GameSpot's Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Game Guide

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appendices

Appendix A: Modifying Alpha Centauri Rules

Appendix B: Creating Custom Functions

Appendix C: Creating Maps and Scenarios

Inside alpha.txt

The file that contains the rules that govern how Alpha Centauri is played is called alpha.txt; it's located inside your root Alpha Centauri directory. As mentioned previously, you should back up your alpha.txt file before continuing with this chapter. Using the Windows 95/98 Explorer, copy the file onto a floppy disk or into another directory labeled, for example, "backup."

NOTE
Because custom scenarios can also use custom rules, you could copy all the Alpha Centauri text files into a new subdirectory along with a customized scenario to test your changes. See Appendix C for more on custom scenarios.

Let's dive into some elements that make up alpha.txt, looking closely at how changes will affect the game. To edit alpha.txt, you should open the file with any Windows 95/98-based word processing program, such as Microsoft Word or even one of Windows 95/98 text-editing programs like Wordpad and Notepad. Remember, you can cancel changes at any time by closing the file and not saving.

After loading the file, study the structure before you do any tinkering. You'll see that the text file is divided into sections; each section is devoted to a particular game element that can be altered. Each section is preceded by a title marked with a pound sign (#), such as #RULES. You shouldn't mess with the titles of the sections.

NOTE
You should make a note of any changes you make to the alpha.txt file either on a pad of paper or in another text file. That way, if you must change something back, you will have a quick reference to all the changes you've made.

After some introductory lines, you'll see a bunch of stuff that looks like this:

3, ; Movement rate along roads 2, ; Nutrient intake requirement for citizens 3,2 ; Numerator & Denominator for artillery fire damage 2, ; Max artillery range (larger will break multiplayer) 8, ; Max airdrop range w/o orbital insertion 10, ; Nutrient cost multiplier 10, ; Minerals cost multiplier 100, ; Technology discovery rate as a percentage of standard

Notice the semicolons (;). Everything after a semicolon is a REM statement, or a remark, put in there by the designers of the game. These remarks describe how the values affect the gameplay.

NOTE
The host of a multiplayer game determines if custom rules will be allowed, so if you alter anything in hopes of gaining an advantage, you'll be out of luck.

While this section won't tell you how to modify every single element of alpha.txt, it will provide you with the basics you need to start customizing your own game or scenario.