[MUD-Dev] Computers can't....

[Jeff Kesselman]

At 08:32 PM 6/4/97 PST8PDT, you wrote:
>On Tue, 3 Jun 1997 21:45:06 PST8PDT, Jeff Kesselman
><jeffk at tenetwork.com> wrote:
>
>>I woudl encourage those who dismiss creating RP type experience because "a
>>jhudge can <X> but a computer can't..." to look again before dismissing it
>>entirely.
>
>The computer is incapable of adjusting its response to the current mood
>and status of the participants. 

Hmm...  How about running an ongoing statistical analysis of player actions
and the emoticons used in their conversation?
You could go even furtehr and catagorize adjectives and analyze statisticly
their use over the ast N minutes...

>When the wizard goes off to the bathroom
>and an aggro mob wanders in and attacks, your assessment of the party's
>strength still includes the wizard, but he is not really there -- and by
>nature, the wizard is expected to cast spells, which he can't because
>he's off taking a big dump. 

Okay.. some sugegstions...
(1) measure time sicne last input. People occasionally lurk but not real
often, they are generally there to Do something.
(2) During combat collect statstics on damage done/prevented per character
and adjust the mob accordingly.

>If the cleric has just come back from the
>dentist and is in a good deal of pain, and thus has trouble
>concentrating, the computer cannot adjust and give him more time to
>react. 

Why not given soem of the above heuristics?

>Just my two cents. Personally, I feel that human-directed gaming tends
>to be less sterile and more enjoyable. However, much of the grunt work
>can be taken off the judge by the computer, freeing his mind and hands
>for other things like adding the touches the computer *can't* add. Each
>does a particular job extremely well, but neither can completely and
>effectively replace the other.

I agree. the BIG thing a human can do that compuetr can't is creatively
improvise.  Humans wil lalways be necessary at soem level, but i think we
CAn move the human farther up the system and automate alot more then we have.

Just my 2 cents.

JK