Alpha Centauri Mod Discussion Thread

Chronon · #1 July 3rd, 2003, 05:36 AM

Over in the Verduran Cooperative thread Oleg was musing about what would have happened in the Alpha Centauri (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - game by Firaxis) universe if the factions had gone to different planets instead of just one. I thought that sounded like a good idea for a mod, and input from Hugh Manatee and TerranC suggested that there might (maybe) be some interest in such a project. I have some ideas and concerns about it, so I thought I would open a new thread to discuss the possibility.

First the concerns:

1. I am greatly concerned about the copyright problem (especially after skimming the thread on the subject). I imagine that we would need explicit permission from Firaxis to do this, and I wonder if we could get it.

2. I have zero experience with modding. So, we'll need alot of expert help to pull this off.

Now the ideas:

1. The Alpha Centauri theme would hold everything together; Progenitors leaving advanced technology around (ruins) and perhaps arriving at inopportune moments to attempt recapture (not sure how to mod this, or even if it is possible). Human factions spread around the quadrant: Cyborgs (AST, good research, low growth), Believers (Religious, slow research), Spartans (low construction, good space combats), Gaians (Organic), Hive (good construction and growth, slow research), and Drones (hearty industrialists). All of these would be rock oxygen in SEIV terms.

2. To spice things up I thought we could add some neutrals and the Pirates who would be ice oxygen.

3. The tech tree and components could be modified to reflect some of the names from SMAC, like N-Space Compression, Planet Buster, Shard Cannon, etc. Costs for the weapons, shields, and components could be balanced so there are a number of equal choices at any point in the game.

4. QNP and leaky shields would also be nice, so the mod can take advantage of the latest thinking in SEIV.

So, if this is actually going to happen, we'll need a lot of help. Hugh Manatee has volunteered to do a shipset for the Progenitors. I can do one for the Pirates. We'll need more volunteers for shipset design, AI design, and (most importantly) a lot of help with the tech trees, components, and QNP.

Would anyone be interested in working on a mod like this?

[ July 09, 2003, 03:50: Message edited by: Chronon ]

oleg · #2 July 4th, 2003, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chronon:
1. I am greatly concerned about the copyright problem (especially after skimming the thread on the subject). I imagine that we would need explicit permission from Firaxis to do this, and I wonder if we could get it.

Haaa ? How do you think we have StarTrek and Babylon5 mods

If we bothered Paramount for StarTrek license... Oh, dear !

Suicide Junkie · #3 July 3rd, 2003, 02:05 PM

Try my Tech Gridder (link)

It'll help you pump out hundreds of components and facilities in seconds to fill out your tech trees.

Also, If you have any questions, just ask.
I believe the local policy is still "30 minutes or its free"

Chronon · #4 July 3rd, 2003, 06:22 PM

Thanks SJ, the Tech Gridder looks like a great tool. I'll experiment with it a little and let you know if I have any questions.

That's a good point Oleg. I guess we can just put in some sort of disclaimer like Atrocities has in his Star Trek ship set "read me" files, and hope we don't get a nasty letter from Firaxis' lawyers. It's not like we're selling anything. And, I'm sure they are not making any more money from SMAC, so we're not cutting into their profit, either.

Do we have any more volunteers for ship sets?

Taera · #5 July 3rd, 2003, 10:34 PM

my, chronon thats a great idea there! plus you can easily extract images from the game...

Pirates, well, remember for one the Native life - using rollo's monsters as a base we can make them pretty nasty... they'll have null-space type weapons (SKIP ALL)

Now there are some factions there that could be piratized.

We even have naming files! (the city names in the game). Speech shouldnt be a problem, either way its all too similar in the game

GOod idea. For what i can, i will help you.

Fyron · #6 July 3rd, 2003, 10:49 PM

"1. I am greatly concerned about the copyright problem (especially after skimming the thread on the subject). I imagine that we would need explicit permission from Firaxis to do this, and I wonder if we could get it."

Do not worry about it.

"2. I have zero experience with modding. So, we'll need alot of expert help to pull this off."

Check out SE4 Modding 101 Tutorial, linked in my sig. It is a great way to get a start in modding SE4.