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

Worldbuilder

One of the most enjoyable features of Alpha Centauri is that the game constructs a brand new world each time you begin a new game. By changing values in the Worldbuilder section (marked #WORLDBUILDER) of alpha.txt, you can alter the way this world is built, changing how frequently elements such as hills, deep water, fungus, and rainfall occur. For instance, check out these lines from alpha.txt:

36 ; Islands (Higher # increases island count) 25, ; Peaks (Encourages peaks)

The first value is a number governing the relative frequency of the element's occurrence; the second is the name of the element; and the third is a remark. You can raise or lower the numbers to increase or decrease the chances of islands or peaks appearing on your map (you don't want to mess with the other values). Keep in mind that these numbers don't represent the number of islands or peaks in the game; they only determine the relative likelihood of these features occurring on the randomized map.

Below the Worldbuilder section is one titled #WORLDSIZE; this section lists the default world names and their respective sizes. If you wish, you can create new names and sizes. If you do add or delete a size, make sure the number under the #WORLDSIZE heading equals the number of worlds you have underneath.

Multiplayer Time Controls
In the section labeled #TIMECONTROLS, you can adjust the amount of time each player has to move his units and conduct base business during a multiplayer game. Note that by setting any value to zero in this section, you actually are disabling the time control for that particular section. For instance, setting minimum base time to zero means the player will have as much time as he needs to conduct base business.

WARNING
Be careful when changing the time constraints in a multiplayer game. If you make the time per turn too short, players won't even have a chance to complete their turns, decreasing the fun factor exponentially! Use the Custom line in the #TIMECONTROLS section to experiment with your own time rules.