#63 10% engineer abuses
A 100% unit should be about 10 times as useful as a 10%
unit to prevent `gamey' tricks.
All engineer missions except for `work' are flawed:
* laying mines
The `lmine' command charges mobility per mine. I
propose to scale with 100/efficiency.
* Sweeping mines
Engineers sweep mines in non-old-owned non-bridge
sectors on behalf of
- march when entering a sector
- march when user orders a sweep with sub-command `m'
- attack when entering a sector (only if
INTERDICT_ATT is on)
The first two charge mobility, the last doesn't (how
strange).
The mobility cost is the same as for entering an
ordinary sector (base mcost 2, 100% eff, no roads).
There's code to scale engineer speed with efficiency
for purposes of sweeping, but it is commented out.
Why? It shouldn't!
* Protecting from mines
Engineers lower the chance to hit landmines to 1/3
for the whole group. Attacking engineers halve
defensive support from landmines.
Options:
- Make the bonus proportional to the combined
efficiency of engineers present (capped at 100).
- Give the engineers a random chance to earn the
bonus; chance is proportional to combined efficiency
(capped at 100%).
- Do nothing. I don't like this. Engineers should
be used with high morale settings, so 100% eng can't be
expected to take more damage than 20% eng in combat.
Very low eff eng risk total destruction, which is
expensive. High eff eng take more damage from
shelling. Looks like low eff eng are perfectly fine
for this job.
Engineers also take half damage from landmines
regardless of efficiency, but that's not a problem.
* Help fortify
Engineers provide a 50% fortification bonus. I
suggest to make the bonus proportional to combined
engineer efficiency (capped at 100).
