06-05-1999 11:12									#1
	May Madness -- Words of Wisdom? Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

May Madness SMACers,

Hope the games are going well. Just wanted to pass along some short "words of wisdom". For those of you who already know this stuff, I apologize in advance for insulting your intelligence.

For those of you new to online SMAC MP games (and perhaps for some who aren't), please be aware that SMAC allows you to do quite a bit of stuff while your opponent(s) are actively taking their turn.

This includes:

1) Messing up (ur, I mean, with) your Social Engineering
2) Changing build orders
3) Setting up production queues
4) Dreaming up the ultimate unit with the Design Workshop
5) Diplomacy with AI (and even human) factions

Sometimes this can greatly speed up online play, allowing the "micromanagers" (and what true SMACer isn't one) time to leisurely fiddle with infrastructure issues, while making the most of your "active" time to move your units.

And if you ever get into a game where time limits are on, trust me, you'll want to cultivate your skill in "offline" micromanagement.

Who knows? Sometime you may run into an unscrupulous host who will set Time Limits to Strict when their war with you didn't turn out exactly as planned. (This actually happened to me once! It was a short game, but probably my most satisfiying victory. )

Hope you are enjoying your games. And ...

SMAC n ... Ted S.

	07-05-1999 07:37									#2
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Ted:
Yep it's a great idea to do stuff like designing units, changing base production, hurrying production and so on during your opponent's turn... but there are two caveats that I've come across:

1. If you're still in the design workshop, base ops screen or whatever when your opponent's turn ends, the game will just pause until you come out of whatever admin screen you're in. This can be frustrating for the other player, who won't know what the delay is.

2. If you're using time limits, which can be quite good (so long as they're not set too low, or else on a slow PC that takes a while to redraw graphics, you can sometimes not even get a chance to move all your units before the timer runs out), bear in mind that if you contact the other human player via the Commlink, this will take time out of their turn. I didn't realise this until it happened to me... I was having a nice chat with my opponent, when I realised that my time had gone down to 7 seconds and I hadn't moved a single unit!

This Challenge thing is loads of fun.
Cheers,
Nell

	07-05-1999 09:00									#3
	Increase Your PM Length

The TIMER takes all the fun out of the game making it just another click fest.

Negotiations are an integral part of the game and the timer ruins that.

Also, this is a strategy game ... and strategy involves some THINKING ... and a timer is undermining this.

So, just resolve yourself to take some time and play the game the best you can ... be considerate of the other players, but rushing is not fun ... at least in SMAC.

Best Regards,

CaptComal

------------------
Best Regards,
CaptComal

	07-05-1999 09:05									#4
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I agree, time controls would totally ruin the game. we do not have time controls set in our game.

as long as the other player is not taking an eternity, time control should not be needed, just simple consideration. If someone does need to spend 10 min in the DW, a simple chat message letting the other player know this is all that would be needed.

Nell, I have had my turn notification pop-up while in the base screen. Don't know about the DW.

	07-05-1999 09:26									#5
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Yeah, I'm not a big fan of time limits, but it could be argued that time limits do make the game fairer, and avoid the embarrassing situation of having to message your opponent and tell them to hurry up! You can set the limits to whatever you like... I do find that even the "Loose" standard setting is a bit on the short side.

cousLee:
Interesting.. thinking about it, I think I've had a turn notification pop up when I've been in the base ops screen, although I just let it sit there while I finished what I was doing, and so the net effect for my opponent was the same... he was waiting on me. In the DW, I get no popup at all until I leave the DW.

Nell

	07-05-1999 13:53									#6
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

yes it was me...i requested time limits...i'm horrible i know, but i moved my one guy in like a second, and then i sat there as nell united all the computers under her banner and moved a zillion mind worms at me..after the first game session i built a cardboard bunker in my room, in which to play...i became paranoid, watching her vast armies march to burn down my little cities..then i had a stroke of genius...give her the time time limits...next thing i know she is the one who is pressured...she accidently PB's gaia's landing (i had just built my first recon rover...i was behind in tech) and then she attacks and destroys her own army yet her one fusion rover is still kicking my ass...as of yet when i type in show me the money and power overwhelming nothing has happened, but i think with a couple more PB's nell just might destroy herself...btw i still haven't came out of my cardboard bunker...and i have became suspicious of my roommates...i'm afraid my roommate alec might be passing on my battle plans to nell...
korn469
"things are looking down"
-my favorite quote from battlenet

	07-05-1999 23:53									#7
	Inflate your Upload Space

Top Ten Things You Can Do During a SMAC Turn After You Hit the "Turn Complete" Button:

(No offense to CaptComal. He had to wait on me from time to time )

10. Go to the bathroom.
9. Go to the frig to grab a beer.
8. Drink beer.
7. Walk the dog (in the house anyway).
6. Read a book (SMAC guide of course).
5. Watch The Simpsons.
4. Drink beer.
3. Smash the beer can on your forehead.
2. Put a bandage on your forehead.
1. Go to the bathroom.

See, there are all kinds of things you can do.

	08-05-1999 06:39									#8
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korn:

lolol hey now come on, it's not a zillion... I haven't even reached the half million mark yet !! hehehehe

And I dunno if you can count hammering Yang and Miriam (and very nearly Zak as well... cackle cackle) into tiny pieces of dust as "uniting" them... how on earth did I manage to come by that "Infamous" reputation? Very odd... hehe... but it was ever so nice of them to give me all those bases in the process....

Nell... wishing she could have played longer tonight... grrrr... why can't my boyf learn not to sleep, or something?

PS: Actually I dropped that PB on Gaia's Landing on purpose, I will have you know... it was errrrrr annoying me by sitting there looking like a load of upended sausages tied together with string

	08-05-1999 06:44									#9
	Got spare money?

PS: Nah those are the wrong cheat codes... you need the old Doom ones, what was it, IDDQD, IDKFA... oh and there's always good old God mode... or do you need the Quake version of SMAC to get that to work??

Nell... equipping her Rovers with BFGs while nobody's looking.... heheheh

PS: I once tried IDDQD in Hexen, and guess what... it killed me instantly!! lol... serves me right I guess... except I hadn't saved for like three hours....