Escape From Zombie Island 2: The Remake

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... Yes, the Flesh Eating Bacteria allows the Zombies level 2 and 3 size buildings but has no benefit for the Other Factions. It does not require maintenance now.

Sasebo...Always many possibilities. Because this map is very loaded and could use a much larger map as it is, there is really not enough room to place another faction. It is also far easier to imagine additions than it is to do all the work involved. The Current Goal now is to correct anything that needs to be corrected and add some improved Units that will enhance what exists now.
I believe there are several others working on different versions of this scenario. Knowing all that is involved, I wish them Luck. We may see many more variations of Zombie Scenarios and there is room for many different ideas for those willing to do the work.

 

[odintheking]

Yeah. Virco and I are working on an EFZI0 prequel taking place in 1998. Instead of Farmers, we will be having a Rebel faction headed by a Fidel Castro lookalike.

 

[Bluemofia]

Send in the Attack Choppers. CEO's helicopter is acting as news anchor.

I am almost done with my game as the Company, and one of the worst games I've had to play in terms of AI intelligence. The Authorities managed to lose everything except for the Police Station, Military Base, and the Coast Guard on day 3 (Radio station on day 1). The survivors lost everything except for Hanibal's Apartment, Mr. Tokugawa's house, and the Retirement home on day 1. The Farmers declared war on everyone at Noon of day 1. And did nothing.

Yeah...

But I just sat back and leader farmed, and then conquered. But it was a much harder game because there were giant spiders attacking me from time to time. Luckily they attacked only after I got bombard units.

As of this screenshot, I'm 2 turns away from victory. Just need the press release, and then I'm done.

 

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... Looks like you managed to play with good timing. What level and how many turns did you play to Victory?
The Random Factors built into the game will generally provide different games such as you experienced...some more difficult than others. Do you generally Upgrade Great Leaders to Champions or do you use some to Rush Improvements?

Still working on the Update and it is going well. The Game will have corrections for the errors found and some very Good Replacement Units. Also added a few other improvements and Units. The Game Play will be a bit tougher and striving to have the Zombies be able to continue stronger in the Late game when they generally have fewer Buildings in order to have the game more Challenging to the end.

 

[Bluemofia]

I played on 12A. Turn 93 was the turn I won on. The zombies actually burned the coast guard to the ground, much like the AI would burn the Graveyard if they manage to get it.

I always get champions. The improvements are not too expensive for me to wait a few turns to build myself.

 

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... The "Wonders" are suppose to stop the AI from Razing buildings but they will still raze them occationally despite the Wonders.
The Graveyard has a Small Wonder. Because Many of the Wonders will not benefit the Other AI Factions, they will Raze them occationally. I have removed all costs for the Zombie "Wonders" so this may help. At least the Zombie "Wonders" will no longer cost any Faction who gains them.
...The Game will probably require more turns to complete after the Update. As it is now, it can range from around 100 to 150 turns depending on the player, what Faction they play and what Level they play on.

 

[bkwrm79]

Great to hear about other people playing as the Farmers. I managed a win as well, using Pyromaniacs, Mean Machines and Trucks (one of my first targets was the military base).

I found the key was to break things down into brief flare-ups of fighting, beginning each flare-up with a massive attack (or more than one). The Zombies build up pressure more gradually, so I would take important buildings, then extract a new cease-fire before their counter-attack could break through.

About time for me to start a new Authorities game, I think.

 

[Bluemofia]

I'm playing now as the Farmers, and it is requiring quite a different strategy than the other civs. No brute force, no blitz to the Airport, no tech+build rush... Sheer diplomacy... And the only diplomacy I know really is war...

But it is really important to combine Pyromaniacs with Mean Machines and use hit and runs with them. Sheep tend to become fairly useless when the strong zombies come, as either they are too weak to penetrate through a spider to injure it, or the RNG hates me. So I stopped building them.

I have yet to take a native zombie building though... I only took buildings that the zombies took from others. And it's day 5. Which means the evil Screeches are here. So I must hurry.

And here's a screenshot from a few turns ago (By now I took the Garage from the zombies who took it from the survivors):

Zombies zombies everywhere...

 

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... Looks like you have quite a game going there
The Exploding sheep can kill stronger Zombie Units...just takes more of them. Same as the "Drive By" technique you are using, it takes several hits to Kill the Stronger Units due to their Hit Points.
Because Exploding Sheep have such a low cost and do not require support, they were not set to be able to Kill Stronger Zombie Units using just one.
It is best to build many Exploding Sheep and use them together with the other Units. You could add Shaggin' Waggons with Exploding sheep to your Drive By approach and then even one Sheep would at least soften the enemy before attacking them with the Mean Machines or Pyromaniac Units.
...IF you only attack with Exploding Sheep, How many does it usually take to Kill the Stronger Zombie Units? Should be three to four.

I believe in some cases, the AI (especially Zombies) will Raze a Building if the Key Location costs them and they do not benefit from it...especially if the Key Location produces strong, helpful units only for the Human Factions. The Key Locations at the Coast Guard and Garage, for example, produce Aegis Cruisers and Super Coupes that will only help the Human Factions so the Zombies are smart to raze them if they have any trouble holding on to the buildings. Just because a Key Location becomes Obsolete does not mean that it does not continue to cost maintenance. Zombie Improvements and Key Locations are set so they do not require Maintenance now for the Update so that will not penalize the Human Factions who gain their buildings. IF all Key Locations were set with No Maintenance, it would probably help prevent the Zombies from Razing buildings that have them. This needs testing to be sure. It is also another part of the game play for the player to decide what buildings they absolutely want to have and try to gain them before the Zombies in order to prevent the possibility of the buildings with the Great Key Locations from being Razed.

... On a Zombie Infested Island, it is expected that the Zombies will lay waste to many important or desirable things and this can also mean Razing a building or two. As the Humans try to Survive, they also have to decide on what buildings are most important to gain and protect. I would not want to remove the Maintenance Costs for the Human Key Locations because that would affect supplies and game play. Any Opinions concerning this are welcome.

 

[Bluemofia]

It takes about 3 or 4 sheep just to damage a spider 1 or 2 health. (given, that spider was in a building, so...) Though Pyromaniacs tend to do more damage per shot when I've played.

 

[Sasebo]

Blumofia: If the bug was on a skyscraper especially, yeah, you are not going to do much damage. building are very good defensively; with all of the testing I've done via the games I played it became very obvious that was the case. Definitely target zombie units that stray from their protection, and use it to your utmost advantage. Sheep also only have a ROF of 5, that is part of it too. ROF is a very important factor for all the bombard units.

Edit: Oh, and I think you are a dead man, no offense. If it is Day 5 and the bugs are here, you will soon not be. It usually isn't until the bugs show up, that the AI starts to lose cities to the Zombies. Then things fall apart....

Vuldacon: From all of the games I've played so far, I honestly don't think razing is very much of an issue. I've seen a FEW buildings razed, but even when I and the zombies exchanged the garage over and over for a few turns, they did not raze it. Besides, that's what zombies DO, let them have their fun!

I think you have the right idea about the maintanence costs, so go ahead with what you plan for it now. In my experience, the only faction with real money issues is the Authorities, probably because of all the corruption from being so spread out and far from their capitol. The Farmers likewise could develop some problems with cash maybe, but I still think it is doable there. Survivors and especially the company have no real money issues(except of course you could always use a little more!). What the Farmers do need, is an advanced government later in the game. Something to kill WW and maybe a bit better corruption, that's the ticket.

What DOES concern me, is the unhappiness problems I had in every game. I was running like 40% luxuries in almost every game, and still having some problems! Getting certain key wonders/buildings really helps with that, and the better governments. I am not certain if it is an actual problem that needs to be fixed, but you might wish to review it/get other opinions. Note also, that even with running 40% lux, and doing mostly enough researach to get minimum tech times, I had few money problems, as I mentioned above.

Corruption and War Weariness are the two big hurdles, from what I've seen. Any time I was able to improve either of those elements I got a big shot in the arm, production/money-wise. I want to reiterate that I was wrong about the bank-type minor wonders; they are VERY important. This last Survivors game on Banned alone, the only thing keeping me in the green at all was the interest from building the Auto Shop.

I think mostly things are very well balanced, but I don't personally like running out of tech to research a 1/4 of the way through the scenario. But maybe that really is asking for too much. Might you take a look at using longer minimum tech research times? I really think that is called for myself, let's hear what others think. Something on the order of 10-15 turns, I am thinking. There is usually some tech trading going on as well, at least for the common techs; that's part of it.

I'm kind of scared of what you have hinted of for the next version myself. The game is already quite nasty; when the Monsters show up, things get very,very hard. When the bugs start showing up, it gets hairy, even if you are 'winning' at that point. Anything worse then that is going to be sheer hell to deal with, on any level. The game does not really seem to be THAT much harder per the difficulty levels, mainly because everything is already preset. In playing lots of scenarios with everything already going from the start, I find that is almost always the case.

 

[Bluemofia]

Yeah, I figured I'm going to be screwed. Or be a very close game.

I just took the School and the Armory (sued for peace) in addition to the Garage from the zombies... But they got the retirement home, Mr. Tokugawa's house, and Sales and Marketing, and soon City Hall by the looks of it.

I'm going to have to launch a quick offensive to take the Retirement home, Mr. Tokugawa's house, and the Graveyard in less than 10 turns if I want to survive. Those screeches are just marching in and killing my mean machines and Pyros every once in a while.

 

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... I plan to increase the Exploding Sheep to a much stronger Strength as well as Rate Of Fire so they will be very effective. Two or three will be able to Kill Stronger Zombie Units. Because of this, I plan to limit them to the Farmer's Bastion. This is the "Farm" after all and Sheep really would not be Built (Raised) in other Buildings anyway. I will make a Wonder (Key Location) for the Farmers Bastion that will produce Exploding Sheep every turn. The Other Human Factions will be able to Gain Exploding Sheep if they Capture Zeb's Farm. This will also free that Building for the Farmers to be able to build other Units there. It will be necessary to stock pile the Exploding Sheep and transport them in Shaggin' Waggons which now carry 10 Exploding Sheep.
...This should prove very effective for the Farmers and make Exploding Sheep worth having to supplement other units.

Sasebo... The Farmers are suppose to have a Tough Time and keep the same "Attitude". They are simple people bent on taking back their Land. There are many Key Locations that will greatly help the Farmers with War Weariness and Corruption but I plan to provide them with less War Weariness and Corruption from the New Key Location that will be at Zeb's Farm.

As for Unhappiness, it is a Terrible Situation on Paradise Island and no one is really Happy about being there Unhappiness will also increase with the Higher Levels and you must know all of the Things you can gain and do to help decrease it...all part of the difficulty as Higher levels are played but generally, Unhappiness is not something that should be changed from how it is now.

Concerning the Techs... I worked with the Techs and the research times to allow game balance and interaction of units that can be built when the techs are reached. This could be adjusted so there would be a longer period of time between techs but every tech for all Factions would have to be set to keep the game play and balance about the same. That said, it would require Testing because the game will not play the same as one might believe if all techs are simply adjusted with the same addition of time added to gain them.

This game was meant to be a Fast Game rather than one that would require a week to play. There are no additional Techs planned to be added at this point and they were set to come fast. I spoke to King Arthur about this when starting to adjust the game and his thoughts were to keep the Tech Research and Game Play Fast. I do agree that the Techs could be adjusted where the game will take longer to play.
I will consider setting the Techs where they will require more minimum time to research and gain them IF it will not cause Problems. Since all Factions can gain Great Leaders and upgrade them to Champions, this should offset the Techs being set slower to gain them. It was my intention that the Game require around 150 turns to play on 12A Level. This depends on the skill of the player of course and many will Win by around 100 turns. There is a Maximum of 300 turns in the game and the extra turns were set to make sure the Higher Levels would have enough time for players.

..the Higher Levels should be tougher to play despite the presets because of Corruption, War Weariness and Unhappiness as well as having fewer shields from all of this. The Zombies and AI have many more Units and an easier time than the Human Player on Higher Levels.

Concerning the Update...Yes, be afraid, be Very afraid It will be tougher but there will be ways to deal with it.

 

[Spetznaz]

Just finished my "quick" and very easy game with the Authorities..

Kicked zombie ass so fast that I was able to win at the end of seventh day..
They really didn't offer much oppression against my legions of Swat members .Heh.. Zombies only got monster zombies on day 7th


edit:
I think I found a good replacement for the Authorities' nuke missile what looks like a soviet rocket.

Check out Navy Dawg's creation http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=216951

It's smaller, but it doesn't have a mushroom explosion, but I think it's better than the current.

 

[Vuldacon]

Spetznaz... Congratulations on your fast Win...Probably 12A Level but the update will change that as well as all levels
Not really looking for any replacements for the "Nuke" but NaveyDawg's Unit is a good unit. What I like about the Current Nuke is the animation of the launch and zooming out. True it is suppose to be a very small Nuke and the Missile used is an ICBM Original but it seems to suffice for now.

The Game should require much more time to Win with the Update. I have worked on it since the Release as well as the New Replacement Units. This is not simply to make the game more difficult but rather to increase the challenging, Fun game play. I have listened to everyone as well as apply what I know to make the game better. The Civilopedia has been corrected as well as adjusted for the Updated changes.
Just completed the New Key Locations for the Farmers "Exploding Sheep Operation" and the "Co-op" which will change things...also Several other game improvements so now I can get back to work on completing the Omega Zombie and other Unit work.

 

[Spetznaz]

ugh.. started an another game with the authorities, the game literally sucked my time..


I started at about 12 am and thought that I would only play till 2 am..
Then when I next looked at the clock, the clock was about 4:45 am..
Talk about a time eating scenario

 

[Bluemofia]

Just-one-more-turn-itis at it's finest.

I'm now at a crossroads in my Farmers game. My citizens are complaining because of war weariness, supplies are running low, but the company's about to be destroyed, the Survivors are down to 1 city, and the Authorities have only the military base and the Coast Guard. I can sue for peace to get one of the following:

Nuclear Reactor
City Hall
Police Station

But then it gives the zombies some time not to be killed, and enough time to regroup and re-attack. And then probably not enough time for me to regroup and take a few more buildings.

Should I sue for peace, and take a building, or should I keep on fighting to weaken them more?

 

[Vuldacon]

Bluemofia... War Weariness is Relieved in the building from the Brothel, and call Center...it is Relieved in ALL Buildings owned from building a Supply Drop and the Police Department. The Booze Imports will also Relieve war Weariness after the Update.
Note that any Human Faction can gain any of the above mentioned Key Locations if they have already been built. A Supply Drop, any Human Faction Can build.

IF the Police Department has been built and you can sue to obtain the Police Station...that would be the one to get. Reduce war Weariness in all buildings AND Gain Highway Patrol Units.

 

[Bluemofia]

The only problem is that it is deep within enemy lines. That would probably mean I need to take the City Hall myself. Though the nuclear power plant has been built, and that's always nice to have.

EDIT: I've taken City Hall myself, and sued for peace after making threatening moves towards the Police Station. Got both the Police Station and the Nuclear Plant. Now I'm just racing to upgrade their defenses before I break the peace treaty and attack again. This time I'm going down to take the southern Zombie territory.

 

[Dezzilisk]

Ive found i can just shoot the snot out of the zombies with swat in my game as the authorities, ive taken all of the territories that have been taken off the other factions by the zombies so far