[MUD-Dev] New topic: AI and NPCs

[clawrenc at cup.hp.com]

In <Pine.LNX.3.96.970906121941.146B-100000 at mpc.dyn.ml.org>, on
09/06/97 
   at 12:22 PM, Matt Chatterley <root at mpc.dyn.ml.org> said:

>On Sat, 6 Sep 1997 clawrenc at cup.hp.com wrote:

>> In <3.0.2.32.19970901122333.00b88a80 at mail.tenetwork.com>, on 09/01/97 
>>    at 12:22 PM, Jeff Kesselman <jeffk at tenetwork.com> said:

>> I've thrown horses.  
...

>First question. Why on earth would you want to throw a horse, JCL?

Uhh, err, well, it was, uhh, this deep, err, umm, compulsion ya know?

Actually I saw it done for a vetinarian's examination and wondered how
tough it could be to do myself.

>Cow-tipping I can understand, but.. ;)

Really?

>> The trick is to make the horse lead with his head very quickly...

>This is accurate IMHO - and observes a classic point of interest in
>unarmed combat, in any case - the most effective attacks are those
>used in defence, turning an opponents own speed/strength/energy to
>your favour. Eg, the above, and that turning a punch is far easier
>(and more useful) than catching or absorbing it in some way.

Or as I observed to myself in a slightly adventurous youth:

  "Don't block his punch.  Just make sure it doesn't hit you -- that
way he just walks into your punch even harder.."

>> I suspect that centaurs wouldn't be much different, except that their
>> disproportional upper torso weight might make it easier.

>Plus in any society with martial arts, which has evolved near
>Centaurs, they would be more equipped to dealing with them, than we
>are to throwing horses. Aka, this sort of knowledge would be more
>commonplace among proponents.

Horses, and presumably thereby Centaurs are very subject to
hamstringing -- medieval battlefields often contained large numbers of
peasant sword fodder who were paid to run about hamstringing the
enemy's horses.

Note: Also works on humans.  See armour design of the period for
evidence.

--
J C Lawrence                           Internet: claw at null.net
(Contractor)                           Internet: coder at ibm.net
---------------(*)               Internet: clawrenc at cup.hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...