[Freeciv-Dev] roads (was: Sail River: Next Step)

[Reinier Post <rp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, Aug 25, 2000 at 12:53:46PM +0800, Wong TM (Huang Deming) wrote:

> > > > In principle, roads should have a tech requirement too.
> >
> > Which tech?  Stone lifting?  Bronze working, for roads
> > through forest/swamp?
> 
> One new tech - [Surveying]    (sorry for mine poor english, maybe there's
> a more proper noun)

I thought of that, but it's not a uniquely human invention.
With surveying we'd be starting at -100000 or so.
 
> [extracted from mine previous post...]
> I realized from history text that 'Road' is quite a civilization
> advance too. The Romans is one of the first to built an extensive
> network of Road(mostly out of military necessity).

Trade routes crossed the European continent well before the Celts.
The Celts may have been the first people in Europe to make extensive
use of the wheel - I'd have to look that up.

The Romans were the first in Europe to build a network of *paved* roads.
Perhaps paved roads can be a separate invention?

> They need some clever surveyors to look for the shortest, straightest,
> flattest route in order to build it. Does it now justified it as a
> tech?

I don't think so, because surveying was used long before roads were built.
Most animals survey their environment extensively.  What man can do is
communicate the results on paper.  So I think map making, mathematics,
construction and masonry are the actual techs you need for paved roads.
They could be introduced into Freeciv by introducing 'paths': roads of
speed 1-3 (determined by chance) and with limited capacity; the existing
'roads' would be paved roads.  To make it interesting from a gameplaying
point of view, paths can be formed spontaneously, through frequent use.

-- 
Reinier