RClick Colonize Planet

[yandonman]

Here is a patch to right-click on a planet and order a colony ship to move to colonize it. This is merely a FleetMoveOrder(), it does not automatically colonize the planet once the colony ship arrives. Additionally, the selection of the colony fleet is very basic; it just selects the first valid colony fleet with no regard to species or suitability.

Ready to submit unless there is code review feedback.

RClick_ColonizePlanet.png (11.84 KiB) Viewed 2086 times

[MatGB]

does not automatically colonize the planet once the colony ship arrives. Additionally, the selection of the colony fleet is very basic;

Basic but improvable? Regardless, I like, especially if it can over time be improved on.

[yandonman]

Basic but improvable?

It's intended to be improvable, yes. Some of the potential improvements are controversial, hence starting basic.

[Dilvish]

Vincele recently posted a question regarding implementation of the same kind of combo-travel-colonize order feature, so you might want to double check with him about the status of that before putting time into implementing the combo order aspect.

As far as what you've got here, the primary code review comment that comes to mind is that I'm pretty sure you'll need to filter out known destroyed objects, or get the object map and then use ExistingFleetsBegin() and ExistingFleetsEnd(). Also, in addition to checking suitability as you mention, you'd also want to check availability (that it's not already in the midst of a colonize or similar combo order).

[yandonman]

filter out known destroyed objects,

!fleet->Empty() apparently works just as well, as I ran into this defect while testing an earlier version.

[Geoff the Medio]

To pick a ship, you can check if there is any suitable ship in system and then pick which to use by using the same code as the existing colonize button that appears of the planet panel.

The menu text should probably specify that it is ordering a fleet to move to the planet, not just colonizing immediately... But I'm generally quite hesitant about something like this because it's very unclear what the command will do. It will find a colony ship somewhere, somehow, and then somehow get it to move to the planet... but which should it pick, given not only the issues that go into picking one from those in system, but also additional issues regarding which is safe / best to move to the system, and how to handle ships that are already in a fleet with other ship (split fleets automatically? should solo ship fleets be preferred over multi-ship or mixed-ship-type fleets?). Should it automatically enqueue a colony ship somewhere if it can't fine one, or even default to enqueuing rather than doing remote fleet manipulations? I don't think there are good answers to these questions...

[em3]

It could display a list of available colony ships with suitability and jump distance (or projected travel time) to select a ship from.

[yandonman]

but which should it pick, given not only the issues that go into picking one from those in system,

The "best" one, meaning the one that (in order) has the highest max population, has the highest starting population, and has the shortest route.

But this is not needed for this patch. It is arguable whether or not the first (most suitable / will give highest max population) is needed for this patch.

but also additional issues regarding which is safe / best to move to the system,

The move system already maps out routes and highlights danger areas. So, with this patch, the player indicates they want a planet colonized, the route system indicates there is danger and now the player can make adjustments to the route easily.

and how to handle ships that are already in a fleet with other ship (split fleets automatically?

Leave it in the fleet. AKA don't override the players fleet building decisions.

should solo ship fleets be preferred over multi-ship or mixed-ship-type fleets?).

Edge case, not relevant.

This is not needed for this patch.

Should it automatically enqueue a colony ship somewhere if it can't fine one,

No (at least not right now). Building a colony ship is a PP spend, and that is a separate significant player decision. Perhaps if there are no colony ships, a popup could ask the player if they want to en-queue one.

But this is not needed for this patch.

or even default to enqueuing rather than doing remote fleet manipulations?

No. See above.

[vincele]

Hello, I'll answer in your thread, and not mine

Yes, I have a patch that I'm using, which does exactly that.

The "best" one, meaning the one that (in order) has the highest max population, has the highest starting population, and has the shortest route.

My patch does this, and add :

Code: Select all

0 - from the best (wrt suitability) race having an unassigned colony ship in your empire.

and how to handle ships that are already in a fleet with other ship (split fleets automatically)?

Leave it in the fleet. AKA don't override the players fleet building decisions.

My patch properly split the chosen ship from its actual fleet.

Should it automatically enqueue a colony ship somewhere if it can't fine one

I'd say no, we only want a fairly basic "choose a ship and send it there", I don't think anything more than that will be really useful.

[Vezzra]

Given the fact that the colonization mechanics might undergo some serious revision (see here), do you really want to spend the effort patching the current system? Revising the mechanics seem to be the better approach to me than implementing some automations to fix what looks like a design flaw.

[yandonman]

@Vezzra - actually, we should since discussions could literally take years. vincele's patch (have you posted it somewhere?) sounds like it solves one of the immediate problems. Additionally, I don't see colony ships going away, just having an additional (better) mechanism, so vincele's patch would still have value.

Also, "perfection is the enemy of done"

[vincele]

@Vezzra - actually, we should since discussions could literally take years. vincele's patch (have you posted it somewhere?) sounds like it solves one of the immediate problems. Additionally, I don't see colony ships going away, just having an additional (better) mechanism, so vincele's patch would still have value.

Also, "perfection is the enemy of done"

I just posted the patch (quickly rediffed against trunk), if you want to try it... This is only the menuitems, not the objwnd enhancements to display suitability, which nicely complements it. But which isn't currently acceptable as suitability is too expensive to compute.

The French saying is more like "The best is the ennemy of the good" (approximative translation of : Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien)

[Vezzra]

@Vezzra - actually, we should since discussions could literally take years.

Yeah, I know, we have a tendency for that. However, currently I'm determined to get this streamlining colonization thing done for 0.4.5. And Geoff seems determined not to have an entire year between releases again, more in the 4-5 months range. So we're hopefully talking about months, not years this time

Additionally, I don't see colony ships going away, just having an additional (better) mechanism, so vincele's patch would still have value.

I still wouldn't count on it, as I'm still trying to make my case why colony ships should be thrown out...