[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#4108) Bad feedback with auto explore

["Mark Metson" <markm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003, Raimar Falke wrote:

> On Tue, Oct 21, 2003 at 09:31:28PM -0700, Mark Metson wrote:

> > I suppose if there are no unfogged tiles there might not be much left to 
> > explore but certainly if there is any fog you should go explore the fog if 
> > you have already explored the completely unknown. Finally maybe even if 
> > there is nothing unfogged you could head to wherever the lack of fog is 
> > least "dense" or is created by unfortified units, on the theory that 
> > unfortified units might move and once they move they might leave fog 
> > behind so worst case choice of place to explore might be such places that 
> > seem potentially un danger of becomiong fogged...
> 
> The original request was a bug in the implementation. You now suggest
> a new feature. Note that if an explorer has completely explored (no
> more unknown tiles) an island it is a good idea to ship this explorer
> to the next island.

True and true. I was trying to come up with something that would permit 
the server to avoid leaking information - if there was somehow always 
something to explore then it would not need to ever admit there is 
actually nothing to explore.

But actually it should not be the server that is leaking the information, 
ideally it ought to be up to the explorer to decide whether it thinks it 
has run out of things to explore, and maybe it ought to consider such 
explanations as "oh sure there might be more land out there beyond those 
enemy howizers but I aint gonna go there until you please kindly get those 
enemy howizers out of my way or give me a ride around them somehow".

That is, it really ought not to be up to the server per se to figure out 
there is factually nothing left for that explorer to explore, if ought to 
be from that particular explorer's point of view, can that particular 
explorer imagine any possible way there could be someplace it hasn't yet 
been. Maybe at some point all the exploerers in the world of everyone's 
ought to end up at the poles seeking a mythical entrance to the hollow 
earth or at the capitals urging on the space program so they can have new 
worlds to explore. :)

So I think it might be nice to not only have feedback but to have the 
feedback include an explanation or even expectation/hope, like instead of 
just not having the menu item have the item but when you select if have it 
pop up with a request such as "give me a ride this whole island is known 
territory" or "build spaceships this whole world is known territory" or 
something like that.

Maybe there should be a "Spherical Earth" tech (maybe Magellans 
qualifies) so that until you discover that tech your explorers will remain 
convinced that there is always new territory out there somewhere so go on 
circumnavigating the world looking for it... :))

-MarkM-

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