A simple question....

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Peter Triggs
RE: "infinite"

[MarkG] [DarthVeda] I have a question: what is the max number of units in the game?
[MarkG] (if one exists)

[mrogre] 2 to the 28th power.

[StSwithin] minus 1

I couldn't think of any comment that couldn't be misinterpreted.

That should be 268435455, for this is "infinity", unfortunatly the problem is for the max number of sprites is not the limit given by the memory but the a artificial limit give by the programers. So as long we don't have the source code hacking is the way to solve this problem.

-Martin

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Dale
Well, in the tentative tech tree I currently have 176 advances, and that's only till 1950! I got another 50 years to do.



I think I might have to cull some.

No! I made a 200 advance mod for CTP and it only reinforced my opinion that the more advances the merrier.

[centrifuge]

I second that. As long as they don't become redundant or just plain rediculous. ....though, I have enough respect for the Modders here that I'm quite sure that would never happen.

[Dale]

Okay, tech update for those asking.

Date reached: 1500AD - End of Epoche 3!
Age reached: Age of Discovery! (Last tech in Epoche 3 is "Earth a Globe", with Columbus as the wonder)
No. of Techs to 1500AD: 146
No. of Units to 1500AD: 36 (not including upgrades)
No. of Builds to 1500AD: 38
No. of Wonders to 1500AD: 25
No. of Govts to 1500AD: 14 (not finalised yet)

I may include another 3 governments at the end of Epoche 3 to simulate the end of the Dark Ages. Undecided. I may just leave them till Epoche 4.

[Maquiladora]

14 governments upto 1500AD I hope theres enough variation between each and not just a ladder system, where you move "up" a government rather than choosing the best to fit your Empire (not just max cities)

[Dale]

I've tried to allow for 3 lines of progression for governments: military govs, economic govs and scientific govs. Also remember some are "required" govs like Anarchy and Tyranny.

As part of my Dark Ages, there's a few extra govs than normal. But more on that later........

So to put it in game terms, for the first 850 turns (1500AD) there will be approximately 5 govt changes. That's not too bad since 3 of these will be "required".

[child of Thor]

Yeah!
Loadsa techs - that's what i like
I think more gov's is ok - i usually only use a few as the normal choices have some very serious 'weak' options, especially in the non-western/typical forms of gov - so more choice can be a good thing
I must say this is sounding like a bit of a blinder! I get the feeling we are seeing a new generation of Mods on the way,bet activision had no idea what you'd all be doing with the game- outstanding!

[primemover]

Concerning the colonization routine:

If this mod is still in the works I had a few comments.

1. It seems colonization is an important issue in this mod and I cannot agree more. The truth is the AI has no clue how to place colonies and sometimes, good placement can give one an incredible advantage if they know what to look for. Sometimes, I think this is one of the main reasons its easy to beat the AI. I currently play MM2 and I am not sure what modifications have been made to help the AI place cities, but it still sucks. Here are a few things I think should be added to your list.

A. First and foremost, maximization of resources is a must! In order to do that one must space cities as far apart as possible, but just far enough so that one can still build roads from one to another. (Other things can influence one to put cities closer together.) Sometimes the AI puts cities no more than 4 spaces apart. This is ridiculous since a city cannot use a maximum amount of land around the city for growing and "gathering" resources. Consequently, I am not sure I like your numbers 5-7 spaces apart are quite right (unless that is diagonally... that is perfect diagonally since the diagonal radius from city to farthes square is 3). I think cities should be placed 6-9 spaces apart (since2 x 4... non-diagonal radius = 8, their should be a maximum of 8 empty squares between cities that are in line (or nearly in line) with each other).

B. Another thing I feel that is really beneficial when placing a colony is a mountain range. Building a city at the foot of a mountain range really helps production later when the city is large. A plot where about 1/2 - 2/3 is mountains and the rest crop lands (green) is IDEAL (IMHO). I think mountains should be a + factor. This is especially true when they come close to a coast. Ships are very expensive and so I ALWAYS grab a spot (if I find one) that has a beach on one side and a mountain range on the other. I use these cities to quickly build a navy later in the game (when I need one).

C. Another extremely beneficial place to put a city is on narrow necks of land where the width is only one. This is VERY nice because it allows one to send ships through a city from one ocean to another where an enemy has to sail all the way around. (I will mention that places like these are extremely rare. Most of the time, narrow necks are usually places where continents come to an end. Also, one can travel through anyways if sea tiles are kitty corner. This distinct advantage only works if a city is built where no sea tiles are kitty corner and their is a significant amount of land on either side of the neck).

D. Goods are really nice, but building right next to a good isn't always necessary. This is especially true in the beginning of the game when trade isn't available yet and later when it is still expensive. If their are other more favorable factors nearby, I usually try to build one expansion size away (meaning when my city expands at 7 or 9...depending on the mod being used... the good will be available. This idea is also beneficial when two goods are close enough that they both can be in reach within the first two city expansions. (I play with many good!).

The bottom line is that the +1 or -1 system might be too simplistic. Here are the factors that IMO should be considered (in this order (with a suggested weighted factor)

300-500 points for any neck spot

10 points for each mountain tile within a tile radius of three (up to 24 tiles, after which, there is an exponential penalty per tile err... but if I remember correctly, there is no native exponent in SLIC). If their is an adjacent sea spot, then it should be 30 points per tile.

50 points for a beach

7-10 points for each river tile within a radius of two.

8-12 points for each good within a radius of three (within a radius of 3 = 8 pts. rad 2 is 10 points. rad 1 is 12 points).


The other things you mentioned should also be factors (more or less):

- Military presence +pos (although this is really not a big deal since one can always send units)

- Fortification +pos (I don't necessarily agree with this one)

- Enemy presence -neg (In some cases. However, sometimes I deliberately put cities on borders of other countries to frustrate their expansion into what I consider valuable territory... so it would depend on the value of the territory in question.

- Trade post +pos (hmm... aren't these tile improvements anyway? dont they come after a city is built?

- Another settlement -neg. This really depends. I think up to the radius it should be VERY negative (more negative, the closer it is... like perhaps -400 if one tile radius, -375; if two, -350; if 3, -300 if 4, -250; if 5, -50, if 6 0; if 7, 50; if 8 100; if 9 10; if between 9 and 12 0, If greater than a certain number, I think it should fall into the negative again. A city far away is hard to defend and hard to supply... etc. But under some circumstances (such as a neck) it is still worth it.

Anyway, these are just some of my thoughts on this particular issue.

[primemover]

Forgot one thing... terrain types not conducive to farming (and/or production) should have a significant negative value.

[The Big Mc]

what is the max number of units in the game

answer 48

1 city

and for tiles

on a 2*2 map

any way any future technology yet.