The Finer Details of Alpha Centauri

[Bkeela]

When I play a game of Alpha Centauri, I like to imagine the finer details of my futuristic civilization. For instance, I like to picture the lay out of my bases, and to imagine the diplomacy of my people. I don't enjoy reading fan fiction for the mere fact that I don't like reading stories from a monitor, and even if I had a printer, I certainly wouldn't waste paper in order to print it out. So, I would be interested to hear how other players picture the finer details of the Alpha Centurian factions and bases.

For example, how is the energy credits distributed, would it be some form of symbolic currency like we use?

Why can't the factions immediately discover the frequencies of the other factions?

What do you imagine the Gaian bases are made of?

How would the Hologram theatres work? Would they be like the Hologram rooms in Star Trek, or some kind of cortex implant?

How would the problem of an oxygen low atmosphere affect jet engines?

How would a vehicle travelling in a Mag Tuge slow down? And would gravity affect a vehicle in a Mag Tuge travelling up hill?

Is the Barrier or base walls a solid wall, or an electrified wall? And what is the Tachyon barrier? Wouldn't such a barrier be a gross waste of valuable energy?

Why couldn't another faction get a benefit from finishing an already completed seceret project?

I can't think of anything else right now, but I would be really interested to see how you imagine the details of SMAC.

P.S I find it interesting to watch movies with a futuristic feel to give my imagination inspiration. I recently saw Demolition Man, and this futuristic society reminded me of what a U.N, or University faction would be like. Aliens is a good movie to watch to imagine the warlike Spartans, and I would be interested to watch Total Recall again.

P.S.S If anyone is aware of some really, really good fan fiction, that goes into such details, let me know.

Thanks,

Bkeela.

[U.Core]

yes , i too go into such details , slowly by slowly , i have now come to the point that i dont even play with the other factions anymore .
my custom faction ( union core ) against the others .

but i do not go into technical details ,
more the diplomatic , socail details that interest me .

starship troopers is a good inspiration for my faction .



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"Imagination is more important than knowledge."
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts."
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is at all comprehensible."

[Stefu]

quote: For example, how is the energy credits distributed, would it be some form of symbolic currency like we use?

Credit cards, most likely, or microchips inside of persons.

quote: What do you imagine the Gaian bases are made of?

I think some kind of tree, which has been genetically modified to be, you know, harder, and maybe something that can be easily grown to various shapes, and non-flammable.

[Khan Singh]

I think Needlejets would still be able to operate in the Chironian atmosphere. The might not be as efficient, but modern jets are quite efficient anyway.

Magtube cars would slow down the same way they speed up, by linear induction.

"Wouldn't (the Tachyon barrier) be a gross waste of valuable energy?"

Not at all. Since tachyons are super-luminal particles you would actually gain energy by using such a barrier. I guess.

[EternalSpark]

I was thinking about posting a topic like this... darn it

Here are my questions..

1) If an opposing faction takes over another faction's base, what happens to the people? Do a formerly Morgan populace loose its choice and becomes Hive-ish? Do Gaian tree-huggers immediately adopt a free-market, and therefore polluting, base?

2) In the same vein of #1, kinda, do captured bases "evolve" into shapes similar to the other bases? I think I've seen this happen where a formerly UoP base was indistiguishable from the surrounding Believer Catherdrals. If this is true - how does this happen?

3) Is Deirdre really nekked under there? Hey, I'm an adolecent male, as well as a detailist

4) How big is each square? It can't be 1 mile or one acre, because then most units would be real-time SLOW, taking a whole YEAR to move a mile...

5) Why are the Hive Bases so depressing? "Hey all, lets go to the Drone Mound!"

6) What exactly IS nerve stapling? A talent? Why do they wear frilly things in their heads? Why do drones shave their heads?

7) When you come right down to it, shouldn't Mirrian be a builder? Isolated politically, wishes to live life in worship... sending warriors out don't seem to right to me...

And, to offer MY opinions on some questions expressed...

quote: For example, how is the energy credits distributed, would it be some form of symbolic currency like we use?

Well, take the amount of credits you see on your screen. Divide it up equally between all your bases. Thats how much each base is alloted a year. Divide it up via your labs/pych/econ and you can find annual monies per thing.

quote: Why can't the factions immediately discover the frequencies of the other factions?

Well, all they have is like, well... a little base. And if yer playing a normal-huge map, the distances simple radio must reach are FAR too long for radio.

quote: What do you imagine the Gaian bases are made of?

Special trees.

quote: How would the Hologram theatres work? Would they be like the Hologram rooms in Star Trek, or some kind of cortex implant?

I'm guessing either like the Holodeck, or a little compartment added to the Hab Complexes.

quote: How would the problem of an oxygen low atmosphere affect jet engines?

Dunno. Maybe NOT using standard fuels that need 02?

quote: How would a vehicle travelling in a Mag Tuge slow down?

By slowly turning the mad tube into a road. I dunno.

quote: And would gravity affect a vehicle in a Mag Tuge travelling up hill?

No friction, no slowing. I think.

quote: Is the Barrier or base walls a solid wall, or an electrified wall?

Prolly electrified.

quote: And what is the Tachyon barrier? Wouldn't such a barrier be a gross waste of valuable energy?

Well, maybe not. Fusion power plants might run 'em or something.

quote: Why couldn't another faction get a benefit from finishing an already completed seceret project?

I wondered that too. Got no clue.

[LoD]

quote: How would a vehicle travelling in a Mag Tuge slow down?

First of all I think that cargo/vehicles would not travel by themselves, but on special platforms/compartments. Taking this as granted, a change of magnetic potential would suffice.

quote: And would gravity affect a vehicle in a Mag Tuge travelling up hill?

Yes. Gravity and magnetism are tied together, but they are completely different forces. In a magtube, you would still need more power to increase an objects potential energy (or, in other words, to move it uphill).

quote: Why couldn't another faction get a benefit from finishing an already completed seceret project?

Ummm... Maybe because it's secret ?

quote: And what is the Tachyon barrier? Wouldn't such a barrier be a gross waste of valuable energy?

Well, it is. Just look at its support cost .

quote: 1) If an opposing faction takes over another faction's base, what happens to the people? Do a formerly Morgan populace loose its choice and becomes Hive-ish? Do Gaian tree-huggers immediately adopt a free-market, and therefore polluting, base?

I think that every faction would have it's "reeducation agency" (even the "tolerant" PKs). During the period of 50 years, a lot of original inhabitants would get old and die, there would be new citizens from other colonies, plus all the kids born after the takeover would have been "re-educated".

quote: In the same vein of #1, kinda, do captured bases "evolve" into shapes similar to the other bases? I think I've seen this happen where a formerly UoP base was indistiguishable from the surrounding Believer Catherdrals. If this is true - how does this happen?

It does happen. Think about - if you were Gaian, would you mind living in the luxurious, resource wasteful (former) Morgan Hab Complex? I say tear it down and build a new one !

quote: 3) Is Deirdre really nekked under there? Hey, I'm an adolecent male, as well as a detailist .

Heh. This reminds of a thread at OWO which was started just to answer that question. In a short time, it had over 100 posts .

quote: Why are the Hive Bases so depressing? "Hey all, lets go to the Drone Mound!"

As Chairman Yang would say: That's none of your interest, Drone. Toil!

quote: What exactly IS nerve stapling?

Very painful brain washing, I think.

quote: Why do they wear frilly things in their heads? Why do drones shave their heads?

To disutngish one from the other. They are social castes, after all.

quote: When you come right down to it, shouldn't Mirrian be a builder? Isolated politically, wishes to live life in worship... sending warriors out don't seem to right to me...

One word: Crusades.


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---LoD

He, who comprehends the past, shall conquer the present and rule the future.

[BustaMike]

When one faction takes another's base, the conquered base experiences more drones than normal. I assume this is how the game simulates how unhappy people would be if their whole social system changed really quickly.

LOD - yeah, mognetism and gravity are seperate forces at the beginning of the game, but when you discover Grand Unification Theory they're just different forms of the same force (well they were before but it couldn't be proven yet). Aside from that, gravity would slow down anything going up regardless of what is propelling it so stuff on magtubes would go slightly slower uphill unless more force was applied from the magtube to compensate.

If you want to know what nerve stapling is just take a good look at the Virtual World video. That guy is getting nerve stapled. I suppose it is somewhere along the lines of getting tortured until you don't feel anything anymore and are content. That's why the guy is in some happy cloud land at the end of the movie.

[LoD]

BustaMike: Have you noticed the female hand ?

LoD

[Bkeela]

What female hand?

[BustaMike]

What female hand? I did notice that there is a strange shadow on the guys right side at the end of the Virtual World movie. I guess it could kind of look like a female hand. It could also be the hand of the guy who's going to get him out of the machine now that he's nerve stapled, too. Or you could mean something else entirely. Please, explain the female hand thing. I'm curious.

[gnome]

The VW movie didn't strike me as an example of "nerve stapling"... I always got the impression that the VR stimulus from a network node-induced hologram was painful at first until you mastered the sensations.

Nerve-stapling seems to me to be something you could do to a crowd rather than having to round up the troublemakers individually. (Witness Morgan's speech introducing Research Hospitals).

[LoD]

BustaMike: Yes, I mean that hand. I rarely deny my chance to see the SP movie once I build it, so over the course of a year I've grown pretty much confident that that's a hand of woman. Just look at its shape. Plus, it would really fit into the scene (you know, ecstasy and all that ).

LoD

[Sikander]

1) As for the Magtube deceleration, it seems as though friction could be used and a portion of the energy returned to the system.

2) I imagine that the speeder chassis is electricly powered by cells rather than reactors. Reactors are used to recharge the cells.

[EternalSpark]

quote: I always got the impression that the VR stimulus from a network node-induced hologram was painful at first until you mastered the sensations.

Same here. Network nodes seem like big powerful machines aka, crude and invasive VR.