Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is a turn-based strategy computer game created by Brian Reynolds and Sid Meier in 1999. The game was released by Firaxis Games. The story entails the colonization of a planet in the Alpha Centauri star system. Mankind begins its most monumental task – the colonization of space. A crew of internationally renowned scientists and security strategists, with wide-ranging convictions and diverse ethics, embarks on a mission that will change the world. One solution may be to add the line 'Directdraw=0' to the end of Alpha Centauri.ini (found in the root alpha centauri folder). This also has the effect of making the game use your normal desktop resolution (as set by windows) and of preventing you from alt tabbing at all. I came to Alpha Centauri after having played Civilisation III to death. To my mind, Civilisation III is the best Mac game that I've come across: it looks gorgeous, plays well (and repeatedly), and has a satisfyingly deep level of gameplay. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack includes the original Alpha Centauri and the expansion, Alien Crossfire. Mankind begins its most monumental task – the colonization of space. A crew of internationally renowned scientists and security strategists, with wide-ranging convictions and diverse ethics, embarks on a mission that will.
After the 20th century, humankind reaches its hand out across the stars. Seeking to escape the overcrowded chaos of Earth, the United Nations builds a single seedship, the UNS Unity, and sends her on a mission towards the Alpha Centauri star system. After a long journey in cryogenic suspension, the Unity reaches Alpha Centauri where the Captain is killed under mysterious circumstances. Suspecting the motives of one another, the officers and the crew split into 7 factions, each lead with a distinct ideology and motives that they seek to build the planet in their image…
Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri is best compared to Civilization II, but features many distinct differences in gameplay and thinking. In Civilization, the objective was to evolve a society from primitive tribes, whereas Alpha Centauri starts with the landing of colony pods on a barren planet with society becoming fractured. Each faction (aka nation) receives it’s own share of the Unity’s resources and tech base. For the basics, bases produce nutrients, materials and energy. Nutrients are required to feed to population, Materials are used in production and energy represents the commerce effect which can be traded to players diplomatically or spent on improvements. The 7 factions each have their own agenda, which is determined in large part by the Social Engineering. This enables a faction to customize its values, earning a bonus for what it considers important and a penalty for what it doesn’t. Social Engineering system are discovered through research, the same as other improvements, such as structures and units.
Research is divided into 4 types of technologies, which form an intertwining tree of dependencies. They are: Conquer (direct military applications), Explore (indirect technologies for units and bases), Build (direct infrastructure application) and Discovery (Science for the sake of science, indirect applications). Because of the separation, factions can focus on what they hope the intended result of their science will be, and can be changed at any time. To explore the planet, units are needed. Any unit can be customized out of known technologies; consisting of a chassis type, reactor, weapon, armor and special abilities. Each of these components has a different expense, with untested technologies having additional overhead (prototype).
Finally, Alpha Centauri is not a desolate star system. There is life on the planet, in the form of alien fungus that litters the ground and strange creatures such as mindworms. Initially hostile to all factions, this form of life holds its own secrets and effects on the world at large.
Game Info
Genre: Strategy
Developer: Firaxis Games East, Inc.
Year: 1999
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Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Windows - 1999
Also released on: Mac
5 / 5 - 5 votes
Description of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Windows
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On SMAC's official website, we learn of an unexpected reactor malfunction aboard the colony ship (christened U.N. Unity) that wakes everyone from cryo-sleep and damaged the communications equipment and contact with mother Earth is lost. The travelers splinter into 7 ideological factions and when Alpha Centauri is finally reached, each one grabs an escape pod and abandons the crippled ship. As leader of a faction of your choice, your goal is to colonize, explore, and expand-all in the fine tradition of '4X' space strategy games.
The basic gameplay is nothing new to fans of 4X games: build cities, explore the land, research new technologies, make peace or war with other factions. What makes SMAC an outstanding game as opposed to merely a 'good' game is the near-perfect play balance that fans of Civilization know and love. Each of the seven factions has unique advantages and disadvantages which offer excellent replayability. For example, if you play as Morgan Industries, your best strategy is to build your cities and avoid war in the early portion of the game until you can buy your way to the top with amassed fortune. In contrast, as the leader of the Spartans, you will want to attack early and often and avoid letting your neighbours build in peace.
Although SMAC inherits the very limited diplomacy model from Civilization 2, the strong economic, technology, and combat models more than make up for this weakness-so much so that you can win the game most of the time without caring too much about your diplomatic stance towards other factions. In addition to dozens of intriguing futuristic technologies you can research, there are also many sci-fi elements that liven up the game considerably. Not only must you deal with other factions, but you must also contend with the mind worms-- one of the planet's most lethal alien life forms. You will also come across parts of the U.N. Unity (which can contain anything from new units and technologies to more mind worms), and encountering strange alien monoliths which can have unexpected effects on your units.
SMAC also features an overarching plot, which develops by way of the 'Interludes from the Book of Planet' that are woven seamlessly into the game, giving it an excellent fantasy/sci-fi overture reminiscent of Ursula LeGuin stories. SMAC offers many possible conclusions, all of which are directly related to the ideology and goals of your faction, as well as actions you perform throughout the game.
Alpha Centauri Game download free. full
With a strong AI, excellent play balance, virtually limitless replayability, and overall polish, SMAC is a true successor to Civilization 2 that deserves a permanent home on everyone's hard drive. In a welcome change from today's trend of flimsy manuals that are actually 10-page CD inserts, SMAC comes with an excellent 240+ page manual that does justice to the game's complex, yet accessible gameplay. Three alien thumbs up!
Review By HOTUD
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Screenshots from MobyGames.com
Comments and reviews
Tek2019-07-071 point
It probably used to be abandonware, but more recent a deal was struck with GoG for redistribution.
LeCarre2019-03-090 point
If I have to buy it on GOG then why is it on an Abandonware Site?
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Share your gamer memories, give useful links or comment anything you'd like. This game is no longer abandonware, we won't put it back online.
Buy Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is available for a small price on the following websites, and is no longer abandonware. GoG.com provides the best release and does not include DRM, please buy from them! You can read our online store guide .
Other Releases
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was also released on the following systems: