[MUD-Dev] Re: You think users won't number crunch and statistise your MUD?

[J C Lawrence]

On Tue, 30 Jun 1998 14:12:44 -0500 (CDT) 
Travis S Casey<efindel at io.com> wrote:

> On Mon, 29 Jun 1998, J C Lawrence wrote:
>> Have a look at:
>> 
>> URL:http://uoss.stratics.com/index.html
>> 
>> It really doesn't matter if you are numberless or not...
>> 
>> Have a look at:
>> 
>> URL:http://uoss.stratics.com/itemsa.htm
>> 
>> For a representative sample.

> I think you're making an unwarranted conclusion here.  I must admit
> that I haven't actually played UO, so I don't know how "numberless"
> they've tried to make the environment.  

I'm not asserting that UOL is numberless, just that the attempt to go
numberless as an attempt to dissuade GoP playing (by the numbers) is
inherently doomed when as much effort can and will be invested as is
shown at the URL's above.

It is, as it were, a proof case.

> Obviously, no matter what you do, someone sufficiently determined
> can eventually figure out your mechanics...

Precisely.  This has come up here before (security thru obscurity),
but only apocryphal evidence.  

> Thus, the simple statement that "even if you try to hide numbers,
> people can figure them out" isn't of much use.  Of more interest
> would be ideas on how to make the numbers harder to figure out, or
> on how people reverse engineer such numbers in practice.

True, the problem being (without a constantly evolving number system)
that once a reasonably accurate approximation has been derived and
published by a user, that game is up.

Constantly evolving number systems of course lead back into AI
behaviours.

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