[MUD-Dev] Virtual machine design

[claw at kanga.nu]

On Sat, 17 Apr 1999 14:26:40 -0600 
Chris Gray <cg at ami-cg.GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA> wrote:

> I think the rule from other areas of programming applies to MUDs
> as well: something like "as soon as you give them a significant
> boost in speed or power, they are already thinking of things that
> will require 10 times as much". This list has talked about
> simulating economies, and how you have to approximate them because
> you can't truly simulate them. Give us 100x more speed and maybe a
> reasonable economy or ecology *can* be simulated. I'm hoping that
> my server, on this box, will be able to run about 2000 machines
> (mobiles/robots) when I'm done with it. Is that enough? Never!

There is a rule (or I've heard it referenced as such) in some branch 
of Economics which refers to this mechanic.  I someone would dig
that up, and its name, I'd appreciate it.

The basic idea I recall from when I read it is:

  Any significant granular increase in resources will have
long-reaching repurcussions in <something> related systems due to
once unfeasible translations now being affordable, and these
repurcussions will reflect, undamped, across the system.

--
J C Lawrence                              Internet: claw at kanga.nu
----------(*)                            Internet: coder at kanga.nu
...Honorary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...


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