[MUD-Dev] The Relationship between pkers and monster AI?

[Jeremy]

On Wed, 8 Sep 1999, Tony Wilkinson wrote:

> hi guys, I would like to get your thoughts on the relationship between the
> level of pker activity and the AI of the monsters in MMORPGs.
> 
> None of the MMORPGs to date have very strong monster AI (because of resourse
> limitations I guess) but if for example the monsters were "smarter" would it
> stop players from looking to PvP for their kicks? In Close Combat 3, the
> computer behaves so "intelligently" that you genuinely have to keep telling
> yourself it's not another person. If that sort of AI was on a MMORPG, would
> the need to clamp down on player killing be so necessary?
> 
> I do feel there is some truth in this argument and I'm interested to get
> your take on it...
> 

Of course.  The problem is that for muds (UO and EQ still qualify under my
definition) the AI is never going to be on the same level as a human
opponent.  Example: In EQ I was playing a little level 4 ranger (an extreme
newbie) and a level 11 player annoyed me by taking a kill so I challenged
that player to a duel (pointless, as a level 11 should stomp all over a
level 4).  I saw that he was casting an area affect damage spell and started
circling, gradually drawing him close to a guard.  Eventually (and with only
a few of my hp to spare) his area affect spell caught the guard who promptly
killed him.  This is the kind of thinking that in-game AIs are never (or at
least not anytime soon) going to be able to replicate and what makes PvP the
thrill that it is.

Second example: Unreal has a "botmatch" which is just a deathmatch against 4
or 5 computer controlled characters.  This is something where they have
heavily worked on the AI to make it deadly and effective, but it still
doesn't compare to facing off 1 on 1 versus another person.  The 5 computer
controlled bots together don't have the skill/cunning that a single good
opponent will show.

Yes, there is truth in your argument, but the truth is that computers aren't
quite up to providing a challenge that can live up to a real live opponent.

Sterling @ Wyld Knight




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