Today we start Spotlight series about new mechanics in the upcoming Imperiums: Rome vs Carthage DLC. Wishlist the game and claim the release discount!
In this article, we will talk about plague outbreaks and how to deal with them.
Plague outbreaks were devastating for a state and its people, crippling the economy for many years or even decades. Whole cities were isolated and movement to and from them was forbidden, fear spread as soon as the deadly boils appeared.
Fighting the disease was a matter of taking preventive measures, many of which did not work. New cases appeared here and there, death followed quickly. What else could it be other than the wrath of the gods?
Plague, even if it occurs rarely, can turn the world upside down, break alliances, set former friends against each other and bring a swift end to all ambitions to rule the world.
How the new mechanic works and what can you expect will be explained by Pavel.
The outbreak of plague can hardly be predicted. Its origins and causes are unknown, the death rate and the spread rate varied greatly throughout history. Once the first case of plague occurs, both these attributes provide clues to how the epidemic will develop. The only possible way to prevent and mitigate the spread of the disease is by the construction of Sewers in cities, this greatly reduces the risk of infection although it is only partially effective. The disease spreads in several ways:Cities and units that survive or are healed become immune for some time against reinfection; the likelihood of becoming sick again will increase slowly over time. You can fight the disease by:
- City to city is a coincidental infection from people travelling between cities. The likelihood of infection is directly linked to the „accessibility“ of the city. The easier the movement of people (based on terrain type, roads, etc.), the higher the likelihood of infection. It is important to note that the disease knows no borders and can spread even between states.
- City to unit and unit to city - a unit can be infected if it passes through a city where cases of plague have been reported, equally, an infected unit can bring the disease to another city. This applies to military as well as non-military units, excepting Heroes, Generals or Emissaries.
- Along trade routes - if a city is a trading post and there is plague in another city along the trade route, the disease can spread between these cities. Merchants use trading posts to refresh and replenish their stock and they can spread the disease to cities far from its place of origin. Cities along trade routes are automatically counted as trading posts, unless there is war between the states that use the trade route. Declaring war with a state where plague cases are reported will interrupt the trade route, stopping the infection from being transferred in this way.
Sooner or later every epidemic disappears or it moves to regions where the immunity of people is weaker. Try to prevent the outbreak of such a disease, but if it happens, take the necessary steps to reduce its negative consequences immediately.
- Building Sewers in cities, the best protection.
- Keeping units away from infected cities, at least this won’t accelerate the spread of the disease.
- Isolation of infected units - it is important to isolate infected units. If this is followed, plague cannot be transmitted from one unit to another (separate campgrounds and harsh discipline ensure that soldiers from different units do not mingle). However, it is possible to transmit the disease from a unit to a city through which it passes or where it stays. Infected units should be isolated in a remote location or at least kept away from healthy cities during movement.
- "City sanitation" state decision becomes available when new cases of plague have been reported close to player’s border or there are already infected cities within the country without sewers to protect them. This state decision provides a temporary Sewers improvement to those cities where the likelihood of infection is the highest, it also increases general Happiness. On the other hand, it totally stops production in these cities (production of surrounding tiles remains intact) as well as reduce the local birth rate. A certain amount of resources are required to activate the state decision.
- "Plague - martial law" state decision is enabled when plague has spread in the player’s cities. It effectively lowers the speed in which is the disease transmitted as well as the death rate. On the other hand, General Morale and Happiness decrease in the affected cities. Production in these cities is halved and birth rate stagnates.
This new mechanic is far more than just an upgrade of an existing one. You can no longer look at an outbreak of plague in another country as an opportunity for yourself, as we’ve learned. The disease can travel far from its epicenter and reach distant locations, being transmitted by units and merchants along trade routes. What seems a misfortune of a few cities might easily become a disaster for whole countries.
How you deal with the looming catastrophe can dramatically change the course of the game. Don’t underestimate the destructive power of nature.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1839160/Imperiums_Rome_vs_Carthage/
Yours,
Kube Games team.