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Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

we’re gonna use the alien crossfire expansion to the base game, which might be an issue for someone who’s been sitting on an original disc for like 15 years.

this'll probably take a very long time, possibly many months! yikes! just be forewarned.

i'm not 100% sure what the best way to actually set up something like this is since i don’t think anyone’s done a pbem game this decade. Totally open to suggestions though.

Why should i play this video game from 1999?:
alpha centauri is basically civ 3 but instead of being about the past it’s about the future. in the other civs you have to research boring old technology like Writing and Horses and Hygenic making GBS threads, but in alpha centauri you get to research sick as hell future technology like Cyberethics and Neural Grafting and Organic Superlube. there’s a very cool design workshop that lets you make weird custom units like nerve gas helicopters and scifi dropship space marines. you could win the game by causing global warming and drowning everyone else like a captain planet bad guy. also the voice acting is great and the flavor text is legit compelling written fiction and the game art is really pretty.

where to get it:
sid meier's alpha centauri alien crossfile is $5.99 on GOG so just get it there. make sure it actually runs on your system!

how pbem works:
you download a save file, load it up in game, spend like 5 minutes doing your turn, make a new save that includes the turn you just did, and send it on to the next guy. make sure it's not just named the same as the last save! i was trying to find a good way to auto-sync the save folder between people or something but it looks like it might just be easiest to literally email a file around.

what next??:
need at least 7 people, so post in this thread saying so if you'd like to play. it's good to have stand-bys in case someone has to drop.
factions will be first come first served out of all the human factions. tell me if you want your faction leader name to be anything funny so i can change it during setup. at the start of your first turn you'll pick a password so no one else can gently caress up your game, send it to me so we can keep going in case you get hit by a bus or whatever. also i'll need your emails to give you access to the top secret google drive folder.

here's a note about changing the game settings to let you play on your big ol 4k tv 16 inches from your face:

cheese-cube posted:

also smac pro-tip that im sure i've posted before: add DirectDraw=0 to Alpha Centauri.Ini in the game's install folder like below. that makes it display/scale properly on today's modern computer systems (your screen will bug the gently caress out though when it plays the secret project vids that in 640x480):

[PREFERENCES]
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1
[Alpha Centauri]
DirectDraw=0
ds3d=1
eax=1

anthonypants posted:

also i would like to suggest adding 'DisableOpeningMovie=1' to this list


i was hoping we could get this going in like a week or so. anyways, see ya!

Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Oct 21, 2017

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OldAlias
Nov 2, 2013

video games

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

OldAlias posted:

video games

you should play the video game

OldAlias
Nov 2, 2013

Glorgnole posted:


how pbem works:
you download a save file, load it up in game, spend like 5 minutes doing your turn, make a new save that includes the turn you just did, and send it on to the next guy. make sure it's not just named the same as the last save! i was trying to find a good way to auto-sync the save folder between people or something but it looks like it might just be easiest to literally email a file around.

i am maybe interested but please consider some version control system over a shared google drive ty

Moo Cowabunga
Jun 15, 2009

[Office Worker.




wat

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

OldAlias posted:

i am maybe interested but please consider some version control system over a shared google drive ty

pull request # 369: finished my turn

e: totally agree that that would definitely be a much more robust way of doing this than having some insane drive folder

Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Oct 13, 2017

OldAlias
Nov 2, 2013

maybe it is overkill but I have a kneejerk reaction against any incremental group "work" over drive / email. reminds me of dysfunctional jobs and school projects. I guess it's only one file so it's not too bad but yvcspos

bump_fn
Apr 12, 2004

two of them
can u hack the save file

champagne posting
Apr 5, 2006

YOU ARE A BRAIN
IN A BUNKER

bump_fn posted:

can u hack the save file

it's 15 years old imma go with "yes"

Cybernetic Vermin
Apr 18, 2005

im the eax=1

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

Boiled Water posted:

it's 15 years old imma go with "yes"

it's probably possible but i;m not sure what i'd use it for if i could do that

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

OldAlias posted:

maybe it is overkill but I have a kneejerk reaction against any incremental group "work" over drive / email. reminds me of dysfunctional jobs and school projects. I guess it's only one file so it's not too bad but yvcspos

some of the hotseat multiplayer setup stuff is kinda dependent on passing around a file in a particular order. like when you go around for the first turn you're supposed to choose and confirm a password. if you did git-style version control and there was just one save file that people pushed changes to then you'd need a way to stop folks from grabbing the save out of order before all the passwords had been locked in. i guess after that point you'd just be checking for updates regularly to see if your faction's login screen came up when you loaded the save.

if you do it over email then it sort of inherently enforces the turn order, makes people commit to being 100% done with the file before they send it on, and you get a nice notification saying "hey my turn's done and now it's your turn". most annoying thing imo would be downloading some attachment then finding the right directory in-game.

Luigi Thirty
Apr 30, 2006

Emergency confection port.

dibs on zakharov :getin:

Helianthus Annuus
Feb 21, 2006

can i touch your hand
Grimey Drawer
if i remember right this game works in mac os x. but are the save files cross platform? youre not gonna make us run windows are you?

A Pinball Wizard
Mar 23, 2005

I know every trick, no freak's gonna beat my hands

College Slice
I'm interested when op gets back from probation

pram
Jun 10, 2001

A Pinball Wizard posted:

I'm interested when op gets back from probation

lol

Cazlab
Oct 25, 2003

i wanna be the space pirates or cyber nerds.

Crusader
Apr 11, 2002

i think i last played this with goons over a decade ago and also need to find a copy, but if there's space im in

Helianthus Annuus
Feb 21, 2006

can i touch your hand
Grimey Drawer

Helianthus Annuus posted:

if i remember right this game works in mac os x. but are the save files cross platform? youre not gonna make us run windows are you?

it turns out the mac version of the game runs in wine

i have been using the windows this whole time without even knowing. chilling.

but the good news is that cross platform won't be an issue

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

would probably be good to post a bit about the factions

spartans: space survivalists

+2 MORALE (well armed survivalist movement)
+1 POLICE (highly disciplined followers)
-1 INDUSTRY (extravagant weapons are costly)

quote:

"Superior training and superior weaponry have, when taken together, a geometric effect on overall military strength. Well-trained, well-equipped troops can stand up to many more times their lesser brethren than linear arithmetic would seem to indicate."
-- Col. Corazon Santiago, "Spartan Battle Manual"

gaians: space greenpeace

+1 PLANET (environmental safeguards; can capture mind worms)
+2 EFFICIENCY (experience with life systems such as recycling)
-1 MORALE (pacifist tendencies)
-1 POLICE (freedom-loving)
+1 Nutrients in fungus squares
Can use mind worms as police unit (reverence for native life).
May not use Free Market economics

quote:

In the great commons at Gaia's Landing we have a tall and particularly beautiful stand of white pine, planted at the time of the first colonies. It represents our promise to the people, and to Planet itself, never to repeat the tragedy of Earth.
-- Lady Deirdre Skye, "Planet Dreams"

university: space grad student listserve

+2 RESEARCH (Brillant research)
-2 PROBE (Academic networks vulnerable to infiltration)
one bonus tech at start of game
extra drone for every four citizen (lack of ethics)

quote:

"The substructure of the universe regresses infinitely towards smaller and smaller components. Behind atoms we find electrons, and behind electrons quarks. Each layer unraveled reveals new secrets, but also new mysteries."
-- Prokhor Zakharov, "For I Have Tasted The Fruit"

peacekeepers: space UN

-1 EFFICIENCY (U.N. style bureaucracy)
extra talent for every four citizens (attracts intellectual elite)
may exceed Hab Complex population requirements by 2.
receives double votes in election for planetary governor and supreme leader.

quote:

"As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last loose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."
-- Commissioner Pravin Lal, "UN Declaration of Rights"

hive: space juche

+1 GROWTH (rapid population growth)
+1 INDUSTRY (brutal serfdom)
-2 ECONOMY (little political freedom)
immune to inefficiency caused by social engineering choices

quote:

"Learn to overcome the crass demands of flesh and bone, for they warp the matrix through which we perceive the world. Extend your awareness outwards, beyond the self of body, to embrace the self of group and the self of humanity. The goals of the group and the greater race are transcendent, and to embrace them is to achieve enlightenment."
-- Sheng-ji Yang, "Essays on Mind and Matter"

believers: space evangelicals

+2 SUPPORT (serious Waco-type poo poo)
+1 PROBE (followers difficult to subvert)
-2 RESEARCH (distrusts secular science)
-1 PLANET (believed Planet is their promised land)
25% combat bonus when attacking (yikes!)
no research for the first 10 turns

quote:

The righteous need not cower before the drumbeat of human progress. Though the song of yesterday fades into the challenge of tomorrow, God still watches and judges us. Evil lurks in the datalinks as it lurked in the streets of yesteryear. But it was never the streets that were evil.
-- Sister Miriam Godwinson, "The Blessed Struggle"

morganites: space capitalists

+1 ECON (industrial conglomerate)
-1 SUPPORT (followers have expensive tastes)
bases can't exceed size 4 without Hab Complexes
+100 credits at start
can't use Planned economics

quote:

"Human behavior is economic behavior. The particulars may vary, but competition for limited resources remains a constant. Need as well as greed have followed us to the stars, and the rewards of wealth still await those wise enough to recognize this deep thrumming of our common pulse."
— Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"

planet cult: space anarchoprimitivists

+2 PLANET: (Devoted to promoting native growth)
-1 INDUSTRY: (Reluctant to pollute environment)
-1 ECON: (Disinterested in wealth and its trappings)
free Brood Pit with discovery of Centauri Genetics
Mind Worms do double police duty: (Fear and reverence for native life)
can't choose Wealth in social engineering

quote:

"Mankind has been blind for thousands of years-for all of its history. We have come to a place whose wonders are a hundred-fold more amazing than anything on Earth. Around us is clear evidence of the will of a higher power. I bring the Vision to the blind eyes of men. I bring the Word to the deaf ears of men. I will make them see it. I will make them hear it."
-- Prophet Cha Dawn, "Planet Rising"

consciousness: incel space cyborgs

+2 RESEARCH: {Human research abilities enhanced by algorithmic control}
+2 EFFICIENCY: {Cybernetic biologicals extremely efficient}
-1 GROWTH: {Humans 'possessed by an algorithm' find reproduction awkward}
no penalties for Cybernetic social engineering choice: {Cybernetic social choice is 'rational' and not dissented by citizens}
can steal technology when capturing a base
may not make Fundamentalist choice in social engineering

quote:

"Those who join us need give up only half of their humanity--the illogical, ill-tempered, and disordered half, commonly thought of as 'right-brain' functioning. In exchange, the 'left-brain' capacities are increased to undreamed potential. The tendency of Biologicals to cling instead to their individual personalities can only be attributed to archaic evolutionary tendencies."
--Prime Function Aki Zeta-5, "Convergence"

data angels: space 90s hackers

+2 PROBE: (Highly motivated computer specialists)
-1 POLICE: (Decentralized, difficult to control)
gain any tech known to 3 other factions with whom Angels have infiltration: (Wide-ranging covert activities)
-25% cost to PROBE TEAM actions: (Skilled at network access and control}
free COVERT OPS CENTER with discovery of Pre-Sentient Algorithms
may not make Power choice in social engineering.
free Probe Team at start

quote:

"What's more important, the data or the jazz? Sure, sure, 'Information should be free' and all that--but anyone can set information free. The jazz is in how you do it, what you do it to, and in almost getting caught without getting caught. The data is 1's and 0's. Life is the jazz."
-- Datatech Sinder Roze, "Infobop"

free drones: space socialists

+2 INDUSTRY: {Excellent craftsmen and skilled workers}
-2 RESEARCH: {Emphasis on productivity instead of 'blue-sky' research}
Revolting bases tend to join drones: {Offer a workingman's paradise}
-1 DRONES in every base: {Working for common good reduces discontent}
may not use Green economics

quote:

"Now it's day and night the irons clang, and like poor galley slaves
We toil and toil, and when we die, must fill dishonored graves
But some dark night, when everything is silent in the town
I'll shoot those tyrants one and all, I'll gun the flogger down
I'll give the land a little shock, remember what I say,
And they'll yet regret they've sent Jim Jones in chains to Botany Bay."
-- "Jim Jones", Traditional

pirates:nws:

-1 EFFICIENCY (Individualistic mentality opposed to central organization)
-1 GROWTH (Culture does not place high emphasis on family)
free NAVAL YARD with discovery of Doctrine: Initiative: (Skilled shipwrights)
enhancements may be built in ocean and trench squares with the discovery of Advanced Ecological Engineering: (Trained for life at sea)
sea colony pod & sea former prototypes FREE: (Advanced oceanic technology)
bonus mineral from ocean shelf squares: (Culture and technology adapted for the ocean)
marine Detachment ability FREE to all naval combat units upon discovery of Adaptive Doctrine

quote:

"The sea ... vast, mysterious ... and full of wealth! And the nations of Planet send their trade across it without a thought. Well, the sea doesn't care about them, so it lets them pass. But we can give the sea a little hand in teaching the landlubbers a lesson in humility."
-- Captain Ulrik Svensgaard, "The Ripple and the Wave"

Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Oct 17, 2017

Luigi Thirty
Apr 30, 2006

Emergency confection port.

iirc the consciousness gets a -2 to GROWTH because "humans 'possessed by an algorithm' find reproduction awkward"

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

Luigi Thirty posted:

iirc the consciousness gets a -2 to GROWTH because "humans 'possessed by an algorithm' find reproduction awkward"

see also: the pirates' growth penalty

also wanted to say sorry for preempting your post via edit

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

ok here are the folks who have expressed any kind of interest either here or via PMs

only a few people actually included faction preferences. the ones that are assigned are based on whoever posted something resembling a request earliest.

Improbable Lobster - Drones
OldAlias
- Believers
Luigi Thirty - University
Helianthus Annuus
A Pinball Wizard
Cazlab - pirates!
Crusader
cheese-cube
- Hive
Glorgnole
anthonypants - Spartans
Boiled Water
Sagebrush - Gaians

please make a post here before WEDNESDAY (10/25) containing both:
1) confirmation that you would like to play (or not play, as the case may be)
2) what faction you want to be

thanks

Glorgnole fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Oct 24, 2017

Schadenboner
Aug 15, 2011

by Shine
Every time I see this thread I feel bad about just how awful Civilization Beyond Earth ended up being.

:(

Comfy Fleece Sweater
Apr 2, 2013

You see, but you do not observe.

Just wanted to co sign that Alpha Centauri loving owned and I realized it at the time and I was very excited because The Future would bring EVEN BETTER games! With better Grafx! With more xTreme choices! Radder characters! Badder enemies!

But no, we got Civ 6 and Sim City (Online only). Oh and Firaxis made Xcom 1 and 2, I guess. Those are... ok...

anthonypants
May 6, 2007

by Nyc_Tattoo
Dinosaur Gum

Glorgnole posted:

ok here are the folks who have expressed any kind of interest either here or via PMs

only a few people actually included faction preferences. the ones that are assigned are based on whoever posted something resembling a request earliest.

Improbable Lobster - Drones
OldAlias
Luigi Thirty - University
Helianthus Annuus
A Pinball Wizard
Cazlab - pirates or data angels (presumably)
Crusader
cheese-cube
Glorgnole

please make a post here before WEDNESDAY (10/25) containing both:
1) confirmation that you would like to play (or not play, as the case may be)
2) what faction you want to be

thanks
i would like to play
i would like to be the spartans please

cheese-cube posted:

[PREFERENCES]
ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1
[Alpha Centauri]
DirectDraw=0
ds3d=1
eax=1
also i would like to suggest adding 'DisableOpeningMovie=1' to this list

anthonypants fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Oct 21, 2017

Luigi Thirty
Apr 30, 2006

Emergency confection port.

i'm dtf (down to faction)

are we running any of the fanpatches or just vanilla SMAX?

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

anthonypants posted:

i would like to play
i would like to be the spartans please
also i would like to suggest adding 'DisableOpeningMovie=1' to this list

hello, very good

Luigi Thirty posted:

are we running any of the fanpatches or just vanilla SMAX?

i've just been running regular ol SMAX with all the official patches (from like 2001). haven't ever used any of the fanpatches. i guess there are still a few weird bugs and exploits kicking around in the vanilla version.

wouldn't be opposed if you think it'd be worthwhile.

Luigi Thirty
Apr 30, 2006

Emergency confection port.

:shrug: I haven't really played with them either.

Pile Of Garbage
May 28, 2007



yo im down for some SMAX play-by-email.

Luigi Thirty posted:

dibs on zakharov :getin:

dang beaten. dibs on chairman yang of the hive, looking forward to extreme utilitarian efficiency and oppressing the hell outta some drones



i'll prolly end up getting owned by gaians, they can be wicked dangerous late game if you go all-in on mind worms

Schadenboner posted:

Every time I see this thread I feel bad about just how awful Civilization Beyond Earth ended up being.

:(

all i wanted was SMAC but in the civ 5 engine :(

Pile Of Garbage fucked around with this message at 13:25 on Oct 23, 2017

champagne posting
Apr 5, 2006

YOU ARE A BRAIN
IN A BUNKER

I am also in if there's more room (is there even an upper limit?)

question: Can I run it on A Mac or is this windows land only?

Schadenboner
Aug 15, 2011

by Shine

cheese-cube posted:

all i wanted was SMAC but in the civ 5 engine :(

champagne posting
Apr 5, 2006

YOU ARE A BRAIN
IN A BUNKER

cheese-cube posted:

all i wanted was SMAC but in the civ 5 engine :(

civ 4 engine, squares and stacking units for lyf

Schadenboner
Aug 15, 2011

by Shine

Boiled Water posted:

civ 4 engine, squares and stacking units for lyf

Civ 4: Colonization trap: sprung.

Schadenboner fucked around with this message at 15:48 on Oct 23, 2017

Pile Of Garbage
May 28, 2007



Boiled Water posted:

I am also in if there's more room (is there even an upper limit?)

question: Can I run it on A Mac or is this windows land only?

the version on gog purportedly supports macos: https://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_alpha_centauri

champagne posting
Apr 5, 2006

YOU ARE A BRAIN
IN A BUNKER

cheese-cube posted:

the version on gog purportedly supports macos: https://www.gog.com/game/sid_meiers_alpha_centauri

the real question is: "is this savegame compatible?"

only time will tell

champagne posting
Apr 5, 2006

YOU ARE A BRAIN
IN A BUNKER

welp

of course i meant "has it stood the test of time?"

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

Boiled Water posted:

welp

of course i meant "has it stood the test of time?"

yeah we tried loading saves cross platform and it looks like it works ok.

there's still room! you can have at most 7 players in a game. if you want in you've just got to say which faction you want to be.

Glorgnole
Oct 23, 2012

I'll jump in if we hang around at 6 confirmed people for a while, though I wouldn't mind being the official full time GM either

also I'll prune the list of interested people if folks haven't made any new posts since before last Friday or still (!) haven't claimed a faction. gotta end up with 7 actively engaged posters to play!

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Inexplicable Humblebrag
Sep 20, 2003

is the forests-improvements-everywhere-and-hybrid-forests-in-all-bases strategy competitive, or do you need to micromanage your formers?

i don't want to play i'm just curious

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