I'm planning on building a 'reaction' module for Lua, hopefully some time in the next few weeks (since @JPetroski needs a reaction module for Midway), and I'm interested to find out what features and/or characteristics people would like such a module to have.
Please speak up. I'd rather put in some features that won't be used than have someone (possibly myself) re-write the module in a couple years because I didn't anticipate a use case. Or, I can at least 'leave space' in the code for other use cases, even if I don't implement them immediately.
For those unfamiliar, reactions are used in Over the Reich. Basically, it is code that runs when a unit produces ammo for a ranged attack, and does damage to that unit based on the enemy units that are nearby. (I think it is possible to have a reaction against a unit before the first round of regular Civ II combat, but I haven't tested this.)
I'm not guaranteeing I'll re-implement all the features in Over the Reich, so mention good features from there if you think they are important. In particular, I'm not planning on doing 'splash' damage to nearby units in this module, on the basis that it complicates the code, requires more specification of the details on the part of the scenario designer, and forces the player to consider unit placement during the turn, and not just at the end of the turn. (This last reason is a significant part of the reason we're probably getting rid of splash damage in OTR.) If you think it is useful to have splash damage as an option, please speak up with your reasoning of why it is important. I'm certainly willing to put it in if it would be useful.
I'm thinking of a paradigm where there are two parts to the reaction. First part is the chance of the reacting unit to hit the trigger unit. The second part is the variation in how much damage is done if there actually is a hit. This way, modifications (such as improved technology) can make a change to one or the other individually. (In OTR, the damage schedule controls both in one schedule, rather than two, so the meaning of changes can get confusing).
Please speak up. I'd rather put in some features that won't be used than have someone (possibly myself) re-write the module in a couple years because I didn't anticipate a use case. Or, I can at least 'leave space' in the code for other use cases, even if I don't implement them immediately.
For those unfamiliar, reactions are used in Over the Reich. Basically, it is code that runs when a unit produces ammo for a ranged attack, and does damage to that unit based on the enemy units that are nearby. (I think it is possible to have a reaction against a unit before the first round of regular Civ II combat, but I haven't tested this.)
I'm not guaranteeing I'll re-implement all the features in Over the Reich, so mention good features from there if you think they are important. In particular, I'm not planning on doing 'splash' damage to nearby units in this module, on the basis that it complicates the code, requires more specification of the details on the part of the scenario designer, and forces the player to consider unit placement during the turn, and not just at the end of the turn. (This last reason is a significant part of the reason we're probably getting rid of splash damage in OTR.) If you think it is useful to have splash damage as an option, please speak up with your reasoning of why it is important. I'm certainly willing to put it in if it would be useful.
I'm thinking of a paradigm where there are two parts to the reaction. First part is the chance of the reacting unit to hit the trigger unit. The second part is the variation in how much damage is done if there actually is a hit. This way, modifications (such as improved technology) can make a change to one or the other individually. (In OTR, the damage schedule controls both in one schedule, rather than two, so the meaning of changes can get confusing).