[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Fixing ICS (simply)

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

Hellen Claggett wrote:
>
> OK, I've been following the debates and discussions on reducing ICS in
> Freeciv and, as a ICS player myself, it seems to me that the proposed
> solutions are more complicated than the problem they are
> trying to fix.

Although I do think your "Occam's Razor" approach to the problem has
merit, I do want to point out that "fixing ICS" is not the sole motive
for the Migration rules I proposed.  It is also an act of artistic
expression, the kinds of things I like as a game designer.

I *really like* the idea of making the lives of my hapless citizens
miserable in my police state.  I like the idea of bossing them around
and making them do stupid things like march halfway across the
continent, turn around and go somewhere else, fuck with their minds
again, make them turn around and go somewhere else, kill one of 'em to
make an example out of 'em, watch 'em flee in terror, cower in another
one of my cities, bring the tanks into that city to ruthlessly suppress
them...

I *really like* the idea of playing a Chechen, triggering a horde of
fleeing Refugees when the Russians invade Grozny, and totally bogging
them down.  Having to feed the damn citizens and refugees and not shoot
them is a real life military bogdown.  As are human shields, such as in
Bosnia and Iraq.

Here I am clearly expressing the sensibilities of someone who likes
Builder games (Zeus, SimCity), RPG (getting into the character of
Chairman Yang), and The Sims - if only it was about killing people.
"Into the tanks!"  And I don't mean the kinds with turrets.  I also like
torturing and breaking hapless AIs.  Make them do stupid things to show
how stupid they really are.

These are things that make Single Player games fun.  If most of you guys
are deeply into Multiplayer, this may be a total disconnect for you.
I'm just pointing out we are not trying to fix exactly the same
problems.  Our problems overlap, but it's a mistake to say "the proposed
solutions are more complicated than the problem they are trying to fix."
That's only true if you think the point of Freeciv is to keep your head
down for the pressures Multiplayer and never just play with the thing.

I also have a didactic, moral interest in making people confront warfare
atrocities somehow.  Migration is a very simple way to do it.


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.