[MUD-Dev] Cognitively Interesting Combat (was Better Combat)

[Paul Schwanz]

cruise wrote:
> ceo wrote:

>> For instance, Shogun: Total War is a realtime massive battle game
>> (akin to tabletop war games). It is excessively tactical (with
>> huge bonuses for troops attacking on a flank, from the rear,
>> etc), yet because it's real-time the actual process involves a
>> lot of watching how your plan is developing, and tweaking it as
>> it goes along. If something unexpected happens (as it often
>> does), you are cued for a few minutes of intensive planning and
>> action (having to think and issue new orders in realtime), but
>> then it's back to the non-intensive (though still active) play
>> for the next 5 minutes. This is a game I find great for after
>> work - it allows you to be intensive for small bursts (although
>> even then you don't *have* to if your plan was good: you'll still
>> win, but will lose more troops in the process), without tieing
>> you up with a long exhaustive session with no relent.

> I think this is the better model to follow than chess - a varying
> pace rather than a long slow plodding one, but still with peaks of
> intense mental involvment.

To allow for different tastes, perhaps it would be good to have a
more complex chess-like game going on underneath, but good enough AI
assistance on top so that players looking to relax could just give
the AI nudges now and then to head things in a certain direction,
while hardcore players could take a more hands-on approach.  Some
players might select "Agressive Attack" and let the AI go from
there.  Others might select particular "styles" in response to what
an opponent was doing.  Still others might select precise "forms"
within a particular style.  Not only does this allow for
differentiation based on player-types, it also allows the approach
to combat to change based on mood.  In addition, when you knew you
were up against an NPC or player that wasn't particularly
challenging, you could give more high level direction and relax, but
when facing daunting foes, you could dig into the guts of combat to
get every possible advantage.  Along with the ability to have some
say in choosing your foes, this model would allow players to
self-select for desired cognitive demands.  But even at the more
strategic levels of play, cognitive interest remains reasonably
high, since you need to pay attention because there is the constant
decision about whether or not to drop down toward more tactical
levels of play should the need arise.  In this manner, cognitive
decisions are always offered but are not demanded.

--Paul "Phinehas" Schwanz
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