[Freeciv-Dev] Feature suggestion

[Jeff Mallatt <jjm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, you asked for feedback.  I hope this isn't too much...  ;-)

>Wouldn't it be cool to allow engineers to convert some terrain
>into ocean (channels) or convert ocean into terrain (landfills)?

These are things I've often wanted while playing CivI/II.

I'm reminded: I haven't found the CivII concept of Engineer Transformation
in Freeciv.  Is it missing, or am I blind?  I found Engineer Transformation
very useful in CivII, and would like to see it in Freeciv.

>Perhaps this could be conditioned to some tech? Perhaps
>different techs for channels and landfills? Perhaps specific
>"Channel building" and "Landfilling" techs? I don't know much
>about the real-life requirements, but I think landfill depends
>on construction (maybe bride building?) and channels depend on
>explosives.

I think they could, however, cause some problems if not properly constrained.

Looking around the real world, I see *lots* of channels -- even very
large/long ones -- but I see very few trans-oceanic causeways (like, *none*).

I think channel building (at typical Freeciv map scales) should be limited
to Engineers, and I would add that the Railroad should certainly be a
requirement (or, possibly, upping the requirement all the way to Steel).
It should also take lots of time: this could be implemented by not allowing
channels to be built on Hills or Mountains -- you'd have to first use
Engineer Transformation to convert from Mountains to Hills to Plains, then
you could dig a channel.

Filling in oceans is even more problematic.  I think (again, at typical
Freeciv map scales) that the "landfill" concept is more like converting
Swamps to Grassland, while ocean filling is like trying to fill in a large
area of the continental shelf.  Thus, I believe that limiting ocean filling
to the single square adjacent to "real" land would be appropriate.  And, it
should require some fairly sophisticated technology (Automobile?), and,
again, take a fair amount of time.  Perhaps, as an added twist, you'd have
to designate which Mountain you want to tear down (into Plains) to get the
material with which to fill the ocean square (maybe a "source" Engineer at
the Mountain, and a "sink" Engineer at the ocean).  Also, how do you get
the Engineer onto the ocean square so that he can start building?  Does he
need to be in a boat?  Or, would you allow an Engineer to "project" an
action into a neighboring square?  Hummm....

This all reminds me of a new technology that I've often thought would be
useful: The Chunnel (depends upon Robotics).  Once you've researched The
Chunnel, you could drive tunnels under oceans (again, restricted to squares
near land -- perhaps two away).  Tunnels have an advantage over causeways,
in that they don't interfere with ship traffic.  This, however, opens up a
real can of worms: there's currently no notion of "underground".  For
example, can ships or aircraft attack a unit when it is in the middle of an
undersea tunnel?

jjm