Truly catastrophic random events

[JacenSaracen]

I love the random events part of this mod. It adds a "lack of control" element that forces you to differentiate your strategy from time to time. However, I find that such differences are almost irrelevant, other than the vitally important element of "flavor".

Is there anyone else here that would support a new version of random events that could completely alter the gameworld irrevocably (as an optional feature of course)? Events in human history that occur to me are the massive volcanic eruption that created "the year without a summer", the Indian tsunami of 2004, etc.... I consider these only mid-level catastrophes.

I would also be in favor of truly EPIC catastrophes like meteor strikes that alter the look of an entire continent, potentially wiping out entire nations. A superflu virus that wipes 50% population of a city, region, or even the entire world. The eruption of a Yellowstone-style supervolcano that alters or destroys everything within a 15-square radius. Something fun veering towards fantasy might be a monstrous genetic mutation (probably in prehistoric or ancient times) resulting in a nearly unkillable "barbarian" animal with 50 hitpoints (like the mbwun from The Relic (kothoga from the movie version).

These are just off the top of my head....

I know that the fun of this game for many people is the total, complete control that one can have building their civ. Hence the reason that there is a mod-mod that eliminates some more "annoying" (negative) features in C2C. Personally, I find the potential for nation or potential world ending catastrophes as a really cool add-on that would add to the overall tension. It would be a random element that could change the entire nature of your current game. Awesome! It might even end it, if you were very unlucky (hence the reason God invented reloads for those party poopers). If I am in the extreme minority here, can someone at least point me in the right direction to a tutorial on how to create my own random events as a mod-mod? The possibilities are endless and captivating....

 

[strategyonly]

I love the random events part of this mod. It adds a "lack of control" element that forces you to differentiate your strategy from time to time. However, I find that such differences are almost irrelevant, other than the vitally important element of "flavor".

I agree, but both person(s) with the most knowledge of random events are busy. One in RL, the other with the Geo-realism project, that has taken so far, over 6 months.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=474613

btw Welcome to C2C Forums, hope you enjoy! . . . SO

 

[Hydromancerx]

Well the Global Warming system is pretty crazy. In my game almost all land became dunes and the oceans have begun to dry up into salt flats.

Bu I agree that events like super-volcanoes, meteor strikes and stuff would be awesome. You might want to check out the events thread and post in that.

C2C - Event Ideas
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=440465

 

[primem0ver]

Yeah... the random events engine that I created for Warlords and came out around the same time as BtS could destroy cities. I actually had to put in a user option to prevent that because some people complained LOL. Usually though it only did so if your city was less than 5 people. And we didn't have a volcano event... I wanted to but couldn't figure out how to make a volcano.

 

[strategyonly]

Yeah... the random events engine that I created for Warlords and came out around the same time as BtS could destroy cities. I actually had to put in a user option to prevent that because some people complained LOL. Usually though it only did so if your city was less than 5 people. And we didn't have a volcano event... I wanted to but couldn't figure out how to make a volcano.

btw, all the stuff you had in that Warlords Events is all SDK stuff, and i have NO earthly idea, how that stuff works, too bad, i really really like alot of what you wrote about though.

 

[Thunderbrd]

I love the random events part of this mod. It adds a "lack of control" element that forces you to differentiate your strategy from time to time. However, I find that such differences are almost irrelevant, other than the vitally important element of "flavor".

Is there anyone else here that would support a new version of random events that could completely alter the gameworld irrevocably (as an optional feature of course)? Events in human history that occur to me are the massive volcanic eruption that created "the year without a summer", the Indian tsunami of 2004, etc.... I consider these only mid-level catastrophes.

I would also be in favor of truly EPIC catastrophes like meteor strikes that alter the look of an entire continent, potentially wiping out entire nations. A superflu virus that wipes 50% population of a city, region, or even the entire world. The eruption of a Yellowstone-style supervolcano that alters or destroys everything within a 15-square radius. Something fun veering towards fantasy might be a monstrous genetic mutation (probably in prehistoric or ancient times) resulting in a nearly unkillable "barbarian" animal with 50 hitpoints (like the mbwun from The Relic (kothoga from the movie version).

These are just off the top of my head....

I know that the fun of this game for many people is the total, complete control that one can have building their civ. Hence the reason that there is a mod-mod that eliminates some more "annoying" (negative) features in C2C. Personally, I find the potential for nation or potential world ending catastrophes as a really cool add-on that would add to the overall tension. It would be a random element that could change the entire nature of your current game. Awesome! It might even end it, if you were very unlucky (hence the reason God invented reloads for those party poopers). If I am in the extreme minority here, can someone at least point me in the right direction to a tutorial on how to create my own random events as a mod-mod? The possibilities are endless and captivating....

Well, I don't feel you'd be in the minority so much as some would be against playing with these. I, on the other hand, would LOVE it! Provided such occurrences were very rare anyhow. Some truly massively disastrous events have shaped history a lot and we seem to want to gloss over them as if they were mere nuisances. I'm sure the people of Pompay would not understand why the game designers felt it necessary to hold back but God did not. lol!

Still, would be best as a set of events that are only possible on a game option, and if you can work it out that way, I'd be happy to set up the option anyhow. We need some more help on the team where events are concerned in general I think.

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Well, I don't feel you'd be in the minority so much as some would be against playing with these. I, on the other hand, would LOVE it! Provided such occurrences were very rare anyhow. Some truly massively disastrous events have shaped history a lot and we seem to want to gloss over them as if they were mere nuisances. I'm sure the people of Pompay would not understand why the game designers felt it necessary to hold back but God did not. lol!

Still, would be best as a set of events that are only possible on a game option, and if you can work it out that way, I'd be happy to set up the option anyhow. We need some more help on the team where events are concerned in general I think.

The Game Option tags are not on the Event schema or files. However the WoC dependencies are so we could work something out. Add a Game Option "Bad Events On" and have some units and buildings based on that. Then have the events dependent on the units.

 

[Thunderbrd]

The Game Option tags are not on the Event schema or files. However the WoC dependencies are so we could work something out. Add a Game Option "Bad Events On" and have some units and buildings based on that. Then have the events dependent on the units.

I haven't done much research into option stuff in the dll but I don't figure it'd be too hard for me to ADD those game option tags and work that into the filters that setup the conditions that allow or disallow events.

That'd overall be an improvement for a number of reasons wouldn't it?

 

[hotrodlincoln]

So long as I don't end up getting three volcanoes right next to my first city within the first fifty turns again.

 

[BlueGenie]

Why not add a "blank" event until there are enough events in every era?
That way the blank can be set with a certain weight/chance per era/time/period/whatever governs events so that when there are only a few events possible they will not happen too often so we don't get a repeat of the Volcano event and reduce the occurrence of immigrating herds (which I personally think happens a fair bit too often now).

Cheers

 

[strategyonly]

and reduce the occurrence of immigrating herds (which I personally think happens a fair bit too often now).Cheers

thats again weird, because in the 2 games i just got tested, i never got the migration of ANY animals what so ever in either game? So what does that tell ya??

 

[BlueGenie]

That you didn't have the migration animals on your part of the world. The Migration Event can only happen when you have the appropriate resource in your part of the world.

Cheers

 

[strategyonly]

That you didn't have the migration animals on your part of the world. The Migration Event can only happen when you have the appropriate resource in your part of the world.

Cheers

Well i do have Deer, Elephants, Horses, Mammoths etc in the area, if thats what you mean??

 

[rightfuture]

You could have nerfed catastrophic events at first, and allow people to toggle the severity, and adjust frequencies and probabilities through menus.

Immersion requires some living and breathing consequences;
-for fun to be maintained I think you must allow the player to maintain their main strategy and control,
-for realism to be maintained I think you must allow enough variation of events and changing elements (with trends) to have a level of surprise and anticipation, that makes the world, weather, semi-random (quasi-predictable) 3rd party(non-player behavior), etc. an interesting strategic landscape.

The volcano on/off problem needs to be adjustable, and tweaked over versions to be solved. It also needs to be scaled with game difficulty in my opinion. It needs to have more dynamic variations with levels of consequences, ash cloud, magma flow, pyroclastic bombardment, explosions, etc. Each volcano should have some personality and unpredictability.

A solution might be to do an autosave before a major catastrophic event, have a rollback option, or turn a city into a band of refugee settlers. Cities could also have personalities, durability(ability to prepare/survive certain events-ex Katrina-Levees), and roleplaying characteristics like units (level, hit points, traffic congestion/ evacuation ability), pollution, etc. Basically give cities a dimensional character, and a preparedness for certain events.

Life without some risk is a sheltered walled garden with limited possibilities. New players will have less tolerance to consequences, unless they want more challenge. Having the game breathe (change and vary) to the right degree around the player, will build the illusion of risk without taking control away. It just have to be controllable and adjustable.

 

[rightfuture]

Well i do have Deer, Elephants, Horses, Mammoths etc in the area, if thats what you mean??

Could you have patrolling behavior simulate migration? Basic pathing to and from 2 points on the map with minor variations around other animals/units? A little of this behavior would probably be enough to make it feel real.

 

[teakbois]

I had the worst boat ever. It was parked (sleeping) and twice got stuck for a couple turns. then upon getting optics I promoted it to a caravel and set it off to find America. First turn in the ocean? Lost at sea.

Im torn on catastrophic events. I like randomness, but hate the notion of losing my cities. I would probably enable it though (and curse at it).

 

[strategyonly]

I had the worst boat ever. It was parked (sleeping) and twice got stuck for a couple turns. then upon getting optics I promoted it to a caravel and set it off to find America. First turn in the ocean? Lost at sea.

Im torn on catastrophic events. I like randomness, but hate the notion of losing my cities. I would probably enable it though (and curse at it).

BUT if you look in the last 5 years or so the events that are actually happening are none the less Catastrophic, ie: Tsunami in Thailand, Break in Levy in New Orleans (USA), Tornado Alley (USA) this year along was twice as many tornado than ever.(See attached)(Now image this 2 times more than the pic has!!)