From: ts@chainsaw.ecn.purdue.edu (Thomas Ruschak)
Newsgroups: rec.games.empire
Subject: Re: Update Stuff & Land Units
Date: 4 Sep 92 00:09:50 GMT
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network

In article <1992Sep3.183340.26757@col.hp.com> smithw@col.hp.com (Walter Smith) writes:
>
>A few thoughts on UNITS.  
>
>1) I think if implemented, they should *replace* mil,
>   not just suppliment them.  

	Why? I see mil still having a role, as cheap defense that you 
DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT. Thinking hurts my brain sometimes :-) They're
still good for quick defense (enlist #danger_zone 30 is a LOT quicker than
moving units) They also defense easily against paradropping, and can be used
for assaults & paradropping before specialized units become available.  Lastly,
they're ALREADY CODED :-) Unless thgere's a pressing reason to get rid of them,
why should it be done?

>2) If you take a sector with a UNIT, how is the OWNER/OLDOWN
>   calculated?  If you have a unit in an enemy sector, does
>   that mean you own it, and he becomes oldown?  What if
>   you BOTH have units in the sector?  What happens when
>   you move out of the sector, do you lose the OWNER flag?
>   How about if you are killed out of the sector?

	If you notice in my post, I mentioned units retreating. After a combat,
only the winner will have units in the sector, as the combat won't end until all
defending mil and units are dead or have retreated...

>3) Would paratroops have their own planes, or need to
>   be loaded onto transports?  If they have their own
>   planes, how do you handle moving them by ship?

	My inclination is to have paratroop units transported by airplanes.
Give each unit a weight based on the mil used to make it, and the hcms/lcms/
guns/shells. That way you automatically know how hard it is for planes to carry
them, and can  transport them normally. Only let units with the paratroop
ability para.

>4) How would you handle UNITS on ships that try to board
>   each other?  

	Add a portion of the unit's strength to the ship mil, and run it just
like I proposed running land combats.

>5) Can you BUY/SELL units?

	If you were in a game with trade, you would be able to. I see no reason
not to allow it.

>6) Could units "pass thru" a sparsely populated foreign
>   sector, without capturing it, and not be seen by the
>   owner?  (picture an island with 1 civ/sector that
>   you want to quietly pass thru, to sneak up on the
>   harbor at the far side of the island)
>
	You could give certain units a chance to do that (SEAL teams, etc)
That'd be added later, tho, as far as I am concerned.

>7) Would UNITS contribute to a sector gaining eff?
>   If not, how would you go about taking and developing
>   new islands?

	I don't quite get this one. My assumption would be no. The sector
and unit have seperate mobility. Each attack by the unit takes mob, so you
could attack until you ran out of mob. (Mob use being based on unit speed,
and perhaps combat odds, so an overrun would take less mob)

>I agree that units are the way to go, but there are a lot
>of things to be ironed out before they will really be good.
>Any thoughts on these questions, or more questions I've
>left off?

	I quite agree, which is why I'm posting instead of coding. :-)
>
>Walter Smith / UUCP
>smithw@cs.itc.hp.com



Thomas