Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start

From: bruno@cerberus.csd.uwm.edu (Bruno Wolff III)

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1993 20:09:23 +0000

From article <21seid$ako@im4u.cs.utexas.edu>, by russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams):
] There is a distinction between moderating a game and playing a game well.
] It is much easier to write a program to do the former.  Unless I missed
] a post, I don't believe anyone was talking about programs to play ASL
] in this context.
]
] I'll certainly agree that a program to do some linear differential
] equation in a chemical simulation will be simpler than a program
] to moderate ASL -- but an ASL moderation program is feasible,
] where a good ASL playing program is not.
]
] Russ

I think there was a misunderstanding about the statement comparing computer
games to ASL. I think the point is that there is no publicly available
(i.e. for sale or distributed for free) computer war game that is better than
ASL. The claim was not that there couldn't be, just that there isn't yet. I
also believe that the comment applied to computer moderated games, not
necessarily one where the computer was playing the game.
I haven't played A3RD Reich or Harpoon, but those are probably close to ASL.
I could see AH possibly doing a computer version of ASL, but it will take a
lot of work and probably won't sell well enough to make money.
I think there is a future for computer moderated games, especially for PBEM.
But some board games will always be around, because it is fun to play at
the same table as your opponents and to roll the dice yourself.

References

Re: PBM design and formulae - a fresh start
russw@cs.utexas.edu (Russ Williams)
Mon, 12 Jul 1993 19:37:49 +0000