[Freeciv-Dev] design of future orders

[Jason Dorje Short <jdorje@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

For Arnstein's "mission orders" match he needs to add new possibilities 
for orders.  Currently there are two possible orders: wait and move. 
His patch adds many more possible orders:
  Activity orders:
    pollution, road, mine, irrigate, fortify, fortress, sentry, 
railroad, pillage, transform, airbase, fallout.
  Action orders: autoattack, autosettle, build wonder, disband, set 
homecity, build trade route, unload.
  Diplomat actions: bribe, embassy, sabotage, steal, incite, poison, 
investigate, sabotage unit, get sabotage list, move
The question is what the interface for all this should look like.


My plan was for a single enumeration:

  {ORDER_WAIT, ORDER_MOVE, ORDER_ACTIVITY, ORDER_AUTOATTACK, ...,
   ORDER_UNLOAD, ORDER_DIPLOMAT}

  with secondary (alread existing) structs to hold the move direction, 
activity, or diplomatic action.

Arnstein's plan renumbers the existing enumerations:

  {ACTIVITY_IDLE, ... ACTIVITY_MINE,
   ACTIVITY_LAST}
  {ACTION_AUTOATTACK = (ACTIVITY_LAST + 1), ..., ACTION_UNLOAD,
   ACTION_LAST}
  {DIPLOMAT_BRIBE = (ACTION_LAST + 1), ..., DIPLOMAT_MOVE,
   DIPLOMAT_LAST}
  {ORDER_MOVE = (DIPLOMAT_LAST + 1), ORDER_FINISH_TURN, ORDER_LAST}

where four enumerations are used (3 of them new) and the final order 
type is just an integer comprising the union of the four.

On further reflection I don't think either of these methods are ideal. 
Does anyone have suggestions?
jason