City on Fire

[Caesarimperator]

Hi, i have a problem my city goes always on fire but i have a lot of pretors and engineers...why?

[MarkDuffy]

Hi, i have a problem my city goes always on fire but i have a lot of pretors and engineers...why?

Lots of possible reasons.

Lightning from weather.
Jupiter is really mad.
You use FAST speed.
Your people are not happy & torching the place.
Your Military gameplay needs to be a bit better.
Prefects need a bit better coverage. Is is not how many, but where you put them. For example, Insulas are firetraps.
Your Pleb Labor is not maxed or your Prefect/Engineer Labor priority needs to be set higher.
You are playing on a map in a geographical location that requires more of one, than another.

I might have missed a few possibilities, but this should get you started! :)

[Naufragus]

Lots of possible reasons.

Lightning from weather.
Jupiter is really mad.
You use FAST speed.
Your people are not happy & torching the place.
Your Military gameplay needs to be a bit better.
Prefects need a bit better coverage. Is is not how many, but where you put them. For example, Insulas are firetraps.
Your Pleb Labor is not maxed or your Prefect/Engineer Labor priority needs to be set higher.
You are playing on a map in a geographical location that requires more of one, than another.

I might have missed a few possibilities, but this should get you started! :)


I think their is a glitch. I just had a town go up last night. Districts across the map and not connected all went up. Fire might die down then start back up.

Sometimes you can see 20 prefects running to the same fire.

Every map I have played has had a fire issue. Only way to stop it is to load a save and plop down more prefects than you technically should need.

The fires also start a chain reaction. a couple of houses go up so fewer citzens, so fewer prefects, so more fire.

[MarkDuffy]

Naufragus, there becomes a point where adding Prefects just will make the situation worse.

Prefects are supposed to go to fires & put them out. This causes them to leave their regular patrols. They will also become soldiers & this is far worse.

For some reason, you expect the game to correct your gameplay. It will not.

Understand the game AND your computer's capability & play within both of their limits.

Be One with the Game! :)

I do not get fires at all & I play on a minimum computer with populations of almost 9000 so far on the large maps of Djedu & Cyrene. I only stopped at those populations, cuz I had totally explored everything possible. The ages of those two cities are about 30 years.

Doable ~ Easily! :)

You push the limits & you WILL get burned. So sorry, but that is how C4 works at the moment. ;)

[Naufragus]

Isnt the fact that playing on FAST causes fires to get out of control a BUG?

[MarkDuffy]

Isnt the fact that playing on FAST causes fires to get out of control a BUG?

You could call it that. Yes. Your choice. I do not. Please see this post (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showpost.php?p=131238&postcount=5) by Will Jennings from TM.

A Patch to address this, if possible, will simply allow you a higher population on your computer & change the game. Perhaps TM can make Prefects dumber & remove some of their jobs. This is what my game & my computer tells me. :)

[SillyDrizzy]

Isnt the fact that playing on FAST causes fires to get out of control a BUG?

Please see this post by Will Jennings (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showpost.php?p=131238&postcount=5) in which he explains some of the Prefect Intelligence.

It's not a bug, but a design feature,;) so that a "fast" speed is even possible with a large population on a "normal" computer. I'd rather have a fast speed with a higher chance of fire (which I use for short bursts) rather then no fast speed. :D Just don't run on fast for long periods of time...slow down and let the Prefects get caught up on reducing risk.

Drizzy

[Spearthrower]

On Caesarea I have this problem too.... and I am 100% sure that it is not due to my playstyle but a "feature" of the map. No sooner do the Prefects put out a fire, than it starts back up again. My town has been on fire for a number of years now, but nothing has ever burned down because I have fully staffed Prefects which cover the town completely - I have had no invaders and have Jupiter in a state of total contentment! I also only play on Normal speed.

In truth, I have seen this kind of behaviour on all desert maps, on Caesarea it just seems more pronounced.

@MarkD - I think you will agree with us when you get to play these maps - it may very well not occur so much on certain maps but it *most definitely does* on other ones.

[Naufragus]

Please see this post by Will Jennings (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showpost.php?p=131238&postcount=5) in which he explains some of the Prefect Intelligence.

It's not a bug, but a design feature,;) so that a "fast" speed is even possible with a large population on a "normal" computer. I'd rather have a fast speed with a higher chance of fire (which I use for short bursts) rather then no fast speed. :D Just don't run on fast for long periods of time...slow down and let the Prefects get caught up on reducing risk.

Drizzy

You mean where he blames our puny CPU's?

[MarkDuffy]

@MarkD - I think you will agree with us when you get to play these maps - it may very well not occur so much on certain maps but it *most definitely does* on other ones.

Prima Guide lists Caesarea as DESERT. :D

We DO need to adjust sometimes, Spearthrower! Perhaps Tricky & very EVIL TM turned up the heat on that one. ;)

[Pi-Xerxes]

I play on custom speed between slow and normal (set inside ini file), maybe my super smart prefects according to Will Jennings is why I hardly ever have any fires or crimes.

[Dignitatum]

Well, the fires do happen and it doesn't feel right. I'm satisfied with the clock speed explanation regarding inefficient prefects, and that too many prefects won't correct the situation. I think the problem can be dealt with in the context of the game, even if we can't use fast modes.

[Pi-Xerxes]

If it becomes a game breaker, you always change the fire damage value inside of NewConstants.txt file. It will solve the problem (change it from zero to 100 damage whatever from default) with fire; but when you win the game, it will say you cheated.:eek: That is weird to have so much fire.

Probability is about 2% per building per month. If by chance you have 100 buildings, and have 4 go off at once (it is 100* (.02) chance = 2 per month) you will have your prefects so busy putting them out, other building by next month will catch on fire etc. So about normal 2 per month you never really see, 1/2 chance for 4, 1/4 or 1/16 for 8 at once. Someone good at statistic can figure this out. It will happen a bunch all at once go up in smoke unless the code limits maximum number for a given time period. This wil cause an out of control NERO burn. :eek:

I wonder if this is very consistent or just happen rarely.

[Zamolxes]

I think u can control fire by controlling the intelligence of your prefects. How u do that? Place schools, libraries ..... <runs for cover>

[Naufragus]

If it becomes a game breaker, you always change the fire damage value inside of NewConstants.txt file. It will solve the problem (change it from zero to 100 damage whatever from default) with fire; but when you win the game, it will say you cheated.:eek: That is weird to have so much fire.

Probability is about 2% per building per month. If by chance you have 100 buildings, and have 4 go off at once (it is 100* (.02) chance = 2 per month) you will have your prefects so busy putting them out, other building by next month will catch on fire etc. So about normal 2 per month you never really see, 1/2 chance for 4, 1/4 or 1/16 for 8 at once. Someone good at statistic can figure this out. It will happen a bunch all at once go up in smoke unless the code limits maximum number for a given time period. This wil cause an out of control NERO burn. :eek:

I wonder if this is very consistent or just happen rarely.

I played a pre -fire a few times last night. And watched it unfold. Fire always began in a theatre. Then a few blocks away a house would catch fire. Then 5 blocks away an arsonist was setting a building on fire. Then various other buildings seemed to spontanously burst into flame. I didnt see any prefects fighting the fires for a while. Knowing what we know about about the "intelligence" of the prefects, my theory is that they were busy doing police work for rioters instead of firefighting. The city was pretty much ablaze before they even got around to being on the bucket brigade. And one it started they never actually put one out.

The buildings also seemed to burn a long time before the building was destroyed. AT one point I deleted an entire block of housing and replaced fresh with fresh domi. This was several blocks from the big fire. Within a couple of minutes of placing them, they also burst into flame. No arsonist in the street and no fire nearby.

I was able to prevent the citywide fire by giving everyone a big raise and adding more services. My theory is that this quelled the riot giving the prefects the ability to fight fires instead of dealing with unrest. Some of the fires still happened even without the riot...

I think there needs to be an alert YOUR PEOPLE ARE RIOTING because that could be the case in some fire scenerios. But you wouldnt know this unless you were clicking on plebs.

[vic_4]

In fact in order to avoid fires best things are: to have people happy, normal speed and Juppiter benevolence and enough praefects.With over 10000 people in Alexandria I never had fire problems. Sometimes I used fast speed, but I was very careful to always check fire risk and to switch to normal speed as soon I got yellw buildings.

[MarkDuffy]

I think there needs to be an alert YOUR PEOPLE ARE RIOTING because that could be the case in some fire scenerios. But you wouldnt know this unless you were clicking on plebs.

You get a popup every time you lose a building.

Chief Advisor AND Population Advisor will have BIG Red Alerts. You have a Risks - Happiness Overlay (unhappy people turn to crime) AND a Law - Security Overlay (that shows criminals). :)