Now that Alien Crossfire is part of the GOG version of Alpha Centauri, This is how you get both of them to run at whatever resolution your desktop is set to:

For Desktop Resolution:
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In Installation folder, in the file (open with Notepad) "Alpha Centauri.Ini":

Add directly under "[Alpha Centauri]":

DirectDraw=0

Save the file, replacing the original, and that's it! Enjoy! :)

Edit
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As given later in the thread, a possible solution for Alt-Tab not working with the new GOG installation:

I can't use alt-tab anymore when I set DirectDraw=0 on the GoG version, whereas if I used Alien Crossfire obtained from "alternative" sources and set DirectDraw=0 alt-tab works just fine.

Hell, DirectDraw=1 does not even allow me to alt-tab at all, did GoG mess up this version? It seems like they disabled alt-tab COMPLETELY in this new version.

alt + tab works fine for me with GoG version

I just tried Alt-Tab on my version and it is also disabled with DirectDraw=0. I don't find this to be much of a burden myself but I can definitely see that it could be for others in some cases.

Using DirectDraw=0 crashes the game as soon as I attempt to scroll. :( Back to the original settings for me, too bad cause it looked so good before i tried scrolling.

You could also try to modify, in "Alpha Centauri.Ini" ForceOldVoxelAlgorithm=1 to =0. If it has no effect then set it back.

Also, if you are using the original 800x600 resolution you can get a slightly larger screen by putting "Video Mode=1024" without the quotes under "[Alpha Centauri]". This will make the game use its built-in resolution of 1024x768.

I tried that along with a few other compatibility settings earlier, nothing has solved the problem so far. May be related to my video card/driver/settings, a lot of older windows based GoGs hate my GT 335M.

To enable alt-tabbing, try changing the Alpha Centauri.ini line

DisableOpeningMovie=0

to

DisableOpeningMovie=1

This does not work for me, too bad. Another way to disable movies is to rename the movies folder to something else. I tried that as well, with and without for all combinations of disable opening movie setting and folder name without success. Alt-Tab still does not function.

Too bad that didn't work for you. What is your native desktop resolution? I think that Alt-Tab doesn't work on some laptops due to an issue with the resolution.

OK, your desktop resolution shouldn't be causing a problem.

Do you have the prior GOG version of the game (SMAC only), or the new one that includes SMAX? I ask because the location of the ini file depends on the version. Please excuse me if you already know the following:

In the previous version of the game (SMAC only), there are two Alpha Centauri.ini files. One is located in C:\Program Files (x86)\GOGcom\Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri. However, this ini file doesn't work. The working ini file is in C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\GOGcom\Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri.

In the new SMAC + SMAX version, the (working) ini file is in C:\GOG Games\Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.

Are you working with the correct ini file? If this advice doesn't help, please post your ini file. Thanks!

I just reinstalled my computer so I didn't have my old installer, Alpha Centauri only, actually installed. Then I saw that the game was updated to include Alien Crossfire so I redownloaded it and installed that to its default location (C:\GOG Games\Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri). Since that location is not in a UAC protected folder (Program Files or Program Files (x86) or Windows) then it will write into its own folder with no issues. Both games were set to run as administrator but again, not in a UAC protected location so I disabled that and of course they both still run fine. I edited the .Ini file in the new installers location, and edited it correctly. No n00b here! ;)

I think I figured out how to solve the Alt-Tab problem. I wasn't working with the GOG installation of SMACX. When I used the new GOG version, Alt-Tab stopped working for me. It now seems to me that GOG modified the exe files and (deliberately or not) disabled Alt-Tabbing.

The solution is simple: Download and install scient's unofficial patch. His patch consists entirely of the two exe files (terran.exe and terranx.exe). When I copied the unofficial patch to the new GOG folder and ran it, Alt-Tab came back to normal.

I've used the unofficial patch for several years. It doesn't cause any problems, but fixes many bugs. You can download it, for example, from

http://www.weplayciv.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=240

WePlayCiv is a reputable site, so the files should be free of malware. I'd be interested to hear if this solution works for you, Thanks.

Petek,

I've been playing a game all day so I won't be able to try it right now because it might bork my save. However, what you posted sounds very logical so I edited it into the first post.

Edit: I don't mean to say that the unofficial executables are deficient in any way, what I mean is that they fix bugs and change the way the game plays so I don't want to switch the game rules in the middle of a save game. Once I complete the game I'm playing now I foresee myself switching to the unofficial executables too. ;)