complete the "continuous space" experiment

[soundmud]

I have reviewed the changes after alpha 9. Most changes are good. The sensitive, "experimental" changes started on the end of August 2014, a few weeks before my computer broke down. Maybe that's why the changes are not complete. On May 2016, after alpha 10, the effort continued, with several steps in the right direction, but not enough to convince yet.

The next version, if it happens, will tell. My current opinion is that the changes, once complete, won't disturb the way current mods and maps are working. It might even fix a very old disturbance, when the catapults were given an all-or-nothing range of one square.

Initially, when SoundRTS was still a MUD, the fights were supposed to happen only near the center of a square, not near the exits. The current changes are trying to fix this issue by allowing fights near exits.

In order to experiment faster, I simplified sight range. This was supposed to be temporary. Maybe I forgot. The sight range should be a circle covering a square, maybe less. This way, a unit near a border will detect a small part of the next square, not all the square, and only if there is an exit or if the observer is on a higher ground, a"plateau".

This change have another issue: a unit near a border sometimes should and sometimes should not retaliate to a ranged unit attacking it or another unit nearby. The solution is either to give more precise orders to the units (like "hold ground"), or to make the units smarter, like in defensive mode, so the units behave the best they can with the information they have and without disobeying your orders. Maybe both solutions will be required.

When sight range and unit behavior have reached a convincing combination, we will know if the changes are compatible with the current mods and maps.

[soundmud]

This issue contains issue #99 and issue #97.

[soundmud]

This task have the highest priority. I'm on it.

[soundmud]

Issue #101 will have to be tried at the same time.