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Re: Exploration patch


>Without the enclosed patch, exploration in the standard game ends
>around turn 40 or 60 or something.  I guess another solution to
>see-terrain-if-captured would be to just set it to zero (if one gets
>info on a unit, one gets info on the terrain it sits on).  I've played
>a few games with this patch and it seems to work well for me.
>
>Comments?

The exploration bug should be fixed, I agree, but I'm not sure this is the
best way. If I capture an enemy unit with this patch, what I get to see is
a patchwork of seen and unseen hexes that are scattered all over the map.
Not very pretty, and doesn't make much sense either. A better fix along
these lines would be to have a make-terrain like algorithm that generates
one single random sized area of visible hexes that nucleates at the
captured unit.

Or to make it really simple, make all hexes within a fixed or randomly
determined radius from the captured unit visible!

However, I suspect the real problem here is need_explorers:

    if (numcontacted == 0) {
	/* If we've haven't found anybody, always explore. */
	return TRUE;
    } else if (numfound == 0) {
	/* If we've made contact but haven't found their home base,
	   we still need to explore, but not so much. */
	return probability(50);
    } else if (numfound < numsides - 1) {
	/* If we haven't found everybody's home base, we still need
	   to have a few units continuing to explore. */
	return probability(10);
    } else {
	/* If everybody has been found, then we likely have more
	   pressing concerns; don't do more exploration. */
	return FALSE;
    }

I think exploration should continue also after all enemy bases have been
found. And dropping it to just 10% after the first enemy base has been
found seems a little drastic, particularly in game with many sides.

Perhaps you could test some other percentages in need_explorers and see if
they solve the problem.

Hans


Hans Ronne

hronne@pp.sbbs.se



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