[Freeciv-Dev] (PR#7144)

["Guest" <rt-guest@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=7144 >

On the mailing List I wrote:
I propose that there should be a new directory in freeciv called
experimental, which is basically exactly that. It should have a far
lower threshhold for making a change as compared to default.
For example, the proposed worker unit should have gone into experimental
almost as soon as it was proposed, since it makes an interesting change.

This is a tar file that when untared will create the new experimental
directory.  The following is the readme file:
------------------------------------------------------------

Experimental

To use experimental in a game at the server type:
rulesetdir experimental

Experimental is a rule set that is solely for testing new game features and 
ideas about how the game should work.  As such, there is a far lower
threshold
for changing the files here than there is for changing the files in 
default or any of the other directories.  However there are two rules for
making a change to exerimental:

1. Document the Change.  The change, and the reason for the change
should be documented in the file CHANGES so that players using
experimental know the current differences.  This will also facilitate
moving the change into default if it is decided that it significantly
improves the game.

2. Don't destroy gameplay to test new features.  For example, say that
you create a new feature called game winning wonder.  The first player
to build this wonder wins the game.  Making this wonder require
Writing and costing 100 shields would be gameplay destroying since the
only way to win would be to research writing, and then build the
wonder.  On the other hand if the wonder required a new tech that
depended on Plastics and Genetic Engineering and cost 5,000 shields,
then it would be fine, since there are still alternative ways to win
the game besides the game winning wonder.  So in short, if the only
reason for the change is to test a feature, don't significantly
disrupt normal gameplay.

Experimental changes certainly can alter the value of different strategies.
Part of the purpose of experimental is to find ways to make Freeciv more 
fun, and so making new strategies viable, or making overused strategies
less viable is certainly allowed, just state your reason in the CHANGES
file.

Experimental is *not* the place to be creating an entirely new
ruleset, since it will always be in flux. Of course, if you want to
try out a new idea before you create a ruleset, feel free to do so.
Also, if you wish to create a new ruleset starting from experimental
is certainly possible.  If you wish to create a new ruleset, then you
should create a new datadir subdirectory and copy these files into
that directory, and then modify that copy.  Then use the command
"rulesetdir <mysubdir>" in the server to have freeciv use your new
customized file.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Below is the list of changes implemented in Experimental.
This is just some quick changes that I thought might be interesting:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Worker Unit:

This unit does not have a pop cost or a food cost, yet it can 
do most settler actions (with the exception of founding a city and 
adding population to a city).  The purpose of this unit is to make it 
easier to have large cities by making land improvements easier.  This 
should make smallpox less of a dominating strategy.

As part of this change, engineers are changed to be unable to found cities 
and add population to cities as they are now an upgrade of workers, instead
of an upgrade of settlers.  Workers and Engineers now require a Marketplace 
to be built in the city before they can be created.  This forces the city 
to be a reasonable sized city.

Changes:  unit_settlers,unit_workers,unit_engineers
Indirect Affect: Marketplace
Change Type: Gameplay improvement

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vision improvements for Explorers and Partisans:

Both Explorers and Partisans now have vision_range = 2.
This is to simplify early exploring and also to give a method to 
easily watch over land in later game.

Changes: unit_partisan,unit_explorer
Indirect Affect: None
Change Type: Gameplay improvement

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Vision improvements for Explorers and Partisans:

Both Explorers and Partisans now have vision_range = 2.
This is to simplify early exploring and also to give a method to 
easily watch over land in later game.

Changes: unit_partisan,unit_explorer
Indirect Affect: None
Change Type: Gameplay improvement

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Computers now Bonus Tech:

This is a demonstration of multiplue bonus techs being allowed.
Computers are now a second bonus tech (i.e. the first player to
research it automatically get a second advance.)  This has minimual
game impact since computers are quite far along on the tech tree and a
bonus tech is not a game winning effect.

Changes: advance_computers
Indirect Affect: None
Change Type: Feature test

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Decreased upkeep for Marketplace, Bank and Stock Exchange:

Currently, Marketplace, Bank, and Stock Exchange are fairly under used.
They have upkeep costs that can cause them to have no effect or a negative
effect on gold production in the city.  This change lessens or eliminates
that effect by changing the following upkeeps:
Marketplace from 1 to 0.
Bank from 3 to 1.
Stock Exchange from 4 to 2.

This should have the advantage that Marketplace, Bank and Stock Exchange 
get built more frequently and should make it easier to maintain large
cities.

Changes: building_marketplace,building_bank,building_stock_exchange
Indirect Affect: None
Change Type: Gameplay improvement




Have fun.  This is set as patch exists, even though it is not
technically a patch.  It should be untarred from inside the data directory.
--
Josh Cogliati

experimental.tar.gz
Description: Zip compressed data