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

Terraforming Improvements

Following the general rules section is one labeled #TERRAIN, which governs the various improvements to terrain that you can construct with a former or sea former. The most important element of this section is the number of turns it takes to make improvements. By altering the number of turns it takes to complete certain improvements, you can drastically alter how terraforming affects the game.

Let's take a look at a sample line from the terraforming improvements section:

Farm, None, Kelp Farm, None, 4, Cultivate $STR0, f, F

Reading from the left, the first value, "Farm," is the name of the improvement. The second value, "None," is the prerequisite (most often a technology advance) that is required to build the improvement. The third value, "Kelp Farm," is the underwater or sea equivalent of the improvement. The fourth value, "None," is the prerequisite required to build the sea equivalent. The fifth value, "4," is the number of turns required to complete the improvement. Finally, the rest of the line, "Cultivate $STR0, f, F," has to do with how the improvement is indicated in the menu system; here "f" and "F" are the keystrokes required to activate the improvement process.

By changing the 4 (the fifth value) to a higher or lower number, you can change how long it takes to construct this improvement.

NOTE
If you wanted to construct an air-heavy scenario, you could alter how many turns it takes to build an airbase, which can be used as a refueling station for your needlejets. The default value is 10, but if you decrease the value, a player can construct airbases quickly, making air power even more useful.

Resource Information
Temperature, rainfall, rockiness, and other elements determine the resource information in normal squares; however, there are several special squares where you can alter the amount of resources produced. By changing these values, you can give special importance to certain squares. Here's an example:

Forest Square, 1, 2, 1, 0,

From the left, you'll first see the name of the square. This shouldn't be changed, as it is the name the game uses. The second value (the first number) indicates the amount of nutrients the square produces. The third value indicates the amount of minerals the square produces. The fourth value indicates the amount of energy the square produces. The fifth and last value, which you will notice is zero for all the squares, is currently unused by the game (you shouldn't change this value). Thus, you can change the nutrients, minerals, and energy produced by the square by editing the second, third, and fourth values, respectively.

NOTE
One of the special squares included in this section is the monolith square. You've probably noticed the strange monoliths scattered around the map. These monoliths have a special power, not only upgrading and healing your units, but also providing nutrients, minerals, and energy. The default values for the monolith are 2, 2, 2, 0. By changing these values, you can make the monoliths more or less important.