[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Why client-side AI could be a Bad Thing

[Stephen Hodge <stephenh@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Arkadiusz Danilecki wrote:
> On 28 Jan 2000, Falk Hueffner wrote:
> > Arkadiusz Danilecki            <szopen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> [cut handicaps vs cheating - see previous post]
> > > 2) Performance. If they will be client-side and communicate via network,
> > > it will cause some unnecessery overhead. If it will be separate process,
> > > it will cause overhead too.
> >
> > Well, I'm pretty sure this is irrelevant. You can shuffle megabytes
> > per second around via a memory network, and the freeciv protocol
> > acually doesn't need that much bandwidth. Surely not more than a few
> > percent lost.
> 
> Well.. You never play via modem 28kb/s right? :)

You wouldn't start the client AIs on random machines scattered across
the world, you'd start them on the server where it is completely
irrelevant whether the code is part of the server process or split
amoung client processes. Communication becomes irrelevant. The only case
where your objection is relevant is where someone is running several
clients (AI or otherwise) on a remote (non-server) machine. That's not
going to be a common occurence.

> On weak machines it could be problem. It will be only seconds, right, but,
> as i say, i just hate wait few seconds for other players, and that will be
> additional seconds...

It wouldn't even be seconds if the AIs are running on the server.

Regards,
Steve Hodge