Jagged Knife Event was a bit game-killing

Just a bit unbalanced

In my first game with DA beta 2 I had the "Jagged Knife" event hit. I got the pop-up proclaiming that the Jagged Knife had taken two over two worlds from good-leaning civs and that one of the worlds was one of mine.

When I looked to see which planet I'd lost it turned out to be my homeworld. My fully developed, 90+ percent happy, homeworld. Needless to say this pretty much killed that game.

Out of all the worlds belonging to good-leaning civs.

I think that's a bit much.

23,617 views 36 replies
Reply #1 Top
This is why we invented sticks and stones. Beat 'em up and take the world back!
Reply #2 Top
Don't be discouraged; just drop some agents onto the best improvements, build some transports, and take the planet back. Seriously - learning to deal with setbacks like this will help you overcome bigger problems as you progress to higher AI levels.

I haven't seen this event yet. Does the JK get any starships? If not, it shouldn't take much to wipe them out. Plus, if you know where their other world is, that's one more planet you can take without going to war with a major race.
Reply #3 Top
I ran into them last night too, and since it was after 3 am I decided to save it and decide what to do next. I was stuck in a corner with about 7 planets with only my homeworld and 2 others over pq 10, and the Jagged Knife took those other 2. A major setback, as one of them was my highest pq at 14 and a ship facility, but I'm going to see if I can recover. The bright side is where I was previously behind in the military might chart, now I'm about midway. Even though I'd had ships at one of the planets that was taken over, it looks like they evaporated.
Reply #4 Top
Well you can't expect that running a galactic empire would run perfectly smooth...
Reply #5 Top
I think that loosing your capital is pretty damb stupid. It basically means you are the rebel force! Which is impossible because your ethics, government/abilities don't change. So yea, pretty damb stupid.
Reply #6 Top
I think that loosing your capital is pretty damb stupid.


Maybe the Rich and fully developed Homeworld is sick and tired of proping up the outer Planets and rebel and join other like minded Planets.

It is not that unreasonableand just one of other reasons your homewolrd would be upset enough with the leaders policies to take action.
Reply #7 Top
I don't see how this is "stupid". A setback, maybe, but not stupid. Just because you lose your capital does not mean you are the "rebel" force. Think of how many times throughout history nations have lost their capital (or biggest) city and have had to win it back.
Reply #8 Top
Due to the situation in the game at the time it was an unsalvageable event. Using agents wasn't an option as the homeworld had a counter-espionage facility. The Jagged Edge got a highly productive world and all the tech from the most advanced race in the game.

This was in a tiny galaxy with few habitable worlds so I was left with two PQ 5 worlds and one PQ 10 world.

With a good chunk of my fleet gone pretty much every other race in the game declared war on my race. Yes I could have played it out and been hammered but it would have been pointless.

I do enjoy playing my way out of tight spaces and generally play the game on hard or better difficulty level but I see no point in masochism.

One of the things that we're supposed to be doing during the beta is testing for balance. I consider what happened to be an unbalanced event.
Reply #9 Top
This happens when the Fundies arise in DL 1.4x too...not unique to DA. Watched it happen to the Drengin in the game I am playing now.
Reply #10 Top
Hmm, it should have taken planets from all the civs, unless that change didn't make it in for beta 2.  I did forget to change the text.
Reply #11 Top
Hmm, it should have taken planets from all the civs,


I don't know guys. There's just something about a mega event that takes a planet from you, especially your homeworld, that just doesn't sit right with me. I realize that my opinion may not carry much weight since I haven't sat down to play with the beta yet (can't really find the time unfortunately), but still, an event which can take a planet away seems a little overkill. Is this being done to REALLY mix up the strategies that we have or is there something more. Just my two cents on it but seriously, don't allow a homeworld to fall victim to something random like that. I love a good challenge as much as the next player, but to lose a homeworld just seems totally wrong. Outlying planets maybe, home planets, no.
Reply #12 Top
In the game I had, it took two planets from each race as far as I could tell. Unfortunately, I didn't keep the save file and started a new game since the situation turned out to be too hopeless in a Small galaxy.
Reply #13 Top
I don't see how this is "stupid". A setback, maybe, but not stupid. Just because you lose your capital does not mean you are the "rebel" force. Think of how many times throughout history nations have lost their capital (or biggest) city and have had to win it back.


I cannot think of anytime in history when a capital city has been lost to a 'rebel' force and the diposed government survived and continued to struggle on with the same governmental format.

This is very different to an outside conquset such as the Germans taking France. In which case the diposed government still has the support of the people and can easily be re - established.

Reply #14 Top
Hmm, it should have taken planets from all the civs


Hi Cari.

The pop-up said that they took two planets and that's what they took. There were five races in the game at this point and if they'd taken even one planet from everyone it would have resulted in a major shift in galactic real estate.
Reply #15 Top
It sounds to me like the problem here is this event happening when there are very worlds on the map as the impact becomes so much greater. Could the effect be altered to take a percentage number of worlds up to a maximum of 2 worlds per race?

5 races with verage of 5 worlds each under current system would leave each race with 3 and the JK with 10 (2 from each world). If instead it was up to 20% of each races worlds for a max of 2 each, then each race would have 4 and the JK would have 5 (1 from each race). Thats still a major shift but it shouldn't be utterly crippling. You would have 80% of your worlds left and if you form a coalition you stand a decent chance.

Mega events are designed to throw honking great spanners into the works and re-write the galactic balance beyond anyone's control so there is always a chance that it might lose you the game. But then in the next 10 games it might not. There are so many variables that sooner or later you will find one that you cant beat, but it was a freak occurence. This is why Mega events are an optional game mode.

BTW, events that take planets off you are nothing new, the Fundamentalists in GC1 did it to evil races, this is simply further reaching (which is what makes it a mega event).
Reply #16 Top
i've played the latest patch (from dec 15) and it got worlds from atleast me and my neighbour, couldn't see the others.
it took 4 worlds from me, while i had like 15.
so i just declared war and took them back
Reply #17 Top
Hmm, it should have taken planets from all the civs, unless that change didn't make it in for beta 2. I did forget to change the text.



I think i just had hte same event or one very similar. Some new 'minor' civ just showed up and 'borrowed' 6 of my planets (all good ones ). It did take a load of planets from the other civs too i believe.

Its a nice event as it forces you to change what you were doing and take the darn things back. Had to be careful though as they ended up with 20+ planets and just taking back my 6 could have meant a fully fledged war starting. This could have been seriously bad as i could only see the planets taken from me!
Reply #18 Top
I gotta ask this- why did you make a bunch of evil Canadians?

Reply #19 Top
The JK event is a KILLER on TINY/SMALL maps.

Let me suggest if MAP_SIZE="TINY" OR MAP_SIZE="SMALL" NUM_PLANETS_TO_JK_PER_RACE=1
also if MAP_SIZE="TINY" OR MAP_SIZE="SMALL" JK_THE_HOMEWORLD=FALSE


If you have 6 planets and lose two, its rough. But if just have your home system and then you lose your Homeworld you're SCREWED. Take on the galaxy with just Wisp/Mars/Etc. I dare ya!





Reply #20 Top
I had them take from "Good" races including a PQ11 from me. And I was as Evil as Evil can be. Why would that be?
Reply #21 Top
I've seen the JK take from all, not just good.
Reply #22 Top
Incidentally, for those of us not in the DA beta, what exactly is the Jagged Knife? It sounds like some kind of reverse Fundamentalists, but that might just be wishful thinking.

An evil version of the Fundamentalists would be, like, made of awesome.
Reply #23 Top
Was playing last night and the (large galaxy, five AI - all tough, slow tech) and the event happened to me, too. They took 26 planets in all - 8 from me - 4 of them above PQ10, one of them a PQ 26 that was building the Eyes of the Universe - also a smaller planet that was an economic powerhouse (fully built with every square a trade building pumping out a lot of cash). And, up to that point in the game no one was building up a military - everyone just expanding and developing. Can anyone top that for bad luck?

Quickly built up my military and planetary invasion and have just won back the PQ26 which has 2 turns to go on the Eyes - now need to get the rest of my planets back.

Sigh!
Reply #24 Top
Incidentally, for those of us not in the DA beta, what exactly is the Jagged Knife? It sounds like some kind of reverse Fundamentalists, but that might just be wishful thinking.

An evil version of the Fundamentalists would be, like, made of awesome.


It is like the Fundamentalists only worse. LoL! They take planets from ALL not just the bad/evil races. They take enough so in addition to owning your worlds they are #1 now. Getting them back is a significant challenge.

My complaint with them on tiny/small maps generally is you're screwed, like totally. I know it sucks when it happens to you. I fear it is too much.

Reply #25 Top
My complaint with them on tiny/small maps generally is you're screwed, like totally. I know it sucks when it happens to you. I fear it is too much.


...And we're back to my original point.