[Freeciv] Re: How to solve ICS - increasing settlercost

[Raimar Falke <rf13@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Aug 15, 2002 at 04:43:25PM +0000, Per I. Mathisen wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 15 Aug 2002, Thomas Strub wrote:
> > cmd 5 and other things give smallpox too. Build as many cities you can,
> > no cityimprovements and so on. For you smallpox is a high density of
> > cities. For me its building only settlers, military units, caravans and
> > wonders. No citiyimprovements.
> >
> > Even wtih cmd 5 its better to build new cities before building a temple.
> 
> That is exactly the problem. City improvements are _not good enough_. They
> are not necessary. So why do you insist on changing _units_?
> 
> There should be a clear reason why a player should build city
> improvements, and I think that should be to get tax, science, luxury and
> access to advanced units. Unfortunately, it is currently possible get all
> four without any improvements at all. This is the problem.
> 
> If we want to make buildings not irrelevant, we should make them better. I
> have already suggested doubling science bonuses of all buildings and
> doubling research cost. If this is not sufficient, this can be combined
> with giving most units gold upkeep and doubling buildings' tax bonuses. If
> _that_ is not sufficent, we can require that very advanced units like
> tanks, mech inf etc are built in cities with adequate mass production
> facilities (ie factory), that diplomats require Courthouse, or ...
> something, you get the idea.
> 
> These suggestions are possible with impr gen or simple ruleset code
> additions, and can be adjusted easily through rulesets. The suggested
> change to unit cost, on the other hand, is a very complex, completely
> artificial and rather restrictive mechanic.

I agree on the "completely artificial".

Simple calculation:

 Build a new city gives you about 4 resources for the center and 3 for
 the first person. Building it costs you 40 shield+20 food=60
 resources. 

 If you don't build the settler you may also get 3 resources per turn
 for the person staying at home.

 So building the settler will have a net profit of 4 resources by an
 investment of 60 resources and a delay of 5 turns (goto). So after
 60/4+5=20 turns the new city is a real advantage.

 So what you have to do is to make the person which stays home produce
 more than the 4 extra resources = 5 extra resources. So we search for
 a building which:
  - in the early game
  - increases the output of all resources by more than 130%
 The cost of the building may be higher than a settler because it is
 used longer (like any building).

So just doubling (to +100%) the science output of the library doesn't
make it.

        Raimar
        
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