Disasters

Disasters

Periodically, averaging perhaps once every three years or so, disaster strikes. There are three types of disasters: famines, diseases, and crime waves. Each results in a small population loss and presents choices. It seems that disasters only appear for those in the rank of Marquis and above.

Four options are presented for each disaster. The default is to do nothing, which costs no gold but will lose more citizens. There are low-cost and higher-cost options, with the low-cost option typically losing just a few more citizens and the high-cost option gaining a significant number as reputation improves. Bonuses and penalties tend to scale according to rank and/or population.

Disaster research

The fourth option is quite new to the game. It is the chance to research the causes of the disaster, at a cost about double that of the high-cost option above. This will not gain citizens; a small loss is typically incurred on a par with the low-cost option.

But after 20 attempts at research for the same disaster, that disaster is permanently prevented and a significant bonus is received:

• Famine

  : +3 gold/acre forever.

Congratulations! after extensive research, you've become and expert in the production of food, and you are now immune to famine. in addition you've gained 3g/acre efficency on your own land, totaling ..g/acre.

• Disease

  : The abbot takes an interest in your work. His price is cut by about half, and he promises that your donation will benefit your subjects.

Congratulations! after extensive research, you've become an expert in preventing disease. You expect no more outbreaks. In addition, the abbot of the local monastery will also be seeking your newfound expertise.

• Crime Wave

  : You and your direct subjects are immune from sabotage.

Congratulations after extensive research you have become an expert in crime prevention , crime waves will no longer affect you in addition you and your direct subjects are immune from sabotage.

• ALL

  : In all cases additional citizens periodically come as word of the accomplishment spreads. This is about equal to half the citizens normally received for picking the expensive non-research option on a disaster, but at no cost in gold.

Note: A player can only be expert on one disaster. If one disaster is being researched, switching to another will strip away all progress made on the first disaster -- even if it was otherwise complete!

That means, pick one and only one to ever research.

In the case of accidentally researching another disaster after you already fully researched one, thus losing the bonus, you need to research your old disaster only once (for every research spent in another disaster? I don't want to check on this possibility. I went accidentally trained disease only once while I was maxed on famine) to get it back to maximum. An observation on the side: Regaining the maximum research bonus does *not* give you an influx of bonus citizens like you got the first time you reached maximum research.