Events in BOTM

[Nobikaigan]

I was wondering if random events in BOTM's were truly random, or is it set up somehow that players will get the same events from the save file? I really don't know how it would be possible to have it set up to get the same events since they are so situational... Not that many are game-breaking anyway, just a bit more randomness in the game.

 

[Vynd]

Wht I've heard is that when a game of BtS is created, a set of random events are chosen. And those become the only events that could possibly trigger during the game. So everyone who plays a BOTM is playing with the same set of possible events. Of course that doesn't mean everyone will experience the exact same events, let alone at the same time. But it does reduce the randomness a little.

 

[azzaman333]

Think of the events as a deck of cards. When the game is created, some of the events are removed from the deck. Only the events that remain have the possibilty of activating during the game.

 

[Ribannah]

It remains an unnecessary additional luck factor. I don't like it.

 

[jadex]

But then again: what's life without some randomness and surprise!

 

[Thrallia]

well...Random Events are part of BtS...if you don't like them, you can always play the WOTM or GOTM

 

[Harok]

well...Random Events are part of BtS...if you don't like them, you can always play the WOTM or GOTM

And goody huts are a part of all versions, but those seem to get eliminated.

 

[PutCashIn]

But do you really want the AI popping HBR on turn 20? on an Emperor game?

I know in BTS you get situations like your angry mate Ragnar's melee gain 'cover' and next turn all his mounted gain 'flanking,' but theres just something special about getting a free tech....

 

[Thrallia]

actually, using the HOF mod, the flankng and cover promo events have been disabled.

As for goody huts, they are much more random and unbalancing than any of the events allowed by the HOF mod, that early in the game.

 

[Ribannah]

Losing population in your capital on turn 20 can be as unbalancing as getting a free tech.

 

[Niklas]

Random events are really fun - in solo games. They help make each game unique in some way, less repetition. But for a competition like GOTM, where the objective is just as much to beat other players as it is to win the game, the less "unnecessary additional luck factors" the better. I'm with Ribannah in this, 100%.

For those not playing the SGOTM06, or have finished playing, and have opinions on random events could go look at the end of the Team Smurkz thread where I've initiated a bit of discussion, not yet being able to discuss outside spoiler threads as the game is still running.

 

[MarkM]

Losing population in your capital on turn 20 can be as unbalancing as getting a free tech.

I agree with you -- if it is a truly random even (mine collapses, etc). But if it's provoked by some player action -- most notably the slave revolt, if you whip too often without waiting in between applications -- then it would still be an appropriate event IMO.

 

[Harok]

As for goody huts, they are much more random and unbalancing than any of the events allowed by the HOF mod, that early in the game.

Losing a pop, tile improvements lost, tile being worked for free, research bonuses or setback, tiles with extra food are all very powerful events if they occur early. Others are only a big deal depending on what your victory condition is like free specialists or a free great artist for culture games or bonus relations or lost relations in diplomacy games. The list goes on and on and I consider all of them as powerful or more so than popping a tech from a hut.

Consider 2 players starting out with the same builds and techs, one who works a cow and then has the tile wiped out so they have to pasture it again and then loses a pop for no reason versus a player who gets the cow worked for them so the worker can go mine a gold and then gets a research breakthrough and saves half of Meditation and then barely beats the AI to the religion.

I guess my favorite part of playing the XotMs is to compare games against others which is why most of my spoilers are pretty long winded, too long most of the time, I just feel these random luck events make it very difficult to compare.

As Niklas says, in solo games they can certainly make the game less repetitive but in a competitive/comparison game I just don't understand what is gained by having them.

 

[morpheus11]

I guess I look at the random events differently. I compare it to sports season.

For example, in the EPL (English Premier League) each team plays the other teams in the league twice and in the end the win/loss record for each game is compared. Now, is it fair that a star player is injuried in one game and not another? Is a questionable foul called by an official in one game and not in another fair? No, probably not, but it is part of the game. It is those little things that allow people to debate and argue about who would have won faster, or how that recovered from a certain event.

End the end those events keep the dicussion of who is the best open the same way it keeps who is the best team in the EPL.

 

[Thrallia]

Losing a pop, tile improvements lost, tile being worked for free, research bonuses or setback, tiles with extra food are all very powerful events if they occur early. Others are only a big deal depending on what your victory condition is like free specialists or a free great artist for culture games or bonus relations or lost relations in diplomacy games. The list goes on and on and I consider all of them as powerful or more so than popping a tech from a hut.

Consider 2 players starting out with the same builds and techs, one who works a cow and then has the tile wiped out so they have to pasture it again and then loses a pop for no reason versus a player who gets the cow worked for them so the worker can go mine a gold and then gets a research breakthrough and saves half of Meditation and then barely beats the AI to the religion.

I guess my favorite part of playing the XotMs is to compare games against others which is why most of my spoilers are pretty long winded, too long most of the time, I just feel these random luck events make it very difficult to compare.

As Niklas says, in solo games they can certainly make the game less repetitive but in a competitive/comparison game I just don't understand what is gained by having them.

the Free artist event has very rigid requirements(requiring a city that is almost entirely ice, for one), and in my opinion, none of the other events you mentioned are gamebreaking. Sure, they can add a difficulty to your game, but there's plenty of human only decisions in the game that will have a much bigger impact on your game than any event that impacts a single tile(or any single tech).

 

[PutCashIn]

Anyway, the best random event is popping a gems (or uranium!)...

Please dont get rid of that feature !

 

[ArcadicGamer]

Anyway, the best random event is popping a gems (or uranium!)...

Please dont get rid of that feature !

I think this is better than any RE that builds an improvement or such, and can be very gamebreaking when it does happen, like in a recent xotm which is still playing, i have popped gems twice.

if anything, the more early devastating RE need to be pushed back to a min # of turns, such as a farm getting washed away, or random pop loss. Once a game gets going, very few RE's are worth much in the terms of losing a turn or gaining one. I'd rather see this than zero at all.

 

[Niklas]

Anyway, the best random event is popping a gems (or uranium!)...

Please dont get rid of that feature !

This is the worst feature of all. Please do remove this feature. Pronto.

 

[Harok]

the Free artist event has very rigid requirements(requiring a city that is almost entirely ice, for one), and in my opinion, none of the other events you mentioned are gamebreaking. Sure, they can add a difficulty to your game, but there's plenty of human only decisions in the game that will have a much bigger impact on your game than any event that impacts a single tile(or any single tech).

I feel like I am getting whiny on the subject so I will just agree to disagree but will point out that the free great artist doesn't require a city almost entirely in ice as I got it from a city with no ice at all. Example from my BotM1 spoiler.

And I agree popping a metal early in game is the most unbalancing of them all, but I don't think there is a setting to turn that off, maybe a mod can though.

 

[MarkM]

All I want to know is ... how come I'm not getting all these great events? I'm almost through my third BOTM now, and I think the best I've seen is +1 commerce because of some herb, or maybe +200 on some research towards a 3k mid game tech.

Here's my vote: I only want to keep them if I can get them!