[Freeciv] Re: Speeding Up Games

[Mark Metson <markm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003, Ilkka Lehtoranta wrote:

> I think there is more sophisticated way to finish games early but still 
> gently. This could be achieved by having 'key cities': You win the game 
> when you have captured or destroyed the key cities of your opponents.

So far you're sounding OK...

> Key cities could be the capital city and some other cities, maybe chosen
> by server. I.e. every 10th (20th? 30th?) built city could be a key city. 
> WHo ever gets them first wins.

Too arbitrary. Its ridiculous. If my 9th and 19th cities are now size 20 
and my 10th and 20th are still tiny villages churning out settlers for me 
its my 9th and 19th that are key, not my 10th and 20th. Being a "key city" 
should be related to actual usefulness, such as my more productive city my 
most scientific city my highest-taxed city and such.

Also, wasn't there a long time ago work being done on "essential" 
(game-ending if they are killed) units? It might make more sense to use 
those.

Or, have an option whereby losing your palace finishes you. Or, limit 
where you can rebuild your palace. Like maybe if you lose your palace you 
can only build a new one in a city that has a courthouse, if you have no 
courthouses when you lose your palace then sorry, you're out of the game. 
(Where out of the game means "as if disconnected", not "as if turning over 
your player to AI then disconnecting").

Also, with respect to all the "inactive" civilisations, just because you 
leave their cities and units lying around on the map need not mean you 
count them as existing when checking for "win by eliminating all 
opponents". So once everyone is just lying around "as if disconnected" (or 
maybe in anarchy) count that as a win.

Hey in fact maybe at any time everyone else is in anarchy could count as a 
win even if they think they went into anarchy deliberately just to change 
government in a predetermined way? If everyone in the world except you 
decides to have a revolution at the same time maybe the result need not be 
as predictable as they think. Synergy.

Hmmm I notice you don't get to choose what government will result after a 
revolution until the revolution is over. How does the game decide (a) 
whether the revolution will ever end and (b) when it does end? It often 
seemed to me to be basically a random number on the order of approx 1 to 3 
turns. But it would probably make sense for it to be computed turn by 
turn, do you have enough lawfulness points yet to manage to take back 
control of your civilisation or must it continue in anarchy? Some kind of 
computations should be involved, like do you have enough loyal units left 
to impose martial law, or enough courthouses left to draft a new 
constitution, or enough persons of royal blood left to propose as a new 
royal family or something?

-MarkM-

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