Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

[mdc_1957]

If you know Sid Meier's Civilization series, his 1997/99 Alpha Centauri (SMAC) is a spiritual successor well worth looking at; a future-history mix of hard sci-fi and Instrumentality. Anyone else played it?

Here's the backstory in a (very small) nutshell: 2050 Earth is a mess, and the U.N. commissions a colony ship (UNS UNITY) bound for Alpha Centauri. 50 years of travel time later, tensions rise and the captain is killed. The main ideological factions splinter and make their way to Charon/Planet's surface to enact their version of humanity's future.

[OAM47]

I still play it from time to time. I enjoy the customization.

[mdc_1957]

I'm also like the game. Though I'm as curious to see the state of 2050s Earth as the "conditions on the ground" at Planet.

[Leo euler]

It's my favorite game ever (although I think in most ways Civilization 4 has surpassed it). Sort of the way any older game has sentimental value.

I really enjoyed the story in addition to the gameplay. I thought they did a great job with the idea of future technological advancement.

[Beedok]

I like it, though declaring war on Planet was always hard to win.

[Monty Burns]

I liked it as well on the beginning. But if I remember correctly, you were able to build satellites which would provide every city with a certain improvement with either one food, one production and one energy? Whereas this was cool at the beginning, if you have a well functioning empire able to outproduce any other faction, these satellites lead to MASSIVE production and population increases, until the whole game is not that much fun anymore...

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by Monty Burns

I liked it as well on the beginning. But if I remember correctly, you were able to build satellites which would provide every city with a certain improvement with either one food, one production and one energy? Whereas this was cool at the beginning, if you have a well functioning empire able to outproduce any other faction, these satellites lead to MASSIVE production and population increases, until the whole game is not that much fun anymore...

That's why you start planet busting, the mind worm hordes are a worthy opponent.

[TheDarkMessiah]

I used to love this game.

[Valdis]

One of the best games ever, i really hope they remake it. doubt they will though.

[mdc_1957]

Originally Posted by Valdis

One of the best games ever, i really hope they remake it. doubt they will though.

I've heard of mods for Civ4 that implement SMAC gameplay. Whether those are still active is another thing though.

Anyway, what kind of screwed-up Earth would prompt a desperate and (hastily-assembled) spaceship? I don't think Miriam Godwinson's "Christian States of America" is the only wild card here.

[lonestarr]

SMAC/X must be one of my favorite games ever. I still play it from time to time on my EEE netbook, just about perfect for it.

What was pretty amazing is the tech tree, the secret projects and the ever accompanying quotes which i still remember after more than 10 years now.

They are so unique and provocative that they stick to your head. Only very few games had such an impact on me.

[Raymann]

I agree, my favorite game ever.

[Typo]

"Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is ours, chew and eat our fill."

[Alex Richards]

I always found it very good.

[Nugax]

Originally Posted by Monty Burns

I liked it as well on the beginning. But if I remember correctly, you were able to build satellites which would provide every city with a certain improvement with either one food, one production and one energy? Whereas this was cool at the beginning, if you have a well functioning empire able to outproduce any other faction, these satellites lead to MASSIVE production and population increases, until the whole game is not that much fun anymore...

In multiplayer that wasn't a problem due to humans knowing to build satellite-killers, but the AI just doesn't get space. Of course multiplayer games rarely lasted that long anyway...

[Germaniac]

I was barely old enough to understand it when I was playing it, however I have fod memories of it. It was my first game in that genre

[Emperor Qianlong]

The game is quite awesome. A real classic, if you will...

My favourite faction always was University, even though I also enjoyed playing with Gaians.

[lonestarr]

Originally Posted by Germaniac

I was barely old enough to understand it when I was playing it, however I have fod memories of it. It was my first game in that genre

I got it when it came out, i was 12. I didnt grasp it, thought it had shitty graphics (it was 1998 for god's sake!), and found it i dont know, boring? I cursed my parents secretly for getting it for christmas.

then, half a year later, bored, i fired the game up, to see if my judgement earlier had been correct. Have been playing it ever since, multiple times each year.

@Multiplayer:
That was a pain, the netcode was SHITTY to no avail, after a couple of rounds already the synchronising of the game did go on your nerves extensively.

[OAM47]

Originally Posted by mdc_1957

I've heard of mods for Civ4 that implement SMAC gameplay. Whether those are still active is another thing though.

Anyway, what kind of screwed-up Earth would prompt a desperate and (hastily-assembled) spaceship? I don't think Miriam Godwinson's "Christian States of America" is the only wild card here.

Global economic crash. I believe there was a mention of Russia taking over the project after the EU failed, which had taken over after the US failed. The project still had to be finished by private investors somehow.

[Emperor Qianlong]

Originally Posted by OAM47

Global economic crash. I believe there was a mention of Russia taking over the project after the EU failed, which had taken over after the US failed. The project still had to be finished by private investors somehow.

That, and probably a multitude of conflicts in Africa, Asia and Latin America which the western powers simply couldn't prevent. And in regard for other oddieties, Scotland became independent (Deidre Skye is from a "Free Scotland"), China presumably absorbed Taiwan (Sheng-Ji Yang hails from a "Greater China"). There's a mentioning of a "Twelve Minutes War" (presumably a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan), as well as the so-called "Saharan Burst Wars", IIRC. There was probably also a massive military campaign by the US in the Middle East ("Crusader Wars"). There's also the mentioning of a "Battle of the Baffin Bay", though we have no idea against whom the US forces fought there (Russia?).

Oh, yeah, and Sinder Rose hails from a "West Indies Co-Prosperity Sphere". We can also assume that a US rump state still exists in 2050 (Svensgaard is from there, as opposed to Miriam Godwinson, who is from said "Christian States of America"). The other leaders with known backgrounds are from rather "normal" places (Australia, India, Namibia, Norway, Puerto Rico, Russia and Scotland).