Hey Meph, is there any possible way to control what EVIL weathers can be chosen for a world? I know using Regional_Interaction and 'Evil Rain Types' in advanced gen do it, but they aren't reliable. Why? Let's give an example.
I set evil rain/interaction to 20-20 for sake of clarity. The game doesn't call '20 random evil rain types' - but the first 1-20 rain types, almost all of which are sentient race 'blood' from dwarf blood, to 'Ice Giant frozen Water' and similar. All blood has absolutely no chance of syndromes, which is what I'm after - a challenge.
meaning i have to set it to about 50 to get ANY chance of getting dangerous rains, while still likely only getting bloody. So basically, I can't control GENERALLY what type of 'syndromes' I could encounter. if it chose syndrome weather randomly, I could set 'evil rain: 3' and check a world until I encounter all 3 types of rain, and their syndromes if any. If I found a world that has some that are 'FUN!', I would then be able to find suitable places to inhabit in other biomes. Aka, I find yes, this world has THRALLING rain, but I find it in a desert, when I want a forest - I can now go hunt down all the evil forests for a spot, as i Know that rain exists in the world. Where if i have 50-100 types, it's a crap shoot trying to find a rain type i want!
So summarized, is there any way to alter what rain/cloud syndromes occur? Whether on a world for world basis, or just in general? If not, would you/could you make functions to do this?
To my understanding, you view evil biomes as the 'hard mode' of the game, and good biomes, the 'easy mode'. But trying to get an actual HARDMODE start, has taken me so far, 32 hours across 5 days, and I STILL can't find a area with a strong syndrome from rain (like boiling, rotting, unconcious, etc etc) along side undead. >.>!
Now, for some random off topic questions/notes/feedback.
#1 Having good/evil caverns as your list suggested... DO IT! Do it do it do ittt!
These done right, could add so much more depth to the biomes. If the above ground is bad? meh! I just go into the caverns, wall it up, and I'm safe and happy. Try that with an evil cavern... and you don't need to make 'good' caverns safe, just... 'twisted good'. Demented good... if you get what I mean. :p
#2 The rune that lets you 'destroy undead' - does it affect thralls/husks? If not, could you make it do so at a lesser chance (to keep their danger), or make an alternative rune to kill husks/thralls, at say a 5% chance to still keep them dangerous, but give us some sane method to deal with a rampaging army of thralled kittens of doom?
I'd prefer to have a chance to get a obsidian sword or something slapped onto a dwarf, with this rune on it and pray for a lucky strike, then just turn over dead when my unprepared fort gets rampaged, or better yet, when an ENTIRE DAMN SIEGE OF MINOTAUR turns into thralls....... yes. I had this happen. Full volcanic gear, I just couldn't kill anything before my 40+ man army was obliterated and eaten alive ._.
#3 evil 'rains' are supposed to be a hazard to the player, but I find them a handicap, and make the game even easier. Why? if you use a bit of save-hopping to avoid getting rained on at the start, and cover your wagon with a roof before rain hits, you're generally safe. that's fine... but when siegers come, most don't have boots/shoes, and they touch the rain on the ground. I watch sieges of 120-200 walk in, touch the rain, and the entire siege just die from internal blister/bruising rain, without me lifting a finger. It kind of makes that super deadly rain, an unfair advantage and takes AWAY a lot of danger.
#4 in embark screen, butimous(?) coal costs only 3 points per. That's what? 9-14 fuel, for 3 points, the cost of ordinary stone? While anthracite, which is what? 12-16 fuel? costs 15 I believe, 5x the cost for 25% the difference. Seems like a balance issue. (shooting myself in the foot pointing this out
)
#5 A thought for making 'evil' biomes more... FUN!, you could add random pockets of material that spawn only in evil biomes that could perhaps spawn clouds of dangerous syndromes when mined/walked near, or even spawn smaller undead creatures that are kind of 'invasions' from the inside of the fort...
Really make you feel that fear, when hunkered down...
And I'll stop here, before you cry in frustration at me and my annoying ideas/suggestions. Hopefully, you (or someone!) can help with the weather issue, as I'm LOSING MY DAMN MIND! 30+ hours generating worlds, embarking, watching for weather, and cursing as I find it just makes me DIZZY! >.> *shakes fist*