Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri™ Planetary Pack

SMAC/SMAC works on Win 7, x64, Intel Gen1-I7 @ 3.3ghz with nVidia GTX570. All videos and in-game functionality works great, and I was VERY worried about that pre-purchase! I've NOT found a problem in-game that I experienced with my previous versions of this game. However, this game doesn't play nice towards external applications. 1> Don't bother hitting ALT-TAB, CTRL-ESC, or WIN-anything. The keys are bound to work in-game only and somehow forces Windows/Explorer to "forget" these exist while the game is running. I'm running on a quad-monitor system, but even with that monitor count, as the second point is going to mention, normal tasks of swapping windows (Alt-Tab), opening new applications (Win-R), and general navigation of your computer via keyboard becomes a pain. 2> SMAC launches to be full screen on whatever you designate as your "primary monitor" and is also run as "Always On Top". So ANY applications you have will appear UNDER the SMAC window. So if you do manage to launch an application, and if that application happens to start on your primary monitor, you CAN'T get to the application. ALT-SPACE is disabled, so you can't use the usual trick to move windows around with the usual key presses. 3> This game has sucked my time up from doing anything else productive on my computer. Two of my four monitors probably feel useless as one just tells me the time, and the other is holding all my desktop icons. ;)

Not sure what it is about this game but I've always come back to it. I remember being obsessed with the demo back in 98. Was a high school student so couldn't afford the full version. Something about it even then was so attractive. I remember 100% agreeing with PC Gamers highest score of all time for the game and being happy that such a great game got that highest award. I'm not really a 4x player honestly I'm more of an FPS and RTS guy but the atmosphere, sounds, graphics setting... everything about this game just click. The dark overtone and the "uknown" are just fantastic. I actually got a little obsessed and bought all 3 novels as well. The gameplay just offers so much, again not a 4x expert or player really but the ability to customize units is great, the diplomacy options actually feel meaningful and the ever present mind worms even late game cause concern. Even as late as November 2020 I was found myself playing on my period accurate K6 450mhz machine until 5am in the morning.. on a work night. The games just so addictive. It captures the 90s spirit so perfectly. Hard to really think of many negatives honestly. No game has ever even came close to scratching the itch of this game.

I'm with the others that say this 4X turn-based strategy game beats all the Civilization variants hands-down - in spite of its rather aged and simple graphics and small-screen appearance - because of the slightly wacky, factional-centric story line and science-fictiony alien planet discovery elements as well as the easy game-play (after a learning curve). If you haven't played it before, you will have some surprises and lots of challenges! Plus, unlike the Civilization games, you can stack unlimited different units on the same tile at a strong-point, meaning you do not run out of places to put your units and can capitalize on terrain advantages.

As man traverses into the realm of space, the epitomey of man's faults is fully revealed as the leaders of several colonies wage an endless war for resources. Alpha Centauri is not just a strategy game, but an actual study of mankind's true philosophical and ideological depth. The game begins with the Unity's disasterous voyage to Chiron or "Planet." Several of the U.N. leaders are split into colonies that begin terraforming parts of "Planet" and creating empires from scratch. The game is very fast-paced as, contrary to the Civilization series, the attacker usually has the upper-hand. You have to build, research, and terraform faster than your opponent. Other than the combat, the best thing about this game is the voice acting. The creators of the game hired top-notch actors with incredible voices. One major con of the game is the huge learning curve. I would recommend just playing the game and getting adjusted to everything instead of trying to memorize everything. Other than that, this game is beyond excellent, and it ranks as one, if not the greatest, strategy game of all time.

I found this game in the dusty computer room of my grandpa, just the disk without cover or manual. After I installed it I played it for days, I didn't understand a lot of it at first but the game has a very detailed in-game manual, so it didn't take long before I understood how everything worked. I think the thing that most gripped me was the mystery surrounding this planet, and the very different factions each having their own structure and morals, something that makes diplomacy an interesting and necessary aspect of the game. Unlike most games I played, diplomacy and technology is much more important than all out war. I really liked how each of the faction leaders behave different, having their own quotes about new technology gives them a real personality. some of them are peaceful, some are openly hostile, some are just about business and then there are the treacherous self-righteous kind that has a masters degree in gunboat diplomacy. ( yes I'm talking about you, sister miriam). A very Interesting game, with many different ways to victory, or death.