Bug 54538 - monopd: handing over the calculation of tax to the client makes no sense
Summary: monopd: handing over the calculation of tax to the client makes no sense
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: atlantik
Classification: Applications
Component: monopd (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Compiled Sources Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Rob Kaper
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2003-02-12 13:47 UTC by esigra
Modified: 2003-10-14 03:09 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Patch for CVS from today (5.53 KB, patch)
2003-02-18 21:21 UTC, esigra
Details

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Description esigra 2003-02-12 13:47:10 UTC
Version:           0.8.0 (CVS >= 20030211) (using KDE KDE 3.1)
Installed from:    Compiled From Sources
OS:          Linux

Now the user gets 2 buttons, pay 200 and pay 10%. There is no reason that the client should calculate which to chose, the server should do that. It would make the game faster and reduce network traffic.
Comment 1 esigra 2003-02-18 21:21:06 UTC
Created attachment 988 [details]
Patch for CVS from today
Comment 2 Rob Kaper 2003-02-25 04:17:24 UTC
It makes sense, because human players can make mistakes. Adding too much 
automation would remove fun and reduce the game to a simulation. 
 
I just know if I commit this, I'll see a new wishlist where clients want to be able to 
choose themselves. ;-) 
 
Hope you didn't work too long on the patch.. but I guess you can always run a 
modified monopd. 
 
Comment 3 esigra 2003-02-25 13:45:32 UTC
> It makes sense, because human players can make mistakes. Adding too much 
> automation would remove fun and reduce the game to a simulation.  
 
Automate the obvious decisions and leave the interesting decisions to the user. 
Otherwise the users will get bored and frustrated. Examples of interesting decisions are 
what to morgage when in debt, where to build houses, trade, how high to bid in 
auctions (although it is questionable if it should be allowed to bid below the morgage 
price, which would be a pure win) and cards like "Take another card or pay 50." (if the 
next card is unknown). 
 
> I just know if I commit this, I'll see a new wishlist where clients want to be able to  
> choose themselves. ;-) 
 
That seems easy to implement. If a player wants to pay more tax than necessary, add 
a command to pay an arbitrary amount to the bank. 
 
So now I have to add button text parsing to the client to let it automate the decision. 
Should be reasonably easy with for example QRexExp. 
 
> Hope you didn't work too long on the patch.. but I guess you can always run a 
> modified monopd. 
 
The owner of one of the public servers seemd interested... 
Comment 4 esigra 2003-07-09 09:46:58 UTC
Subject: Re: [atlantik-devel]  [cap@capsi.com: [monopd-devel] auctions, debts, events and queuing]

onsdagen den 9 juli 2003 08.47 skrev Rob Kaper:
> Hm, that's a patch to automate tax decisions.. it would remove two buttons
> (but also the fun game element of making mistakes)

I do not consider it a fun game element when I make mistakes. And I also do 
not consider it a fun game element when the dialog slows down the playing. So 
before I play again I would have to implement client-side automation of tax 
desicions. This would preserve the game element of other users making 
mistakes, which could perhaps be considered fun, but not fair.

Any serious user would have to implement that. So keeping the tax dialog would 
give an unfair disadvantage to software-challenged people who can not compile 
from source and make modifications (or at least apply a patch).

Comment 5 esigra 2003-07-10 16:05:48 UTC
Subject: Re: [atlantik-devel]  [cap@capsi.com: [monopd-devel] auctions, debts, events and queuing]

torsdagen den 10 juli 2003 08.29 skrev Rob Kaper:
> I am so afraid that we start implementing this that eventually you can
> start Atlantik, come back 30 minutes later, and see if you've won or not.

Wouldn't that be great for busy people? :-) Both have fun and get something 
done at the same time. Or they could spend the time chatting with their 
opponents. But it is a far way to complete automation. The interesting 
decisions would still be left in the game for the user to make.

> But all right, I'll automate tax decisions. As option. Mind if the default
> is "off" ? :)

Great.

Comment 6 Rob Kaper 2003-07-12 00:04:52 UTC
Reopening. 
Comment 7 Rob Kaper 2003-10-14 03:09:06 UTC
Finally merged the patch (rewrote it a little because I don't want to remove the 
manual option). The configure option for clients is still missing, but I want to 
automate that list this week anyway.