Clarifications..

[I)arkness Falls]

What can, and what can you not do in modding. I don't mean rules, I mean how far can you mod SMAC/X?

[Dio]

I am uncertain exactly what you mean about how far you can mod SMAC/X outside of rules. It really depends on how much work you want to do. You can theoritically change a lot of the game but some features are hardcoded. Also, some changes would require a huge  amount of time and effort to make happen.

[Buster's Uncle]

Nobody knows how to alter most of the units, so far.  You'd have to crack the .cvr format.

[gwillybj]

Here's an interesting (but, possibly, useless now) little piece from 1999: AnimaTek Launches Caviar Converter, an Affordable Solution for Real-Time Viewing of Animation.

[I)arkness Falls]

The unit system is fine. It is just about everything else I want to modify.

[Buster's Uncle]

Very little else is impossible - if you get an .exe coder interested...

[I)arkness Falls]

So how hard is it to learn SMAC coding?

[Buster's Uncle]

Yitzi taught himself.

[I)arkness Falls]

I'll be back in a few months with a mod.

[Buster's Uncle]

Keep us posted.

[Yitzi]

I'll be back in a few months with a mod.

If you describe what you want to do, I may be able to give you some tips.

[I)arkness Falls]

On some previous thread, I posted another mod. It was not very good, but it had promise, I think. I want to develop a total conversion for SMAX. Give each of the factions special techs and units, replace all of the graphics, storyline, and voices and call it "Far Distant Future".

[Buster's Uncle]

This thread:  http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=3373.0

[Yitzi]

Graphics and voices require modding the associated files, not .exe modding.  No idea how hard that is.
The storyline can be changed with just text editing, unless you want different interlude triggers.
Faction-specific techs and units will require .exe modding.

[I)arkness Falls]

I really want to change the game. I want the same feel as SMAX but "updated" and with a different story line. I may draft a couple idea's and put them on the forum.