Energy crashes

[Kajak]

Are energy crashes random or avoidable? I had energy banks on all but a couple new bases.

[Tau Ceti]

Energy market crashes that reduce your reserves? They are random - but you never get one if you have less than 1000 spare energy. No point in having thousands lying around anyway, so spend it.

[Mongoose]

There ARE reasons to accumulate a large cash horde -

First among them is if you are seeking Economic Victory. I think that energy market crashes are designed to make that impossible.

Another reason would be if you were going to war with mostly probes.

Yet another would be if you were waiting for a tech to make available a facility you wish to rush in many bases...Hybrid Forests in 40+ bases can be VERY expensive!

Yet another would be if you were saving up to upgrade a lot of troops...awaiting either a key tech or the completion of the Nano Factory SP, for example.

All in all, I find energy market crashes to be the most annoying of the 'tear down the leader' random events.

I generally play with events off anymore.

[Method]

Originally posted by Mongoose
All in all, I find energy market crashes to be the most annoying of the 'tear down the leader' random events.

unless you're going for an econ victory though, they're just annoying, and not really game-altering. besides, if you're in a position where you have that much energy, you
A) likely have the game in the bag
B) can easily make it back in a few turns

[Mongoose]

It's not uncommon to have economic vistory cost 50,000 - 70,000 ec. Losing 20,000 or more in an energy crash is a big hurt!

Besides it doesn't matter if I'm ahead or can easily make it back. It is nothing more than an idiotic mechanism to penalize success. The other random events, with the exception of the meteor (which has never happened to me in all this time!) or the solar flares, can be negated by other game mechanisms. If you fear planetblight, build biolabs. If the Prometheus Virus concerns you, build hospitals or the Genome. If energy overloads can harm you, build energy banks...crop failures...have crawlers available to do an emergency convoy of nuts...if the labs thing (whatever it is, I can't recall) build nodes. But, for the energy market crash...don't have money or don't be in first place. Idiocy!

[Straybow]

The whole energy based economy is idiocy.

[Kirov]

That meteor random event really exists? I've heard about it, but since I've never met anyone who had seen it, I assumed it's only a false rumour. What exactly are the 'prerequisites' and effects of that meteor?

[aaglo]

The meteor has happened to me 2 or 3 times. It needs certain circumstances.

something like these:
- the base cannot be a coastal base
- the base cannot be a sea base (not sure though)
- the base cannot be on a landmark (crater/jungle/desert)... I'm not sure about this
- you have to be the leader in overall score

propably something else too...

The asteroid is ANNOYING! Especially if it hits my HQ - or another base with Secret Projects in it.

[Earwicker]

I play with events off, since they force you to rely on a heavy-builder style, faction-wide. No network node in that just-captured spartan base? Zap, your research is gone. Which is a pity, since I truly enjoy the extra challenge that the booms and busts provide . Still haven't seen a meteor [knocks wood] but it taught me to disctribute SP's as much as I can. Hadn't heard that meteors won't strike coastal or landmark bases, that seems like VERY useful information .

Energy crashes are just there to annoy, and just reimind me to spend not save. The only time I need loads of $$ around is when I know fusion reactors are about to arrive.

[Main_Brain]

Mhh ONly Once got the Asteroid after really screwing Planet by PB'ing every1 :=)
Got Several Meteor Showers too. (I think thats the Name? the Event which destroys all Satellites?)
I leave Events on as they only huirt the leader (hey thats me )

[vitamin j]

weighs in as one who has been repeatedly struck by meteors... losing many SPs in the process. the only good thing is you get a new garland crater...

[fluffy]

Originally posted by aaglo
The meteor has happened to me 2 or 3 times. It needs certain circumstances.

something like these:
- the base cannot be a coastal base
...
- you have to be the leader in overall score

propably something else too...

The asteroid is ANNOYING! Especially if it hits my HQ - or another base with Secret Projects in it.

I have a sneaking suspicion that another condition for the meteor to strike is that the base has to have several SPs - I used to get the meteors when I clumped SPs into one or two bases, but this has stopped now I spread them out.

There are other reasons not to put more than one SP in each base, not least of which is that the AI factions are very much less likely to PB you if you have no juicy targets!

[spartak]

Disabling random events in the game options is going to stop both market crashes and meteors. bad news is thatyou loose energy surges as well.

[Earwicker]

Originally posted by Taz
Disabling random events in the game options is going to stop both market crashes and meteors. bad news is thatyou loose energy surges as well.

You also lose the appearance of new resource bonuses - those are cool. Many of the effects are good in the "adding to the challenge" aspect - I can live with losing some labs points or crawlering in food for a while. I just don't want to face the challenge of having my core bases wiped out by a meteor.