Re: [Freeciv-Dev] Fantasy Modpack

[Jules Bean <jmlb2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Pfitzner wrote:
> 
> Mark Nettle wrote:
> 
> > I mentioned earlier that I was planning on making a Fantasy modpack.
> <snip>
> 
> Sounds cool!
> 
> Though the effect that one can obtain tech from other players
> (by treaty, spying, invasion) could have some undesired effects
> regarding the scheme of having "different realms" of techs.
> 

Hmm.. interesting point.  But, if the trees were made so that there are
multiple requirements for everything, then the effect would lessened. 
E.g. suppose that the earth skill 'Dwarven Enginneering' allows the
construction of dwarven engineers, which are very effective against
cities with city walls.  If, in fact, the engineers can't be built
without also having the skill 'Dwarven explosives', then simply stealing
the single tech would not be such an advantage - you'd need to steal
several.

Alternatively, we could have a new option 'strict_techs'.  I can think
of three possible implementations of strict_techs:

1) You can steal technologies, but they are useless (in that you can't
build any of the things they permit, units or improvements) until you
have researched (or stolen) all the technologies which normally lead up
to them.  They are 'orphaned' knowledge - you have the blueprints, and
you keep them safe, but you don't understand them until you have
researched everything they depend upon.

2) (Even stricter - call this 'very_strict_techs' ;-) If you steal a
technology which was not one you could have researched immediately
yourself, you understand it so little, you don't get it at all.  So this
steal is wasted.

3) Somewhat less strict than above - the game automatically steals you a
technology which you could have learnt anyway.

On a different tack, you could actually implement exclusive
technologies.  This would be major engine modification, but it would
mean that certain technologies simply can't coexist.  If you choose to
research such, or you steal such, then you have the option of completely
giving up the excluded technology (and all technologies below it in the
tech tree).

For example, maybe anything more than (say) 3 advances down the
Holy/Unholy tree completely excludes its opposite.


> 
> 2. Allow specifying help text in the ruleset files (eg, for
> each defined unit, building etc) and send the text to the
> clients with the ruleset data.  This way clients should
> always get the right help text for the current units etc.

This has to be the way to go, IMO. Keep modpacks server-side, and send
them to the client, as far as possible.  Give the modpacks unique IDs,
and dates, so the client can cache them:

(Client joins game)
S-->C "This game is using mod_pack 'COOL_FANTASY', do you have it?"
C-->S "I have version 26th May 1999"
S-->C "Now sending you version 16th June 1999"

Jules

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