[Freeciv-Dev] (PR#4593) Diplomats

["Genevieve Gracian" <ggracian@xxxxxxx>]

Hello,

I've thought a bit about diplomats which are rather super-powerful
attacking units with default options (diplchance 80). Used as attackers
against cities, they can't (or very hardly) be countered. Used as
defensors they are rather useless: if a defending dip in a city makes
the chances of success for bribing the city be lowered to 64% instead of
80% this is still too much imho.

I don't know how diplomats work on civ2 but in the game i'd like to play such
easy ways to take a city shouldn't exist or just be possible in certain limited
cases.

Here what i think are super-powers:

super-power 1: unlimited moves

One thing which seems to be the bigger super-power is the ability of engaging
an unlimited number of combats against a city regardless of the moves left for
the attacking dip and without suffering any damage until the end of the
contest.

A lucky dip can bribe a city defended with several other ones in one round,
engaging as much combat as needed against the defensors. For example 3
defending dips (which is rather unthinkable in term of affected prod) leave a
41% chance of taking the city for the attacker. 

Here is an example of an attacking dip far of two tiles from a targeted city
(this city is defended with 3 dips): 

1/ first the attacker uses one move to go to a adjacent tile of the target (on
        move left)

2/ then a first combat is engaged against one of the defending dips 
        -> 100% chance to reach this stage, 80% chance to win

3/ a second combat against the 2nd defensor 
        -> 80% chances to reach this stage, 80% chances to win

4/ a third combat against the 3rd defensor
        -> 64% chances to reach this stage, 80% chances to win

5/ a fourth combat against the city itself
        -> 51% chances to reach this stage, 80% chances to win 

   -> 41% chances globally to win the contest

In such a case, this behaviour makes the dip to have kind of 3 extra moves.
Also, the dip isn't damaged by the several contests since it keeps its 80%
winchance for each of them.

In comparison with that, a horse attacking a 3 warriors defended city has no
chance : it needs one move to approach the city, then one move to attack and
(possibly) kill the 1st warrior. After that no moves are left and no more
combats can be engaged in the same round. The horse is by the way probably
damaged which can make it easily killable by one of the 2 warriors left in the
city or at least lowers its chances to win another combat against the city and
reduces its ability of 2 moves for the next rounds.


super-power 2: ability of having 100% chances in aggressive actions regarless
to diplchance

These actions are:
- bribe a unit
- investigate city

I don't remember exactly how "poison city water" works for spys so i
cant speak about that.

What could be done to counterbalance those super-powers is to : 

- limit the cases where a city is bribable 

- raise the efficiency of defending dips in a city (for example by
  really taking a move to the attacker in a dip contest).

- increase the risk in bribing a city (for example the cost is lost for
  the attacker even if the city doesn't revolt)


G. Gracian