Re: [glob2-devel] Re: Full Nicowar behaviour assessment

[Martin Voelkle]

> > > Point is, asside from farming (which Nicowar can do if i enabled it),
> > > what other things could i have nicowar do and check for to make it
> > > handle food better?
> >
> > In this case, I'd have cleared the forest surrounding the fields.
> > You should keep an eye on the state of the fields compared to your
> > consumption and do something like reducing/stopping unit creation or
> > reducing inn workers (put some inns at 0) in order to reduce the
> > population (seems barbarian, but globs don't die of old age).
>
> Not a bad idea, but If you don't mind, I would like to discuss how
> that could be done. This is almost exactly what troubles me, I would
> love to have Nicowar clear wood to let wheat grow, but how shoult it
> decide when it needs to clear wood, and what wood to clear, and where
> exactly it should place the clearing flag in order to provide maximum
> clearence (that one is simple).
>
> It might be possible via a nearest group check, find the closest body
> of wheat with minimum size N, see if there are any adjcacent bodies of
> wood, if so, clear that body. But to think, how would i decide what
> body is nearest? It is in nicowars sole strategy to spread out, and
> try to take up as much room as nesseccary to sustain its population.

Supposing you keep track of wheat groups. If one of them gets too
small, see if something is blocking its expansion (just look where it
could grow). Clear whatever is blocking it (be it a building or a
forest). If the nearest forest is far away, it's obviously not
blocking wheat expansion, you just have to clear anything that stands
where the wheat should grow. Do the same with other resources, but set
some  priorities.

I don't think you need to decide whether to prevent its disappearance
or not. It's better to have many medium-sized wheat groups than a few
big ones (and I'm not event talking about endangered species living in
these places).

This should prevent wheat from disappearing just by being harvested
more than wood, but you also need an additional strategy to avoid
consuming too much wheat.

Martin