From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!npois!npoiv!harpo!db
Newsgroups: net.games.emp
Title: The Plague is killing us
Article-I.D.: harpo.964
Posted: Tue Aug 17 09:11:06 1982
Received: Sun Aug 22 03:49:28 1982

In our local game, it seems a large number of the countries are having
serious plague problems.  The empire manual Plague and innards sections
seem to be a little inconsistent in their description of the probability
of contracting the plague.  Im interested in the answers to two questions.
First, the plague manual page describes a likelihood-of-plague factor
that begins with the factor (civ + mil)/999, and the innards page describes
the LOP factor as beginning with the factor (civ + mil)/254.  Is one a 
mistake, or is the difference only in how it is interpreted, with the
innards version the actual equation?

Second, assuming the worst case innards version, a LOP value of 3.2 is
obtained assuming a fairly advanced country of t_level=r_level=300,
ore=0, effic=100, mobil=100.  the factor would go up for some sectors
with ore, low mobility, etc, but the point is that even a factor of 5.0
would indicate about 5% chance of contracting plague.  our country seems
to be contracting plague with smaller factors than 3, in totally isolated
sectors, at a much higher rate than 5%.  Is there a possibility that empire
doesnt do a true random number selection?  has anyone else experienced a 
high plague contraction rate?
					dan becker
					harpo!db