Wouldn't it be cool if...

[Mongoose]

...you could trade PART of your map in MP?

I have often wanted to do this. Give player 1 a map of ...say a route to palyer 2, but not revealing your own bases.

Kind of an extension of the territory/world map difference in Civ3.

Yes, I know it's not going to happen. Just daydreaming 'til my turns come.

[Dreifels]

not a general problem.
Either you make/edit a (partial) screen copy and attach it to your message, or you tell the coordinates.

[Darius]

I always thought a cool feature would be the ability to build a bridge between two nearby landmasses. Yes, I know you can raise land to build a "land bridge", but a real bridge would still allow ships to sail under. It would also make a good strategic target. Oh, and one more thing - a bridge is something that can be done in the known universe, as opposed to raising land (where does that land come from, anyway )

[IceCube]

Dikes...thats how the land is created in my imagination! Just like the dutch here on earth do it! Except these are synthmetal and/or photon wall dikes!

-OR-

Maybe its material form boreholes, mines and every Hive base that was constructed on Planet!

-OR-

Maybe Deirdre just strokes the land and whispers naughty things to it untill it rises!

[Dreifels]

Originally posted by Darius
I always thought a cool feature would be the ability to build a bridge between two nearby landmasses. Yes, I know you can raise land to build a "land bridge", but a real bridge would still allow ships to sail under. It would also make a good strategic target. Oh, and one more thing - a bridge is something that can be done in the known universe, as opposed to raising land (where does that land come from, anyway )

Different to Civ3 in SMAC(X) you can build something that is similar: if 2 continents meet together not at the plain side but at the edge of the two fields, then you have a way able to use by land units and the crossing by sea units, and such same as a bridge is in fact.

[Darius]

Yes, I know that if two tiles meet corner to corner it acts like a bridge. But that's pretty rare. I was just saying it would be an interesting feature to be able to build a bridge in the more general case of one or two water squares between two land squares.

Now how about some other ideas?

[John Paul Jones]

...or you could create an isthmus and build a base on it, allowing only you or your pact-mates to pass through it.

[johndmuller]

Perhaps you can build bridges.
In the Alpha.txt terraforming section, we have:

#TERRAIN
 . . . . . 
Road,             None,    Road,             Disable,  1,  Build $STR0,     R, R
Mag Tube,         Magnets, Mag Tube,         Disable,  3,  Build $STR0,     R, R
 . . . . .

Note that the Sea versions of these are disabled.
So....., Changing it to something like this might work:

#TERRAIN
 . . . . . 
Road,             None,    Road,             Indust,   1,  Build $STR0,     R, R
Mag Tube,         Magnets, Mag Tube,         Magnets,  3,  Build $STR0,     R, R
 . . . . .

I'm not sure whether or not it would actually work or even how to test it out for sure, although I suppose starting a new game with a modified Alpha.txt (or Alphax.txt) would probably be the way to try it out; I've just had trouble getting stuff like that to work, so even if I had the right idea, my execution might somehow get in the way. I know you can put mag tubes in the ocean with the Map editor so that they show in the little boxlette that describes the terrain, but they don't show visibly on the map and if you raise the terrain they dissappear altogether - I don't think they are usable in a game by land units, but I don't remember for sure whether or not I actually tried them out in a game.

[Darius]

Interesting idea, John. I've never tried changing the alpha.txt file before, but I might just try that sometime.

Does anyone experienced in modifying alpha.txt want to try this and let us know?

[Dreifels]

Problem is then, that you canbuild not only one field to connect 2 land mass, but over all the sea. Means sea and land no difference then have when building road + tube. Not so nice that idea.

[Sikander]

It's really easy to build a land bridge that remains passable by sea. All you have to do is terraform a corner of land into the other continent. It's simply a matter of raising the right square to make the connection.

[gwillybj]

You cannot build roads or tubes in the sea, even if you edit alpha.txt to allow it. The program will not allow it at all.
The only item you can change in this respect is sensors: You can edit alpha.txt to build them at sea, but there will be no icon.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Well considering each Square represents and area that is the size of Texas a bridge seams unrealistic, an underground tunnel like the one under the english Channel would be a good way to go. If it could be edited (witch it unfortunatly cant) then I would say you just give sea formers the ability to put mag tubes (but not regular roads) in water but set the time to equal a bore hole. It would be a great idea for SMAC2 though.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Humm just had an idea what about Canals? They would alow your navle units to cross land, most cases if you have a narrow spot in the land you place a city bording 2 oceans but if the land is wider that dont work (has anyone tried multiple adjasent citys?) So if your formers could build something that would alow ships to move over land squares, perhaps if ships could travel up rivers? That would be handy and the navel unit would probly recive the in port penalty when its in a river square too.

[knowhow2]

Originally posted by John Paul Jones
...or you could create an isthmus and build a base on it, allowing only you or your pact-mates to pass through it.

now this is a great "trick"