best random event

[uat2d]

So is that OK in HoF, XOTM, or the Earth Challenge when said stack spanks an AI up and down, kills them off before 3000 BC, and you're left with a super AI that now has close to triple the average land? Oh wait, it's illegal to reload in those formats...

Deliberate allowance for game breaking luck has a negative impact on gaming. It's a disgrace that so many modern games not only allow it, but embrace it.

Completely agree.

I heard you saying something very similar in the Earth Challenge with Shaka, episode 2 IIRC, one could just play as Rome over and over again till they got the Tower or something event and crush everyone with Cover Praets.

Even in that said game I remember that Sitting Bull got whipped out at turn 17 or something like that. Even Monty wouldn't have time to crush him so early, he probably got screwed over by barbs and thus changed the outcome of game for Monty and the rest of the world!

Why do people seem to endorse so much the RNG Gods???

 

[Skallagrimson]

So is that OK in HoF, XOTM, or the Earth Challenge when said stack spanks an AI up and down, kills them off before 3000 BC, and you're left with a super AI that now has close to triple the average land? Oh wait, it's illegal to reload in those formats...

Deliberate allowance for game breaking luck has a negative impact on gaming. It's a disgrace that so many modern games not only allow it, but embrace it.

It's part of the reason I don't do HoF, XOTM, or Earth Challenge games.

When the game cheats, I cheat back, shamelessly. When I get an unnatural windfall to ridiculous proportions, I'll start gifting good cities to the AI to even it back down. When the game hands me unbalanced lemons, I make balanced lemonade.

 

[Manco Capac]

Even in that said game I remember that Sitting Bull got whipped out at turn 17 or something like that. Even Monty wouldn't have time to crush him so early, he probably got screwed over by barbs and thus changed the outcome of game for Monty and the rest of the world!

In every speed, there is a 20 turns grace without any events at the beginning of a game. So it can't be the uprising barbs who killed him.

 

[uat2d]

In every speed, there is a 20 turns grace without any events at the beginning of a game. So it can't be the uprising barbs who killed him.

Sorry, my mistake, turn 37.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dGBe9uyuL4&feature=player_detailpage#t=1141s

 

[Colonel Mustard]

I normally play with events on, they add variety and can sometimes force changes in strategy. My favourites are: the free military instructor, less inflation and unit promotions.

The worst one happened in an OCC game - my ambassador made a faux pas and I declared war on the most powerful civ. He was in a defensive pact with three others and literally hundreds of tanks poured across my borders. One turn and I was gone.

 

[Skallagrimson]

Free support for 15 units is pretty sweet.

 

[reddishrecue]

One of the best random events in my civ 4 experience was finding a source of oil in the ancient era. This was very unusual because the found oil wasn't processable and the villagers of that time didn't know what to do with it so i had to let it go. The event popped out with a question that says that they have found oil and gives you 3 choices. Only one choice was available while the other 2 couldn't get picked.

 

[ChanceDanger]

Sorry, my mistake, turn 37.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dGBe9uyuL4&feature=player_detailpage#t=1141s

I had a game a few weeks back where Sury II got knocked out around turn 35 (Playing on Monarch, so he had Archers) and I just had to WB it to find out why. comparing that and the save before it, it seems that he was just unlucky to have two barb archers pop up next to his capital right as he was sending out his first settler. Not even an uprising just didn't set up his second city in time to survive. RNG of a different sort (Both the barb spawns and the combat that led to his demise), but if you don't like it, I don't know, play Chess.

In response to the events question, my favorite is probably popping a resource on a hill (double points if it doesn't have an improvement and I have the spare cash to get it hooked up immediately).

 

[Defiant47]

Everyone knows that from the beginning of the game, you're supposed to build nothing but warriors and forget about your economy because of the infinitesimal chance that a bunch of barbarians spawn and you need to maximize your chance of survival.

First tech to research isn't Bronze Working - it's Archery.

 

[strijder20]

I don't see why you hate events that much - they add randomness.
It's true a single event can make or break your game, but there is already a lot of that build in.
Whether J.C. decides to attack your warrior-defended cities with praetorians, or take on Gandhi with longbows instead, is decided by the RNG too.

My favoUrite event is the one which gives you two production on a hill (tin), but only if it comes early.

 

[FlyingSwan]

Had the "someone creates the game civilisation all citys get +1 happiness" event once which I thought was funny.(I think thats how it goes).

I think the best event is probably the one where you have to build 5 librarys and get a bonus scientist if you have the Great library.Lets face it usually your going to build the librarys anyway to eventually get oxford and the GL is a good wonder too.

 

[Skallagrimson]

Everyone knows that from the beginning of the game, you're supposed to build nothing but warriors and forget about your economy because of the infinitesimal chance that a bunch of barbarians spawn and you need to maximize your chance of survival.

Exactly. Beware the fury of the Vedic Aryans, people! They lurk!

First tech to research isn't Bronze Working - it's Archery.

I do often tend to go archery before BW because my games lately haven't given me copper in my BFC for about the past month, and it's only 1 in about 10 games or so where it's close enough for my 2nd city to park on it, and IW is too far away. Survive before thrive, as they say.

 

[uat2d]

I do often tend to go archery before BW because my games lately haven't given me copper in my BFC for about the past month, and it's only 1 in about 10 games or so where it's close enough for my 2nd city to park on it, and IW is too far away. Survive before thrive, as they say.

Without Copper nearby, IW is the best choice. Not Archery. If you have Copper, then you might as well research the most basic technologies and go on with the Alphabet and so one, no point in researching Archery if it's not your UU and/or you're not being threatened.

 

[Abegweit]

My most enjoyable random event: once while playing an OCC, I got the dreaded volcano event and was told that one of my towns was destroyed

Town? What town? This is an OCC. I didn't even have any cottages.

My borders had, of course, expanded far beyond my BFC. I searched all over and eventually found it. A mountain in the far south exploded right next to a foreign city and destroyed one of the towns on the other side of the border.

 

[achampa1]

I always love it when the Swordsman quest pops up when I'm playing as Rome. It's essentially saying, "Go build your insanely-powerful unique unit six times, and we'll make it easier for them to capture cities for you."

 

[reddishrecue]

I always love it when the Swordsman quest pops up when I'm playing as Rome. It's essentially saying, "Go build your insanely-powerful unique unit six times, and we'll make it easier for them to capture cities for you."

Yea that one is cool, heroes of the sword is a good event. However, the event you mentioned probably has appeared to me before and i dont remember but yet sounds familiar.

 

[FunkyBike1]

Also, just as AJ11 said on the last page, it's a strategy game, not a roguelike. One event shouldn't make or break the game.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I don't see why you hate events that much - they add randomness.
It's true a single event can make or break your game, but there is already a lot of that build in.
Whether J.C. decides to attack your warrior-defended cities with praetorians, or take on Gandhi with longbows instead, is decided by the RNG too.

My favoUrite event is the one which gives you two production on a hill (tin), but only if it comes early.

Let's rewrite this logic to show its true colors:

"This game already has alarmingly bad gameplay elements that cause chance, rather than player decisions, to influence the outcome of the game sometimes. Since it already has some of those, WHY NOT ADD MORE?!"

Now, let's rewrite that logic and apply it to other things:

- "You have a fractured arm huh? Well, why not break a knee too? You already have a comparable injury"

- "Your computer already has a virus? I'm sure you won't mind more then..."

- "Car has a dent and the check engine light is on?! Crash it into a pole at 10 mph or less. What's more dents?!"

- "You were audited by the IRS this year. Why not have it audit you again? No big deal right?"

What all of these examples share is that they allow a comparably bad thing to happen to you as has already occurred. You wouldn't accept a broken knee, additional viruses, more car dents, or another audit in those cases. Yet somehow, averting all logic, you're supporting random events using the same logical construct as the above 4 statements.

In other words, this particular defense of random events isn't just wrong, it's nonsense and hypocritical. At least when people argue that they like random outcomes because sometimes it helps them (skill equalization) or because it adds a (fake) sense of variety the arguments make sense, even if the result is bad for any pretense of competition or strategy in the game. However, the argument "there's already random outcomes SO ALLOW MORE ON PURPOSE" fails so hard it might as well be a 4 year old playing demon's souls or online call of duty.

 

[Skallagrimson]

Without Copper nearby, IW is the best choice. Not Archery. If you have Copper, then you might as well research the most basic technologies and go on with the Alphabet and so one, no point in researching Archery if it's not your UU and/or you're not being threatened.

I'm always being threatened. Barbs if no one else.

 

[Skallagrimson]

In other words, this particular defense of random events isn't just wrong, it's nonsense and hypocritical. At least when people argue that they like random outcomes because sometimes it helps them (skill equalization) or because it adds a (fake) sense of variety the arguments make sense, even if the result is bad for any pretense of competition or strategy in the game. However, the argument "there's already random outcomes SO ALLOW MORE ON PURPOSE" fails so hard it might as well be a 4 year old playing demon's souls or online call of duty.

TBH I leave the events turned on because I know Murphy's Law will hand me more volcanoes and ridiculous barbarian invasions and slave revolts than it ever will Federal Reserves or Legends of the Sword, and it feels like cheating to turn off that potential nuking of a game. But the more I think about it the way you describe it, I think I'm going to try turning them off to take a little bit of Murphy out of the picture, with a clear conscience.