[Freeciv-Dev] Re: patch rfc: stop ai from building useless wall, sam, costal and sdi (PR#199)

[Mark Metson <markm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, 4 Apr 2002, Per I. Mathisen wrote:

> > Any theories on the 50?
> 
> No, I don't really understand what "want" represents. If it does represent
> anything other than Syela's personal whims, that is. Which I suspect may
> be the case.

$50,000 is also just another "magic number", and USD possibly a "patriotic 
symbol" ? I still have not fully grokked why "gold" is an element of the 
game acting seemingly in a "currency-like" capacity even before "currency" 
is developed. I thouht "currency" tokens are merely "secondary 
reinforcement tokens" as in operant conditioning?

> > > +  /* 20 is just a new magic number, which will be +20 if we are
> > > +     in a vulnerable spot, and +20 if someone we are not allied
> > > +     with really have built nukes. This might be overkill, but
> > > +     at least it is not as bad as it used to be. */
> > > +  return ((pplayer->ai.eval_sdi + vulnerable) * 20);

The U.S. *does* have nukes, that is a PURPORTED FACT. Thus, why is the 
figure $50,000 instead of $20,000 if the magic number associated with or 
designating "Nukes Or Vulnerable Spot" is 50 ? Is it some kind of 
distinction along the lines of "S.O.S. = 20 whereas Mayday = 50" ? Or is 
the process of communication by means of symbols (Heiroglyphs? Alphabets? 
Phonetics? Numerology? Etc) still not sufficiently developed to be 
differentiable from "noise". It could be argued that if behaviour is not 
changed then the value of the information is nil, hence rendering so 
called "currency" somewhat inneffective or leaning toward obsolescence?

BB
MM