[MUD-Dev2] Risk vs Reward [was: Value]

[Sean Howard]

"Mike Rozak" <Mike at mxac.com.au> wrote:
> In my writeup, I used the term "weak" and "strong" choices to indicate
> choices that could easily be undone. Walking a short distance is almost
> always a weak choice because it's easy to walk back to the same place you
> started. Selecting which university you wish to attend is usually a
> strong choice because it's not easy to suddenly switch to another
> university.

Man, I hate being the nit picky terminology guy, but I was under the
impression that weak and strong choices were based on the outcome of the
choices.

For instance, a weak choice is one where it doesn't matter which way you
go as they all lead to the same outcome or is different only comsmetically
(what color hair do you want), or where you don't have enough information
to make an informed choice so it might as well be random selection (like
rock-paper-scisssors).

A strong choice is one that is deterministic based on information before
the choice, and has some sort of changing effect on the game world and on
future choices (ie wearing fire proof armor).

Maybe it's just me, but that's how I'd always heard the terms used...
Strangely, your examples of weak and strong choices are equally valid with
the usages I'm familiar with as well, so it seems there is some overlap.
It just seems like defining choices based on how easy they are to undo
seems to be missing the important nature of what choice is.

-- 
Sean Howard