Patrol methods

["Brandon J. Van Every" <vanevery at indiegamedesign dot com>]

John Ludlow wrote:
> Brandon Van Every wrote:
> > John Ludlow wrote:
> > > Brandon Van Every wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I do think that "making your presence felt over
> > > > an area" is a higher level warfare concept that
> > > > Civ completely doesn't implement.
> > >
> > > Agreed, which is why I like the regional model.  Actually,
> > > have you considered regions as an overlay to the squares?
> >
> > From a game design standpoint, I don't like the idea of "funny
> > boundaries."  I'd rather either fully accept them or fully reject
> > them.
> >
> > From an AI architecture standpoint, I do not like the idea of
> > intermixing the two models at all.  In actual coding practice, the
> > "flatter" and "more regular" the addressing model, the better.
>
> Fair enough, but how do you plan to let the player make themselves
> felt over an area?  Would they define this area, or is it entirely
> defined by the AI?  If it's defined by the AI, what does the AI work
> on as a basis?

The player has to define the areas.  For playability, I can't allow the
player to treat the game as a paint program, having control over every
single hex they do or don't want to search.  It is too much of a drain
on game time, they will fiddle and micromanage endlessly.  So, I have to
give them a pretty coarse "brush."  A "patrol" icon with a radius,
essentially.

I think we could, however, have these patrol areas adapt themselves a
bit more intelligently to the regions they're plopped down in.  For
instance, instead of just radiating from the flag, they could radiate
from the nearest city.  This is especially useful for airplane patrols.
Ground forces could radiate according to movement cost from cities,
using various transport networks.  However, you'd want the patrolling
methods to be decided more intelligently than simply going down the
quickest road.  The point of patrols is to guard the *flanks* of a road,
not just the road.  Also, you could have units patrol up to natural
boundaries.  Armor could patrol up to mountains but not enter them.
Infantry could stick to their preferred terrain (forest, jungle,
mountain, city) as much as possible.

So, as you cursor the "patrol" icon over your map, the shape of the
patrolled region would flex and bend.  As would those of other patrol
regions overlapping it.  This way, you could systematically build up a
patrol structure for your empire without too many mouseclicks.  Also
your patrol icons would morph and flex as your cities are created or
destroyed, as your empire expands or contracts.  Patrol flags would
always have to be re-evaluating the regions they cover, based on current
conditions.


Cheers,                     www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every           Seattle, WA

Taking risk where others will not.