[Freeciv] thoughts on smallpox

[K@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Looking in the freeciv emailing archive I realized
that I missed a vivid discussion on the city smallpox 
syndrome. Based on bright ideas of others, the food model 
below might result in a realistic game with exponential 
growth but without the small pox syndrome.

Obviously, the smallpox syndrome's origin is based
on the fact that growth becomes exponential if one builds 
new cities. If you build a settler and a city
at size 2 you basically double the food surplus and
trade points and increase the production by 4/3
(4 workers instead of 3). Doing so every 12 turns
means that you built 16 cities in -2200 (starting with
two settlers) and formed a Republic.

I like the suggestion to remove the central worker under
the city since this removes the exponential growth by building 
small cities. This is the most elegant way to overcome the 
smallpox syndrome.

On the other hand, exponential growth is important to rule 
the world at the end though starting with only two settlers 
in the beginning. It is also realistic. From my point of view,
the exponential growth by building cities should be replaced
by an exponential growth of the city itself (which does not
even grow linearly due to an increasing food-box). So, how about
making a city of size 2 growing twice as fast compared to a city 
of size 1, as long as natural limits allow (no more grassland, 
no sanitation). E.g. something like the following might give 
enough but not too much growth without central worker:
 grassland: 3 food 
 plains: 2 food 
 ocean swamp jungle forest hills tundra: 1 food
 mountains glacier desert: 0 food
 food specials (wheat fish game oasis fruit): 4 food
Together with a food-box of 20 independently of city size, this
will result in an exponential city growth (growing
by celebrating might be canceled). Of course, one needs still
to build settlers to work on additional specials and to mark the 
territory.

Cities will not become too large early on if every seventh food 
goes to waste without a granary  (6 food instead of 7 calculated, 
12 instead of 14...;  which I think is a realistic effect of a granary) 
and additionally every eights food is lost under despotism due 
the inefficiency of this form of government.



K