[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#14651) Fw: Patch proposal: unit experience

["Per I. Mathisen" <per@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://bugs.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=14651 >

On Sun, 20 Nov 2005, Jerome Plut wrote:
> Attached: a patch to have the units gain experience, in parallel to the
> veteran system.
...
>  - the units now gain experience points, and can reach experience
>  levels (which are totally equivalent to veteran levels),

I wish that was more true, though. I think the patch goes overboard
replacing the existing punit->veteran system with a punit->experience
system; instead punit->veteran should be kept, and just use
punit->experience as an additional way to gain levels (the only way for
gaining veterancy from combat in the field). This should make the patch
smaller.

I do not think that everywhere in the code and the game we need to replace
veteran levels by experience points. I see that civ4 makes Barracks give
units experience points instead of veteran levels, but I am not sure it is
such a good idea. Opinions?

>  - they can also spontaneously gain a level, the raise_chance
>  mechanism is still in place (this will set their experience points
>  to the number required to achieve next level)
>  (this means that you can disable either mechanism via ruleset, to
>  keep the one you prefer)

Why keep the raise_chance mechanism? If one is clearly better, we should
pick that one and drop the other. If it is not clearly better, we should
reconsider adding it.

>  - it breaks savegame compatibility (for experience is saved in place
>  of level)

There needs to be a way to load older savegames and add experience points
from veteran levels.

>  - when you mid-click on a unit, it shows the current XP as well as
>  the number needed to reach next level.

Maybe, but it should be done in a better way than L:%d, which is too
cryptic.

> Change to rulesets:
>  - added a "required_xp" integer list to the veteran_system section.
>  Any level whose required_xp is -1 is disabled (not reachable
>  through XP gain).

Ok.

> What is still to do:
>  - decide the appropriate number of XP to gain for each action. I set
>  it to ten XP for each (combat, work, high seas), and the levels are
>  at 0, 20, 60, 120. This makes the units gain levels at a mean speed
>  comparable to that of the veteran_system.

I am unsure whether we should keep veteran effects from work. It does not
look like it contributes anything worthwhile.

You also need to read the coding style document. I notice there is lots of
missing curly braces, missing newlines and added whitespace before
braces...

  - Per