[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Non-smallpox ruleset (Minimum distance between cities to 3 or 4)

[Tuomas Airaksinen <tuma@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Feb 06, 2001 at 01:06:11AM +0100, Reinier Post wrote:
> On Mon, Feb 05, 2001 at 08:39:20PM +0200, Tuomas Airaksinen wrote:
> > I just noticed that there is possibility to set minimum distance between
> > cities in game.ruleset (min_dist_bw_cities). So, changing it to 3 or 4 
> > will make smallpox impossible. 
> 
> Not really - the strategy doesn't change, only the map becomes 'smaller'.

Strategy changes back to normal, non-smallpox. You don't succeed if you
don't develop and grow your cities.
 
> > I just was thinking if this would be better to be server option and not
> > ruleset (whether people want smallpox or not depends on what kind of game 
> > people want (quick or long)). 
> 
> Yes.  There exists a patch to make it a server option (not posted here).

Then cvs admins: APPLY it, please!
  
> > Mike Jing's way to add unhappines (read his document, don't remember
> > his geocities url any more (copy is also readable on my site,
> > http://tuma.cjb.net/other/smallpox.html), is a good alternative, but it 
> > will change gameplay quite much. 
> 
> The document can be found at
> 
>   http://www.freeciv.org/tutorials/nopox.html
> 
> We're waiting for the webmaster's comments/corrections to make it 'official'.

Ok. I just fetched it there for myself.

> The main problem with the approach, it turns out, is boredom.  Games take
> forever.  Developments is extremely slow when you only have 12 cities and
> any conquest or settlement beyond that is penalized.
> 
> It is unclear whether there is any way around this problem.  The smallpox
> strategy is good in that it gets you built up and ready for decisive
> action in under an hour, without the need to do the equivalent of
> a maths exam in calculating all the details of micromanagement.
> I'd like to have more strategic options but the game shouldn't be
> turned into an exercise in accounting.

Still, smallpox isn't nice. It's boring (I completely agree with Jing on
that).
 
> > BTW, in addition to min_dist_bw_cities I changed empire_size_inc and 
> > Steam Engine  dependency to Metallurgy, in the rulesets with which 
> > I will play longer games from now on. Check my ruleset directory 
> > (and README) at <http://tuma.cjb.net/files/freeciv-rulesets-tuma.tar.gz>.
> 
> OK, interesting.

Thank you

> 
> Incidentally, the gameserver civserver.freeciv.org has been unstable
> and we don't know why.  Hopefully it will be back in normal operation soon.

Wish so too.

-- 
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