When Did the Game Start Cheating?

Or turn off mega-events. They're intended to be massively unbalancing and to force you to adjust when you're doing well. But as such they're easily toggleable when starting a new game.

You could also reaload the last saved game or maybe the last auto save.

Accusing the game of cheating when it's just using an option you've got enabled is a nice bit of self-ownage. This can be cured by a little old-fashioned RTFM.

RTFM?

Read The F***ing Manual.

QFT

beyond all the points raised so far, those events just as often favor the player and hinder the AIs. it's not cheating, just rotten luck for you or good luck for the AI.

this is what autosave is for

RTFM? How about "read my f------ post"! I mentioned I'd played this and previous iterations of GalCiv for years and am well aware that random events can occur. But I have never before experienced a game-ending random event, and am puzzled at the purpose of such an incident. Reloading at an ealier point to hopefully avoid the cataclysm begs the question of why such an occurrence is in the game at all. It certainly didn't add to the fun or challenge of the game; it just ended it. May as well program in a crash-to-desktop (or CTD for those addicted to abbreviations) as a "random event" for all the impact it had. As for events favoring the player as frequently as the AI, uh, may I suggest that there is only 1 player in this game and any game ending event adversely impacts that player's experience regardless if the human or the AI actually "wins" the game.

So you turned on random events, got a random event you didn't like, and you bitched about it and called it cheating. If there's any more content than that in your post, I'm certainly not seeing it.

There's no guarantee that the random events are going to make your life easier. If you don't like that, turn them off and quit whining.

He's right and he's wrong imo, guys.

On one hand, he shouldn't have called it cheating. (I think he did it just to garner attention from the board, and rightfully so, JPowell ;))

Now  , on the other hand: I think he has a brilliant point which I can easily identify with. What is the point of having an event occur mid game that simply makes it impossible for the game to be finished/won? I guess one could say that the "mystery" of whether or not the Comp is going to turn on you in said 'random Pirate event/situation' is part of the "excitement" of it... I guess... but I kind of agree w/JPowell.

If it has the capability to "end a game" w/out the players control no matter what - then maybe figure out a way how to tone it down according to what said player has.

For instance, if the player only has 10 light hulled ships, maybe the game can see that when the random pirate event occurs, and implement it's forces accordingly.

If the player has advanced mediums, then the pirate ships would be stronger according to that.... etc/etc/etc.

just a though, don't shoot me,


Chr*s
   





god I can't wait for TA!!!!!!!!!!

They're called MEGA events, are fairly new to GalCiv, and are a separate thing to disable from regular random events if I'm not mistaken. They tend to have fairly MEGA consequences.

Yet you are playing at beginner level. There is nothing wrong with that but if you are doing it as a relaxing distraction, you should be able to overcome the event at that level.

If that is your best level there is also nothing wrong with that but anyone who tops out at beginner after several years should turn off the mega events. To be honest, If I anticipate a tough game I will turn them off. I don't like losing that way either

I play with mega-events turned off because of a similar frustrating "pirate" event early in my DA experience. Other events did add to the flavor of the game, but that one did kind of end the "fun" for me. I would not call it "cheating," though, since that event hurts the AI just as much as the player. It was just that at that point, you had more to lose. If the human player is *losing* when one of those events happens, it might instead serve to save his skin by bringing down an overwhelming opponent. I'd encourage you to just turn off mega-events, and get back into the game. It's too good a game to set aside because of one bad game experience, IMHO. Live and learn, as they say ...  

If this is entirely true, not an exaggeration, then there are some issues with the pirate's AI. However, I've seen the pirates shooting anything that existed...even asteroid mining bases so I'd have to argue against the pirates not attacking the AI.

Perhaps the Arceans just had some really fast troop transports and were able to skirt past those pirates and get to your planets. During the Peacekeeper and Mega Pirates events, that is about all you can do to combat other races. Those pirates aren't invincible, with some dedication you can pull them down in your area and then rebuild while your opponents are still being repressed.

I'd say boot up that game again and try to win against the odds that were thrown at you. It'll give a nice "in your face!!!" feeling once you see that victory condition.

Pirate/Peacekeepers I don't have problems with. Spies hurt, but my least favorite MEGA event is the Jagged Knife. It only is nice when I'm small, but I swear it happens when I'm the majority of the galaxy and then I have to reclaim all my planets again.

There's a reason there's a toggle for mega events. You don't like them. That's fine, you don't have to play with them. Leave those of us that enjoy a challenge to our game and we'll leave you to yours.

The thing that keeps getting me and makes me wonder about the AI's integrity is how everytime I change my off/def types to counter that of my opponent, the very next turn they have countered mine, unless they have a "weak" economy or worse, in which case I guess they can't or whatever, but seeing as how the AI wins the colony race every game now it's pretty hopeless to get an AI who has a weaker economy than you by the time you have the resources to declare war.

*blinks*

Don't you START with the resources to declare war?



Thoughts and analysis on TA as of beta 4

Have fun out there!
~ Wyndstar

No, I don't know of any race that can create a reasonable combat navy without a fairly strong economic backbone and several decent weapons/defense techs.

When I had that one it also really ticked me off - then I looked more closely at the ships, they were very lightly armed and speed 1. It was a turkey shoot, but got very boring as there were literally a couple of thousand of the things. I usually play with Mega Events turned off now as I find them wholely unrealistic, and for me there needs to be an element of believeability no matter how tenuous, or the "immersion factor" disolves.

Having said that, I would still support the Mega Events as an option as it is now. A "one size fits all" game cannot succeed, and one of the major reasons for GalCiv success is building in different flavours and activities to suit different people, which is great. I dont view Mega Events as all bad just because I hate them, if it works for you use them, if not, turn em off, its why its an option.

Regards
Zy

It's not cheating, it's just affirmative action...

Advalary:

That's strange. I have the completely opposite experience. I usually scout out enemy tech investments and ship outfitting - then I make ship designs tailor-made to overkill theirs. They try to change up, but it rarely matters.

Hmmm, I'm not a great player by any means but I usually win at tough or below and I never lose the colony rush unless I have a total brain fart.

From what I see the really good players are unconcerned with the colony rush and win by conquest regardless of how many planets they start with.

Now with the original GC, I couldn't find my ass using both hands and always lost the planet rush.   

Rather than all the suggestions to turn mega-events off completely, would't it be better to just allow players to select the severity of the mega-events on game-statup? That is, instead of an 'either massively unstable mega events or nothing at all' option, having a choice between massively unstable mega events, moderately unstable, and nothing for example, so those players who want a bit of variety+change in tempo can have it without it meaning the end of the game.

Normal events will accomplish this. If you want something with more omph then you turn on mega events. We don't need more sliders.