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

[coder at ibm.net]

On 03/11/97 at 01:27 AM, Derrick Jones <gunther at online1.magnus1.com> said:
>On Sun, 2 Nov 1997 coder at ibm.net wrote:

>> 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.  

Sort of, but not quite as written above in that individuals can
dynamically re-assess and change their roles and specilisations as their
environ changes.

>> 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.

Which interstingly enough all pretty well sums to bandwidth conservation
for the communication chanel to the individual borg used for skill/mind
updates.

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