Ok, I have never played this game before, but I just installed it. I have the expansion disk as well, but I am wondering if I should play the original game first and then add the expansion or just add it now. Does the expansion make the game harder, more complicated? Or is it just better? Also, if I don’t add the expansion, will I need to patch it? Was it in a good state at original release?
Thanks for your help with this. I am looking forward to playing this game since so many people consider it a classic.
In my opinion, the expansion added very little to Alpha Centauri. The new factions are a little extreme or overpowered, and so are little fun to play and less fun to play against.
I agree with TSG, except I’d add that the expansion is excellent. It’s extremely well made, but the real problem, for me, is that the original game is so good - it’s almost superfluous! Like if you had the option to add a couple more pawns and a new peice to chess. Interesting, but needed?
Still, I play with both installed, but usually limit it to the original 7 factions. You can go ahead and do that, or just play vanilla until you’re looking for more, but whatever you do, don’t add the AI alien races until you’ve mastered the game. They throw the whole thing out of whack (for a new player) but add a really interesting challenge to the veteran.
The AI ones aren’t part of the original 7 I take it? So I could add the expansion, just to get the patching (since I can’t find a place to DL it without registering and paying money for a site I dont normally go to), while still just playing the original game and avoiding the problems Troy mentions?
Yeah, but that would involve DL it from the site! Only a genius would think of doing that. Instead, you google AC patch and get a bunch of obscure and outdated links that don’t work!
p.s.: thanks for saving me from my own stupidity. :cry:
Care to elaborate on why you found the expansion “well made” even though you find it “superfluous”? It’s been some time since I played the expansion (one of the few games I’ve actually lost…) and I can’t recall anything particularly interesting about it.
The expansion added a handful of technologies and made probe teams slightly more useful in the late game. The alien races, as stated, were pretty quirky, and I never got the hang of playing them. My one annoyance is that it didn’t do anything to address the AI’s inability to use air power effectively.
As for patching, the expansion requires that the CD be in the drive while the original doesn’t. Curiously, installing the expansion will re-enable the CD check for the original too, but you can get around this by re-patching the original afterwards.
The expansion might still be available through the EA “laptop collection” bundle. I don’t know if the bundle version still has the CD check enabled or not.
Well, I already have the expansion because I got it with the original game. But I think I’ll try playing the patched original version first and then adding the expansion if I want some more variety.
The last turn file I have in my DA1 folder is 2127, dated December 2, 2003. I also show an outgoing turn to the Peacekeepers, created the same date. I have not received a turn file for 2128 yet.
OK, digging through Outlook files, and…
Oh, crap. :(
Denny sent me Morgan’s turn for 2128. That should have gone to Dave, I think. If I never forwarded it… just shoot me.
OK, I’m forwarding the file to CEO Dave.
Of course, what will happen is that we’ll spend a year or two grinding through the turns, then hit the PBEM bug that scotched the Qt3 game; basically, that actually eliminating anybody more or less zorches the game. :(
If i were you knowing what i know now id play with the expansion pack even in my FIRST game… without the original factions to get used to it, and then add the aliens after you consider yourself experienced
Its one of the greatest games of all time in my opinion and everyone i know whos played it, amazingly non-linear, deep, addictive and fun - the modern equivalent of chess
The expansion pack drastically imporves upon the game, making probe teams useful, adding secret projects/techs, adding geographical landmarks and even slightly improves the game’s modifyability (in fact theres a lot of game mods and custom factions that require the expansion pack).
By the way, consider yourself lucky for having the expansion pack, theres hundred people on ebay/AC forums that would kill for that
You know a game is good when you get in the mood to play it by talking about it on a message board
Original game=excellent. Probably, honestly, my all time favorite. But with the expansion pack? Brilliant. I don’t think I ever returned to the pure original (except for factions occasionally) after Alien Crossfire, and I never wanted to. It is really a case of making a great game even better.
Personally, SMAC(X) is what made Civ 3 so disappointing for me. It seemed like such a step backwards, IMO.
The expansion factions were certainly fun. The pirates and aliens were too easy to win the game with though, the aliens not being any fun at all and kinda cheesy. I love the Drones and I playing as the Data Angels and the Cult of the Planet is a good challenge. I really wish the Data Angels had a more well-defined anarchist ideology though, rather than being represented as a bunch of hip, young hackers.
I was lucky enough to recently re-acquire this game with its expansion pack (got the planetary pack) relatively cheaply. I’d forgotten how awesome it is. If y’all want to do another email game, let me know.
