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Ready to cure the world? Ndemic Creations have released another small bit of info for Plague Inc: The Cure, the upcoming expansion to the excellent Plague Inc: Evolved. We already knew it was coming and that it would be free for all players until they deem COVID-19 to be "under control". Now we know that it will be here in "early" 2021, and their new Steam page is up with some extra details so you can follow it along and wishlist it ready.

Here's the details from the new Steam page:

  • Hunt the Disease: Dispatch research teams around the world to find patient zero, track the spread of the outbreak and support local responses.
  • Control the Outbreak: Implement measures such as contact tracing, lockdowns and border closures to limit the spread of the outbreak, whilst getting people to wash their hands and preparing hospitals to prevent them getting overwhelmed.
  • Support the Economy: People won’t comply with poorly designed quarantine measures; use furlough schemes and other policies to drive community support and consensus.
  • Develop a Vaccine: Research, manufacture and distribute a vaccine to stop the disease. Work carefully and promote global cooperation to accelerate development.

I imagine the gameplay mechanics from the base game lend themselves quite well to the opposite side, so I'm really keen to see all the dedicated tweaks they're doing for it since they've been working together with health experts from various organisations including the WHO, CEPI and GOARN and they say that "Plague Inc: The Cure is an engaging and timely simulation of a global disease response".

You can buy the full game of Plague Inc: Evolved on Humble Store and Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Philadelphus Dec 19, 2020
While Plague Inc is certainly a fun game (and this DLC looks interesting), I now find its claims of being a "realistic simulation" especially ludicrous when nearly the entire population of China can be infected with my new disease before a single person in a single other country catches it. Sure, a lot of diseases aren't as infections as COVID-19, but if upwards of a billion people can catch it in the same country surely someone in a nearby border town's going to pick it up, right?
slaapliedje Dec 19, 2020
Quoting: PhiladelphusWhile Plague Inc is certainly a fun game (and this DLC looks interesting), I now find its claims of being a "realistic simulation" especially ludicrous when nearly the entire population of China can be infected with my new disease before a single person in a single other country catches it. Sure, a lot of diseases aren't as infections as COVID-19, but if upwards of a billion people can catch it in the same country surely someone in a nearby border town's going to pick it up, right?
I bet they figured in that China is (or very much was) a very isolationist country. I mean when I play the game, I choose Madagascar and they are an island, and it still spreads everywhere before that whole island is infected.
eldaking Dec 19, 2020
Quoting: PhiladelphusWhile Plague Inc is certainly a fun game (and this DLC looks interesting), I now find its claims of being a "realistic simulation" especially ludicrous when nearly the entire population of China can be infected with my new disease before a single person in a single other country catches it. Sure, a lot of diseases aren't as infections as COVID-19, but if upwards of a billion people can catch it in the same country surely someone in a nearby border town's going to pick it up, right?

I guess it also depends on methods of transmission - if you mutate the airborne transmission to transmit over planes, and respiratory symptoms, it is more likely to spread out of the country (but not a great strategy in the game); if you pick others you might instead intensify in the same region.

I'm just sad that real humanity apparently are below minimum difficulty. From what I remember easy mode was "doctors don't wash hands, sick people get hugs"; how do we call "authorities try to break quarantine and to undermine vaccination efforts"? Sandbox mode?


Last edited by eldaking on 19 December 2020 at 4:31 pm UTC
slaapliedje Dec 19, 2020
Quoting: eldaking
Quoting: PhiladelphusWhile Plague Inc is certainly a fun game (and this DLC looks interesting), I now find its claims of being a "realistic simulation" especially ludicrous when nearly the entire population of China can be infected with my new disease before a single person in a single other country catches it. Sure, a lot of diseases aren't as infections as COVID-19, but if upwards of a billion people can catch it in the same country surely someone in a nearby border town's going to pick it up, right?

I guess it also depends on methods of transmission - if you mutate the airborne transmission to transmit over planes, and respiratory symptoms, it is more likely to spread out of the country (but not a great strategy in the game); if you pick others you might instead intensify in the same region.

I'm just sad that real humanity apparently are below minimum difficulty. From what I remember easy mode was "doctors don't wash hands, sick people get hugs"; how do we call "authorities try to break quarantine and to undermine vaccination efforts"? Sandbox mode?
My usual strategy is get the virus to not be deadly and have it spread as fast as possible, then to crank up the deadliness once it gets clise to 100% infection. But then the game cheats and RNAs their way out of it by coming up with a cure and being able to ship it world wide MUCH faster than reality would allow.
Purple Library Guy Dec 19, 2020
Quoting: slaapliedje
Quoting: PhiladelphusWhile Plague Inc is certainly a fun game (and this DLC looks interesting), I now find its claims of being a "realistic simulation" especially ludicrous when nearly the entire population of China can be infected with my new disease before a single person in a single other country catches it. Sure, a lot of diseases aren't as infections as COVID-19, but if upwards of a billion people can catch it in the same country surely someone in a nearby border town's going to pick it up, right?
I bet they figured in that China is (or very much was) a very isolationist country. I mean when I play the game, I choose Madagascar and they are an island, and it still spreads everywhere before that whole island is infected.
Well, yeah, but I think the real world provides not one, but a few pretty solid counterexamples in the present and last couple of decades. It clearly doesn't work that way.
eldaking Dec 20, 2020
Quoting: slaapliedjeMy usual strategy is get the virus to not be deadly and have it spread as fast as possible, then to crank up the deadliness once it gets clise to 100% infection. But then the game cheats and RNAs their way out of it by coming up with a cure and being able to ship it world wide MUCH faster than reality would allow.

Yeah, that's the basis of most strategies (except weirder diseases). But when you get symptoms early, even only coughing or sneezing, it becomes much more likely to be discovered - when you start somewhere like China, it might be better to avoid that for a while to build up a significant infected population (using rats or livestock to spread, for example).

Of course, starting with high lethality pneumonia right from the start would be a rookie mistake in the game, everyone would just act to eradicate the virus as fast as possible. Which means we are getting our asses kicked by a rookie virus.
Eike Dec 20, 2020
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Quoting: eldakingOf course, starting with high lethality pneumonia right from the start would be a rookie mistake in the game, everyone would just act to eradicate the virus as fast as possible. Which means we are getting our asses kicked by a rookie virus.

It does some things right, like waiting some days before showing symptoms, no?
Mountain Man Dec 20, 2020
"...free until COVID-19 is under control"

Let's be honest, it's not the virus that's out of control, it's our governments.


Last edited by Mountain Man on 20 December 2020 at 5:09 pm UTC
slaapliedje Dec 20, 2020
Quoting: Eike
Quoting: eldakingOf course, starting with high lethality pneumonia right from the start would be a rookie mistake in the game, everyone would just act to eradicate the virus as fast as possible. Which means we are getting our asses kicked by a rookie virus.

It does some things right, like waiting some days before showing symptoms, no?
Yeah, the nasty thing about covid is that for some people it is completely asymptomatic, so they are just spreaders and don't know it. Others get terrible pneumonia, but I think they still have it and are spreading by up to a week?

The real pain in the ass, and something the game doesn't really take into account is different strains, strengths seem to hit different regions.

Like everyone I know who has gotten it (family members and friends) just felt like crap for a week or so and now are fine. These are people that have what most have thought to be death sentences! U was really worried about my friend's wife who had not too long ago had cancer treatments. She also works in an assisted living place, and they think she got it from there, yet none of the old people there have died from it.

Yet clearly there are people who have their last words be that they think it is a hoax!

But hey, at this point if the pfizer method works, could be an interesting future of just having our RNA tweaked whenever a disease pops up. Like we are pushing our own evolution. Of course there are the Anti-science people out there that will be pissed about it...
Eike Dec 20, 2020
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Quoting: Mountain Man"...free until COVID-19 is under control"

Let's be honest, it's not the virus that's out of control, it's our governments.

Yeah, why not making fun of 1.5 million dead people?
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