[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#12905) RFC: normalizing the effects of happiness buildings

["(Eddie Anderson)" <saywhat@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=12905 >

"Peter Schaefer" <peter.schaefer@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
><URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=12905 >
>

>The civ client shows you the exact sequence in a dialog, so players
>could understand how it worked.  Since this dialog isn't very popular -
>I myself must have opened it only about half a dozen times- it follows
>that players don't understand what is happening.

    I agree that the info technically *is* there.  Nevertheless, I
suspect that many (most?) players (even those who look at that
dialog) are still surprised the first time that they see
Michelangelo's Chapel show up, not on the Wonders line, but on the
buildings line.

    And the problem is *not* that Michelangelo lands on the
buildings line.  The problem is that its *effects* are frequently
wasted there.

    In the example that began this thread, Michelangelo has no
effect at all because the Temple (with Mysticism) made both initial
unhappy citizens content.  When Michelangelo's turn came, there was
nothing for it to do.  And because Michelangelo can't do a type 3)
effect, it was worthless in this city.


> If the effect was
>simplified, I guess the AI code would get a little simpler too. (But
>then, human players wouldn't be smarter than the AI ;-)

    I'd like to see that (smarter AI not less smart human players). :-)


>However, I am not sure you can completely simplify this into just one
>value, luxuries, since military units might make people "content", but
>not "happy", which makes sense, doesn't it.
>
>You could try to break up the happiness calculation into two groups
>though, into one "content" modifier, which would include military law
>and the "luxuries" modifier.

    It's not necessary to make those particular unhappy people
content.  See my reply to Brian's reply.

    Even with the change I proposed, unhappiness caused by military
units still has an effect - it prevents celebration.  Of course, if
that unhappiness is quelled by a police station, Bach, or
Shakespeare, then celebration becomes possible again.


>So you might get away with 4 steps(city status' ) instead of 5 as they are now:
>- get initial unrest and determine military unrest
>- calculate luxuries and content modifiers and include wonders in these.
>(steps)
>- set up city for initial unrest
>- apply content modifier
>- apply luxuries modifier
>- apply military unrest starting from lowest content citizen

     Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you wrote, but I don't see how
this produces a better result.  In fact, as I read it, this would
also render Shakespeare and Bach as impotent as Michelangelo.

>This might simplify the wonders calculation and allow it to be cached.
>I'm not sure this is worth all the work you will have to put into side
>effects - I heard there is lots of smart code around somehow related
>to happiness. Not to mention that that window in all clients would
>have to be fixed, too.

-Eddie