Development: Need a unified unit item list tracker

This "bug" was also present in the original game. A common strategy in the original game was to first build as many special units (devastators or sonic tanks) until the unit limit was reached. Only then the starport was used to order as many units as possible. That way the unit cap could be circumvented.

Of course we could add an option to Dune Legacy to also consider the unit limit at the starport. This option should be optional as it certainly changes the gameplay.

I personally don't think it's even a bug, and was universally accepted as units-ordering strategy in many 1993-1995 printings of walkthroughs for PC games.

There is in fact Starport-associated limit in the original game's edition, it's just so that its restraints have got nothing to do with MaxUnit settings. What it depends on is:

1) The values designated in [CHOAM] section for the exact unit.
2) The amount of units attributed to a certain type (ground, air, special) already-existing on the battlefield.

If multiple items were assigned =99 values in [CHOAM] section, the quantity of similar units which can be ordered during the same session will be determined by the maximal values allowed by the game's engine with a subtraction of all currently-stationed units of certain type (ground, air, special) there are on the map, divided among all items of this type offered to the player (through [CHOAM] definitions).

The limitations of the original game's executable consist of:
- 81 standard ground objects, either vehicles or infantry.
- 3 or 2 special «Saboteur» objects (the first value is valid for 1.00 and the second for 1.07 version).
- 11 standard flying objects, such as «Carryall» or «'Thopter».
- 1 flying «Frigate» technical object.
- 4 combat projectile objects (Death Hand, Rocket, ARocket, GRocket, Minirocket, Bullet, Sonic Blast).
- 3 or 2 «Sandworm» slithering objects (the first value is effective in 1.00 & the second is in 1.07 version).

Another particularity which is taken into account is that once ground units limit has been reached, Ornithopters can no longer be ordered. In addition to that, listing any Sandworms or Frigates for sale extraordinarily decreases the starting overall cap of other units (lowering every of them to 2).

These are the original conditions affecting Starport limitations. The question we have to answer nowadays is what type of Starport restrictions there should be in Dune Legacy, as in the present, there's nothing which prevents the continuous ordering of units, except prices renewal algorithm.