[Freeciv] Re: Visibly defended cities and a new role for embassies...

[Kris Bubendorfer <Kris.Bubendorfer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My 2 cents worth.  See below...

> > It seems strange to me that one know exactly which cities of his ennemy
> > are undefened. It's a very important information which is given at no
> > cost !
> 
>   For people who have played CivI and CivII before, it's strange to not know
> when a city is undefended. :-)  I realize that it doesn't make sense but I
> don't think that Freeciv's goal is (or should be) to emulate reality 
> precisely.
> 
>   I'm not really sure how this would fit in to the rest of the game features 
> of
> Freeciv though..I could see it being better not to show the information for 
> us..
> (in that case--perhaps it shouldn't even be sent to the client)


I see that there are very different goals between single vs AI and multiplayer 
games.  It makes sense in some ways for the single player vs AI to behave more 
like Civ and Civ II.  As neither CivI or II where designed with multiplayer 
games in mind, I think it is OK to make some changes.

What I am trying to say, perhaps this should be an toggleable server option 
where there is more than 1 human player (non AI?) that allows the defended city 
info to be turned off.  After all, you can still find out with a Spy.

Personally I don't like this information being given gratis against other 
humans.  In reality they would have to use a spy to determine this, so I think 
they should in freeciv too.

Against an AI - well, you probably need all the help you can get :)

***  SOME IDEAS ***

One alternative is to extend the power of an embassy - that is, allow it to 
inform it's owner of close by troop movements.  That is, we record the actual 
city the embassy is founded in, and provide the `defended' city information 
about all the cities within a certain radius.  That radius could be enlarged 
again when espionage is discovered.

Of course you are still only permitted one embassy per player, and so should be 
more careful about where to place it.  I'd also like to see embassies lost when 
the host city is conquored.  Something has always seemed fishy to me about 
immutable embassies with no actual physical presence.

I would also like an emabssy to retain the basic functions of a diplomat - that 
is, an immobile one.  I'd like the embassy to be able to bribe and poison it's 
host city.  If caught, the embassy should be razed.  If bribing is sucessful 
the embassy is disestabllished.  Bribing individual units from an embassy makes 
little sense to me, so this would be a city function.  Click on the city in 
which you have an embassy, and you get the same output as when a spy 
investigates.  You then also have as city options the bribing and poisoning 
abilities.

FEED BACK PLEASE......
-- 

Cheers Kris...