[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Capitalization bug/feature

[Tony Stuckey <stuckey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jan 12, 2000 at 11:06:22PM -0500, Daniel Burrows wrote:
> Actually, there's another similar problem.  If you finish building something
> and then want to start building a different type of thing, you almost always 
> are
> guaranteed to lose 50% of your shields.  The problem is that Freeciv
> automagically selects the new production for you and applies shields to it,
> regardless of whether that's what you wanted to do; it impacts wonders since
> Freeciv never (as far as I can tell) selects another wonder.  CivII got around
> this by making you look at every city which built something (and choose the 
> new
> production target) before you could start the turn, but that only worked for
> improvements.  Build queues would fix it, but only if you plan ahead :)
>   I propose that switching between different production types be free
> either for one turn after a new item is produced, or just one time (so you
> can switch once gratis, but switching again is costly)

        Civ2 also got around it by setting the remaining shield stock to
zero when an item was produced.  Period.  Thus the situation that you
describe is unique to Freeciv.

>   I've only had Capitalization built a few times, and then because the
> %$#% target selection code decided to build it while I wasn't looking (for
> some reason this is the computer's favorite improvement once it's available 
> :( )

        Capitalization is overvalued in the AI rankings, there's no
question about that.  Still coming up with an equation to properly value it
is hard.  Gold is half a production, or is it?  Gold produced from
Capitalization can be applied to supporting buildings, rather than buying
production.  Thus it becomes a Trade/Science value issue.  And not all
production is bought at 2:1 ratios.
        The current code just assigns it a large constant.
-- 
Anthony J. Stuckey                              stuckey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And they said work hard, and die suddenly, because it's fun."
        -Robyn Hitchcock.