Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => The Theory of Everything => Topic started by: BFG on July 01, 2016, 06:56:19 pm

Title: 86 Techs, 45 Facilities, 37 Projects
Post by: BFG on July 01, 2016, 06:56:19 pm

In SMAX there are 86 Techs (88 if you restore the 2 that were dummied out), 45 Facilities, and 37 Secret Projects.  Alphax.txt has room for 1 more Tech, 19 more Facilities, and 27 more Projects.  I know it's possible to add in more descriptors, icons, etc. to make more of these appear in-game...but is there any way to assign bonuses (Psi Attack +50%, Secret Project counts as XYZ facility at all bases, etc.) using just alphax.txt?  If not, then there's really not much point to adding more Facilities or Projects.

Title: Re: 86 Techs, 45 Facilities, 37 Projects
Post by: Buster's Uncle on July 01, 2016, 07:29:32 pm

It has always been my understanding that alpha.txt modding can only add do-nothing Facilities or Projects...

Title: Re: 86 Techs, 45 Facilities, 37 Projects
Post by: BFG on July 01, 2016, 11:09:12 pm

Yep, that's been my understanding as well.  The effects must be hard-coded into the binary rather than read out of the config file.  It makes me wonder if any effects are hard-coded to those additional slots but not normally accessed...

It also appears that the only section whose length can change is Units, since it's preceded by a number indicating the length of the prefab units list.

It's too bad, since I tend towards build/tech/transcend games; I'd love to see more secret projects and facilities available.  As it is, other than reactivating Inertial Damping and Global Energy Theory then reinserting them into the tech tree, I think I'm out of luck.

Title: Re: 86 Techs, 45 Facilities, 37 Projects
Post by: Yitzi on July 04, 2016, 12:47:18 am

Quote from: BFG on July 01, 2016, 06:56:19 pm

In SMAX there are 86 Techs (88 if you restore the 2 that were dummied out), 45 Facilities, and 37 Secret Projects.  Alphax.txt has room for 1 more Tech, 19 more Facilities, and 27 more Projects.  I know it's possible to add in more descriptors, icons, etc. to make more of these appear in-game...but is there any way to assign bonuses (Psi Attack +50%, Secret Project counts as XYZ facility at all bases, etc.) using just alphax.txt?  If not, then there's really not much point to adding more Facilities or Projects.

Not yet.  Although one of our former members (I forget which one) did realize that a negative maintenance cost could make facilities useful even if they do nothing.

Title: Re: 86 Techs, 45 Facilities, 37 Projects
Post by: BFG on July 11, 2016, 06:49:15 pm

Hmm, that negative maintenance cost is an interesting idea - not one I would have thought of.  And it's probably the only new facility that could be created using alpha(x).txt.  I may give that a try and tie it to the dummied out technology, Global Energy Theory, that I reactivated.