What just happened?

[Billick]

I was halfway through a hard/normal/normal game when this happened:



I'm assuming this was a woe.  Each side had 3 of 4 towns wiped out completely, and also red has lost its stone mason with no spots to place one, so I can't even rebuild.  Granted I should have been paying more attention to what woe was coming up, but this seems way too powerful, whatever happened.

[Misery]

I was halfway through a hard/normal/normal game when this happened:



I'm assuming this was a woe.  Each side had 3 of 4 towns wiped out completely, and also red has lost its stone mason with no spots to place one, so I can't even rebuild.  Granted I should have been paying more attention to what woe was coming up, but this seems way too powerful, whatever happened.

Looks like "Ultima" happened.

Fries every city instantly except for one on each side, and then turns pretty much everything else into unbreakable obsidian.

[Billick]

That's... not fun.

[zespri]

It is not?

[Billick]

Just trying to figure out how I could recover from this - I guess I could smite a tile and then build a mason there.

[Misery]

Just trying to figure out how I could recover from this - I guess I could smite a tile and then build a mason there.

If you smite one of the already-existing buildings, then yes, you can place a stone mason.   Cant smite obsidian though. 


Ultima actually isnt that hard to deal with, but it is rather dependant on being aware that it's incoming.   Various god tokens are useful for dealing with the aftermath, so moonstone/sunstone can be helpful here.   Though that's the case with alot of the "major" woes.

[Mick]

The "cataysmic" woes should really make it more apparent that they are "different" than the other woes.

[Billick]

Okay, I was just frustrated because I thought there was no way to rebuild (which would have indeed been not fun).  I did the smite a tile and rebuild trick, and was able to come back and win without much trouble.  I just need to pay more attention to what woes are coming in the future.

[Cinth]

Looks to me like "Edge of Civilization" is the woe that hit you.  "Ultima" is about one step harsher than that one.  Ultima, kills everything, turns all tiles to obsidian, and leaves you with one town on each side.

[FooBarTheLittle]

... red has lost its stone mason with no spots to place one, so I can't even rebuild.

this will be fixed in 1.008:

Town centers now cost the equivalent in rock that they used to cost in cut stone.

http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Skyward_Collapse_-_Post_Release_Notes#Official_1.008

[Billick]

Yep, I saw that.  I think it's a good change.

[Mick]

I find a good way to prepare for these town destroying events is to save up turns so you have 9 AP immediately after. It helps to be able to rebuild fast.

[FooBarTheLittle]

I find a good way to prepare for these town destroying events is to save up turns so you have 9 AP immediately after. It helps to be able to rebuild fast.

I think if you pay enough attention to the woe-ticker you could bank your APs up to 9. (I haven't stumbled upon one of these yet, so might be completely wrong  )

[Winge]

... red has lost its stone mason with no spots to place one, so I can't even rebuild.

this will be fixed in 1.008:

Town centers now cost the equivalent in rock that they used to cost in cut stone.

http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Skyward_Collapse_-_Post_Release_Notes#Official_1.008

I'm not 100% sold on that change.  Might make it a little too easy to hold on in a lost situation.  However, it would probably be less frustrating for newer players who haven't seen Ultima or the Edge of Civilization.  As others mentioned, bank a few extra AP before woes like that hit.