Geothermal Plant

A way to make them balanced

from Offworld Forums

Hello,

 

Geothermal source are from volcano, who sometime become eruptive.

It may be an interesting thing to play on this risk when investing on geothermal plant.

The risk rate should be really low (maybe about one or two eruption on ten game time), but increase with the number of geothermal spot on the map => that map is obviously more "volcanically active".

When triggered the plant may be destroy like be dynamite and unable to be repair before the eruption end.

 

You could also make the risk attractive, be increasing the power offered by the most unstable geothermal spot.

 

I think is more busyness accurate, take risk for more advantage but as there is risk you could have some annoying surprise.

 

Biokimist

3,397 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Offworld Forums Top

Nice idea.

I think here might be random events: collapsing existing geothermal vents, generating new ones.

It might be new event(s) or part of marsquake.

Reply #2 from Offworld Forums Top

I don't like this idea. It seems like it would place too much importance on a random event. If you're lucky, you get a big advantage; if you're unlucky, you get screwed. In a strategy game, a risky move should be one that exposes you to potential punishment from other players' actions, not from a roll of the dice.

OTC does have random events, like Marsquakes and duststorms. But they mostly are things that players have to react to, not things that they can prepare for in hopes of getting lucky. That's the right approach. This volcano idea is different. There's no reacting to changing circumstances; instead, you just build geothermals and then either win if you get lucky and lose if you get unlucky. Or, you don't build geothermals, and lose if the guy who did build them gets lucky and win if he gets unlucky.

Here's an alternate idea: Geothermals get damaged over time due to seismic / volcanic activity, either at a constant rate (possibly randomized per map) or in a series of small, intermittent, frequent bursts. The damage manifests as requiring water as an input to the plant's operation. It starts off small, requiring 0.1 or 0.05 water to make 1 power, but it builds up over time. The plant can be repaired at any time, just like a destroyed facility can be, and for the same cost in resources and downtime. Depending on the how damaged the plant is, and depending on the relative prices of power and water, the plant might become unprofitable to operate. Players with geothermals would have to react to the intermittent accumulation of damage by monitoring the damage, monitoring the relative prices of power and water, deciding if and when to shut down the plant, and deciding if and when to begin repairs.

 

Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Offworld Forums Top

Strictly speaking, Mars has no hot core nor floating bowels. And here are no marsquakes nor geothermals.

 

Reply #4 from Offworld Forums Top

Why not have geothermal vents vary in energy? Instead of +2, why not have +2 and up..and the higher, the more likely they are go blow up.

Risk vs. reward...you could even have an infra-red overlay to see where these "hot spots" were.