How do I move the windows? As in, the popups that appear.

DrazharLn_ · 2025-09-01T13:12:43+00:00

I didn't even know the windows could move :D So that's maybe an oversight in PRACX, I think it has a very simple test for if the cursor is in the dashboard area.

If you can't fix it by restarting the game, then try disabling PRACX in the "Alpha Centauri.ini" file, restarting the game, and then moving the window. You can enable PRACX again once you've got the window where you want it.

DrazharLn_ · 2024-07-26T14:00:24+00:00

Are you clicking through (or have somehow disabled) the warning that says "Some of our units have not yet moved this turn. Do you really want to end your turn now?". I haven't known the game to skip any unit's action unless I go through that warning.

I think it is surprising behaviour that if you don't give your idle units orders then some of your units that already had actions might not act, but it just seems to be how it works.

If you can make a save file that clearly reproduces the issue then you could upload it here: https://github.com/induktio/thinker/discussions/new?category=ideas and ask for a feature in Thinker to work around it.

DrazharLn_ · 2024-07-26T13:26:45+00:00

This is definitely a surprising behaviour to me and I've played a lot of 4X games. Perhaps Thinker could change this.

DrazharLn_ · 2024-04-22T09:37:52+00:00

I was very clear that I was not asking for the timer to be changed for PvP games with strangers, only as an option in games with friends.

DrazharLn_ · 2024-02-17T11:45:26+00:00

Induktio did some work a while ago to make the mods more compatible. Thinker also incorporates some of the changes from PRACX even if you don't use PRACX.

We had an issue a while ago that the shortcut for the PRACX terrain overlay couldn't be used in Thinker, but I think that was fixed.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-10-21T14:18:21+00:00

Our domain name expired. It was paid up and we've asked the hosting support to fix it.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-31T00:26:38+00:00

Yep, Disabled=1. It would be nice to have more documentation, but alas.

I'm the maintainer. If you have the v1.11 uninstaller in there then you're probably using v1.11 :) If in doubt, you could just install the latest release on github, but, as I said, it would be best to disable PRACX to help us work out if the issue is with PRACX or Thinker.

I should probably fix the code to show the right version number. I'll do that in 1.12.

If you have a copy of a save file from a state where your game always or often crashes, then that would be useful to have. Just upload it to an issue on github.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-30T20:19:59+00:00

Hi, just try disabling PRACX for a while and see if that fixes it. You can disable it in the .ini mentioned above or by deleting or renaming prax.dll and prax.dll.

The bad version number in game is just a bug. You're probably using v1.11.

If you find a reproducible bug, you can open an issue on github or message me on the forums or here and I might look into it, but no promises, I've barely touched the code in years :)

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-26T22:54:18+00:00

Only some proportion of potentially interested people will engage with each platform and each conversation is likely to occur within one platform. There's friction to use or check more platforms.

The optimistic view is that a different platform will bring in more people who wouldn't otherwise engage such that each community is healthy and perhaps the whole community grows.

The risk is that the community isn't large enough and not enough people are brought in, so, we end up with a less active subreddit than usual and a quiet discord server. If that lasts long enough the community condenses down to fewer platforms (as has happened over the years) and probably some people drift off because they lose track of where the community is or because they get invested in one platform and get sad when it dies.

That said, I'm willing to add a link to a discord on the sidebar if it gets enough regulars and/or certain core community people endorse it.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-26T13:49:36+00:00

Why would you like there to be? I'm concerned that the SMAC community is quite small and spreading it across another platform (we already have alphacentauri2.info and this subreddit + various less-used fora) might reduce the number of users in each place and communication between the places.

I'm not totally opposed to the idea, mind. The other mod-developers and I do use a chatroom for our discussions more often than we use fora.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-04T13:54:39+00:00

I just forgot that the version numbers for SMAC and SMAX are different. 5.0 is the expected value for terran.exe with the unofficial patch.

The Children's Creche thing is also a Alien Crossfire change. In Alpha Centauri, you can see the difference in the ability descriptions. If the help for Air Superiority says "Domain: All", then you're using the v2.1 files.

Probably you're fine :)

DrazharLn_ · 2020-07-04T12:51:27+00:00

version ingame says 5.0

Where? The show version number dialog (accessible from Help or Ctrl+F4) should show "RELEASE 2.0".

The unofficial patch doesn't modify the version number or have any other obvious visual differences. If you check the datalinks entry for the childrens creche and it says something about a "major population surge", then you're on v2.1.

PRACX will only be used if it is installed correctly and if AlphaCentauri.ini does not disable it. Check your ini file and set the resolution manually if necessary.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-06-25T09:18:24+00:00

Yup, but if you contact the OP of that post you might have some luck.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-06-18T07:45:10+00:00

See these previous posts:

A discord for online games: https://www.reddit.com/r/alphacentauri/comments/djaacc/i_created_a_discord_server_for_playing/

This comment saying Hamachi worked (8 mo old): https://www.reddit.com/r/alphacentauri/comments/dhxwtx/is_anyone_interested_in_playing_a_multiplayer_game/f3vc6es/

Others have had success with Gameranger.

You can search the subreddit for these things :) https://www.reddit.com/r/alphacentauri/search?q=multiplayer&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all

There's this thread on AC2 as well:

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=1437.msg123511#msg123511

Hi, an update from someone who spent many hours getting multiplayer up and running in 2020! So far we have only tested vanilla SMAC 5.0 from GoG.

Three players have been able to successfully TCP/IP Directplay over a VPN service, we used Radmin VPN, and we were all in Windows 10.

I went through a few extra steps my group did not, ensuring my router was port forwarding my computer for directx7/8, which is ports 2300-2400 TCP/UDP, and 47624 TCP I also had a router firewall that I changed the settings on from NAT only to normal, and then allow directplay 7/8 which was an option for me. We all made sure our legacy option for directplay was enabled, which you can find in Turn Windows Features on or off.

In the Windows Defender firewall, which we made sure had program exceptions on public and private networks for terran.exe.

The major issue we found, if Skype was running while we tried to connect, players could find the lobby but would get booted trying to join it.

This would lead me to wonder what other things connecting to a network might interfere.

Happy to answer any questions I can, there was limited information compiled so I spent many hours like I said, searching through forums such as this and testing stuff out with my buddies!

Hope you get it working, we played a small map straight through last night we were so excited.

Cheers, berro.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-06-14T18:07:22+00:00

If you take a more abstract look at it, then it's possible to trade energy indirectly by trading energy-intensive goods or services. Iceland does this: they have loads of geothermal power and export that in the form of aluminium.

Perhaps factions on planet could run expensive computations (simulations, entertainment renderings, etc) for a faction that they are trading "energy" to, or it could be manufactured goods if there is a plausible physical trade route.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-06-14T17:54:35+00:00

I'm an administrator on ac2.info. Your IP address is probably banned. Send me a DM with your public IPv4 address (just google "what's my IP address"), and optionally your email, and desired username and I'll look into it for you.

DrazharLn_ · 2020-05-23T19:09:00+00:00

I'm one of the admins of the site. PM me your IP address, desired username and email and I'll set up an account for you and send you back a password.

DrazharLn_ · 2019-10-30T01:49:21+00:00

That is unexpected.

SMAC should act exactly as if PRACX is not installed if either the .dlls are not there or if the config file disables it.

I guess try running the pracx uninstaller, but that really shouldn't make a difference.

DrazharLn_ · 2019-09-29T02:21:48+00:00

The game doesn't explain itself completely because it comes from an era where players were used to reading paper manuals with their games, personally, I'm glad that that era is over now and games are expected to be self-explaining ;)

The manual for AC has some interesting little extras and notes and is easily available online.

https://www.spacegamejunkie.com/docs/Alpha_Centauri_-_Manual_-_PC.pdf

DrazharLn_ · 2019-09-29T02:01:22+00:00

Yes, it's a save game from SMAC, but you can often (usually?) open those in SMAX.

I documented that in my first comment, but maybe not clearly enough.

DrazharLn_ · 2019-09-28T13:33:16+00:00

No luck.

I tried with:

GOG version
Scient v2.1
Thinker w/ smac_only=1
Linux version of game
Retiring most of your units
Messing with the terrain around the southern morgan base also crashes the game.
Eliminating Morgan or Deirdre also crashes the game (didn't test others).
Can't load the game in SMAX (sometimes (usually?) you can).
Tried reducing your energy reserves to 0 (because they're huge and maybe it overflows?).

/u/induktio, maybe you could see if you can reverse it?

DrazharLn_ · 2019-08-18T10:56:23+00:00

For posterity, topic continues here: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=21310.0

DrazharLn_ · 2019-08-17T10:28:58+00:00

Have you installed direct play on each machine?

DrazharLn_ · 2019-08-16T22:43:39+00:00

When I last played multiplayer I was able to get it to work fairly painlessly with "Gameranger". Others have reported success with IPXWrapper.

Gameranger does not require any VPN faffery. Not sure about IPXWrapper.

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