[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Suggestion for automating settlers

[Raimar Falke <hawk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, May 01, 2002 at 01:52:27AM -0300, Pablo Belluscio wrote:
> Idea in a nutshell:
> Adding a "desired improvements" mask layer (for each player) to the world map.
> 
> Idea explained:
> This will let the user plan in advance the settler's actions by
> designating the improvements desired for each tile in the map. And
> then let the settlers work, and forget about it!

> 
> Highlights:
> I prefer planning each city's surrounding improvements just once.
> Orders are unit-independent. Settles can be killed and the orders
> are not lost. When new ones are built, they can be put to work again
> right away.  Settlers could dynamically change their orders to work
> on tiles actually being used in the cities, irrigate tiles near
> cities which are starving, and still be doing what the player chose
> for that tile.  You could plan the construction of improvements not
> yet discovered. (This ability could be a server setting).

> 
> Suggested extra tags for each tile:
> * "City Site": So that you could plan the distribution of your
> future cities in the continent just once.
> * "Contains inter-city road": so that when you order settlers to
> connect cities, the roads in these tiles are built. And later
> updated to RR's. And best of all, the path is the one you chose.
> * Priority level: I am not sure about this one, but it could direct
> settler actions better.
> 
> Downside:
> Too much automation maybe could substract from gameplay.
> It consumes lots memory in the server. The actual size of the masks
> could be reduced to a square containing the tiles that currently
> need improving only.
> 
> Extras:
> Add a settler order: "Build road up to the next city site, and then found it".
> 
> 
> What do you think about it?

Very similar to the proposed settler management agent (SMA). SMA is
more itended to be a more flexible auto-settler ("prefer improvements
which increase trade over one which give food") but will also contain
a way to add explicit tasks ("build a fortress at (41,54)"). The SMA
will hopefully be included in the release after the soon-be-coming
one.

        Raimar

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