[Pax]

Originally posted by couslee:
The compaines that use expansion packs for gutting the gamers wallet piss me off. For example, Firaxis came out with an expansion pack for SMAC, and it included a lot of bug fixes still found in the original (patched) Version. So if you wanted those bugs fixed, you had to buy the expansion because they would not make a final patch for the un-expanded game that fixed the bugs addressed in the expansion. That pissed me of when they did that, and I refused to buy the expansion because of it.

More the fool you -- no offense -- but SMAX (the expansion you mention) has a lot more than a few bugfixes (balance issues, really).

It also had a tone of new features -- armor types, a couple weapons, a few special abilities for units, several base facilities, more than a couple secret projects, the number of factions doubled, and for two of the factions, a whole new victory condition. And that's just the short Version.

If I don't want to get and expansion because I enjoy the game the way it is, then bugs should be fixed via patch without the new features included in an expansion. (hope I am not being confusing)

In fact, frankly I can't think of a single BUG fix that was aprt of the Alien Crossfire expansion for SMAC. Could you name, oh, up to three of 'em for me?

SMAX was an expansion pack done right (unlike Firaxis' more recent xpac, Civ3:PTW, which is pure gimme-yer-money-you-morons corporate screwage). I've lent my copy out, and playig just SMAC itself just doesn't do anything for me anymore. No SMAX = not playing the game, for me at least.