 |
SMAC/SMAC-X Bug List
October 31 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos |  |
|
In case you didnt notice that in the chat transcript(or during the chat of course), Tim Train said that a Patch 5 is on the works. Here's the quote to be specific
[MarkG] Will we see a patch 5, and if so will there be one for non-SMAC-X players?
[Tim] Yep, we'll be doing a patch 5 that incorporates some of the fixes we did on SMACX...
[MarkG] oh, that's great news
[Tim] I don't have a sense of when it will be done.
[MarkG] do, you need a "patch 5" list? we dont have yin arround... :)
[Tim] You can send it to us, along with a SMACX compilation when one gets assembled.
[Tim] And before anyone asks, we REALLY THINK we've got the infinite missile range bug fixed ;-)
Well, tfs99 started a bug list thread on our AC-Help Forum and ACOL.
Please contribute to these threads and help to make a better SMAC! :)
|
|
SMAC-X Chat Transcript
October 29 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
For those of you who missed the main event, or just want to review what was said, we present to you the official SMAC-X Chat Transcript from Sunday, October 24th.
It has been broken up into three pages: "general" questions, user-submitted questions, and the ever popular, free-for-all unmoderated period.
We once again thank those at Firaxis, especially Tim and Greg, and all the others who participated in the chat for making it such a success.
|
|
"Don't Miss It"
October 28 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
"Alpha Centauri players won't want to miss Alien Crossfire", writes GameProWorld's review of SMAC-X.
Reviewer Barry Brenesal was quite pleased with what he saw in SMAC-X, and an average of the six areas he 'graded' averages out to a glowing 4.3/5. The only main area he felt the game could improve in was the Sound department.
"While many companies slap a bunch of new scenarios on a CD and call it a game extension, Alien Crossfire is something more. You won't find scenarios here, but numerous small changes to the original Alpha Centauri that make it a strategically more complex and exciting game.
What impresses most about these changes is their complete integration into the strategic substrata of the game. Nothing is destabilizing... ".
(Thanks to Jason Mailloux for the referral).
|
|
Daily Radar Review
October 26 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
DailyRadar has posted the first known SMAC-X review on the Net, and it's a "Hit"!
On one hand...
"... it ends up being a meaty one. There are new human factions, significantly different from the first game's, and the alien factions actually look, feel and sound alien".
On the other hand...
"We have only two complaints about Alien Crossfire: there aren't enough new things... The second complaint, quite real, is that the faction editor is neither balanced nor fully functioning... there is no way to ensure that the new races will not waltz all over with the original factions".
There are definite up and downs here, but Reviewer Aaron John Loeb is largely positive in his account of the game. (Thanks to Tree for letting us know of it).
Have you "found" an Alien Crossfire review, or even completed one yourself? Let us know!
|
|
A SMACking Good Time
October 24 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Our chat with Alien Crossfire Producer Tim Train and Artist Greg Foertsch was very successful. It lasted more than two hours, with 30-35 users participating at its peak. Tim and Greg answered "general questions", ranging from SMAC-X's seven new factions to future product support, for the first hour, an additional 3/4 of an hour with user questions submitted prior to and during the main part of the chat, and then those still around had the opportunity to talk to Tim and Greg directly afterwards.
For the most part everything ran smoothly, and there were even a few surprises! For those of you who were unable to attend the chat, either in part or in whole, a complete transcript will be posted sometime over the next few days so you can read up on what was discussed.
Our thanks, once again, to everyone who participated, and especially to Tim and Greg for taking time out of their weekend to talk with us about SMAC-X.
|
|
Chat With Firaxis Reminder
October 23 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
This is just a reminder of our chat with Alien Crossfire Producer Tim Train and Artist Greg Foertsch of the SMACX team.
The chat will take place on our IRC channel on irc.dreamnet.org, which is also accessible via our Chat Page. The date and time is Sunday, October 24, 5pm EST -- each and every SMACer is invited and expected to attend. 
As the hours count down, you have to submit your question to us that you would like asked during the main, moderated portion of the chat; this is the best way to ensure what you want asked, gets asked. To do this, click the Chat page link above.
|
|
Alien Crossfire Chat!!
October 20 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
We're happy to announce that we have arranged a public chat with Tim Train and Greg Foertsch of the SMACX team (Producer and Artist respectively). That chat will take place on our IRC channel on irc.dreamnet.org, which is also accessible via our Chat page. The date and time is Sunday, October 24, 5pm EST. We expect every SMACer to be there! Until then, you can send
us your questions from the same page.
|
|
SMAC-X In Stores Now
October 20 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Below is the official press release from Firaxis regarding Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire, a.k.a. SMAC-X, now being commercially available in North America -- the long, sleepless nights begin anew.
The original inhabitants of Alpha Centauri have come back to reclaim their
world. Split in a brutal struggle, the aliens engage in battle over Alpha
Centauri's surface, nearly destroying each other. The survivors jettison to
Planet's surface where mankind has set up a new home. Now the Earth humans
are caught in the Alien Crossfire. Will mankind band together to defeat the
offworlders or will they form separate alien alliances to ensure the
survival of their faction? The future of mankind is once again in your
hands.
Seven new factions offer entirely new strategies for exploration,
discovery, empire-building and conquest. A new sea-faring Pirate faction
provides new naval advantages. The Probe Team faction specializes in
espionage and spying. A Cybernetic faction provides radical scientific
advantages and the working-class Drones have now formed their own powerful
faction as well. Native life-forms and the powers of nature form the
backbone of the extreme Ecological faction while the two Alien factions add
mystery, wonder and surprise to the human struggle.
With seven new factions, Alien Crossfire essentially doubles the scope of
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, providing an entirely new game experience in
the proven tradition of the best strategy game ever made. Sid Meier's Alpha
Centauri fans can chose to play classic Alpha Centauri (with the original
seven human factions), the new Alien Crossfire story (with seven all-new
factions), or customize the game by combining their favorite factions from
the entire suite of fourteen! A host of gameplay enhancements and new
features, along with the new factions and story line makes Sid Meier's
Alien Crossfire the most exciting expansion pack of the year!
- Seven new playable factions (5 human, 2 alien)
- Expanded backstory: discover more about the world of Alpha Centauri
- New custom faction editor
- Seven new technologies
- Four new Secret Projects
- Five new weapons
- Four new armor types
- Five new special abilities
- Seven new base facilities
- Four new landmarks
- Two new native lifeforms
- A new victory pathway (aliens must build an interstellar beacon to call
for reinforcements)
|
|
GameCenter Interview
October 20 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Yesterday C|Net's GameCenter posted their interview with Tim Train on Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire.
Questions range in topic from how the new factions come factor into gameplay, the new technologies available, the AC graphic novel and -- of course -- the possibility of an Alpha Centauri sequel. Check it out!
|
|
Demo Rating: 3,824468085
October 20 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
Yeap, exactly that's the rating you gave to the Alien Crosffire demo: 3,824468085(5 was best). Hmmm... could it better.
Now, we ask you to rate Alien Crossfire itself. Vote, but of course olny if you have got it, ok? :)
|
|
Episode 7
October 20 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
EA finally posted Episode 7 of the SMACX story: Reanna remembered. A bit late, but worth it. Also, More info on the Cult of Planet faction was revealed. With SMACX reaching the hands of those who pre-ordered, but also arriving on some stores, we shouldn't wait a lot to see the rest of the
episodes, as well as the flash profiles for the two remaining factions(Caretakers and Drones)
|
|
I have SMAX!
October 19 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
" I have SMAX!", Imran shouted on ICQ :) He was one of the wise to pre-order it, and recieved it today. Just before actually playing it, he posted some info for the factions on the forums, as well as the Read Me, and even better,
he wrote a column for us, titled First Day Pre-Playing Report. A definite read!
|
|
Cool Under Fire
October 15 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
It started a week ago, shortly following the release of Alien Crossfire. Sharp criticism over the SMAC-X demo from some irate fans caused Firaxis Games to go on the defensive. "That's the WORST add-on I've ever seen", a thread in the official Alien Crossfire forums, started by a user known only as "Caesar", brought some harsh accusations to light.
For example, one of the most scathing from him was "my first thought was actually damn, these people are greedy!". And that generally reflects how I feel about Firaxis; they couldn't care less about their customers!".
Dan Magaha, Webmaster for Firaxis, was quick to respond to the negative tone set by the post.
"Anyway, I think it's an unwritten rule of nettiquette that the more superlatives ("the best...", "the worst...") you use in a post, the less likely anyone is to take you seriously.."
Click on the thread title above to read up on all that's being said.
|
|
BR On Alien Crossfire
October 14 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
SMAC fans from across the globe are holding their breath, anxiously awaiting the release of SMAC-X. GameSpot recently had the pleasure of talking to one of the men in the forefront of its development: Mr. Brian Reynolds.
In the interview, GameSpot asks and gets the answers to some of the most pressing questions that have been on fan and critics' minds alike in recent weeks, including:
GameSpot News: "What kind of challenge was it to come up with seven new factions? Any hints on the other factions you haven't talked about yet? We already know a little about the first four but are dying to hear about the others".
Brian Reynolds: "It wasn't too hard to come up with seven new ones, as so many just made perfect sense in the world of the game..."
GSN: "Now that Alien Crossfire comes with a faction editor, what kind of factions do you think gamers will come up with? Will your team evaluate and rate the new custom factions for your online audience, or will you let gamers do this? "
BR: "I'm always pretty impressed with the creativity of our fans, and I think they'll come up with some great stuff. I know that Tim pokes around in the fan archives on Apolyton" [] "and Sidgames from time to time, just to see what kinds of stuff people are coming up with..."
And...
GSN: "What do you think is the biggest enticement in Alien Crossfire for Alpha Centauri fans?"
BR: "There's so much in there that it's hard to pick one thing, but one of the most exciting parts of the game is battle between the two alien factions. The aliens are slightly more powerful than the human factions but are balanced by the fact that all the other factions tend to gang up on them..."
It's interesting reading folks, so if you can't read it all at once, be sure to bookmark it!
|
|
Droves For The Demo
October 14 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Can you believe it's been a week since the Alien Crossfire demo "hit the Net"? There have been some very busy servers during this time, and no doubt that those still looking to grab a copy will experiencing slow transfer rates, timeouts and busy signals in trying to download it. Again, we recommend first getting ahold of either Go!Zilla or GetRight first to save the anxiety of having have to start the 23MB download again after having the previous one broken.
GameCenter is keeping a 'live' tally of requests for SMAC-X on their website, and already it is quite impressive -- 5,200+ of them! That averages out to about 743 a day.
Speaking of which, we at Apolyton were only able to offer the download for roughly 36hrs. until we were forced to remove it after the stress on the server to accomodate the traffic volume it generated became too great.
|
|
Cream Of The Crop
October 14 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
In their "Fall Harvest '99" feature, GameCenter named Alien Crossfire's one of the most anticipated games of this year's fourth quarter; however, they did not go as far as naming it a "Hot One" -- this exclusive listing included the likes of Quake III: Arena and Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.
To end on a more positive note, the original SMAC is on a similar list for the Mac gamer. Its anticipated release date is Winter 1999/2000.
|
|
First SMACX Scenario!
October 13 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
By who else? Tres of Xenofungus, of course. AlterWars : H2Ostile is a 2-player scenario, using two of SMACX's factions: the Nautilus Pirates and the Manifold Caretakers. Some of the faction graphics for the Spartan and the Gaians are replaced (but backups of the originals are also provided). For more info, check the official page.
|
|
Alien Crossfire, You'll Buy it!
October 10 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
No this isn't part of an EA marketing technique using mind control technology to order everyone to by SMACX . Our "What do you think of Alien Crossfire?" poll is over, and seems like smacers will buy SMACX on Day One! Detailed, here are the final results
| I'll definitely buy it! |
 620 / 53% |
| I'll wait for reviews and players comments |
270 / 23% |
| Sounds ok, but I wont pay $30 |
191 / 16% |
| Not a chance |
16 / 1% |
| I haven't decided yet |
47 / 4% |
| I simply don't care |
23 / 1% |
|
|
SMAC-X Demo -- Download From ACS
October 9 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Frustrated with busy signals, timeouts and slow transfer rates in trying to download the 24MB demo of Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire? No question the past 24hrs. has put a strain on the relatively few servers that are carrying the demo... well, add one more to the list: us.
Apolyton CS is proud to be one of if not the first Civilization fan-site to offer the download directly from their site. We recommend that before attempting to get the demo that you download and install either GoZilla or GetRight which will allow you to resume your download in case it is interrupted.
Well, what are you waiting for? Download Now!
|
|
Alien Crossfire Pricing
October 8 1999 -- Dan Quick | |
|
Although it's still over a week until public release, why not start setting up a "price sheet" for Alien Crossfire?
After conducting a recent search on BottomDollar, the results were as listed below:
- OnSale.COM: (Unit Price) $22.33US + (Shipping/Handling) $4.95US =
$27.28US
- The Dragon's Den: $24.95US; $39.95CA
- Beyond.COM: (Unit Price) $24.99US + (Shipping/Handling MIN.) $4.95US = $29.44US -- International Orders'
Shipping/Handling is $24.95US+!
- ComputeAmerica: (Unit Price) $26.97US +
(Shipping/Handling MIN.) + $7.50US = $34.47US -- International Orders' Shipping/Handling
is $40.00US+!!
|
|
SMACX DEMO, NOW!
October 7 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
As we had posted, the SMAC-X demo was released today on Gamecenter. The size is 23MB, and most probably doesn't have videos. I'll just go download it now... thanks to BKrani who found the link first and posted about it on our forums.
|
|
SMACX Section!
October 6 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
Waiting for the release of Alien Crossfire, anticipating for it's demo today or tomorrow, we've gathered all the SMACX related info and we present it to you on our Alien Crossfire Section. All the news about it, the story, the factions, the polls, everything. We hope that you find it helpfull.
|
|
SMACX Demo Details!
October 4 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
Three days ago we were saying "We don't know yet what the limitations of the demo will be"... Now we do! :) In Tim Train's own words:
"The demo will have two of the seven new factions: the Manifold Caretakers and the Nautilus Pirates. These new factions may be played with five of the old factions (the Morgans and Peacekeepers are not in the demo). The demo takes place on the new world
of Alpha Centauri, with new techs, native life forms, base facilities, landmarks, Secret Projects, and unit types. The demo is limited to 100 turns, 10 bases maximum, and no technologies above level five. There are various miscellaneous features
disabled, such as the ability to load custom factions or play multiplayer, same as the original demo"
Only a couple days away!
|
|
SMACX Demo Next Week
October 1 1999 -- Markos Giannopoulos | |
|
Fino999(thanks!) sent us a note yesterday that the SMACX Demo would be available next week. Well, it turned to be true, as Lindsay Riehl confirmed to us that
"The demo will go up Wednesday or Thursday as a Gamecenter premier after which it will be posted on our(official) website".
We don't know yet what the limitations of the demo will be, but it's a few days away....
|
|
|
Mailing List |
Join our Announcement List and receive
a weekly newsletter about all civ games. Enter your email address:
View List Archive
|
 |
|
