Are volcanoes ever going to do anything?

[Kyroshill]

Since volcano events are fairly common, I think it's odd that they don't actually do anything. In BTS the resulting lava flow would possibly destroy nearby improvements and roads.

In FfH though, the only things it seems to do is change the height profile of the tile, which only affects the viewing capabilty of hawks (and fireballs LOL).

Seems like it would more interesting if something happened. Possible road and improvement destruction, possible loss of pop in a nearby city (due to evacs, or if the volcano was too far from a city, maybe a temp increase in pop of the closest city due to refugees), possible 2nd (or 3rd) eruption, or even the (slight) possibility that the mountain destroys itself completely leaving a passable tile (could create that desired pass through a mountain chain).

Anyway.... back to the original question.... any chance volcanoes will change?

 

[kumquatelvis]

Heck, it's a fantasy game. They could spawn the occasional fire elemental too (or perhaps just a few when it first goes off).

 

[Seon]

NO, no fire elementals, that would give a whole new meaning to 'death' before 70 turns...

 

[MagisterCultuum]

There is already an event than can destroy nearby improvements.


I think it would be nice if it were more common, and also dealt damage (maybe physical/fire/poison) to nearby units, added flames/fallout nearby, caused massive unhealthiness in nearby cities, and possibly increased the food yields of nearby tiles from the fertile volcanic soil.

 

[JonathanStrange]

I'm cool with it like it is. I'd have more smoke rising though.

 

[WarKirby]

I think they should do a lot more when they first appear, and then have a small (2% or so) chance per turn to erupt, permanantly. Making it a bad idea to put a city near one.

On the other hand, it's a known thing that the soil is very fertile in the aftermath of a volcano, so It might be nice to see it convert some surrounding tiles to Broken lands (hellish grassland equivilant) regardless of whether or not they were grassland before.

 

[Kiwi Tyrant]

Volcanoes should have lush grassland terrain etc. surrounding them, giving an incentive for players to settle there (I live in Auckland which is founded amongst an entire volcanic field; the wind must have spread the ash south as the soil there is awesome for farming!). Maybe some tiles surrounding an ancient volcano could yield an extra food even before they are farmed? Lush forests adjacent to the mountain could yield an extra hammer?
However, if the mountain erupts into a volcano, then the crap should really hit the fan! The area of the damage could be the size of a BFC, with the offending volcano in the centre. Random, permanently scarred hell-like terrain from lava flows and ash fallout. Poison gas killing populations. Fire destroying buildings and potentially scorching trees surrounding it. Damage calculations would depend on how close a city is to the eruption, eg. on tile next to volcano could be at worst a Pompeii scenario, whereas a city 2 tiles away may suffer half the damage, 3 tiles away would face minor damage. Cities outside the volcanoes BFC would be unaffected. The frequency of these events may be able to be chosen along with the other options when you create a new game. At the end of the day, I feel volcanoes, earthquakes etc. should be far more devastating!

 

[AOLBITES]

there should definitely be ash fall .. it could be interesting.

so-

-volcano erupts . . X% chance of ashfall X tiles in one direction
(variable strength, variable winds)
-ashfall destroys all food in the effected tiles for 2-10 turns
-after the ashfall effect wears off the affected tiles have 1-2+ food for 50-100 turns.

also-

-volcano erupts .. X% chance of lava flow x tiles in one direction
-lava flow affected tiles have reduced movement, no food for 50-100 turns

 

[Seon]

50 to hundred turns seem too long...

 

[WarKirby]

Random, permanently scarred hell-like terrain from lava flows and ash fallout.

I have to point out that this is silly. Nothing should be permanant.
The ground becomes fertile BECAUSE of previous eruptions. And it should gradually become fertile once more after an eruption has subsided.


My thoughts...

Cities directly adjacent to an erupting volcano, should lose 10 population. Cities of < size 10 should be annihilated. Units in the city would have a 75% chance to be caught in lava flow and die. 25% chance to flee the area, and live with minor wounds

Cities that are two tiles out, take 5 pop damage. Likewise, sufficiently small cities would be razed. 40% chance to die in eruption for units. 60% escape chance.


Eruptions should be a very rare event. Perhaps, a low enough chance that any given volcano has an accumulated 50% odds to erupt in a 300 turn period.
It would also be nice to see some AC related ritual, that causes all volcanoes in the world to erupt simultaneously.


As to the effects on lands, simply have it convert all terrain it affects to broken lands(including plains and deserts), which produce 2 food. Any organic resources (all except copper, iron, marble, mythril, gold, gems and mana nodes) would be completely annihilated.

 

[1234567890]

It would be cool to add another ability for the fire archmage. Here are some ideas:

- When a fire archmage summons a Fire Elemental on a volcano, this elemental starts with the Strong Promotion and last +1 turn.
- When he uses the Fireball ability, it spawns 3 fireballs instead of 1, and they last +1 turn.
- He can sacrifice and provoke an eruption: it kills him but a permanent Elemental with the Strong promotion appears. The elemantal also gets a number of empower promotions, this number depends on the level of the archmage.
- The heal rate of the fire elementals in volcano is increased.

 

[Revolutionist]

It would be cool to add another ability for the fire archmage. Here are some ideas:

- When a fire archmage summons a Fire Elemental on a volcano, this elemental starts with the Strong Promotion and last +1 turn.
- When he uses the Fireball ability, it spawns 3 fireballs instead of 1, and they last +1 turn.
- He can sacrifice and provoke an eruption: it kills him but a permanent Elemental with the Strong promotion appears. The elemantal also gets a number of empower promotions, this number depends on the level of the archmage.
- The heal rate of the fire elementals in volcano is increased.

Aren't volcanoes impassible, like peaks? The only way to get a mage on one would thus be if he could fly.

However, that said, I think it's actually an idea that could be carried further, to help differentiate the elemental summons, and have your available terrain matter for what you choose. Assuming such a thing isn't already in place, and I just haven't noticed, for whatever reason.

-Fire elementals could gain 'Strong', or some other minor promotions (Drill1/2) when summoned on (If flying or on airships, if they carry cargo, haven't played that civ in ages) or near Volcanos, or on burning sands or flaming tiles in general.
-Water Elementals could gain Mobility promotions (or whatever) when summoned on ocean or coast. Perhaps with a smaller boost for river tiles as well.
-Earth elementals could gain minor bonuses for being summoned on hill tiles, and a greater one (Stoneskin?) for being created on metal resources, peaks(Assuming again that you can get a mage up there), or on marble.
-Air elementals.. well.. that I'm having a bit more trouble with. A bonus cold damage for being summoned on ice or tundra, maybe?

Either way, I think it would be neat if they all gained a promo when summoned on a mana node. Combat 1 or something even. I imagine it wouldn't come up often, but it would be interesting if a mana node almost became like a magical 'stronghold' for a camped summoning wizard.

The code for checking the terrain is already in place, for sanctify and the terraforming spells. And it isn't a huge change so much as a refinement of a few spells, so I can't imagine that the feature-lock blocks the thought.

 

[Quetz]

I'd rather not have random cities wiped out due to a relatively frequent event.

 

[Honor]

Anything too severe will only make people turn to less peak-heavy maps (buh-bye Erebus).

 

[Kyroshill]

Anything too severe will only make people turn to less peak-heavy maps (buh-bye Erebus).

I'm not asking for anything too anything.... just thinking they could do SOMETHING.... weird that have no effect at all.... except changing the look of the tile and it's height profile

 

[JonathanStrange]

I wouldn't mind weather and seasons. Maybe an occasional flood, a spontaneous fire, snow, mud. Even the rare "Atlantis Rising" event.

Perhaps the scope of the game seems to preclude shorter term happening like weather but I think one could easily argue that an Erebus season like winter or summer isn't a short term event: it lasts years.

The Volcano event is interesting and while I don't mind it doing nothing (in fact, I'm glad I'm not losing cities 'cause the volcanoes appear near my cities), I'd look for to some events like it that do.

 

[Meester]

Sometimes volcanoes take thousands of years to erupt and sometimes they never do. I don't think the event should be common, but volcanoes when they arrive, should maybe reduce the population by 1 in cities that have volcanoes in their cultural borders, when they explode as well as killing or damaging random units one tile from them. Not sure about improving terrain next to them (maybe make it an event too).

Have a dragon living in one perhaps as an ultra rare event.

 

[cabbagemeister]

Are we talking about increasing the severity of the normal volcano event where a mountain becomes a volcano, or about adding a hypothetical additional event where a previously existing volcano erupts and does damage?

If the first, then I beg people to reconsider, as for me it's VERY COMMON for the volcano to erupt right next to my capital. In my last game I had TWO volcanoes erupt in my capital BFC within the first 200 turns. Making these unpredictable events cripple you in the early game is a bad idea IMO.

If we're talking about adding additional damaging events on preexisting volcanoes (and arguing that they can be avoided by not settling near the volcano), I wouldn't mind that in principle. But again, when a volcano appears right next to my capital at turn 30, should I really be punished for that later on?

 

[Meester]

Are we talking about increasing the severity of the normal volcano event where a mountain becomes a volcano, or about adding a hypothetical additional event where a previously existing volcano erupts and does damage?

If the first, then I beg people to reconsider, as for me it's VERY COMMON for the volcano to erupt right next to my capital. In my last game I had TWO volcanoes erupt in my capital BFC within the first 200 turns. Making these unpredictable events cripple you in the early game is a bad idea IMO.

If we're talking about adding additional damaging events on preexisting volcanoes (and arguing that they can be avoided by not settling near the volcano), I wouldn't mind that in principle. But again, when a volcano appears right next to my capital at turn 30, should I really be punished for that later on?

Theoretically a volcano could help you later on if it erupts. Wipe out invading enemy forces and other effects.

 

[Breez]

Are we talking about increasing the severity of the normal volcano event where a mountain becomes a volcano, or about adding a hypothetical additional event where a previously existing volcano erupts and does damage?

If the first, then I beg people to reconsider, as for me it's VERY COMMON for the volcano to erupt right next to my capital. In my last game I had TWO volcanoes erupt in my capital BFC within the first 200 turns. Making these unpredictable events cripple you in the early game is a bad idea IMO.

If we're talking about adding additional damaging events on preexisting volcanoes (and arguing that they can be avoided by not settling near the volcano), I wouldn't mind that in principle. But again, when a volcano appears right next to my capital at turn 30, should I really be punished for that later on?

I agree whole heartily this event is VERY common. Maybe make teh even slightly less common and change it to "A mountain is showing signs of volcanic activity" And mark the mountain. (and maybe make it never happen inside a BFC)

After that have rarer events (some volcanos go thousands of years without effecting anyone) that only happen to mountains showing volcanic activity. These could be some of the above listed goodand bad events.

Since the volcanic activity event would not happen in a BFC then moving next to one you would be taking that chance.