On Great Depression

[Barak]

I have looked through the forums trying to find a good explanation of the great depression. It seems since the installment of the latest version that I am suffering from GD every time I switch to Free Market, they last forever, and sometimes don't end when I switch away from Free Market.

What is the mechanic that causes a Great Depression, and has it been too finely tuned?

 

[flaming_iles]

I think its caused a large disparity between your production capacity and the size of your economy. To prevent it from hitting your stability too much, switch to commonwealth.
That's all I really know about it.

 

[Barak]

I was in commonwealth, and had as many cottages as the Persian Civ allows me to build and still grow. The difficulty is when you are #1 in GNP, #1 in mfg goods (prod) and #1 in crop yield (food).

But as it is only 1545, I can't find enough imports from the contacts i have (which is most of them at the time).

 

[onedreamer]

the curious thing is that the Great Depression I experience is caused by other nations. There isn't much I can do about the disparity between their GNP or other stats.

 

[The Q-Meister]

Yes I have the same experience as above: I've had great depression affect my economy (from other nations) even when running State Property and Commonwealth!

 

[Jet]

I believe that the increased inflation is at least part of the reason Depressions are more common now. (Unless the Great Depression code was tweaked at the same time the inflation costs were increased.) Your costs directly increase the chance of one.

 

[onedreamer]

I still don't understand Jet... the Depression starts from FOREIGN countries and influences my economy because depression in a major country = less commerce for other countries which formerly traded a lot with this one. Why should my inflation influence the event ?

@Q-Meister: only mercantilism should protect you from the Foreign Depression effects, IMO.

 

[mushyman]

I still don't understand Jet... the Depression starts from FOREIGN countries and influences my economy because depression in a major country = less commerce for other countries which formerly traded a lot with this one. Why should my inflation influence the event ?

Presumably if the inflation code is tweaked (and if every civ has it's own inflation rate), this would also make it more likely that other civs get Great Depressions, and therefore more likely that you will get boned by them as well.

@Q-Meister: only mercantilism should protect you from the Foreign Depression effects, IMO.

It doesn't, though. You can be affected by other civs Great Depressions whichever civic you are running

 

[Úmarth]

I had great depression for the first time the other day, twice in one game too. It's annoying

 

[Barak]

I think that Great depressions are too powerful. When combined with the effects that plague has on cottages in regards to economy, a foreign great depression at the wrong time can cause a civ to collapse. At NO fault of their own.

And there is very little that can be done to avoid it, prevent it, or cure it.

 

[onedreamer]

I had great depression for the first time the other day, twice in one game too. It's annoying

do you mean that you got Depression in your Civ, or the consequences of it in a foreign civ ?

 

[zuraffo]

Hehe, I had a Great Depression which push Rome beyond the brink of collapse. I survived the GD though, maintaining stable rating throughout.

 

[Úmarth]

do you mean that you got Depression in your Civ, or the consequences of it in a foreign civ ?

In my civ (Rome).

 

[onedreamer]

cool, I've never had a great depression in my civ. Did it happen after switching to Free Market ?

 

[Úmarth]

Yeah, and then again some time later.

 

[Riker]

Mercantilism should protect fully from other's depressions. It may also easy to implement

 

[Barak]

Riker, i have found that mercantilism does NOT protect you from other civs depressions. In my current game as Persia, France and India both had Depressions simultaneously. I was running mercantilism, closed borders with each, yet STILL was effected by their depressions.

My economy fell to 1 star, and I lost Macca and Athens to independence.

Very annoying.

 

[GeneralSpecific]

Interesting. Did a depression ocurr at a time of high inflation? because that isn't how a depression really works. A depression occurs when there are more goods than wealth, which creates a deflationary spiral, causing massive layoffs and poverty. Freemarkets are not to blame for depressions, but rather paper currency without backing, whose supply can easily be constricted or expanded, as opposed to a gold standard.

When inflation goes too far out of control, the central banking authority of a nation will usually pull money out of the markets to deflate the currency and slow down the economy. Sometimes this works, other times it causes great depressions, like in the 20s and 30s in the US.

If the Great Depression concept can't be effectively implemented, I believe that it should be removed.

 

[onedreamer]

GeneralSpecific you're beeing too general and too few specific
what you described as the cause of inflation is only one of at least three possibilities, probably the one of years 20/30th but unlikely the one that we're living nowadays.

 

[chococid]

I'm starting to come to the conclusion that it's just not worth it to go for Free Market because I get a great depression nearly every time I do so. Skipping to State Property seems to be the way to go.