[MUD-Dev] Re: Idea: Hive-mind monster

[coder at ibm.net]

On 31/10/97 at 10:31 AM, Derrick Jones <gunther at online1.magnus1.com> said:

>I've actually toyed around a little with a borg mob.  I assumed a 
>flawless, continuous connection between Local and Group minds.  As one
>borg learned information/skills/tactics, every borg learned the same
>things.  The main problem I faced was that if the borg were allowed a
>sufficient foothold in an area, they became impossible to kill.  For
>example, if enough borg were attacked by fire, all borg became resistant
>to fire;  if they faced enough characters wielding swords, their
>dodge/block/parry skills would improve for the entire race.  I soon found
>that players would quickly run out of ways to kill the borg, much like
>the Star Trek version.  While my original goal was to create a nigh
>indestructable race, I found that they became unwieldy and unplayable.
>I'll probably never release them unless my players _really_ piss me off.

An obvious partial solution, and possibly a very interesting one, would be
to make the total skill aggregate of any indivual of the borg limited. 
Thus an individual borg would have to select what matrix of the current
available total set of skills it wants to embody.  The result is that as a
species, the bord remain equally unkillable, but that as individuals, each
have weaknesses.  

One of the requirements however would have to be to limit the update speed
of a given borg.  Thus a borg with a low skill at defending against fire,
would then take an appreciable length of time to update its fire skills
when attacked by fire.  The result would be that combat becomes a matter
of stages:

  1) attack borg with fire.
  2) borg slowly adapts to fire.
  3) attack borg with swords.
  4) borg slowly adapts to swords.
  5) attack borg with boulders.
  6) borg slowly adapts to boulders.
  7) attack borg with magic.
  8) borg slowly adapts to magic.
  9) attack borg with fire...

Of course the problem nos is guessing which of the available skill sets
the borg currently under attack sacrificed to increase its skill at
defending from the current method of attack.  "Hurm, I'm attacking with
fire...wonder if he's no good at swords now..."  Guess wrong and you're in
trouble.  Guess right and the borg is in trouble.

--
J C Lawrence                               Internet: claw at null.net
----------(*)                              Internet: coder at ibm.net
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...