from what I know of c & c++, yes the c compiler(s) DO assemble any assembly code blocks during the compile of a program(at lease back in gcc from back in 2004 it did , and from what I remember about visual c++6 it did also, so I would expect the later compilers to do it also as a form of backward compatability.

BUT I have NOT done ANY searches as it is of minor interest to me.

harpo

Show of hands, who else besides Volt_Cruelerz thought the joke about space ponies wasn't deadpan obvious?

has someone compared old diplomacy files with new ones ? maybe a list of changed files would help to filter files with no change.

btw. would hide the secret in the map ancient gifts  

It wouldnt really be clever to hide the hints there, it would just be a pain in the ass. Arent there dozens of these abilities, maybe even hundreds? It could be a single line in any one of them.

This is true but what else do we have to look at?  Actually looking at any of the game's code is far beyond most people...even old games require expertise to do so...

But then I'd have to tell you about this non-disclosure agreement I just sig..  I mean... Uh..  Umm..  Yeah..  That's a great idea. 

They said it was for modders to figure out...

That makes sense to me and would be the most fun way also, for everyone not just modders. Maybe even something like a particle effect.

Code or Texture analysis... take your pick.  That movie with all the textures and strange images seen on the new Vasari Capitalship while smoking peyote might have something to them or we could just go way out of the ballpark.

Arnor & Dread Lords... from Galactic Civ II

The other group of Precursors, who wanted to guide them, began to actively thwart the actions of the Dread Lords and so began a civil war that lasted thousands of years. At the end, the Dread Lords were on the verge of victory. In a single climactic battle, the fate of the galaxy would be settled. But then, suddenly, they all disappeared in a flash. Well, not all of them. A handful of Arnor and Dread Lords remained across the galaxy, but in very low numbers. Without access to their technology, which required an infrastructure greater than what a handful of survivors could provide, they faded from view. Their departure opened the door for the younger races.

Could the Vasari have royally screwed the pooch in that lab and the Dread Lords returned?  They would take over the infrastructure required to resurrect their technology and go after the Vasari since they're the only younger race in firing distance.

Sounds just like the Shadows...I knew the rinse/repeat SciFi would plague us all, hard to come up with new stuff these days....

I'm personally inclined to believe they did it to hide themselves.  If anyone's read Revelation Space, think of the Shrouds made by Sun Stealer's faction of the Amarentin to protect them from the Inhibitors.

Hi,

i love rebellion and soase. the story is cool so far, cool enough to "live" every game i play. About this Vasari threat i think we wont get an answer, because they were talking about hints, right? That means as much as a clue?! No Answer, no epic telling or complete story. Ive don some of the ship-watching thing too, but i dont think it can be that obvious.

Whatever it was, it killed a whole fleet, whole planets and systems, without leaving a trace?! It cant be a ship or fleet alone, because that wouldnt drive the vas survivors so mad, that they cant describe it?! Must be worse i think. Else we would put up a titan fleet and drive it back to where it came from! So it could possibly be some catastrophic event, such as a growing black hole, that actually destroys universe, thus being absolutely inevitable and driving those who know mad. But then, how did they escape? On the other hand that could fit to the theory, that it all started in a lab, vas scientists create a big black hole, that gets out of control and kills all and everything. The cros sci-fi thoughts would be funny but from the side of stardock pretty uninspired.

I would actually love a clue about the way we can find the hint, because i want this answer

..

BIN
   A b i l i t y    A p p l y B u f f T o T a r g e t W i t h T r a v e l
   A l w a y s P e r f o r m    B u f f I o n B l a s t
      E n e m y       C a p i t a l S h i p    F r i g a t e    P l a n e t M o d u l e    C o r v e t t e
      N o r m a l      ÀÚE ÀÚE ÀÚE ÀÚE €;E
       T a r g e t t e r    A b i l i t y     
   R a n d o m M e s h


   P r o j e c t i l e
              C a p i t a l A b i l i t y _ I o n B l a s t M u z z l e ÍÌÌ=
      E F F E C T _ I O N B L A S T    
      
          C a p i t a l A b i l i t y _ I o n B l a s t T r a v e l 
            I n t r i n s i c        @  €@  À@   O n l y I n C o m b a t    I s N o t W e a p o n D i s a b l e d


    
   A n t i M a t t e r   ªB  ªB  ªB  ªB   A  @A  `A  €A   O N A T T A C K O R D E R I S S U E D                I D S _ A B I L I T Y _ I O N B L A S T _ N A M E     I D S _ A B I L I T Y _ I O N B L A S T _ D E S C R I P T I O N    H U D I C O N _ A B I L I T Y _ I O N B L A S T    H U D I C O N _ A B I L I T Y _ I O N B L A S T    

At that point, I think that even modders would be a bit hard pressed to find it unless they were specifically looking for it.