[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Alternative nation dialog

[aliaga <aliaga@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 28-02-02 21:35 -0500, you wrote:
> If the mongols had arisen in an arable realm like China they wouldn't have
> become nomadic warriors.  Farming would have been more
> attractive.  Witness what did happen when they finally did get to live in
> China -- they became Chinese.  Similarly, if they had lived in the dense
> jungles of Africa or the horseless plains of North America, they wouldn't
> have become horseman.
Yes, it's a thought worth considering. WE know that we want to develop 
archers on horseback and Ironclads and Jet fighters. The thing is, we 
should not act upon that foreknowledge. I feel that limiting your choices 
from the start of the game would be worse.
But it's been suggested before that the terrain specials and huts can be 
used to that extent. If your country has horses, you can study them. If a 
hut gives you a shiny chunk of raw Uranium, you can study it (or ignore it 
and get widespread plagues). A modpack could feature "unknown things" that 
you cannot see if will be good or bad for your tribe until you study them.

> unreasonable.  If the Dunedain or Phonoecians are placed far from the
> coast, should they research navigation anyway out of 'realism'?
They would lack the prerequisite "tech" of a coastline. Likewise, if you do 
not have your cities spaced apart more than a few squares, you should not 
have roads. If your jungles have elephants but your plains have no horses, 
you can tame only the animal you know for military purposes.

> Now, matching civs to their real geography would be an interesting
> idea.  The Arabs start in a desert, the Egyptians on a river near an
> isthimus, the Dunadun on their own really big island.  That might get us
> the cultural simularity without forcing ugliness on multiplayer.  It might
> also require a complete rewrite on the map generation code.
Yes and yes, I believe.


> Freeciv already gives a lot of information that real leaders wouldn't have
> (scores, "historian reports", wonder data, chatline -- all whether or not
> you've contacted the civs).  There's no need to give more.  Anyone who
> really needs it (in single-player) can cheat.
That info should not be available for free in the hard levels of play.

My 0.02E