[Freeciv-Dev] Re: Wanting to help

[Per Inge Mathisen <per@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 15 Nov 2005, Jérôme Plût wrote:
> I started hacking at the FreeCiv code (I only had 2.0.1, but will port
> whatever could be of interest to you to 2.0.7) in order to prepare it
> to be able to simulate (or rather, update) an old game which a lot of
> Freecivers probably appreciate much, that is, Master of Magic.

Hello,

This is of great interest. As Jason said, you should work against the most
recent version in the svn repostory, though.

>  - handle unit experience as an alternative to the veteran system,

This has been on my todo-list for ages. Veterancy should be acquired by
experience points, not randomness. If you have a patch for this, that is
great. Please post.

>  - allowing tiles to define more than two specials per terrain type
>  (this needs separate "resources" (ores, animals...) from
>  "modifications" (infrastructure, pollution...), but would be
>  compulsory if you want to emulate Civ3),

If this can be done cleanly, I have no objections.

>  - allowing stack moves and stack combat (as in CTP),

I see no reason for this. I cannot think of any sane way to implement
stack combat. Some kind of bodyguard stack moves might be of interest,
though.

>  - allowing different unit species (the Martians etc. could have a
>  different tech. tree, and different units),
>  (this is ill-fitted with the nations system, especially since on my
>  build you can play Mordor High Elves vs. Martian Hobbits vs.
>  Dunédain Trolls...)

Nations should be used for MoM races. There is no point in adding an
additonal system...

>  - add the building tree as a parallel to the tech tree (this is
>  already more or less the case, but the AI seems to ignore it
>  altogether ?!),

You mean buildings that require buildings? The AI does not value a
building for merely allowing it to build other buildings, that is correct.
Perhaps this should be fixed.

>  -change move types (to add in mountaineer, forester... and this
>  would help for Civ-like games too, think alpine troops and
>  partisans),

If it can be implemented cleanly, I have no objections.

>  - add other planes (MoM has Arcanus and Myrror, CTP has Ground and
>  Space, although they behave quite differently, at least some code
>  could be factored).

Ugh. No. Please.

>  - heroes?,

As above, if there is a simple way to do it, fine.

> Do you have any ideas of what else could be of any help?

Jason has a patch for MoM-like terrain outputs (tiles give % bonuses to
outputs instead of outputs when worked). Hopefully it will go in soon.

Of course, to make MoM emulation, we will need MoM-like graphics.

  - Per