[MUD-Dev] Virtual Chemistry

[Jon A. Lambert]

> From: Marian Griffith <gryphon at iaehv.nl>
> Subject: [MUD-Dev]  Virtual Chemistry
> 
> On Wed 30 Jul, clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:
>  
> > First thoughts on a representational model:
> > Thus the leaves of the herb WaggaWagga might have a coordinate weight
> > of (-5, 8, 3) presuming the simplistic case of only 3 principles.  The
> > root of the UmbaUmba plant might have a value of (2, 9, -10).  Mix
> > then together with GooGoo mud (0, 0, 2), and you get a substance (-3,
> > 17, -5).  That location can be plotted in the coordinate system and a
> > result computed:
> 
> Admitting immediately that the finer points of all the above are proba-
> bly missed by me, this seems to me to be rather predictable. 

An excellent point.  Reactions are predictable (mathematically).  It
wouldn't take your average (ok, maybe clever) player alchemist long to 
figure it out.  Alchemy would boil down then to simply discovering the
properties of items rather than discovering the nature of their 
interactions.  Instead of simple matrix addition, throw in different
equations for each axis of the coordinate system.  Throw in a few
constants such as E or PI or the fabled Mana constant.  Make other axis 
dependent on others using quadratic or integral equations.  

Hell, I can see an excellent quest system come of this.  
"Before you can leave the monastery, grasshopper, you must by experiment
determine the mana constant and its effects on the acid/alkaline equation.
Show all work. #2 pencils will be provided" ;)

Solve all the equations for all axis and one would be a master alchemist
and know all the laws of the alchemy.
   
> 
> This sounds rather complicated to me. Isn't there a way to do this
> without math?
> 

Yikes, it would be nice but it's all these dang computers understand. :)



JL