Vanilla SMAC OR Expansion SMAX, that is the question

[Mart]

Playing Vanilla SMAC or Expansion SMAX? Or something between maybe?
There are 3 additional states between. Not everything is 0 and 1.

[bvanevery]

I see no purpose to playing plain vanilla SMAC at all.  Game mechanically, SMACX is the superior set of options.  The flavor and lore of the new factions may suck some compared to the base game, but if you really object to those, you don't have to play with them at all.  Some people want different atmospherics, like a different intro screen or opening video and whatnot.  Those can be had in SMACX with mods / patches, and I think that's relevant to people who are taking a poll here, in this forum.

If one has an ancient copy of only SMAC, and doesn't want to spend more money on the expansion, there really isn't a cost issue anymore.  GOG has sales multiple times a year where the price of everything together goes as low as $1.49.

I think people often have a comfort level, where they think they want this, must have that, that they'll object to this, or are unsatisfied with that.  People can be cranky that way.  But I think the crankiness goes away with familiarity, experience, and mastery.  To put it bluntly, if you start playing SMACX, sooner or later you're going to stop grousing about it and just get on with playing it.  Because it does actually have value adds, despite some of the goofy things they put in it.

I'm actually wondering what anyone thinks is so hardcore a feature, that it can only be had in SMAC and not SMACX.

[Geo]

Not that I played the last few years, but SMACX would be my choice.

[Vidsek]

   New Poll needed:

 What's your favorite "spice"?   Might require a hundred or so options, however

[dino]

More is not always better, I dislike like 75% features introduced in the expansion.

Factions super lame, aliens destroy mysterious atmosphere of the original, water bases are boring busy work but are too good to neglect them, flechette defense favor ICS, alien techs bloat the tech tree, etc.

I sometimes play with all expansion features to experience some variety, but always come to conclusion that overall SMAC is the better game.

[Mart]

More is not always better, I dislike like 75% features introduced in the expansion.

Factions super lame, aliens destroy mysterious atmosphere of the original,

I thought about it some time ago. One good solution is to not select them when starting a game, but a problem is when one chooses custom factions.
Then Alien factions could be replaced by "Alien" meaning some really fixated on Progenitors humans.
Victory by building subspace generators could be made as building "subspace portals", which would not necessarily successfully function. It would be more like Temples of contact wishes.
A mod would need also to replace sounds, mp3 files, where Progenitor read, etc. That would be more work.
Technologies could be renamed in some cases, like Progenitor Psych might be "Progenitor Archaeology"
 

[bvanevery]

Factions super lame,

The expansion factions have lame narratives.  The game mechanics of the 5 new human factions are just fine.  The 2 Aliens are overpowered.  I nerfed them in my mod, problem solved.

aliens destroy mysterious atmosphere of the original,

I agree, but I also feel that what's done is done.  If I someday make a spiritual successor kind of game to SMAC, it will not have a lame Alien storyline in it.  I wouldn't even do mindworms, frankly.  Always thought it was too much of a Dune ripoff.  Don't talk to me about sentient planets either.  See, I don't think things in the original game were perfect either.  The Aliens just threw a lot more dumb on top of it.

What's good about the original game, is the dynamic between the 7 factions.  That's what I'd keep.  I'd have to spruce Santiago up a bit though, she's half lame.  Not all that credible as a military leader.

water bases are boring busy work but are too good to neglect them,

I say that's a personal problem.

flechette defense favor ICS,

That's late game and nobody's making you play ICS.  Aesthetically, I've always been displeased by it.  I did it a few times in Freeciv to understand its characteristics, but really, I think it's a lame way to play any of these games.  So I don't.

alien techs bloat the tech tree, etc.

I'd get rid of the Resonance weapons and armors, and Pulse armors, if fealty to original material wasn't an issue for me.  There are people who complain about SMACX, there are people who want what SMACX offers.  I did reduce R-Lasers to strength 4 in my 1.26 mod release though.  I've spent so many years choosing "R-lasers or Missiles?" that that seriously had to go.

I sometimes play with all expansion features to experience some variety, but always come to conclusion that overall SMAC is the better game.

I modded away the inadequacies of both.  I wasn't inclined to settle for anything.

[Flippity]

The    Aliens do remove some of the mystery, and they are extremely OP compared to their human counterparts.

My issues are more lore based.

I do have issues regarding how scoutships can have enough crew to sustain a colony, even with the losses they must have suffered. But I’m glad the aliens are in despite all of this.


Cult    while I’ve played them a fair bit, the Lore is kinda odd. A Group called the Malcontents find an abandoned child in some xenofungus he Matures quickly, but stays biologically  7 ( though effectively he’s an adult) .  The Malcontents are not expanded upon but maybe have links too Gias Stepdaughters  . Okay.. I guess kinda believable considering how Planet communicates.. also considering how low the air is I’m sure the kid would be dead, or mind worm food. Also lore wise .. maybe if the kid could somehow survive.

Data Angels  she’s a massive criminal before coming onto the unity, and just kinda leaves Morgan after committing a similar crime she did on Earth. I mean okay, there interesting, but the head of an Expidition bieng overruled, to include a person who crashed the world economy, feels off ( then again desperate times? ) and why wouldn’t Morgan watch her like a hawk?

 lore wise they really seem like the faction would not be considered a major player but a small faction.  The Angels hacking abilities allow them to punch above their weight. ( also I find them having any sort of military a stretch )

Drones  Drones actually make the most sense out of the new human factions, and them starting as escapees from The Hive basically sells it. Though Domai bieng both a leader and continuing to work in a factory feels strange considering there’s only 18 hours a day on Planet.

Conciousness  these are my Gotoo faction of the new ones, though I’ve heard two origins for Aki one was that She ran the Experiment on the unity, something happened and she was put in cryo. Then she appears in a university base changed. The other was she was the result of Zakharov‘s personal experiment, who left after the merge. Thematically they kinda fit as who knows what ‘ experiments ‘ the university does behind closed doors

 Pirates I both have Major issues with Svens lore and I also see them fitting. Lore wise he’s kinda interesting, and I can see them existing as a very minor group ( i.e not having the resources of a major faction but still enough to strike out alone). However he just kinda lets people do whatever and only steps in when it’s really bad, Pirates seem less cohesive than the Angels.

Lastly I understand thematically they are on equal footing to existing Factions, the only one I see starting at the same time as the Original Factions is the Pirates. And even then, he should have some kinda penalty.



(I’m talking lore wise, not gameplay wise)

[dweeze]

Storyline in X is lame for sure. When it first came out, I'd already invested 100s of hours into vanilla AC and ignored the faults to play new factions. I do enjoy the Pirates so make up my own balance of old/new factions to bash against. Usually play vanilla AC for a few goes on every new install / PC upgrade before reverting to X.

Only planet knows how much of my life has been eaten by mindworms over the last 20 years...

[bvanevery]

Heh maybe we all have mindworms for brains now.

[bennieCag]

Eohippus prehistoric horse Hey I temember that cause it was on a junior high science exam and that was the only question I missed on the exam     After that it was all downhill....from there. Till......now??

[bvanevery]

So you're saying you can now remember the most fabulous things about mindworms?  Like the exact angle they entered your skull?