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Author Topic:   Horrific random events

DerekM posted 03-25-99 05:15 PM ET
Some of the random events in SMAC are truely horrifying. Other than having -1 nutrients from crop failure or having ALL of a city's solar collectors destroyed by hail, at one point I got hit with a solar flare.
I was playing Lal, and doing pretty well. I had built about a dozen energy satellites so far. Suddenly, the flare hit and wiped them ALL out. I had to cut research to pump up the energy receipts and ended the game in a draw.
Fiannaidh posted 03-25-99 05:22 PM ET
Once, one took out all my orbital defense sattelites, next turn yang PB'd me.
Pericles posted 03-25-99 05:27 PM ET
I once had a massive meteorite strike on my best city. In 2250 Monitoring Station had four secret projects, many facilities, lots of terraforming, etc. Then a large crater replaced Monitoring Station. It was the same shape and size as Garland Crater, and was named, . . . Garland Crater. The map had two Garland Craters. I was somewhat upset.
Fiannaidh posted 03-25-99 06:06 PM ET
Yeah, that happened to yang on the map I'm playing now, I was not upset.
Ronbo posted 03-25-99 06:08 PM ET
I was playing Morgan once, and I had a financial market crash. I lost 5000 energy. I was QUITE upset, as I had planned to buy a special project with the cash...
Robo posted 03-25-99 06:29 PM ET
5000 is nothing. I've lost tens of thousands to Energy Crashes while trying for an Economic Victory.
Tin Cow posted 03-25-99 06:36 PM ET
None of you have mentioned the random volcano eruptions. Same basic catasrophic effects of a meteor creating a crater, but in mountain form. Had one of those erupt under 2 of my decent cities early in one game. Needless to say I was so pissed I leveled the thing with my terraformers. That relieved my stress greatly.
Rong posted 03-25-99 06:39 PM ET
You mean you leveled the WHOLE mountain? That's a lot of terraforming.
Actually I like volcanos. Give you extra energy credits.
Maugan posted 03-25-99 07:00 PM ET
Did the volcano that spewed out of the ground give +1 mineral around its rim like Mt.Planet?
CoolWords posted 03-25-99 07:17 PM ET
The new volcanoes are identical to Mt. Planet in appearance and bonuses. I had one appear just outside my current territory, and immediately crash-built half a dozen formers and colony pods. The new volcano is mine, all mine....
ViVicdi posted 03-25-99 07:22 PM ET
I LOVE the Volcanoes; I've had 2 games where they erupted nearby, and you have your choice of 8 awesome 6-mineral squares w/ roads & mines or 4 x 5 and 4 x 6 energy squares with solars & 4 Ech Mirrors. (That would be 4 6's and 4 7's if Econ > 1).
Based on your description of "lowering" a volcano, I think I'll try lowering just the mouth, to see if I can get it to become "normal land", so that I can build an Ech Mirror on it! That would give me 4 x 6 and 4 x 7 squares (7 & 8 with Econ > 1)!
Taika1 posted 03-25-99 07:26 PM ET
Try just leveling (reducing rockiness) on the mouth... it might turn it into a non-volcano tile. I love volcanoes too... lots of rainy squares on one side and energy + mineral bonuses.
ViVicdi posted 03-25-99 07:40 PM ET
Oh yeah, some "Random Events" bite, especially the extinction-level global-killer that seems to hit Nessus every 30 years.
I thought the scientists agreed that binary systems would have LESS space junk in them!!
A major flaw in the random events, besides not being able to individually turn them on and off in Alpha.Txt, is that when you are under the early-game "2-resource restriction" the Random Event penalty is applied AFTER the restriction, so that a rainy square that could produce 3 is restricted to 2 then penalized by the Event down to 1. C'mon, play fair! If a square "naturally" produces 3; penalize that, and give me 2!
(I haven't had this happen since the demo, so it might already have been changed. In version 3, on a square with potential of more than 8 of a resource, the Event penalty is applied BEFORE the 8-unit max, so that the square remains at 8 units.)
Given the catastrophic results of having all of your satellites wiped out, I think the game should allow you to build satellites & mining stations "in reserve" so that they can be deployed immediately should a random event occur. (More like when an inevitable event occurs.)
We should at least be allowed to build reserve satellites after the first extinction-level-event occurs, the colonists having learned just how fickle the Centauri solar system is.
Kalanis posted 03-25-99 08:24 PM ET
How about the messages for "You have completed the Empath Guild" and "Solar Flares disrupting communications" right after each other...
I was in need of tech too.
mooman posted 03-25-99 11:32 PM ET
Do volcanos erupting have anything to do with pbusting, becasue once after cheating and trying out the ole planet busters, the turn after, the volcano popped up out of the ocean
cousLee posted 03-26-99 03:57 AM ET
I have only had a volcano pop up twice. the first time, was about 4 turns before conquest, so I was not able to exploit it. the second time was about halfway through a game, but the ENTIRE thing was covered in very THICK fungus. and it was about a 6 turn journey one way just to get to. I landmarked it Deidre's Breast and left it alone.
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Author	Topic: Horrific random events
DerekM	posted 03-25-99 05:15 PM ET Some of the random events in SMAC are truely horrifying. Other than having -1 nutrients from crop failure or having ALL of a city's solar collectors destroyed by hail, at one point I got hit with a solar flare. I was playing Lal, and doing pretty well. I had built about a dozen energy satellites so far. Suddenly, the flare hit and wiped them ALL out. I had to cut research to pump up the energy receipts and ended the game in a draw.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-25-99 05:22 PM ET Once, one took out all my orbital defense sattelites, next turn yang PB'd me.
Pericles	posted 03-25-99 05:27 PM ET I once had a massive meteorite strike on my best city. In 2250 Monitoring Station had four secret projects, many facilities, lots of terraforming, etc. Then a large crater replaced Monitoring Station. It was the same shape and size as Garland Crater, and was named, . . . Garland Crater. The map had two Garland Craters. I was somewhat upset.
Fiannaidh	posted 03-25-99 06:06 PM ET Yeah, that happened to yang on the map I'm playing now, I was not upset.
Ronbo	posted 03-25-99 06:08 PM ET I was playing Morgan once, and I had a financial market crash. I lost 5000 energy. I was QUITE upset, as I had planned to buy a special project with the cash...
Robo	posted 03-25-99 06:29 PM ET 5000 is nothing. I've lost tens of thousands to Energy Crashes while trying for an Economic Victory.
Tin Cow	posted 03-25-99 06:36 PM ET None of you have mentioned the random volcano eruptions. Same basic catasrophic effects of a meteor creating a crater, but in mountain form. Had one of those erupt under 2 of my decent cities early in one game. Needless to say I was so pissed I leveled the thing with my terraformers. That relieved my stress greatly.
Rong	posted 03-25-99 06:39 PM ET You mean you leveled the WHOLE mountain? That's a lot of terraforming. Actually I like volcanos. Give you extra energy credits.
Maugan	posted 03-25-99 07:00 PM ET Did the volcano that spewed out of the ground give +1 mineral around its rim like Mt.Planet?
CoolWords	posted 03-25-99 07:17 PM ET The new volcanoes are identical to Mt. Planet in appearance and bonuses. I had one appear just outside my current territory, and immediately crash-built half a dozen formers and colony pods. The new volcano is mine, all mine....
ViVicdi	posted 03-25-99 07:22 PM ET I LOVE the Volcanoes; I've had 2 games where they erupted nearby, and you have your choice of 8 awesome 6-mineral squares w/ roads & mines or 4 x 5 and 4 x 6 energy squares with solars & 4 Ech Mirrors. (That would be 4 6's and 4 7's if Econ > 1). Based on your description of "lowering" a volcano, I think I'll try lowering just the mouth, to see if I can get it to become "normal land", so that I can build an Ech Mirror on it! That would give me 4 x 6 and 4 x 7 squares (7 & 8 with Econ > 1)!
Taika1	posted 03-25-99 07:26 PM ET Try just leveling (reducing rockiness) on the mouth... it might turn it into a non-volcano tile. I love volcanoes too... lots of rainy squares on one side and energy + mineral bonuses.
ViVicdi	posted 03-25-99 07:40 PM ET Oh yeah, some "Random Events" bite, especially the extinction-level global-killer that seems to hit Nessus every 30 years. I thought the scientists agreed that binary systems would have LESS space junk in them!! A major flaw in the random events, besides not being able to individually turn them on and off in Alpha.Txt, is that when you are under the early-game "2-resource restriction" the Random Event penalty is applied AFTER the restriction, so that a rainy square that could produce 3 is restricted to 2 then penalized by the Event down to 1. C'mon, play fair! If a square "naturally" produces 3; penalize that, and give me 2! (I haven't had this happen since the demo, so it might already have been changed. In version 3, on a square with potential of more than 8 of a resource, the Event penalty is applied BEFORE the 8-unit max, so that the square remains at 8 units.) Given the catastrophic results of having all of your satellites wiped out, I think the game should allow you to build satellites & mining stations "in reserve" so that they can be deployed immediately should a random event occur. (More like when an inevitable event occurs.) We should at least be allowed to build reserve satellites after the first extinction-level-event occurs, the colonists having learned just how fickle the Centauri solar system is.
Kalanis	posted 03-25-99 08:24 PM ET How about the messages for "You have completed the Empath Guild" and "Solar Flares disrupting communications" right after each other... I was in need of tech too.
mooman	posted 03-25-99 11:32 PM ET Do volcanos erupting have anything to do with pbusting, becasue once after cheating and trying out the ole planet busters, the turn after, the volcano popped up out of the ocean
cousLee	posted 03-26-99 03:57 AM ET I have only had a volcano pop up twice. the first time, was about 4 turns before conquest, so I was not able to exploit it. the second time was about halfway through a game, but the ENTIRE thing was covered in very THICK fungus. and it was about a 6 turn journey one way just to get to. I landmarked it Deidre's Breast and left it alone.