# Pandemic **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 23, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513 "2008-07-23T18:51:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/1 "2008-07-23T18:51:46Z")
A fun little time-waster with an amusingly horrific premise: attempt to devise a disease that will wipe out all human life. > **[Pandemic 2 and other free Internet Games @ CrazyMonkeyGames.com](https://www.crazymonkeygames.com/Pandemic-2.html)** > > Customize your disease and wipe out the population! ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/2 "2008-07-23T19:54:51Z")
Nice combination of topic and dopername. Now I go to waste time with a new macabre game Canada only has two ports and one is in LABRADOR? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/3 "2008-07-23T20:39:14Z")
For the life of me, I can’t spread any infections, viral, parasitic or bacterial, to the island nations. I keep visibility low, but once the disease starts spreading, those countries always close their airports and shipyards, leaving me no infection vector. Am I doings something wrong? P.S. Awesome find. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/4 "2008-07-23T20:59:19Z")
I’ve done it like this: Sell off all symptoms, you don’t want any initially. Make sure you have heat and cold resistance. Buy all transmission methods. Wait. Wait some more, or speed up the game. Once all countries have it, then hit em with the symptoms and buy drug resistance. This usually gets all the countries. Madagascar is the hardest one to get, I’ve found. Apparently, they’re very nervous. Oh, and that strategy only works with a virus. You could do it with bacteria or parasites, but they don’t spread as easily. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/5 "2008-07-23T21:07:30Z")
[QUOTE=Attack from the 3rd dimension] Nice combination of topic and dopername. [/QUOTE] 😉 And the google ad: > [@](#): > > Parasite Disease > Find out why every second American is chronically ill. Get well now! > [www.gcnm.com/parasites-worms](http://www.gcnm.com/parasites-worms) 😃 … As for strategy … basically, what **diku** says. I’ve had total kills with baceria keeping only “fever”, taking all transmission methods … and only level 1 moisture and level 2 on the others. Then wait. Thing is, you want to maximixe the time between the disease starting to spread to other countries, and governments freaking out. Once it is spread to all regions (Madagascar is the really difficult one), ramp everything up - you can usually kill off all the hospitals before a vaccine develops. Then settle down and watch everyone die. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/6 "2008-07-23T22:16:13Z")
Awwww… I thought this was going to be about the [super cool cooperative board game](http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/30549). ---
**Author:** ![Maui\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@Maui\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maui_Lion)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/7 "2008-07-23T22:57:09Z")
I always tend to play as the Parasite. Slowest growth, but easiest to get under the radar and spread around. First off, sell all symptoms as stated earlier. Set speed to highest, and wait. Buy tier-1 resistances, then start spreading either by rats or insects and keep waiting. I take a ‘slow and steady’ approach, because if you spread too fast, countries catch on pretty quick I think. After a few days, go to rats if I chose insects first or vice-versa, and watch it spread. I won’t upgrade to airborne for quite a while. I found the hardest countries to get into are Japan, Madagascar, Argentina, and Peru. At least, for me. Madagascar is the worst, as they’re an island with only a port to get in. Once that port is closed, if it’s not infected, you may as well start over. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/8 "2008-07-23T23:19:28Z")
I like to keep one symptom going until a critical mass has built up, then sell it. Avoids spending too much time with only a handful infected. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/9 "2008-07-24T03:15:08Z")
I CAN’T GET MADAGASCAR IT’S IMPOSSIBLE ARGGHGHGH!!! Ahem. It’s way more complicated than the first one, which is both good and bad. I’ve been experimenting mostly with viruses, keeping them with the least visible symptoms and when I upgrade to a tier, I make sure I have enough points to sell any troublesome symptoms that might come automatically with that tier. Honestly though, if you’re able to infect Madagascar you’ll become king of the internets. ---
**Author:** ![desdinova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@desdinova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desdinova)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/10 "2008-07-24T03:26:28Z")
[QUOTE=nikonikosuru] I CAN’T GET MADAGASCAR IT’S IMPOSSIBLE ARGGHGHGH!!! [/QUOTE] Mild rash in Greenland? That’s a port closin’. Slight cough in Japan? That’s a port closin’. Toenail fungus in Argentina? Oh, you better _believe_ that’s a port closin’. Madagascar: We’re deadly serious about _your_ health. We’ll shut down our entire country to prove it! ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/11 "2008-07-24T03:40:00Z")
[QUOTE=nikonikosuru] I CAN’T GET MADAGASCAR IT’S IMPOSSIBLE ARGGHGHGH!!! [/QUOTE] Seriously. Every game has me watching the traffic in the Indian Ocean like a hawk. C’mon, Madagascar! Don’t you need stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/12 "2008-07-24T05:05:27Z")
What? None of you people can build a raft and flee to an uninfected island? C’mon, let’s see some panic. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/13 "2008-07-24T05:32:59Z")
Oh yes, Madagascar will close their port if someone in Juneau sneezes, but do you think they’d shut anything down if _they_ are the source of infection? Hell no! And the whole damn island was infected before one of their few ships made port halfway round the globe to spread the disease, too, and _still_ they didn’t close it. Wiped out every man, woman, and child that game. I like how Greenland refuses to shut down any public services till there’s only a couple hundred people left alive there. Stubborn bastards. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/14 "2008-07-24T05:47:34Z")
My boyfriend says that the boats take no specific routes, but I swear they do. I’m going to have to test my attention span and watch them. I think [these](http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Image:Portsclosed.gif) [pictures](http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Image:Shit_was_so_closed.jpg) [sum](http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Image:1216401378470.jpg) up [Madagascar](http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Image:1216556732428.jpg) pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![dbuzman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@dbuzman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbuzman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/15 "2008-07-24T05:58:56Z")
On my third try, Madagascar got infected after they shut down the airport and shipyards. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/16 "2008-07-24T06:24:56Z")
Hooray! Game start: Disease spotted in Madagascar. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/17 "2008-07-24T06:38:14Z")
[QUOTE=Boozahol Squid, P.I.] Game start: Disease spotted in Madagascar. [/QUOTE] +1 Die you motherfucking Madagascans, die! I’m glad I decided to restart the game one last time. Now I never have to play it ever, ever again. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/18 "2008-07-24T06:41:12Z")
The are two problems with starting in Madagascar: 1. Because there is only a shipyard, it takes forever to deploy. 2. I don’t want to wait it out, because I’m more about punishing Madagascar at this point (“Have some sores, boils, and cysts, you bastards!”) ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/19 "2008-07-24T06:58:07Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] The are two problems with starting in Madagascar: 1. Because there is only a shipyard, it takes forever to deploy. [/quote] Yeah… I just noticed that. Stiiiiiiiil waiting for those bastards to start infecting others. [QUOTE=Queen Bruin] 1. I don’t want to wait it out, because I’m more about punishing Madagascar at this point (“Have some sores, boils, and cysts, you bastards!”) [/QUOTE] I’m very close to that. I wonder if I can’t consider the game a personal victory if I just kill every man, woman and child on Madagascar. Edit: Hah! Spoke too soon. USA and Middle East also infected. Time to watch the world burn. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513/20 "2008-07-24T07:00:31Z")
Madagascar Completely Devoid of Life Woo-hoo!!! Greenland didn’t shut down their ports until there were about 500 people left alive there. Weird, I wish I could see some of the logic behind various different countries. I did notice, while watchin and patiently waiting for the Malagassis to send out a ship, that the other Indian Ocean ports are -much- busier than Madagascar’s. Australia sent out 12 different boats, and the Middle East almost as many. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pandemic/457513.md?page=2)