[Freeciv-Dev] Re: more complex unit and battle system

[Marco Colombo <marco@xxxxxx>]

On 30 Aug 2000, Saikat DebRoy wrote:

> >>>>> "Marco" == Marco Colombo <marco@xxxxxx> writes:
> 
>   > On Wed, 30 Aug 2000, Artur Biesiadowski wrote:
> 
>   >> Give this factors I think it is perfectly all right to have veteran
>   >> status stay both when upgrading and not detoriate it with time.
> 
>   > The last part I'm not sure. Experience does detoriate with time, *if*
>   > the unit is idle. And, from a gameplay side, I won't like to see
>   > a 200% phalanx upgraded up to a 200% mech. inf. in 2000AD just because
>   > it won some battles in 2000 BC.  Of couse, if the player keeps using it,
>   > it will maintaing experience or even get more... In RL, famous units
>   > are also the first to be used... no unit is famous just because it
>   > won a battle 4000 years ago and after that spent 4000 year idle in town...
> 
> Not necessarily true. Napoleon's imperial guard was almost always the
> last to be used in a battle. Committing the guard always meant a
> really hard battle. On the other hand, they were always the best
> trained best equipped unit in the grand army.

In the game, this maps to high hp and attack/defence. And of course high
cost. I think even in RL Napoleon's imperial guard became famous for the
same reasons B-). 
Beeing the best trained and the best equipped is not the same as beeing
experienced/veteran, I think. Of course, in RL you may mix men in units
to get whatever result you want (e.g. using veterans to train new units).

It's a player strategy whether to use experienced units as first attack
units or a last unbeatable defence. What I want to avoid is a player
managing to get a very experienced unit in the beginning of the game
and letting it sleep for 1000 years, and find that experience is the same...

Here we're talking of tens or hundreds of years. You can build your
elite units out of money (build expensive ones), out of science 
(more advanced ones) or out of military traditions (more experienced ones).
The latter need to be mantained over time. You can't leave a unit alone
in peace for a 1000 years and expect them to keep any military tradition.

A player already has an option to build elite units. Barracks.

> 
>   > I'd also propose to *decrease* the power of idle units with time *under*
>   > the initial value.  A phalanx build in 2000BC which stayed idle in town
>   > for 4000 years should have 50% of initial power. In RL they'd get 
> converted
>   > to workers much before than that! B-)
> 
>   > I really hate having to fight 10+ phalanx in town behind city walls
>   > in 2000AD... even with armors.
> 
> 
> 

.TM.
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     /      /       /                   Marco Colombo
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