[Freeciv-Dev] Re: ICS: double empire in 10 turns

["Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

James Canete wrote:
>
> I decided to do a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation of how fast a
> "pure" ICS player would grow, given "ideal" conditions.

It's an interesting calculation.  I'd rate the utility of Freeciv as a
tool on whether it could *actually quickly test* such calculations.
Like, rapidly code up an AI with this strategy for spreading over a map,
and see what the ideal results are.  That sounds hard to do in the
current codebase however.  Am I mistaken?

> I'm probably lacking a bit in my
> knowledge of history tho; when did people first start large-scale
> colonization?

As soon as they walked out of Africa.  You are confusing colonization
for the Agricultural Revolution and city-state urbanization.  If you
wanted accuracy, you'd start the whole planet with either
hunter-gatherer or neolithic farming communities just about everywhere.
This long precedes 4000 BC.  Pottery has been found in Japan as early as
11,000 BC.

> Anyhoo, how do those sound?  Completely ludicrous or no?
> I apologize in
> advance if I'm just yelling out things people have already
> pointed out.

I don't see why you should apologize for intelligent analyses.

Here's the deal.  For any given thing X, you can either sit around in
committee deciding whether or not it's adviseable to implement it, or
you can just go implement it.  Maybe if enough people do the latter,
Freeciv will evolve by faits accompli.  If lotsa people have alternate
game versions that aren't making it into the source pool, someone will
fork the project and provide a managerial structure more condusive to
experimental rather than cautious development.  I'd probably contribute
to that kind of palace revolt... but I'm cautious about the use of my
time right now, and I'm still hopeful that the Freeciv principles may
yet See The Light.


Cheers,                         www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every               Seattle, WA

20% of the world is real.
80% is gobbledygook we make up inside our own heads.