[Freeciv-Dev] Re: [Patch] Multiple bonus tech patch

[Trent Piepho <xyzzy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 6 Sep 2001, Josh Cogliati wrote:
> First person to gunpowder has a reasonable advantage over anyone who does not.
> (20 hitpoints and defense 3 versus 10 hitpoints and defense > 2 for every 
> thing else)
> This was mainly a demonstration that the message can occur even if it is not 
> a bonus_tech.  

In other words, there is nothing special about gunpowder....

> Technically this is a game play change since it gives information that might 
> not otherwise be available since it tell the player that they are the only one
> to research gunpowder at this stage of the game.

Exactly.  Knowing what techs your opponents have and don't have is a very
important bit of information that you don't always have.  Seems like you
shouldn't just change that around.  Not that sticking the first to get a tech
message into the ruleset instead of hard coding it with the Philosophy bonus
isn't a good idea.