[Cosmos2-code] RE: Do unit can receive orders

[Ben K. <ben...@it...>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mathieu Roger [mailto:mat...@im...]
> Sent: Friday, 16 May 2003 1:08 AM
> To: bkl...@us...
> Subject: Do unit can receive orders
>
>
> I have just thought the following:
>
> you want to avoid burden micro managment ans you are perfectly right
>
> I think that for homogeneity of program (and simplicity too)
> unit should be able to receive orders
>
> let's do the following:
>
> when built, a unit goes automatically into a fleet or a colony or
> a storage
> depending of its type...

It goes into a Group ( a group is a fleet in space , and Army or Colony on
the ground depending on whether it has a col unit). If there is no fleet it
will be put in a new fleet  ( which would go to the nearest naval base again
to reduce MM) .

Only groups can move , receive orders and have production queue ( see below)
this makes things much more simple. I want there to be a lot of units but I
dont want players burdoned with them.

>
> --> it would be the default behaviour (that could be locally be switched
> off by
> the player)
>
> --> it let us allow micro managment

There will still be plenty of MM - Stars uses this concept and when you have
100 fleets it can get very MM heavy.

Units automatically generate points but can not  be given orders by players.
These points are automatically executed  eg Research , Terraform , Fight  ,
Produce etc . If you dont want them to do soemthing move them to a group and
set the group to do nothing .

>
>
> By the way I had an idea about orders:
>
> provide a "scripting language" for orders
> [just remember of space empire 4 in which you can have a sequence
> of orders
> that
> can be set "to be repeat" --> it is exactly instruction sequence and loop
> in programming
> language]

Absolutely is Stars you have waypoint 0 ( where you start ) and a number of
waypoints for orders . At each waypoint you can do the following

transport
Colonise
Remote Mining
Merge with Fleet
Scrap Fleet
Lay MineField
Patrol
Route
Transfer to other player

3 of these have other options eg
route goto next waypoint
transfer - eg which player
Transport

for each mineral type + fuel
You can
Load All available
Unload All
Load exactly x
Unload exaclty X
Fill up to %
wait for % ( will wait until that % has been reached)
Load Optimal
Set Amount to x
Set waypoint ( target ) to x .

You can also repeat and you have up to 4 pre programed orders ( I use a
couple to set planets to the breakpoints and skim of the rest of the pop , I
also use one to set Mins to 1000 that way I take excess mins to where they
are needed , but not strip the source).

The only thing I dont like in the stars one is it is impossible to repeat an
order at 1 waypoint so I cant have a ship in orbit taking the pop of a
planet .

Users dont really want to write scripts but 4 or so preporgramed orders
could be more complicated scripts.  Most of the above options would be
needed though.
>
> It does not mean that the player will be obliged to use it, through UI we
> can manage
> to keepsimple uses of orders simple to "state"
>
> the order for a production unit will be
>
> newship = produce(ship-design 27)
> giveOrder(newship, rallyFleet(fleet 1))

Both production units and colonies can produce but they give a production
queue to their group . The group does the build  ( colonies still do
automated things eg grow) .

The group would simply have the order

UnitDesign design = empire.Designs[xx].
AddToQueue(design , amount )

When producing the group would work its way through the queue . This also
allows me to do one thing which I want to do and that is system queues.

We should / could add the queues a bit smart, these are like in stars where
if a queue starves of minerals they go to the next item.


These queue belong to systems with a colony in them . They basically allow a
player to control everything from the main map. One of the elements in the
queue is <local Colony  Queue> that way players can order things after the
colony has finished its production or before in case of emmergencies.

There should also be a number of standard queue eg mining planets etc these
are used as default for that planet type . These could be edited by players-
they are a big help for AI's.

PS Here is a doc I have for ideas on reducing MM some are a little bit old




>
> !!!!
>
>
> Mathieu ROGER
> http://www-timc.imag.fr/Mathieu.Roger/
>
>