Big Problem - Unbalanced random events

[LintMan]

Originally posted by Wyatt Hebert:
Hey, Lintman, check the math.

If you lost $150 in each of 5 games, and won $50 in each of 5 games, you'd have lost $500 total, not $750.

The only way you'd come out with $750 lost overall is if you won $50 in each of 5 games, and lost $150 _more_ (in terms of absolute magnitude) in each of 5 games, i.e. you won $50 5 times, but lost $200 5 times.

Doh! I had the math correct originally, but at the Last second before posting, I changed the numbers without double-checking and screwed it up! Sorry about that.

[Teraswaerto]

Originally posted by Stormbinder:
The reason why I meantioned this is that based upon my (still somewhat limited) MP experience so far "rare" events settings seem to be pretty common there.

Depends on the crowd I guess, since all the MPs I've been in thus far have been with common events. Generally "common" is probably more common , since it's the default setting.

[Cainehill]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya:
Jaif, I totally agree. It's the 1/4th population disaster that frustrates me to no end. I pick +3 Order and +1 Luck and still have my capital hit with the 1/4th nuke...

Incredible fury is generated which completely contradicts my otherwise adoration for Dominions II.

You think losing 1/4 population is bad? On one of my mosehansen games, turn 10, with Luck _3_, I get a random (Tidal Wave) that wiped out 40% of a province, leaving it with 9500.

I'm sure the people of the province are thankful they live in a land of such wondrous luck: "Ayup, half my family and neighbors were wiped out - but I'm lucky - I ain't got a nail in my boot."

Like you, I'm immensely bothered, upset, frustrated, by the random events and so-called "Luck" in Dom 2.

[Inigo Montoya]

Originally posted by Cainehill:

quote:

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Originally posted by Inigo Montoya:
Jaif, I totally agree. It's the 1/4th population disaster that frustrates me to no end. I pick +3 Order and +1 Luck and still have my capital hit with the 1/4th nuke...

Incredible fury is generated which completely contradicts my otherwise adoration for Dominions II.

You think losing 1/4 population is bad? On one of my mosehansen games, turn 10, with Luck _3_, I get a random (Tidal Wave) that wiped out 40% of a province, leaving it with 9500.

I'm sure the people of the province are thankful they live in a land of such wondrous luck: "Ayup, half my family and neighbors were wiped out - but I'm lucky - I ain't got a nail in my boot."

Like you, I'm immensely bothered, upset, frustrated, by the random events and so-called "Luck" in Dom 2.

---

ROFL! Love the comment about the nails.

[Scott Hebert]

Originally posted by Inigo Montoya:
Either nerf the 1/4th event or add a 1/4th population growth event. The way population works now, you can easily eliminate population, but there is no easy way to increase it.

As pointed out elsewhere in this thread, the population growth event would have to be higher than the population death event, or it's not even. In the case of a 1/4th (population goes to 3/4ths of original), you would need an event that increase the population to 4/3rds (an extra 33%, IOW) to even it out.

Bayushi Tasogare

[SelfishGene]

Well now that ive seen the light im not all -that-certain the luck scales are imbalanced.

Remember, and just by the descriptions if not actually experience, the Magic and Luck scales go together. Ive seen the light i think . 1500 free twice makes a horse's mouth very attractive.

Remember population is just income. Its worse to endure if you get hit with a 1/4 loss in your capital (which happened to me early in a multi game, bleh) but its just income lost. So you lose 50/turn in your capital. 30 turns? Does this equal or surpass the bonus resources given during the same time with high luck? I don't have enough data to make a judgement.

[johan osterman]

[quote]Originally posted by Cainehill:

You think losing 1/4 population is bad? On one of my mosehansen games, turn 10, with Luck _3_, I get a random (Tidal Wave) that wiped out 40% of a province, leaving it with 9500.

I'm sure the people of the province are thankful they live in a land of such wondrous luck: "Ayup, half my family and neighbors were wiped out - but I'm lucky - I ain't got a nail in my boot."

Like you, I'm immensely bothered, upset, frustrated, by the random events and so-called "Luck" in Dom 2.

You have a 4:1 luck to unluck ratio with luck +3. While it doesnt make you immune it certainly alters the odds significantly in favor of luck events. And as you can see from some Posts in this thread not everybody agrees that the badluck effects hurts more then you benefit from goodluck. In dom 1 you could make yourself practically immune to bad luck events by choosing the correct scales, then people complained that they never got to see any bad luck events because because everybody allways played with those scales and there were requests for an adjustment of the scales so more bad luck events would hit you even with optimal scales. Now when that change has been made people are complaining for the opposite reason.

Many players tend to overvalue losses compared to gains (and I would argue that both Mr Cainehill and Mr Montya in this thread are guilty of this), a 25-40% poploss of the home province in one of the early turns is from time to time lauded in this forum as a reason to quit a SP or maybe even giving up in MP. That is obviously a setback but it does not come close to approaching the loss of income you will incur by choosing order 0 or even -3. Starting with order -3 instead of +3 represents a permanent 33% income loss in the home province, well on par with many of the worst events. And this income loss will come to affect most if not all of your provinces. The occasional poploss events is unlikely to ever come close to having such a negative impact on your overall economy. If anything both bad and good luck events should be cranked up.

EDIT: On pop loss in general: It is not an oversight that population decreses it is a design choice, there is a global war between would be Gods going on, people die. There is also game mechanic reasons why opportunities to farm population are sparse. We did not want dominions to have the sort of population farming and herding mechanisms that many civ like games have suffered from.

[ March 28, 2004, 20:56: Message edited by: johan osterman ]