[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#14343) Data: Egyptian city list

["miguel@xxxxxxxx" <miguel@xxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14343 >

On 10/27/05, Benedict Adamson <badamson@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> <URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14343 >
>
> miguel@xxxxxxxx wrote:
> ...
> > This is very similar to an idea I proposed back in july for having
> > translated city names
> ...
>
> Indeed it is. I like the idea of conquered cities having their names
> changed. This will be particularly good for civil war nations were the
> rebel nation is a historical successor nation that spoke a different
> language.

We're talking ALMOST the same thing. ;-)

Just to make things clear, I'm including below what I thought up last
back in july - the main difference is that I prefer a separate file for
all the alternate city names definitions.

What I hadn't thought about was civil war, though. It would be nice to
see, for example, a catalan country spawning off the spanish and taking
on catalan names.


> I've been thinking along the following lines.
> * Each city in a nation's city list has an associated 'canonical name'.
> * In most cases the listed name and canonical name will be the same, so
> the default is to interpret the listed name as also the canonical name.

Pretty much what I thought of as the "default" name. For example:

{ "London",    "english", "default"
  "Londres",   "chilean"
  "Londinium", "roman"
  "Londres",   "spanish"
}



> * The canonical name of a city is its modern name in the main language
> of the nation that it currently belongs to.

Yup.


> * Cities that have a canonical name different from their listed name
> give the canonical name in brackets after the listed name.

IMHO, my proposed syntax is a bit more elegant and allows for many
different names for many different countries. Also, by putting all the
definitions in a separate file, we can keep simpler nation rulesets.

>[...]
>
> For example, the rulesets might say the following:
> roman.ruleset:
> "Londinium [London]",
> english.ruleset:
> "London (river,ocean)",
> french.ruleset:
> "Paris",
> "Londres (foreign)[London]",
> russian.ruleset:
> "Sankt-Peterburg",
> soviet.ruleset:
> "Leningrad [Sankt-Peterburg]",
[...]

As you can see, this might be quite complex if many nations have a
different name for a given city. I still think an alternate file is a
better way to go.


Here's what I proposed back in july:


] Idea: after obtaining a city, if the conquering nation knows it by an
] alternate name, it should be renamed to it.
]
] How? The following pseudo-code should be executed:
]
]
] if (   ({CityName,LoserNation}    is in {equivalences})
]     OR ({CityName,FoundingNation} is in {equivalences})
]    ) {
]         X=[city name such that {X,ConqueringNation} is equivalent to
]            {CityName,LoserNation} OR {CityName,FoundingNation}]
]         if (X exists) {
]            newName=X
]            announce="CityName is now known as X, as it should be!"
]         } else {
]            newName=[default for CityName]
]            announce="CityName is now known as X, as their founders saw fit."
]         }
]      } else {
]         newName=CityName
]      }
]
] if (CityName!=newName) {
]
]    if (renameOption==automatic) {
]      post a warning with the text in {announce}
]      rename city to newName
]    } else { /* renameOption==interactive */
]      post a dialog box, asking for CityName's new name (newName should be
]        prefilled in the field)
]      rename city to whatever the user said
]    }
]
] }
]
]
] This mechanism requires that one city name is marked as the default. Any
] nation that has an alternate name for it will use its own name when
] conquering it. The nations that do NOT have an alternate name will use
] the default one. If the conquering nation uses the same name as the one
] losing the city, nothing will happen (I think it's pointless to announce
] "We've captured München and we'll know it now as München!").
]
]
] Example: the alternate names file contains this:
]
] ----8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<----
] { "Moskva",    "russian", "default"
]   "Moscow",    "english"
]   "Moscou",    "french"
]   "Moscú",     "spanish"
] }
]
] { "London",    "english", "default"
]   "Londres",   "chilean"
]   "Londinium", "roman"
]   "Londres",   "spanish"
] }
] ----8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<--------8<----
]
] A game with at least four players takes place; they are close to each
] other and at war. The following events happen:
]
] english  found   London
] spanish  conquer London     -> is renamed to Londres
] english  conquer Londres    -> is renamed to London
] martian  conquer London     -> nothing happens
] spanish  conquer London     -> is renamed to Londres
] chilean  conquer Londres    -> nothing happens
] martian  conquer Londres    -> is renamed to London
] chilean  conquer London     -> is renamed to Londres
] chilean  rename  Londres (manually) to Talca
] martian  conquer Talca      -> nothing happens
] english  conquer Talca      -> nothing happens
] spanish  conquer Talca      -> nothing happens
] english  conquer Talca      -> nothing happens
] english  rename  Talca (manually) to London
] spanish  conquer London     -> is renamed to Londres
]
] The entry for London contains alternate names for several countries,
] which are then used as each country conquers the city. Note that the
] martian DON'T have an alternate name, so they use the default one.

--
Miguel Farah
miguel@xxxxxxxx