Customize your disease and wipe out the population
July 20, 2008 4:40 AM Subscribe
Flash Sunday: Customize your disease and wipe out the population, Pandemic II. Get to Madagascar before they close their shipyard!
2 more evolution points and my universally contageous bateria causes liver failure and all those who oppose me will pay - oh yes they will pay...
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:24 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by AndrewStephens at 5:24 AM on July 20, 2008
Oh playing as a disease how scandalous. How deliciously evil. I am willing to tolerate endless adolescent tedium for the ability to work against mankind.This is a boring and terribly designed game. The choices that the player makes are infrequent and the game is slowly paced. There is an obvious correct strategy that is simple to follow. Additionally ultimately winning or losing comes down mostly to luck. Lots of things are illogical as well where nations are responsive to asymptomatic diseases, that nations burn bodies when no one is dead.
posted by I Foody at 5:30 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by I Foody at 5:30 AM on July 20, 2008
Dude. It's a free web game with a reasonably interesting concept and you're acting like somebody got up on a table and peed in your Cheerios. Grow up.
*ahem*
Restart until you spawn in Madagascar, or play this version, which I personally found more enjoyable.
posted by Ryvar at 5:40 AM on July 20, 2008
*ahem*
Restart until you spawn in Madagascar, or play this version, which I personally found more enjoyable.
posted by Ryvar at 5:40 AM on July 20, 2008
I think the theme is interesting. Fine, the game still sucks. It is progress quest with a disease. Have fun watching your chart.
posted by I Foody at 5:47 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by I Foody at 5:47 AM on July 20, 2008
I liked the game, I've been playing it for a few days now.
I've managed (with a bacteria) to get all but four countries infected, I can't seem to get them all though...
posted by rollbiz at 7:17 AM on July 20, 2008
I've managed (with a bacteria) to get all but four countries infected, I can't seem to get them all though...
posted by rollbiz at 7:17 AM on July 20, 2008
Got all but 3, first time through, then the evolution chart dries up. Everyone that's not in those 4 countries are infected, though.
posted by empath at 7:50 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by empath at 7:50 AM on July 20, 2008
Hmmm... the second version. I've tried to find the link to Pandemic: Be The Disease which appeared on MeFi around this time last year.
posted by Sam.Burdick at 7:52 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by Sam.Burdick at 7:52 AM on July 20, 2008
If a game is boring, people will point that out. Thought that it was pretty lame myself.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 8:19 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by a robot made out of meat at 8:19 AM on July 20, 2008
I won as bacteria-I concentrated on having the highest infection rate possible with only one symptom (fever) until it had finally spread to every country, and then went and made my virus lethal.
Nobody seems to panic until people start dying. Sure, a couple of borders will shut down, but not enough to completely seal off any part of the globe.
Still, the only way I was able to finish was playing the game in the background while doing something else. Which kind of defeats the purpose of time wasting games.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:21 AM on July 20, 2008
Nobody seems to panic until people start dying. Sure, a couple of borders will shut down, but not enough to completely seal off any part of the globe.
Still, the only way I was able to finish was playing the game in the background while doing something else. Which kind of defeats the purpose of time wasting games.
posted by dinty_moore at 8:21 AM on July 20, 2008
Everyone in the States infected, everyone in Canada healthy - give me a break this simulator bites, no way you could prevent spread across the border eventually.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:36 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by Meatbomb at 8:36 AM on July 20, 2008
Restart until you spawn in Madagascar
I spawned in Madagascar the third time I played it. Only one ship ever touched my port, and that one docked and didn't leave. I never got off the island. (That was the last time I played it, by the way.)
posted by CrunchyFrog at 8:50 AM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
I spawned in Madagascar the third time I played it. Only one ship ever touched my port, and that one docked and didn't leave. I never got off the island. (That was the last time I played it, by the way.)
posted by CrunchyFrog at 8:50 AM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Not to mention nobody ever fucking goes to Madagascar. :(
posted by GoingToShopping at 8:51 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by GoingToShopping at 8:51 AM on July 20, 2008
Even starting in South Africa, I can't infect Madagascar!
posted by rottytooth at 8:57 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by rottytooth at 8:57 AM on July 20, 2008
Apparently Greenland's hospitals and airports are run by robots, and keep functioning after everyone else dies to help out the growing Cubo-Madagascar population.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:02 AM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by cobaltnine at 9:02 AM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
I can't believe I'm sitting here saying, "Man, I wish I had enough points for diarrhea."
posted by PlusDistance at 9:14 AM on July 20, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by PlusDistance at 9:14 AM on July 20, 2008 [4 favorites]
(By the way -- what's this game you're all talking about?)
posted by PlusDistance at 9:21 AM on July 20, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by PlusDistance at 9:21 AM on July 20, 2008 [4 favorites]
I'm happy to have destroyed humanity on my second try. I somehow managed to avoid Madagascar's ultrapowerful equivalent of the CDC - selling Fever and putting everything into various resistances was what did the trick for me.
Cute game. It reminds me a little of a simplified version of DefCon.
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:26 AM on July 20, 2008
Cute game. It reminds me a little of a simplified version of DefCon.
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:26 AM on July 20, 2008
Step 1: Infect entire world, with only fever and resistances/carriers selected.
Step 2: Save up 103 evolution points. Sell fever, buy all four symptom tiers and select Ataxia, Insanity, Necrosis and Dementia.
Step 3: ZOMBIES!!!
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 9:38 AM on July 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
Step 2: Save up 103 evolution points. Sell fever, buy all four symptom tiers and select Ataxia, Insanity, Necrosis and Dementia.
Step 3: ZOMBIES!!!
posted by Orange Pamplemousse at 9:38 AM on July 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
I have wiped out the population of Canada. My work here is done, eh?
posted by beaucoupkevin at 9:44 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by beaucoupkevin at 9:44 AM on July 20, 2008
I want to like this, but to top it off someone has spammed the high score list, wahhhh!
posted by Meatbomb at 9:45 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by Meatbomb at 9:45 AM on July 20, 2008
flurish? flurish?
posted by allen.spaulding at 10:08 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by allen.spaulding at 10:08 AM on July 20, 2008
Anyone know what influences the rate of evolution point growth? It seems to slow down later in the game for me.
posted by regicide is good for you at 11:30 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by regicide is good for you at 11:30 AM on July 20, 2008
I think it takes a special set of focused design choices to make a game that leeches all of the fun out of killing every last motherfucker on the planet.
However, it is fun to get everyone infected with no symptons as a parasite, and WHAMMO!
Vomitting, Diarrhea, Sneezing and Blindness.
That has some charm.
posted by Lord_Pall at 11:32 AM on July 20, 2008
However, it is fun to get everyone infected with no symptons as a parasite, and WHAMMO!
Vomitting, Diarrhea, Sneezing and Blindness.
That has some charm.
posted by Lord_Pall at 11:32 AM on July 20, 2008
Even if you get rid of *all* symptoms immediately, Madagascar still closes its ports before you can hit it.
posted by rottytooth at 11:35 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by rottytooth at 11:35 AM on July 20, 2008
So is there any way to get countries to emerge from lockdown once it happens? I started a game as bacteria, lucked out and spawned in Madagascar, and following the fever+resistances only strategy have infected every country except Peru, which has closed all its borders... and I think that means I lose no matter what. Seems like it's largely a crapshoot.
posted by Kosh at 11:46 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by Kosh at 11:46 AM on July 20, 2008
Yeah unless you start out in Madagascar, it appears you can't win. Though it is fun nonetheless. Also if you alter your virus/bacteria during deployment of the vaccine, the vaccine will fail. That's kind of moot as I never really had a hard problem infecting everyone (closing down hospitals really slows down development ... way to go Greenland! plug away on that vaccine!)
posted by geoff. at 11:59 AM on July 20, 2008
posted by geoff. at 11:59 AM on July 20, 2008
Fuck you, Madagascar.
I'm currently trying a slow-moving symptomless parasite. Get everyone infected and then BAM! Diarrhea for all!
I call it Tubgirlitis.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 1:28 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
I'm currently trying a slow-moving symptomless parasite. Get everyone infected and then BAM! Diarrhea for all!
I call it Tubgirlitis.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 1:28 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
Somehow I got lucky and infected Madagascar early on, and manage to infect every country. Then humanity shut down all their hospitals in a less-than-brilliant move, giving me infinite time to wipe out humanity. It took an hour on fast speed while I worked on something else.
Like some roleplaying games its more fun to imagine your character (disease) than actually play.
posted by Bookhouse at 2:27 PM on July 20, 2008
Like some roleplaying games its more fun to imagine your character (disease) than actually play.
posted by Bookhouse at 2:27 PM on July 20, 2008
I don't think they do, but I think the random disasters should bring in aid from other countries - thereby having an in (or an out?) to closed-off regions.
posted by luftmensch at 2:30 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by luftmensch at 2:30 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Woohoo.. the whole planet is red.. now to off'em..
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 2:32 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 2:32 PM on July 20, 2008
I wanted to make syphilitic necrotizing fasciitis but they don't let you do sexual transmission :(
posted by Justinian at 2:38 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:38 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Huhn.
2.181818181818 infections per day.
(Trying a parasite.)
posted by Samizdata at 2:42 PM on July 20, 2008
2.181818181818 infections per day.
(Trying a parasite.)
posted by Samizdata at 2:42 PM on July 20, 2008
Why is it that when I get to the point of killing millions each day, I earn 1-2 evolution points a day?
posted by shakespeherian at 3:05 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by shakespeherian at 3:05 PM on July 20, 2008
Just finished my first attempt. Wiped out everywhere but Madagascar and Japan with no real plan or idea what I was doing. Good concept, could make a great game; this isn't that game.
posted by Justinian at 3:07 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by Justinian at 3:07 PM on July 20, 2008
Oh.. parasite. Let it slowly infect the world, with no symptoms at all, then increased infectivity. The vaccine failed yay. Then started tossing in highly visible highly infectious things, then added highly lethal symptoms. Kaboom.. humanity wiped out.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:16 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:16 PM on July 20, 2008
Apparently a watched Madagascar never gets boils...
posted by twine42 at 4:03 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by twine42 at 4:03 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
There are a lot of serious problems with this games disease model. To name one deal-breaker, disease causing agents don't spread through the population and then all evolve symptoms at once; the individual virus or bacteria that evolved would have to start from scratch and spread from the initial patient. Just because some dude over in Australia evolved a strain of streptococcus that can cause insanity doesn't mean that every single person who has strep suddenly goes insane!
posted by Justinian at 4:18 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by Justinian at 4:18 PM on July 20, 2008
I can haz Madagascar too?
posted by WidgetAlley at 4:31 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by WidgetAlley at 4:31 PM on July 20, 2008
Everyone knows the next pandemic will come out of southern China.
Especially those of use who live next door.
posted by bwg at 5:26 PM on July 20, 2008
Especially those of use who live next door.
posted by bwg at 5:26 PM on July 20, 2008
I have a new respect for New Zealand. The Kiwis are unusually resistant to brain-scourging parasites.
posted by Iridic at 5:47 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by Iridic at 5:47 PM on July 20, 2008
"Mr President, this article in science news may be of interest to you--apparently 3/4ths of Americans have the gum disease Gingivitis."
"CLOSE THE PORTS!"
posted by Citizen Premier at 5:57 PM on July 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
"CLOSE THE PORTS!"
posted by Citizen Premier at 5:57 PM on July 20, 2008 [6 favorites]
I want SID MEIER'S PANDEMIC. I can see the primary-color smiling dancing viruses now.
posted by Justinian at 6:13 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 6:13 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
I played it a number of times. But the soundtrack!! Ugh. A disease in itself.
posted by localhuman at 6:36 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by localhuman at 6:36 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
This would be pretty cool if someone with some talent for large scale modeling crossed it with something like the Zombie Simulator.
Countries should have a difficulty level to transmit to, with isolationist nations like Madagascar and North Korea being very difficult, while those with largely uncontrolled borders like the US should be simple to infect.
Vectors for the spread of disease, such as infected animals, should be in some way visible and should be able to still cross closed borders at a decreased rate. Same thing to a lesser degree for infected air or water if those are ways that it spreads. Relief missions would be another way things can spread once the world goes into panic mode. Infected individuals should desperately try to get into uninfected countries in order to have access to hospitals that aren't buckling under the weight of a plague. Vaccine efforts would be limited to those countries that are still connected by an open border or airport, and a successful cure should spread from there slowly like a counter disease, but only be effective against that version of the disease.
As for diseases themselves, you should be able to tailor the whole disease at once and then drop it into the population somewhere. Say you start with a simple cold and that spreads quickly but no one really cares, so then when you get more points you make a new disease that starts off with a week of sneezing and coughing, moves to a fever by the end of the week, has no symptoms for several days, and then culminates in brain swelling and the vomiting of blood. This new strain emerges someplace where people are already sick, and from there has a greater chance to spread to, and re-infect, those that have the earlier version of the disease. By spacing out the symptoms and choosing an infection point for the upgraded disease, you'd have some input and strategy to the game.
Finally, it's silly to have a black or white win/lose scenario. Killing off 98% of the population is its own reward, and having lost for leaving a few alive misses the point of such a game. The link posted is actually pretty fun for a playthrough or two, but it leaves me wanting to play something just a little better designed.
posted by CheshireCat at 6:40 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
Countries should have a difficulty level to transmit to, with isolationist nations like Madagascar and North Korea being very difficult, while those with largely uncontrolled borders like the US should be simple to infect.
Vectors for the spread of disease, such as infected animals, should be in some way visible and should be able to still cross closed borders at a decreased rate. Same thing to a lesser degree for infected air or water if those are ways that it spreads. Relief missions would be another way things can spread once the world goes into panic mode. Infected individuals should desperately try to get into uninfected countries in order to have access to hospitals that aren't buckling under the weight of a plague. Vaccine efforts would be limited to those countries that are still connected by an open border or airport, and a successful cure should spread from there slowly like a counter disease, but only be effective against that version of the disease.
As for diseases themselves, you should be able to tailor the whole disease at once and then drop it into the population somewhere. Say you start with a simple cold and that spreads quickly but no one really cares, so then when you get more points you make a new disease that starts off with a week of sneezing and coughing, moves to a fever by the end of the week, has no symptoms for several days, and then culminates in brain swelling and the vomiting of blood. This new strain emerges someplace where people are already sick, and from there has a greater chance to spread to, and re-infect, those that have the earlier version of the disease. By spacing out the symptoms and choosing an infection point for the upgraded disease, you'd have some input and strategy to the game.
Finally, it's silly to have a black or white win/lose scenario. Killing off 98% of the population is its own reward, and having lost for leaving a few alive misses the point of such a game. The link posted is actually pretty fun for a playthrough or two, but it leaves me wanting to play something just a little better designed.
posted by CheshireCat at 6:40 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
I never thought I would have this much pure loathing for Madagascar. Naming my disease "Madagascitis" and "Madagascar Pox" hasn't helped at all.
posted by mayfly wake at 8:05 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by mayfly wake at 8:05 PM on July 20, 2008 [2 favorites]
I'd love to see this game, or any game that uses realtime Google maps, or something very up to date with all of the countries. I've always wanted to play a real risk game that had all countries.
I've beat Pandemic 2, including the notorious Madagascar; however, that was only with the parasite. I've failed to get in there with the virus.
posted by Knigel at 8:51 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
I've beat Pandemic 2, including the notorious Madagascar; however, that was only with the parasite. I've failed to get in there with the virus.
posted by Knigel at 8:51 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
I won with a virus, spawning in Peru. Took me way too many tries [mostly with parasites, too] though I was doing it in the background of other things, which is actually the kind of game I like to play, an absentminded God game... "Oh, now what was I doing? Oh yes, unleashing boils and pulmonary edemas, Muahahahaaaa..."
posted by wildilocks at 9:54 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by wildilocks at 9:54 PM on July 20, 2008
Madagascar haters! I have news for you. Madagascar alone is for whom the bell hath tolled. I have destroyed Madagascar, leaving the rest of the world intact. I have killed all, with many embarrassing and painful diseases. I have not had as much fun as I had bent on destroying the singular populous. I have struck at them for the pain and strife they have caused upon The Blue MiFis who had been wronged when they wished to be generous with spreading disease like candy. Madagascar has been stricken down for their ingratitude.
posted by Knigel at 11:32 PM on July 20, 2008
posted by Knigel at 11:32 PM on July 20, 2008
Yeah! Fuck Madagascar! With their lemurs and rain forests and goddamn Zimas.
posted by Justinian at 11:43 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 11:43 PM on July 20, 2008 [1 favorite]
The has really got under my skin now (which I guess is kind of apt) and I want to write a version of it that actually has some logic to it. Unfortunately I only know PHP, Javascript and some basic Java...
Something tells me that this kind of game written in JS/AJAX and PHP would be simultaneously very cool and a guaranteed way to fry my webserver...
Maybe instead of using 'days' it could just run in units of server lag...
posted by twine42 at 2:15 AM on July 21, 2008
Something tells me that this kind of game written in JS/AJAX and PHP would be simultaneously very cool and a guaranteed way to fry my webserver...
Maybe instead of using 'days' it could just run in units of server lag...
posted by twine42 at 2:15 AM on July 21, 2008
This needs, needs, needs to be multiplayer.
One person is the world. The other is the disease.
Or it could be asymmetrical: one person is the world, and several diseases are competing...
Seems the symptomless spread is the way to go...and visualizing several million people a day (albeit no Madagascarians or Japanese) dropping dead from sudden, unexpected heart failure is so awfully satisfying.
posted by sixswitch at 7:28 AM on July 21, 2008
One person is the world. The other is the disease.
Or it could be asymmetrical: one person is the world, and several diseases are competing...
Seems the symptomless spread is the way to go...and visualizing several million people a day (albeit no Madagascarians or Japanese) dropping dead from sudden, unexpected heart failure is so awfully satisfying.
posted by sixswitch at 7:28 AM on July 21, 2008
116 days; everyone in the world (except for those pesky Madagascarians) is infected, and I haven't killed anyone yet. When do people start dieing?
posted by yhbc at 7:53 AM on July 21, 2008
posted by yhbc at 7:53 AM on July 21, 2008
Well, that was a complete waste of fucking time. Even though I KNEW about the Madagascar problem, I had to sit and watch as my disease finally started killing people, until it killed everyone except those in Madagascar. So, we have a game here where you know less that a third of the way through whether or not you are going to win, and there's no way to speed up the result or change the outcome in any way.
Yuck.
posted by yhbc at 9:14 AM on July 21, 2008
Yuck.
posted by yhbc at 9:14 AM on July 21, 2008
Not to mention that a totally invisible disease will still cause the citizens of the world to close their borders. What the hell, game.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:36 AM on July 21, 2008
posted by shakespeherian at 9:36 AM on July 21, 2008
Countries closing their borders to an invisible disease is a necessary result of the fact that the disease magically develops symptoms in everyone at the same time. If they didn't shut their borders to symptomless diseases then spreading a symptomless disease to everyone in the world and then immediately turning it into DEATH BUG 3000 would be an automatic game winner.
It's just bad game design all around.
posted by Justinian at 11:42 AM on July 21, 2008
It's just bad game design all around.
posted by Justinian at 11:42 AM on July 21, 2008
I got Madagascar, no problem. But for some reason nothing could broach Argentina.
If only there was a way to make the tango infectious.
posted by klangklangston at 1:42 PM on July 21, 2008
If only there was a way to make the tango infectious.
posted by klangklangston at 1:42 PM on July 21, 2008
Countries closing their borders to an invisible disease is a necessary result of the fact that the disease magically develops symptoms in everyone at the same time. If they didn't shut their borders to symptomless diseases then spreading a symptomless disease to everyone in the world and then immediately turning it into DEATH BUG 3000 would be an automatic game winner.
In theory I expected that to be balanced by the notion that you need symptoms to spread the disease. That, too, is apparently not true.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:27 PM on July 21, 2008
In theory I expected that to be balanced by the notion that you need symptoms to spread the disease. That, too, is apparently not true.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:27 PM on July 21, 2008
Smarmy, self-righteous Madagascar.
Funny how closing its borders magically keeps infected humans from beaching boats and coming in anyway.
Unrealistic game.
posted by bwg at 11:04 PM on July 21, 2008
Funny how closing its borders magically keeps infected humans from beaching boats and coming in anyway.
Unrealistic game.
posted by bwg at 11:04 PM on July 21, 2008
I somehow managed to beat it one time with a bacteria but I haven't been able to duplicate it since.
Mostly because of those bastards in Madagascar.
posted by champthom at 11:13 PM on July 21, 2008
Mostly because of those bastards in Madagascar.
posted by champthom at 11:13 PM on July 21, 2008
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posted by juv3nal at 4:53 AM on July 20, 2008