Little thing for a privateer

[przemuch]

I noticed 3.17 fixed one thing about them...

"Fixed combat message log for hidden nationality units"

...which was particulary annoying during MP games; great.


There's still one small problem left though. When you mouseover enemy Privateer, you can see it's movement points. So there's no way you can deny anything having "the world is round" +1 movement bonus - same thing about Refrigeration (yeah, i know, who on earth uses Privateers after Refrigeration? ). I looked in WB, you can definitely see the difference.

Granted, it's a extremely low level "bug", although I assume the best possible "hidden" mode was intended there. So if it happens to be "fixable with one line of text" kind of thing...

 

[DrJambo]

I would like to see the AI use privateers however...

 

[kazapp]

There's still one small problem left though.

Easiest solution?

Lose the circumnavigation race...?

 

[przemuch]

I would like to see the AI use privateers however...

During WB checking I placed some galleys in the ocean as sitting ducks, then gave AI a chance of using this one Privateer. It went frenzy, killing one galley after another, but with no regard of own health status (just like animals and barbs do...). So its last attack was rather Okinawa-style with 0,6 HP and two stars

Losing a race is interesting choice Too bad you can be identified because of this as well

 

[PieceOfMind]

Wow this is a real dilemma. See I think the alternative - having the movement points hidden - would be a bigger problem. At the moment, it's just a minor disadvantage to the player who circumnavigated, who also happens to be using privateers, who also happens to be playing multiplayer, who also happens to be in a game where it otherwise wouldn't be obvious who's privateer it was. Gosh that was long.

If you were to change the movement points to hidden, most players in a MP game would not be able to be confident about the movement points of any privateer, as it could be coming from the guy with the +1 movement. Seeing as you could probably still figure it out by watching fairly closely how far it moves between turns, I don't think we should make any change. Would it really be worth it for the +1 movement player to make sure his privateers move 1 square fewer than they can just so their nationality never becomes obvious?

Many things to consider here eh?

 

[deanej]

We could make it so that privateers don't get the movement bonus.

 

[przemuch]

a minor disadvantage to the player who circumnavigated, who also happens to be using privateers, who also happens to be playing multiplayer, who also happens to be in a game ...

So true That's why I added "fixable with one line of text" condition

Would it really be worth it for the +1 movement player to make sure his privateers move 1 square fewer than they can just so their nationality never becomes obvious?

I guess it would be, assuming we're talking about a game with people so dedicated they'd actually watch and count tiles. Such game would be worth something. Unfortunately, such game happens even less often as this "minor disadvantage for..." piece you wrote So i guess this concludes the subject.

We could make it so that privateers don't get the movement bonus.

Amazing, how the easiest solution can escape me for so long Though losing +1 bonus altogether could be bigger loss than the advantage gained for MP only...

 

[GeoModder]

We could make it so that privateers don't get the movement bonus.

Good thinking!

 

[PieceOfMind]

I think we should just leave it as it is.

Seriously, the issue can only possibly come up in multiplayer, and in my experience when you are using privateers against humans they can usually figure out who it is using them.

 

[kurtkage]

Is it possible to Only hide movement point display of Privateers?

 

[GooglyBoogly]

Then you would also have to remove the bonus for refrigeration too. I guess you could add a complicated check that if all civs have refigeration then don't remove it. Or even better yet, if all civs but the circumnavigator have refrigeration then don't remove it for anyone.

Getting pretty complicated... Might be better off just leaving it as is.

 

[eris]

I do not see what the fuss is about. If you have an extra clue about whose privateer that is because of a movement bonus then you just got an extra clue. The owner of the privateer had a trade-off decision: make privateers that are obvious to those who do such level of analysis or don't make privateers at all. It is part of the whole package of decisions about benefit vs. risk. It is fine the way it is. Having subtle clues to find is a good thing, not a bad one. It is part of the game, just like finding someone in representation civic in early game, "Aha, they must have the Pyramids!" No one has suggested that we hide civics in order to disguise ownership of the Pyramids.

And what does happen when someone is identified as using Privateers? You suddenly decide that other player is out to win by any means? And you didn't know that before? Or do you role play and identify the other player as a dirty Privateer using sneak? Sounds like fun to me, both the identifying of and the being a sneak are roles to play and maybe get caught at or take advantage of. Why would anyone want to reduce the fun therein?

The identity of the Privateers is a mystery, but not always an unsolvable one if you are being clever. What a nice balance of playing values, in my opinion. I consider this a feature, not a bug, and hope no one moves to take that little bit of extra fun out of the game.

 

[Woody1]

I don't particularly like that you can identify privateer owners by the movement points. Seems a little too easy, for something that is supposed to be hidden.

But removing the movement bonus is way too harsh. I'd rather keep the movement bonus, even if it meant I was easily discovered as the priv owner. I'd generally be using them against my enemies (as a cold war option), so the movement info isn't really that useful.