[Freeciv-Dev] Re: FreeCiv - arcade game?

[Robert Rendell <rob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mathias Hasselmann wrote:
} Jacek Pop_awski wrote:
} > 
} >   When I build diplomat, and send it to enemy city
} > I must click on "action", but in the same time my enemy
} > can just fight it...
[snip]
} > - it should be possible to tell diplomat "go to city X
} >   and make revolt" before move him
} 
} NO! This would make diplomatic attacks too simple!

I think people may be talking at crossed purposes here.  I believe what
Jacek was complaining about was the way that a diplomat is left whimsically
standing around outside a city after being given the command to move in to
it.  While the diplomat's player's client gets the packet saying "choose
the diplomat's action", the player chooses and clicks on a button, and the
message is sent back to the server, the city's owner can freely attack the
diplomat who has already nominally got in to the city.

I agree with Jacek that this is poor behaviour.  One alternative would be
for diplomats and spies to dissappear once they're given the command to
move into a city, and only reappear outside the city if the player chooses
'cancel', or an action that the unit survives (and which doesn't move them
to their home city).  Another possibility would be for the unit to
*actually* move in to the city when given that command, and *then* for the
dialog to be initiated.  With the pacts patch in, the server and clients
can already handle foreign units in cities... letting *non-allied* foreign
units in to cities might require some more tweaking of the server, but not
much, I'd imagine.  For one thing, the diplomat/spy shouldn't defend the
city against attack (although they'd probably die if the city was conquered
by a 3rd party).

I'd quite like the actually-move-in option... you could leave 'sleepers' in
enemy cities, if you wanted, although they could always build extra spys
and diplomats to protect against espionage, if they knew there was someone
there.  This would still avoid the link-speed advantage, since a
spy/diplomat who successfully reached a city would have all of that turn to
make their decision before the enemy got the opportunity to build extra
units.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

                                                        Have fun,
                                                         Rob R.
                                                          \((/
                                                          ~oo~
                                                          /))\