Alpha Centauri - University of Butt-Kicking! - Ep 2

[@BjornTheDim]

Please don't end this series. The drones need you. They look up to you.

[@davidknowles2491]

Nice. XD

[@1kvolt1978]

Bjorn The Dim, "Asking for more Alpha Centauri" :)

[@jonathanmensch9698]

Favorite Quote: "As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality. But the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master"

[@jimmym3352]

Just hearing all the little sounds and quotes makes me want to play.

[@ArcNine9Angel]

It's an older game so at times may be clunky, but it still earns it's title as one of the best 4x games ever.

[@Khono]

Do it! I have many great memories from this game. So fantastic.

[@KnTenshi2]

"Technological advance is an inherently iterative process. One does not simply take sand from the beach and produce a Dataprobe. We use crude tools to fashion better tools, and then our better tools to fashion more precise tools, and so on. Each minor refinement is a step in the process, and all of the steps must be taken."

[@theycallmedoorway9913]

This quote is excellent because it eventually becomes clear that he's not talking about tools in the traditional sense, but rather human beings. Yang's ideal society is a swarm of unthinking and fanatically loyal 'Genejacks', genetically standardised humans built for manual labour and dedicated solely to the fulfillment of his every whim. To Yang, humans and tools are indistinguishable. Quotes which elucidate this fact: "If you deny yourself a useful tool simply because it reminds you uncomfortably of your own mortality, you have uselessly and pointlessly crippled yourself" - Chairman Yang, Bio-Engineering technology. "My gift to industry is the genetically engineered worker, or Genejack. Specially designed for labor, the Genejack's muscles and nerves are ideal for his task, and the cerebral cortex has been atrophied so that he can desire nothing except to perform his duties. Tyranny, you say? How can you tyrannize someone who cannot feel pain?" - Chairman Yang, Genejack Factory facility. "What do I care for your suffering?" - Chairman Yang, the Virtual World.

[@user-qi6pv9jh7o]

​​@@theycallmedoorway9913 nah, Yang isn't just a random dictator. He's ultimate collectivist, and exists only to guide humanity into a route of such. Those who just do something for himself are dumbed by own animal instincts, and must be guided. And if he finds one like himself, they won't fight for slaves and power, but will cooperate.

[@HeWhoFightsMonsters]

It is every citizen's final duty to go into the tanks.

[@barstokians365]

And become one with all the people.

[@BjornTheDim]

What do I care for your suffering? Pain, even agony, is no more than information before the senses, data fed to the computer of the mind. Chairman Yang is truly a piece of work.

[@jimmym3352]

I just realized I never knew until now what that really meant. My naive old self just built them thinking we are recycling our goods.

[@JavierSalcedoC]

Soylent Green, but without the drama

[@barstokians365]

Forests don't just do less ecological damage, they actually have a slight positive effect on the ecology. Yes, mines reduce nutrient output. Solar collectors don't, however. This is kind of a niche trick, and it sounds like you might already be out of room to take advantage. However, if you build a sensor array on a future base site, you will be able to build the base over it and keep the sensor bonuses. Yes you lose out on most of the extended sight, but sensors also show hidden units and give a 25% defense bonus. And since the base is on top, the sensor can't be razed unless and until the base is. Something of note is that probe teams don't require support. You can abuse this by giving them armor (you can change the speeder chassis for an infantry chassis to keep cost down). They make a great support-free defense, they don't count for military police and can't preempt or counterattack though.

[@Khono]

Awesome tips!

[@viperswhip]

@@Khono There are buildings that boost forests, but from a hidden game mechanic you shouldn't build them before you force a fungus pop. By making too many minerals at a base you can force a pop, it's a bit random. What happens then is every tree farm and hyrbid forest you build after that will raise your mineral cap by 1. So, force that pop then build the buildings, not before.

[@bitbucketcynic]

Santiago, Miriam, and Yang need little more reason than "you exist" to be angry with you. Whenever I play this game those three are pretty much kill-on-sight. The other factions of the original 7 can usually be mollified into prolonged peaceful coexistence, but eventually, everyone gets uppity with your success and wants a piece of you. Such is life.

[@drakinfar]

The absolute best "Resources exist to be consumed. And consumed they will be, if not by this generation then by some future. By what right does this forgotten future seek to deny us our birthright? None I say! Let us take what is ours, chew and eat our fill."

[@quill18]

It's one of the best quotes because it's SO representative of how humans actually behave.

[@mrxarch]

@@quill18 why aren't you uploading ksp vids here?

[@DrownedInExile]

Somehow I don't think Thanos would approve of Morgan.

[@marciamakesmusic]

@@quill18 it's representative of how humans are conditioned to behave. certain societies, namely indigenous ones, coexisted with nature for thousands of years. the whole point of the theme of this game is that nothing can be assumed to be "inherent" about human nature, it's all an ideological choice.

[@RoyalFusilier]

@@marciamakesmusic Which itself is such a wise perspective for a game that came out during arguably the height of "end of history" thinking, the 90s, where we thought we had it all figured. Subsequent events in the quarter-century since this game came out have uh, proven we apparently still have more history to go.

[@amoswaranch1102]

I would pay $60 for a well-made remake of this game. thanks for doing this series quill, really nostalgic for me.

[@1kvolt1978]

Isn't "Beyond Earth" the one you asking for?

[@JavierSalcedoC]

Civ Beyond Earth with the expansions was something like that... 8 years ago already

[@ArcNine9Angel]

@@1kvolt1978 No, no it was not. It was a cheap knock off in comparison with very little depth.

[@amoswaranch1102]

@@ArcNine9Angel Agreed. I mean *this* game remastered, not that milquetoast crap of beyond earth

[@MrWeeseAChine]

I have never played Alpha Centauri before, I always thought the game was of a lighter tone, but it seems unexpectedly grim and dark with its atmosphere and setting. I think that’s pretty cool to be honest, I love dark and messed up sci-fi settings and to see a game that is in the style of civ do it is an intriguing surprise.

[@marciamakesmusic]

Alpha Centauri is arguably the reason any Civ games after Civ 2 even exist. It was Firaxis' first game!

[@AmarakEkim]

Quill playing around with the video "bookmarks"/timestamps. It looks great, loved the: I "wonder" if movie works? Hah, I thought the puns were limited to the Live Streams, great to see them coming through to the YubTubs!

[@YourXavier]

Forests are a good place for sensor arrays. They fogbust, they give a defensive bonus, and they really help with spotting mind worms.

[@byronbroadley3000]

You can also build cities on top of tiles with sensor arrays to get the defense bonus for the city's defenders.

[@drunkenhobo5039]

28:20 - Quill's very own "Great Leap Forward" as he builds mines on farmland then wonders where all the food has gone. Next step is to shoot all the birds.

[@poilboiler]

The early bird gets the early mind worm.

[@JavierSalcedoC]

Love the chinese genocide reference

[@pigsnoutman]

Yang approves

[@karnewarrior]

Quill, you should put less emphasis on minimizing overlap. The fat cross gives space for 20 citizens to work, which is more than you can support until *Eudaimonia*! So you're never going to use every tile in the city's radius until it's too late to make a significant difference. Thus, for the majority of the game, a small amount of overlap is actually more efficient. Even moreso when you take into account specialists, who don't require a tile.

[@karnewarrior]

I also want to point out, in case you aren't aware, but seapods CAN pop alien artifacts. But only if you pop them with transport foils. So it can be worth the extra expense to pop pods with escorted transports - those bonus techs can really add up!

[@RoyalFusilier]

I'll never get over how cool it is that the leaders of the factions all have books out in this world expressing their ideology and that quotes from it appear when you get a new tech. It says a lot about the quality of writing for this game that it can intersperse quotes from ancient classics and nothing feels too out of place. It all sets a specific and thoughtful tone.

[@SaintDaisley]

It's the sounds of this game that I love. It's so distinctive.

[@ArcNine9Angel]

It really is! One of my favorite parts as a kid was to listen to new sounds lol

[@Yggdrasil42]

I used to love the tech quotes and their voice acting. Great sci-fi world building.

[@NimicNOR]

I thought I understood Quill, with all his good and honest qualities, but I will never understand the kind of alien sociopath who leaves a CLEARLY unexplored spot sitting in his territory for nearly two full episodes of 4X gameplay.

[@JavierSalcedoC]

The excitement for a Civ and CivII player when Alpha Centauri was released is hard to explain. This games are made with LOVE

[@CSirce]

Quill, you have unlocked the Librian talent, which boost science even more. Use that instead of Doctor since you don't need the Psych bonus yet.

[@mausklick1635]

Best 4x game of all time.

[@anonviewerciv]

Yes, there is Unethical Calculus. It's in the tech Advanced Military Algorithms, which unlocks the Punishment Sphere, among other things. 46:46 More rigid tech trades than in Civ4.

[@YourXavier]

There's a whole discourse going on, from industrial Base (46:55), through Polymorphic Software (47:18), and to Industrial Economics (47:50).

[@jonathanmensch9698]

Am I the only one that hears the heavy implication in the recycling tank tech that you have to be alive when you go in? The whole "final duty" makes it sound like they can't just chuck your lifeless body into the vat.

[@kranky_koala3786]

Please don't go. The drones need you. They look up to you!

[@andrewwarwick6145]

Hard to believe it has been that long since it was released. But yes, it is one of the best 4x games ever made.

[@johnpotts8308]

I really like the Government system in AC - it gave you a good way of fine tuning your policies. "Well, I want as much research as I can, but is there any way I can support a few more units? Maybe if I go Planned instead of Green Economy..." It made government more interesting than just Democracy/Communist/Dictatorship. I'd also always go for the Planetary Datalinks, because as University you tend to be late to develop military units. Also, it stops other factions from building it themselves and grabbing your Techs for free.

[@tarquinmcbeard]

University has such an advantage at getting Secrets of the Human Brain that I'm surprised you didn't beeline it as a priority. The free tech just for researching in a direction you needed to anyway is an easy choice for me.

[@classicfrog80]

I've only just noticed time stamps, and I love them.

[@witchfynder_finder]

I notice you've been using timestamps and chapters on your videos lately and I wanted to let you know that it's appreciated! I think it's a great way to break up these videos because it's sometimes hard to fit a whole video in in one go.

[@flobbingdonkey]

IMO tile improvements should go: Rolling & Moist - farm & solar panels Rocky - mine Rolling &arid - Forrest Wet & flat - Forrest (unless you are really hurting for food) Wet & rolling - farm and solar panel Forrest - sensor arrays. The interesting choice comes later. Eventually fungus is better than most other things. And makes you really difficult to conquer

[@alatamore]

It’s funny watching you play this because the quote thing feels very like Dune. Having not read the books back when I was playing it (normal release time period, man I am old), this never occurred to me.

[@zog382]

Damn, I can't believe after 23 years they have yet to make a better game then Alpha Centauri.

[@SarosXI]

I love this series.

[@an0gr0br]

I suppose not every faction recycles the dead. For example, I highly doubt Miriam would endorse that type of behavior. However, in the Hive, you’d better believe its every citizen’s final duty to go into the tanks…

[@brinaldi81]

23 years..... Oh lordyy

[@DrKuryakin]

you dont need to rush to 0, rush to 1 turn, saves money

[@demonac]

I have played this game for idk 100s of hours. I don't think I've ever even heard of a pop boom...

[@jimmym3352]

There's a wonder that actually gives you pop boom iirc. Provided you have the food and happiness for it.

[@ArcNine9Angel]

@@jimmym3352 Cloning Vats, yup

[@TrumpeterOnFire]

I love the timestamps

[@kittyspam2146]

We need a 3rd part for this!

[@macgyvervanschwartzenstall4662]

I am waiting to play this game. I have a 6 month study schedule before a big test, and then I just want to take a day and play this without eating or showering or...well, I don't want pee bottles, so I will get up to pee...but, yea, want to just have a day of this

[@williek08472]

Ooh chapters

[@raifthemad]

Why not use the "assign as home base" command when you send a garrison into a new city, so that their previous one doesn't have to support them anymore?

[@tonycrayford3893]

Got to make that soylent green

[@thebardofblarney]

Well... at least he settled right where you wanted to. TO WAR!!!

[@DrownedInExile]

I'm in favour of recycling people, no different than being an organ donor. Just as long as the dead aren't being repurposed for food... :o

[@BjornTheDim]

It gives a nutrient bonus. And, uh, some of Chairman Yang's quotes show that this man is a massive nutjob.

[@davidwright7193]

Solent Green is people!

[@jonnunn4196]

Indirectly they are being used for food. They are turned into fertilizer used to grow crops.

[@williambarnes5023]

In Crossfire, mines reduce food by one. In vanilla, it doesn't.

[@ManTheMaker]

the music in this game is so weird lol

[@bubo1]

"Anderson Cooper's let himself go" going by the look of the dude in the thumbnail

[@aclevername9381]

They couldn't get Charlton Heston to do the Recycling Tanks quote? Sad.

[@YourXavier]

They tried, but his Chinese accent was quite unconvincing.

[@aclevername9381]

@@YourXavier "Chinese accent? You'll get it from my COLD DEAD LIPS!" - Charlton Heston to Sid Meier, 1999

[@jonnunn4196]

Nope; in the late 90s computer game companies considered themselves lucky when they got a minor voice actor and didn't even dream of getting an actor that was more well known for live action movies.

[@JavierSalcedoC]

That would have been one of the greatest Easter eggs of all time