It seems to me that if the game only recognizes *one* correct route (for roads/railroads) between any two cities in order to receive the trade bonus, the presence (or lack of) a road along these routes will be used by the game in other calculations...

Isn't corruption affected by the presence of a road/railroad that leads to the capital city? If so, does the road have to lie along the "optimal path" in order to reduce corruption?

This could explain irregularities in the "Go" function, in which a moving unit chooses to move off of the railroad and onto a road, without regard to the unlimited movement of the railroad.

Also, I have often wondered why settlers in the automatic mode sometimes choose to develop roads/railroads outside of any city's radius...They do seem to be cutting the corners of the map, so to speak, to provide a more straight line road to a given destination...Are they actually attempting the create roads/railroads along the optimal path between each and every city?

It also may have a combat application as well. You could pillage the "optimal" road connection between an enemy's city and its capital at any point, and affect the city's happiness, possibly even into revolt (which your veteran spy will be all too happy to take advantage of...!)
While I am fairly sure that happiness is not directly affected by the existence of a road connection to the captial, if the additional corruption produced by severing the link to the capital is sufficient, it will reduce happiness (by reduction of trade). If the city is already on the verge of revolt, this could tip the balance...

Curiouser and curiouser....

WTG Arii!

-Bob

quote: Originally posted by Juggler_Bob on 01-21-2001 07:02 PM This could explain irregularities in the "Go" function, in which a moving unit chooses to move off of the railroad and onto a road, without regard to the unlimited movement of the railroad.

More likely, methinks, a software problem. It doesn't explain units operating under the "Go To" function turning at right angles, in the wrong direction, and head first smack into a tree.

aiports will only take your own cities up to size 20 routes for some reason, they have no effect if your city already has size 20+ routes and your trading with your own cities.