01:22									#8
	Put an end to popups!

You can't read them at all because of all the upkeep pop ups that appear right over top of them.

The end of turn thing, well, I suppose I will look at that, but my turns don't end automatically, I have to press that button. The popups of which I speak do indeed come onscreen at "the beginning" of my turn. You know the ones, formers have altered the rainfall patterns near Alpha Prime. Those little yellow ones do not appear in the message box you come to when you select the M, unless there is some option to put them there, which is what I am asking about.

	06-04-2005 02:13									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Dissident you might need to learn to read faster then

Screw you too

I considered using the CPU killer I use to run WipEout2097, but that would just be annoying. especially since I like to have WinAmp running alongside SMAC :/

The only possibility I can really think of is to turn off all the popups (so the messages can be read) and thereafter use the 'message' screen to navigate the end-of-turn 'problems' (as previously popped-up). It'd be a hideous tradeoff, but, *shrug*, it's one way to do it.

	06-04-2005 02:32									#10
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I really don't find those messages all that useful.
If someone's formers altered my rainfall patterns, I really don't care too much (I usually have condenser farms by this time).

	06-04-2005 03:18									#11
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They are more points of interest that I would like to catch but never seem able to. It would just be nice to know.

	06-04-2005 04:05									#12
	Got spare money?

You can move the blocking popup with the mouse, but be quick - those damn messages dissapears quickly.

	06-04-2005 04:06									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Ka Plewy I really don't find those messages all that useful.

Well, I admit they're not earth-shatteringly important, but it's nice to know if an erstwhile ally has suddenly upped and betrayed you. Sometimes I don't find out until one of my formers is happily wandering along and gets squished by someone I thought I was at treaty with.

quote: If someone's formers altered my rainfall patterns, I really don't care too much (I usually have condenser farms by this time).

True, but it usually means someone's raising land. I hate the AI doing this - it seems to think 'ooh, goody, more territory!' and then go around raising every square it can get its greedy little paws on. I like to know who's doing it so I can a) find out where and b) shove a sea base next to the ersatz mountain so I can stop them.

...I need to remember to mod my alphatxt so as to push back raise/lower land a couple of miles up the tech tree

	06-04-2005 04:30									#14
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quote: Originally posted by BlackCat You can move the blocking popup with the mouse, but be quick - those damn messages dissapears quickly.

...if that's the case, I am unutterably stupid

(As usual.)

	06-04-2005 12:44									#15
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quote: Originally posted by BlackCat You can move the blocking popup with the mouse, but be quick - those damn messages dissapears quickly.

I've never tried that. I believe the enter key also gets rid of popups quickly.

	06-04-2005 16:23									#16
	Put an end to popups!

quote: Originally posted by Dissident I've never tried that. I believe the enter key also gets rid of popups quickly.

Yep, but then you risk that another pops up about some kelp or forest spreading - wish I could get rid of them, they are total nonsense.

	06-04-2005 21:23									#17
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quote: Originally posted by BlackCat Yep, but then you risk that another pops up about some kelp or forest spreading - wish I could get rid of them, they are total nonsense.

From the Menu, select Game, Warning Preferences. Then select the More button at the bottom of the menu. Uncheck Stop for random events.

That will get rid of the forest and kelp messages, but also some other ones that are more useful.

	06-04-2005 22:37									#18
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quote: Originally posted by Petek From the Menu, select Game, Warning Preferences. Then select the More button at the bottom of the menu. Uncheck Stop for random events. That will get rid of the forest and kelp messages, but also some other ones that are more useful.

I'm aware of the "more" button and the choices there, but switching RE on/off is like choosing between pest and cholera.