[Freeciv] Re: Dirigible

["Arturo Espinosa-Aldama" <arturoea@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: Marco Tarini <tarini@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: Marco Tarini <tarini@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: freeciv@xxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: [Freeciv] Re: Dirigible
>Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 17:20:49 +0200
>
>NICE sprite Arturo!

Thank-you. :)

<snip>

>Of course, dirigibles would do it better:
>- by flying, dirigible would extend the explorer "move over anything"
>ability to sea as well.
>- giving them movement 4 would let them go one square further than
>the explorer's 1x3.
>- by vision=2 it would get to see further.

>Semantics (I mean: meaning)
>----------
>Dirigibles would boardly represent a more modern, tech-supported
>version of explorers, in between Julio Verne style and the missions to the
>K2 and the poles. Say, form late 700 to early 900 for a reference.
>
>Whereas explorers are anything in between the Spanish solitary map-maker
>in the newly discovered south america, the ancient roman reconnaissance
>unit, the ancient world adventurous sailor a-la Ulysses, etc.

Don't forget Humboldt and the many parties of explorers that died mapping 
inland Australia!

>Attacks from Ground
>---------------------
>I agree, considering the "bomber over ground unit" trick it is really
>mandatory that dirigibles can be attacked by normal ground units.
>Helicopter rules would apply nicely.
>Not sure about the need-refill side effect.
>That would be really bad for an exploring unit.
>I kind of hoped that the "flies but can be attacked by ground" flag
>and the "suffers if outside city" flag where separated in the code.
>They should be, really (for flexibility, to make mod-pack creation
>easier, etc). Then again, I never looked into the code much closely...

I don't get the "bomber over whatever" idea, what's the trick there?

An archer attacking and destroying a dirigible sounds hiloudricous, maybe we 
could give the dirigible some good defense points? That would be another 
plus and would reflect the fact that it is not that easy to hit something 
that is three hundred meters above you, even if it is as big as a dirigible 
(a matter of distance, not size) -- specially when the only thing you have 
at hand is a spear. Then if you get to destroy the dirigible with you 
phalanx, well, it would turn out Achilles DID exist!

I say the dirigible should cost a very good amount of money as well.

Greetings,
Arturo

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