[MUD-Dev] Simulated Populations

[Wes Connell]

On Fri, 21 Jan 2000, Dundee wrote:

> "phlUID" <phluid at mindless.com> wrote:
> 
> I think I might like to look at the way ants create trails by wandering
> aimlessly, marking/refreshing their path and following other ants' paths.
> Been a while since I read anything about it, but as I recall, it wasn't
> really a very complicated system.

Obviously orcs starting out at their camp would not know the absolute shortest
path without scouting. First have the orcs wander aimlessly. Whenever an orc
encountered resistance or something interesting he would report back to the
camp. This "report" could then be saved in the orc logs or something. Now the
orcs know that along Path A they can find something specific. So they send
more scouts along that path. Another party of scouts return with more info
on Path B. Now the orcs have some "pregenerated" routes to places of interest
without the routes being the absolute shortest route.

Just like in C&C/Warcraft if you are scouting and all of a sudden the scout
is slaughtered then you can bet you found the enemy base.

> problem is.  Or maybe the players could scout a new trail for the npcs.  Or
> if pcs start killing orcs in an orc path, maybe that would count as an
> obstruction and the orcs would eventually develop a new path around them
> (unless the first response to an obstruction is to send bigger troops).

If the scout from the above example never reports back then the orcs never 
learn of Path A. Yet the orcs would know *something* was there that killed
or captured the scout.

Wes Connell               wconnell at adhesive.com
Adhesive Software, Inc. - Dynamic Web Site Management Solutions
http://www.adhesive.com        512-647-1200        512-647-1299 Fax
!07/11 PDP a ni deppart m'I  !pleH




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