EXE patch ideas

[PvtHudson]

Why do you think TECHSTEAL is powerful?  Are you biased towards primarily playing multiplayer games?

I only play single.
You are right in that currently TECHSTEAL isn't particularly better for "alternative teching" than other means. The proposal is rather part of game where techs are much harder to obtain bypassing research. Where probe teams steal techs only from bases with NN, and not from every shoddy seabase founded last turn. Where their success chances are much, much lower. Where AI doesn't neglect defensive probe teams on infantry chassis (I call them security teams). Where AIs don't sell techs for 100 EC.

[bvanevery]

Sure is a lot of stuff to fix first and balance.  Power to anyone who wants to implement all of that in an .EXE patch, but I'd sooner work on a brand new game.  Having learned all these great lessons about systems that don't work.

[PvtHudson]

Generally I find SMAX UI convenient and robust, but there is no such thing that cannot be improved. It would be useful if the game displayed relief changes, at least from terraforming, at least adjacent to your borders, more prominently. So that you won't discovered enemy landbridge raised several turns ago all of a sudden only when hostile troops start pouring through it..

[bvanevery]

You mean a new land bridge in multiplayer?  In single player, the AI has no concept of doing that.  Occasionally it happens due to popping a pod with an earthquake.  Hilarity can ensue if suddenly a powerful Spartan faction has land access to you.  Otherwise though, this doesn't come up much in single player.

I think the whole game could be criticized in terms of "hey, how about attention / warning to this stupid thing over here?"  How many times have I been attacked by a mindworm when I could have attacked it first?  I've gotten sick of replaying turns just for small "D'oh!" mistakes like that.  I usually just let it slide.  I don't enjoy it though.  I could have every unit set to "L", but that's also used for loading a Transport.  For a coastal base or sea base, that's a problem.  It's also just a drag anyways, why should I have to bother?  I have all my units set "H".  Pestering and administration is definitely part of game design.  Not the best possible system in SMAC.

[hyperdriveJ]

How

Yitzi hasn't been here for a while. He has given much to the cause. *salutes*

Yeah, the job search has taken a lot of my energy, particularly when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  Now that I've decided against actuary and in favor of software engineering, I'll probably be getting back to at least some extent.

How are you Yitzi?

[vonbach]

An Auto plant forests be nice.