Re: Screwy UI Resupply Code

[Eric McDonald <mcdonald at phy dot cmich dot edu>]

On Mon, 2 Feb 2004, Peter Garrone wrote:

> task. I think this "do_one_take" sidesteps the task/prep-action
> procedure. 

Yes. This is what I referring to in my original message in this 
thread.

>So I would remove the "take" action entirely.

I disagree. As Jim points out, there are times where manual 
give/take is still useful. This functionality should continue to 
be available, even if much of it can be automated in many cases.

> With the fueling development I am working on
> it is virtually never necessary to push a resupply task, as the units do
> it automatically, and the end of turn resupply code can handle the rest.

One of the things I was looking into was to scan each cell, as a 
unit is executing a move-to task, to see if any units can serve as 
willing donors to provide materials for free (costing no ACP). It 
was this investigation that turned up the UI resupply screwiness, 
once I realized that the GDL default was to disallow resupply.

As a side note:
I don't see this ["free" on-the-fly resupplying] as necessarily 
being at cross-purposes with refueling automation you might 
have included in your new pathing code. It is one thing to plan a 
path to cross resupply points, but another thing to utilize 
resupply points while moving. I am interested in improving the 
latter.

> I think that a unit should only get fuel by occupying the supply unit
> directly, for those units that can only recieve fuel from distance zero.

Technically, anything that is in the same cell is distance 0. Why 
should a carrier at sea have to enter a tanker unit in order to 
resupply, when "running some hoses between the ships" would 
suffice?

> A worthwhile development would be to adjust the resupply task so that it
> doesnt waste acp by waiting till the next turn, and also when units have

I started to address this some time ago. It is currently #if 0'd 
out right now, but it is definitely on my agenda to complete.

> not actually entered a resupply unit and are full up again the task
> completes.

If you mean units which have been resupplied by supply lines 
between turns, and thus no longer need to do an explicit move-to 
and resupply, __I addressed this a week or two ago. Judging 
from your comments here and in the next email, it would seem that 
you have not done a CVS update in a few weeks....

Eric