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

[Derrick Jones]

On Sun, 2 Nov 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:

> 
> 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.
> >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.  

Sounds like an ant colony.  There is a movie (U.S.) coming out in a week
called Starship Troopers in which Earth is attacked by a hive-mind race.
Each 'bug' (alien) has its own purpose within the hive, and is equiped
accordingly.  Should be an interesting quick study if done well.

> 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:

Or force the borg to either a.) return to the hive for a re-fitting or b.)
re-learn the defence within its current hive-state.
By hive-state, I mean that bit of the collective within immediate range of
the borg's sensors.  There would also be a limitation on teaching new borg
new skills.  The collective would have to decide which borg deserve the
resources needed for particular abilities and which ones the collective
deems either safe or expendable.

Gunther