[Freeciv-Dev] Re: non-smallpox idea

[Tony Stuckey <stuckey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Nov 22, 2001 at 01:55:06AM +0100, Bernhard Kuemel wrote:
> These formula would probably be a rather opaque mechanism while much
> of the game is very lucid. But the increase in # of lightbulbs/advance
> is unknown by me, already. Is it linear, e.g. 3 or 5 bulbs/advance?
> But well, the formulas could be published in the help browser.

        Currently, it is linear.  By default, it should be +10 points per
advance.  In Civ2, it was not necessarily.  The base value depended upon
the level you chose to play, (6 at Chieftain, 16 at Diety) as well as
having other confounding factors.  (There was a bizarre decrease in
increment for the first few techs on easy levels, as well as a possible
non-linear factor coming in after some time or some base number of techs
were researched.  Also, "gift" techs at the beginning of the game were not
counted in this equation.)

> I heard arguments that it's unrealistic to invent steam engines 600
> BC, so with tiem as a factor these formulas could be tuned to achive
> realistic timelines. Developing things before/past their historic
> appearence could result in a developement penalty/bonus. We could have
> server settins that modify the speed of time to control game length so
> people could select from short games that last something like 100
> turns until 2000 AD or long ones with 1000 turns until 2000 AD.

        Fundamentally, there was nothing stopping it.  Steam production and
the Water wheel and Piston were well known concepts hundreds of years
before the first railroads or riverboats were built to use them.
-- 
Anthony J. Stuckey                              stuckey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"And they said work hard, and die suddenly, because it's fun."
        -Robyn Hitchcock.