Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 ... 11 12 [13] 14 15 ... 23

Author Topic: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread  (Read 48063 times)

GlyphGryph

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #180 on: September 17, 2012, 10:13:03 am »

Gaians have "pleasure gardens", with all that entails, and University has SCIENCE!!!

It would be a tough choice between the two of them.
Logged

Sharp

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #181 on: September 17, 2012, 12:17:19 pm »

Believers - I'd call them religious nutcases but they are actually onto something in here. The tech progressing in this game becomes increasingly creepy to the point even i feel distaste. The cloning vats are a great example especially if you know the inner workings of the machine in the video.
The machine in the cinematic seperates females from males.
The females are grown to lay more eggs while males get thrown away and minced alive and used as feed.

Psh technology has to advance somehow.

Also if you look at text it looks like Miriam's cult commits mass suicide through a Psi-Gate or something. Also if you look at the way she behaves in game she is the most traitorous war warmongering bitch there is who brainwashes her own followers (surprise why they start with social psych?)

University seem like the best choice, they do open research (hence the low probe score) so even if they are unethical it is known about, Gaian's on the other hand use an atrocity in the form of unleashing mindworms even though it's not under the UN charter.

Morgan is actually very unethical, as long as it makes a profit he doesn't care and as long as the rich are looked after he doesn't really care what happens to expendables.

Spartans are survivalist freaks and in the story written for AC are the reason why Capt. Garland dies and the UNS Unity fails it's mission. Although they do have the nice ideal of focusing on survival so are more likely to be safe (until Deidre rapes them with mindworms)

Yang has nice ideals but they don't work out and is actually more like North Korea. Also he is 2nd in command so has most right out of everyone to be in charge.

UN is a giant bureaucracy and the game highlights the ineffectual nature of the UN as power is the only thing that matters. That being said is probably 2nd choice after University.
Logged

Domenique

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #182 on: September 17, 2012, 01:02:32 pm »

Believers - I'd call them religious nutcases but they are actually onto something in here. The tech progressing in this game becomes increasingly creepy to the point even i feel distaste. The cloning vats are a great example especially if you know the inner workings of the machine in the video.
The machine in the cinematic seperates females from males.
The females are grown to lay more eggs while males get thrown away and minced alive and used as feed.

Sadly, that's the way progress works. But do remember that there was a time when black-white or same-sex marriages was looked upon as unnatural and horrible. With progress people are able to see things differently. One day we'll embrace cosmic indifference and understand that we're just overlonged chemical reactions and thus morality will ascend to a new level, not understandable to us right now. When I used to kill animals (dissect fishes, behead chickens), I just think of them as of chemical reactions in the vast incomprehensible universe that don't matter more or less than I do, so there's really no difference. Huh, got a philoboner here.
Logged

MonkeyHead

  • Bay Watcher
  • Yma o hyd...
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #183 on: September 17, 2012, 01:06:44 pm »

SMAC seems to play sentience (however it is supported) as more important than the bags of meat it is initially carried around in. I mean, MMI as a tech paves the way for the game offering machine sentience (cyborg factory and so on) and the whole transendence thing, and dont forget the concept of a sentient planet.

Sonlirain

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #184 on: September 17, 2012, 04:23:33 pm »

I'm just saying Miriam has a point about advancing technology. Be it the cloning vats, mater transmiter (after seeing the project video i promised myself to never step into a teleporter if we ever invent them) or self aware colonies (that's just asking them to go insane and paint the walls with us).
As for the game itself... well yeah. She's a bitch and her faction is all about going medival over the nearest neighbors (it's nice to see her end up next to santiago for that one reason).
Also i'm dying to know how would the trancendance end with her as the leader of the "ghosts in space".

As for the university... they ARE unethical and it IS known about. That's why they get those pissed drones.

Morgan - That's how  corps work... sadly. But i still think he's one of the safest bets.

Spartans - They get a large morale boost so they still get a better chance when fighting mindworms than most.
Logged
"If you make something idiot proof, someone will just make a better idiot."
Self promotion below.
I have a mostly dead youtube channel.

Sharp

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #185 on: September 17, 2012, 06:33:15 pm »

I'm just saying Miriam has a point about advancing technology. Be it the cloning vats, mater transmiter (after seeing the project video i promised myself to never step into a teleporter if we ever invent them) or self aware colonies (that's just asking them to go insane and paint the walls with us).
As for the game itself... well yeah. She's a bitch and her faction is all about going medival over the nearest neighbors (it's nice to see her end up next to santiago for that one reason).
Also i'm dying to know how would the trancendance end with her as the leader of the "ghosts in space".

I don't think it's possible to do Ascent to Trancendance with Miriam without cheating or being the ruler of Planet so can just focus on research.
Logged

Domenique

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #186 on: September 18, 2012, 01:44:52 am »

I'm just saying Miriam has a point about advancing technology. Be it the cloning vats, mater transmiter (after seeing the project video i promised myself to never step into a teleporter if we ever invent them) or self aware colonies (that's just asking them to go insane and paint the walls with us).
As for the game itself... well yeah. She's a bitch and her faction is all about going medival over the nearest neighbors (it's nice to see her end up next to santiago for that one reason).
Also i'm dying to know how would the trancendance end with her as the leader of the "ghosts in space".

I don't think it's possible to do Ascent to Trancendance with Miriam without cheating or being the ruler of Planet so can just focus on research.

Somewhy I feel the reason that this game is better then CIV is because discussions like these arise from it.
Logged

BodyGripper

  • Bay Watcher
  • The dog is screaming.
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #187 on: September 20, 2012, 05:15:41 pm »

I've been playing a pretty good game of this over the last couple days.  I'm playing as Chairman Yang.  Early on, I traded something-or-other for Doctrine:  Flexibility, and was able to explore the other continents sooner than I normally would.  This led to me quickly conquering the Peacekeepers and Morganites (They both surrendered).  I was then fortunate enough to secure a Pact of Brotherhood with the University, which was cool although I've been ahead of them in Tech for most of the game.  Once I discovered Fusion Power, I launched war on the Spartans, who were the second most powerful faction after me.  They had a lot of units and bases, but they were no match for my newly upgraded Fusion units.

Now I've eradicated the Spartans.  The Gaians are the only faction who doesn't support me for Supreme Leader, so I'll probably be going to war with them sooner or later.
Logged
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... It's okay to sell quivers..."
I just ripped open a lions throat by biting it. Who's the lion now, bitch!

EuchreJack

  • Bay Watcher
  • Lord of Norderland - Lv 20 SKOOKUM ROC
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #188 on: October 02, 2012, 05:51:42 am »

Doubt I would fit in all that well with the Spartans either, not being all that much of military man. I've always seen the Spartans more like their historical counter-part as a federation of military clans loosely united under one tribal despot rather than the modern "romantic militarism" of the Napoleon period and later. I've seen both sides debated though and the Spartans haven't quite been as "pinned down" as the rest of the factions.

When I think of the Spartans, I always assume they're like the survivalists from the movie Tremors.  Crazy nutjobs with tons of firepower that you can reasonably rely upon to keep you safe from the worms.

cryopyre

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #189 on: November 12, 2012, 06:25:45 pm »

Hey guys. I'm working on a SMAC roguelike. If anyone is interested in helping I'd be much obliged.

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=2539.30
Logged
"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

cryopyre

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #190 on: November 12, 2012, 07:08:07 pm »

Can someone link me to the whole story of SMAC? The wiki is very sketchy on the latter part of the game, and appears to be purposefully ambiguous.

I'll do a synopsis here. Earth goes to crap, so the UN sends a starship to Alpha Centauri in the hopes of saving humanity. The captain of the ship is assassinated, and the rest of the high ranking officers split up by ideology. Once on the planet they discover that much of the surface is coated in a mysterious fungus. As the game progresses humanity discovers that the fungus is actually a large neural network, making the planet one large brain. Meanwhile, the planet acts with hostility towards the new consciousness it has detected (humans). Over time, the human factions communicate with planet and try to convince it not to kill them off. Eventually the humans teach the planet about the history of humanity, and the planet agrees to postpone killing them off for a short time. In order to save themselves, humanity essentially uploads themselves into the planet's mind, and lives as a collective consciousness. Once humanity has transcended into the planet's mind they become akin to gods, and return to Earth to save the remnants of humanity from its destructive ways.
Logged
"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

OREOSOME

  • Bay Watcher
  • Novice GM.
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #191 on: November 12, 2012, 07:17:46 pm »

Wait. The Cloning Vats are Axlotl tanks?!? I knew there was a good reason to not tech for it.
Logged
Ow! How the fuck do eldritch abominations bitchslap people?
With our pimp tentacles, obviously.

Sharp

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #192 on: November 12, 2012, 07:42:28 pm »

There is actually an official novel before game was released somewhere but I can't find it, Santiago isn't actually an officer but a stowaway/sabatouer/assassin. Also Zakharov had a different name but was changed after novel was released from Russian fans input.
Logged

OREOSOME

  • Bay Watcher
  • Novice GM.
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #193 on: November 12, 2012, 07:44:16 pm »

So is that where the text excerpts from, "The Book of Planet" came from?
Logged
Ow! How the fuck do eldritch abominations bitchslap people?
With our pimp tentacles, obviously.

cryopyre

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: The Alpha Centauri (SMAC/SMAX) thread
« Reply #194 on: November 12, 2012, 07:47:43 pm »

There is actually an official novel before game was released somewhere but I can't find it, Santiago isn't actually an officer but a stowaway/sabatouer/assassin. Also Zakharov had a different name but was changed after novel was released from Russian fans input.

Here's the story, but many do not consider it canonical, and a lot of it is inconsistent with the characters or even the game's flavor text. It's even worse considering the SMAX intro, which is often completely at odds with the official game canon.

http://alphacentauri2.info/official/journey.txt
Logged
"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
Pages: 1 ... 11 12 [13] 14 15 ... 23