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| 1. What is this Sid Meier’s
Alpha Centauri I’ve been hearing so much about? Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri is the next product from Firaxis Games. In this turn-based game, you are the leader of a faction that has just crash-landed on the surface of Alpha Centauri; you must now explore the area around you, discover how to survive and expand on the alien world, build up an empire, and conquer rival factions who seek to undermine your goals. 2. Sounds cool! When will it be released? Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri is slated for a Fall 1998 release date. 3. Ack! I don’t think I can wait that long! Howzabout a demo? There will be a demo released prior to the game shipping. We don’t yet have an exact date, but it will precede the main release by 3-6 weeks or so. 4. Demos are cool—but what about a public beta test? We currently have no plans for a public test. Frankly, we are too small to handle the volume of reports that a public beta generates. But if we decide to do a public beta, our web board regulars and those who have signed up on our mailing list [NOTE: mailing list sign up will be back soon!] will be the first to know. 5. So what kind of screamin’ machine will I need to play this game? The SMAC team has always worked to create the best graphics possible, but still leave the game playable on a wide range of systems. We accomplish this by having many features that can be turned off, so the graphics don’t limit the number of people who can enjoy the game. SMAC requires at least a P133 with 16 Megs of RAM, 4x or better CD-ROM, and an 800x600x256 display; the system must also be DirectX compatible. The game will run under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT. Please note that these requirements are subject to change as we get closer to the release date. 6. Awright, I’m sold. How much will I have to shell out for this baby? Prices are set by our publisher, Electronic Arts, and we don’t yet know what they plan as far as the retail price is concerned. 7. This all sounds great, but I’ve got a Mac! What about me? Once again, Electronic Arts makes all the decisions about ports to other platforms. Certainly the more sales generated by the PC product, the greater the chances of a port, so by all means encourage your Wintel brethren to buy all the copies they can! 8. Sounds like a cool single player game, but what if I want to SMAC my friends around a little? SMAC will be playable by up to seven players on LAN. You can also play over the internet (max number of players has not yet been determined), or two players can connect via modem or serial cable! 9. Multiplayer? How will you handle the wait between turns as the other people are moving? All players take their turns simultaneously in the game. The time controls (how long each turn takes) can be set at the beginning of the game. For a real game of speed SMAC, set the controls for 30 seconds. Each player then has 30 seconds to make all his\her moves. For a more stately pace, turn off the time controls altogether. You can also set a sliding time control, so earlier in the game the time controls are shorter; once there are more units and bases on the screen, more time is available for turns. If all players complete their turns prior to the time limit, the game advances to the next turn. 10. I’ve always kinda liked customizable rules files so I can change the parameters of the game. What about SMAC? Most anything you might want to change in the game is kept in common formats (*.txt, *.bmp, *.wav, etc.). Players can therefore customize to their heart’s content! There will be a full map\scenario editor, as well as a faction editor. 11. Is this game intended as a sequel to any of your previous efforts? Alpha Centauri is an original turn-based empire-building game which brings numerous innovations to the genre. It is in no way related to any product by any other company. 12 Where can I find out more about Alpha Centauri? This website will have continuous updates about the game (new art in the Gallery, new faction leader info as they appear in the Story, new screen backgrounds in Cool Stuff, etc) so keep checking back! Also, when info about the game appears in magazines or other web sites, we'll let you know in News. COMMON GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS In no particular order, here are some of the commonly asked gameplay questions about SMAC not detailed elsewhere. Other questions will be added as needed. Will SMAC have borders? SMAC will have borders that are defined by proximity to your bases. Factions with whom you have a treaty cannot found bases inside those borders, and if military units come across the border, you may ask them to leave. Multiplayer supports LAN, internet, modem, and direct connect. What about hotseat? There will be no hotseat feature in SMAC. Will SMAC have stacks? You can assign units to stacks and move them as a stack, which should help the endgame management problems often seen in this genre of game. When defending against an attack, will all units be destroyed if one unit in the stack is destroyed? No. Other empire-building games have combat systems where if one unit in a defending stack is destroyed, then the entire stack is destroyed. In SMAC, other units in the stack will take collateral damage from the attack, but won’t be destroyed. Will SMAC have editable rules files? SMAC uses common file formats for art, sound, video, and text files. Users can therefore modify a wide range of stuff in the game, including the look of the units, the sound effects, and many of the rules. Will I be able to create my own faction in SMAC? Yes. And since all the files are in common formats, you can create the artwork, music, and diplomatic text that go along with that faction (Fac Packs!). |
