Ultimate faction pack beta released

[ete]

Big Download Link

(click this first, read while it downloads)

I've been working on this one for some time and it's still not really done, but given that I've finished the initial check/wikification of all factions I have that are not in current development (and some which are) I figure this is a good time to release a beta version for everyone to play with. There's a whole lot of fun stuff in there.

The faction pack contains the 163 custom factions (text files, and graphics/readmes/sound files where available). Simply download it and extract into your alpha centauri folder. If you have alternate recently edited custom factions included in this pack (which may happen if you are a custom faction editor or another faction creator releases an update) you will want to make a backup of all custom faction files changed, otherwise it is safe to tell the extraction to overwrite all duplicates.

The file is fairly large even after being zipped (I used some serious compression so it's actually about same size as the current NN faction download, ~25 MB. You may want 7zip or jZip to unzip it.) and this site's download system struggles with large downloads so the primary download link is filedropper. I will also upload it to here and edit in a link so there's a backup, but using the external download is recommended for stability and speed.

Many of these factions require Alien Crossfire, and using Alien Crossfire's superior way of handling custom factions will make playing with these much easier. If you have Alien Crossfire find these lines in your alphax.txt

;
; These are factions you want included in the startup list.
; These may also be chosen when a random faction is selected.
; First item is file name, second item is search key.
; These should always be the same except for debugging purposes.
;

#CUSTOMFACTIONS

And paste this directly above ##CUSTOMFACTIONS

(click to show/hide)

;
; AARDOM
; acol
; acolyte
; adve
; AGRI
; ai
; ANARCHY
; androgyn
; ANTIMIND
; aol
; Arcology Movement
; ARTISAN
; ATLANTS
; barb
; BARD
; bladerunner
; bree
; britain
; brother
; busters
; CAF
; Canadians
; Cannabis
; CCF
; CHILD
; Children
; church
; clones
; coastguards
; cons
; damned
; darkjudges
; dealers
; Disciples
; discmind
; districts
; DREAM
; DROID
; Eden
; eighth
; EMPATH
; Empire
; ene
; energists
; engineers
; entr
; exile
; federateD
; FEDERATION
; former
; France
; free
; FREELCE
; GEBAZZU
; GEM
; GENX
; guar
; guerrillas
; Gunrunners
; hackers
; hell
; huxley
; Hydros
; IMP
; Imperial
; ISHBU
; ISIS
; Jedi
; JEODDRA
; JURIDIC
; kamanra
; Knowledge
; legion
; Marketeers
; mcs
; MERCHANTS
; MERMAIDS
; Microsoft
; navy
; neoborg
; Nomades
; PATH
; peop
; phs
; Planetia
; plat
; poles
; polis
; Power
; Privateers
; PROD
; protect
; RANGERS
; REPLCNT
; Ronin
; SAINTS
; Seamen
; SEEK
; sf
; SHINRA
; Show
; sith
; SKYNET
; slayers
; smiley
; storms
; STRA
; Subs
; SYNDCT
; synth
; TERRAN
; Texas
; tobacco
; unicon
; unifascist
; van
; Yeer
; YPUNAG
;
; #JarlWolf's
; crimson
; Imperium
; Machine
; Valhalla
;
; Sigma's
; PROCYON
; TECHNO
; APOLLO
; AUTH
; GENOME
; LEVIA
; PILGRIMS
; SATORI
;
; Green1's
; Exterminatus
;
; ete's
; annihilator
;
; ### broken, will crash on load ###
;
; ACTIVE
; ANCIENT
; ChrionColonists
; COLLECTIVE
; DARK
; ELITE
; Facist
; GENESIS
; MARAUDERS
; mech
; mosaic
; PEACERES
; PERFECT
; REPLCNT
; CTECH
;

Now you are ready to pick which factions you'd like to test (note: you can only have up to 8 or 9 custom factions loaded at once). Take a look around the faction archive, pick a few which look interesting, open up your alphax.txt and copy the text names of the factions from the long list you just added to below #CUSTOMFACTIONS, removing the "; " from before them. For example, if you wanted to test Sigma's Procyon, JarlWolf's Crimson Comrades, and the AntiMind your #CUSTOMFACTIONS should look like:

#CUSTOMFACTIONS
PROCYON
crimson
ANTIMIND

If you want to help improve the custom faction system you can:
Add faction information to the faction index.
Fix issues with text files or graphics and send me them for the next version. Many text files are mildly buggy (split line diplomacy texts and missing alien diplomacy are particularly common), a significant number just don't work. Many factions lack original graphics or lack SMAX colors so don't show up quite right.
Encourage me to keep at organizing this stuff. It took surprisingly long to find, organize, check, and wikify (making a whole wiki and its template/extension infrastructure in the process) over 150 factions in various states of chaos from around the web. Making a version with them all vaguely debugged, balanced ones categorized and balanced versions made of unbalanced factions, and integrating the rest of the in development factions is perhaps an eve bigger task. I like to know it's going to be useful.

[ete]

Did *anyone* download this. At least someone must want to try a load more factions?

[JarlWolf]

I missed this: I will probably try some of these out for sure... definitely the aquatics and a few of these crazy node ones...

Edit: I am going to need to make backups/sort this one out because I already have custom factions and these might cause a mess if I just directly port them. So give it some time.

[ete]

Workflow for avoiding this overwriting anything:
Unzip this into a new folder.
Move everything in your current AC folder to the new folder, select overwrite all.
Move everything back to the AC folder.

And nothing from your originals get overwritten.

Still, backups are nice, and will make it easier if I release another version of this pack. Which will likely happen if there's some interest, though maybe not for a while.

[JarlWolf]

Problem: I clicked the link, it just directs me to this file uploading/sharing site, with no clear thing to download.

[ete]

I'm guessing it expired because no one was downloading it. Annoying.

I'll reupload it somewhere more stable. That may take some time on my internet. Uploading it here won't work, this site is not able to handle files of this size properly.

[ete]

Okay, new plan. Download from Google Drive. That should be stable enough.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxADYlhLMFj-VE1OUTY4d2syaGc/edit?usp=sharing

And fixed the link in the OP.

[BlueTemplar]

bladerunner
Uses Spartan graphics, and they seem somewhat bugged : units have transparent flags, and the base population icon is completely black.

[ete]

Thanks for the report. The graphics on a fair number of them are glitchy.

[Buster's Uncle]

bladerunner
Uses Spartan graphics, and they seem somewhat bugged : units have transparent flags, and the base population icon is completely black.

This is a fundamental issue with Spartan graphics - there's something hardwired about the white-on-black faction flags and map colors that only works if the files are named spartans.txt, spartans.pcx, etc.  Variations using Spartan graphics named anything else just do not work right.

Definitely something to get our .exe modders to look at fixing...

[Buster's Uncle]

Bump.

[Buster's Uncle]

ete,  the Altera Centauri set is completely posted here, the CNN thread flood is done, and I found a novelty Christmas faction set Larrin and I did that I'd forgotten - I've made so many, who can keep track?  Included in the scenario at the link.

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=250

[ete]

I have a copy of that. I don't remember if it was included due to dependencies on other modifications, but I think it was. I searched every scenario for factions.

[Buster's Uncle]

IIRC, the scenario mods were all graphic, so that shouldn't be a problem.  Funny factions not being as popular with most people as they are with me might be, though.

You might be thinking of the two factions I did in the Zookeeper GotM.  Russ did a lot of modding on that one, though I'm not aware if it affected the factions any...

[Buster's Uncle]

Attn. ete:

http://alphacentauri2.info/ResourceCenter/

Welcome to the AC2 forums Alpha Centauri Archive & Resources Index!

  A master index linking the official Firaxis AC pages we salvaged/host, the new Alpha.owo forum archive, the AC Wiki, the Beginner's Getting-Started Strategy Guide and BU's Custom Factions pages with the art modding tutorials and art goody files.

...This needs the Ultimate Faction Pack included.  I have a copy and can upload directly to the server, which would work around several problems at once, not least that it'd be easy to find when people ask for a custom faction collection - all I'd need from you is A.) Your blessing, and B.) Your call whether to just make it a direct link to the file from the Resource Center sidebar button - or we create a .html page over which you'd have creative control within reason, on which you can have instructions, credits, whatever, and the link to the file.