Declared attitudes

Olympia: The Age of Gods PBEM (Oct 4 2000)

## 5.7: Declared attitudes

Commands dealing with attitudes:

- `hostile`
- `neutral`
- `defend`
- `default`

Attitudes can be declared by or for either specific units, nations, or an entire faction. For instance, player [613] could declare an attitude for a nation (e.g., "Mandor"), a player [555], or a specific attitude for individual units within player 555's faction.

Declaring a permission for a player works so long as the player's units are not concealing their faction identity with Conceal faction [1205], a subskill of Stealth [1200].

A unit may have one of four combat attitudes to another unit:

`hostile` | Attack on sight.
`defend` | Defend other unit if attacked.
`neutral` | Do nothing if other unit is attacked.
`default` | Neutral to units in other factions; Defend units in the same faction unless either one is concealing its lord.

Every noble, and player faction entity, keeps three lists of units or other factions which have attitudes declared towards them. A unit is either on the `hostile`, `defend`, or `neutral` list. If a unit does not appear on any of the three lists, it has attitude `default`.

Example:

      nation          Imperial Empire         Mandor
      player          778                     816
                        hostile 816             hostile Imperial

      units           4205                    6499
                      4600, concealing nation 6530, concealing lord
                                              6599
                                                hostile monster

Player 778 has declared player 816 hostile. One of 816's nobles is concealing its lord.

If 4205 or 4600 run into unit 6499, they will attack it on sight. However, since 6530 is hiding its affiliation with 816, it will not be attacked on sight.

If 6499 is attacked and both 6530 and 6599 are present, 6599 will aid in the defense, but 6530 will not, because that might give away its affiliation.

If player 816 wanted 6530 to defend the faction's units anyway, either 816 or 6530 should issue the order ```defend` 816`'. This would override the default attitude of units in the faction to one another.

Attitude toward units is considered before attitude toward the unit's faction. Thus, one may declare a faction hostile, but exclude certain units within the faction by specifically declaring them neutral.

Player 816 has declared himself hostile towards the Imperial Empire nation. If unit 6499 encountered 4205, it will attack on sight. If it encounters 4600 it will not attack, since that unit is concealing its nation.

Unit 6599 has declared himself hostile towards monsters. A monster is a stack of monsters not controlled by another player. This does not include any noble stacks, even if those stacks are not controlled by a player (e.g., a noble who has deserted his faction). Essentially, "hostile monster" will cause a unit to attack all monster stacks.

A unit must be the top-most noble in its stack to aid in defense. If a unit joins a combat because of `defend`, it will bring its entire stack along, even if the other members of the stack have not declared a `defend` attitude.

Defenders only help when units are attacked, not when they initiate attacks. For example, if A has declared ```defend` B`', and B attacks C, A will not help B, even if B loses the battle.

Nobles declared `defend` to units which are guarding a province against pillaging will aid the guards if they are attacked, either explicitly with `attack`, or implicitly via ```pillage` 1`'.

Units which joined a combat because of a `defend` declaration are shown with the qualification ``ally`' in the combat report.