Virality Growth Initiatives (Fake News)

Within the official Fake News scenario, part of the Growth initiatives are aimed at increasing the viability of the player's hoax, where these features serve the function of spreading misinformation as fast as possible through different media such as Internet, TV or Newspapers.

List of Initiatives

• Note: By "all environments" it is meant that the initiative activates effectiveness in all possible environmental and socio-economic characteristics of countries, either by increasing efficiency in all possible climates, whether the country has a hot, cold, humid or arid climate; including effectiveness in both rich and poor countries in addition to urban and rural areas.

Word of Mouth Initiatives

Icon	Initiative	Fund Cost	Description	Stats
	Word of Mouth	1	Pass on information by communicating verbally. Slightly increase Virality.	+2 in Virality +0.1 in All Environments
	Radio Targeting	5	Make contact with radio stations and presenters. Sponsor presenter 'live reads' and produced spots (complete with jingles). Slightly increase Virality, Plausibility and Community.	+2 in Virality +0.05 in All Environments +1 in Plausibility +1 in Community

Television Initiatives

Icon	Initiative	Fund Cost	Description	Stats
	TV Targeting	5	Make contact with terrestrial, satellite, cable, and streaming tv services. Sponsor misleading advertising and sway influential voices. Increase Virality. Slightly increase Plausibility and Community	+3 in Virality +0.1 in All Environments +1 in Plausibility +1 in Community
	Talk Show	7	Hire showrunners and presenters to produce heavily scripted talk shows. Slightly increase Virality, Plausibility and Community.	+2 in Virality +1 in Plausibility +2 in Community
	Buy A TV Show	19	Buy a controlling stake in one or more major TV networks, allowing tighter control of programming and talent. Increase Virality, Plausibility and Community.	+5 in Virality +4 in Plausibility +6 in Community

Internet Initiatives

Icon	Initiative	Fund Cost	Description	Stats
	Internet	1	Set up websites and forums, and pay for online advertising such as banners and site takeovers. Increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility.	+7 in Virality +0.4 in All Environments -2 in Plausibility
	Social Media Presence	7	Fund teams to target users of social media with data-driven ads. Target those most vulnerable to misinformation and most likely to spread it further. Significantly increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility	+8 in Virality -1 in Plausibility
	Podcasts	3	Fund a regular podcast where presenters can discuss misinformation and decry truth. Increase Virality. Slightly increase Community.	+4 in Virality +1 in Community
	Online Video Production	2	Produce and distribute videos, such as documentaries and vlogs, online through streaming platforms. Increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility.	+7 in Virality -1 in Plausibility
	Memes	2	Combine comical imagery with pithy witticisms or co-opt existing memes to share across online platforms. Increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility.	+7 in Virality -1 in Plausibility
	Viral Chat Messages	2	Create and signal boost short, easily shareable misinformation messages to spread on chat software Increase Virality. Slightly increase Community. Slightly decrease Plausibility.	+5 in Virality -2 in Plausibility +2 in Community
	Peer-to-Peer Messages	11	Spread misinformation between individuals in private chats, outside of the view of Fact Checkers. Slightly increase Virality and Community. Slow down Fact Checkers.	+3 in Virality +3 in Community
	Bot Network 1	1	Utilise bots to automatically boost accounts spreading misinformation with large numbers of followers, lending them credence. Significantly increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility	+9 in Virality -2 in Plausibility
	Bot Network 2	2	Utilise advanced bots to automatically highlight and re-share large amounts of misinformation across social media networks. Significantly increase Virality. Slightly decrease Plausibility.	+9 in Virality -2 in Plausibility

Printing Media Initiatives

Icon	Initiative	Fund Cost	Description	Stats
	Print Targeting	3	Make contact with traditional print media outlets, such as newspapers and magazines. Convince editors and sponsor misleading advertising. Slightly increase Virality and Plausibility.	+2 in Virality +0.05 in All Environments +1 in Plausibility
	Newsletters	3	Distribute periodic physical newsletter to easily reach and deceive a subscriber base. Slightly increase Virality and Community.	+2 in Virality +1 in Community
	Printed Leaflets	7	Produce and freely distribute sheets of paper containing misinformation. Slightly increase Virality, Plausibility and Community.	+2 in Virality +1 in Plausibility +2 in Community
	Billboards	3	Produce locally targeted advertisements to occupy large outdoor hoardings and displays. Slightly increase Virality and Plausibility.	+2 in Virality +1 in Plausibility
	Buy A Newspaper	15	Buy a controlling stake in one or more major newspapers, allowing tighter control of articles and editorials. Increase Plausibility. Slightly increase Virality and Community.	+3 in Virality +5 in Plausibility +3 in Community

Sources

• Fake News Stats - (Game File Name: fake_news.txt) (Extracted from Version 1.18.1.0 of Plague Inc.: Evolved (PC))
  • Note: All the information on this page was obtained by extracting the game files using external tools, in addition some variables have been transformed from decimals to percentages such as the requirement of infected or dead population for an action to be performed.