Events? e.g. volcanic eruptions in Civ6

[Lazy sweeper]

I have edited the first post.
EDIT:
By the way I only can recommend the mod of Infixo just everyone to try it out.
Infixo said: ↑
I have published the first playable version in "Unreleased Mods" section here.


A volcanic winter event would be great. The ash cloud and ash rain could be a cool graphic effect on the map.

This is soooooooooooooo good, have to try it now!!!

 

[Manifold]

Apart from the usual random natural catastrophes and anomalies (
A small summary of the previous proposals:

Volcanic eruptions, Volcanic winter,
Earthquakes,
Meteors, Comets,
Climate phenomenas, Hail, Blizzards, Rasputitsa, Floods, Dam breakages, Droughts, Wildfires,
Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tsunami, Cyclones, Tempests, Tornadoes, Storms, Climate Change,
Epidemics, Diseases,
Nuclear accidents,
Gold Strikes, Hyperinflation, Major Pollution, Stock market crash,
Dynamic Barbarians, Dynamic City States, Dynamic Goody Huts,
Roving wild animals, Hungry lions,
... )
it is time to think about the next major events which changed human history and their implementation.

Every era should be represented with at least one or more events related to a major change of history. Every major event should have the chance to occur of 10 % per game If the conditions are fulfilled . For some variety and replay motivation and against boredom it should be a few per era. So this were my suggestions

Ancient Era:The Ten Plagues of Egypt event / The submergence of Atlantis /The Storm of Sea Peoples event
Classical Antiquity: The Cimbrian War event / The Star of Bethlehem event / The Yellow Turban Rebellion event
Medieval Period: The Scourge of God event / The Black Death event / The Divine Wind event
Renaissance Era: The Little Ice Age event / The First (Spanish) Sovereign default event
Age of Revolutions: The Revolutionary War event / Golden Age of Piracy event / The Russian Marshal Mud event
Industrial Age: The Australian Gold Rush event / The Cholera pandemic event
Modern Era: The Dust Bowl event / The Black Thursday event
Atomic Era: The Oil Shock event / The Great Smog event
Information Age: The Global Warming event / Total Internet Blackout event

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

Every era should be represented with at least one or more events related to a major change of history. Every major event should have the chance to occur of 10 % per game If the conditions are fulfilled . For some variety and replay motivation and against boredom it should be a few per era. So this were my suggestions

Ancient Era:The Ten Plagues of Egypt event / The submergence of Atlantis /The Storm of Sea Peoples event
Classical Antiquity: The Cimbrian War event / The Star of Bethlehem event / The Yellow Turban Rebellion event
Medieval Period: The Scourge of God event / The Black Death event / The Divine Wind event
Renaissance Era: The Little Ice Age event / The First (Spanish) Sovereign default event
Age of Revolutions: The Revolutionary War event / Golden Age of Piracy event / The Russian Marshal Mud event
Industrial Age: The Australian Gold Rush event / The Cholera pandemic event
Modern Era: The Dust Bowl event / The Black Thursday event
Atomic Era: The Oil Shock event / The Great Smog event
Information Age: The Global Warming event / Total Internet Blackout event

I think these perpetuate a classic 'Civ' game problem: trying to make a specific game event out of what was historically a result of more general conditions.
Let's go down the list for examples:
Ten Plagues of Egypt, assuming it isn't a religious myth, may have been related to the second 'event' - Submergence of Atlantis, which was almost undoubtably connected to the volcanic eruption of Thera that engulfed the Minoan settlements on Crete and what is now Santorini - the remnants of the original volcano. So, both of these have a 'popular' or religious component, but have the same root cause.
Storm of Sea Peoples and the later Scourge of God are both 'barbarian' invasions/migrations which massively affected the 'civilized' kingdoms in their path. To these you might add:
Classical Era: the Gallic Migrations that affected parts of Europe ranging from Spain, Northern Italy, the Balkans to modern western Turkey
Later Classical: The Germanic/Scandinavian migrations that sent Goths into eastern Europe and Russia, Saxons into England, and Franks into France, among others.
Classical to Renaissance: the various Northern Barbarians that invaded the Chinese kingdoms/empires: Jurchen, Mongol, Manchu, etc.
In other words, Barbarians occasionally move in large numbers, and those movements, whatever their original reason or cause, have Consequences.
Black Death Event and Cholera Pandemic are indications that Germs move like Barbarians, but occasionally with even more deadly consequences, especially in the lack of any knowledge of antisepsis or germ theory.
Spanish Sovereign Default and Black Thursday were both 'economic' events, the causes of which (and effects, for that matter) have never been modeled
adequately in any Civ game: it will require an entire new set of mechanisms, and because Economics is so fascinating to so many gamers
most should probably be 'built in' to the game with only the results 'visible' to the gamer requiring his/her attention.
Russian Marshal Mud is another Normal Event - the annual spring and fall rains that flood parts of the countryside and make ground movement very difficult every year. It only becomes a Major Event (and Historically Significant) when the people trying to move are Invading Armies who have made grossly inadequate preparations for it out of Ignorance or Hubris. Since Civ-scale games have no seasons and Civ in particular has no Supply Lines, this is a Non Event in game terms, unless you 'generalize' its effects in some non-historical way.

I hope what comes through is that many or most of the Major Events in fact reflect on-going problems that a gamer should have to face, but currently doesn't in the game. The 'Major Event' designation is due to outsized Effects of one of the 'normal' disasters, either due to a combination of other circumstances, the inadequate response to the event by the Civilizations involved, or the severity of the event itself.

I suggest that we need two things:
1. What this thread has been discussing, (and the Mod has partially addressed) a system of Natural Disasters, including some that are not Natural, especially:
Economics: in the form of the ability of governments (the Gamer, the AI) to Borrow money from 'banks' or other game mechanics, and them fail to repay, with 'natural' and usually to some degree disastrous, consequences. Also, as I have posted elsewhere, the Cycles of Exuberence that lead to Capitalism's Inevitable recessions, 'panics', depressions, etc.
Barbarian Pressure: specifically, some kind of Population Pressure that sends entire 'nations' of people Migrating en masse. In the game, a large area inhabited only by 'Barbarian' camps next to a border with a Civilization should spawn near-constant such pressures - think the northern Chinese border or the European Roman border, both of which required enormous expenditure of resources to maintain by the two strongest Civilizations in their areas/Eras, and both of which eventually failed in the face of the barbarian pressure - Major Events by any standard!

2. A Chronicle, Timeline, or other In-Game Events designator. This is pure 'Color' with no direct relationship to game-play, except that it gives a narrative to your game: a news sheet/book title you can display or occasionally refer to that tells you that Scythia Invades Egypt! or Plague Ravages Samarkand!, or Brazil Defaults, Markets Panic!
And with a certain set of in-game triggers, leaves you a list of Major Events directly related to the game you are playing:
The Ten Plagues of Persia
The First Scythian Sovereign Default
The German Marshal Mud (the infamous Strassenverloren season)

I think that relating the Major Events(Disasters) to in-game events 'particularizes' them in a way that makes them more relevant, and making Major Events a product of Both programmed Causes (weather, disease, economics, migrations) AND the gamer/AI's reaction to them will make them more 'real' to the gamer - and possibly teach the lesson that Major Disasters come from Normal Disasters as a direct result of human actions and reactions - the Bad Hair Day of God becomes the Wrath of God only after human rulers ignore the haircut...

 

[Manifold]

I see we swim on the same wavelength

Classical Era: the Gallic Migrations that affected parts of Europe ranging from Spain, Northern Italy, the Balkans to modern western Turkey
Later Classical: The Germanic/Scandinavian migrations that sent Goths into eastern Europe and Russia, Saxons into England, and Franks into France, among others.
Classical to Renaissance: the various Northern Barbarians that invaded the Chinese kingdoms/empires: Jurchen, Mongol, Manchu, etc.

There is an unlikely but fantastic theory that an impact of a meteorite at the Chiemgau area (Bavaria/Germany) was the trigger for the expansion of the La Tene culture. The meteorite had given the Celts the best steal (ferrum noricum=Noric steal) and the aggressive lifestyle. But this story is very similar to the The Cimbrian War event. Also the Celts, Germans, Scandinavians, Mongols will become their own Civ soon I hope, so I would say participating Civs should not be represented by Barbarian mechanics in game. Of course if Denmark becomes a Civ this also counts for The Cimbrian War event.

In other words, Barbarians occasionally move in large numbers, and those movements, whatever their original reason or cause, have Consequences.

I guess this has become much better in Civ 6 because of the Barbarian scouts. It is a good new detail in this Civ part.

Spanish Sovereign Default and Black Thursday were both 'economic' events, the causes of which (and effects, for that matter) have never been modeled
adequately in any Civ game: it will require an entire new set of mechanisms, and because Economics is so fascinating to so many gamers

Both of course are mostly negative events but they could improve the readiness to war and lead to an expansion of the infrastructure.

Also you remind me of thinking also for more positive events like the golden age mechanic. This would be like the
Japanese post war economic miracle event.

Events / economic condition could be like a wave motion.
Fast easy example: If the weather is good your population grows faster but also the threat of the Barbarians who were mostly peaceful. If the weather was bad the Barbarians are hungry and were more warlike but with less support.
Different economic conditions between different Civs could also lead to peaceful migration between Civs and Barbarians.

The player is being held to make his playing style more flexible. Either to counter an imminent crisis or to surf the curb.

I suggest that we need two things:
1. What this thread has been discussing, (and the Mod has partially addressed) a system of Natural Disasters, including some that are not Natural, especially:
Economics: in the form of the ability of governments (the Gamer, the AI) to Borrow money from 'banks' or other game mechanics, and them fail to repay, with 'natural' and usually to some degree disastrous, consequences. Also, as I have posted elsewhere, the Cycles of Exuberence that lead to Capitalism's Inevitable recessions, 'panics', depressions, etc.
Barbarian Pressure: specifically, some kind of Population Pressure that sends entire 'nations' of people Migrating en masse. In the game, a large area inhabited only by 'Barbarian' camps next to a border with a Civilization should spawn near-constant such pressures - think the northern Chinese border or the European Roman border, both of which required enormous expenditure of resources to maintain by the two strongest Civilizations in their areas/Eras, and both of which eventually failed in the face of the barbarian pressure - Major Events by any standard!

Absolute

2. A Chronicle, Timeline, or other In-Game Events designator. This is pure 'Color' with no direct relationship to game-play, except that it gives a narrative to your game: a news sheet/book title you can display or occasionally refer to that tells you that Scythia Invades Egypt! or Plague Ravages Samarkand!, or Brazil Defaults, Markets Panic!
And with a certain set of in-game triggers, leaves you a list of Major Events directly related to the game you are playing:
The Ten Plagues of Persia
The First Scythian Sovereign Default
The German Marshal Mud (the infamous Strassenverloren season)

Absolute we already wrote about it here. This was a nice thing and loving implementation in Civ 1 if I remember correctly. It these kind of little thinks post Millennium computer games often miss. Of course after several passages through the game I put some filter in or turn it off but I miss them despite the atmosphere and feeling while playing.

 

[Boris Gudenuf]

There is an unlikely but fantastic theory that an impact of a meteorite at the Chiemgau area (Bavaria/Germany) was the trigger for the expansion of the La Tene culture. The meteorite had given the Celts the best steal (ferrum noricum=Noric steal) and the aggressive lifestyle. But this story is very similar to the The Cimbrian War event. Also the Celts, Germans, Scandinavians, Mongols will become their own Civ soon I hope, so I would say participating Civs should not be represented by Barbarian mechanics in game. Of course if Denmark becomes a Civ this also counts for The Cimbrian War event.

Rhys Carpenter decades ago postulated a 'climactic cycle' that caused food disruptions every 1200 years or so, that accounted for the Indo-European migrations, the Dorian Invasion of Greece, the Barbarian push against Rome - unfortunately, later scientific analysis (pollen counts, etc) failed to show any proof of the thesis, but, like the 'random' meteorite, it makes a great mechanism for periodic Barbarian Explosions.
H. Beam Piper, the original Dean of Alternate History stories, once summed it up neatly: -"The shaman had a headache on the day he read the Omens, so they went west instead of east..."

I game terms, I don't think it matters what triggers The Event as long as it is believable and consistent for game play. After all, we're already playing a Fantasy Game with Immortal Leaders: if we can swallow that, we can swallow Unreal Cyclic Climate Changes or Hungover Shamans...

I guess this has become much better in Civ 6 because of the Barbarian scouts. It is a good new detail in this Civ part.

- And an example of what I find so Frustrating with Civ VI: a really good idea (along with the system where some Barbarians spawn mounted and others Foot units almost exclusively) that they never went anywhere with. They're still spawning the same Scouts in the Industrial Era, furcryingoutloud! Expand on it: let one scout spread the word to several camps so they ALL come at you, give you the3 option of bribing the Scout to ignore you - so many good ideas inadequately expressed, in a single game...

Absolute we already wrote about it here. This was a nice thing and loving implementation in Civ 1 if I remember correctly. It these kind of little thinks post Millennium computer games often miss. Of course after several passages through the game I put some filter in or turn it off but I miss them despite the atmosphere and feeling while playing.

The game needs more Flavor. Name Units, Move Capitals, Lose individual Buildings to air/artillery/catapult bombardment or to Sacking, Natural Disasters and Opportunities, Economic Trends and Waves, Recessions and Booms - and a place to read about all of them in the Tempora Roma (another literary reference, the newspaper started in 6th century Rome by L. Sprague DeCamp's time traveler in Lest Darkness Fall).
Aboe all else, the game should be Fun!

 

[Manifold]

This thread

Ok, It's late in the game and I'm innocently minding my own business WHEN THIS HAPPENED!!

WTF??

View attachment 473506

brings me to another idea


The Hail of Yellow clouds event

or The Uprising of the Yellow Turbans event


Intro:

Graphic and acoustic intro:
Azure sky is covered by yellow clouds (music: first bells then drums),
Some images from the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (music: Daoist
instrumental/chanting) were shown.

+ Sean Bean reads something about the history of the Han dynasty and the Yellow Turbans:

" The Azure Sky is already dead; the Yellow Sky will soon rise.When the year is jiǎzǐ, there will be prosperity under heaven!”

With this secret message, the members of the secret society called the Yellow Turbans arranged the simultaneous beginning of the revolt against the rule of the Han dynasty. At the end of the glorious Han, which ruled China for more than 400 years, the imperial power was corrupted by unscrupulously generals, Fangshi necromancer and a sly eunuch gang. Imperial incapability made few rich and many hungry. Famine and floods did the rest.

The Yellow Turbans were a Taoist sect with the goal to establish a radical theocracy of equality. The Yellow Turbans probably were the first levellers and nationwide movement of the oppressed masses. In 184 AD the "General of Heaven" Zhang Jue gathered more than 350 thousand rebels under arms from all over the empire. It was the end of the great Han dynasty and the beginning of an new era which story the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms will tell us...”


Special condition:

This event just pop up when one Civ researched the civic: Theology (Classical Era).

It occurs one time per game by a Chance of 10 % per game.
The affected continent may not already affected by another major event and is immune to later major event.

The affected continent has to have a river with at least 10 tiles length on him (depends on the map size). Of these, at least 6 tiles on the continent had to have a farm improvement.

If more than one river of this kind exists on the continent, the event took place at that river with the most adjacent Civs. And when there are more than one river left the event take place at that river with more farm improvement. Is more than one river left the event affects all these rivers. So ,if every at least 10 tiles long river on this continent has just one adjacent Civs, the event take place at that river with most farms.


Effect:

The effect applies to all Civs on that continent with farm improvements adjacent to the affected river.

For 30 turns religious purchases with faith are doubled price.

Every farm (not only those at the river) of the affected Civ or CS on the affected continent get plundered (hard population decline).

On every looted tile a Rebel unit occurs. Other units located there are compulsorily moved to the next free tile.The yellow rebels from the secret society are Pikeman. They will not move or attack but they pray and chant and heal twice as fast (the leader of the Yellow Turbans were healers. They can also loot traders on their tile. By a chance of 20 % the rebel Pikeman escape before the battle take place. By a chance of another 20% the rebel Pikeman withdraw after the battle. If there is no free tile the rebel Pikeman counts as beaten. The beating of a rebel Pikeman counts additional as a religious defeat of the state religion of the winner so far possible (negative for the state religion). But with these units can be interacted in one more ways than just fight against them. For a certain sum of gold the unit becomes yours for 30 turns (mercenary, like the levy from the army of a CS). This mercenary unit counts as Pikeman with healing promotion.

For all two plundered farms an additional Horseman unit from the rebels occurs on the next free tile. They will move around, attack and loot like a normal Barbarians.

The affected Civs are forced to change their governments immediately (and the cards once for free).

For the next 30 turns all effected Civs can declare war to each other without any diplomatic penalty.


Optional:

After 15 turns (in epic speed) that Civ with the most remaining rebel units in its territory has the choice to take over the theocracy government from the Yellow Turbans. The new government of this Civ will be Theocracy although this has not yet been invented. If this happened, all remaining rebel units in the territory join to that Civ. That Civ could buy other rebel units from outside their territory with fait. Their religious purchases with faith are not doubled price.

That Civ automatically declare war to all other affected Civs.

It is not allowed to change the governments (and the cards?) for the next 15 turns (in epic speed) for that Civ.

The purchase of rebel Pikeman for all Civs with gold and for the Yellow Turban Civ with faith is from now twice as cheap.


Compensation:

For 30 turns (international?) trade routes provide additionally + 4 gold.

That Civ which beats a rebel Pikeman gets a Builder unit with one charge for free (could repair the sacked farms).

For every killing of a rebel Horseman unit the other gets +2 GPP Writer. Additional the beating of a rebel Horseman unit by a Civ counts as religious victory of that state religion so far possible (positive for the state religion).

For all 7 killed rebel units (no matter if Pikeman or Horseman) the Civ gets a special “Tiger General” unit. That counts as great general for classical and medieval era units. When it settles down to rest, it produces +56 GPP Writer and +70 faith.

After the last rebel unit is beaten that Civ that killed the most Yellow Turban rebel units get a free belief for the state religion named “The worship of Lord Guan”. This provides +1 food to all cities with that religion (long term positive), +2 strength in battle against CS for the rest of the game.

All affected Civs get the eureka for feudalism.


All affected Civs get the new steam achievement: The Hail of Yellow clouds event


Idea:

The idea behind this barbarian focused event is to impact a very fertile region. This region has a crisis but after that it stands stronger than before.

The first shock is enormous like in the situation of Damus Maximus here

Ok, It's late in the game and I'm innocently minding my own business WHEN THIS HAPPENED!!

WTF??

View attachment 473506

.

But it turns out that the situation is not that hopeless as it first seems. The just defending rebel Pikemen also protect from outside against not affected Civs as well. The rebels also withdraw from the battle field and the farms. Only affected Civs can buy and benefit from them.


There is no question that this heroic withstand must be rewarded with unique possibilities. And weak Civs with less farms and population were not knocked down so much.

The probably religious play stile in the classical era should be changed to a more commercial play stile, what the most of us here

Ok, It's late in the game and I'm innocently minding my own business WHEN THIS HAPPENED!!

WTF??

View attachment 473506

suggested.

The balancing of my first suggestion for this random major event is probably not quite clean. Further thoughts and tests are necessary.

 

[Manifold]

(Japanese) post war economic miracle event.

Now it is time to think about some random positive major events like the golden age mechanic from the predecessor Civ parts.

The (Japanese) post war economic miracle event is not a physical/natural event like a good grain harvest.
Unless one accepts also that the human is part of nature, which is actually true. I guess it is more important that an major event is not totally controllable or repeatable because the power of human is not enough.

The steep economic recovery of Japan after the lost world war is an absolute exception and unfortunately there is no way to repeat it. If the instructions for use were available, it could bring a lot of fortune over the world.
This in my opinion fullfills the prerequisites for a random major event (man made).


Special condition:
This event just pop up when one Civ
1. is in the atomic age,
2. signs a negative / adversely peace contract
3. has only cities on its own continent
4. has no atomic bomb itself,
5. was the target of an atomic bomb at least 5 turns back.

It occurs one time per game by a Chance of 10 % per game.
The affected Civ may not already affected by another positive major event and is blocked to later positive major event.

Positive Effect:
The affected Civ is forced to change its governments immediately (and the cards once for free).
The affected Civ could choose the same government like the winner of the war although this has not yet been invented.

For 30 turns international trade routes provide additionally + 5 gold, +3 science.
For 30 turns trade routes to the winner of the war provide additionally + 10 gold, +3 culture.

For 30 turns the adjacent bonuses for industrial and trading districts are doubled.
For 30 turns the cost of district building were halved.


Negative:
For 30 turns the maintain cost for units are doubled.


By the way I only can recommend the mod of Infixo just everyone to try it out.

 

[Manifold]

Good news! In the scenario which appears with dlc5 and Nubia is a new game mechanic which handle with Barbarian major events, like my earlier proposal from The Scourge of God event.

I believe we are one the right way

Coming soon:
The Plague of Locusts from the North (Assyria) event