Editing Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (section)

==Development==

===Inspirations===
In 1996, [[MicroProse]] released the lauded ''Civilization II'', designed by [[Brian Reynolds (game designer)|Brian Reynolds]].<ref name="autogenerated2"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/civilization2?q=civilization |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910104540/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/civilization2?q=civilization |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2012 |title=Civilization II (pc) reviews at |publisher=Metacritic.com |date=February 29, 1996 |access-date=2010-08-07 }}</ref> [[Spectrum Holobyte]] who owned MicroProse at the time, opted to consolidate their business under the MicroProse name, moving the company from Maryland to California by the time the game shipped,<ref name=Harrison2000>[[#Harrison2000|Harrison (2000)]].</ref> and laying off several MicroProse employees. Disagreements between the new management and its employees prompted Reynolds, [[Jeff Briggs]], and [[Sid Meier]] (designer of the original ''[[Civilization (video game)|Civilization]]'') to leave MicroProse and found [[Firaxis]].<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-history-of-civilization |title=Features – The History of Civilization |website=Gamasutra |access-date=2010-08-07 |archive-date=2014-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222210101/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1523/the_history_of_civilization.php?print=1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Harrison2000/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/microprose-software-inc/history |title=History for MicroProse Software, Inc. |publisher=Mobygames.com |access-date=2010-08-07 |archive-date=2014-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329124847/http://www.mobygames.com/company/microprose-software-inc/history |url-status=dead }}</ref> Although unable to use the same intellectual property as ''Civilization II'', the new company felt that players wanted "a new sweeping epic of a turn-based game". Having just completed a game of human history up to the present, they wanted a fresh topic and chose science fiction.<ref name=SMACManual1999p237>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], p.237.</ref>

With no previous experience in science fiction games, the developers believed [[future history]] was a fitting first foray.<ref name=DD698p1>[[#DD|Reynolds (June 4, 1998)]], p1.</ref> For the elements of exploring and terraforming an alien world, they chose a plausible near future situation of a human mission to colonize the solar system's nearest neighbour and human factions.<ref name=SMACManual1999p238>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], pp.238.</ref> Reynolds researched science fiction for the game's writing.<ref name=Harrison2000/> His inspiration included<!-- not sure if this wording is still within what the source says: source says "inspiration"--> "classic works of science fiction", including [[Frank Herbert]]'s ''[[The Jesus Incident]]'' and [[Hellstrom's Hive]], ''[[A Fire Upon the Deep]]'' by [[Vernor Vinge]], and ''[[The Mote in God's Eye]]'' by [[Larry Niven]] and [[Jerry Pournelle]] for alien races; [[Kim Stanley Robinson]]'s ''[[Red Mars]]'', ''Slant'' by [[Greg Bear]], and [[Stephen R. Donaldson]]'s ''[[The Real Story (novel)|The Real Story]]'' for future technology and science; and ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'' by Herbert and Bear's ''[[Anvil of Stars]]'' for negative interactions between humans.<ref name=SMACManual1999p228>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (February 1999)]], p.228.</ref><ref name=SMACManual1999p229>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (February 1999)]], pp.229.</ref>

''Alpha Centauri'' set out to capture the whole sweep of humanity's future, including technology, futuristic warfare, social and economic development, the future of the human condition, spirituality, and philosophy.<ref name=SMACManual1999p237/> Reynolds also said that "getting philosophy into the game" was one of the attractions of the game.<ref name="Harrison2000"/> Believing good science fiction thrives on constraint, the developers began with near-future technologies. As they proceeded into the future, they tried to present a coherent, logical, and detailed picture of future developments in physics, biology, information technology, economics, society, government, and philosophy.<ref name=DD698p1/> Alien ecologies and mysterious intelligences were incorporated into ''Alpha Centauri'' as external "natural forces" intended to serve as flywheels for the backstory and a catalyst for many player intelligences.<ref name=SMACManual1999p238/> Chris Pine, creator of the in-game map of Planet, strove to make Planet look like a real planet, which resulted in evidence of tectonic action. Another concern was that Planet matched the story, which resulted in the fungus being connected across continents, as it is supposed to be a gigantic neural network.<ref name=Prima70>[[#Prima|Pine (1999)]], p.70.</ref>

[[Terraforming]] is a natural outgrowth of colonizing an alien world.<ref name=DD698p2>[[#DD|Reynolds (June 4, 1998)]], p2.</ref> The first playable prototype was just a map generator that tested climate changes during the game.<ref name=Harrison2000/> This required the designers to create a world builder program and climatic model far more powerful than anything they had done before. Temperature, wind, and rainfall patterns were modeled in ways that allow players to make changes: for example, creating a ridge-line and then watching the effects. In addition to raising terrain, the player can also divert rivers, dig huge boreholes into the planet's mantle, and melt ice caps.<ref name=DD698p2/>

In addition to scientific advances, the designers speculated on the future development of human society.<ref name=DD698p3>[[#DD|Reynolds (June 4, 1998)]], p3.</ref> The designers allow the player to decide on a whole series of value choices and choose a "ruthless", "moderate", or "idealistic" stance. Reynolds said the designers don't promote a single "right" answer, instead giving each value choice positive and negative consequences. This design was intended to force the player to "think" and make the game "addictive".<ref name=DD698p3/> He also commented that ''Alpha Centauri''{{'}}s fictional nature allowed them to draw their characters "a lot more sharply and distinctly than the natural blurring and greyness of history".<ref name=Harrison2000/>
[[Chiron]], the name of the planet, is the name of the only non-barbaric [[centaur]] in Greek mythology and an important loregiver and teacher for humanity. The name also pays homage to [[James P. Hogan (writer)|James P. Hogan's]] 1982 [[space opera]] novel ''[[Voyage from Yesteryear]]'', in which a human colony is artificially planted by an automatic probe on a planet later named by colonists as Chiron. In the game, Chiron has two moons, named after the centaurs [[Nessus (mythology)|Nessus]] and [[Pholus (mythology)|Pholus]], with the combined tidal force of [[Moon|Earth's Moon]], and is the second planet out from Alpha Centauri A, the innermost planet being the [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]-like planet named after the centaur [[Eurytion]]. Alpha Centauri B is also dubbed [[Hercules]], a reference to him killing several centaurs in mythology, and the second star preventing the formation of larger planets. The arrival on Chiron is referred to as "Planetfall", which is a term used in many science fiction novels, including [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''Future History'' series, and [[Infocom]]'s celebrated comic [[interactive fiction]] adventure ''[[Planetfall]]''. [[Vernor Vinge]]'s concept of ''technological singularity'' is the origin of the Transcendence concept. The game's cutscenes use montages of live-action video, CGI, or both; most of the former is from the 1992 experimental documentary ''[[Baraka (film)|Baraka]]''.

===''Alpha Centauri''===
In July 1996, Firaxis began work on ''Alpha Centauri'',<ref name="B">{{cite web|title=Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri|url=http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=7|work=Firaxis Games|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126164929/http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=7|archive-date=2013-01-26}}</ref><ref name=SMACManual1999p236>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], p.236.</ref> with Reynolds heading the project.<ref name=Harrison2000/> Meier and Reynolds wrote playable prototype code and Jason Coleman wrote the first lines of the development [[Library (computing)|libraries]].<ref name=Harrison2000/><ref name=SMACManual1999p236/><ref>{{cite web| url = http://pc.ign.com/articles/075/075802p1.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020218032215/http://pc.ign.com/articles/075/075802p1.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = February 18, 2002| title = Brian Reynolds Launches New Development Studio| website = IGN| date = February 28, 2000| access-date = September 5, 2010}}</ref> Because the development of ''Gettysburg'' took up most of Firaxis' time, the designers spent the first year prototyping the basic ideas.<ref name=SMACManual1999p238/> By late 1996, the developers were playing games on the prototype, and by the middle of the next year, they were working on a multiplayer [[Game engine|engine]].<ref name=SMACManual1999p238/> Although Firaxis intended to include multiplayer support in its games, an important goal was to create games with depth and longevity in single-player mode because they believed that the majority of players spend most of their time playing this way. Reynolds felt that smart computer opponents are an integral part of a classic computer game, and considered it a challenge to make them so.<ref name=DD498p1>[[#DD|Reynolds (April 14, 1998)]], p1.</ref> Reynolds' previous games omitted internet support because he believed that complex turn-based games with many player options and opportunities for player input are difficult to facilitate online.<ref name=DD1298p1>[[#DD|Reynolds (December 9, 1998)]], p1.</ref>

Reynolds said that the most important principle of game design is for the designer to play the game as it is developed;<ref name=Harrison2000/> Reynolds claimed that this was how a good [[Game artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence]] (AI) was built. To this end, he would track the decisions he made and why he made them as he played the game.<ref name=DD498p1/> The designer also watched what the computer players did, noting "dumb" actions and trying to discover why the computer made them.<ref name=DD498p1/><ref name=DD498p2>[[#DD|Reynolds (April 14, 1998)]], p2.</ref> Reynolds then taught the computer his reasoning process so the AI could find the right choice when presented several attractive possibilities.<ref name=DD498p1/><ref name=DD498p2/> He said the AI for diplomatic personalities was the best he had done up to that point.<ref name=Harrison2000/>

Doug Kaufman, a co-designer of ''Civilization II'', was invited to join development as a game balancer.<ref name=Harrison2000/><ref name=SMACManual1999p238/> Reynolds cited the ''Alpha Centauri''{{'}}s balance for the greater sense of urgency and the more pressing pacing than in his earlier game, ''[[Sid Meier's Colonization]]''.<ref name=Harrison2000/> According to producer Timothy Train, in designing the strengths and weaknesses of the factions, the goal was to suggest, without requiring, certain strategies and give the player interesting and fun things to do without unbalancing the game.<ref name="DD898p1"/> He didn't want a faction to be dependent on its strength or a faction's power to be dominant over the rest.<ref name=DD898p2/> Train felt that fun meant the factions always have something fun to do with their attributes.<ref name=DD898p3>[[#DD|Train (August 11, 1998)]], p3.</ref>

Around the summer of 1997<!-- what time? a date to anchor this would be good-->, the staff began research on the scientific realities involved in interstellar travel.<ref name=SMACManual1999p238/> In late 1997, [[Bing Gordon]]—then Chief Creative Officer of [[Electronic Arts]]—joined the team, and was responsible for the Planetary Council, extensive diplomacy, and landmarks.<ref name=Harrison2000/><ref name=SMACManual1999p239>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], p.239.</ref> A few months before the 1998 [[Electronic Entertainment Expo]] (E3), the team incorporated the Explore/Discover/Build/Conquer marketing campaign into the game.<ref name=SMACManual1999p239/> The game was announced in May 1998 at E3.<!--According to your guidelines, when and where was the game first announced?-->

In the latter half of 1998, the team produced a polished and integrated interface, wrote the game manual and foreign language translations, painted the faction leader portraits and terrain, built the [[3D computer graphics|3D]] vehicles and vehicle parts, and created the music.<ref name=SMACManual1999p240-1>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], pp.240–1.</ref> [[Michael Ely]] directed the Secret Project movies and cast the faction leaders.<ref name=SMACManual1999p241>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], p.241.</ref> 25 volunteers participated in Firaxis' first public [[Software release life cycle|beta test]].<ref name=SMACManual1999p242>[[#SMACManual|Reynolds (November 23, 1998)]], p.242.</ref> The beta testers suggested the Diplomatic and Economic victories and the Random Events.<!-- How are they responsible? Did they provide input that lead to these things? --><ref name=SMACManual1999p242/>

{{blockquote|There were a lot of "firsts" for our team in the making of ''Alpha Centauri''. We had never done a public beta test before ''Alpha Centauri'', and this was also the first time we released a demo before the game was out. Since we'd not done one before, we didn't know exactly what to expect when we released it, but it turned out to fit right in with Firaxis' iterative design method.|Brian Reynolds on development aspects Firaxis introduced during ''Alpha Centauri''<ref name=DD399p1>[[#DD|Reynolds (1999-03-15)]], p1.</ref>}}

The design team started with a very simple playable game.<ref name=DD399p1/> They strengthened the "fun" aspects and fixed or removed the unenjoyable ones, a process Sid Meier called "surrounding the fun".<ref name=DD399p1/> After the revision, they played it again, repeating the cycle of revision and play.<ref name=DD399p1/> Playing the game repeatedly and in-depth was a rule at Firaxis.<ref name=DD898p3/> In the single-player mode, the team tried extreme strategies to find any sure-fire paths to victory and to see how often a particular computer faction ends up at the bottom.<ref name=DD898p3/> The goal was a product of unprecedented depth, scope, longevity, and addictiveness, where the player is always challenged by the game to come up with new strategies with no all-powerful factions or unstoppable tactics.<ref name=DD898p3/> According to Reynolds, the process has been around since Sid Meier's early days at Microprose.<ref name=DD399p1/> At Firaxis, as iterations continue, they expand the group giving feedback, bringing in outside gamers with fresh perspectives.<ref name=DD399p2>[[#DD|Reynolds (March 15, 1999)]], p2.</ref> ''Alpha Centauri'' was the first Firaxis game with public beta testers.<ref name=DD399p2/>

Finally, Brian Reynolds discussed the use of the demo in the development process.<ref name=DD399p2/> Originally a marketing tool released prior to the game, they started getting feedback.<ref name=DD399p3>[[#DD|Reynolds (March 15, 1999)]], p3.</ref> They were able to incorporate many suggestions into the retail version.<ref name=DD399p3/> According to Brian Reynolds, they made improvement in the game's interface, added a couple of new features and fixed a few glitches.<ref name=DD399p3/> They also improved some rules, fine-tuned the game balance and improved the AI.<ref name=DD399p3/> Finally, he adds that they continued to add patches to enhance the game after the game was released.<ref name=DD399p3/>
<!--Reynolds also said that the diplomatic personality was the best he has ever done up to that point, that the system of boundaries (introduced in ''Alpha Centauri'') worked really well without adding micromanagement, that he would have liked to have expanded the cutscenes, and that the biggest frustration was getting the 3d "Voxel" code to draw units.<ref name=Harrison2000/>-->In the months leading to the release of ''Alpha Centauri'', multimedia producer [[Michael Ely]] wrote the 35 weekly episodes of ''Journey to Centauri'' detailing the splintering of the U.N. mission to Alpha Centauri.<ref name=OfficialSiteStory>[[#OfficialSite|Official Site: The Story]]</ref>

===''Alien Crossfire''===
A month after ''Alpha Centauri''{{'}}s February 1999 release, the Firaxis team began work on the expansion pack, ''Sid Meier's Alien Crossfire''.<ref name="B"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/objects/009/009941.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020218155702/http://pc.ign.com/objects/009/009941.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 18, 2002 |title=IGN: Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri |website=IGN |access-date=2010-08-07}}</ref><ref name=SMAXManual1999p45>[[#SMAXManual1999|Train (August 25, 1999)]], p.45.</ref> ''Alien Crossfire'' features seven new factions (two that are non-human), new technologies, new facilities, new secret projects, new alien life forms, new unit special abilities, new victory conditions (including the new "Progenitor Victory")<!-- is this victory more important than the other new victories? --><!--the Progenitor Victory was totally new; other victory conditions were modified to take the aliens into account--> and several additional concepts and strategies.<ref name = "B"/> The development team included Train as producer and designer, Chris Pine as programmer, Jerome Atherholt and Greg Foertsch as artists, and Doug Kaufman as co-designer and game balancer.<ref name=Harrison2000/><ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/>

The team considered several ideas, including a return to a post-apocalyptic earth and the conquest of another planet in the Alpha Centauri system, before deciding to keep the new title on Planet. The premise allowed them to mix and match old and new characters and delve into the mysteries of the monoliths and alien artifacts.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p45/> The backstory evolved quickly, and the main conflict centered on the return of the original alien inhabitants.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46>[[#SMAXManual1999|Train (August 25, 1999)]], p.46.</ref> The idea of humans inadvertently caught up in an off-world civil war focused the story.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/>

Train wanted to improve the "build" aspects, feeling that the god-game genre had always been heavily slanted towards the "Conquer" end of the spectrum.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/> He wanted to provide "builders" with the tools to construct an empire in the face of heated competition.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/> The internet community provided "invaluable" feedback.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/> The first "call for features" was posted around April 1999 and produced the Fletchette Defense System, Algorithmic Enhancement, and The Nethack Terminus.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p46/>

The team had several goals: factions should not be "locked-in" to certain strategies; players should have interesting things to do without unbalancing the game, and the factions must be fun to play.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p47-8>[[#SMAXManual1999|Train (August 25, 1999)]], pp.47–8.</ref> The team believed the "coolness" of the Progenitor aliens would determine the success or failure of ''Alien Crossfire''.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p47>[[#SMAXManual1999|Train (August 25, 1999)]], p.47.</ref> They strove to make them feel significantly different to play, but still compatible with the existing game mechanics.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p47/> The developers eventually provided the aliens with Battle Ogres, a Planetary survey, non-blind research, and other powers to produce "a nasty and potent race that would take the combined might of humanity to bring them down".<ref name=SMAXManual1999p47/> Chris Pine modified<!-- is "added" the proper term here? --> the AI to account for the additions.<ref name=Harrison2000/> The team also used artwork, sound effects, music, and diplomatic text to set the aliens apart.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p47/> Other than the aliens, the Pirates proved to be the toughest faction to balance because their ocean start gave them huge advantages.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p48>[[#SMAXManual1999|Train (August 25, 1999)]], p.48.</ref>

Upon completion, the team felt that ''Alien Crossfire'' was somewhere between an expansion and a full-blown sequel.<ref name=SMAXManual1999p48/> In the months leading to the release of ''Alien Crossfire'', multimedia producer [[Michael Ely]] wrote the 9&nbsp;episodes of ''Centauri: Arrival'', introducing the ''Alien Crossfire'' factions.<ref name="OfficialSiteStory"/> The game initially had a single production run. [[Electronic Arts]] bundled ''Alpha Centauri'' and ''Alien Crossfire'' in the ''Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack'' in 2000 and included both games in ''The Laptop Collection'' in 2003.<ref name = "C">{{cite web|title=Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri-planetary-pack|work=Moby Games|access-date=2009-06-26|archive-date=2009-06-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604180449/http://www.mobygames.com/game/sid-meiers-alpha-centauri-planetary-pack|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Laptop Collection|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/laptop-collection|work=Moby Games|access-date=2010-07-08|archive-date=2009-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212180415/http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/laptop-collection|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2000, both ''Alpha Centauri'' and ''Alien Crossfire'' were ported to [[Classic Mac OS]] by [[Aspyr Media]] and to [[Linux]] by [[Loki Software]].<ref name=Shah2000p1/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=43 |title=Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri |publisher=Insidemacgames.com |date=June 9, 2000 |access-date=2010-08-07 |archive-date=2010-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202161625/http://insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=43 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Shah |first=Rawn |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/24/linux.civ.review.idg/index.html |title=Review: Alpha Centauri for Linux |publisher=Archives.cnn.com |date=August 24, 2000 |access-date=2010-08-07 |archive-date=2007-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127173145/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/08/24/linux.civ.review.idg/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Mielewczik |first=Michael |title=Spielspass pur. Kommerzielle Linux-Spiele. |journal=PC Magazin LINUX |volume=2/2007 |pages=80–83}}</ref><!-- The game can fail to run on some default configurations of modern Linux distributions created after 2004, although there are workarounds available that address this issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lordhedgehog.hedgie.com/smac/ |title=Running Alpha Centauri in Linux |publisher=Lordhedgehog.hedgie.com |access-date=2010-06-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Alan Swanson |url=http://www.swanson.ukfsn.org/loki/ |title=Libraries for running old Loki games |publisher=Swanson.ukfsn.org |date=October 3, 2009 |access-date=2010-06-04}}</ref> [[Loki installers for linux gamers]] supplies an installer that allows the game to run on modern systems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liflg.org/?catid=7&gameid=90 |title=Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri Beta Linux Installer from |publisher=LIFLG |access-date=2010-06-04}}</ref>--><!-- This last part about Linux problems comes across as a how-to-guide Is it necessary and are the source reliable? --><!--This is a vestige from the article prior to this summer. The sources are not reliable (three fansites, although one of them is the subject of a WP article). On reflection, I don't think issues with newer Linux systems really belong in Development history, or for that matter, in the article at all.-->