[MUD-Dev] Re: Random plotlines

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <Marcel-1.09-0509143911-b49Ky&5 at Gryphon.iaehv.nl>, on 05/09/97 
   at 07:06 PM, Marian Griffith <gryphon at iaehv.nl> said:

>Ling <K.L.Lo-94 at student.lut.ac.uk> wrote:

>> Anyone considering implementing pseudo-random plotlines in their mud?

>I remember some discussion on a newsgroup about this topic, but that
>fairly soon devolved into a technical discussion that got me lost.

The technical problem with implementing the sort of plot line you
later described (mayor recruits army to remove goblins, goblins
respond to attack etc), is the problem of programmatically resolving
"intent" into implementation.  Consider the much simpler case of:

  Bubba got in a fight.
  Bubba is badly wounded. 
  Bubba needs a healer.

Now the obvious thing would be for Bubba to track down a healer and
proceed from there.  This sounds delightfully simple.  Problem:  Where
is the healer?  How does Bubba know where the healer is?  How does
Bubba know how to get from where he is to where the healer is?  (eg if
Bubba is in a castle, and the healer is on the other side of a raised
drawbridge, how does Bubba know to lower the drawbridge by going up
into the tower and turning the crank to lower the drawbridge etc to be
able to get out to the healer?)

The translation of intent into implementation can (and often does)
involve a huge mess of little details and essentially becomes the
problem of solving a general AI.

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
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