Plague Inc. Gaining New Game Mode Letting Players Save the World From a Pandemic

[MacRumors]

Plague Inc., a highly popular iOS game from Ndemic Creations that has seen its downloads surge in recent weeks, has announced a major update that will tweak the core gameplay to allow players to work to stop the outbreak of a virus.

Traditionally, the goal in Plague Inc. is to spread an infectious virus across the world, infecting and eventually killing the entire population as an end-game goal.

The new Plague Inc. game mode will let players manage disease progression and boost healthcare systems, as well as control actions like triaging, quarantining, social distancing, and the closing of public services. The new gameplay mode is being developed with the help of experts from the World Health Organisation, the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network and more.

The new update will be available for all Plague Inc. players for free and Ndemic Creations plans to release it as soon as possible.

Along with adding a new option that will let players fight a virus instead of spread a virus, Ndemic Creations has also donated $250,000, which is being split between the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

Article Link: Plague Inc. Gaining New Game Mode Letting Players Save the World From a Pandemic

 

[calzon65]

Nice to see the game has changed to allow humans to win against the disease. Maybe it will inspire a new generation of future disease specialists.

 

[kurosov]

Now you too can be frustrated at a population incapable of following simple instructions. Watch your attempts to curb an epidemic fail as people intentionally cough in others faces or lick products on store shelves.

 

[compwiz1202]

Now you too can be frustrated at a population incapable of following simple instructions. Watch your attempts to curb an epidemic fail as people intentionally cough in others faces or lick products on store shelves.

Those people should instantly be arrested like in some places. Bad enough people can't stick to the necessary places like work for people still working and grocery and drugstores.

 

[Logic368]

If the game inspires you to become a pandemic response specialist, just make sure you don’t try to climb your career ladder too high. You might be fired if you get to the top.

 

[bernoulli]

Nice to see the game has changed to allow humans to win against the disease. Maybe it will inspire a new generation of future disease specialists.

There is a board game called pandemic which is the opposite to plague inc.

 

[ersan191]

That’s... pretty darn cool

 

[now i see it]

So they re-wrote the code to change the goal. Doesn't change the fact that only weirdos would create a game who's goal is to infect the entire world, killing everyone off. They're still creepy people

 

[BWhaler]

Amazing game. Can’t wait to enjoy with the new gameplay mode.

 

[decafjava]

So they re-wrote the code to change the goal. Doesn't change the fact that only weirdos would create a game who's goal is to infect the entire world, killing everyone off. They're still creepy people

Meh as opposed to playing numerous shooters, wargames including nuclear war scenarios?

 

[CarlJ]

There is a board game called pandemic which is the opposite to plague inc.

There is also a well-regarded iOS app version of the Pandemic board game.

I played a bunch of "Plague, Inc.", years ago. And the strategy that always seemed to work best was to make the virus extremely contagious, but with very mild symptoms, so it stays somewhat under the healthcare radar - easy to ignore - until you get most of the globe covered, and then, weeks later, crank up the deadliness of the virus as far as possible, so it starts killing people in droves and overwhelms the healthcare response. It's a little weird how that's playing out now in the real world - extremely contagious, no symptoms for a while, and then really hard hitting...

 

[mnsportsgeek]

I don't mean to cause alarm to the world but my strand of COVID-19 killed all life on earth in 681 days.

 

[iRutherford]

So they re-wrote the code to change the goal. Doesn't change the fact that only weirdos would create a game who's goal is to infect the entire world, killing everyone off. They're still creepy people

Chill. It's called a simulation for a reason.

 

[masterhiggins]

Cool. Do they let you weld people’s doors shut so they can’t escape?

 

[CIA]

I feel like experts from the W.H.O. have more important stuff to be working on right now.

 

[Gasu E.]

So they re-wrote the code to change the goal. Doesn't change the fact that only weirdos would create a game who's goal is to infect the entire world, killing everyone off. They're still creepy people

Both W.H.O. and CDC have games just like that as well, except more detailed. Are they creepy?
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I feel like experts from the W.H.O. have more important stuff to be working on right now.

Since getting people to act responsibly is the MOST important way to curb this virus, by far, perhaps devoting some resources to educating people as to how a virus spreads, and how to stop it, is not such a bad thing.
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Now you too can be frustrated at a population incapable of following simple instructions. Watch your attempts to curb an epidemic fail as people intentionally cough in others faces or lick products on store shelves.

Are there actually people doing that? They should be outed on Youtube, named and shamed.

 

[CarlJ]

I feel like experts from the W.H.O. have more important stuff to be working on right now.

Some people respond much better to different forms of media. If this game can show a whole bunch of people the gravity of this situation (and thus the need to actually take the requested steps), that's potentially a very good thing. And I strongly suspect they were only consulting a small handful of WHO experts, for a short time, to make sure the game properly reflects reality. Having it get the facts right is also a good thing.

There are two big battles that need to be won right now, and they're interrelated: one, we need to stop the spread of this virus, and two, we need to get everybody (not just most people, not just those for whom it's convenient or doesn't get in the way of their fun, but everybody) to take this thing seriously and follow the requested rules (stay home as much as possible, minimize contact with others outside of your household, and wash your hands a lot).

 

[kurosov]

Are there actually people doing that? They should be outed on Youtube, named and shamed.

Unfortunately yes, For social media clout mostly.

They're also intentionally coughing in the faces of elderly while sharing "ok boomer" memes and the like.
In the UK we've had an increase in a particular form of vandalism such as drilling holes in the tyres of ambulances or torching food delivery trucks.

 

[CarlJ]

Unfortunately yes, For social media clout mostly.

They're also intentionally coughing in the faces of elderly while sharing "ok boomer" memes and the like.
In the UK we've had an increase in a particular form of vandalism such as drilling holes in the tyres of ambulances or torching food delivery trucks.

These are the sort of people who should be rewarded for their actions by being dropped about 100 miles offshore, into the ocean, and told to swim back. Then they can get lots of media coverage under a headline of "body washes up on shore".

 

[slowpoke]

I'm an insanely tedious computerman and I hate it when, the SJW Liberal elite, is desperate to Virtuously Signal and inject, politic's, into the sacred medium of Game`s
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Cool. Do they let you weld people’s doors shut so they can’t escape?

[whistling doggily] Hmm how can I make this about China Bad

 

[edgonzalez32]

So they re-wrote the code to change the goal. Doesn't change the fact that only weirdos would create a game who's goal is to infect the entire world, killing everyone off. They're still creepy people

It’s a video game...

 

[jerwin]

Cool. Do they let you weld people’s doors shut so they can’t escape?

In the original scenario, in which you play the pathogen, there are several levels of difficulty:

 

[MarkAtl]

There is also a well-regarded iOS app version of the Pandemic board game.

I played a bunch of "Plague, Inc.", years ago. And the strategy that always seemed to work best was to make the virus extremely contagious, but with very mild symptoms, so it stays somewhat under the healthcare radar - easy to ignore - until you get most of the globe covered, and then, weeks later, crank up the deadliness of the virus as far as possible, so it starts killing people in droves and overwhelms the healthcare response. It's a little weird how that's playing out now in the real world - extremely contagious, no symptoms for a while, and then really hard hitting...

That’s what I did...plus use those ships and planes to spread it fast.

Greenland and Madagascar were always hard to get infected.

 

[Supermacguy]

I can not (and also can) believe that there was a game whose goal was wiping out humanity. A sad and disgusting premise IMO. Glad its changed so you can save the world.

 

[ipponrg]

I can not (and also can) believe that there was a game whose goal was wiping out humanity. A sad and disgusting premise IMO. Glad its changed so you can save the world.

It’s actually a good game with a good premise. How else do you strategize how to spread plagues?

They did model a lot of the plagues you play as, so you can understand them somewhat from the plague’s point of view.