Sophie: xconq-7.5.0-1.20050612.5mdv2009.1 i586

xconq-7.5.0-1.20050612.5mdv2009.1.i586.rpm

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<TITLE>Designing Games with Xconq - Unit Manipulation</TITLE>
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<H2><A NAME="SEC57" HREF="xcdesign_toc.html#SEC57">Unit Manipulation</A></H2>

<P>
The actions in this group are a mixed bag of manipulations.
If they need to be in your game, then the need will be obvious,
otherwise they are pretty much optional.

</P>

<UL>
<LI><A HREF="xcdesign_14.html#SEC58">Transferring Unit Parts Action</A>
<LI><A HREF="xcdesign_14.html#SEC59">Changing Side</A>
<LI><A HREF="xcdesign_14.html#SEC60">Changing Type</A>
<LI><A HREF="xcdesign_14.html#SEC61">Disbanding</A>
</UL>



<H3><A NAME="SEC58" HREF="xcdesign_toc.html#SEC58">Transferring Unit Parts Action</A></H3>

<P>
Any unit whose <CODE>parts-max</CODE> is greater than the default of 1 is a
multi-part unit, and its hp denotes size rather than amount of damage.
Armies and fleets are two kinds of units which can be usefully defined
as multi-part.

</P>
<P>
Players will very often want to merge or detach parts of a multi-part
unit, and there is an action <CODE>transfer-part</CODE> provided for that.
You can control the cost of the action by setting
<CODE>acp-to-transfer-part</CODE>.

</P>


<H3><A NAME="SEC59" HREF="xcdesign_toc.html#SEC59">Changing Side</A></H3>

<P>
Side changing is like capturing, but players can only do it to units
that they control.  The action is <CODE>change-side</CODE>, and you enable by
setting <CODE>acp-to-change-side</CODE> to 1 or more.  This will also enable
side changing for units that cannot normally act.

</P>
<P>
Side changing is especially useful for alliances in multi-player games,
so it should usually be enabled.  On the other hand, it should not be
too cheap; you should consider what side changing really means in the
game's context.

</P>
<P>
For instance, even in the close British/American alliance during WWII,
armies never actually changed sides; British ground units were always
British, and American ground units always American.  On the other hand,
ships and bases could be traded back and forth with only a cost in time
and expense.

</P>


<H3><A NAME="SEC60" HREF="xcdesign_toc.html#SEC60">Changing Type</A></H3>

<P>
In some games, it will be useful to have a notion of promotion
or upgrade for units.  You can implement this by allowing players
to do a <CODE>change-type</CODE> action.

</P>
<P>
You enable this via the <CODE>acp-to-change-type</CODE> table.

</P>


<H3><A NAME="SEC61" HREF="xcdesign_toc.html#SEC61">Disbanding</A></H3>

<P>
Sometimes a player will want to get rid of a unit,
perhaps because some type has been overproduced and is tying up
valuable resources, or to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

</P>
<P>
You can allow this by setting <CODE>acp-to-disband</CODE> to 1 or more.

</P>
<P>
You can control the rate of disbanding with <CODE>hp-per-disband</CODE>.
You may, for instance, want to allow the deliberate destruction
of large units, such as battleships, but you don't necessarily want
disbanding to be a convenient way of preventing their capture.
Setting <CODE>hp-to-disband</CODE> so as to require several turns to
get rid of a unit will accomplish this.
The table <CODE>supply-per-disband</CODE> will allow you to govern the
rate of recovery of the unit's supplies during the disbanding process.

</P>
<P>
It is also possible to make disbanding a way to recover materials
that were consumed in the construction of the unit, by using the
table <CODE>recycleable-material</CODE>.  Care should be taken that creation
and disbanding of units is not a convenient way to manufacture lots
of a material; players <I>will</I> use the loophole if it exists!

</P>
<P>
It should usually not be possible to disband something large like a city,
otherwise a clever player might try to eliminate it as a strategic target,
but most mobile units should be easily disbanded.
This is especially helpful in an "construction spiral" game, where
the winning player(s) can accumulate large numbers of useless units.

</P>
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