SMAC Fac Pack

[DrazharLn]

@BU, this project was very almost finished. As you're looking for something to promote, how about pulling the art together from Friendly Sven's posts and we can put out a new release with nweismuller's text files?

[Buster's Uncle]

Hmm.  That scans.

Any suggestions as to which art?  I can't be objective with so much of my own work stolen repurposed - which honestly delights and flatters me; I should have said so much sooner.  ^Pardon the kidding^.

[DrazharLn]

I'd start from the most recent posts and work backwards until I had a complete set. Nweismuller and Friendly Sven offered their opinions on what they liked, so if there are multiple options then 6ou might follow those or just make the decisions yourself.

Better to release something and change it later if there are different opinions than not to release.

[Buster's Uncle]

What still needs doing, and can we do it in six days?  Are you even talking about anything like that w/ having something in Downloads to link, not just this thread?  I was taking it as assembling a promo image -I should- and suggestions about the sales pitch would be welcome, especially if something(s) distracts me Sunday-Tuesday morning...  Pray elucidate.

[DrazharLn]

The various graphics for each faction need to be compiled into PCXs and then packaged with the text files, tested and then zipped and uploaded to Downloads.

If you make the PCXs, then I would be happy to do the other things.

[Buster's Uncle]

...

Deal.


My impression is Sven had most of it ready to drop into the blank.pcx and save.  Easy.  I'll get on this sometime today.

[nweismuller]

If you have questions or need my input, I should be able to get back to you soon.  I'm out of town and away from my forum login until Saturday evening after some point later today, but otherwise I'll respond as quickly as I can.  Honestly, it's good to see some response here finally.

[Buster's Uncle]

I would be helped by an elevator pitch for this set - don't worry about it being good, just describe what's special/different/appealing about these factions.  Middlin' shortish paragraph ideal.  I'll make sure it's good before I promote w/ it...

[nweismuller]

Slightly altered from the current readme...

'The SMACFacPack is a modification for the original Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri game that posits a different mix of personalities that split into a different set of factions on the Unity and on Chiron's surface.  In addition to replacing all seven factions, it makes a series of changes to the game rules and technology tree for a somewhat more difficult early period of settlement on Chiron, as well as shifting around several other elements in the technology tree to the designers' taste.  Of particular note to most players is a reduction in the nutrient output of forests, a significant delay in the availability of sea bases, and the removal of supply crawlers.  The factions, as in the original game, are meant to be a more or less plausible ideological division of the Unity crew, but driven by different personalities and events in the crisis aboard the Unity.'

If you want the really short summary of the seven factions individually, I can also do that.

Edit: if you're curious if the faction designs actually more or less fit the intent to be 'ideological division that might emerge', you could ask MysticWind or somebody else actually familiar with the faction set- I'm obviously biased.

[Buster's Uncle]

I might trim the wording a little to fit in before Facebook cuts off with a See More...  -But that's exactly what I needed, thanks.

[nweismuller]

So what exactly are the promo plans, I'm curious?  And grateful the mod is getting the attention.

[Buster's Uncle]

Well, mostly a pic and a link w/ a short sales pitch on Facebook - all the eyes in the online world, there, if only you can get attention.  There's a SMACX group, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Players that seems very much the most useful spot, moreso than AC2's own page.

Boy, 11 years ago, we'd be hitting about 20 different places when we promoted - sisko, the other owner, 's a multilingual Euro.  I'm not up on the foreign-language scene these days, and it was pretty maginal even then, w/ the game that much younger and English-language Civ communities considerably more of and healthier.

But I SHOULD bother with CFC and Apolyton - their ACs are two flavors of dead or near, but always many lurkers/eyeballs/casuals to get the word out to...

[Buster's Uncle]

...I suck.  This is probably an easy/quick job that I should have gotten to Thursday like I said I would, but just not feeling like solitary work lately, want conversation, trying to get started today but peed away several hours this morning already doing mostly conversation work - there is such a thing for a manger.

SO - Draz, I've screwed you out of most of the weekend for doing your end already; let's bump this a week and I'll upload another Bases.pcx Tuesday morning and pitch that.  I'm trying to get my end of this done today, like, start NOW.  So that seems best to give you time...

[nweismuller]

For what it's worth, it sounds like Friendly Sven may be willing to get back to finish up the last bits of art work, he's just been dealing with recovering from some health issues.  He says he has about a week left of work for the last unfinished bits, although when he can start is unspecified.  Once that art is up, I'm going to try and do a comprehensive review of the text files to catch any issues in techlongs and figure out any issues with tech icons.  (Notably, Plasma Dynamics and Life Extension should probably get real icons, and I need to make sure all the existing techs stayed the same type with weight adjustments applied.)

[DrazharLn]

@BU, No you don't. No worries about not sending the images, I haven't been waiting on you (I've been playing boardgames and hanging out)  I'll just react once you post the images.